NCDC: 10 Nigerian States Face High Ebola Importation Risk
Nigeria has activated a nationwide public health alert against the deadly Bundibugyo strain of Ebola Virus Disease, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention placing Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, and eight other strategic states on high importation risk amid an escalating outbreak across East and Central Africa.
The advisory, dated May 27, 2026, was issued to commissioners for health across the federation, warning that Nigeria’s exposure remains elevated due to expanding regional transmission, dense international travel routes, porous land borders, and continuous population movement across the West African corridor.
States flagged as high risk include Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa, selected on the basis of their international airports, seaports, border crossings, and intense human traffic.
“The immediate objective of our national preparedness and readiness efforts is to ensure that every state and the FCT can reasonably detect, contain, and respond swiftly to any suspected case while protecting health workers and sustaining essential health services,” the NCDC stated.
According to the NCDC, the ongoing outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has produced 1,077 suspected cases and 247 deaths, placing the case fatality rate at 24.6 percent. Suspected cases have reportedly been identified in India, while Canada has announced temporary restrictions on travel applications involving residents of Uganda, DRC, and South Sudan. Uganda has also moved to close certain borders to contain transmission.
The agency confirmed that a dynamic risk assessment conducted after the outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern showed that the threat of importation into Nigeria remains high, although no confirmed case has been recorded.
Health authorities have stressed that the Bundibugyo strain differs significantly from the Zaire Ebola strain, which is targeted by existing vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies developed after earlier West African outbreaks.
“The current Bundibugyo virus outbreak has no licensed vaccines or approved targeted therapeutics,” the NCDC warned.
Officials further cautioned that early Ebola symptoms can mimic malaria, Lassa fever, and other endemic illnesses, complicating frontline detection. “Health workers must not wait for bleeding before suspecting Ebola in any patient with compatible symptoms and relevant travel or exposure history,” the agency stated.
The NCDC’s National Emergency Operations Centre has been switched to alert mode to coordinate the national response. State governments have been directed to activate Ebola preparedness structures, designate isolation centres, intensify surveillance at points of entry, supply frontline workers with personal protective equipment, and launch public sensitisation campaigns to counter panic and misinformation.
The Lagos State Government has assured residents that no confirmed or suspected case exists in the state. The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a statement on Monday, said the state was closely monitoring developments in the DRC and Uganda in line with directives from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“The Lagos Biosecurity Bio-shield was built to protect and remains ready to respond to biological shocks. Preparedness for us is not a temporary reaction; it is a permanent culture embedded within our health system,” Abayomi said.
He added that the state’s framework, first tested during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains active in responding to recurring threats including cholera, diphtheria, and Lassa fever.
On May 24, 2026, the Nigeria Immigration Service moved to allay public fears that Nigeria’s land borders could serve as unchecked entry points for the virus.
The fresh alert has revived memories of Nigeria’s celebrated 2014 containment, when an infected Liberian American traveller, Patrick Sawyer, arrived in Lagos and exposed dozens before authorities intervened. Aggressive contact tracing, isolation protocols, and public awareness campaigns halted the spread within months, earning Nigeria global recognition from the World Health Organisation as one of Africa’s most effective Ebola responses.
Health authorities have urged Nigerians to remain calm, reject rumours and unverified cures, maintain proper hygiene, and report suspected symptoms early as nationwide surveillance intensifies.