The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has placed the country on heightened Ebola alert, warning that Nigeria faces a high risk of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, importation, amid worsening outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, and Uganda
Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this in an emergency preparedness update issued weekend, revealing that although Nigeria had not recorded any confirmed Ebola case linked to the ongoing regional outbreak, authorities had activated nationwide surveillance and response mechanisms to prevent a possible outbreak.
The update followed increasing cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, and the World Health Organisation’s declaration of a public health emergency of international concern, PHEIC.
The agency said its latest dynamic risk assessment identified international travel, population movement, porous borders, and delayed symptom recognition as major factors increasing Nigeria’s vulnerability.
“The assessment estimated the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria as high due to ongoing transmission in the DRC and Uganda, international travel and population movement, uncertainty regarding the full magnitude of the outbreak, and possible delayed recognition because symptoms may overlap with malaria and Lassa fever,” the statement said.
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This is true. Thousands of people come into Nigeria daily