Nigeria has heightened surveillance and preparedness against Ebola disease following confirmation of an imported case in Kenya, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) moves to strengthen the country’s defences against possible cross-border transmission.
The development has renewed attention to the risks posed by international travel and population movement, particularly as the Kenyan case has been linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reports Daily Independent.
However, the NCDC has stressed that there is no confirmed case of Ebola disease in Nigeria as of yesterday, Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday, while outlining measures being taken by the federal government to prevent the importation and spread of the virus.
The confirmed Kenyan case involved a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC, from where he travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda, before flying to Nairobi.
According to the NCDC, the patient was isolated in Nairobi and subsequently tested positive for the Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses that causes Ebola disease.
The patient later died, while Kenyan health authorities commenced contact tracing and other response measures.
The NCDC said the development underscored the continuing risk of Ebola being imported through international travel and population movement, including the possibility of transmission into Nigeria.
Against this backdrop, the agency said it was working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Port Health Services, state governments and other partners to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness and response capacity.
The measures include enhanced early detection, isolation and referral of suspected cases, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, contact tracing, risk communication and protection of healthcare workers.
The agency’s response reflects the critical importance of detecting suspected Ebola infections early, isolating affected persons promptly and preventing exposure of health workers and members of the public.
The NCDC also disclosed that a national Ebola preparedness tabletop simulation exercise had been conducted to test existing response arrangements and identify gaps requiring further attention.
The exercise is expected to strengthen coordination among relevant agencies and improve Nigeria’s readiness to respond should a suspected or confirmed case emerge.
While urging Nigerians to remain calm, the NCDC called for increased vigilance and adherence to basic preventive measures.
It advised members of the public to practise regular hand hygiene by washing their hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand rub.
Nigerians were also warned to avoid contact with the blood or body fluids of anyone who is ill, particularly persons displaying symptoms suggestive of Ebola disease.
The agency further advised the public to avoid contact with the bodies of people who have died from unknown illnesses, given the potential risk of infection associated with handling the remains of people who may have died from Ebola or another infectious disease.
The NCDC also cautioned against handling sick or dead wild animals and consuming raw or poorly cooked bushmeat, which can expose people to infections capable of crossing from animals to humans.
The warning assumes added significance as Nigeria remains connected to regional and international travel networks through its airports, land borders and other points of entry.
The agency therefore urged anyone who becomes unwell, particularly after travelling to an affected area or having contact with a suspected or confirmed Ebola case, to seek prompt medical attention at a recognised health facility.
Travellers from affected areas have also been advised to monitor their health for 21 days after leaving an affected area.
The NCDC said anyone who develops symptoms during that period should disclose their travel history and any possible exposure to Ebola when seeking medical care.
The emphasis on early disclosure is critical to enabling health authorities to assess potential exposure, initiate appropriate clinical management and activate public-health measures where necessary.
For healthcare workers, the NCDC’s preparedness measures also place renewed emphasis on infection prevention and control, given the high consequences of delayed recognition or inadequate protection when dealing with suspected Ebola cases.
The latest alert therefore presents Nigeria with another test of its ability to detect emerging infectious threats before they become wider public-health emergencies.
For now, the NCDC maintains that there is no confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria. But with an imported case already confirmed in Kenya and linked to an outbreak in the DRC, health authorities are strengthening surveillance rather than waiting for transmission to reach Nigerian territory.
The message from the agency is consequently one of vigilance without panic: strengthen surveillance, identify suspected cases early, isolate and test promptly, trace contacts and ensure that Nigerians understand the risks associated with travel, exposure to infected body fluids and unsafe handling of animals or human remains.
As Nigeria steps up its preparedness, the immediate challenge is to ensure that vigilance at ports of entry, health facilities and communities translates into rapid detection and decisive response — before a potential imported infection has an opportunity to establish local transmission.
