The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) in its assessment estimated the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria as high due to the ongoing transmission in the DRC and Uganda, international travel and population movement.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris on Sunday.
Idris informed that Nigeria had not recorded any confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) associated with the current regional outbreak as at the time of this release.
However, in view of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) declaration by the WHO, and the rising no of cases in DRC and Uganda, NCDC surveillance and preparedness activities continue across the country.
“We conducted a dynamic risk assessment to guide our anticipatory and response measures. This assessment estimated the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria as high due to the ongoing transmission in the DRC and Uganda, international travel and population movement, uncertainty regarding the full magnitude of the outbreak, and the potential for delayed recognition because symptoms may overlap with endemic diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever.
“It also identified high-risk states, border communities, major transport hubs, and Points of Entry (PoEs). It also must be noted that Nigeria maintains important response capacities, including laboratory capability, trained rapid response teams, functional Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs), established Viral Haemorrhagic Fever preparedness structures, and prior experience in successfully responding to Ebola and other viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks”, he said.
The DG disclosed that the NCDC was intensifying national coordination activities to strengthen Ebola preparedness and rapid response capacity across the country through the following actions:
“The National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is on the alert mode for heightened preparedness care promptly and avoid self-medication.”, he said.
Healthcare workers were advised to maintain a high index of suspicion for Ebola Virus Disease in patients presenting with compatible symptoms and relevant travel or exposure history.
