By Sarah NEGEDU
Abuja has been placed on Nigeria’s Ebola watchlist after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, classified the Federal Capital Territory amongst the country’s 10 highest-risk areas for a possible outbreak of the deadly disease.
The assessment identified the FCT alongside Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa as locations requiring heightened preparedness because of international travel links, population movement, porous borders and active trade routes.
Although Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed Ebola case linked to the current outbreak, the NCDC in the statement warned that the country faces a high risk of importing the virus as transmission continues in parts of East and Central Africa.
It said Abuja’s position as a major transportation, diplomatic and administrative hub places it among areas most vulnerable to disease importation should the virus enter the country.
The NCDC noted that international airports, extensive travel networks and the movement of people across borders significantly increase the risk of exposure, while symptoms resembling malaria and Lassa fever could delay early detection.
The Abuja Inquirer had, recently, reported that the FCT Administration announced a series of preventive measures aimed at strengthening the territory’s defences against a possible Ebola outbreak, including enhanced surveillance at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and other high-traffic entry points.
An advisory issued by the Health Services and Environment Secretariat said Abuja’s role as Nigeria’s administrative and diplomatic capital, coupled with the high volume of local and international travel into the city, makes early preparedness critical.
The advisory, signed by the Mandate Secretary of the Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, said public health authorities had heightened surveillance activities and reinforced infection-prevention measures across health facilities within the territory.
Residents were also urged to remain vigilant, observe preventive measures and promptly seek medical attention if they develop symptoms associated with the disease.
The NCDC, however, maintained that the risk extends beyond the FCT, warning that all states must sustain preparedness efforts despite differences in their risk classifications.
The agency identified Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia and Bayelsa as moderate-risk states, while directing all states and the FCT to strengthen surveillance and emergency response systems.
NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, said the World Health Organisation’s Public Health Emergency of International Concern declaration and increasing Ebola cases in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo had necessitated intensified preparedness measures across Nigeria.
According to him, health authorities in the two countries have reported 1,077 suspected Ebola cases and 247 deaths, with people between the ages of 14 and 45 accounting for the majority of infections.
He warned that the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is presently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
Idris explained that existing Ebola vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies were developed primarily for the Zaire ebolavirus strain and should not be considered effective countermeasures against the current outbreak.
He stressed that early detection, prompt isolation of suspected cases, strict infection-prevention measures, effective contact tracing and strong surveillance systems remain the most effective tools for containing the disease.
The NCDC has since activated its National Emergency Operations Centre in alert mode and is coordinating preparedness activities with federal and state institutions nationwide to strengthen response capacity should any suspected case emerge.
While no Ebola case has been recorded in Nigeria, public health authorities say sustained vigilance remains critical as regional transmission continues and the risk of cross-border importation persists.
