The Federal Government has stepped up monitoring and screening at all entry points in response to the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Director of Port Health Services at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Akpan Nse, told Saturday PUNCH that additional staff had been deployed to strengthen border surveillance.
Health authorities in the DRC confirmed the outbreak in Kasai Province, where 28 suspected cases and 16 deaths, including four health workers, had been recorded as of September 5, 2025. Laboratory tests identified the strain as Ebola Zaire.
Nse explained that Nigeria’s heavy international travel links with the DRC made it vulnerable, but assured that Port Health Services was on high alert. “We have intensified surveillance across airports, land borders, and seaports. All travellers from Congo, including those transiting through, are screened and required to provide medical history,” he said.
He added that portals for screening had been reactivated, more staff recruited with WHO support, and thermal scanners at airports kept functional through government–private sector partnerships.
Ebola virus disease, a rare but deadly illness, spreads through close contact with the fluids of infected animals or humans. The DRC has experienced 15 outbreaks since 1976, the last being in Equateur Province in 2022.
Meanwhile, the WHO has released $500,000 from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to aid Congo’s response. Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that staff, protective gear, medical supplies, and 2,000 vaccine doses were being deployed to support rapid response teams.
Nigerian experts, including Adeleke University’s Dr Oladipo Kolawole and UCH Ibadan’s Dr Moses Adewumi, urged vigilance. They called for coordinated inter-agency action, strict border checks, and robust preparedness to prevent the virus from reaching Nigeria.
