FULL LIST: NCDC places states on high Ebola alert over importation risk

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has placed several states on high Ebola preparedness alert after a fresh risk assessment classified Nigeria’s chances of importing the deadly disease as high amid regional outbreaks.

The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, made this known via a statement issued on Thursday, May 28, 2026.

Idris stressed that Nigeria had not yet recorded any confirmed Ebola Virus Disease case linked to the outbreak.

Idris said the World Health Organization’s Public Health Emergency of International Concern declaration and increasing Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda required intensified surveillance and preparedness activities across Nigeria immediately.

He stated that the NCDC conducted a dynamic risk assessment to guide anticipatory and response measures, concluding that Nigeria faced a high Ebola importation risk because of international travel and regional population movement.

He added that uncertainty surrounding the outbreak’s magnitude and the possibility of delayed recognition were heightened because Ebola symptoms closely resembled common endemic diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever in Nigeria.

The NCDC boss said all states and the Federal Capital Territory must maintain Ebola preparedness, adding that readiness efforts should reflect varying importation and transmission risks identified through the agency’s recently developed preparedness classification system.

Idris categorised FCT, Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa as high-risk states because of international airports, porous borders, and active trade or travel routes.

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Idris also identified Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia, and Bayelsa as moderate-risk states requiring sustained preparedness efforts against possible Ebola importation and transmission threats.

He said the WHO declaration underscored the seriousness of the regional threat and highlighted the urgent need for Nigeria to strengthen preparedness measures before detecting any suspected Ebola case domestically.

The NCDC boss explained that national preparedness efforts aimed to ensure every state and the FCT could quickly detect, contain, and respond to suspected Ebola cases while protecting health workers and sustaining healthcare services.

Idris reiterated that Nigeria currently had no confirmed Ebola case linked to the outbreak but warned that increasing regional transmission significantly elevated the country’s importation risk because of population movement and extensive travel networks.