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| Illustration of Ebola virus…Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/jadding |
The Federal Government has intensified health surveillance at Nigeria’s borders in response to the fresh outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, the Director of Port Health Services at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Akpan Nse, confirmed that monitoring and screening procedures at airports, seaports, and land borders have been stepped up. He added that more personnel had been deployed to strengthen border checks nationwide.
Health officials in the DRC recently declared an outbreak of Ebola in Kasai Province, where 28 suspected cases and 16 deaths—including four health workers—had been recorded as of September 5, 2025. The development comes amid overlapping crises across Central and West Africa, including cholera outbreaks, malnutrition, and mass displacement.
The DRC has battled Ebola repeatedly, with 15 outbreaks since the virus was first identified in 1976. The last outbreak, in Equateur Province in 2022, was contained within three months.
Ebola is a rare but deadly viral illness spread to humans through close contact with infected animals such as fruit bats or via direct human-to-human transmission through bodily fluids, contaminated surfaces, or handling the bodies of deceased patients. Laboratory tests conducted on September 3 at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa confirmed the current outbreak was caused by the Ebola Zaire strain.
Dr. Nse stressed that while Nigeria remains at risk due to frequent travel between both countries, heightened measures are in place to prevent importation.
“Every inbound traveller from Congo is now thoroughly screened, whether arriving by air, land, or sea. Even passengers transiting through the DRC are subject to screening on arrival in Nigeria. We also collect health history through mandatory forms,” he explained.
He noted that additional health workers had been recruited with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), while private organisations had partnered with government agencies to ensure that thermal scanners at airports remained fully functional.
Meanwhile, the WHO has allocated $500,000 from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to support the DRC response. WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced at a briefing that contact tracing, case finding, and vaccination campaigns were already underway.
> “We are deploying rapid response teams, laboratory support, and protective equipment, alongside 2,000 pre-positioned vaccine doses in Kinshasa to protect health workers and identified contacts. This is the DRC’s 16th Ebola outbreak, and the government is applying its extensive experience in containment,” he stated.
With Nigeria’s borders now under strict watch, authorities have urged citizens to remain calm but vigilant, assuring that proactive steps are being taken to prevent the virus from entering the country.
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