By Franklin Adole
Nigeria has stepped up its defences against the possible importation of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), introducing targeted health declaration requirements for travellers from affected countries as enhanced surveillance and screening at the nation’s points of entry continue more than two months after authorities intensified preparedness against the regional outbreak.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said on Wednesday that the country remained on high alert following developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its latest assessment of the risk posed to Nigeria.
The new measure requires travellers arriving from countries with active or epidemiologically relevant Ebola transmission to complete a Health Declaration Form as part of enhanced surveillance and post-arrival monitoring.
Passengers arriving from countries not currently classified as affected are exempt from completing the form.
The latest intervention builds on Ebola preparedness measures that have been running for months rather than representing the beginning of airport surveillance.
Nigeria had already intensified traveller monitoring and surveillance at international airports, seaports, land borders and other high-mobility locations following an NCDC risk assessment in May, with airport screening and other point-of-entry precautions continuing since then.
The NCDC had classified the risk of Ebola importation as high, citing international travel, population movement, major airports and seaports, porous land borders, informal crossings and regional trade routes.
Wednesday’s additional measures therefore reinforce an Ebola surveillance system that has been operating for more than two months as health authorities seek to detect any imported case before community transmission can occur.
NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said the measures would remain subject to review as the epidemiological situation evolved.
“These measures will continue to be reviewed in line with the evolving epidemiological situation and public health risk assessment,” he said.
Travellers from affected countries are expected to provide information on their recent travel, health status, and possible exposure, enabling public health authorities to identify and follow up persons considered at risk.
The health declaration process also provides for monitoring of affected travellers for 21 days after arrival, corresponding with the recognised incubation period for Ebola.
The NCDC said its latest decision followed a dynamic risk assessment and consultations with public health experts and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Beyond the airports, states have also been placed on varying levels of preparedness, with Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa previously identified among areas requiring the highest level of readiness because of their international entry points, borders, or travel patterns.
Preparedness measures include strengthening isolation and referral systems, infection prevention and control, availability of personal protective equipment, safe sample transportation, ambulance arrangements, and readiness of frontline health workers.
The NCDC has also urged Nigerians to remain vigilant for symptoms consistent with Ebola, particularly among persons with recent travel to affected countries or possible contact with infected persons.
Symptoms can include sudden fever, severe headache, weakness, muscle or joint pain, loss of appetite, stomach pain, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, diarrhoea, and, in some cases, unexplained bleeding.
The agency stressed that persons with relevant travel or exposure history who develop symptoms should promptly alert health authorities rather than conceal their travel history.
Nigeria has not reported a confirmed case linked to the current regional outbreak, but authorities are maintaining heightened surveillance because of the potential for infected travellers to cross international borders before symptoms become apparent.
The NCDC said the country’s preparedness would continue to be adjusted in response to changes in transmission patterns, insisting that early detection remained critical to preventing Ebola from gaining a foothold in Nigeria.
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