The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has identified Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Rivers, Kano and several other states as being at high risk of Ebola importation amid ongoing outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Prof. Jide Idris, disclosed this in a public health advisory issued in Abuja.
He said the assessment was influenced by increased international travel, cross-border movement, porous borders and uncertainties surrounding the true extent of the outbreak.
Other states classified as high-risk include Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa, while Ogun, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger and other states were placed on moderate alert.
Idris warned that the current Bundibugyo strain outbreak has no approved vaccines or targeted treatment, noting that existing Ebola vaccines are largely designed for the Zaire strain and may not be effective against the present outbreak.
According to the NCDC, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda have recorded 1,077 suspected Ebola cases and 247 deaths, with a fatality rate estimated at 24.6 per cent.
Despite the regional outbreak, the agency stated that Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed Ebola case linked to the situation.
The NCDC added that its National Emergency Operations Centre had been placed on alert. At the same time, rapid response teams, laboratories and surveillance systems across the country had been activated to strengthen preparedness and response measures.
