Nigeria at risk of another Ebola outbreak, NCDC warns

Nigeria may be at a moderate risk of Ebola outbreak, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control gave the warning on its official website on Friday.

NCDC said the decision was based on the proximity of Guinea to Nigeria which is currently battling the outbreak, and other West African countries, as well as other indicators.

Guinea experienced an outbreak of Ebola on February 14, and cases and deaths were reported in the N’zerekore region of the country. The cases were detected among seven people who had attended the burial of a nurse on February 1, NCDC said.

Following the declaration of the outbreak, the Guinean government has initiated response activities.

The World Health Organization, Africa Centres for Disease Control, and West African Health Organisation have announced that they are supporting the country’s response activities.

The Government of Guinea has also begun processes to access the global stockpile of vaccines for Ebola virus disease from the Vaccine International Coordinating Group, ICG.

The NCDC also noted that it has an existing multi-sectoral National Emerging Viral Haemorrhagic Diseases Working Group, which coordinates preparedness efforts for EVD and other emerging viral haemorrhagic diseases.

“The EVHDWG has carried out a risk assessment on the possibility of transmission of the virus to Nigeria. Given the proximity of Guinea to Nigeria and other West African countries as well as other indicators, Nigeria has been placed at moderate risk of an EVD outbreak.

The outputs from this risk assessment are being used to initiate preparedness activities in-country,” NCDC said.

The agency assured that several measures had been put in place to prevent and mitigate the impact of a potential EVD outbreak in Nigeria.

“A National Emergency Operations Centre operating from NCDC’s Incident Coordination Centre is on alert mode. We have a team of first responders on standby, ready to be deployed within 24 hours in the event of an EVD outbreak in Nigeria.

It added that the Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health has scaled up screening at points of entry, and that the NCDC will also scale up risk communications and other activities.

The Ebola virus can be transmitted via direct contact with bodily fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from the disease. The virus can enter the body stream through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth.

This can also be spread through contact with objects contaminated by infected persons as well as direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected fruit bats or primates.