Ebola Outbreak: Nigeria Tightens Borders After WHO Declares Global Emergency

ABUJA — The Federal Government has commenced an immediate scale-up of surveillance across all international airports, seaports, and land borders. This move follows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of the escalating Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

​The global health body raised the alarm after confirming that the current epidemic is driven by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus—a rare and highly lethal strain for which there are currently no licensed vaccines or approved therapeutic treatments.

​Academy Warns Against Complacency

​Reacting to the development, the Academy of Medical Sciences, Nigeria, released a joint statement signed by the Chairman of its Rapid Response Committee, Prof. Obinna Onwujekwe, and the Academy President, Emeritus Prof. Osato Giwa-Osagie. The body urged the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Port Health Services to eliminate any room for institutional complacency.

​“The recurrence of Ebola outbreaks within the African continent underscores the continued vulnerability of all nations to transboundary infectious diseases. While Nigeria’s successful containment of the 2014 Ebola outbreak demonstrated the effectiveness of a coordinated public health response, we must remain intensely vigilant,” the statement read.

​The Academy has recommended rigorous screening protocols for travellers arriving from Central and East African corridors, emergency activation of isolation facilities, and the immediate stockpiling of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) across frontline health facilities.

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​A Rapidly Escalating Crisis

​The outbreak has moved swiftly beyond remote border regions. Epidemiological data compiled by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the WHO indicates that the crisis has expanded significantly:

• ​Democratic Republic of Congo: The situation in Ituri Province has worsened, with reported cases rising to 10 confirmed and 336 suspected infections, resulting in at least 88 deaths. Urban hubs such as Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu are heavily impacted.
• ​Uganda: The virus has officially breached international borders, with two laboratory-confirmed cases and one death recorded in the capital city of Kampala among individuals travelling from the DRC.
• ​Demographics: Two-thirds of the recorded cases in the DRC are female, with the majority of infections concentrated among young adults aged 20 to 39.

​The Bundibugyo Challenge

​What makes this 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC uniquely dangerous is its genetic profile. Unlike the more common Zaire Ebola strain—which can be effectively countered using modern vaccines like Ervebo—the Bundibugyo strain has no available vaccine or targeted antiviral treatment. Medical teams must rely strictly on classical public health interventions: aggressive contact tracing, strict quarantine, and supportive clinical care.

​Furthermore, the WHO expressed deep concern over the deaths of at least four healthcare workers in the affected zones, pointing to critical gaps in local infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. Insecurity, high population displacement, and dense mining-related mobility in the DRC’s Ituri province are compounding the risk of wider regional transmission.

​National Response and Directives

​In its advisory, the Academy of Medical Sciences urged federal and state healthcare institutions to establish Ebola-specific clinical pathways to safely isolate suspected cases before they interact with general hospital populations.

​Public health authorities have also been advised to roll out nationwide risk communication campaigns in major local languages to prevent panic, counter misinformation, and discourage stigmatisation.

​The public is advised to maintain high standards of personal hygiene, avoid direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick individuals, refrain from unregulated traditional burial rites, and immediately report symptoms such as sudden high fever, severe malaise, or unusual bleeding to the nearest health authority.