Nigeria Tightens Border Screening as Ebola Outbreak Hits DRC

The Federal Government has stepped up monitoring and screening measures at all entry points into the country following a fresh outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Director of Port Health Services, Dr Akpan Nse, said surveillance had been intensified across airports, seaports, and land borders. He explained that every traveller from Congo to Nigeria is now subject to thorough checks, including medical history forms and mandatory screening.

“We have intensified surveillance at all points of entry across the country—airports, land borders, and seaports. Every inbound traveller coming from Congo to Nigeria is thoroughly screened, and we collect their medical history through mandatory forms. We have also reactivated our portals. Every passenger on every flight coming to Nigeria from Congo is screened upon arrival. This applies to airports, seaports, and land borders. Even if passengers transit through Congo on their way to Nigeria, they must undergo screening,” he said.

Nse added that, with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), more staff had been recruited to strengthen border surveillance. He also noted that private partners were helping to maintain thermal scanners at airports.

Health authorities in the DRC confirmed the outbreak in Kasai Province, where 28 suspected cases and 16 deaths, including four health workers, have been reported. Tests at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa identified the Ebola Zaire strain as the cause.

The WHO has already released $500,000 from its emergency fund to support the response. Its Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: “We’re joining rapid response teams to trace contacts and find cases; we’re collecting and testing samples, and we’re providing technical expertise in surveillance, infection prevention and control, treatment, risk communication, and more. WHO has also delivered personal protective equipment, laboratory equipment, medical supplies, and a mobile laboratory. We had previously prepositioned 2000 doses of Ebola vaccine in Kinshasa, which we are releasing to vaccinate contacts and health workers. This is the 16th outbreak of Ebola in the DRC, and the government has rich experience from those previous outbreaks.”

Public health experts in Nigeria have welcomed the government’s actions but urged continued vigilance.

Dr Oladipo Kolawole, an Associate Professor at Adeleke University, said: “Everybody coming into the country, especially from DR Congo, must declare where they are coming from at the point of entry, and we must keep our surveillance system well-tightened. I think there is a bit of awareness about the virus in the country, and I’m very sure that all the institutions are on ground to handle things based on the experience we had previously on Ebola. I believe the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has a structured system in place that can handle that, and now they have expanded their lab to Lagos. The Nigeria Institute for Medical Research is also available in that regard, and they have a good structure to handle it.”

Similarly, Dr Moses Adewumi, a virologist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, stressed the importance of preparedness. “We must be deliberate about monitoring points of entry, especially airports and land borders, so that no suspected case slips through undetected. Early detection is the key to prevention. I hope the leadership in the country will improve on the surveillance system. This is the time for us to demonstrate preparedness, strengthen laboratory capacity, and ensure that our response teams are well-coordinated to prevent the importation of the virus in the country,” he said.

The Head of Infectious Diseases at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Dr Iorhen Akase, noted that Ebola poses the greatest risk when patients are symptomatic. “The government should monitor the borders closely for somebody who’s already symptomatic is something the government is doing, I’m aware, with all the scanners they have,” he added.

The DRC has reported 15 Ebola outbreaks since 1976. Kasai Province, where the current outbreak is unfolding, previously recorded cases in 2007 and 2008. The most recent flare-up was in Equateur Province in 2022 and was contained within three months.