(Adnkronos) – Nigerian public health authorities have identified 21 of the country’s 36 states as being at “high” or “moderate” risk of Ebola importation, amid growing concern over cross-border transmission. In a statement, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said recent Ebola outbreaks in parts of East and Central Africa have increased the risk of the disease being imported into Nigeria, although no confirmed cases have yet been recorded in the country.
The NCDC classified the capital Abuja, the southern states of Lagos, Rivers, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Cross River, as well as the northern states of Kano, Borno, Taraba and Adamawa, as high-risk areas, due to intense movements and trade routes linked to international airports and the permeability of land borders. The agency also listed the states of Ogun, Ebonyi, Abia and Bayelsa in the South, along with the states of Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina and Bauchi in the North, as moderate-risk areas, requiring strengthened surveillance and preparedness measures.
Jide Idris, Director General of the NCDC, stated that the World Health Organization’s declaration of the Ebola outbreak as a “public health emergency of international concern” underscores the need for Nigeria to strengthen preparedness efforts. He also warned that Ebola symptoms are very similar to those of malaria and Lassa fever, which increases the risk of late diagnosis and further transmission. With a population of over 242 million, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and the sixth most populous in the world.
