Nigeria strengthens Ebola preparedness with presidential task force, says NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says Nigeria has activated a Presidential Task Force to strengthen preparedness against Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) amid regional outbreaks.

Dr Fatima Saleh, Chair of the National Ebola Technical Working Group (TWG) at NCDC, disclosed this on Thursday at the third Nigeria Ebola RCCE+IM Preparedness Webinar.

Saleh, also Head of the Surveillance Epidemiology Department in the agency, said that the task force was established to coordinate national preparedness, contingency planning, identify operational gaps and prioritise resources before any outbreak occurs.

She said that the theme of webinar was “Integrating Behavioral Intelligence into Regional Preparedness,” hosted by the NCDC in collaboration with the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCSDC) and regional partners.

Saleh said the decision followed a dynamic national risk assessment which classified Nigeria as being at very high risk of Ebola importation because of ongoing outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda and increasing regional travel.

She recalled that Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola experience demonstrated how a single infected traveller could trigger a major public health emergency, making preparedness far cheaper and more effective than responding to an outbreak.

According to her, Nigeria recently investigated a rumoured Ebola importation in Lagos through rapid coordination between state and national authorities, leading to prompt contact tracing, laboratory testing and confirmation that the suspected case was negative.

She stressed that the swift response prevented panic and misinformation, noting that Nigeria currently had no confirmed Ebola case and remained focused on sustaining its zero-case status.

Saleh reminded participants that Ebola remained a highly fatal viral disease caused by different species, including the Zaire, Sudan and Bundibugyo strains, with fruit bats serving as the natural reservoir.

She explained that “infections commonly begin after contact with infected wildlife such as primates and antelopes before spreading from person to person through direct contact with blood or body fluids, especially during unsafe burial practices.”

Providing a regional update, she said a physician returning from the DRC self-reported symptoms at an airport on June 23, was immediately isolated, later recovered and was discharged on July 4 after close monitoring of contacts.

She added that thousands of contacts continued to be monitored in the DRC, while Uganda had recorded confirmed Ebola cases, including deaths, underscoring the need for stronger preparedness across the region.

Saleh said Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force was approved on June 9, and inaugurated on June 18, under the leadership of the Chief of Staff to the President, bringing together key ministries, agencies and partners.

She explained that the task force operated through five subcommittees covering surveillance and laboratory services, case management, logistics and infrastructure, financing, and risk communication and advocacy.

According to her, a ₦10 billion Emergency Intervention Fund has been earmarked to support preparedness activities, while state governments are expected to provide counterpart funding to access the central resources.

Saleh said Nigeria recently conducted a national tabletop simulation exercise to test its Incident Management System and also participated in regional preparedness activities aimed at improving surveillance, infection prevention and case management.

She disclosed that assessments of treatment centres in Kano and Borno identified referral facilities for Ebola management and produced action plans to address gaps in referral systems, utilities and staffing.

On laboratory preparedness, she said Ebola testing was fully operational at the National Reference Laboratories in Abuja and Lagos, while diagnostic capacity was being expanded to sub-national laboratories by leveraging existing Lassa fever testing facilities.

She added that surveillance officers across states had been trained to monitor travellers from affected countries, while health assessments of priority states were ongoing to strengthen readiness nationwide.

Saleh said mandatory health declarations, digital monitoring systems and deployment of additional personnel at Lagos and Abuja points of entry were improving border surveillance, although compliance and digital infrastructure remained challenges.

She noted that public communication remains central to preparedness, with nationwide awareness campaigns, myth-busting materials and community engagement aimed at encouraging early reporting, hand hygiene, avoidance of bushmeat, and use of the NCDC toll-free line for suspected cases.

Speaking during the webinar, Patrick Lansana, Sierra Leone’s Programme Manager for Health Promotion and Risk Communication, stressed that community trust remained the foundation of effective outbreak preparedness, warning that misinformation and distrust can fuel resistance, delay response and worsen disease transmission.

Lansana said that public trust remained the foundation of every successful disease outbreak response, stressing that communities must be involved in planning, implementation and evaluation of health interventions.

He said that misinformation, rumours and fear often undermined public health efforts, warning that failure to address community concerns early could lead to mistrust, resistance to health measures and even attacks on treatment facilities, as witnessed during previous Ebola outbreaks.

He urged countries in the ECOWAS region to strengthen behavioural intelligence and community listening systems to identify public concerns early, counter false information with evidence-based messages and sustain community participation in Ebola preparedness and response efforts.