The director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Jide Idris, says Nigeria is currently only 59 percent prepared for a potential Ebola outbreak.
The NCDC had earlier announced that it has intensified disease surveillance following fresh Ebola outbreaks reported in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The agency warned that Nigeria remains at high risk of an outbreak due to ongoing transmission in affected countries, coupled with increased cross-border movement and international travel.
Speaking on Arise TV on Monday, Idris said a recent national risk assessment revealed significant gaps in the country’s preparedness, particularly at points of entry.
He added that the evaluation was aimed at identifying weaknesses and strengthening response systems against possible importation of the virus.
“Our recent latest level of assessment puts us at about 59 percent. But that’s quite variable. You can’t be 100 percent prepared, but the essence is that we keep preparing because things change,” Idris said.
He also acknowledged that Nigeria is not fully ready but noted ongoing efforts to improve preparedness across all levels.
“To be frank, we are not 100 percent ready, but we are improving our readiness. This is a readiness that has to cover the whole country.”
According to him, the NCDC is currently assessing the preparedness of states and strengthening their response capacity.
“What we are doing is that we’ve assessed our situation. We sent people out to do assessments,” he said.
“We sent advisors to state commissioners to do an assessment of readiness, guiding them on what to do. Look at things like infrastructure, isolation centres, public health emergency operation centres, and what kind of stockpiles they have just in case they have these cases.”
Idris explained that the Federal Ministry of Health has also introduced new protocols for government agencies to tighten monitoring at international entry points.
“We did a dynamic risk assessment for Nigeria basically to assess our level of preparedness, where we are, what gaps we need to cover, and then what we need to do,” he said.
He noted that one of the most critical concerns identified was Nigeria’s points of entry, especially airports, where international travellers arrive.
“And very clearly, one area that came out was the point of entry, which is crucial. Because the essence, the objective, is that we should not allow this thing to come into this country.”
He added that new guidelines have been introduced to regulate arrivals, particularly flights coming from high-risk regions.
“You can do the air traffic, and that’s why some states were categorised as high risk. Those states are where you have international airports, because that is where people come in.”
Idris also raised concerns about Nigeria’s porous land borders, noting that many travellers enter the country by road, making surveillance more difficult.
“But the biggest one again is our porous borders. Not everybody comes in by air. You have people migrating by road and that kind of thing. These are the scares, and that’s why again it’s essential for us to prepare,” he explained.
He said Nigeria’s experience with the 2014 Ebola outbreak has helped improve current preparedness efforts.
“The year 2014 was interesting because we had never had that experience before. But we were lucky to have the experience of the WHO and the Centres for Disease Control, who actually provided guidance,” he said.
He added that Nigeria has since expanded its laboratory and response systems, even as the country continues to battle multiple disease outbreaks including cholera and Lassa fever.