The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has placed the Federal Capital Territory and nine states on heightened Ebola surveillance following the outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo strain in parts of East and Central Africa.

In a public health advisory issued on May 27, the agency identified Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa as high-risk areas due to their airports, seaports, border routes and heavy human traffic.

The NCDC warned that Nigeria faces a significant risk of importing the virus because of increased regional transmission, international travel and porous borders.

According to the agency, the current Bundibugyo strain poses a major threat because there is no approved vaccine or targeted treatment for the variant.

Although Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed Ebola case, the agency said Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have already reported over 1,000 suspected cases and hundreds of deaths linked to the outbreak.

The NCDC said the National Emergency Operations Centre has been activated in alert mode, while state governments have been directed to strengthen surveillance, prepare isolation centres, equip health workers and intensify public awareness campaigns.

The agency also advised healthcare workers not to rely solely on bleeding as a symptom of Ebola, noting that early signs may resemble malaria or Lassa fever.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government assured residents that no confirmed or suspected Ebola case has been detected in the state.

Commissioner for Health Akin Abayomi said Lagos remains on high alert, adding that the state’s disease surveillance and biosecurity systems remain fully operational.

The latest alert has revived memories of Nigeria’s successful containment of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which the World Health Organization later described as one of Africa’s most effective responses to the disease.