Lagos Puts Ebola Response on Alert After Congo Cases

The Lagos State Government has activated the Incident Management Structure of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre as a precautionary step to guard against a possible Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the state.
The government disclosed in a statement on its official X handle Thursday that the centre was activated following the ongoing epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the statement, “The IMS activation followed an emergency meeting of the Lagos PHEOC held on September 9 at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, in response to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers, have been reported.”
As part of preparations, the state has made available an isolation facility with a capacity of 14 to 18 beds for both suspected and confirmed cases.
Other measures include strengthened surveillance, laboratory support, and infection prevention and control systems. Training for frontline health workers across all response areas is also set to begin immediately.
Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, represented by the Director of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, Dr. Ismail Abdus-Salam, said the move was necessary given Lagos’ exposure risk.
“Lagos is largely ready,” Abdus-Salam assured, noting that updated Ebola fact sheets and advisories will be circulated to both public and private health facilities so that doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and other health personnel remain alert.
Ogboye urged the public not to panic, stressing that the government has put control measures in place. He, however, advised residents to practice proper hand hygiene, maintain clean environments, and promptly report suspected cases, especially among travellers returning from outbreak regions.
“The Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with blood, body fluids, or contaminated items of an infected person. Anyone with fever, sore throat or malaria-like symptoms who has recently travelled to affected regions should report immediately to 767 or 112,” he said.
At the airport, Dr. Abdullahi Lawal, Officer-in-Charge of Port Health Services, said enhanced surveillance and infection prevention measures have been introduced to prevent importation of the virus.
The government further disclosed that stakeholders such as immigration, customs, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria are being sensitised to identify EVD symptoms early, while travellers are encouraged to observe proper hand hygiene and report suspicious cases.
These actions follow the Ebola outbreak declaration in Kasai Province, DRC, where 58 suspected or confirmed cases and 20 deaths, including four health workers, had been recorded as of September 10.