Ebola: FG intensifies border screening, orders isolation for high-risk travellers

Medical staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carry a patient on a stretcher at the hospital in Rwampara, DR Congo, on May 21, 2026. Photo: AFP

The federal government has intensified health screening at the country’s airports, seaports and land borders, announcing that travellers identified as high-risk or displaying symptoms associated with Ebola and other viral haemorrhagic fevers will be subjected to secondary screening, isolation and referral procedures. The move comes amid growing concerns over the ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease in parts of East and Central Africa and forms part of a broader national preparedness strategy aimed at preventing the disease from entering Nigeria. In a statement issued on Tuesday, signed by the Assistant Director of Press and Public Relations, Ado Bako, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said there is currently no confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria but stressed that heightened preparedness measures have been activated nationwide to safeguard public health. “The Ministry wishes to reassure Nigerians that there is presently no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria. However, in line with the federal government’s commitment to strengthening national health security and preventing cross-border disease transmission, heightened preparedness measures have been activated nationwide,” the ministry stated. The ministry said enhanced border surveillance remains a critical component of the government’s response, with health officials directed to strengthen screening and risk assessment procedures for all incoming travellers. Among the measures announced are mandatory temperature checks using infrared thermal scanners and handheld thermometers, health declaration forms, travel history assessments and intensified risk profiling at designated points of entry. The ministry said authorities had activated “enhanced traveller risk assessment and screening procedures at designated Points of Entry” and put in place “secondary screening, isolation and referral mechanisms for travellers presenting symptoms consistent with viral haemorrhagic fevers.” The development signals a return to heightened vigilance at Nigeria’s borders, reminiscent of measures adopted during previous public health emergencies, including the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic. To strengthen disease detection beyond the nation’s borders, the ministry said surveillance systems had been reinforced across the country through enhanced Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response activities, commun