The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has intensified surveillance measures for travellers arriving from countries currently battling Ebola outbreaks, directing healthcare personnel across the country to closely monitor anyone who develops symptoms associated with the disease within 21 days of travel.
The directive is contained in updated surveillance guidelines distributed to health facilities and disease surveillance officers nationwide as authorities remain on alert over Ebola outbreaks reported in some African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
Under the new guidelines, individuals who recently visited countries with suspected or confirmed Ebola cases and later develop a sudden fever alongside other symptoms linked to the disease are to be treated as suspected cases and investigated without delay.
According to the NCDC, any traveller who develops a sudden fever and at least three accompanying symptoms within 21 days of returning from an affected country should be considered a suspected Ebola case.
“Any person with a sudden onset of fever and at least three of the following symptoms—headaches, lethargy, anorexia, aching muscles or joints, stomach pain, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, difficulty breathing, diarrhoea or hiccups—and travel history to countries reporting suspected or confirmed Ebola cases within the last 21 days,” should be treated as a suspected case, the NCDC guidelines stated.
The agency also highlighted unexplained bleeding among recent travellers from affected countries as a significant warning sign requiring urgent public health intervention.
In addition, the NCDC advised health authorities to promptly investigate anyone who had contact with a confirmed or probable Ebola patient within the previous 21 days and subsequently develops fever, whether or not other symptoms are present.
The public health agency explained that the 21-day observation period aligns with the recognised incubation period of the Ebola virus, during which infected individuals may begin to show signs of illness.
The guidelines further extend surveillance beyond international travellers. According to the NCDC, individuals who have handled wildlife, bushmeat, sick animals or animal body fluids and later develop persistent fever that does not respond to treatment should also be regarded as suspected cases.
The agency noted that contact with infected animals remains one of the recognised routes through which the virus can spread from animals to humans.
Healthcare workers were advised to exercise heightened vigilance when attending to patients presenting with unexplained fever, particularly where there is a history of contact with confirmed cases or other high-risk exposures.
The NCDC defined a probable case as “any suspected case with an epidemiological link to a confirmed case for whom laboratory confirmation could not be obtained.”
The agency stressed that only laboratory testing can confirm an Ebola infection.
“Laboratory confirmed cases must test positive for the virus antigen either through detection of virus RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or through detection of IgM antibodies directed against Ebola,” the guidelines stated.
As part of efforts to strengthen early detection, the agency also called for increased vigilance at the community level, urging residents to promptly report unusual illnesses and unexplained deaths.
Under the community surveillance framework, cases involving persistent fever that fails to respond to treatment, unexplained bleeding, bloody diarrhoea, blood in urine or sudden unexplained deaths should be immediately reported to health authorities.
“Any sudden or unexplained death should be considered a priority event for investigation,” the guidelines stated.
Public health experts maintain that community-based reporting remains one of the most effective strategies for identifying potential outbreaks before they spread widely.
The NCDC’s renewed focus on the 21-day monitoring period reflects lessons learned from previous Ebola outbreaks across Africa, where delayed identification of exposed persons often contributed to wider transmission.