NCDC places travellers from Ebola-hit countries under 21-day surveillance

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has placed travellers arriving from countries experiencing Ebola outbreaks under intensified surveillance, directing health workers nationwide to closely monitor anyone who develops symptoms within 21 days of travel.

In updated guidelines sent to health facilities and disease surveillance officers, the agency stated that any person who develops a sudden fever along with other Ebola-related symptoms within three weeks of travelling to affected countries should be treated as a suspected case and investigated immediately.

The directive comes as Nigeria remains on high alert over ongoing Ebola outbreaks in parts of Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, where health authorities are working to contain periodic flare-ups of the deadly viral disease.

According to the NCDC guidelines, a suspected Ebola case includes anyone with sudden onset of fever and at least three symptoms such as headache, lethargy, loss of appetite, muscle or joint pain, stomach pain, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, breathing difficulty, diarrhoea, or hiccups, who has travelled to a country with reported Ebola cases within the previous 21 days. Unexplained bleeding in recent travellers to affected countries is also listed as a major red flag.

The agency further warned that individuals who have had contact with a confirmed or probable Ebola patient within the past 21 days and later develop fever, with or without other symptoms, must be investigated immediately. The 21-day period corresponds to the virus’s known incubation period.

Beyond international travel, the NCDC said people exposed to wildlife or bushmeat within the previous 21 days who develop persistent fever unresponsive to routine treatment should also be regarded as suspected cases. Exposure to sick or dead animals, bushmeat, or animal body fluids remains a recognised transmission pathway from animals to humans.

The guidelines define a probable case as any suspected case with an epidemiological link to a confirmed case for which laboratory confirmation could not be obtained. Confirmation of Ebola infection requires laboratory testing, either through detection of virus RNA by RT-PCR or through detection of IgM antibodies.

To strengthen early detection, the NCDC also expanded community-level surveillance, urging residents to report unusual illnesses and unexplained deaths promptly. Any person with persistent fever that fails to respond to treatment, bleeding symptoms, bloody diarrhoea, blood in urine, or any sudden unexplained death should be reported immediately to health authorities.

The renewed emphasis on the 21-day monitoring period reflects lessons from previous Ebola outbreaks in Africa, where delays in identifying exposed individuals often contributed to disease spread.

Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often fatal illness transmitted through direct contact with blood, body fluids, or contaminated materials. Symptoms begin with sudden fever, weakness, and muscle pain, progressing to vomiting, diarrhoea, and in severe cases, bleeding.

Nigeria’s health authorities remain particularly vigilant following the country’s successful response to the 2014 outbreak, which began when an infected traveller arrived in Lagos. Through aggressive contact tracing and rapid isolation, Nigeria interrupted transmission and was declared Ebola-free within three months.