The World Health Organization says Nigeria faces minimal danger from the current Ebola outbreak sweeping parts of West Africa, despite the virus spreading to multiple countries in the region.
Chikwe Ihekweazu, the WHO's Executive Director for Health Emergencies, made the assessment on Tuesday during an appearance on Arise Television's Morning Show. He said Uganda is the only country outside the Democratic Republic of Congo with confirmed cases so far.
The outbreak has now triggered a declaration as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, only the ninth time in recorded history that Ebola has reached this threshold. Ihekweazu stressed that the situation is grave and demands coordinated international action.
"This Ebola outbreak is serious and requires an internationally coordinated response. It has already spread to other countries," Ihekweazu said. He noted that the DR Congo, where the outbreak originated, has recorded over 300 confirmed cases spread across multiple zones.
The virus itself is a severe pathogen transmitted from animals to humans and between humans. It causes viral hemorrhagic fever, a disease marked by sudden onset of fever, weakness, and muscle pain that can progress to internal and external bleeding, organ failure, and death in severe cases.
Nigeria's preparedness for disease outbreaks has been tested before. The country successfully contained a 2014 Ebola epidemic that killed 20 people, earning international praise for swift action and contact tracing. That experience means the country has systems in place to detect and respond to any cases that might cross borders.
The WHO assessment provides some relief to a population that remembers the fear of that earlier outbreak. Ihekweazu's statement suggests the organization believes current border controls, surveillance systems, and Nigeria's health infrastructure are adequate to prevent the virus from establishing itself locally, even as it spreads regionally.
