By Babs Oyetoro, with agency report
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed airlines, airport operators, and other aviation stakeholders to intensify public health surveillance measures following the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
In a circular, the NCAA said the directive was prompted by rising concerns over the disease’s potential spread and the aviation sector’s key role in blocking cross-border transmission.
The authority noted that although Nigeria has recorded no confirmed cases linked to the outbreak, it is collaborating closely with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Port Health Services, and international health organisations to monitor developments.
Health authorities in the DRC recently identified a cluster of severe illnesses among healthcare workers in the Bunia Health Zone in the northeastern part of the country.
Laboratory tests confirmed the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever in humans.
“There is currently no licensed vaccine specifically approved for the Bundibugyo strain, while treatment remains largely supportive and symptom-based,” the NCAA stated.
Symptoms of Ebola Virus Disease include sudden fever, severe fatigue, persistent headache, vomiting, abdominal pain, and bleeding manifestations such as nosebleeds or bloody vomiting.
The authority stressed that “early detection and immediate reporting remain critical to preventing the international spread of the disease.”
To strengthen prevention, the NCAA has enhanced disease surveillance at airports, reinforced contact tracing, and strengthened case reporting and border health screening.
It directed pilots to notify Air Traffic Control of any suspected communicable disease cases on board, in line with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations.
Flight crew members have been instructed to complete and submit Aircraft General Declaration forms for suspected cases, while airlines must ensure passenger locator forms are filled and submitted to Port Health Services on arrival.
Aircraft must be equipped with first-aid kits, universal-precautions kits, and emergency medical kits.
The NCAA also urged operators to reinforce crew training on identifying and managing communicable diseases and to follow infection prevention and control guidelines strictly.
It called on all aviation stakeholders to “remain vigilant and comply fully with established public health protocols to safeguard passengers, crew members, and the general public.”
The Ebola death toll in eastern Congo has climbed to an estimated 131 from 513 suspected cases, health minister Samuel Roger Kamba said in an AFP report.
“We have recorded roughly 131 deaths in total, and we have around 513 suspected cases,” Kamba told Congolese national television. He cautioned that the figures were estimates and required further verification.
The World Health Organisation declared an international health emergency on May 17, 2026, over the rare Bundibugyo strain.
The outbreak is centred in the northeastern Ituri province, a gold-mining hub bordering Uganda and South Sudan, but has spread to neighbouring provinces, including suspected cases in Butembo, North Kivu, and Goma.
Kamba attributed delays in early response to community misconceptions.
“Unfortunately, the alert was slow to circulate within the community because people thought it was a mystical illness, and so, as a result, the sick were not taken to the hospital.”
No approved vaccine or specific treatment currently exists for this Ebola strain.
