Doctors hold key to stopping next Ebola outbreak — Sanwo-Olu, NCDC
By Chioma Obinna
Lagos State First Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, on Monday called for sustained investment in disease surveillance, healthcare infrastructure and emergency preparedness to protect Nigerians from future public health threats even as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, warned that frontline doctors will determine whether the country prevents another Ebola outbreak.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Lagos State Branch, Sanwo-Olu said the lessons from the Ebola epidemic, COVID-19 pandemic and other emerging infectious diseases underscore the need for stronger collaboration, scientific innovation and continuous investment in the health sector.
“As a medical doctor, I truly appreciate the enormous responsibility placed on healthcare professionals. Beyond treating illnesses, they are educators, researchers, counsellors, innovators, family members and often the first line of defence during national emergencies.
“Our healthcare workers deserve not only our gratitude but continuous investment in their welfare, professional development and a conducive working environment,” she said.
The First Lady reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare infrastructure, human capital development, digital health innovations, disease surveillance and emergency response systems under the THEMES+ development agenda.
“It is through collaboration between government, healthcare professionals, research institutions, development partners, the private sector and communities that we can build a healthier, safer and more resilient society,” she added.
Delivering the keynote address, the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, warned that Nigeria cannot afford complacency despite its successful containment of Ebola in 2014, saying the country remains vulnerable because of increasing international travel and the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Represented by Dr. Olukitan Jinadu, Idris said although Nigeria has strengthened its preparedness, the country’s greatest defence remains the vigilance of frontline health workers.
“The truth is, no country can guarantee that an infected traveller will never cross its borders. The person may travel during the incubation period before any symptoms appear.
“The objective must therefore be to prevent importation where possible and detect and contain any imported case before it generates sustained transmission,” he said.
Warning doctors against assuming every fever is malaria, Jinadu said Ebola often presents like common febrile illnesses, making early clinical suspicion critical to preventing another national emergency.
“Ebola appears as an ordinary febrile illness. Most patients present with fever, weakness, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. In the early stages, many cases could easily be mistaken for malaria.
“We must now, more than ever, maintain a high index of suspicion for every febrile illness. A simple question about recent travel history or unexplained deaths around a patient could make the difference between stopping an outbreak and allowing it to spread.”
He disclosed that following the World Health Organisation’s declaration of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the Federal Government activated the National Emergency Operations Centre, intensified surveillance at ports of entry, updated Ebola case definitions, designated isolation centres, strengthened laboratory capacity, stockpiled personal protective equipment and medicines, and commenced simulation exercises to test the country’s readiness.
According to him, no preparedness plan can succeed if healthcare workers fail to recognise and promptly report suspected cases.
“Every consultation is an opportunity for detection. Every prompt alert can prevent a healthcare worker from becoming infected, a hospital from shutting down and a community outbreak.
“If we detect the first Ebola case, that is not failure. Failure is when that case is missed. Failure is when an alert is ignored. Failure is when response is delayed,” he stressed.
Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Akin Osibogun, said Nigeria’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014 remains one of the country’s greatest public health achievements and a model for responding to future outbreaks.
He attributed the feat to prompt clinical suspicion by doctors, strong political leadership, effective coordination among government agencies and health professionals, and swift public health interventions.
According to him, the increasing threat of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases makes it imperative for Nigeria to continually strengthen its surveillance systems, laboratory networks, emergency response capacity and health workforce.
“When Ebola came to Lagos in 2014, we acted immediately. Within three months, Nigeria had contained the outbreak, while some affected countries battled the disease for more than three years.
“That experience showed that when the health system is strengthened and prepared, unnecessary deaths can be prevented. Preparedness is not an event; it is a continuous investment in people, systems and rapid response.”
Earlier, Chairman of the NMA Lagos State Branch, Dr. Babajide Saheed, said preventing Nigeria’s next Ebola index case requires preparedness rather than luck.
“Preventing Nigeria’s next Ebola index case is not about luck. We must be prepared, respond appropriately and sustain evidence-based measures. The success recorded in 2014 showed that it can be done.”
Saheed identified stronger border surveillance, improved laboratory capacity, infection prevention and control, community engagement and coordinated governance as critical pillars for preventing future outbreaks.
He urged governments at all levels to sustain investments in health security, noting that outbreaks can only be contained through coordinated action among policymakers, health professionals, researchers and communities.
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