Abuja Airport Enforces Health Declaration Forms Amid Ebola Alert

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, has intensified health sensitisation and surveillance measures, including the enforcement of health declaration forms for eligible arriving passengers.

This follows Nigeria’s heightened alert amid the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This has, however, spread to Kenya and other African countries.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said the measures were aimed at strengthening early detection and contact tracing, and at preventing the possible importation of the virus into the country.

The renewed measures followed reports of the spread of Ebola in parts of Africa, including Kenya, which confirmed its first case linked to the outbreak in eastern DRC.

Kenyan health authorities said the patient, a Kenyan national who had lived in the DRC for seven years, travelled by road from the DRC to Uganda before flying to Nairobi.

He was later taken to the hospital and placed in isolation after presenting with symptoms including fever, chills and bleeding beneath the skin.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP, the airport spokesperson, Bishop Kunle, said the airport was already conducting extensive sensitisation among passengers and relevant personnel.

He said the airport was prepared to support screening, monitoring and contact tracing of passengers where necessary.

According to him, FAAN was enforcing the completion of health declaration forms by passengers subject to the current public health advisory before they left the airport.

The measures are being implemented in line with the advisory issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), which placed Nigeria on high alert following developments in the DRC.

Meanwhile, the NCDC has heightened surveillance and preparedness measures following the confirmation of an imported case of Ebola disease in Kenya.

The confirmed case, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has been linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), raising concerns over possible international spread.

The agency, however, said it was reviewing the risk to Nigeria and strengthening preparedness measures in collaboration with relevant authorities and partners.

It urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and observe preventive measures, particularly given the possibility of travel-related transmission.

The director-general of the NCDC, Jide Idris, had said preparatory activities were underway to strengthen the country’s readiness to respond to any potential Ebola threat.

Idris said Nigeria’s preparedness measures would be continuously reviewed based on the evolving epidemiological situation and public health risk assessment.

As part of enhanced surveillance, the NCDC advised travellers arriving from countries with active or relevant Ebola transmission to complete the Health Declaration Form and comply with follow-up measures.

The agency clarified that, at the time of the advisory, passengers arriving from other countries were exempted from completing the form.

It further advised travellers to disclose relevant travel and exposure history to health officials.

According to Reuters, Uganda had earlier reported 20 Ebola cases and two deaths but was declared Ebola-free in August, while a doctor who returned to France from the DRC in June also tested positive without further transmission being reported.

The latest data on the DRC outbreak showed that 7,672 confirmed cases, including 3,699 deaths, had been reported as of 20 September 2026, based on information available up to 19 September.

The figures also showed that 886 patients were hospitalised in isolation, while 1,879 people who tested positive for the Bundibugyo virus had recovered.

A further 58 confirmed cases and 23 deaths were recorded compared with the previous report of 19 September.

Ituri recorded the highest number of new cases, with 38, followed by North Kivu with 14, Haut-Uélé with 5, and Tshopo with 1.

The report further indicated that 79.9 per cent of identified contacts of confirmed cases in the affected provinces were under follow-up.

The NCDC said the decision to heighten surveillance in Nigeria followed a dynamic risk assessment and consultations with public health experts and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

It reiterated its commitment to protecting Nigerians through evidence-based surveillance, preparedness and response to emerging public health threats.