Lagos increases airport Ebola surveillance after Abuja case confirmation

environmental and health authorities in Lagos state have raised disease surveillance and screening procedures at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Punch Newspapers reported on 25 October 2026 that the Lagos State Government confirmed there are currently no suspected Ebola cases within the state. The decision to strengthen preventative measures follows the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja. [1]

The Lagos State Ministry of Health stated that the confirmed case in Abuja involves the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. According to Punch Newspapers, the Lagos Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, issued a statement detailing engagements with airport management, Port Health Services, and public health stakeholders. The discussions focused on passenger screening, information sharing, infection prevention protocols, and emergency response coordination. [1]

Ebola virus disease typically has an incubation period ranging from two to 21 days after exposure, with symptoms usually appearing after eight to ten days. Initial non-specific symptoms include high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, fatigue, and sore throat. Early clinical presentation often resembles common infections such as influenza or malaria, with gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting and watery diarrhoea usually developing three to five days after the onset of fever. [4]

The broader 2026 Ebola outbreak primary regional activity began on 14 May 2026 in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Early infections in that regional outbreak were theorised to have occurred in January or February 2026 in the town of Mongbwalu. [2]