Concerns over Nigeria’s preparedness as Ebola, hantavirus threat grow

Concerns are mounting over Nigeria’s readiness to respond to epidemics and pandemics as fresh outbreak of deadly Ebola as well as threats posed by the hantavirus highlight gaps in the country’s surveillance, laboratory capacity and rapid response systems, experts have said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on countries especially African countries to urgently improve readiness for infectious disease outbreaks, warning that many African countries still have weak diagnostic capacity and limited outbreak detection systems.

Overall, experts say Nigeria has some foundational outbreak response capabilities for detection and initial containment of isolated imported cases, especially through the NCDC’s surveillance system, the country would struggle if there is sustained transmission. They point to weak laboratory systems, uneven hospital capacity, and general health system gaps.

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While Hantavirus risk remains low, the WHO and experts have however cautioned against complacency. But the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has WHO and global experts worried especially as the rare Bundibugyo strain driving this current outbreak has no known therapeutics or vaccine.

The WHO is especially concerned about the speed and scale of the current outbreak.

According to WHO updates suspected cases linked to the outbreak rose to 575 from 246 within the same reporting period, while deaths increased from 80 to 148.

Adetolu Ademujimi, a public health expert at APIN said Nigeria’s struggle with lassa fever raises doubts about the country’s readiness.

Lasaa fever has remained entrenched in Nigeria for several decades and continues to claim hundreds for lives every year. Data from NCDC show that nearly 200 deaths from Lassa fever have been reported in 2026 so far with the disease’s fatality rate rising above figures recorded during the same period last year.

Like Lassa fever, hantavirus is a rodent-linked viral disease and both diseases involve zoonotic transmission and require infection prevention systems, contact tracing and laboratory surveillance.

“Hantavirus is from the same family of rodent-linked infections. In my opinion, Nigeria already has a silent epidemic of Lassa fever. How have we contained Lassa fever that has taken several lives? What strategies have federal and subnational governments put in place that have actually worked?” Ademujimi queried.

He argued that outbreak preparedness cannot be limited to the health sector alone, but must include environmental and sanitation systems that reduce contact between humans and rodents.

He further pointed to gaps in human resources for health and clinical readiness. “How many doctors are remaining in Nigeria? How often do they get training? How many infectious disease centres actually have doctors and pharmacists trained in outbreak response?” he said. And what specific antiviral agents do we have available? Who stocks them?” he queried.

Saiki Musa, Epidemiology and Surveillance Manager at the International Research Center of Excellence (IRCE) at Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), also reiterated that preparedness for infectious disease is constrained by several limitations, but warned that “preparedness should not wait until confirmed cases occur.”
Musa noted that routine surveillance for Hantavirus is currently limited, and many healthcare workers may not readily recognise the disease because its symptoms can resemble other endemic febrile illnesses such as malaria, Lassa fever, leptospirosis, or severe respiratory infections.

He added that diagnostic capacity for confirmatory Hantavirus testing remains limited within the country, which could delay identification during the early stages of an outbreak.

“In addition, ecological and rodent surveillance systems are still underdeveloped despite increasing urbanization, poor waste management, flooding, and changing environmental conditions that can increase human exposure to rodent reservoirs,” he further said.

In order to strengthen preparedness, the expert said Nigeria need to prioritise and strengthen a multi-sectoral “One Health” approach that integrates human health, animal health, and environmental surveillance systems; targeted capacity building for health workers; and invest in states laboratory capacity and genomic surveillance.