Lagos Raises Ebola Alert, Intensifies Airport Screening Against Deadly Outbreak
Korede Abdullah 
Lagos Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Lagos State Government says no confirmed or suspected Ebola Virus Disease case exists in the state despite renewed outbreaks reported in parts of East and Central Africa.
Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, on Monday says Lagos remains on high alert because of its position as a major international entry point into Nigeria.
“The Lagos Biosecurity Bio-shield was built to protect and remains ready to respond to biological shocks. Preparedness for us is not a temporary reaction; it is a permanent culture embedded within our health system,” Abayomi says.
He explains that the state’s preparedness framework, first tested during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and later strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains active against threats including cholera, diphtheria and Lassa fever.
According to the commissioner, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu leads the Lagos Incident Command System, while the Emergency Operations Centre operates round the clock with trained epidemiologists and surveillance teams.
Abayomi says the Lagos State Infectious Disease Hospital and the Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory remain on enhanced surveillance for rapid diagnosis of high-risk pathogens.
He adds that Lagos is working with Port Health Authorities to strengthen screening for flights arriving from East and Central Africa.
“All flights arriving from East and Central Africa are receiving heightened public health attention and scrutiny as part of precautionary measures,” he states.
The reassurance follows warnings from the World Health Organization after Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda reportedly caused more than 390 suspected cases and at least 100 deaths.
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Mirian Gom 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Hussaini Ibrahim