Ebola airport screening measures are being strengthened at Lagos airport as authorities seek to prevent virus importation into Nigeria
Lagos State health authorities, aviation regulators and airport officials have intensified Ebola Airport Screening measures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) as part of efforts to prevent the importation of the deadly virus into Nigeria amid outbreaks in parts of Central and East Africa.
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The move emerged from a high-level preparedness and inspection exercise conducted on Sunday at Nigeria’s busiest international gateway, where officials reviewed surveillance systems, emergency response plans and passenger screening procedures.
Leading the Lagos delegation, Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi said the state was considering measures to minimise contact between travellers arriving from Ebola-affected countries and other passengers transiting through the airport.
The delegation included the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Dayo Lajide; Director of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, Dr Ismail Abdus-Salam; and senior officials of the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre.
The team was received by Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West MMIA, Olatokunbo Arewa, alongside representatives of Port Health Services, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and other airport agencies.
The discussions come as health authorities across Africa strengthen disease surveillance following the spread of Ebola cases in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
Addressing airport stakeholders, Abayomi stressed that Lagos was determined to maintain efficient airport operations while introducing safeguards capable of rapidly identifying and isolating suspected Ebola cases.
“Our objective is to create a bottleneck for the virus, not for passengers,” Abayomi said.
The commissioner explained that authorities were exploring practical approaches to reduce unnecessary interaction between travellers arriving from countries under enhanced surveillance and other airport users.
Abayomi recalled Nigeria’s experience during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, when the virus entered the country through an infected traveller arriving from Liberia.
He noted that swift intervention, extensive contact tracing and the dedication of frontline health workers helped prevent a major public health disaster.
The commissioner paid tribute to the late Dr Ameyo Adadevoh, whose actions were widely credited with helping contain the outbreak and preventing wider community transmission.
“The experience taught us that vigilance can never be relaxed in a globally connected world,” he said.
Abayomi described MMIA as Nigeria’s most critical international entry point, accounting for an estimated 70 per cent of inbound international passenger traffic and therefore representing the most likely route for imported infectious diseases.
According to him, rapid case detection, immediate isolation, safe evacuation procedures and enhanced digital monitoring of travellers from affected countries remain central to the state’s preparedness strategy.
Ogunyemi emphasised that effective disease control requires close collaboration between federal and state agencies, airport operators and frontline personnel.
“The frontline actually begins here at our ports of entry. As passengers arrive, you are among the very first people to interact with them, making your role critical in our disease surveillance and response efforts,” Ogunyemi said.
She conveyed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s support to airport workers and argued that health security should receive the same level of attention as traditional national security concerns.
Lajide highlighted the importance of protecting frontline personnel responsible for screening travellers and implementing public health measures.
The permanent secretary commended airport agencies for their cooperation and urged workers to maintain strict infection prevention standards.
Responding on behalf of airport authorities, Arewa disclosed that MMIA had already strengthened its preparedness infrastructure through the deployment of touchless sanitiser systems, temperature-monitoring equipment and enhanced passenger screening procedures.
A notable aspect of the discussions involved the possibility of establishing dedicated processing channels for travellers arriving from countries designated as high-risk.
“Ebola is a highly dangerous disease, and any suspected case must be isolated quickly and professionally to prevent transmission,” Arewa said.
The airport manager added that the strong partnership developed between airport authorities and the Lagos State Government during the COVID-19 pandemic continued to provide a valuable foundation for future emergency responses.
Further details of the preparedness measures were provided by the Head of Port Health Services at MMIA, Lawal Abdullahi.
Abdullahi revealed that the airport reviewed and updated its Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan on March 18, 2026, before the latest Ebola developments emerged across the region.
He said the Airport Public Health Emergency Management Team had already been activated and risk assessments completed to identify countries requiring heightened surveillance.
According to Abdullahi, passenger screening procedures were already operational before the activation of the national health declaration platform, with information routinely shared with Lagos disease surveillance teams.
He added that authorities were working to improve access to passenger data to strengthen contact tracing and monitoring capabilities where necessary.
The NCAA’s Aeromedical Assessor, Dr Abayomi Asunbo, said international airlines had been instructed to ensure strict compliance with public health requirements before passengers are cleared for entry into Nigeria.
FAAN’s General Manager for Aviation Medical Services, Bilkis Ibrahim, disclosed that additional protective equipment, multilingual health advisories, public awareness materials and specialised personnel training were being deployed throughout the airport network.
The Head of Medical Services at MMIA, Dr Uche Ofoegbu, said airport stakeholders had intensified awareness programmes to ensure staff remained familiar with surveillance procedures, infection control measures, isolation protocols and emergency response requirements.
The inspection concluded with a tour of screening facilities and critical airport infrastructure, during which officials reaffirmed their commitment to coordinated preparedness and rapid response mechanisms.
Although the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has maintained that no Ebola case has been recorded in Nigeria, authorities insist that sustained vigilance remains essential as outbreaks continue elsewhere on the continent.
According to the World Health Organisation, the Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain continues to evolve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
As of May 27, the WHO reported 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By May 29, health authorities had recorded 134 confirmed cases, including nine in Uganda, and 18 confirmed deaths across the affected countries.
The WHO also confirmed that a healthcare worker from the United States who treated Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo tested positive for the virus and is currently receiving treatment in Germany.
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The development has heightened international concern and reinforced calls for robust surveillance measures at airports and border entry points across Africa.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
