The new airport measure Lagos is considering over Ebola concerns

• Lagos is considering measures to reduce interaction between passengers arriving from Ebola-affected countries and other travellers at MMIA.

• Airport authorities have strengthened screening, surveillance and emergency response systems to detect and isolate suspected cases quickly.

• Nigeria has not recorded any Ebola case, but health officials are maintaining heightened vigilance because of ongoing outbreaks in parts of Africa.

The Lagos State Government is considering measures to reduce contact between travellers arriving from Ebola-affected countries and other passengers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), as authorities intensify efforts to prevent the virus from entering Nigeria.

The move was discussed during a high-level preparedness and inspection exercise held at the airport on Sunday, where health officials, aviation regulators and airport authorities reviewed existing disease surveillance systems, emergency response plans and passenger screening procedures.

The inspection was led by Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi. Other members of 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 officials from the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre.

Airport authorities, led by Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West MMIA, Olatokunbo Arewa, received the delegation alongside representatives of Port Health Services, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other agencies.

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The discussions come amid renewed concerns over Ebola outbreaks reported in parts of East and Central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. Health authorities across the continent have stepped up monitoring and preparedness measures as cases continue to emerge.

Speaking during the visit, Abayomi said Lagos was committed to strengthening disease prevention measures without disrupting airport operations.

"Our objective is to create a bottleneck for the virus, not for passengers," he said.

According to him, the state is exploring practical options that would reduce unnecessary interaction between travellers arriving from countries of concern and other airport users.

He noted that Lagos cannot afford to be complacent, recalling how Nigeria's 2014 Ebola outbreak began when an infected traveller arrived from Liberia through Lagos.

The commissioner said the country was able to contain the outbreak through aggressive contact tracing, surveillance and the efforts of frontline health workers.

He also paid tribute to the late Dr Ameyo Adadevoh, whose intervention helped prevent widespread community transmission of the disease.

"The experience taught us that vigilance can never be relaxed in a globally connected world," Abayomi said.

Describing MMIA as Nigeria's most important international gateway, Abayomi said the airport handles about 70 per cent of international passenger arrivals into the country, making it a critical point for disease surveillance.

He identified rapid detection of suspected cases, immediate isolation, safe evacuation procedures and stronger digital monitoring of travellers arriving from affected countries as key pillars of the state's preparedness strategy.

Dr Ogunyemi stressed the need for collaboration among federal and state agencies, airport operators and frontline personnel to strengthen Nigeria's health security.

"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," she said.

She also conveyed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's support to airport workers, adding that health security should be treated with the same urgency as other national security concerns.

Permanent Secretary, Dr Dayo Lajide, emphasised the importance of protecting frontline personnel responsible for screening travellers and implementing public health measures. She urged airport staff to maintain strict compliance with infection prevention protocols.

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On behalf of airport authorities, Arewa said MMIA had already begun upgrading its preparedness systems, including the deployment of touchless sanitiser dispensers, temperature-monitoring devices and improved passenger screening processes.

He disclosed that discussions were ongoing about creating dedicated processing channels for passengers arriving from countries considered high-risk.

"Ebola is a highly dangerous disease, and any suspected case must be isolated quickly and professionally to prevent transmission," he said.

Arewa added that the strong collaboration established between airport authorities and the Lagos State Government during the COVID-19 pandemic would remain vital in responding to future public health emergencies.

The Head of Port Health Services at MMIA, Lawal Abdullahi, revealed that the airport reviewed and updated its Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan on March 18, 2026, ahead of the latest Ebola developments.

He said the Airport Public Health Emergency Management Team had already been activated, while risk assessments had been carried out to identify countries requiring increased surveillance.

Abdullahi explained that passenger screening procedures were already operational before the launch of the national health declaration platform and that information was regularly shared with Lagos disease surveillance teams.

He added that authorities were also working on improving access to passenger data to support contact tracing and monitoring efforts when necessary.

Also speaking, NCAA Aeromedical Assessor, Dr Abayomi Asunbo, said international airlines had been directed to strictly comply with public health regulations before passengers are cleared for entry into Nigeria.

FAAN's General Manager for Aviation Medical Services, Bilkis Ibrahim, said additional protective equipment, multilingual public health advisories, awareness materials and staff training programmes were being deployed across airports.

Similarly, MMIA Head of Medical Services, Dr Uche Ofoegbu, said airport stakeholders had intensified awareness campaigns to ensure workers understood their responsibilities regarding surveillance, infection control and emergency response procedures.

The inspection ended with a tour of passenger screening facilities and other critical airport infrastructure, with officials reaffirming their commitment to information sharing, coordinated preparedness and rapid response mechanisms.

Although the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that no Ebola case has been recorded in Nigeria, health authorities continue to maintain a high level of vigilance due to ongoing outbreaks elsewhere in Africa.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Ebola outbreak linked to Bundibugyo virus disease continues to evolve in the DRC and Uganda.

As of May 27, WHO reported 906 suspected cases and 223 deaths among suspected cases in the DRC. By May 29, a total of 134 confirmed cases, including nine in Uganda, and 18 confirmed deaths had been recorded across the two countries.

The WHO also confirmed that a healthcare worker from the United States who treated Ebola patients in the DRC tested positive for the virus and is currently receiving treatment in Germany.