The agency warns against false claims that Nigeria has been declared Ebola-free, while health officials stress accurate reporting, contact tracing and public awareness.
By Precious David-Ogaga
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has urged journalists across the country to report the Ebola outbreak accurately and responsibly, warning that misinformation, sensational headlines and the stigmatisation of patients could undermine public-health efforts.
The warning was issued during a media capacity-building session held on October 27, 2026, following the confirmation of an Ebola virus disease case on October 20 in a traveller who had returned to Abuja from Uganda, according to a briefing by the Office of the NCDC Director-General.
During the session, health experts, epidemiologists, surveillance specialists and media professionals emphasised the importance of distinguishing confirmed cases from suspected cases and contacts under monitoring.
The NCDC briefing stated that the affected woman and her husband were evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 at their own expense. The woman was reportedly stable, conscious and clinically improved when she left the country.
Officials also stated that there was no confirmed Ebola case remaining in Nigeria at the time of the briefing, while surveillance and contact-tracing activities continued.
The agency cautioned against reports circulating on some platforms that Nigeria had been declared Ebola-free, describing the claims as false and misleading. It also rejected claims that the evacuation represented a vote of no confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare response.
Contact tracing remains central to outbreak response
Speaking during the briefing, Rimamdeyati Yashe, Head of Community-Based Surveillance at the NCDC, outlined four key pillars of the response: identification, contact follow-up, isolation and care, and hotline services and risk communication.
She explained that people identified as contacts are monitored for 21 days following exposure, with temperature checks conducted in the morning and evening.
Officials stressed that being identified as a contact does not mean a person has contracted Ebola. Contacts remain under observation unless clinical and laboratory evidence establishes otherwise.
The briefing also highlighted the need for healthcare facilities to separate patients with suspected Ebola from other patients promptly while diagnostic investigations are underway.
According to the officials, seven samples from suspected cases had been collected and sent for laboratory testing at the time of the session.
The NCDC said its toll-free line, 6232, operates around the clock, including weekends and public holidays, to receive reports and respond to public concerns.
Members of the public experiencing symptoms or concerned about possible exposure were encouraged to contact the appropriate health authorities rather than rely on unverified information circulating online.
What Nigerians need to know about Ebola
Dr. Muhammad Shakir Balogun, a resident adviser with the Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, explained key scientific facts journalists should communicate when reporting the disease.
He said Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person who is sick or has died, particularly when these fluids enter through broken skin or mucous membranes.
He also clarified that Ebola is not spread through the air and that people who have not developed symptoms do not transmit the disease under the transmission guidance presented during the session.
Symptoms typically appear between two and 21 days after exposure, with an average incubation period of approximately eight to 10 days, according to the briefing.
Early symptoms may include fever and can resemble illnesses such as malaria, making prompt medical assessment and appropriate testing important where exposure is suspected.
Dr. Balogun also explained that the Bundibugyo species of Ebola is distinct from the Zaire species. Consequently, vaccines and treatments developed for one species cannot automatically be assumed to work against another.
He said there was no licensed vaccine or specific drug approved for the Bundibugyo species at the time of the briefing, adding that clinical trials had begun that month. Patients require supportive medical care.
The scientific briefing also discussed the wider regional situation and the possibility of links between cases reported in different countries. However, officials cautioned that some suspected epidemiological connections had not been conclusively established.
NCDC addresses quarantine support payments
The meeting also examined the proposed welfare support for people placed in quarantine during the response.
The Office of the Director-General explained that a proposed payment of ₦100,000 for the first week was being considered following concerns raised by people in quarantine.
Dr. Biodun Ogunniyi subsequently clarified that the proposed payment was intended for people in quarantine, not patients in isolation. He said the amount required further review to determine what would be financially sustainable.
The briefing indicated that payments had not yet been made at the time of the meeting and that discussions were ongoing regarding responsibility for the associated costs, including engagement with the Federal Capital Territory administration.
The issue highlights the importance of communicating the distinction between a proposed welfare arrangement and an approved, implemented payment scheme.
Journalists warned against stigmatising patients
Dr. Lawal Bakare, who represented Mr. Ajibola Amzat during the session, urged journalists to treat outbreak reporting as a public service that requires accuracy, sensitivity and respect for privacy.
He advised reporters to avoid publishing the names, photographs or addresses of patients and contacts where doing so could expose them to stigma or discrimination.
Journalists were also encouraged to use neutral, person-centred language, such as “person with Ebola”, “patient” or “survivor”, rather than terms such as “victim”, “killer virus” or “deadly plague”.
Dr. Bakare stressed the importance of distinguishing suspected, probable and confirmed cases and urged journalists to seek the underlying figures whenever officials provide percentages.
He also presented a pre-publication checklist to help reporters assess whether information has been confirmed, whether identifying details could compromise patient privacy and whether a headline accurately reflects the evidence and level of risk.
Fact-checkers warn against false reassurance and panic
Catherine Adeniyi, a researcher and project lead at Africa Check, identified several patterns of misinformation that commonly emerge during public-health emergencies.
These include false reassurance, panic-inducing claims, the politicisation of outbreak information and narratives intended to undermine confidence in the public-health response.
She advised journalists to pause before sharing potentially alarming information, examine the original source, search for independent verification, use reverse-image searches where appropriate and confirm figures before publication.
Adeniyi also warned about fake NCDC circulars, noting that spelling errors, missing reference numbers and the absence of a named Director-General could be warning signs that a document is not authentic.
She encouraged journalists to verify official notices through established institutional channels rather than relying on screenshots or forwarded messages.
The advice comes as public-health agencies increasingly depend on timely and accurate communication to help communities understand health risks and respond appropriately.
Media epidemiology and responsible reporting
Dr. Olayinka, a resident adviser with the Media Epidemiology, Infodemic Management and Social and Behavioural Change Fellowship, outlined the role of the Media EIS programme in strengthening journalists’ ability to communicate health risks.
The programme, which ran for approximately 15 months, brought together the NCDC, the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) and the United States government, with support from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Its approach emphasises four areas: engaging communities, educating the public, empowering people with reliable information and evaluating communication outcomes.
The briefing noted that fellows had been producing daily updates and fact-checks following the October 20 case confirmation.
Participants also called for stronger engagement between the NCDC and newsroom editors to enable the rapid correction of inaccurate reports, particularly when misleading claims gain traction on social media.
What this means for Nigerians
The central message from the briefing is that outbreak surveillance and accurate public communication must continue even when there are no confirmed cases remaining in the country.
The absence of a confirmed case at a particular point in time does not, by itself, establish that an outbreak has ended. Health authorities must assess contact-tracing outcomes, the emergence of new cases and other epidemiological evidence before making such a declaration.
For members of the public, this means avoiding unverified claims, following official health advice and reporting relevant symptoms or suspected exposure through established health channels.
For journalists, it means verifying claims against the latest official situation reports, clearly identifying the date of the information being reported and correcting errors promptly and transparently.
The NCDC’s toll-free line, 6232, was identified during the briefing as a 24-hour channel for public enquiries and reports.
The agency also indicated that situation reports were available through its official website, ncdc.gov.ng.
As Nigeria continues its surveillance efforts, the effectiveness of the response will depend not only on epidemiological monitoring and laboratory testing but also on public trust, responsible reporting and the timely correction of misinformation.
Accurate information remains essential to helping Nigerians understand the risks without unnecessary panic or false reassurance.