Health
WHO raises Ebola risk level as DRC outbreak worsens, reports new hantavirus cases
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised the risk level of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “very high” nationally as suspected cases approach 750, with the disease already spreading across borders into Uganda.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus announced the updated assessment on Friday during a Member State information session on the Ebola outbreak and a separate hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius.
According to the WHO, DRC has recorded 82 confirmed Ebola cases so far.
However, the agency said the outbreak is likely far larger, with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths already reported.
“In Uganda, two cases have been confirmed in people who travelled from DRC, with one death,” Mr Ghebreyesus said.
Mr Ghebreyesus noted that the organisation previously assessed the outbreak risk as high nationally and regionally, and low globally, but has now revised it to “very high” at the national level, “high” regionally and “low” globally.
No approved vaccines
WHO said the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, unlike previous outbreaks driven by the Zaire strain.
The agency explained that there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo virus, making containment more difficult.
WHO also noted that commonly used Ebola diagnostic tests designed for the Zaire strain do not detect the Bundibugyo strain effectively, contributing to delays in identifying the outbreak.
“There have only been two previous outbreaks of Bundibugyo, in Uganda in 2007 and DRC in 2012,” Mr Ghebreyesus said.
Conflict worsening outbreak
The organisation warned that insecurity in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu is further complicating response efforts.
According to the WHO, intensified fighting in recent months has displaced more than 100,000 people, while about four million people in the affected areas require urgent humanitarian assistance.
The agency also said approximately 10 million people are facing acute hunger.
Mr Ghebreyesus disclosed that a hospital in Ituri was attacked on Thursday, with tents and medical supplies set on fire.
“Building trust in the affected communities is critical to a successful response,” he said.
WHO said it has deployed 22 international staff to support response operations and released $3.9 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies.
Hantavirus deaths
Meanwhile, the WHO said the hantavirus outbreak linked to passengers and crew aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has now recorded 12 cases and three deaths.
The latest confirmed case involved a crew member who disembarked in Tenerife and was later repatriated to the Netherlands, where the individual remains in isolation.
WHO noted that no additional deaths have been reported since 2 May, when the outbreak was first reported.
The agency said more than 600 contacts across 30 countries are still being monitored, while efforts continue to trace a small number of high-risk contacts.
Countries supporting the response include Argentina, Cabo Verde, Chile, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom.
No Ebola in Nigeria
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said the country has recorded no confirmed Ebola case linked to the ongoing outbreak in Central and East Africa.
The agency said the country remains on heightened alert and has strengthened surveillance at points of entry, including airports, seaports and land borders, to prevent importation of the virus.
The health body also warned against misinformation circulating on social media suggesting that Ebola cases had been detected in Nigeria, describing such claims as false and capable of causing unnecessary panic.
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Following the outbreak declaration, authorities said surveillance systems at points of entry had been strengthened, while emergency response mechanisms were being reviewed to improve readiness.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) also announced additional health screening measures and enhanced Ebola surveillance across international airports.
The measures include heightened passenger monitoring, screening protocols, and coordination with health authorities to detect and respond swiftly to suspected cases.
The Kano State Government says it has implemented about 90 per cent of its healthcare blueprint within three years of Governor Abba Yusuf’s administration.
The Commissioner for Health, Abubakar Labaran, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists in Kano on the achievements recorded in the health sector.
Mr Labaran said the state had fully implemented the Abuja Declaration on Health, demonstrating its commitment to improving healthcare delivery.
He said the administration sanitised admissions into health training institutions through the introduction of a digital process, eliminating fraud that previously cost the state more than N1 billion.
“The government had also revived the training and retraining of healthcare personnel, restoring professionalism and credibility in the sector,” he said.
Mr Labaran said several health-related courses had secured accreditation from regulatory bodies, and opportunities had been created for medical doctors to advance to consultant status.
He said the measures had strengthened healthcare institutions and improved service delivery.
The commissioner said maternal mortality was being tackled through free healthcare for pregnant women, including free caesarean sections in more than 30 government hospitals.
He said more than N60 million was spent monthly to sustain the programme and ensure access to quality maternal care.
“Ambulances had been provided to all 44 local government areas to support emergency services, particularly for pregnant women in labour”.
He added that 484 mini ambulances had been procured for distribution to all wards to address transportation challenges during emergencies.
Mr Labaran said 320 primary healthcare centres had been rehabilitated, and the government was working to ensure every ward had a functional centre.
Additionally, he said health personnel had been recruited through collaboration between the state and federal governments and deployed to the facilities.
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He said the government was also strengthening secondary healthcare services across the 44 LGAs.
“Drug availability in hospitals had improved significantly from 30 per cent at the start of the administration through investment and prompt payment to suppliers,” he said.
The establishment of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control was another major milestone, he said, noting that it had enhanced the state’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health emergencies.
Mr Labaran reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sustaining investments to ensure accessible, affordable and quality healthcare for all residents.
(NAN)
Nigeria has unveiled a new National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP) 2026–2030, outlining a transition from donor-supported interventions to a domestically financed and government-led response to HIV/AIDS.
The plan, presented on Thursday in Abuja, comes amid declining external funding and growing calls for Nigeria to assume greater ownership of its health system, particularly in sustaining long-term HIV interventions.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Temitope Ilori, said Nigeria’s HIV response had reached a critical point that requires a strategic reset in line with emerging realities.
Ms Ilori said the country had recorded significant progress over the past two decades, including reductions in new infections and improved treatment access, but noted that changing global and financial conditions demanded a new approach.
She explained that the new strategic plan represents a recalibration rather than a replacement of the existing framework and aligns Nigeria’s response with emerging evidence and global priorities.
“This new Strategic Plan reflects lessons learned from implementation, new evidence from the National HIV Estimates and the need to reposition the response in a rapidly changing global environment,” she said.
Shift to domestic ownership
Ms Ilori said declining external funding and fragmented programme structures had made it necessary for Nigeria to adopt a government-led and government-owned response model.
According to her, the NSP prioritises the integration of HIV services into national systems across sectors, including health, education, youth development, gender and justice.
She added that the plan was developed through extensive consultations involving government institutions, civil society organisations, development partners, private sector actors and community networks.
“This Strategic Plan calls on all stakeholders to renew their commitment and work collectively to achieve a resilient, equitable, and sustainable HIV response for Nigeria,” she said.
Framework
Presenting the framework, NACA’s Deputy Director of Policy, Planning and Coordination, Mariam Ezekwe, said Nigeria’s HIV response had reached a decisive point, with notable achievements but persistent gaps that require structural reforms.
Ms Ezekwe said the country had made substantial gains in reducing infections and expanding access to treatment, but stressed that the next phase must focus on sustainability and stronger system integration.
She outlined the country’s current realities, describing a system that had made progress but still faced structural weaknesses in financing and service delivery.
“Fifty-two per cent reduction in new infections since 2010, and just about 80 per cent of People Living with HIV/AIDS know their status in 2025,” she said.
“These are the latest data from the Spectrum estimate. And currently we have an estimated 1,985,284 people living with HIV/AIDS.”
She added that the NSP prioritises legislative financing, health insurance expansion, and integration of HIV services into primary healthcare systems.
Private sector, faith groups seek deeper integration
During a panel discussion on domestic financing and sustainability, stakeholders called for stronger private sector participation, expanded insurance coverage and formal integration of faith-based organisations into the national response.
Representing the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS (NIBUCCA), Opeyemi Yekini said private sector actors should be treated as co-owners of the HIV response rather than mere contributors.
Mr Yekini noted that businesses increasingly recognise that workforce health directly affects productivity and economic stability.
Also speaking, Executive Secretary of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), Tajudeen Ibrahim, said Nigeria’s transition strategy extends beyond enrolling people living with HIV into health insurance schemes and includes strengthening systems capable of sustaining HIV financing after donor support declines.
Mr Ibrahim said governments at different levels were already committing resources to HIV programmes, but weak tracking and reporting mechanisms made it difficult to determine the full extent and impact of domestic investments.
He said strengthening financial accountability and visibility would be essential to demonstrating country ownership and ensuring resources are used efficiently.
“There are several mechanisms that we are currently using to fund health, and these mechanisms need to be properly tracked. As part of Global Fund support to the country, we are investing in strengthening our public financial management system,” he said.
Emmanuel Okechukwu, co-chair of the Nigeria Interfaith Coalition on AIDS (NIFCOB-AIDS), also called for the formal integration of faith-based organisations into the national HIV response framework.
He said faith institutions had long played a central role in providing care and social support, particularly at the community level.
“The faith-based community is asking for integration, both in policy and programming. If you want to attain universal health coverage, you must go to the people who are in the grassroots to provide the healthcare communities require,” he said.
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System integration by 2030
The NSP 2026–2030 outlines a long-term goal of eliminating parallel HIV programmes and embedding interventions within routine government systems.
NACA said implementation of the plan would increasingly rely on domestic financing, strengthened health insurance systems, digital health expansion and coordinated multisectoral accountability mechanisms.
By 2030, Nigeria aims to sustain HIV control through integrated systems fully owned and financed at national and subnational levels.
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