- The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued an urgent public health advisory to airlines, airport operators, and air navigation service providers following a fresh outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in East and Central Africa.
- Laboratory investigations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Bunia Health Zone confirmed a cluster of severe illnesses among medical workers tied to the rare Bundibugyo virus strain, which currently lacks an approved vaccine.
- Under strict new guidelines, flight crews must immediately report any passenger displaying symptoms, such as sudden fever, bleeding, or extreme weakness, to Air Traffic Control and complete formal Aircraft General Declaration forms.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has issued a public health advisory to airlines, air navigation service providers, and aerodrome operators following the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
Eko Hot Blog reports that in an official administrative circular signed by the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Chris Najomo, and obtained on Monday, May 25, 2026, the regulatory body warned that while Nigeria has not recorded any active or suspected cases, the aviation ecosystem remains the country’s primary frontline against cross-border transmission.
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According to technical briefs integrated into the internal memo, health management teams in the Democratic Republic of the Congo recently identified a cluster of severe viral hemorrhagic illnesses among front-line healthcare workers in the Bunia Health Zone.
Subsequent laboratory diagnostic profiles confirmed the presence of the Bundibugyo ebolavirus ($BDBV$) strain.
The NCAA emphasized that unlike the more common Zaire strain, there is presently no licensed vaccine specifically approved to prevent or treat the Bundibugyo variant, meaning patient management across isolation facilities relies entirely on supportive clinical care and symptom-based therapies.
To block potential importation via international transit routes, the NCAA has mandated all commercial carriers and airport terminal operators to immediately ramp up onboard disease surveillance and enforce strict compliance with International Air Transport Association (IATA) safety frameworks.
Under the fresh directive, Pilots-in-Command are legally obligated to instantly alert Air Traffic Control ($ATC$) upon identifying any passenger exhibiting indicators of a communicable disease. Flight crews are also required to fill out and submit comprehensive Aircraft General Declaration documents to Port Health Services upon arrival.
The federal regulatory body listed core physiological symptoms for crew monitoring, including sudden high-grade fever, acute muscle weakness, persistent headaches, abdominal pains, vomiting, and advanced hemorrhagic manifestations like nosebleeds or blood in vomit.
Concurrently, airlines have been slammed with a strict prohibition against transporting human remains into Nigerian territory without securing certified written clearances from Port Health authorities.
The NCAA maintained that rapid reporting, absolute compliance with Standard Operating Procedures, and tight structural synchronization with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) remain vital to insulating the public from the biological threat.
