Editorial: Lagos on High Alert - Guarding Against Ebola and Other Outbreaks

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi

Editorial: Lagos on High Alert - Guarding Against Ebola and Other Outbreaks

At the Invest Lagos 3.0 Summit, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, delivered a sobering reminder of the city’s perpetual vulnerability to infectious diseases.

With a population exceeding 30 million, Lagos is a bustling hub of human and animal traffic, a gateway to Africa, and consequently, a fertile ground for contagion. 

Abayomi’s words underscore the delicate balance between economic vibrancy and public health security in one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities.

The commissioner highlighted the sheer scale of daily inflows, 18,000 cattle, countless poultry, fish, and other livestock, feeding millions of residents. This constant movement of people and goods, by air, sea, and land, creates a web of exposure that demands vigilance.

“We are always anxious on some kind of high alerts in Lagos,” Abayomi noted, emphasizing that the city’s openness is both its strength and its Achilles’ heel.

Drawing a stark comparison between COVID-19 and Ebola, Abayomi reminded the audience that while the former had a fatality rate of about 1 percent, Ebola’s mortality can reach 25 percent or higher. His blunt assessment, “COVID is kindergarten compared to Ebola”, was not hyperbole but a call to recognize the catastrophic potential of future outbreaks.

To counter these threats, Lagos is building what Abayomi termed the “Lagos Bio-Shield,” a comprehensive framework of border surveillance, contact tracing, isolation centers, and advanced biosafety laboratories.

The strategy is particularly focused on Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the city’s busiest entry point, where health authorities monitor arrivals from high-risk regions. This integrated system aims to detect and contain pathogens before they spread, leveraging a network of epidemiologists across the state.

The commissioner’s remarks are both a warning and a reassurance. They remind us that Lagos, as Africa’s business gateway, cannot afford complacency. 

The city’s resilience lies not only in its economic dynamism but in its ability to anticipate and respond to health crises. The Bio-Shield is more than a policy, it is a necessity for survival in a world where pathogens travel as freely as people and goods.

Abayomi’s message is clear: Lagos must remain perpetually vigilant. The city’s prosperity depends on its capacity to safeguard public health, and its preparedness today will determine its resilience tomorrow.