As Ebola outbreaks in Central and East Africa intensify regional surveillance, WaterAid Nigeria is drawing attention to the handwashing gaps in Nigeria, where millions of people still lack the water and soap needed for basic hygiene.
Although Nigeria has no confirmed case of the current Ebola outbreak, the spread of the disease beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo has renewed attention to the country’s preparedness. Marking Global Handwashing Day on Thursday, October 15, WaterAid called on governments, development partners and businesses to invest in reliable water supplies, sanitation and handwashing facilities.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is battling a major outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola, while Kenya responds to a case linked to the regional outbreak. Kenya confirmed a second case on October 14 in a close relative of its first patient, who died after travelling from the DRC through Uganda.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported on October 14 that the DRC had recorded 9,144 confirmed cases and 4,410 related deaths, based on data through October 12.
Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said on October 6 that there was no confirmed case of the current outbreak in the country. Its preparedness measures include surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, isolation, contact tracing and infection prevention.
The immediate concern for Nigeria is preparedness, not an Ebola outbreak within its borders. But the regional emergency raises questions about how effectively people can protect themselves from infectious diseases when access to clean water, soap and sanitation, which are the main drivers to handwashing gaps in Nigeria, cannot be guaranteed.
Nigeria is already dealing with diseases that place a heavy burden on its health system. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,138 confirmed Lassa fever cases and 268 deaths across 24 states by epidemiological week 40, covering September 28 to October 4.
Three new cases were reported during that week, down from 13 in the previous week. However, the cumulative case fatality rate stood at 23.6 per cent, compared with 18.6 per cent over the corresponding period in 2025.
Lassa fever is primarily transmitted through food or household items contaminated by infected rodents or their urine and faeces. Person-to-person transmission can also occur through contact with infected bodily fluids, particularly in healthcare settings. Reducing the handwashing gaps in Nigeria can help to cutdown on infection risks, but prevention also requires safe food storage, rodent control, proper waste disposal and effective infection-control procedures.
WaterAid says Nigeria’s hygiene challenge is not simply a lack of awareness but a lack of facilities. Citing the 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping survey, known as WASHNORM, the organisation said about 99 per cent of household heads knew at least two critical times for handwashing. Yet only 8 per cent demonstrated proper handwashing with soap under running water.
The survey also found that only 17 per cent of households had access to basic hygiene services. The corresponding figures were 17 per cent for schools, 9 per cent for healthcare facilities and 13 per cent for markets and motor parks with basic water and sanitation services.
The 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM) report found that millions of Nigerians lacked access to basic hygiene services. WaterAid Nigeria cites the report’s figures showing that 150.6 million people lacked soap and/or water for handwashing at home, while more than 65,000 children under five die annually from diarrhoea linked to unsafe water, poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene.
The findings expose the handwashing gaps in Nigeria: millions of people understand the importance of hygiene but lack the means to practise it consistently. Households need reliable water, schools need functioning facilities and healthcare workers need dependable access to water and hygiene stations.
WaterAid recalled that handwashing campaigns intensified during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but awareness and practice declined when the immediate threats were considered over. Many communities, particularly in rural areas, continued to lack running water and soap.
The organisation also said Nigeria’s National Roadmap to Hand Hygiene for All, launched in 2022, was never properly costed or implemented before its 2025 target year elapsed.
WaterAid Nigeria Country Director Evelyn Mere said people could only become handwashing heroes if they were both willing and able to wash their hands regularly with soap under running water at home, in schools, healthcare facilities and public places.
She called for investment in running taps, toilets and handwashing facilities, supported by deliberate planning, adequate budgets and effective implementation.
WaterAid wants the hand-hygiene roadmap reviewed, fully costed and implemented at every level of government. It is also calling for long-term investment in water infrastructure and measures to make soap affordable and accessible. Through its Clean Family Campaign, the organisation works with government and non-governmental partners to promote hygiene, train pupils and teachers, and provide water points, toilets and group handwashing facilities.
Handwashing alone cannot stop every infectious disease. Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected people’s blood or bodily fluids and contaminated materials, while Lassa fever is primarily associated with exposure to infected rodents and their excreta. Both require disease-specific prevention, surveillance and infection-control measures.
For Nigeria, closing the handwashing gaps in Nigeria requires sustained investment in clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, so people can protect themselves not only during emergencies but every day.
