The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved weekly payments of ₦100,000 for people placed under isolation or quarantine as Nigeria steps up efforts to contain an imported Ebola case in Abuja.
The NCDC Director-General, Jide Idris, announced the intervention during a press briefing on Sunday, October 25, 2026. He said the agency introduced the financial support after people being monitored raised concerns about the cost of feeding, accommodation and caring for their families.
According to Idris, the assistance is intended to ease the financial pressure on affected individuals and encourage them to comply with public health monitoring measures.
“We are paying for their accommodation; we are paying for their feeding. Some of them are asking for a stipend to maintain their families,” he said.
Idris explained that the payment was not part of the agency’s original plan but became necessary because of the emergency. He added that officials would review the arrangement as the outbreak response progresses.
The NCDC chief also urged state governments to prepare to provide similar financial and logistical assistance if Ebola or another public health emergency occurs in their jurisdictions.
He stressed that outbreak management should not depend solely on the Federal Capital Territory, urging states to make adequate provisions for contact tracing, isolation facilities and other emergency response activities.
NCDC Tracks 53 Primary Contacts
The intervention comes after Nigeria confirmed an imported Ebola case in Abuja on October 20.
Idris said the country had recorded one confirmed case as of Sunday’s briefing, with 53 primary contacts identified for monitoring.
The contacts include healthcare workers, household members, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient.
Health officials are assessing the contacts according to their level of exposure and monitoring them for symptoms. Anyone who develops symptoms will undergo further medical assessment and testing.
The NCDC has also arranged isolation facilities for contacts who require them. Monitoring will continue throughout the 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure.
Idris disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative for Ebola, while surveillance and follow-up activities continued.
The agency is also strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities, training health workers and supporting the supply of protective equipment and laboratory materials.
Imported Case Involves Bundibugyo Strain
The confirmed case involves a woman who travelled to Nigeria from Uganda and tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
According to the report, she developed symptoms on October 7, sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11 and received a positive test result on October 20.
The World Health Organisation classified the infection as an imported case, while investigations continue to establish the likely source of exposure.
The wider regional outbreak has also affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya, underscoring the need for cross-border surveillance and the prompt identification of people who may have been exposed.
NCDC Urges Nigerians to Cooperate
Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 through early case detection, contact tracing, isolation and coordinated public health interventions.
Idris said the NCDC was applying lessons from that experience while strengthening the country’s preparedness and response systems.
He urged Nigerians to rely on verified information, avoid spreading rumours and cooperate with health officials conducting contact tracing and monitoring.
The agency’s immediate priority remains preventing further transmission through surveillance, timely testing, infection prevention and public cooperation.
