The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has approved N100,000 weekly payments for individuals undergoing Ebola-related isolation or quarantine as the number of identified contacts rises to 53.
According to The PUNCH, NCDC Director-General Jide Idris announced the intervention during a press briefing on Sunday, October 25, 2026, following complaints about the financial difficulties faced by those under monitoring.
Idris explained that the emergency payment would help affected individuals meet their basic needs and support their families while complying with public health requirements.
“We are paying for their accommodation; we are paying for their feeding,” Idris said.
The NCDC chief added that the agency was providing financial assistance to individuals whose movements and economic activities had been affected by isolation or quarantine requirements.
“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency,” he added.
Idris urged state governments to make adequate financial and logistical preparations to support contacts and manage similar health emergencies.
FG plans Ebola treatment centres across states
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has announced plans to establish Ebola treatment centres in states with designated international entry points to strengthen preparedness against possible transmission.
An Ebola situation report obtained on Sunday revealed that authorities were assessing isolation facilities at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital.
The government also plans to evaluate Karu General Hospital’s capacity to accommodate additional patients.
Health officials are developing referral arrangements to ensure suspected cases can be transferred promptly to designated treatment facilities.
The government intends to identify and equip treatment centres in high-risk states while strengthening surveillance at airports and other ports of entry.
Authorities have also increased supplies of personal protective equipment and incorporated 500 donated laboratory testing kits into the national stockpile.
The measures aim to strengthen early detection, patient isolation and medical response should additional infections emerge.
Ebola contacts rise from 44 to 53
The NCDC confirmed that 53 individuals had been identified and placed under monitoring, an increase from the initial 44 contacts.
Of the 53 primary contacts, 44 were linked to the healthcare facility where the infected patient received treatment.
The remaining nine included household members and individuals who attended to the patient during an earlier emergency room visit.
Health officials are also investigating possible secondary contacts to determine whether additional people may have been exposed.
One contact who reported feeling unwell subsequently tested negative for Ebola.
The agency maintained that contact tracing and daily monitoring would continue, stressing that being identified as a contact does not mean a person is infected.
Nigeria strengthens Ebola surveillance, laboratory testing
The situation report also confirmed that genomic sequencing of the infected patient’s sample had been completed.
The analysis was conducted by the NCDC National Reference Laboratory and the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases.
Health authorities are expanding laboratory capacity and strengthening infection prevention procedures across healthcare facilities.
Nigeria confirmed its first case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in Abuja on October 20, following the patient’s arrival from Uganda earlier in the month.
The World Health Organisation is collaborating with Nigerian health authorities to investigate the possible source of infection.
The NCDC urged Nigerians to remain calm, observe preventive measures and cooperate with contact-tracing officials.
It also warned against spreading unverified information or stigmatising individuals undergoing health monitoring.
