The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced two additional suspected Ebola cases in the country as health authorities intensify efforts to contain the outbreak.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Sunday during a press briefing, stressing that the two cases remained suspected and had not been confirmed.
He also revealed that a suspected case in Rivers State had tested negative, clearing the individual of the disease.
Meanwhile, the NCDC has approved emergency financial support of ₦100,000 per person weekly for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Idris said the support was intended to help people identified as contacts comply with monitoring arrangements without facing additional financial hardship.
“We are providing ₦100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining,” he said.
The NCDC chief explained that the financial intervention was not part of the agency’s original plan but became necessary because of circumstances arising during the outbreak response.
He added that the arrangement would be reviewed as the response progressed.
Idris also warned that the FCT should not be the only jurisdiction prepared to provide such assistance, stressing that other states must make adequate financial and logistical provisions to respond to similar public health emergencies.
“This is not the responsibility of the FCT alone. What we have to do for the FCT, we have to do for any other state, just in case,” he said.
According to him, state governments must be ready to provide the resources and materials needed to support contact tracing, isolation and other emergency response activities within their jurisdictions.
The financial assistance comes as health authorities step up measures to prevent further transmission following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja on 20 October 2026.
The NCDC continues to monitor suspected cases and coordinate response activities with relevant health authorities to limit the spread of the disease.
