The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has approved an emergency payment of ₦100,000 per person weekly for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine as part of measures to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory.
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Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, explaining that the intervention became necessary after some contacts raised concerns about feeding, accommodation and the upkeep of their families while undergoing mandatory public health monitoring.
Idris said the financial support was introduced to reduce the burden on persons identified as contacts of the confirmed Ebola patient and encourage full cooperation with health authorities throughout the monitoring period.
“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.
“We are providing ₦100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining.”
The NCDC chief said the payment was not part of the agency’s original response plan but had become necessary because of the emergency situation.
“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” Idris said.
The intervention comes as health authorities intensify contact tracing, isolation and surveillance following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja on October 20.
According to Idris, Nigeria had one confirmed case as of the briefing, while 53 primary contacts had been identified for monitoring.
The contacts include healthcare workers, household members, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient.
The NCDC is categorising the contacts according to their level of exposure and carrying out regular follow-up throughout the 21-day incubation period from their last possible exposure.
Idris said any contact who develops symptoms would be promptly assessed and tested.
He disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had already been tested and returned a negative result.
The agency has also made isolation arrangements for contacts who require them and is supporting their accommodation, feeding and other basic needs while they remain under public health supervision.
Idris stressed that the cost of emergency outbreak response should not rest on the FCT alone, warning state governments to prepare financially and logistically for similar situations.
“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, states must be prepared to provide the personnel, resources and materials needed for contact tracing, isolation, infection prevention and other emergency response measures within their jurisdictions.
The NCDC is also strengthening infection prevention and control measures in health facilities, training health workers and supporting the availability of protective equipment and laboratory supplies.
The confirmed case involves a woman who travelled to Nigeria from Uganda and tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus.
According to the timeline provided by health authorities, she developed symptoms on October 7, sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11 and was confirmed positive on October 20.
The World Health Organisation identified the infection as an imported case, while investigations are continuing to determine the likely source of exposure.
The outbreak has also raised concerns about cross-border transmission, with cases recorded elsewhere in the region, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya.
Health authorities have consequently stressed the need for stronger surveillance at borders, rapid identification of suspected cases and effective tracing of anyone who may have been exposed.
Nigeria is also drawing on lessons from its response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, when aggressive contact tracing, isolation and coordinated public health measures helped contain transmission.
Idris said containing the current outbreak would require continued cooperation among government agencies, health workers, affected contacts and members of the public.
He urged Nigerians to rely on verified information, avoid rumours and cooperate with officials conducting contact tracing and monitoring.
The ₦100,000 weekly support is expected to remain under review as the response continues and as authorities assess the needs of contacts placed under isolation or quarantine.
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