The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved an emergency payment of N100,000 per person weekly for individuals placed under isolation or quarantine as authorities intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this during a press briefing on Sunday, explaining that the financial assistance followed complaints from some contacts about the cost of feeding, accommodation and supporting their families while undergoing public health monitoring.
According to Idris, the intervention is intended to ease the financial burden on affected individuals and encourage compliance with monitoring arrangements.
“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.
He added, “We are providing N100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining.”
The NCDC chief noted that the financial arrangement was not part of the agency’s initial response plan but became necessary because of the emergency. He said the payment would be reviewed as the situation develops.
“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” Idris said.
He also emphasised that the responsibility for supporting people affected by public health emergencies should not rest solely on the FCT, urging other states to prepare the necessary resources to respond to 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.
Idris explained that state governments must ensure adequate financial and logistical support for contact tracing, isolation and other public health response activities within their jurisdictions.
The intervention comes as health authorities strengthen measures to prevent further transmission of Ebola following the confirmation of an imported case in Abuja on October 20.
At the time of the briefing, Nigeria had recorded one confirmed case, 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.
Idris said public health teams were classifying contacts according to their exposure levels and monitoring their health. Anyone who develops symptoms would undergo further assessment and testing.
The agency has also established isolation arrangements for contacts who require them, with health officials monitoring individuals throughout the 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure.
The NCDC director-general disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative, adding that surveillance and follow-up activities were ongoing.
Other response measures include strengthening infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities, training health personnel and ensuring 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 the Ebola virus. She reportedly developed symptoms on October 7, sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11 and tested positive on October 20.
The World Health Organisation has classified the case as an imported infection, while investigations continue to determine the likely source of exposure.
The regional outbreak has also affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya, highlighting the importance of cross-border surveillance, prompt case identification and effective contact tracing.
Nigeria successfully contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 through coordinated public health measures, including case identification, isolation and contact tracing.
Idris said the NCDC was applying lessons from that experience while strengthening preparedness across the states. He stressed that containing the current outbreak would require cooperation among government agencies, healthcare workers, affected contacts and the general public.
He urged Nigerians to rely on verified information, avoid spreading rumours and cooperate with public health officials carrying out contact tracing and monitoring.
