NCDC APPROVES N100,000 WEEKLY SUPPORT FOR EBOLA CONTACTS IN ISOLATION

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has introduced a weekly allowance of N100,000 for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine as part of measures to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory.

The Director-General of the agency, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this during a press briefing on Sunday, explaining that the intervention followed complaints from people under monitoring over the financial burden of feeding, accommodation and providing for their families.

Idris said the financial assistance was designed to ease the burden on affected individuals and encourage compliance with public health measures during the outbreak response.

According to him, the agency is covering accommodation and feeding costs, while the additional stipend is intended to address concerns raised by contacts who need to cater for their households during 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.

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 described the payment as an emergency intervention that was not part of the agency’s initial plans but became necessary in response to the circumstances surrounding the outbreak.

“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” Idris said.

He also called on state governments to strengthen their preparedness for public health emergencies, stressing that the responsibility for supporting individuals under quarantine should not rest solely on the FCT Administration.

“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 urged state governments to make adequate financial and logistical provisions for contact tracing, isolation and other emergency response activities, warning that similar arrangements might be required in other parts of the country.

The intervention comes amid intensified efforts by health authorities to prevent further transmission of Ebola following the confirmation of an imported case in Abuja on October 20.

The NCDC director-general said Nigeria had recorded one confirmed case as of Sunday, 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.

He explained that the contacts were being assessed according to their level of exposure, with public health teams conducting regular follow-ups. Anyone who develops symptoms would be subjected to further medical assessment and testing.

According to Idris, isolation arrangements had also been established for contacts who require them, while health officials monitor those exposed throughout the 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure.

He disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative for Ebola, adding that surveillance and monitoring activities remained ongoing.

The agency is also strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities through personnel training and the provision 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 received confirmation of her infection on October 20.

The World Health Organisation has classified the infection as an imported case, 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 need for stronger cross-border surveillance and prompt identification of people who may have been exposed.

Nigeria successfully 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 the previous outbreak while strengthening preparedness across the states.

He called for cooperation among government agencies, healthcare workers, affected contacts and members of the public, urging Nigerians to rely on verified information, avoid spreading rumours and cooperate with health officials conducting contact tracing and monitoring.