The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved a weekly allowance of ₦100,000 for each person placed under isolation or quarantine following exposure to Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, announced the intervention on Sunday in Abuja, saying it was intended to ease the financial burden on people required to comply with public health restrictions.
Idris said some of the contacts had complained about the cost of feeding, accommodation and meeting their families’ needs while remaining under medical supervision.
“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 that the agency had approved ₦100,000 per person weekly to cover essential needs during the monitoring period.
“We are providing ₦100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining,” Idris said.
According to him, the financial support was not included in the initial response plan but became necessary after officials considered the difficulties faced by people under monitoring.
“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” he said.
The NCDC chief also called on state governments to make financial and logistical provisions for managing public health emergencies, stressing that the responsibility for supporting affected individuals 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.
The intervention comes as health authorities intensify efforts to contain Nigeria’s first confirmed case of Ebola disease since the 2014 outbreak.
According to the NCDC, the country had identified and followed up 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed case as of Sunday.
The contacts include healthcare workers, the patient’s spouse, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples from her.
Idris said the contacts had been categorised according to their level of exposure, while public health teams continued to monitor their health and investigate possible secondary contacts.
The authorities are tracking the contacts for 21 days after their last possible exposure to identify infections early and prevent further transmission.
The NCDC’s Ebola Disease Situation Report dated October 24 said the confirmed patient was a 42-year-old woman who returned to Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3.
She developed symptoms, including fever, diarrhoea, generalised body aches and a sore throat, on October 7. She visited a private health facility on October 10 and was admitted to another private facility the following day.
The NCDC was notified on October 19, and laboratory tests confirmed the infection on October 20.
The patient remains in isolation and is receiving medical care. The agency said her condition had improved remarkably.
The NCDC also reported that a suspected Ebola case identified in Rivers State on October 23 tested negative following laboratory investigations.
The development comes as Nigeria strengthens surveillance at healthcare facilities and the country’s points of entry to prevent further infections.
The agency has also intensified infection prevention and control measures, strengthened supplies of protective equipment and continued public awareness activities.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), in its October 20 announcement, confirmed that Nigeria’s case involved the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. The organisation said investigations were ongoing to establish the likely source of infection and trace people who might have been exposed.
The WHO is supporting Nigerian health authorities with case investigations, contact tracing, infection prevention and control measures, and the provision of essential supplies.
The NCDC has urged Nigerians to cooperate with public health officials and provide accurate information during contact tracing. It has also advised the public to avoid spreading unverified information and to follow official health guidance.
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