The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has approved a weekly emergency payment of N100,000 for individuals placed under isolation or quarantine as part of measures to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, announced the intervention during a press briefing on Sunday, explaining that some people being monitored had raised concerns about the financial burden of feeding themselves, paying for accommodation and supporting their families during the public health response.
Idris said the financial assistance was introduced to ease the burden on contacts and encourage them to comply with the monitoring and isolation measures.
“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.”
According to the NCDC boss, the payment was not part of the agency’s initial response plan but became necessary because of 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 warned that the financial responsibility should not be left solely to the FCT, stressing that other states must be prepared to provide similar support if outbreaks occur within their jurisdictions.
“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 arrangements for contact tracing, isolation and other emergency response activities.
The development comes as health authorities intensify surveillance following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja on October 20.
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At the time of the briefing, Idris said one case had been confirmed, while 53 primary contacts had been identified and placed under monitoring. The contacts include healthcare workers, members of the affected person’s household, domestic staff and individuals involved in collecting samples from the patient.
He said the contacts had been classified based on their level of exposure and were being monitored by public health teams. Anyone who develops symptoms would be assessed and tested.
The NCDC has also made isolation facilities available for contacts who require them, with health officials monitoring their condition throughout the 21-day incubation period after their last possible exposure.
Idris disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative for Ebola, while surveillance and follow-up activities remained ongoing.
The agency is also increasing infection prevention and control measures in health facilities, including training healthcare workers and supporting access to personal protective equipment and laboratory supplies.
The confirmed case involves a woman who travelled from Uganda to Nigeria and was diagnosed with 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 infection as an imported case, while investigations are continuing to determine the likely source of exposure. The wider regional outbreak has also involved the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya, highlighting the need for increased cross-border surveillance and prompt identification of contacts.
Nigeria successfully contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 through rapid case detection, contact tracing, isolation and coordinated public health interventions.
Idris said the NCDC was applying lessons from the 2014 response while strengthening preparedness across the states. He stressed that controlling the current outbreak would require cooperation between government agencies, healthcare workers, identified contacts and members of the public.
He urged Nigerians to rely on credible sources for information, refrain from spreading unverified claims and cooperate with health officials involved in contact tracing and monitoring.