The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved a weekly stipend of ₦100,000 for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine following the confirmation of an Ebola case in Abuja.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, saying the intervention would help cover feeding, accommodation and family upkeep during the monitoring period.
Idris said the decision followed complaints from some contacts about the financial difficulties associated with complying with public health restrictions.
“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 would provide ₦100,000 per person weekly to ease their burden, describing the payment as an emergency measure that was not part of the original response plan.
The NCDC chief said the arrangement would be reviewed as the situation evolved.
He also stressed that responsibility for funding public health emergencies should not rest solely on the Federal Capital Territory Administration, urging state governments to make adequate financial and logistical provisions for similar outbreaks.
“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.
Nigeria confirmed an imported Ebola case on October 20 involving a woman who travelled from Uganda. The patient tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
According to Idris, 53 primary contacts had been identified for monitoring. They include healthcare workers, household members, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient.
Health officials are categorising the contacts according to their levels of exposure and conducting regular follow-ups. Anyone who develops symptoms will be assessed and tested promptly.
The NCDC has also established isolation arrangements for contacts who require them, with monitoring continuing throughout the 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure.
Idris disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative, while surveillance and follow-up activities remained ongoing.
The agency is strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities, training health workers and supporting the provision of protective equipment and laboratory supplies.
The World Health Organisation has classified the case as imported, while investigations continue to establish the likely source of infection.
Idris urged Nigerians to rely on verified information, avoid spreading rumours and cooperate with public health officials as the country intensifies efforts to prevent further transmission.