The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has approved an emergency payment of N100,000 per person weekly to support people placed in isolation or quarantine as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this during a press briefing on Sunday, explaining that the financial assistance was introduced after some contacts complained about the cost of feeding, accommodation and maintaining their families while undergoing public health monitoring.
Idris said the intervention was intended to ease the financial burden on people required to comply with public health measures, particularly those who might struggle to meet their household needs while remaining under observation.
“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 explained that the payment was not part of the original response plan but became necessary because of the circumstances surrounding the outbreak. He said the arrangement would be reviewed as the response progressed.
“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 Federal Capital Territory should not be the only jurisdiction prepared to provide financial and logistical support during such emergencies, stressing that other states would need to make adequate provisions if similar situations arose.
“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.
According to Idris, state governments must prepare to provide the resources, materials and other support required for contact tracing, isolation and related public health activities within their jurisdictions.
The financial intervention comes as health authorities intensify surveillance and contact tracing following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja on October 20.
Idris said Nigeria had recorded one confirmed case at the time of the briefing, 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 said public health teams were categorising the contacts according to their levels of exposure and monitoring their health. Anyone who developed symptoms would be assessed and tested as part of the response.
The NCDC had also established isolation arrangements for contacts who required them, with officials monitoring their health 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 continued.
The agency was also strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities, training health personnel and supporting 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. According to the information provided by health authorities, she developed symptoms on October 7, sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11 and was confirmed positive on October 20.
The World Health Organisation identified the case as an imported infection and said investigations were continuing to establish the likely source of exposure.
The outbreak has also affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya, highlighting the importance of cross-border surveillance, prompt detection and the identification of people who may have come into contact with infected individuals.
Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 through case identification, contact tracing, isolation and coordinated public health interventions. That experience remains relevant as authorities seek to prevent further transmission during the current response.
Idris said the NCDC was drawing on lessons from the earlier outbreak while strengthening preparedness across states. He emphasised that controlling the current situation would require cooperation among government agencies, healthcare workers, affected contacts and members of the public.
The weekly payment is intended to address one of the practical challenges of contact monitoring: ensuring that people can comply with public health instructions without facing additional hardship from food, accommodation and family expenses.
However, the NCDC did not provide further details on the eligibility criteria for the payment, how the funds would be disbursed or whether all identified contacts would receive the same level of assistance. It also did not specify how long the financial support would remain in place.
Idris urged Nigerians to rely on verified information, avoid spreading rumours and cooperate with public health officials conducting contact tracing and monitoring.
West Trybe reports that the NCDC’s emergency support scheme highlights the financial and logistical demands of containing infectious disease outbreaks, with cooperation from affected contacts, state governments and healthcare agencies remaining important to efforts to prevent further transmission of Ebola in Nigeria.
