The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it has approved a weekly allowance of N100,000 per person for people quarantined following possible exposure to a confirmed Ebola patient in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Jide Idris, director-general of the NCDC, announced the allowance at a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday, adding that some contacts had complained that quarantine was preventing them from running their businesses and meeting their family obligations.
He said the agency had been paying for accommodation and meals for those staying in designated facilities but decided to provide additional financial assistance after some requested money to support their families.
‘We are providing N100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining,’ Idris said.
The NCDC chief described the payment as an emergency intervention that was not part of the agency’s original spending plan, adding that it would be reviewed as the response progressed.
‘But again, it’s an emergency. We continue to review it as we go along,’ he said.
Idris said state governments were expected to provide the funding, facilities and materials required to manage people identified as contacts during public health emergencies.
‘These are the responsibilities of the various state governments. So, each state again must provide money and must provide the materials for it to do this,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the NCDC has also identified 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed Ebola case in the FCT. Of the 53 people, 44 were identified at the health facility where the patient received treatment, while nine others were linked to the case through separate interactions.
The additional contacts comprise the patient’s husband, driver and chef, three healthcare workers who treated her at another clinic, and three members of the team that collected samples.
The development adds to concerns about the disease’s potential spread, prompting public health authorities to strengthen surveillance, testing and contact tracing.
Idris said about 12 public and private laboratories are available to conduct Ebola tests, adding that the NCDC has strengthened its laboratory capacity to ensure suspected infections are investigated and confirmed promptly.
Rapid testing and identification of exposed individuals are critical to containing Ebola, a highly infectious disease that can spread through direct contact with the blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person, particularly after symptoms develop.
The NCDC said it was maintaining heightened surveillance and expanding its capacity to detect and investigate suspected infections as part of measures to prevent further transmission.
The agency also called on public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to strengthen screening and triage procedures, alongside infection prevention and control measures.