The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has introduced a weekly financial support package of ₦100,000 for individuals placed under isolation or quarantine in connection with the Ebola outbreak in Abuja.
The intervention is designed to ease the financial burden on people required to remain under public health supervision, particularly those struggling to cover food, accommodation and the needs of family members during the monitoring period.
NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, announced the measure on Sunday, October 25, explaining that the agency had received complaints from contacts about the difficulties of sustaining themselves and their households while complying with health restrictions.
According to Idris, the emergency arrangement became necessary after some individuals requested additional assistance beyond the accommodation and feeding already being provided by health authorities.
He described the payment as an unplanned but necessary response to the circumstances surrounding the outbreak, adding that the agency would assess the arrangement as the situation develops.
Idris also called on state governments to strengthen their emergency response capacity, stressing that the financial and logistical demands of containing an outbreak should not rest on the Federal Capital Territory alone. He said other states must be prepared to provide similar assistance if infections or suspected cases emerge within their jurisdictions.
The announcement comes amid intensified surveillance following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja on October 20. The infected patient is a woman who travelled from Uganda and was diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
Health officials said the woman developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention in Abuja four days later before her infection was confirmed. Investigations are ongoing to establish the likely source of exposure.
At the time of Sunday’s briefing, the NCDC had identified 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed case. They include healthcare personnel, members of the patient’s household, domestic workers and individuals involved in collecting samples.
The agency said the contacts were being monitored according to their level of exposure, with public health teams conducting follow-ups throughout the 21-day incubation period. One contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative, Idris disclosed.
Meanwhile, infection prevention measures are being reinforced in healthcare facilities, alongside personnel training and efforts to ensure the availability of protective equipment and laboratory supplies.
The World Health Organisation has classified the infection as an imported case, with investigations continuing amid a wider regional outbreak affecting countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya.
Nigeria successfully contained its 2014 Ebola outbreak through coordinated surveillance, isolation, contact tracing and rapid public health intervention. Idris said the country was drawing on those lessons to strengthen its current response.
He urged Nigerians to avoid spreading unverified information and cooperate with health officials, emphasising that effective contact tracing, early identification of symptoms and collaboration among government agencies and the public would be critical to preventing further transmission.
