Ebola Outbreak: NCDC Approves ₦100,000 Weekly Stipend for Contacts Under Isolation
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved an emergency allowance of ₦100,000 per person per week for individuals placed under isolation or quarantine as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday. He explained that the financial assistance became necessary after some individuals identified as contacts of a confirmed Ebola patient expressed concerns about their feeding, accommodation and ability to provide for their families during the mandatory monitoring period.
According to Idris, the intervention is intended to ease the financial burden on affected individuals and encourage them to cooperate fully with public health officials.
He explained that the agency was already covering accommodation and feeding costs but decided to provide additional financial support after some contacts requested stipends to maintain their households.
“We are providing ₦100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining,” Idris said.
The NCDC chief acknowledged that the payment was not included in the agency’s original outbreak response plan. However, he noted that the emergency nature of the situation made the intervention necessary, adding that the arrangement would be reviewed as the response progresses.
The support comes as health authorities intensify contact tracing, isolation and surveillance following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja on October 20.
Idris disclosed that Nigeria had recorded one confirmed case as of the briefing, while 53 primary contacts had been identified for monitoring. Those being monitored include healthcare workers, members of the patient’s household, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient.
The NCDC is assessing each contact according to their level of exposure and conducting regular follow-ups throughout the 21-day incubation period, calculated from their last possible exposure to the virus.
Idris said anyone who develops symptoms during the monitoring period would be promptly assessed and tested. He also revealed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had already undergone testing and received a negative result.
The agency has made isolation arrangements for contacts who require them and is providing accommodation, meals and other essential support while they remain under public health supervision.
Beyond the immediate response in Abuja, Idris stressed that preparations for disease outbreaks should not be left to the FCT government alone. He urged state governments across the country to strengthen their financial and logistical readiness to respond to similar emergencies.
He explained that every state must be capable of providing the personnel, equipment and resources needed for contact tracing, isolation, infection prevention and other emergency public health operations.
As part of the containment strategy, the NCDC is also strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities, training health workers 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 timeline provided by health authorities, the woman developed symptoms on October 7, sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11 and tested positive on October 20.
The World Health Organisation classified the infection as an imported case, while investigations continue to establish the likely source of exposure.
The situation has also heightened concerns about cross-border transmission, with Ebola cases reported elsewhere in the region, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya. Health authorities have consequently emphasised the importance of stronger border surveillance, prompt identification of suspected cases and effective contact tracing.
Nigeria is also drawing on lessons from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, when coordinated public health measures, isolation and aggressive contact tracing helped prevent widespread transmission.
Idris stressed that containing the current outbreak would require sustained cooperation among government agencies, healthcare workers, individuals under monitoring and the general public.
He urged Nigerians to rely on verified information, avoid spreading rumours and cooperate with health officials carrying out contact tracing and surveillance.
The ₦100,000 weekly allowance will remain under review as the outbreak response continues and authorities assess the needs of individuals placed under isolation or quarantine.
Editorial note: This rewrite preserves the information and claims in the supplied report. The outbreak details and payment announcement have not been independently verified.
