The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved an emergency payment of ₦100,000 per person weekly for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine following the confirmed Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as the number of primary contacts under surveillance rose to 53.
The announcement was made by the agency’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, ValidViewNetwork reports.
THE STIPEND
Idris explained that the financial intervention was introduced after some contacts complained about the cost of feeding, accommodation and maintaining their families while undergoing mandatory public health monitoring.
“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.
“We are providing ₦100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining”.
He acknowledged that the payment was not part of the original response plan but had become necessary under the circumstances. “This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” he said.
THE WARNING TO STATES
Idris warned that the responsibility for financing emergency public health interventions should not rest solely on the FCT, stressing that state governments must make adequate provisions to respond to 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.
THE CONTACTS
According to Idris, Nigeria has identified 53 primary contacts for monitoring.
They include healthcare workers, household members, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient.
He said the contacts were being monitored according to their levels of exposure, with public health teams prepared to assess and test anyone who develops symptoms.
One contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative, while surveillance and follow-up activities remained ongoing.
Approximately 12 public and private laboratories are now available to test for Ebola, with the centre having strengthened its laboratory capacity to prevent further spread.
The NCDC has also established isolation arrangements for contacts requiring them, with monitoring continuing throughout the 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure .
THE CONFIRMED CASE
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 the health authorities, she developed symptoms on October 7, sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11 and was confirmed positive on October 20.
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The World Health Organisation has identified the infection as an imported case, with investigations continuing to establish the likely source of exposure.
The regional outbreak has also affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya, highlighting the need for stronger cross-border surveillance .
WHY IT MATTERS
The NCDC’s decision to pay quarantined contacts is a recognition that public health compliance has a financial cost.
People who are asked to isolate cannot work. They cannot feed their families. They cannot pay their bills. Without support, many would resist or evade monitoring, undermining the entire containment effort.
The payment is an emergency measure, and Idris acknowledged that it will be reviewed. But for now, it is a necessary intervention to ensure that the people who may have been exposed to Ebola cooperate with the authorities.
The outbreak is not yet contained. The next 21 days will be critical. And the NCDC is doing what it can to keep the contacts, and the country—safe. ValidViewNetwork reports.