The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved an emergency financial support of N100,000 per person weekly for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The intervention comes as health authorities expand contact tracing, with 53 primary contacts identified for monitoring, including healthcare workers, household members of the infected patient and people who attended to her at different medical facilities.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, announced the financial support at a press briefing on Sunday, saying it was introduced to address concerns raised by contacts over the cost of feeding, accommodation and providing for their families while complying with public health monitoring measures.
According to him, some of the individuals affected by the monitoring arrangements had complained that the restrictions and associated expenses were creating financial difficulties for their households.
“We are paying for their accommodation; we are paying for their feeding. Some of them are asking for a stipend to maintain their families,” Idris 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 described the payment as an emergency measure that was not initially included in the agency’s response plan but became necessary to facilitate compliance with the public health requirements.
“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” he said.
Idris also called on state governments to prepare for the financial and logistical demands of managing disease outbreaks, warning that the responsibility for supporting affected individuals should not rest solely on the FCT administration.
“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.
He urged states to make adequate provisions for surveillance, contact tracing, isolation and other emergency response activities, noting that effective containment would require resources and coordination across all levels of government.
53 contacts identified as investigation widens
Providing an update on the outbreak, Idris said the NCDC had identified 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed case, an increase from the initial 44 announced by the authorities.
Of the 53 contacts, 44 are associated with the health facility where the patient was treated, while nine others were identified through further investigations into her movements and medical history.
The additional contacts include three members of the patient’s household and people who attended to her at an emergency room she visited before reaching the facility where her Ebola infection was confirmed.
Investigators are also examining possible exposure involving healthcare personnel who participated in collecting samples from the patient.
Idris said the agency was extending its investigation beyond those who had direct contact with the infected woman to identify other individuals who might have been exposed through the primary contacts.
“As of now, we have 53 primary contacts. Of these, 44 are people from that health facility where the patient was treated,” he said.
He explained that contact tracing involved establishing the movements and interactions of each person identified during the investigation.
“For each person, we are going to ask questions. We have to establish who they have been in contact with. If we can identify those people, they will also be monitored,” he said.
The NCDC is categorising contacts according to their level of exposure and monitoring them for symptoms throughout the 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure.
Individuals who remain asymptomatic are being followed up by public health teams, including through temperature checks, while anyone who develops symptoms is expected to receive immediate medical assessment and appropriate testing.
Idris disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative, although surveillance and follow-up activities were continuing.
The agency has also established isolation arrangements for contacts requiring them as part of efforts to minimise the risk of further transmission.
Patient travelled from Uganda
The confirmed case involves a woman who travelled to Nigeria from Uganda and tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
Available information indicates that she developed symptoms on October 7, sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11 and tested positive on October 20.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the infection as an imported case, while investigations continue to establish the likely source of exposure.
The case has triggered intensified surveillance and public health interventions in the FCT, with authorities working to identify all potentially exposed individuals and prevent further spread of the disease.
The ongoing regional outbreak has also affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya, reinforcing concerns about cross-border transmission and the need for effective surveillance and rapid response mechanisms.
Although one confirmed case had been recorded at the time of the NCDC briefing, officials are continuing to investigate the patient’s movements and interactions to determine whether other people may have been exposed.
The number of contacts under surveillance could therefore change as additional information emerges from the ongoing investigation.
NCDC targets gaps in healthcare preparedness
Beyond contact tracing, the NCDC is strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities to reduce the risk of transmission among patients, medical personnel and other people who may come into contact with suspected cases.
Idris said the agency was assessing facilities to identify weaknesses in their infection prevention systems and ensure that necessary corrections were made.
“When our infection prevention and control teams visit a facility, they assess the systems in place and identify areas that need to be corrected,” he said.
He acknowledged that the capacity of healthcare personnel at the state and local government levels needed improvement, describing training and capacity building as essential to an effective outbreak response.
“Capabilities and competencies at the subnational level are not as high as they should be. We are responsible for building those capabilities. That is why training is one of our most important priorities,” he said.
The agency is also supporting healthcare facilities with protective equipment, laboratory supplies and other materials required to identify and manage suspected infections safely.
The measures are particularly important in protecting healthcare workers who may be exposed while attending to patients or handling samples for laboratory testing.
The WHO has emphasised that early identification of cases, effective contact tracing and strict infection prevention and control measures remain critical to containing Ebola outbreaks.
The Federal Government has consequently urged public and private healthcare facilities to maintain a high index of suspicion, promptly isolate suspected cases, observe established infection prevention protocols and report suspected infections to public health authorities.
Nigeria draws on 2014 experience
Nigeria’s response to the current case is drawing on lessons from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which the country successfully contained through rapid case identification, contact tracing, isolation and coordinated public health interventions.
Idris said the ongoing response would require cooperation among federal and state authorities, healthcare workers, people identified as contacts and the wider public.
The N100,000 weekly support is expected to help reduce the financial burden on contacts who must comply with monitoring or isolation arrangements, particularly those responsible for supporting dependants.
However, the NCDC director-general stressed that states must be prepared to provide the financial, material and personnel resources required to respond to similar emergencies within their jurisdictions.
The agency is continuing to monitor identified contacts, investigate possible additional exposures and strengthen infection prevention measures as it works to prevent further transmission.
Idris urged Nigerians to avoid spreading unverified information and cooperate with public health officials conducting contact tracing and surveillance.
He said the agency would continue to review its response as the situation evolved, with the immediate priority being to identify potentially exposed individuals, monitor their health and prevent the confirmed infection from developing into a wider outbreak.
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