NCDC offers N100,000 weekly allowance to quarantined Ebola contacts in FCT

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved a weekly relief allowance of N100,000 per person for individuals placed under mandatory quarantine following potential exposure to a confirmed Ebola virus case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The announcement comes on the heels of heightened public health protocols in Abuja, following the confirmation of an index case and the subsequent emergency medical evacuation of the infected patient to Switzerland for specialized care.

NCDC Director-General Jide Idris disclosed the financial intervention during a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, explaining that the stipend was introduced after quarantined individuals raised concerns that isolation was crippling their livelihoods and preventing them from supporting their dependents.

“We are providing N100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining,” Dr. Idris said. “While the agency covers accommodation and feeding in designated facilities, some requested direct funds to support their families back home.”

Tracing 53 primary contacts

Public health epidemiologists have so far identified 53 primary contacts linked directly to the index case. Among them, 44 were traced to the initial health facility where the patient sought medical attention before the viral diagnosis was confirmed.

The remaining nine high-risk contacts include members of the patient’s immediate domestic circle—her husband, personal driver, and chef—alongside three healthcare workers who attended to her at a secondary clinic and three members of the rapid response sample collection team.

Dr. Idris emphasized that while federal agencies are coordinating containment strategies, state governments share constitutional obligations to fund and manage local public health responses.

“These are the responsibilities of the various state governments,” Idris noted. “So, each state again must provide money and must provide the materials for it to do this. However, as an emergency, we continue to review this financial support as we go along.”

Ramping up surveillance and laboratory testing

In response to public anxiety surrounding the alert, the NCDC has activated heightened screening frameworks across hotels, airports, and public venues in Abuja.

The agency confirmed that approximately 12 public and private reference laboratories have been fully mobilized to run rapid diagnostic tests for Ebola, ensuring that any suspected transmission is isolated and investigated without delay.

Ebola is a severe, often fatal viral illness transmitted through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected individuals, as well as surfaces contaminated with these fluids.