NCDC approves ₦100,000 weekly allowance for quarantined Ebola contacts

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has approved a ₦100,000 weekly allowance for each person quarantined after possible exposure to Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient in the Federal Capital Territory.

NCDC Director-General Jide Idris announced the temporary measure at a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday. He said the agency was already covering accommodation and food for people in designated facilities, but some contacts said quarantine prevented them from attending to businesses and supporting their families.

Idris said the unplanned expenditure was introduced as an emergency measure and would be reviewed as the response continued. He also said state governments should provide the facilities, funding and materials needed to manage contacts during public health emergencies.

The NCDC has identified 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed case: 44 people from the health facility where the patient was treated and nine others. The latter group includes the patient’s husband, driver and chef, three health workers who treated her at another clinic, and three people involved in collecting samples.

Public health teams have categorised the contacts according to exposure risk and are monitoring them for 21 days after their last possible exposure. Some are being monitored in designated facilities, while others may quarantine at home based on risk assessments. One contact who reported feeling unwell tested negative, according to Idris.