The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved a weekly payment of N100,000 for people being monitored following Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case to cover feeding, accommodation and other essential needs.
NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this at a media briefing on Sunday, October 25, saying the emergency support followed complaints from contacts about the financial burden of complying with isolation and quarantine arrangements.
Idris said the payment was not initially planned but became necessary to help those under monitoring meet their basic needs and support their families.
He also urged state governments to make adequate financial and logistical provisions for public health emergencies, stressing that the responsibility should not rest solely on the Federal Capital Territory.
The payment comes as Nigeria steps up its response to an imported case of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, confirmed in Abuja on October 20.
The NCDC’s October 24 situation report said 53 contacts had been identified and were being monitored, while the infected patient remained in isolation and was receiving treatment.
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