The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has disclosed that its decision to pay ₦100,000 weekly to people quarantined following an imported Ebola case was an emergency intervention that had not been included in its budget.

The agency’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said the financial support was introduced on compassionate grounds to ease the burden on individuals whose daily lives had been disrupted by quarantine measures.

Idris spoke during an interview, explaining that the affected individuals had been separated from their usual routines to protect public health.

“That was not budgeted for. Those people who were in the quarantine area were people who never planned to be there. We took them out of their comfort zones; we put them there for public health reasons, so we are responsible for their feeding, accommodation,” he said.

According to him, some of those under quarantine expressed concerns about being away from their families and the financial losses they could suffer by remaining at the facility.

“Some of them said they had families at home they need to take care of. But one or two said they had businesses. By staying here again, you’re going to lose a lot of money again,” Idris added.

He said the possibility of some individuals leaving the facility prompted further concern, as their health status had yet to be conclusively established.

“If you allow them to leave the place, it’s a public health issue because you don’t know whether they will turn positive or who is ill,” the NCDC chief said.

Idris explained that the agency opted to provide financial assistance to discourage the individuals from leaving quarantine and to address their immediate needs.

“On compassionate grounds, we said, okay, let’s see how best we can support them. It’s a temporary thing because it’s not something we’ve done,” he said.

He also clarified that state governments were ordinarily responsible for providing quarantine facilities and the associated support, adding that the NCDC intervened because the expected arrangements had not materialised.

“In this kind of thing, the quarantine facility, there are the responsibilities of each state government, not any NCDC. But because this is not forthcoming, to avoid this one, just to temper this thing, we decided to step in,” he said.

The NCDC had earlier announced an emergency payment of ₦100,000 per person weekly for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory.

The intervention followed complaints from contacts about the cost of food, accommodation and maintaining their families while complying with public health monitoring requirements.

At a press briefing on Sunday, Idris said the agency was covering the basic expenses of those affected.

“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.

Nigeria’s index case of the imported Ebola virus disease has been evacuated to Switzerland for further care, Minister of Health, Ali Pate, has said.

Pate disclosed that the patient departed Abuja earlier Monday with his approval, adding that her spouse, who has remained asymptomatic, accompanied her.

In a statement, the minister said the patient’s clinical condition had improved significantly before the evacuation.

He said she was stable, conscious and able to communicate, while her laboratory test results were approaching baseline levels.

However, Pate cautioned that the improvement did not necessarily mean the patient was no longer infectious, stressing that strict public health protocols remained in place.

“The index patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results closing towards baseline. This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” he said.

The minister commended the clinical personnel who treated the patient, as well as public health officials who coordinated the evacuation in accordance with established public health measures.

He said the government would provide further updates later Monday after the patient and her spouse had arrived safely at their destination.

Pate assured Nigerians that public health measures were ongoing to contain the imported virus, urging citizens to remain vigilant and obtain information from credible sources.

“All public health measures are continuing to ensure successful containment of the imported virus. I urge Nigerians to remain vigilant and rely on information from credible sources,” he said.

The minister did not provide further details about the circumstances of the evacuation or the treatment arrangements in Switzerland.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it is monitoring 53 primary contacts linked to the country’s confirmed Ebola case, as investigations expand to include people who may have been exposed to the patient at multiple locations.

The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Sunday during a press briefing, explaining that 44 of the contacts were associated with the health facility where the patient was treated, while nine others had been identified outside the facility.

The additional contacts include three members of the patient’s household and individuals who attended to her at an emergency room she visited before arriving at the facility where her Ebola infection was subsequently confirmed.

Idris said the agency was extending its contact-tracing exercise beyond people who had direct contact with the patient to identify others who might have been exposed through the initial group of 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.

The latest figure represents an increase from the 44 contacts initially announced by the Federal Government following the confirmation of the Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on October 20.

According to information previously provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the patient, a woman who recently travelled from Uganda, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention on October 11 before her infection was confirmed.

The NCDC said investigations were ongoing to establish the full chain of possible exposure and ensure that everyone who might have come into contact with the patient was identified and placed under appropriate monitoring.

Explaining the process, Idris said health officials would interview each identified contact to determine whether they had interacted with other people who might also require monitoring.

“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.