Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, said the intervention was introduced to ease the financial burden on people identified as contacts of the confirmed case as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
He explained that some of the individuals under public health monitoring had raised concerns about the cost of feeding, accommodation and providing for their families while complying with the restrictions and monitoring arrangements.
The NCDC Chief Executive, who explained that the money is approved as weekly allowance for each person requiring the support to cover essential needs during the monitoring period, said: “We are providing N100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining.”
According to him, the intervention was not part of the Agency’s initial response plan but became necessary in view of the challenges confronting people placed under public health monitoring, adding: “This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along.”
He said the arrangement would be reviewed as the outbreak response progressed, and that the Agency would assess the support based on prevailing circumstances and emerging needs, while also calling for a broader approach to emergency preparedness.
While insisting that the responsibility for supporting people affected by public health emergencies should not rest solely on the FCT authorities, the NCDC boss said other states must also be prepared to provide similar assistance if they experience comparable outbreaks or public health emergencies.
“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 and stressed the need for State governments to make adequate financial and logistical provisions to support contact tracing, isolation arrangements and other activities required to contain infectious disease outbreaks.
Also maintaining that preparedness at the sub-national level is essential to ensuring a coordinated response and preventing delays in the deployment of resources when emergencies occurred, Idris said financial support comes amid intensified efforts by health authorities to prevent further transmission following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja on October 20.
He said Nigeria had recorded one confirmed case, while 53 primary contacts had been identified for monitoring at the time of the briefing, noting that the contacts include healthcare workers, members of the patient’s household, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient.
With Health officials categorising the contacts according to their level of exposure and conducting follow-up assessments to identify anyone who develops symptoms requiring further investigation, the NCDC said individuals under monitoring would be assessed promptly if they developed symptoms, with testing and other appropriate interventions provided where necessary.
However, the Agency further said as part of the response, there is an established isolation arrangements for contacts who require them, while public health teams continue to monitor their health during the 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure.
Meanwhile, reports indicated that the monitoring exercise seeks to identify potential infections early, in order to interrupt possible chains of transmission and protecting healthcare workers and the wider public.
