The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says it has identified 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed Ebola case in Abuja and approved emergency support of N100,000 per person each week for people placed in isolation or quarantine.
Director-General Jide Idris announced the measures at a briefing on Sunday, October 25. He said the financial support would help affected people meet their needs while complying with public health monitoring.
Punch reported that the agency was paying for accommodation and feeding, while some contacts had also requested money to support their families. Idris described the weekly payment as an emergency arrangement that would be reviewed as the response continued.
The 53 contacts include healthcare workers, people in the patient’s household and personnel who collected samples. Premium Times quoted Idris as saying 44 were linked to the health facility where the patient was treated, with nine additional contacts.
The agency said it was categorising contacts by their exposure and monitoring them through public health teams. Punch reported that the monitoring period runs for 21 days after the last possible exposure and that anyone who develops symptoms would be assessed and tested.
NaijaTrend reported the confirmation of the Abuja case and the initial identification of 44 contacts here. The case was confirmed on October 20.
Idris said Nigeria still had one confirmed case at the time of the briefing. Premium Times reported that a suspected case in Rivers State tested negative. Punch separately reported that a contact who had felt unwell also tested negative.
The NCDC chief said other states should prepare the financial and logistical resources needed for contact tracing, isolation and related response work, rather than leaving such preparations to the FCT alone.
Sources: Punch, Premium Times
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