The Federal Government is planning to identify and equip Ebola treatment centres in states with designated ports of entry as the number of identified contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed case rises to 53.
The measures are part of efforts to strengthen the country’s preparedness for a possible spread of the disease, with the government assessing isolation capacity at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and planning an infection prevention and control assessment at Karu General Hospital.
According to an Ebola situation report obtained by our correspondent on Sunday, the authorities are also working to establish referral mechanisms for suspected cases, strengthen surveillance at ports of entry and improve the capacity of healthcare facilities to manage possible infections.
The FG is also strengthening preparedness for the Ebola outbreak by assessing isolation.
The report stated that the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital had undergone a needs assessment and optimisation for isolation and treatment, while an infection prevention and control assessment was planned for Karu General Hospital, Abuja, to determine its capacity to accommodate a possible surge in isolation needs.
Under the next steps for case management, the report stated that the authorities would pursue the “Identification and optimisation of treatment centres in states with designated POEs,” referring to designated ports of entry.
It also listed establishing referral mechanisms for suspected cases as a priority, specifying the need to arrange transfers of patients “from point of detection to treatment centres.”
The document read in part, ‘’The measures are aimed at ensuring that suspected Ebola cases can be identified, isolated and referred promptly, including in states that may need to respond to infections detected at international entry points.
“University of Abuja Teaching Hospital readiness as an isolation and treatment centre. Concluded needs assessment & optimisation in UATH
“Identification and optimisation of treatment centres in states with designated POEs. Conduct IPC assessment for surge capacity for isolation in Karu General Hospital.”
The development comes as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention approved an emergency payment of N100,000 per person weekly to support people placed in isolation or quarantine, following complaints about the cost of feeding, accommodation and maintaining their families.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed the financial intervention during a press briefing on Sunday, explaining that the payment was introduced to ensure that people identified as contacts could comply with public health monitoring arrangements without additional financial hardship.
The situation report said the national incident management system had been activated under the coordination of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, with implementation of prioritised activities underway across the response areas.
It added that an Incident Action Plan had been finalised to guide coordination among government agencies, healthcare facilities and response partners.
Under the coordination pillar, the report listed sustained coordination across the “one health sectors and partners,” as well as the continued implementation of the action plan and strengthened preparedness in high-risk states.
Idris said the agency introduced the N100,000 weekly payment after some contacts complained about the financial burden of remaining in isolation or quarantine, including the cost of feeding, accommodation and providing for their families.
“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
The NCDC chief added, “We are providing N100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining.”
He explained that the intervention was not part of the original response plan but became necessary because of the circumstances surrounding the outbreak.
“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” Idris said.
The payment is intended to ease the financial pressure on people required to comply with public health monitoring and isolation arrangements, particularly those who may be unable to continue their normal work or business activities during the monitoring period.
Idris stressed that the responsibility for supporting contacts and managing public health emergencies should not rest with the FCT alone, warning that other states would need to make adequate financial and logistical provisions should similar emergencies arise within their jurisdictions.
“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.
He urged state governments to prepare the resources needed to support contact tracing, isolation, surveillance and other emergency response activities.
The situation report said 53 contacts had been identified, line-listed and categorised, with contact tracing and monitoring continuing.
It listed the identification and categorisation of the contacts among the activities already undertaken under the surveillance and contact-tracing pillar.
The document also stated that the next steps included classifying contacts according to exposure status and providing daily follow-up based on their categories.
The figure represents an increase from the initial 44 contacts announced after the confirmed case was reported in the FCT.
Idris explained that 44 of the 53 primary contacts were associated with the health facility where the patient was treated, while the remaining nine included household members and people who attended to her during an earlier visit to an emergency room.
The investigation has ,therefore, expanded beyond the facility where the infection was confirmed, with health officials seeking to establish whether other people could have been exposed before the patient was isolated.
The NCDC is also identifying secondary contacts to determine whether any of the identified individuals may have subsequently exposed others.
“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,” Idris said.
The agency said contacts would be monitored daily, while anyone who developed symptoms would be assessed promptly.
Idris disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative, although surveillance and follow-up activities were continuing.
The NCDC has also reviewed its case definition for Ebola disease to guide health workers, surveillance teams and other stakeholders in identifying suspected infections.
