FG equips state treatment centres as Ebola contacts hit 53

The Federal Government has stated it plans to establish designated Ebola treatment centres in states with international ports of entry as the number of contacts linked to the confirmed index case rises to 53.

The University of Abuja Teaching Hospital has already undergone a needs assessment to scale up its isolation capacity. Similarly, health authorities have scheduled an infection prevention and control assessment for Karu General Hospital to accommodate any potential surge in suspected cases.

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, announced the approval of a ₦100,000 weekly support fund, to ease the economic burden on isolated individuals.
The intervention follows complaints from quarantined contacts who are unable to carry out their daily business activities.

“We are paying for their accommodation; we are paying for their feeding…We are providing ₦100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining”, the NCDC Director-General stated.

The NCDC confirmed that 44 of the primary contacts were traced to the private health facility where the 42-year-old female patient was initially treated. The remaining nine include household members and individuals who attended to her at an emergency room before the virus was officially detected.

The NCDC, despite the rising number of tracked contacts, revealed that the Federal Capital Territory remains the only area with a confirmed infection. A suspected case recently reported in Rivers State has tested negative for the virus.

Health officials have also completed the genomic sequencing of the confirmed Bundibugyo strain. The Federal Government has deployed additional protective equipment and 500 donated laboratory testing kits to various states, to strengthen nationwide surveillance.