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  • NCDC cautions Nigerians against non-essential travel to Uganda

    NCDC cautions Nigerians against non-essential travel to Uganda

    Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday cautioned Nigerians and other residents against embarking on non-essential travel to Uganda for now.

    The NCDC Director-General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, gave the caution in a statement he signed on Monday in Abuja.

    He stated that the warning is to enable public health authorities to determine how Ebola outbreak will be contained.

    As at Oct. 29, 2022, the Ugandan Ministry of Health reported 128 confirmed cases and 34 deaths.

    Adetifa cautioned that when travelling to Uganda became essential, travellers should avoid contact with obviously sick persons or suspected cases of Ebola.

    He said that the Port Health Service of the Federal Ministry of Health had scaled-up screening of passengers returning from Uganda at Points of Entry (POEs).

    The NDCD boss said “travellers to Nigeria with recent travel history to Uganda or persons already in Nigeria but with recent travel history to
    or transit through Uganda within the past 21 days are to look out for symptoms.

    “Symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhoea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain or unexplained bleeding or bruising should promptly call 6232 or state ministry of health hotlines for assessment and testing.

    “Such persons should not visit health facilities by themselves to avoid further spread through the shared transport system (public or private).

    “They would be visited at home by dedicated responders for assessment and transported through designated transport arrangement to designated treatment centre when required.

    “Intending travellers to Nigeria with the above-stated symptoms before departure, should not travel to Nigeria, but call to report promptly to Port Health Authorities and/or designated health authorities in the country of departure for testing and care,” he said.

    He added that in-bound travellers to Nigeria with recent travel history to or through Uganda without symptoms on departure but unwell while on transit, should be denied contact with other people.

    Adetifa said such people are required to report to Port Health Service on arrival.

    “Travellers with travel history to Uganda who show no symptoms on arrival should provide accurate information on the NITP platform to ensure follow-up from health workers.

    “If any of the earlier-mentioned symptoms develop anytime within 21 days of arrival to Nigeria, please self-isolate immediately by staying indoors. Avoid contact with others, including immediate family.

    “Call the NCDC 24/7 toll-free line immediately on 6232 or the emergency number of the state ministry of health.”

    According to him, early initiation of supportive treatment has been shown to significantly improve outcomes, including reduced deaths.

    The director-general said that local or international travel is not recommended until the completion of the 21-day follow-up period, adding that
    “to prevent the spread of Ebola, the public should adhere to necessary precautionary measures.

    “Wash your hands frequently using soap and water or use hand sanitisers when soap and water are not readily available and your hand is not visibly soiled.

    “Avoid physical contact with anyone who has symptoms of an infection with unknown diagnosis.

    “Healthcare workers are advised to always adhere to standard precautions. This includes the use of Personal Protective Equipment always when
    handling patients, and always maintaining high index of suspicion.”

  • Nigeria on alert mode as Ebola resurfaces in Uganda

    Nigeria on alert mode as Ebola resurfaces in Uganda

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it is aware of the ongoing outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) caused by the Sudan strain of the Ebola Virus (EV) in Uganda.

    The Director-General, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said that Uganda had, on Sept. 20, declared the outbreak of the virus and that it was on an alert mode.

    The outbreak has also been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    The Sudan strain of the Ebola virus is the known cause of EVD, having caused previous outbreaks in Uganda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    The Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed the virus in samples collected from a 24-year old male, who had exhibited symptoms of the disease and later died in Mubende District in the Central Region, about 175km from the capital, Kampala.

    As of Sept. 29, the Ugandan Ministry of Health reported 54 cases (35 confirmed and 19 probable) and 25 deaths (7 confirmed and 18 probable).

    The Ugandan Ministry of Health, with the support of WHO, is working to effectively respond to and contain the spread of the virus.

    The NCDC boss said that the agency’s -led multisectoral National Emerging Viral Haemorrhagic Diseases Technical Working Group (NEVHD TWG), working with partners and stakeholders, had conducted a rapid risk assessment to guide in-country preparedness activities.

    “The NEVHD TWG coordinates preparedness efforts for EVD and other emerging viral haemorrhagic diseases.

    “Based on available data, the overall risk of importation of the Ebola virus and the impact on the health of Nigerians has been assessed as high for the following reasons:

    “The Sudan Ebola Virus does not currently have an effective drug for treatment or licensed vaccine for prevention.

    “The extent of the outbreak in Uganda has not yet been ascertained as investigations have shown that some persons may have died with similar symptoms which were not reported to health authorities.

    “In addition, their burials were not conducted safely to prevent transmission.

    “The case fatality rate of the Sudan virus varied from 41 per cent to 100 per cent in past outbreaks.

    “The likelihood of importation to Nigeria is high, due to the increased air travel between Nigeria and Uganda, especially through Kenya’s Nairobi airport, a regional transport hub, and other neighbouring countries that shared a direct border with Uganda.

    “The likelihood of spread in Nigeria following importation is high due to the gatherings and travel associated with politics, the coming yuletide as well as other religious gatherings and festivals during the last few months of the year,” he outlined.

    He said that in spite of the risk assessment, the country had the capacity – technical, human (health workforce), and diagnostic – to respond effectively in the event of an outbreak.

    “This is exemplified by our successful response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, as well as improvements in our capacity for health emergency response during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “We have the diagnostic capacity to test for the EVD presently at the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital’s Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology Laboratory,” he said.

    He, however, said that diagnostic capacity would be scaled up to other laboratories in cities with important Points of Entry (POE) and others as might be required.

    “An effective response system is in place with the availability of control capacities (trained rapid response teams, and an effective infection prevention and control programme) to limit the risk of spread in the event of a single imported case.

    “Currently, no case of EVD has been reported in Nigeria. Nonetheless, the Nigerian Government, through NCDC’s multisectoral NEVHD TWG, has put several measures in place to prevent and prepare for immediate control of any outbreak of the disease in-country.

    “The NCDC Incident Coordination Centre (ICC) is now in alert mode. Development of an incident action plan for the first few cases of EVD has commenced.

    “POE surveillance has been heightened, using the passenger pre-boarding health declaration and screening form in the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP) platform.

    “Passengers arriving from Uganda and persons who transited in Uganda are being followed up for 21 days of their arrival in Nigeria on their health status.

    “Trained Rapid Response Teams are on standby to be deployed in the event of an outbreak.

    Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOCs) in states with major POE i.e. Lagos, Kano, Abuja, and Rivers are on standby.

    “A medical counter measures plan is available.”

    He said amplification of risk communication and engagement with states and partners, to strengthen preparedness activities including a review of risk communication protocols, plans and messages in the event of an outbreak, had been done.

    Adetifa said the country had an active infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programme nationwide with guidelines and training packages developed for healthcare workers.

    Ebola virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans. The strain responsible for the current outbreak was first reported in southern Sudan in June 1976.

    Since then, seven outbreaks caused by this strain had been reported (four in Uganda and three in Sudan) with previous outbreaks’ fatality ratio ranging from 41 to 100 per cent.

    Just like other types of Ebola virus, people infected cannot spread the disease until the development of symptoms, including fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat later followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function.

    Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to the virus, but the average is 8 to 10 days.

    Currently, there are no vaccines or therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of this strain of the virus.

    However, the early initiation of supportive treatment has been shown to significantly reduce deaths.

    Recovery from EVD depends on good supportive clinical care, management of co-morbidities, and the patient’s immune response.

    People who recover from Ebola virus infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.

  • NCDC records 8 new Lassa Fever infections, as death toll hits 171

    NCDC records 8 new Lassa Fever infections, as death toll hits 171

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has recorded eight (8) more Lassa Fever infections and one death between September 5 and 11, 2022.

    The Centre on its official website said the new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases and deaths in the country to 917 and 171, respectively.

    It also disclosed that 25 states had recorded at least one confirmed case across 102 local government areas.

    A total of 6,660 suspected cases have been reported in the country, according to NCDC.

    It disclosed that out of the new confirmed cases, Ondo accounted for 32 per cent, Edo 26 per cent and Bauchi 13 per cent.

    “In week 36 (September 5 to 11, 2022), the number of new confirmed cases decreased from 10 in week 35, 2022 to 8 cases. These were reported from Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, and Anambra states.

    “Cumulatively from week 1 to week 36, 2022, 171 deaths have been reported with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.6 people which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (23.3 per cent).

    “The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (Range: 0 to 90 years, Median Age: 30 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.8.

    “The number of suspected cases has increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021. No new healthcare worker affected in the reporting week 36,” it said.

    Also Read

    Yellow Fever: NCDC reports 14 deaths in 10 states

    The health agency said the national Lassa Fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group (TWG) has continued to coordinate the response activities at all levels.

    “The country’s response activities continue in all areas, particularly in areas of state advocacy, personal protective equipment (IPC) support, and laboratory diagnostics,” it said.

    The NCDC said that to reduce the risk of Lassa fever, Nigerians should ensure proper environmental sanitation, “that is, keep your environment clean at all times, block all holes in your house to prevent rats from entry”.

    It advised Nigerians to cover dustbins and dispose of refuse properly.

    “Communities should set up dumpsites far from their homes to reduce the chances of having rodents within homes; store foodstuff like rice, maize grits, beans, corn/maize, etc in containers that are well covered with tight-fitting lids.

    “Avoid drying foodstuff outside on the floor, roadside where they will be exposed to contamination; avoid bush burning which can lead to the displacement of rats from bushes to human dwellings.

    “Eliminate rats in homes and communities by setting rat traps and other means; practice good personal hygiene by frequent washing of hands with soap under running water or use hand sanitisers when appropriate, and visit the nearest health facility if you notice any of the signs and symptoms of Lassa Fever as mentioned earlier, and avoid self-medication,” it advised.

  • N10bn for local vaccines production intact – Minister

    N10bn for local vaccines production intact – Minister

    Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, says the N10 billion earmarked in 2020 by the Federal Government for local production of vaccines, is still intact.

    The minister gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja, during the Ministerial bi-weekly update meeting on COVID-19 response.

    Ehanire said that the country had found partners to import the technology needed to produce the vaccines.

    “We are as prepared as we can be, we are also pursuing capacity to produce vaccine biotech. Visitors from the Serum Institute of India are going to be technical partners of Bio-Vaccine Nigeria Limited.

    “Nigeria is a 49 per cent shareholder in a company called Bio-Vaccine Nigeria Limited, and the bio-vaccine is a revival of the former vaccine plants that the Federal Government used to have.

    “The private sector was invited to join and form a special purpose vehicle – a company called Bio-Vaccine. This was conceived before COVID-19.

    “Now the joint venture was stalled because of the outbreak – when there was a lockdown and when nothing could move,” he said.

    According to the minister, there has been a lot of delays which stalled the company’s take off.

    “With the outbreak of COVID-19, all countries were looking forward to vaccines, including Nigeria. Therefore, the aspiration to produce vaccines has not been fulfilled.

    “We are working on it and I have spoken with one of the members of the board of bio-vaccine. We are working on getting that technology to both produce routine vaccines and also COVID-19 vaccines under license and importation of the technology and partnership for it,” Ehanire said.

    The minister added that local vaccine production was a priority of the President Muhammadu Buhari led government.

    “This is one reason the country has been engaging partners of interest in actualising this very important project,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the Director, Disease Control and Immunisation, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Bassey Okposen, emphasised the importance of COVID-19 vaccination across the country.

    Okposen said that over 70 million COVID-19 vaccines have so far been administered to Nigerians.

    “As of Sept. 12, in 36 states of the Federation and the FCT, about 33. 8 million of total eligible persons targeted for COVID-19 vaccination are fully vaccinated.

    “12.9 million of total eligible persons targeted for COVID-19 vaccination are partially vaccinated,” he said.

    The director, however, said millions of children in the country still miss out on basic childhood vaccines every year and urged parents to get their children vaccinated.

    “Getting your child vaccinated is the best way to give every child a healthy start to life and protect against preventable diseases from birth to old age,” he said.

  • Yellow Fever: NCDC reports 14 deaths in 10 states

    Yellow Fever: NCDC reports 14 deaths in 10 states

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has recorded 14 deaths in 10 states from suspected cases of yellow fever from January to July 2022.

    The NCDC made this known via its official website on Sunday.

    It listed the affected states as Abia -one, Bayelsa -one, Benue- one, Imo- one, Kaduna- one, Katsina – two, Kebbi -two, Taraba -two, Yobe -one and Zamfara -three.

    Newsmen reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) described yellow fever as an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

    The “yellow” in the name refers to jaundice that affects some patients.

    The symptoms of yellow fever include headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

    A small proportion of patients who contract the virus, however, develop severe symptoms, and approximately half of those die within seven to 10 days.

    The Nigerian Public Health Institute said that cumulatively a total of 1,179 suspected cases of yellow fever were reported from 416 local government areas between January 1 and July 31.

    It said that one case each was confirmed from Sokoto, Osun, Ondo, Anambra and Imo states.

    The NCDC said that male to female ratio for suspected cases was 1:1.7 with males recording 637 cases (54 per cent) and females, 542 cases (46 per cent).

    It stated that 74 per cent of cases were aged 30 years and below.

    “One hundred and twenty-six (10.7 per cent) of 1,179 suspected cases has had at least one dose of the yellow fever vaccine,” it said.

    The centre said that it was coordinating response activities through the National Multi-Agency Yellow Fever Technical Working Group.

    Newsmen reports that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt across several other areas including the increase in the risk of measles and yellow fever outbreaks due to delayed planned vaccination campaigns.

    Meanwhile, yellow fever is preventable with an extremely effective vaccine that is safe and affordable.

    A single dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to grant sustained immunity and life-long protection against yellow fever disease.

    A booster dose of the vaccine is not needed.

    The NCDC revealed efforts to support Nigeria in preventive mass vaccination campaigns (PMVCs), through its Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy.

    It said it would be reaching out to states like Ogun, Gombe, Kano, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno and Enugu before the end of 2022.

    “Further yellow fever vaccination campaigns are planned in Nigeria in the states of Ogun and Gombe States in June 2022,” it said.

    It added that these campaigns targeted 8.8 million people for protection, while additional PMVCs will be implemented in the latter part of 2022 in Kano, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno and Enugu state.

  • Severe complications from COVID-19 ended – Prof Abayomi

    Severe complications from COVID-19 ended – Prof Abayomi

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi on Friday said that the State had exited the fifth COVID-19 wave, noting that severe complications from the disease had ended.

    Abayomi said this during the launch of a Lithotripsy Machine donated to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Lagos on Friday.

    Recall that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had on July 8, in a public health advisory, warned of the onset of the fifth COVID-19 wave arising from increasing daily infections.

    According to the commissioner, though COVID-19 infection is still present, many residents have developed immunity against the disease from natural infection or vaccination.

    “Now that we’ve weaned ourselves out of the fifth COVID-19 wave, it’s still rumbling around, but most residents have enough immunity either from natural infection or vaccination.

    “We are not seeing the severe complications of COVID-19 infection any more,” Abayomi said.

    He said that the Lithotripsy Machine, donated by Mr Idowu Obasa, would assist many patients who would have otherwise gone through painful and dangerous medical procedures.

    He said that the donation made LASUTH the first recipient of Lithotripsy Machine in public health facilities in Nigeria.

    According to him, Lithotripsy is a noninvasive (the skin is not pierced) procedure that uses shock waves or lasers to break down stones in the kidneys, bladder or ureters.

    He explained that kidney stones occur when minerals and other substances in the urine crystallise in one’s kidneys, forming solid masses or stones that are too large to pass through the urinary tract.

    He commended the donor, noting that the machine would further assist LASUTH in raising the standard of healthcare in the state and also the country.

    Commenting, Obasa said he was inspired to purchase the machine when he heard about the equipment gap.

    “In 2009, I used this machine in India for a procedure in just a normal hospital, not private, not expensive and honestly it’s shameful that we have to go to India to get things that we ought to get here.

    “I’m a chronic Kidney disease patient, among other things. I’m one of the people that medical practitioners call, ‘with many underlying conditions’.

    “I’m like a chemist when I start using my drugs. I have been privileged to be attended to in so many hospitals all over the world and I want to say that our doctors are better qualified than most of the people we meet.

    “My experience in India inspired me and I said, why should India have these machines scattered all over the place and we don’t have any here?” Obasa said.

    The lawmaker noted that adequate equipment was critical to quality healthcare service delivery and commended the state government for maintaining excellence in the health sector.

    Also, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, Chief Medical Director, LASUTH, disclosed that the Lithotripsy Machine cost between N40 million and N50 million.

    Fabamwo commended Obasa for the generous donation, saying that the machine that the hospital usually rented for procedure, got spoilt and that created gaps.

    He pledged to ensure proper and judicious use of the machine to promote citizen’s health.

  • Ondo, Edo lead as NCDC announces new Lassa fever cases

    Ondo, Edo lead as NCDC announces new Lassa fever cases

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says the states of Ondo and Edo are leading the country’s Lassa fever cases as it announces five additional cases in seven days, from Aug.15 to Aug. 21, 2022.

    The NCDC via its official website on Monday said that the two states accounted for 57 per cent of the disease burden in the country.

    Newsmen reports that Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted by rats.

    It has been known since the 1950s but the virus was not identified until 1969 when two missionary nurses died from it in the town of Lassa in Nigeria.

    Found predominantly in West Africa, it has the potential to cause tens of thousands of deaths. Even after recovery, the virus remains in body fluids, including semen.

    Neighbouring countries are also at risk, as the animal vector for Lassa virus, the “multimammate rat” (Mastomys natalensis) is distributed throughout the region.

    The Agency’s epidemiological report showed that from the beginning of 2022, 25 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 101 Local Government Areas across the country.

    The Public Health Institute further stated that cumulatively from week one to week 33, 2022, 168 deaths have been reported with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.8 per cent.

    This, the public health institute said was lower than the CFR for the same period in 2021 (23.3 per cent).

    The NCDC, therefore, said that the national Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group (TWG) continued to coordinate the response activities at all levels to curb the spread of the disease.

    It said: “In week 33 (August 15 to 21) the number of new confirmed cases decreased from nine in week 32, 2022 to five cases. These were reported from Ondo and Edo states.

    “Of all confirmed cases, 70 per cent are from Ondo (31 per cent), Edo (26 per cent), and Bauchi (13 per cent).

    “The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (range: 0 to 90 years, median age: 30 years). The male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:0.8.

    “The number of suspected cases has increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021. No new Healthcare worker affected in the reporting week 33.”

    Proferring solutions and preventive measures, the public health agency said to reduce the risk of Lassa fever, Nigerians should ensure proper environmental sanitation.

    “This is by keeping your environment clean at all times and block all holes in your house to prevent rats from entry”

    It also advised that Nigerians should cover their dustbins and dispose of refuse properly.

    “Communities should set up dump sites very far from their homes to reduce the chances of having rodents within homes; Store foodstuff like rice, garri, beans and corn/maize in containers that are well covered with tight-fitting lids.

    “Avoid drying foodstuffs outside on the floor, roadside where they will be exposed to contamination; Avoid bush burning which can lead to the displacement of rats from bushes to human dwellings.

    “Eliminate rats in homes and communities by setting rat traps and other means.

    “Practise good personal hygiene by frequent washing of hands with soap under running water or use hand sanitisers when appropriate.

    “Visit the nearest health facility if you notice any of the signs and symptoms of Lassa fever as mentioned earlier, and avoid self-medication,” it advised.

    Newsmen also reports that the Lassa virus is transmitted to man by infected multi-mammate rats and humans become infected from direct contact with the urine and faeces of the rat carrying the virus.

    People also contract the disease by touching soiled objects, eating contaminated food or exposure to open cuts or sores.

    Secondary transmission from person to person can also occur as a result of exposure to the virus in the blood, tissue, urine, faeces or other bodily secretions of an infected patient.

  • COVID-19: Experts call for research on local remedies

    COVID-19: Experts call for research on local remedies

    As the country continues to record more cases of COVID-19 , experts urge the government to intensify efforts on research for local remedies.

    Newsmen reports that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country had been on the rise since July 2022.

    Prof. Babatunde Salako, Director-General of the Nigerian Institute Of Medical Research ( NIMR),  who spoke to newsmen on this development said that continuous research on local remedies and surveillance should be of top priority.

    “We have done all that should be done, what we need is more campaign against vaccine hesitancy and get more people vaccinated in the country,” he said.

    He urged Nigerians to continue to adhere to all precautionary measures given by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to curb the spread of the virus.

    Also, Prof. James Damen, the National President, the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), said many Nigerians no longer observed the basic safety precautions given by the NCDC.

    “People are no longer observing the basic COVID-19 precautions in place and that is why we are seeing this increase.

    “People should stick to these guidelines and the government also should not relent in educating the public on it,” he said.

    Damen noted that some of the molecular laboratories provided by the government in institutions were not functioning well.

    “The government has tried to provide molecular laboratories to institutions across the country but some are not functioning well because they are headed by pathologists which is not their area of expertise.

    “Laboratories are supposed to be headed by lab scientists and we know Labouratory play key roles in terms of surveillance during pandemic or epidemic.

    “We expect the government to do the needful,” he said.

    He added that more funds should be committed to fund research that would reduced the country’s dependence on foreign items.

    “I think the government should take the issue of vaccine production , testing tools within the country into consideration because we have the expertise here in the country,” Damen said.

  • USCDC understudies Nigeria’s capacity building for global health security

    USCDC understudies Nigeria’s capacity building for global health security

    The United States of America Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC), has sent a delegation to Nigeria to learn capacity building for global health security.

    The American team will also understudy Nigeria’s disease detection, preparedness and response.

    The Director of Global Health Advocacy, United Nations Foundation, Mr Brian Massa, led the delegation to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), National Reference Laboratory (NRL), on Friday in Abuja.

    According to Massa, the delegation was on a learning visit to Nigeria.

    “We are here at the NRL to learn about the great work that the Nigerian government is doing with capacity building for global health security, disease detection, preparedness and response.

    “Nigeria is in line with the IHR core capacities required to detect, assess, notify and respond to public health risks and emergencies.

    ”This is as stipulated in Articles five and 13, and Annex one, of the Regulations,” he said.

    Massa said that the delegation observed the laboratory diagnostic facilities, and discussed the importance of resilient health systems.

    He added that the integration and data-sharing of country-wide disease detection, and the country’s response to the current Monkeypox outbreak were also studied.

    “This visit will further develop the roster of congressional staffers who work on global health policy.

    ”It will help them to understand how bilateral Global Health Security investments in the country have strengthened global health security and pandemic preparedness,” he said.

    According to him, it is s a great partnership between the Nigerian government and the United States government.

    “The USCDC has provided very generous and important support on collaboration with the NCDC to provide training, technical capacity building and to be able to detect diseases early.

    “Through partnerships with the NCDC, the USCDC is improving the quality of critical public health services in the country,” he said.

    According to the Director-General, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, the NRL in Abuja is the organisation’s focal laboratory.

    Adetifa said that the laboratory provides High-Quality Public Health Laboratory Services, coordinates laboratory-based surveillance and provides oversight to state public health laboratories.

    He said that the American government, through the USCDC and implementing partners had supported the agency with laboratory equipment, consumables, reagents and technical support.

    “Over the last several years, the American Congress, supported by the UN Foundation, had organised congressional learning trips to observe global health.

    ”The Congress also organised trips to UN peacekeeping, humanitarian, and development operations across the globe, highlighting the US- UN partnership in the field,” he said.

    The NCDC boss said that the US delegation included staffers and principal aides of US senators and members of the House of Congress with a task in health services, global health or health security.

    “So they are here on behalf of their principals, because within their principals’ offices, they handle health-related or global health issues.

    “Visits like this provide us with an opportunity to lay out areas that we may require support, either directly by what we say or indirectly by what they see,” he said.

    Adetifa, however, said that questions about the country’s preparedness for a future pandemic were difficult to answer while highlighting lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “I think the question about whether people are prepared for pandemics or not is a difficult one to answer.

    “We had a ranking of countries that were supposedly in a better place to deal with pandemics, but COVID-19 came and showed us that the ranking was irrelevant.

    “However, the message I take away from the ranking is that it shows the importance of having resilient health systems.

    ” So, after everybody was confronted by COVID-19, we all sort of collapsed. But, then, we can see how systems are recovering,” he said.

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Dr Kofi Boateng, said that there have been significant improvements in the country’s laboratories which is a critical area of health security.

    Boating said that the country could detect, assess, report, and respond to public health events, which is the core capability of IHR.

    He, however, said that as the COVID-19 pandemic had shown, investing in preparedness is much cheaper and more effective than funding responses.

    He pledged WHO’s continuous support to the country.

    According to him, ”investment in preparation must be founded on continuous community engagement, coordination between sectors, and sensitive and flexible surveillance and response systems.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that US has been a longstanding global health security leader.

    In 2014, the US helped launch Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), to strengthen the world’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats.

    Now, more than 70 countries, international organisations, NGOs and private sector entities, were united in strengthening global health security.

    They have a target of strengthening country capacities by 2024 for 100 countries in at least five specific technical areas.

    GHSA emphasises the importance of efforts to build national capacity to prepare for biological catastrophes.

    These include human and animal health, agriculture, security, defence, law enforcement, development assistance, foreign affairs, and finance.

    In 2018, GHSA members renewed the
    the initial five-year phase of action (2014-2019) for a second five-year phase (2019-2024), known as “GHSA 2024.”

    GHSA 2024 works to accelerate the implementation of and compliance with the IHR (2005), a legally binding instrument adopted by 196 countries, including the 194 World WHO member’states.

    It is meant to strengthen country-level capabilities needed to prevent, detect, and respond to health emergencies.

    The United States is fully dedicated to assisting countries around the world to improve health security capacities and meet the 2024 target.

    It uses the globally- endorsed IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (MEF) and the Joint External Evaluation (JEE).

  • COVID-19: Lagos leads as NCDC records 144 new cases

    COVID-19: Lagos leads as NCDC records 144 new cases

    Lagos State is ahead of other states of the federation in the latest COVID-19 cases, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says.

    This is as the centre reported 144 additional infections from Aug. 14 to 15.

    On its official website on Tuesday, the NCDC stated that out of the 144 new infections, Lagos state reported 101 cases, while Abia confirmed 13 additional cases.

    The body also gave the figure of new cases for Akwa-Ibom as 10 while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) reported nine, Kano State recorded three, while other states contributed the remaining figure.

    Kaduna State logged three cases, Bauchi reported one, Ekiti and Plateau states confirmed one case respectively.

    The NCDC added that six states; Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers & Sokoto recorded zero cases.

    The agency said that the latest cases had increased the country’s infection toll to 262,664, while the fatality toll stood at 3,147.

    The NCDC website, in its breakdown of the latest infections, NCDC noted the surge in Lagos with a huge gap between it and other states.

    Of the 262,664 total cases recorded since the outbreak of the pandemic in Feb. 2020, Lagos state confirmed 102,849 infections followed by the FCT and Rivers with 29,070 and 17,656, respectively.

    3,917 people were currently down with the virus, while 256,334 people had been treated and discharged nationwide since the outbreak of the virus more than two years ago.