JUST IN: Fresh lockdown imminent as NCDC asserts Nigeria yet to see worst of COVID-19 pandemic

Fresh lockdown is looming as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) again predicted that the worst of COVID-19 is yet to manifest in Nigeria, going by the trend and the poor attitude of Nigerians towards the pandemic.

The NCDC cited as evidence the recent rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases, which heralds a third wave of the pandemic with Delta Variant that could be more devastating because of its high transmissibility.

NCDC Director General Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, who spoke at the maiden edition of the Nigerian Conference of Applied and Field Epidemiology (NiCAFE), held in Abuja, suggested a new approach that would be more effective in educating and sensitising the people against COVID-19 and other epidemics in Nigeria.

The NiCAFE conference, which had as its theme “Building back better: COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks”, brought together public health professionals, laboratory scientists, field epidemiologists, researchers, health care professionals and members of the public.

The participants reflected on the response to infectious disease outbreaks, reviewed gaps in epidemic preparedness and response and brainstormed on innovative solutions to strengthen health security.

Dr Ihekweazu said in his remarks that ‘the COVID-19 pandemic has, undoubtedly, turned our lives upside down with over 190 million infections and four million deaths, globally. In Nigeria, we have had over 170,000 infections and more than 2,000 deaths.

However, It’s painful to say that there is a possibility that we are yet to see the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘We are not only faced with the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria but multiple concurrent disease outbreaks. In the last month alone, we have been responding to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases, outbreaks of cholera in several states and the panic associated with the detection of a monkeypox case in the US with travel history from Nigeria.

‘Every week, we detect cases of yellow fever, Lassa fever, measles, and other infectious diseases that are endemic in Nigeria. The reality is that our tropical climate, population density, poor socio-economic factors, leave us at risk of annual, multiple, concurrent disease outbreaks. Therefore, we must be one step ahead of these pathogens.

‘We must also think of the other public health challenges that lie ahead of us. Our population is growing at a rapid phase and this will have an incredible impact on our health system.’

Minister of Health Dr Osagie Ehanire stated in his remarks that Nigeria has prioritised measures to strengthen its health security.

‘From the establishment of the NCDC National Reference Laboratory in 2017, NCDC led the establishment of at least one molecular laboratory in every state in 2020. From the establishment of the National Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in 2017, the NCDC has led the establishment of State Public Health EOCs across the country,’ he said.

Dr Ehanire said the government has continued to strengthen ownership of the Nigeria Field Epidemiology Training Programme (NFETP), with coordination by NCDC and collaboration with the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Environment.

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