By Kazeem Akolawole
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said it will continue to encourage routine COVID-19 testing along with other infectious diseases as may be indicated in healthcare settings as part of clinical care for pandemic flu preparedness.
The AHR reports that the Director General, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus declared COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
According to WHO, the declaration was made after a careful review of current evidence that shows there is high population-level immunity from the SARS-CoV-2 infection, improved knowledge of the virus and management of confirmed COVID-19 cases, a decline in the global burden of the virus, and also a steady increase in vaccine uptake across countries.
A statement signed by the Director General, NCDC, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, said the declaration that COVID-19 is no longer PHEIC is to enable countries’ transition from acute emergency response to managing COVID-19 as part of integrated healthcare delivery for all infectious diseases.
Adetifa maintained that the threat of the virus remains within countries globally and particularly for high-risk groups, adding that as transmission continues within communities, the risk of new variants emerging and resulting in surges in case numbers and even deaths remain.
He said: “Nigeria had already de-escalated its COVID-19 response since 2022 in response to local epidemiology, focused on encouraging COVID-19 vaccination and recommended discretionary use of face masks and other public health safety measures according to personal risk assessments.”
Adetifa added that working with partners, NCDC is also piloting pan-respiratory virus surveillance which is aligned with the WHO’s recently declared preparedness and resilience for emerging threats (PRET) initiative.
“As part of our genomic surveillance, we will introduce wastewater/environmental surveillance to track not just SARS-CoV-2 but antimicrobial resistance, Mpox, and typhoid (salmonella).
“With the continued emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases, our frequent and often concurrent disease outbreaks, and public health investments made during the pandemic to ensure health security in the country will need to be sustained,” he added.
