FG ready to tackle flu epidemic

 …Commissions avian influenza treatment centre in Lagos

The Federal Government has expressed its preparedness to combat headlong the issue of avian influenza as well as the treatment of serious cases of respiratory disorders in the Nigeria. Making this known at the commissioning of the Avian Influenza Control Project (AICP) treatment Centre and Diagnostic Laboratory Unit at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi-Araba, Onyebuchi Chukwu, minister of Health, disclosed that the commissioning of the centre would strengthen disease surveillance through laboratory services within the south western region of the country. 

The event, which was carried out in tandem with the commissioning of the refurbished Accident & Emergency wing of LUTH, is to further enhance the local medical response capability and virological diagnostic capability.
 

While disclosing that the lab project will not only be useful for the diagnosis of influenza viruses alone, but for Lassa fever and other infectious viral diseases, the minister charged researchers, scientists and chest physicians to come out with uniform findings or discoveries that would benefit the generality of Nigerians through the control of  emerging and re-emerging diseases.

"We as a government are set to commission the Nigerian Centre Disease and Control which is targeted at addressing public health and disease surveillance just as you have in the United States of America. The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Bank started the building of three new influenza diagnostic laboratories at Ibadan, Maiduguri and Port Harcourt in 2008 to serve as regional labs.

"In furtherance of this effort, we again commenced the upgrade of zonal labs at Lagos, Kano, Enugu and Sokoto in 2010 to enhance medical response capability and virological diagnostic capability. As the AICP winds up in May 2011, I hope the gains achieved would not be eroded as the entrenchment of a sustainable mechanism and adequate provision in the event of any sudden pandemic is needed. The Federal Ministry of Health through the AICP will continue to be charged with the responsibility of helping the health system for a possible pandemic of influenza," Chukwu said.

Lending her view, Folake Ademola-Majekodunmi, director, Special Projects, Federal Ministry of Health, noted that the centre can boast of an ICU, tastefully furnished with modern equipment to treat severe respiratory diseases. Ademola-Majekodunmi stated that Nigeria was among countries that initiated the sentinel surveillance to monitor the trend of influenza virus.

 

“We piloted our reference lab in Asokoro, Abuja but extended to Kano, Nnewi and Lagos sites. Over 3,500 samples have been tested in the Lagos lab with encouraging results, while the Asokoro lab has continually scored 100 percent proficiency test of the World Health Organisation Global Influenza Surveillance Network (GISN) quality assurance test series from the last assessment done in February 2011,” Ademola-Majekodunmi stated.

 

According to Akin Osibogun, chief medical director, LUTH, “LUTH is good place to establish the implementation of the Avian Influenza treatment and laboratory.”  Osibogun stated that with the injection of the multi-million naira equipment into the avian influenza lab, there is confidence that LUTH will continue to give succour to the sick and hope to the dying.

“As you know, Lagos metropolis is home to a large number of Nigerians. Therefore, Lagos is a good location to implement interventions of importance to protect the health of the public and the decision to establish the Avian influenza treatment and diagnostic centre at LUTH is most appropriate and commendable,” Osibogun said.

Recall that on February 8, 2006, the Federal Government confirmed the presence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country and immediately took emergency measures to control the outbreak, such as stamping out of the affected area, imposing restrictions on movement of birds within the country, halting the importation of poultry products and the commencement of surveillance from 170 surveillance points across the country.

However, in January 2007, Nigeria announced the first human case of avian influenza fatality in the country.

According to researchers, influenza A (H5N1) virus – also called “H5N1 virus” is influenza A virus subtype that occurs mainly in birds. Like all bird flu viruses, H5N1 virus circulates among birds worldwide, is very contagious among birds, and can be deadly.

So far, spread of H5N1 virus from person to person has been rare and has not continued beyond one person. However, because all influenza viruses have the ability to change, scientists are concerned that the H5N1 virus, one day, could be able to infect humans and spread easily from one person to another.

And because these viruses do not commonly infect humans, there is little or no immune protection against them in the human population. If the H5N1 virus were able to infect people and spread easily from person to person, an influenza pandemic (worldwide outbreak of disease) could begin. No one can predict when a pandemic might occur.