By Vivian Ihechu
The U.S. CDC says as Nigeria continues to experience multiple disease outbreaks, the need to build public health experts’ capacity in emergency preparedness and response becomes critical.
Dr Muhammad Saleh of the U.S. CDC, said this in his presentation at a media roundtable held in Lagos on Friday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at the event, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) presented another set of U.S. CDC-supported Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) graduates.
NAN reports that the event highlighted the impact of the U.S. CDC–supported Public Health Emergency Management certification programme on PHEM and response at the national and sub-national levels.
It also showed how the U.S. CDC and Nigeria are collaboratively building capacity and supporting state-level disease outbreak response.
Saleh stressed that building capacity had become necessary as Nigeria continued to experience multiple disease outbreaks.
His presentation focused on the U.S. government’s investment in Nigeria’s public health emergency preparedness through the CDC’s PHEM programme.
According to him, Nigeria has been a Global Health Security Agenda partner country since 2019 and is committed to attaining the goal of “making the world safe and secure from global health threats posed by infectious diseases’’.
He noted that out of the 223 international PHEM fellows from 49 countries trained by CDC in Atlanta, U.S., only seven were from Nigeria, creating the need to locally expand PHEM capacity to support the operations of these PHEOCs.
He emphasised that through the PHEM programme, the U.S. CDC prioritises building capacity in Nigeria.
“Catastrophic events like pandemics, natural disasters and emergence (re-emergence) of high-threat disease can affect any country any time.
“The PHEM programme contributes to achieving a stronger public health workforce that can adequately respond to health emergencies.
“It improves public health personnel’s knowledge, skills and attitudes toward emergencies.
“It helps build a culture of emergency management and resiliency for stakeholders.
“It provides specialized training in PHEM care capabilities that are critical to preparedness and response’’.
According to him, since 2017, no fewer than 200 Nigerian public health staff have been trained, with 55 more graduating from the intermediate level.
He said that the programme, divided into basic, intermediate, and advanced levels, had enhanced Nigeria’s capacity to manage outbreaks, including meningitis, diphtheria, and COVID-19.
On the Return on Investment, he said the U.S. government’s investment in Nigeria had led to significant returns, including the detection and management of various outbreaks.
“The programme has also facilitated regional and international knowledge sharing, contributing to Nigeria’s improvement in joint external evaluations from 39 per cent to 54 per cent.
“The U.S. government has contributed over $2 million to support these efforts.
“Since 2017, over 200 public health staff have graduated from the PHEM programme, contributing to emergency preparedness and response.
“Graduates have managed outbreaks such as meningitis, diphtheria, and COVID-19, leading to the detection of over 1134 cases of meningitis in Nigeria’’.
He assured that the PHEM programme would continue to train and impact the country and continent, with 60 cohort members already contributing to public health.
The U.S.CDC Nigeria leadership, led by Dr Farah Husain, U.S. CDC Division of Global Health Protection Program Director, also spoke.
Husain reiterated US CDC’s commitment to promoting strategies aimed at preventing, detecting, and responding to all public health threats, as well as working with partners to implement specialty training programs.
She emphasised on the collaboration and its impact on public health and emergency management and called for continued collaboration.
She assured that the U.S. government would continue to support Nigeria’s capacity building efforts, including workforce development and emergency preparedness.
Speaking with NAN on the sidelines of the event, Dr John Oladejo, Director of Special Duties at the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) in Abuja, said that the PHEM training aims to equip participants with the skills and competencies to coordinate emergency management activities during outbreaks.
He said the training covered various aspects of public health emergency management, including Incident Management System (IMS), plans, logistics, and more.
According to him, the training includes activating the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and managing surveillance data from various states.
He said the training covered various aspects of public health emergency management, including Incident Management System (IMS), plans, logistics, and more.
“The training included different levels: basic (8 hours), intermediate (16 hours), and a five-day physical in-person training’’.
On the importance of the EOC, he said the EOC was responsible for vigilant surveillance, activating various activities including risk assessments, sending staff to states and managing data during outbreaks
He noted that the collaborative nature of emergency management breaks down silos and enhances the capacity to defend public health in Nigeria.
Oladejo acknowledged the support from partners, particularly USCDC, and the instrumental programme that has empowered leaders to navigate competitive emergencies.
NAN also reports that since 2003, the U.S. CDC has been a strategic partner of the federal and state ministries of health, their departments, and agencies, in improving public health outcomes in Nigeria.
The support works in critical public health areas such as HIV, TB, malaria, vaccine-preventable diseases, and global health protection. (NAN)
Edited by Christiana Fadare
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