The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) says its support is helping Nigeria strengthen surveillance, laboratory services and public awareness in the fight against Lassa fever.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, Dr Banji Ipadeola, Team Lead for Surveillance and Epidemiology in the agency’s Division of Global Health Protection, said the interventions were improving early detection and outbreak response across affected states.
He said the U.S. CDC had assisted Nigeria in activating emergency response systems within the first 72 hours of the current outbreak, enabling health authorities to coordinate response teams and implement action plans quickly.
Ipadeola said protecting healthcare workers remained a priority, with the agency supporting infection prevention and control through training, mentoring, provision of personal protective equipment and improved clinical practices.
He noted that infection prevention measures had been strengthened in more than 130 health facilities supported by the U.S. CDC and the U.S. Government.
The epidemiologist said laboratory capacity had also been enhanced through support for testing, data management, active case finding and contact tracing in Ondo, Edo, Bauchi, Ebonyi and Taraba states.
He added that medical supplies, laboratory equipment and testing kits had been provided to health facilities in Benue and Edo states, while laboratory personnel in Ondo had received specialised training to improve diagnostic capacity.
Ipadeola said efforts were also focused on improving disease reporting by strengthening data collection, accelerating laboratory sample transport and ensuring timely situation reports.
He described community engagement as a critical element of the response, noting that public awareness campaigns were helping residents identify symptoms early, seek prompt medical attention and adopt preventive measures, including proper food storage, environmental sanitation and limiting contact with rodents.
He said sustained investment in surveillance systems, laboratory services, frontline healthcare workers and community awareness would be essential to reducing the impact of seasonal Lassa fever outbreaks in Nigeria.
Public health experts also emphasised the importance of early diagnosis, prompt treatment, strong community surveillance and resilient primary healthcare systems in preventing outbreaks from escalating and strengthening the country’s health security.
