A meeting of the sub-committees of the Regional Disease Surveillance System Enhancement Project in West Africa is holding in Lagos, with the participating countries in the sub-region, braining storming on effective strategies, for disease control.
Health Correspondent, Jacqueline Ogoh’s reports that in 2016, the world bank released the sum of 367.8 million US dollars to the West African Health Organisation, WAHO, for the strengthening of disease surveillance and response systems, by ECOWAS member states and Mauritania.
The implementation of the disease surveillance strategies, mapped out to roll in four phases, took off in 2016. In 2017, Nigeria fell within the second batch of the 15 west African countries, to benefit.
The World Bank says, using the quick end of Lassa fever, which broke out in February 2018 in Nigeria, as an assessment point, it is confident the fund committed to disease control in west Africa, is already yielding positive results.
Liberia’s representative is concerned about border porousity and communication gaps within West African nations, on disease control.
Nigeria’s representative says things have changed. With determination, the government is cutting out lapses, to ensure communicable diseases, find no place in the country.
The World health organisation and the West African Health Organisation are very optimistic that the gaps in disease surveillance in West Africa will be covered, in a shorter time.
Disease surveillance is a clear way of saying, No.. to needless deaths. Watchers of the health sector hope the regional braining storming sessions, will yield commendable results, in West Africa.
