How Nigeria can address infectious diseases
Nigeria ranks high among 22 countries with highest disease burdens globally. In fact, experts say it is the country with the highest disease burden in Africa.
Infectious diseases have significant impact on the health of citizens and affect the economically viable age group in the community, translating into low productivity.
Nigeria has made some significant strides towards controlling and eliminating these diseases, but analysts believe the country needs a faster approach to preventing epidemic.
Health experts cite unavailability of reliable data as one of the biggest weaknesses of Nigeria’s health system, and a barrier to advancing process in the control of infectious and non-infectious diseases.
However, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)’s first approach towards infectious disease eradication in Nigeria was in 2014 during the Ebola outbreak, which recorded a successful elimination of the disease from Nigeria, thereby becoming a reference point for West African countries.
Studies have shown that in Nigeria, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, diarrhoea, meningitis, and malaria, account for approximately 22percent of deaths in the country, while respiratory infections account for just seven percent.
“These rates are remarkably high when compared with high-income nations, where two per cent of deaths are caused by infectious diseases and four percent by respiratory infections,” said Salamatu Mambula, a professor at Harvard University (Boston, MA, USA).
According to Mambula, centralisation of disease surveillance and control (CDC) would provide up-to-date information on the state of infectious diseases.
“The CDC could have a hugely valuable role in the prevention of ill-health, disability, and death caused by infectious diseases in Nigeria,” she added.
According to Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, Nigeria is establishing a CDC, modelled on the USA’s CDC in Atlanta, to boost the fight against the country’s high rates of infectious diseases.
Its promoters say the centre’s priority will be to strengthen the nation’s capacity for disease surveillance and public health education.
Femi Ayoola, a coordinator at Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, recently spoke at a workshop on infectious diseases risk, said the CDC establishment plan was aimed at identifying, assessing and monitoring risk perception of communities to infectious diseases, 2017-2022, while also strengthening preparedness for effective response in Nigeria.
According to him, the importance of health education before and during outbreak cannot be over emphasised, adding that it required full participation of the community.
“Before an outbreak, the populace must be well informed of preventive measures needed to protect against infection and its spread through continuous education and risk communication,” he stated.
Ayoola further noted that during an outbreak, the population must be informed of the epidemic and measures to be taken, including the importance of early case detection as well as knowledge that treatment could be easily accessed.
They must consult local authorities to adapt the messages to the local context, dispel rumours about superstitious beliefs claimed to have caused the outbreak, he added.
“The communication function should be managed by the Risk Communication/Health Education department at the State Ministry of Health and nationally at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. States should coordinate the advocacy, communication and social mobilisation activities around AWD outbreaks through their respective social mobilisation committees,” he said.