President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate release of N10 billion to strengthen the operational preparedness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and prevention and support critical national public health emergency response activities.

The President also established a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Control.

This follows the rapidly expanding outbreak that has already killed at least 349 people across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with the World Health Organisation declaring it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the task force would be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, with membership drawn from relevant ministries, departments and agencies .

The task force was constituted following a stakeholder meeting convened by Gbajabiamila to review Nigeria’s preparedness.

It was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Lagos State Government, among others.

The Senate has passed a bill seeking to establish a National Agency for Malaria Elimination saddled with the responsibility of preventing, controlling and ultimately eliminating malaria in Nigeria.

The bill, sponsored by Ned Nwoko, scaled third reading on Wednesday after the Senate considered and adopted the report of its Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), chaired by Ipalibo Banigo.

Presenting the report on behalf of Banigo, Sampson Ekong said the proposed agency would serve as the central body responsible for coordinating national efforts aimed at preventing, controlling and ultimately eliminating malaria in Nigeria.

The Senate said the agency seeks to mark a shift in the country’s approach to malaria management from treatment-focused interventions to preventive and elimination strategies.

“The agency, when established, will help shift the country’s approach from curative measures to prevention and eventual elimination of malaria,” it stated.

(Source: The SUN)

Photo : Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State

The Cross River State Government has announced that the molecular laboratory services at Dr. Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital now conducts molecular testing for tuberculosis, HIV and Mpox while retaining the capacity to support surveillance and response efforts for emerging public health threats..

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Egbe Ayuk, disclosed this on Tuesday during an inspection tour of the hospital alongside journalists in Calabar.

Ayuk said that the molecular laboratory, which serves as one of the state’s key public health surveillance centres, has resumed most of its essential functions following rehabilitation efforts supported by the state government and development partners.

“This place is arranged to address issues of TB, HIV and other outbreaks. Mpox, Lassa fever and even Ebola-related surveillance can be handled here. Most of the essential services have now been restored,” he said.

The commissioner explained that although the facility suffered extensive damage during the EndSARS unrest, significant progress has been made in rebuilding critical infrastructure and restoring laboratory operations.