FG Announces New Laboratory For Yellow Fever, Measles & Rubella Testing
The Federal Ministry of Health, through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has announced the inclusion of three new laboratories into national yellow fever/measles/rubella laboratory network.
According to a statement signed by the Director-General, NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu on Tuesday, the three new laboratories are the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State, the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu and NCDC National Reference Laboratory, Abuja.
“To build Nigeria’s capacity in line with global standards, we are officially activating three new laboratories, a necessary addition to our existing laboratory network for yellow fever, measles, and rubella.
These laboratories are also part of the global WHO laboratory network. The new laboratories in Edo, Enugu and the FCT will improve our coverage and ensure timely detection and response,”
Ihekweazu said in the statement.
The Chief Medical Director of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Prof. Darlington Obaseki, promised to ensure that the standards required are maintained for full functionality of the laboratory.
The Officer-In-Charge of the World Health Organisation, Dr Clement Lasuba, in the statement reiterated the commitment of WHO and partners to support the strengthening of Nigeria’s public health laboratory.
He said,
“We are proud of this milestone and fully recognise NCDC’s leadership in this regard.
The inclusion of these three new laboratories will strengthen the national diagnostic capacity; a critical step for Nigeria’s health security.
WHO will continue to support the development of public health laboratory services in Nigeria.”