Afrigather Osun, 11 October, 2022 – Provided that genomic sequencing expertise enhanced the battle towards COVID-19 globally, Nigeria is engaged on a technique to combine different infectious illnesses into the genomic surveillance within the nation.
The technique is meant to enhance preparedness and reinforce well being safety in Nigeria. These efforts are in keeping with the WHO Global genomic surveillance strategy for pathogens with pandemic and epidemic potential 2022–2032 that gives the process to strengthen and scale up genomic surveillance world wide.
Contributing to the plan, the Federal Ministry of Well being (FMOH), with assist from the World Well being Group (WHO) just lately carried out a scenario evaluation of COVID-19 genomic surveillance within the nation.
Strengthening sequencing capability
The enterprise was carried out by a workforce of technical specialists from WHO’s Africa Regional and Nigeria Nation Places of work in addition to the Nigeria Centre for Illness Management (NCDC) and different companions as a part of efforts to bolster genomic surveillance within the African area.
In his first assembly with the delegates for the mission, the WHO Nation Consultant in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, reiterated the significance of increasing sequencing capability in Africa.
He mentioned beefing-up genomic surveillance to enhance biosecurity in Nigeria and all the continent is one in every of WHO priorities.
“Genomic surveillance is important for early identification of rising pathogens in addition to preparation for any future outbreaks. Nigeria is a big nation, and if it could possibly get it proper with genomic sequencing, we are going to change into nicely ready in informing diagnostics, vaccine manufacturing, and biosecurity consciousness.
With the reoccurrence of Lassa fever, monkeypox, and different infectious illnesses, we have to strengthen our sequencing capability past COVID-19 to different illnesses, therefore the necessity to think about different potential laboratories and methods to develop its sequencing capability,” he mentioned.
Strengthening capacities
Through the go to, a stakeholder assembly was convened by FMOH and WHO to underscore the assist and to evaluate surveillance and testing tips within the nation.
A few of the companions current on the assembly included: Nigeria Centre for Illness Management (NCDC), the United State Centre for Illness Management (US-CDC), the Clinton Well being Entry Initiative (CHAI), the Institute of Human Virology (IHVN), Resolve to save lots of life (RTSL), AFENET, WHO, Nationwide Laboratory Technical Working Group, UK Well being Safety Company (UKHSA), GF-NACA-CR-19 and GF-NACA-RSSH.
Moreover, the workforce visited 5 sequencing laboratories: the Nationwide Reference Laboratory (NRL), Nigerian Institute of Medical Analysis (NIMR), Central Public Well being Laboratory (CPHL), Lagos, the African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Illness (ACEGID) and Usmanu Danfodiyo College Instructing Hospital (UDUTH) in addition to some chosen PCR labs supporting pattern referral system within the nation.
Buttressing the significance of the operation, the WHO AFRO mission Lead, Dr Gumede-moeletsi Nelisiwe, mentioned the mission is a part of WHO’s technique to strengthen the sequencing capacities and surveillance in Africa to promptly detect variants of concern (VOC) and the variant of curiosity (VOI) via PCR multiplex testing and genomic sequencing.
“The go to seeks to boost a working information of sequencing infrastructure within the nation and pattern referral and processing system. It will help to establish and interact with monetary and technical companions lively within the subject of genomic surveillance to know the scope of assist and interventions wanted for scaling up the genomic sequencing capability in Nigeria, she mentioned.
Since 2021, the WHO Nation Workplace in Nigeria has been working intently with FMOH to boost genomic surveillance with monetary assist from the African Growth Financial institution and Well being Pool Fund donors, together with the European Union and the Overseas, Commonwealth and Growth Workplace (FCDO).
In the meantime, the Chief Molecular Bioengineer NCDC NRL, Dr Emeka Ndodo, mentioned that NCDC has been on the forefront of supporting all of the sub-national entities in well being response and the amenities visited have the tendencies to enhance pandemic preparedness within the nation.
Expanded non-public partnership
Throughout a cease on the African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Illness (ACEGID), a personal establishment positioned in Osun state, southwest area, the Director of ACEGID, Professor Christian Happi, applauded the initiative to develop genomic surveillance in Nigeria and the African continent at massive.
He mentioned ACEGID has expanded its sequencing actions past COVID-19 to different infectious illnesses equivalent to cholera, Lassa fever and others.
ACEGID is likely one of the regional repository and bioinformatics centres utilized by WHO and Africa CDC to supply sequencing, information evaluation and different technical assist providers to neighbouring international locations and different international locations of their sub-regions.
Through the early phases of the pandemic, solely seven international locations had sequencing capability, and different international locations needed to depend on the pattern referral system. However with the beneficiant assist of WHO, Africa CDC and different stakeholders, Nigeria and 31 different international locations now have the sequencing capability to assist their nationwide public well being laboratories.
Nigeria has contributed immensely to the COVID-19 genomic sequencing database with about 7,000 sequences on the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID).
Technical Contacts:
OKAMURA, Mie; Electronic mail: okamuram [at] who.int
EKANEM, Blessing; Electronic mail: ekanemb [at] who.int
