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NCDC Weekly Epidemiological Report: Issue: Volume 12 No. 12. 13th April 2021

Pays
Nigéria
Sources
Govt. Nigeria
Date de publication
Origine
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Week 12: 22nd – 28th March 2021

COVID-19: Presidential Task Force Launches Results Verification System

With over a year since the first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was confirmed in Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has continued to lead the national public health response to ensure Nigerians are protected from the virus. Aside significant control of local transmission, one of the key areas of priority is institution of public health measures to prevent further importation and exportation of the virus.

In addition to the already established and widely expanded network of public health laboratories, the NCDC has also optimised testing through enrolment and operationalisation of private testing laboratories for increased accessibility. This initiative has resulted in scaled up testing nationwide and an efficient process in testing inbound and outbound travellers as they are mandated to test via private facilities. This is in line with the national mandatory quarantine protocols and procedures.

While the above intervention has tremendously reduced the number of likely importation and exportation of cases, however, trading and presentation of fake results at departure and arrival by some elements in some of our international airports was recently a challenge. This poses significant danger particularly to travellers with genuine negative results thereby resulting in further risk of exportation or importation of the disease.

To address the above and to consolidate on the gains made, the Presidential Task Force through the NCDC and Ports Health Service Department of the Federal Ministry of Health recently launched a result verification system. It is aimed to validate the authenticity of COVID-19 results with the following objectives:

  1. Build a platform for the verification of COVID-19 results

  2. Effectively manage and monitor the network of private laboratories testing for COVID-19

  3. Get accurate and prompt testing data from private labs testing for COVID-19

  4. Improve quality and efficiency of the laboratory testing network through analysing data generated from this Information system

An important outcome was trained staff of the airlines and of all five international airports with capacity to verify results from outbound travelers via “QR Code and USSD” built on result verifications system. This is in line with our mandate of ensuring national and by extension global health security through prevention of importation and exportation of the virus.

The NCDC will continue to employ evidence-based public health strategies and initiatives aimed at protecting Nigerians against COVID-19 and other epidemic-prone diseases. We urge the public to ensure strict compliance with all recommended COVID-19 protocols including travel guidelines.

Summary of Incidents

  1. Information for this disease was retrieved from the Technical Working Group and Situation Reports

  2. Case Fatality Rate (CFR) for this disease is reported for confirmed cases only

  3. Information for this disease was retrieved from IDSR 002 data

  4. CFR for this disease is reported for total cases i.e. suspected + confirmed

  5. Information for sentinel influenza was retrieved from the laboratory