The U.S. Government has donated equipment and supplies to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to support Nigeria’s efforts to respond to the outbreak of Lassa fever, diphtheria, meningitis, and other diseases.
The presentation of the donation through the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) would help the government in its laboratory activities.
Laboratories across Nigeria are working diligently to quickly detect disease threats and confirm cases. Their efforts are a critical part of every outbreak response. The volume of work generated by the ongoing responses to Lassa fever, diphtheria, meningitis, and other diseases, creates a continued need for resources.
The Programme Director for US CDC’s Division of Global Health Protection, Dr. Farah Husain led the donation from US CDC to NCDC, to help meet the needs of the laboratories.
The supplies included Biosafety cabinets, Sample collection materials, other essential laboratory commodities to ensure the quality and high outputs of Nigeria’s labs as well as large amounts of personal protective equipment to help keep laboratory workers safe.
During the event, Dr. Husain emphasized that laboratories were a cornerstone of outbreak responses and thanked laboratory scientists for their vital work and commitment.
She noted that this donation and the work it enables would help save lives, both in the laboratories and in the communities affected by outbreaks.
Also, US CDC offered to support the distribution of the supplies to subnational laboratories and health facilities supporting emergency responses across Nigeria.
