How proper Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practices can strengthen the response to infectious diseases in Nigeria.
When infectious diseases are not properly managed and contained, the effects are disastrous not just locally, but globally. Infectious disease outbreaks have far-reaching consequences that transcend not only health but can also cripple economies and businesses, and bring everyday social interactions to a grinding halt. The current COVID–19 pandemic the world is battling offers us a clear example of this fact however, COVID–19 is not the first nor only infectious disease that mankind has faced. Other historically notable infectious diseases include influenza,HIV/AIDS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola, Lassa fever and others too numerous to mention.
Managing infectious diseases and ensuring patients, health workers and the general public are protected is a major public health challenge. But Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) – a multi-disciplinary approach that aims to prevent and control the spread of infections in healthcare facilities and communities – is one major part of the solution. Unfortunately, IPC is not widely practiced or properly and consistently implemented in Nigeria and many countries in the world.
Over the years, Nigeria has had her fair share of infectious disease outbreaks. Our country has battled Ebola and still battles HIV/AIDS, Lassa fever, cholera, meningitis, and now, COVID-19. Nigeria’s response to each new infectious disease outbreak demonstrates improvements and the implementation of lessons learnt from previous experiences, however, there is still evidence of IPC gaps that if filled, could ensure the country is better prepared and protected for whatever comes next.
Recently, a study by TJ Okwor et al. revealed that very few primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities in one state in Nigeria practiced IPC, demonstrating the gaps. Sadly, these gaps are beginning to take their toll with the COVID–19 pandemic currently spreading through the country and hundreds of our frontline health workers contracting the disease as they work to contain its spread and protect the rest of us. This highlights the dire need to train and support our health workers – who are first responders and our first line of defense in every infectious disease outbreak – to ensure they can implement the necessary lifesaving IPC practices.
Acknowledging that the problem exists is one step. However, fixing the problem is another. So, the big question remains, “What is being done to close the IPC gaps that exist in Nigeria’s health care system, especially at this crucial time?”
Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Health Trust was established to help protect public health and sustain the legacy of late Dr Adadevoh who is popularly known as Nigeria’s Ebola heroine. In 2014 she swiftly identified and contained the first case of Ebola, helping Nigeria defeat the deadly virus.
From its inception, DRASA has taken impressive strides towards achieving its vision of creating a healthy society supported and protected by a strong health system. DRASA’s initiatives include its flagship Infection Prevention and Control program which combines the science of stopping infections with hands-on practical sessions and simulated scenarios to ensure our health workers can prevent, detect, and contain infectious diseases as Dr. Adadevoh did in 2014. To date, DRASA has conducted IPC training for more than 1,200 health facility personnel of all cadres, including doctors, nurses, lab scientists, hygienists, cleaners and ambulance drivers, to name a few.
DRASA is currently supporting the Lagos State Government as a member of the Emergency Response Operations Team in Lagos State, which is the epicentre of Nigeria’s COVID-19 outbreak. DRASA is part of the IPC team training frontline health workers, assessing isolation and quarantine facilities, and monitoring IPC practices in all treatment centers.
To defeat COVID-19 and be better prepared for other infectious disease outbreaks, DRASA plans to scale up their capacity building across Lagos and the rest of the country by establishing a state-of-the-art IPC Simulation Training Center, but needs donations and support to do this. Through the center, DRASA can train up to 10,000 health workers per year, building a strong network of trained experts ready to protect Nigeria’s public health.
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