Lagos to deepen epidemic emergency response system

The Lagos State Government has said it will build a system that can detect and plan emergency responses, as well as contain and eradicate potential disease outbreaks.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the ongoing  8th African Conference on One Health Biosecurity, Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu explained that genomic sequencing would determine the future pace of healthcare in Lagos State.

The three-day conference, which started on November 2, 2022, was titled, ‘Strengthening health security and mitigating biological threats in Africa’ and would end today.

‘‘Working with local and international partners, we will build a system that can detect and plan emergency responses as well as contain and eradicate potential disease outbreaks.

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“Our elaborate plan to protect Lagos State from an infectious disease outbreak rests on three major pillars which will be driven by policy.’’

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Akin Abayomi, added that his government had planned to protect Lagos from infectious disease outbreaks through health system strengthening, infectious disease research, and genomic sequencing.

Furthermore, Abayomi, in his presentation titled, ‘Climate Change and its biosecurity implications for Africa,’ as one of the speakers at the conference added, “Biosecurity is the implementation of measures that reduce the risk of damaging the biosphere that we depend on for survival.

“It requires the adoption of a set of attitudes and behaviours by people to reduce the risk and disruption of our ecosystems, either intentionally or unintentionally.

“We are implementing a robust research agenda for Lagos State. We are building the Lagos State Infectious Diseases Research Institute.’’

Also speaking, the Chief Operating Officer, Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium, Dr. Ayodotun Bobadoye, said the growing threat of infectious diseases should spur significant investments in health security and biosecurity.

He said, “To prevent future pandemics, we must be as focused on adapting and surviving as the viruses we are.”