Centre for West Africa-wide disease control sets up in Nigeria

A newly formed regional body came on-stream in Abuja to help ECOWAS countries improve surveillance and control of disease outbreaks across. A council of African heads of state established the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Disease Control to tighten surveillance across the entire region in the wake of Ebola, which burdened health systems in especially the […]

A newly formed regional body came on-stream in Abuja to help ECOWAS countries improve surveillance and control of disease outbreaks across.

A council of African heads of state established the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Disease Control to tighten surveillance across the entire region in the wake of Ebola, which burdened health systems in especially the three most hit countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Health minister Isaac Adewole said, “The outbreak exposed the weaknesses of our health systems and indicated a lack of readiness to respond effectively to Ebola or any other serious health security threat in line with the care capacities outlined by the International Health Regulations.”

He spoke as the governing board of RCDC—which includes national centres for disease across from the region, the West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO)—met for its inaugural meeting in Abuja on Monday.

The centre is sited in Nigeria and will use the platform of the 16-year-old Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for its takeoff.

But it will harness disease surveillance and control across the region, including countries as Ghana, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire, some of them countries hit in the Ebola epidemic.

"Forty percent of global disease burden is on the neck of Africa, so it is important to strengthen National and regional capacities otherwise we will keep having health emergencies," said Dr Abdulsalam Nasidi, acting director general of NCDC and named director of ECOWAS RCDC.

The centre comes after reported outbreaks concerning Lassa fever, Yellow fever and Zika virus.

WAHO director-general Dr Crespin Xavier said, “The stakes are high, but we have no doubt that we have what it takes. This meeting is clear message that we are up to the task.”

RCDC will also function as a West Africa focus for the wider Africa Centre for Disease Control.