U.S. offers $2.1 million for COVID-19 survey in Nigeria

The United States, through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has offered $2.1 million to conduct a household survey to determine the extent of COVID-19 transmission in Gombe, Enugu, and Nasarawa states. A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Abuja said the survey will be conducted between September and November with preliminary […]

The United States, through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has offered $2.1 million to conduct a household survey to determine the extent of COVID-19 transmission in Gombe, Enugu, and Nasarawa states.

A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Abuja said the survey will be conducted between September and November with preliminary results expected to be released by December 2020.

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The survey, it said, would increase the current understanding of COVID-19 transmission and burden in these three states and inform COVID-19 response efforts of the Government of Nigeria and its partners.

The embassy said the financial support and technical assistance were part of the U.S. Government’s bilateral efforts to improve the health and well-being of the Nigerian people.

“The survey will estimate the proportion of the population in these states who have ever been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 disease.

“This will be accomplished by measuring the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the blood of volunteers. These antibodies, specialized proteins produced by the immune system to fight infection, are generated as part of the body’s response to COVID-19 and are an indication of previous infection,” it said.

The survey, according to the statement, will also estimate the proportion of people who have the disease but are not showing any symptoms, determine risk factors for infection, and measure the intra-household transmission of COVID-19.

It will also estimate the prevalence of malaria and its potential relationship to SARS-CoV-2 infection, it added.