WHO Certifies Nigeria, Five Others on Capacity to Diagonise Coronavirus

• Non-screening of VIPs at airports worries Senate

Deji Elumoye and Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has certified that Nigeria and five other African countries have the capacity to diagnose to tackle the Coronavirus.

The is coming as the Senate Thursday expressed serious concern over the non-screening of passengers on chartered flights at Nigeria’s four international airports.

It also asked the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to stop “illegal” exportation of surgical face-masks from Nigeria to Asia and other countries affected by the dreaded Coronavirus epidemic.

This is just as the Health Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, announced that the sum of N620 million voted by federal government for pro-active steps to be taken against the spread of Coronavirus was ready.

The global health body said in a statement that Africa has the capacity to diagnose the disease if it is eventually exported to the continent.

It said WHO has six laboratories in Africa where the disease can be diagnosed, adding that upgrading the laboratories to diagnose the new coronavirus is part of the ongoing efforts by the agency to help African countries prepare against the outbreak.

The six laboratories are located in Senegal, South Africa, Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The organisation said until early last week, there were only two laboratories – one in Senegal and the other in South Africa – which had the reagents needed to test samples.

“The two laboratories have been working as referral laboratories for countries around the region.” The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Ms. Matshidiso Moeti, said a new virus is always a challenge, adding that most laboratories in Africa lack the key material they need to perform tests on a novel pathogen.

Moeti said the agency will also be sending kits to 29 laboratories in the region.

“This will ensure they have diagnostic capacity for novel coronavirus and can support testing samples from neighbouring countries, ” she said.

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday expressed serious concern over the non-screening of passengers on chartered flights at the four international airports. The upper legislative chamber said failure to screen the affected passengers may be another way of importing the dreaded Coronavirus scourge.

The Health Minister had earlier in his presentation revealed that the federal government will soon release a N620million special intervention fund to monitor, detect and contain the dreaded Corona virus.

According to him, the health ministry had submitted a memo for the release of the sum to take proactive measures to contain the virus.

He said already, the sum of N71 million had been released to the port health services for her operations.

The Senate also yesterday charged the NCS, to as a matter of urgency, introduce measures to stop the exportation of surgical face-masks from Nigeria to Asia and other countries affected by the dreaded Coronavirus.

It also urged the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Ministry of Health, Nigerian Immigration Service and other relevant Government authorities to strengthen port health regulatory services in all entry ports across the country to check the outbreak of the virus in Nigeria.