The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Technical Working Group in Nigeria has been officially launched. The inauguration was led by Dr. Jide Idris, the director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Idris was functioning in the capacity of the representative for the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Pate. It’s key to mention that the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) collaborated in facilitating this initiative.
The Technical Working Group is a collective comprising representatives from various sectors, including the Government of Nigeria, disease control programs, academic institutions, and other partnering organizations. The aim of this committee is to bolster IPC coordination among all stakeholders. Furthermore, it is tasked with preventing the spread of contagious diseases, enhancing patient safety, improving the quality of care, diminishing healthcare-associated infections (including those resistant to multiple drugs) and standardizing the protocols for preventing infectious diseases across Nigeria.
The U.S. CDC Division of Global Health Protection’s programme director, Dr. Farah Husain, addressed the inaugural meeting highlighting the importance of robust IPC programs across all healthcare tiers. She underlined the role of these programs in decreasing patient infection rates while simultaneously safeguarding healthcare professionals. It’s important to stress that effective IPC programs bolster sustainable healthcare systems, mitigate the risk of antimicrobial resistance, and improve the capacity to respond to outbreaks.
This technical group will facilitate the planning and coordination of Nigeria’s IPC initiatives. This includes programs related to biosecurity, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). In line with national and international standards, they will also devise comprehensive, evidence-based IPC curricula and fortify IPC governance across all levels.
The support from the U.S. government towards IPC in Nigeria has seen a steady increase since the Ebola outbreak in 2014. Initially, the U.S. CDC helped design an IPC syllabus and country-specific guidelines for Nigeria’s healthcare system. By 2018, the U.S. CDC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, had launched the national IPC initiative; this led to the formation of the Orange Network. This network consists of 41 tertiary health facilities that set the standard for IPC programs. Currently, the IPC program is expanding its national healthcare-associated infection prevention surveillance system.
The objective is to furnish data for decision-making and gauging progress, as Nigeria intensifies its efforts to eradicate ailments and deaths resulting from healthcare-associated infections. To conclude, this initiative underscores a monumental stride towards strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure and augmenting infection prevention and control practices nationwide.