Experts develop blueprint to fight infectious diseases

The Nigerian Infection Control Association (NICA) has developed a blueprint on how to break the chain of transmission of epidemics.

NICA is an umbrella body for infection prevention control practitioners including physicians, clinical microbiologists, nurses, pharmacists, public health physicians, veterinarians, laboratory scientists and environmentalists.

The association in a communiqué at the end of its national conference in Abuja highlighted the need for the institutionalisation of infection prevention and control in Nigeria’s healthcare facilities and the need to curtail antimicrobial resistance.

The conference urged government to compel heads of all government hospitals to make the establishment of infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes mandatory, to enhance the prevention of transmission of infection as provided for in the National Health Act 2014.

The theme of the conference, which was declared open by the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac F. Adewole was “Breaking the chain of transmission: infection control and epidemics.”

The participants included the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekwazu, who presented a paper on “National Response to Antimicrobial Resistance – Surveillance within Healthcare Facilities,” and the Provost of the College of Medicine University of Lagos (CMUL), Prof. Sade Ogunsola, who presented a keynote address on the past, present and future of infection prevention and control in Nigeria.

The medical experts also recommended that Nigeria needs national guidelines on infection prevention and control and the need to make infection control a requirement for accreditation of hospitals. They also urged government to develop comprehensive infection prevention and control certification and career lines for infection prevention and control practitioners.