Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that Nigeria is currently responding to multiple infectious disease outbreaks across all six geopolitical zones.

The diseases include diphtheria, cholera, Lassa fever, and measles. The Director-General, NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed yesterday during a three-day Stakeholder Workshop on Preparedness and Response to Public Health Emergencies, organised by the agency, in collaboration with UNICEF and WHO.

Idris noted that the outbreaks were compounded by climate-related and humanitarian emergencies, as well as broader structural factors such as population mobility, rapid urbanisation, pressure on health systems, and persistent inequities in access to essential services.

The NCDC boss emphasised that the centre works closely with the Federal Ministry of Health, state governments, sister agencies, and development partners to strengthen the country’s health security architecture.

However, he acknowledged that persistent challenges remain, particularly in coordination across sectors, data integration, logistics, workforce readiness, sustainable financing, and alignment of partner support with nationally defined priorities.

He urged participants to engage with intellectual honesty and technical depth, adding that the success of the meeting would be measured by its ability to produce an actionable, nationally owned roadmap to strengthen early detection, improve response coordination, and enhance resilience at both national and sub-national levels.