NIGERIA CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL: CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT FOR PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES (NICADE PROJECT)

To support the national response to the threats of Hepatitis (HEV), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and nosocomial infections, the NCDC, through the 'Turn Nigeria Orange Campaign', has begun an international project with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The goal of the NiCADE project is to develop the capacity to prevent and manage disease outbreaks, with a focus on bacterial and viral diseases. Three grants have been approved by the German Ministry: on AMR, infection prevention control (IPC) and HEV surveillance. At the end of the two-year project period beginning April 2019, it is envisioned that NCDC will develop:

• an expanded AMR surveillance and diagnostic stewardship strategy and capacity-building planning concept
• personnel and organisational capacity development for infection prevention and control in hospitals
• recruit sentinel sites of different regions in Nigeria for the (molecular) surveillance of hepatitis viruses and rotaviruses.

NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE STRENGTHENING IN NIGERIA [International Association of National Public Health Institute (IANPHI)]

Through technical and financial support, the IANPHI project in Nigeria is focused on strengthening various capacity areas within Nigeria's NPHI.

The project aims to:

• Strengthen laboratory function by improving collection, transportation and field testing of samples, and improving testing confirmation.
• Strengthen outbreak management and emergency response through targeted staff capacity development, and establishment of Rapid Response Teams
• Enhance risk communication capacity.

IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS

• United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI)

ALLIANCE FOR EPIDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE (A4EPR)

The Alliance for Epidemic Preparedness and Response (A4EPR) is an innovative platform for private sector engagement, by the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PHN) and NCDC.

The A4EPR seeks to collaborate with the private sector to:

• Strengthen the capacity of NCDC to prevent, detect, respond to and control epidemic-prone diseases
• Equip States to take immediate action to protect the health of Nigerians
• Minimise public health risks to Nigerians, strain on the public health sector and associated economic impact of outbreaks
• Facilitate real-time exchange of information on public health risks

The priority areas of focus include:

• Epidemic infrastructure and equipment
• Direct response and logistics support
• Technology and innovation
• Advocacy and communications
• Emergency stockpile
• Capacity development

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER

• Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PHN)

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS (IHR) STRENGTHENING

Public Health England (PHE) through an Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding, is supporting the establishment of strong national public health systems in low and middle income countries to ensure timely and effective prevention, detection, response and control of public health threats.

Through this project, PHE is working with NCDC to build a resilient and responsive public health system in Nigeria, underpinned by evidence-based strategy, policy, effective systems and a skilled workforce. Outcomes will be measured through improvements in IHR compliance measures and other process indicators based on the results of the Joint External Evaluation.

The project areas include strengthening emergency preparedness, resilience and response, enhancing national surveillance systems and public health laboratory networks.

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER

• Public Health England

STATES' PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE ESTABLISHMENT

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is supporting States in the establishment of Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOCs). The project includes a training of state staff on incident management capacities and its utilisation. The State PHEOC will use incident management system to improve coordination of emergency response to public health events, reduce harm and saves lives.

The overall goal is to establish a functional PHEOC in all the states in Nigeria that will serve as an epidemic intelligent hub for effective communication and efficient resource management during any incident.

As at the 12 October 2019, PHEOCs have been established in Zamfara, Cross-River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Lagos, Ondo, Edo, Nasarawa, Kogi, FCT, Kebbi, Plateau, Rivers, Anambra, Niger, Benue, Osun, Kwara and Abia states.

Manual on Universal and Outbreak Infection Prevention Control (MAURICE) Project

The MAURICE project is focused on developing a training manual, and implementing training activities to improve infection prevention and control (IPC) among healthcare workers in Nigeria.

The basis for the national IPC manual will be a thorough review of strategies, policies, scientific literature and best practices implemented by other public health institutions.

The overall goal of the project is to improve patient and health care workers' safety during outbreaks of epidemic-prone diseases.

IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS

• Robert Koch Institute (RKI)
• GIZ (Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit)

REGIONAL DISEASES SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT (REDDISSE) PROJECT

In response to the 2014-2015 West African Ebola crisis, the World Bank established the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) project to cover all countries in the ECOWAS sub-region, including Nigeria.

The project aims to strengthen disease surveillance and response systems at regional level and in ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania. A credit of USD 90 million has been approved for implementation of the project in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The project was declared effective in Nigeria on the 13th of February, 2018 and has five (05) components:

• C1: Surveillance and health information;
• C2: Laboratory capacity building;
• C3: Preparedness and Emergency Response;
• C4: Human Resource Management for effective disease surveillance and preparedness for epidemics; and
• C5: Institutional capacity building, Project management, Coordination and Advocacy.

IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS

• Federal Ministry of Health (represented by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control)
• Federal Ministry of Agriculture (represented by the Department of Veterinary services)