FG and WHO Launch Emergency Response Initiative in the Event of a Disease Outbreak

The Federal Government has announced a three-pillar strategy that will be used to anticipate, identify, and address emergencies during disease outbreaks in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Federal Ministry of Health’s Chief Consultant for Epidemiology, Dr. Godwin Ntadom, officially launched the program in Damaturu, Yobe State. He said the initiative, called “Strengthening and Utilizing Response Groups for Emergencies” or “Surge,” aims to improve coordination and readiness at all levels.

Both man-made and natural calamities affect Yobe, a state that is recovering from the Boko Haram insurgency.

Despite the Nigeria Meteorological Agency’s (NIMET) predictions, 74 people died in 2022 alone, 30,000 hectares of farmland were inundated by floods, and 35,000 residents were forced to leave their ancestral homes around the state.

In his remarks, Yobe State’s Commissioner for Health, Lawan Gana, praised the initiative while pointing out that the state continues to struggle with a lack of qualified human resources and inadequate logistics.

The program, which was introduced across the nation’s six geopolitical zones, is designed to increase the ability of public health professionals to act quickly and appropriately in all circumstances.