Lagos Govt builds biobank to tackle Lassa fever, Corona virus, others

The facility located in the Lagos Infectious Disease Hospital has the capacity to process, rapidly identify and store samples of infectious diseases such as Ebola, Lassa Fever, novel Coronavirus amongst others.

During a visit to the facility at the weekend, the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi said the new facility located within the premises of the Mainland Hospital, Yaba and the Lagos Infectious Disease Hospital, was built by the state government with support from the Canadian government to ensure effective management of infectious diseases.

"With this facility, which is the highest and most functional biosafety, biobanking laboratory in Nigeria and West Africa, Lagos is prepared to tackle and contain any possible outbreak of emerging infectious diseases, novel and highly infectious pathogens," he stated.

The Commissioner who also inspected other facilities at Mainland Hospital including infectious disease wards, isolation wards, quarantine units and proposed sites for expansion of isolation wards and mini emergency operation centre expressed satisfaction at the level of preparedness of the infectious disease hospital and the bio-security unit for possible disease outbreak.

Abayomi while giving an update on the level of preparedness of Lagos State against the raging novel Corona Virus in South East Asia and Lassa fever outbreak in some states in Nigeria disclosed that the Ministry of Health is working closely with other agencies of the Federal Government including National Centre for Disease Control and Ports Health to strengthen surveillance in the State.

The Commissioner urged citizens to adopt and practice high standard of personal and environmental hygiene including regular hand washing, covering of mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing as well as practising good biosecurity precautions with domestic and wild animals as measures against the transmission of any kind of contagious infection and pathogens.

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