BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

TREATMENT and prevention of Avian Influenza outbreaks and other viral infections in the South Western part of the country have been further strengthened with last week’s commissioning of the Avian Influenza Control Project (AICP) treatment Centre and Diagnostic Laboratory Unit at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi Araba, Lagos.

The event, which was carried out in tandem with the commissioning of the refurbished Accident & Emergency wing of the health institution, is part of Federal Government efforts to enhance the local medical response capability and virological diagnostic capability.

Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuci Chukwu who opened the new facility noted that it was made possible with support of the World Bank initiative to establish new influenza laboratories at Ibadan, Maiduguri and Port Harcourt to serve as functional regional reference labs, and also to upgrade labs at Kano, Lagos, Enugu and Sokoto.

As the AICP winds up in May 2011, Chukwu hoped its gains would not be eroded and called for entrenchment of a sustainable mechanism and adequate provision in the event of any sudden pandemic.

In a statement, Director, Special Projects, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Folake Ademola-Majekodunmi noted that: “This centre can boast of an ICU tastefully furnished with modern equipment to treat severe respiratory diseases. Nigeria is among countries that initiated the sentinel surveillance to monitor the trend of influenza virus. We piloted our reference lab in Asokoro, but extended to Kano, Nnewi and Lagos sites.

According to her, over 3,500 samples have been tested in the Lagos lab with encouraging results, while the Asokoro lab has continually scored 100 percent proficiency test of the World Health Organisation Global Influenza Surveillance Network (GISN) quality assurance tests series from the last assessment done in February 2011.

According to Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Prof Akin Osibogun, LUTH is good place to establish the implementation of the Avian Influenza treatment and laboratory. “With the injection of a multi-million naira equipment into our avian influenza lab, we are confident that LUTH will continue to give succour to the sick and hope to the dying.”