By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

Stakeholders have called for stronger disease surveillance across Nigeria to check public health threats and bolster the country’s capacity to confront emerging and re‑emerging health challenges.

The call was made at the 12th Annual National Conference of the Epidemiological Society of Nigeria (EPISON) held on Friday in Calabar, Cross River State, with the theme: “Strengthening Epidemiological Resilience in Nigeria: Addressing Emerging and Re‑emerging Health Challenges.”

National President of EPISON, Dr. Matthew Ashikeni, urged the strengthening of surveillance systems to enable early detection and rapid response to outbreaks.

His words : “I am very pleased to welcome all of you to the 12th Annual General Meeting of our Society holding here in the beautiful city of Calabar.”

“In Our conference, we will be discussing around how we can strengthen epidemiological resilience in Nigeria and in view of the recurring disease outbreaks we are experiencing here and other parts of the world to enable early detection and rapid response because early detection and rapid response help to curb outbreak of such disease,” Dr. Ashikeni added.

He emphasised that “effective epidemiological resilience requires robust surveillance mechanisms, improved sanitation and hygiene practices, continuous capacity building for health professionals, and the implementation of evidence-based health policies.”

He also highlighted the role of research institutions in generating data and scientific evidence to guide interventions and policy.

Dr. Ashikeni lauded the Cross River State Government for its support in hosting the conference.

Represented at the event by Commissioner for Health Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, Governor Bassey Otu lauded the society’s contributions to healthcare delivery and universal health coverage.

Dr. Ayuk said the governor “placed healthcare at the forefront of his administration’s development agenda through sustained investments in primary healthcare, disease surveillance, health insurance coverage, immunization programmes, and healthcare infrastructure across the state.”

He added that Cross River is among the few states delivering vaccines and essential medicines to hard‑to‑reach communities, ensuring vulnerable populations access quality care.

On her part , Director‑General of Cross River State Primary Healthcare, Dr. Vivian Mesembe Otu, stressed that resilience requires health systems capable of rapid response to outbreaks and noted the state’s routine surveillance and prompt investigation mechanisms.

She called on development partners to strengthen collaboration for a more responsive system.