Nigeria Expands Genomic Sequencing Intervention Past Coronavirus Illness (COVID-19)

Provided that genomic sequencing expertise enhanced the battle towards COVID-19 globally, Nigeria is engaged on a method to combine different infectious ailments into the genomic surveillance within the nation.

The technique is meant to enhance preparedness and reinforce well being safety in Nigeria. These efforts are in keeping with the WHO Global genomic surveillance strategy for pathogens with pandemic and epidemic potential 2022–2032 that gives the process to strengthen and scale up genomic surveillance world wide. 

Contributing to the plan, the Federal Ministry of Well being (FMOH), with help from the World Well being Group (WHO) just lately performed a state of affairs evaluation of COVID-19 genomic surveillance within the nation. 

Strengthening sequencing capability 

The enterprise was carried out by a workforce of technical consultants from  WHO’s Africa Regional and Nigeria Nation Places of work in addition to the Nigeria Centre for Illness Management (NCDC) and different companions as a part of efforts to strengthen genomic surveillance within the African area.

In his first assembly with the delegates for the mission, the WHO Nation Consultant in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, reiterated the significance of increasing sequencing capability in Africa.

He mentioned beefing-up genomic surveillance to enhance biosecurity in Nigeria and the complete continent is one among WHO priorities. 

“Genomic surveillance is vital for early identification of rising pathogens in addition to preparation for any future outbreaks. Nigeria is a big nation, and if it could get it proper with genomic sequencing, we are going to turn into effectively ready in informing diagnostics, vaccine manufacturing, and biosecurity consciousness. 

With the reoccurrence of Lassa fever, monkeypox, and different infectious ailments, we have to strengthen our sequencing capability past COVID-19 to different ailments, therefore the necessity to think about different potential laboratories and methods to increase its sequencing capability,” he mentioned.  

Strengthening capacities

In the course of the go to, a stakeholder assembly was convened by FMOH and WHO to underscore the help and to evaluate surveillance and testing tips within the nation.  

A few of the companions current on the assembly included: Nigeria Centre for Illness Management (NCDC), the United State Centre for Illness Management (US-CDC), the Clinton Well being Entry Initiative (CHAI), the Institute of Human Virology (IHVN), Resolve to save lots of life (RTSL), AFENET, WHO, Nationwide Laboratory Technical Working Group, UK Well being Safety Company (UKHSA), GF-NACA-CR-19 and GF-NACA-RSSH.

Moreover, the workforce visited 5 sequencing laboratories: the Nationwide Reference Laboratory (NRL), Nigerian Institute of Medical Analysis (NIMR), Central Public Well being Laboratory (CPHL), Lagos, the African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Illness (ACEGID) and Usmanu Danfodiyo College Instructing Hospital (UDUTH) in addition to some chosen PCR labs supporting pattern referral system within the nation. 

Buttressing the significance of the operation, the WHO AFRO mission Lead, Dr Gumede-moeletsi Nelisiwe, mentioned the mission is a part of WHO’s technique to strengthen the sequencing capacities and surveillance in Africa to promptly detect variants of concern (VOC) and the variant of curiosity (VOI) by PCR multiplex testing and genomic sequencing.

“The go to seeks to reinforce a working data of sequencing infrastructure within the nation and pattern referral and processing system. It will help to establish and interact with monetary and technical companions lively within the subject of genomic surveillance to know the scope of help and interventions wanted for scaling up the genomic sequencing capability in Nigeria, she mentioned. 

Since 2021, the WHO Nation Workplace in Nigeria has been working carefully with FMOH to reinforce genomic surveillance with monetary help from the African Improvement Financial institution and Well being Pool Fund donors, together with the European Union and the Overseas, Commonwealth and Improvement Workplace (FCDO).

In the meantime, the Chief Molecular Bioengineer NCDC NRL, Dr Emeka Ndodo, mentioned that NCDC has been on the forefront of supporting all of the sub-national entities in well being response and the amenities visited have the tendencies to enhance pandemic preparedness within the nation. 

Expanded personal partnership 

Throughout a cease on the African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Illness (ACEGID), a non-public establishment situated in Osun state, southwest area, the Director of ACEGID, Professor Christian Happi, applauded the initiative to increase genomic surveillance in Nigeria and the African continent at giant. 

He mentioned ACEGID has expanded its sequencing actions past COVID-19 to different infectious ailments similar to cholera, Lassa fever and others. 

ACEGID is likely one of the regional repository and bioinformatics centres utilized by WHO and Africa CDC to supply sequencing, knowledge evaluation and different technical help companies to neighbouring nations and different nations of their sub-regions.

In the course of the early levels of the pandemic, solely seven nations had sequencing capability, and different nations needed to depend on the pattern referral system. However with the beneficiant help of WHO, Africa CDC and different stakeholders, Nigeria and 31 different nations now have the sequencing capability to help their nationwide public well being laboratories. 

Nigeria has contributed immensely to the COVID-19 genomic sequencing database with about 7,000  sequences on the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Well being Group (WHO) – Nigeria.