In a bid to strengthen public health preparedness in Lagos State, a delegation from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) led by Dr. John Okoh, paid an advocacy visit to the Lagos State Ministry of Health today. The visit, which kickstarted the implementation of the Environmental Surveillance Programme in Nigeria (ESPN), sought the collaboration of state stakeholders for a comprehensive needs assessment. This programme, funded by the Gates Foundation, aims to enhance disease surveillance and outbreak detection across Nigeria.

During the engagement, the NCDC team highlighted the ESPN’s objectives, including detecting outbreak-prone pathogens, monitoring endemic diseases, supporting clinical surveillance, and providing data for vaccination strategies. Lagos State, selected as one of five phase 2 pilot states, will conduct an extensive needs assessment as a foundational activity. This assessment will evaluate site requirements and resources critical for establishing effective environmental surveillance systems. The assessment will be led by the consultant team in close coordination with Lagos State officials.

Receiving the delegation, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, expressed the state’s readiness to partner with the NCDC on this initiative. He was joined by Dr. Tunde Ajayi, General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), and other key stakeholders, including the Director, Lagos State Biobank, Dr. Bamidele Mutiu; Director, Occupational and Environmental Health Services; Dr. Theophilous Ajayi; Representatives from the Directorate Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health; Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, the World Health Organization amongst others. Prof. Abayomi emphasized that the programme aligns with Lagos State’s commitment to proactive public health measures.

The advocacy visit is the first in a series of planned activities under the ESPN project in Lagos State. Over the next five days, the NCDC team will conduct training sessions, community entry activities, implementation processes, and a debriefing. These activities are expected to lay the groundwork for a robust environmental surveillance framework in the state.

Dr. Okoh’s team included notable experts such as Prof. O.M. Kolawole from the University of Ilorin, Dr. Olajumoke Babatunde, and Oladipo Ogunbode of the NCDC, alongside Olawunmi Adeoye, a Senior Field Officer with AFNET. Their collaborative approach underscores the importance of stakeholder engagement in achieving ESPN’s goals.

As Lagos State prepares to host this groundbreaking initiative, the NCDC has reiterated the importance of state-level collaboration to ensure the project’s success. With its inclusion in the phase 2 pilot, Lagos joins the forefront of efforts to revolutionize disease surveillance in Nigeria, enhancing the nation’s capacity to respond to public health challenges effectively.

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