By Akeem Abas
Ibadan – The World Health Organisation (WHO) would on Friday hand over a new Modular Polio Laboratory to the premier polio laboratory in the Department of Virology, University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
This is contained in a statement issued by the agency’s country office in Abuja and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ibadan.
The agency stated that the laboratory was purchased with a grant from the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID) to support polio eradication activities in Nigeria.
It said that the new modular laboratory, a standard BSL2 laboratory, would support diagnosis of many viral infections like measles, rubella, rotavirus, yellow fever and dengue fever, among others.
“The Department of Virology, UI, is important in the fight against polio. It has single-handedly processed all Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) samples from states in the country.
“This is before the Maiduguri laboratory was accredited to support polio activities by WHO in 2001,” it stated.
It said that the new laboratory would expectedly increase the workspace and pave way for expansion of environmental surveillance in Nigeria.
It stated that Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, who accented the donation of the modular laboratory as the Vice Chancellor of the university, was expected as special guest of honour.
Also expected are Dr Rex Mpazanje, Acting WHO Country Representative and the US Consul General to Nigeria, among others.