ABUJA – THE Supervising Minister of Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, Monday disclosed that Nigeria is set to follow internationally-approved protocols to commence clinical trial of Ebola vaccines developed by its researchers and some of the candidate vaccines currently in the global medicine community.
The trial might require testing of the drugs on humans following laid-down international protocols.
Alhassan, who made this revelation at the launch of surveillance and operation vehicles for Ebola virus, other diseases and emergency responses in Abuja Monday, said the clinical trial of the drugs was based on the advice of the Treatment Research Group set up at the heat of the Ebola virus outbreak in Nigeria.
He said government’s efforts to strengthen a number of its reference laboratories spread across the six geographical regions to facilitate diagnosis of diseases.
He said: “The EVD outbreak has also re-enforced the need to strengthen the infection prevention and control practices as well as research in the country.
“As such, through the advice of the Treatment Research Group, which was inaugurated to guide the ministry on research into preventive and curative treatments for EVD, we are also preparing to begin clinical trials on some candidate EVD vaccines. In this regard and it is our commitment to work together with all stakeholders to ensure that these studies are conducted in ways that are ethical, ensuring maximum possible protection for the research participants and their communities accordingly.”
He, therefore, called on states to strengthen their surveillance and preparedness in the event of any disease emergency in the country.
“We are here today to launch these vehicles to support surveillance and emergency preparedness and response activities. The vehicles shall be stationed at some of our key ports of entry and also used to communicate between operations centres and surveillance offices within and across states.
“I wish to call on all our state governments to also take a leaf from our work at the federal level to continue to strengthen their surveillance and outbreak preparedness and responses to ensure that no room is given for Ebola to return to Nigeria and that in the event of any other emergency or disease outbreak, we would be prepared to respond and curtail its impact even better than we have done with the EVD.
“Nigerians’ have done well in contributing to the curtailment of EVD and deserve commendation. It is our hope that this spirit of vigilance and nationhood will be sustained to foster implementation of well-meaning strategies of government to improve the health status of Nigerians. We are also appreciative of the media for ensuring responsible reporting during the entire period when tension was high about EVD in the country and hope that this will also be sustained henceforth”, he further said. (The Guardian)