From Ebola to COVID-19: emergency preparedness and response plans and actions in Lagos, Nigeria

Globalization and Health

Chioma Ejekam¹  Oluwakemi Odukoya²  Madonna Emmanuel²  Folasade Ogunsola²  Mobolanle R. Balogun²  Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas³  Ololade Wright⁴  Akin Osibogun⁵  Babatunde Saka⁶  Abiodun Alabi⁷  Jide Idris⁷  Adesoji Ologun⁷  Abimbola Bowale⁷  Eniola Erinosho⁷  Lanre Aladetuyi⁷  Morakinyo Senjobi⁷  Moses Bakare⁷  Akinsanya Folarin⁷  Funke Amodu⁷  Munir Bankole⁷  Bamidele Mutiu⁷  Abosede Olusanya⁷  Sunday Omilabu⁸  Ismail Abdus-Salam⁹  Akin Abayomi⁹  John Olawepo^1,10 

[1] Bloom Public Health, Lagos, Nigeria;College of Medicine University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria;LSE Health, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK;Lagos State Biosafety and Biosecurity Governing Council, Lagos, Nigeria;Lagos State Biosafety and Biosecurity Governing Council, Lagos, Nigeria;College of Medicine University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria;Lagos State Biosafety and Biosecurity Governing Council, Lagos, Nigeria;Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium, Lagos, Nigeria;Lagos State Ministry of Health/Lagos Incident Management Command System, Lagos, Nigeria;Lagos State Ministry of Health/Lagos Incident Management Command System, Lagos, Nigeria;College of Medicine University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria;Lagos State Ministry of Health/Lagos Incident Management Command System, Lagos, Nigeria;Lagos State Biosafety and Biosecurity Governing Council, Lagos, Nigeria;School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA;

关键词: COVID-19;    Disease outbreak;    Emergency preparedness;    Epidemic response;    Nigeria;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12992-021-00728-x

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundLagos state is the industrial nerve centre of Nigeria and was the epicentre of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria as it is now for the current Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak. This paper describes how the lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak in 2014 informed the emergency preparedness of the State ahead of the COVID-19 outbreak and guided response.DiscussionFollowing the Ebola outbreak in 2014, the Lagos State government provided governance by developing a policy on emergency preparedness and biosecurity and provided oversight and coordination of emergency preparedness strategies. Capacities for emergency response were strengthened by training key staff, developing a robust surveillance system, and setting up a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory and biobank. Resource provision, in terms of finances and trained personnel for emergencies was prioritized by the government. With the onset of COVID-19, Lagos state was able to respond promptly to the outbreak using the centralized Incident Command Structure and the key activities of the Emergency Operations Centre. Contributory to effective response were partnerships with the private sectors, community engagement and political commitment.ConclusionUsing the lessons learned from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Lagos State had gradually prepared its healthcare system for a pandemic such as COVID-19. The State needs to continue to expand its preparedness to be more resilient and future proof to respond to disease outbreaks. Looking beyond intra-state gains, lessons and identified best practices from the past and present should be shared with other states and countries.

【 授权许可】

CC BY