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

Globalization and Health

Chioma Ejekam¹  Folasade Ogunsola²  Oluwakemi Odukoya²  Mobolanle R. Balogun²  Madonna Emmanuel²  Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas³  Ololade Wright⁴  Akin Osibogun⁴  Babatunde Saka⁴  Eniola Erinosho⁵  Moses Bakare⁵  Jide Idris⁵  Abosede Olusanya⁵  Akinsanya Folarin⁵  Bamidele Mutiu⁵  Morakinyo Senjobi⁵  Ismail Abdus-Salam⁵  Munir Bankole⁵  Adesoji Ologun⁵  Abimbola Bowale⁵  Abiodun Alabi⁵  Sunday Omilabu⁵  Lanre Aladetuyi⁵  Funke Amodu⁵  Akin Abayomi⁵  John Olawepo⁶ 

[1] Bloom Public Health;College of Medicine University of Lagos;LSE Health, London School of Economics and Political Science;Lagos State Biosafety and Biosecurity Governing Council;Lagos State Ministry of Health/Lagos Incident Management Command System;School of Public Health, University of Nevada;

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

DOI  :  10.1186/s12992-021-00728-x

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Lagos 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. Discussion Following 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. Conclusion Using 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】

Unknown