By Asm’au Ahmad
The Nasarawa State Government says it has begun the process of establishing a comprehensive diagnostic centre to curb the spread of communicable diseases in the state.
The Deputy Governor, Mr Silas Agara, said this when he received Mr Mahesh Swaminathan, Country Director for the U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC), in Lafia on Wednesday.
Mr. Silas Agara
Agara, who represented Gov. Umaru Al-Makura, noted that the centre would help diagnosis and control the spread of communicable diseases such as Lassa fever, Ebola and tuberculosis, among others.
He said that the government had begun the construction of a structure behind the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia.
He added that the essence was to accommodate the diagnostic centre and engage strongly in the partnership with the CDC in order to achieve the objective.
Al-Makura said a situation where blood sample of suspected Lassa fever patient had to be taken to Irua in Edo state for analysis and determination was not encouraging.
He added that time was key to the survival of such patients.
He said the establishment of the centre in the state would not only serve the people of the state but also neighbouring states in the North Central zone of the country.
Agara said that the government was working toward establishing cold preservation facilities across the 13 local government areas for the storage of vaccine and drugs for the treatment of disease in the state.
He also advocated for the production of vaccines in the country and commended development partners for the eradication of polio and other preventable diseases in the state.
Earlier, Swaminathan said the purpose of the organisation`s visit was to undertake a health survey that would help control the spread of different diseases in the state.
He, however, appealed to the state for logistical support toward the success of the exercise.
