* Designed to handle possible outbreak of infectious diseases

Isola Moses

The Lagos State Level 3 Biosafety Laboratory, also known as the 鈥淟agos Biobank鈥�, has fully commenced operations and started receiving samples.

The healthcare project was built by the state government with support from the Canadian Government to ensure effective management of infectious diseases.

Report says that Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, disclosed this during his visit to the facility, which is the Lagos Infectious Disease Hospital, located within the premises of the Mainland Hospital, in Yaba, Lagos State

Prof. Abayomi said the facility has the capacity to process, rapidly identify and store samples of infectious diseases, such as Ebola, Lassa fever and novel Coronavirus among others.

The Commissioner, in a statement, said that with the facility in place, which is the top biosafety, biobanking laboratory in Nigeria and West Africa, Lagos is prepared to tackle and contain any possible outbreak of emerging infectious diseases, including novel and highly infectious pathogens.

Abayomi noted that prior to the commencement of the biobank operations, a series of training were organised for the team of experts that would manage the facility.

The training, which started about two years ago, is part of the one-health and biosecurity strategy to build the biobank staff capacity in readiness for possible disease outbreak, he stated.

鈥淎s part of these series of capacity building, officials from the Public Health, England, recently trained staff of the Biobank on how to identify novel and highly infectious pathogens.

鈥淭his training is in line with building a resilient health system that can withstand the shocks of any possible disease outbreak and in readiness for the formal opening of the facility scheduled for February,鈥� Abayomi said in the statement.

The Commissioner also inspected other facilities at Mainland Hospital, including infectious disease wards, isolation wards, quarantine units and proposed sites for expansion of isolations wards and mini emergency operation centre.

He expressed satisfaction at the level preparedness of the infectious disease hospital and the bio-security unit for possible disease outbreak.

He noted that the biobank is part of the new biosecurity unit located at the infectious disease hospital.

A section of the hospital will be renovated and expanded in accordance with the improved prototype design for health facilities to increase capacity for quality and efficient healthcare, he added.

On the level of preparedness of Lagos State to contain the new Coronavirus in South-East Asia and the Lassa fever outbreak in some states in Nigeria, the Professor disclosed that the Ministry of Health is working closely with other agencies of the Federal Government.

These include the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Ports Health to strengthen surveillance in the South-Western state.

鈥淲e are in touch with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, in Abuja, to align our strategies.

鈥淲e are also collaborating with the Federal Ports Authority at air, land and sea border posts to elevate screening and surveillance of incoming travellers,鈥� he said.

The Commissioner urged citizens to adopt and practice a high standard of personal and environmental hygiene, including regular hand washing, covering of mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.