By George OPARA
Senate has called for strengthening of the COVID-19 surveillance system established in Cross Rivers state.
Spear News recalls the recent confirmation of a new COVID-19 case in the state.
The concern was raised during plenary after a motion sponsored by Senator Ipalibo Banigo (Rivers West), who called for urgent strengthening of the country’s disease surveillance and response framework.
Sen. Banigo said the development shows clearly the need for Nigeria to remain vigilant, warning against complacency in handling infectious disease outbreaks.
The lawmaker said in a statement, “We cannot afford to go to sleep again after all the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. This recent case in Cross River is a wake up call.”
She stressed that weak surveillance systems and inadequate funding remain major challenges affecting the country’s preparedness for future outbreaks.
“We must strengthen our surveillance systems across all states and ensure early detection and rapid response to prevent escalation”.
But in his reaction, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said Nigeria must take proactive steps to avoid a repeat of past public health crisis, “This is not the time to relax. We must ensure that relevant agencies are properly funded and equipped to respond swiftly to any emerging health threat,” Akpabio said.
The Senate, therefore, urged the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to intensify monitoring and surveillance nationwide, while also calling on the Federal Government to increase funding for the health sector.
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