NAVRC Conducts Inaugural Training Programme for State Disease Vector Surveillance Officers

The National Arbovirus and Vectors Research Centre (NAVRC) has just completed the inaugural training workshop for State Disease Vector Surveillance Officers which held in Enugu from the 20-23 March 2018. The objective of the training is to provide skilled state level manpower for active surveillance of vectors of diseases of public health importance in Nigeria.

Active surveillance of disease vectors will serve as an early warning system that will enable other responsible agencies of government and NGOs to take preemptive action to forestall the outbreak of serious infectious diseases like Yellow fever. In addition information obtained from routine vector surveillance will support ongoing efforts to control and eliminate endemic vector borne diseases like malaria.

The immediate aim of the centre is to bring about a sustained nationwide active surveillance of infectious disease vectors starting in 3 states; Benue, Nasarawa and Niger and reaching a total of 6 additional states by the end of 2018 and 24 States by December 2019.

NAVRC intends to hand over full responsibility for managing and leading disease vector surveillance to the States and will limit itself to playing the peripheral and non-intrusive role of providing technical and logistical support for effective coordination of field vector surveillance and monitoring.

State level active surveillance of disease vectors will commence in earnest during the first week of May 2018.

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