The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says high specimen transportation costs, reporting inconsistencies and weak data validation systems are affecting timely detection and response to Lassa fever cases in some states.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria today in Abuja, explaining that transporting samples from remote communities to state laboratories remained expensive and logistically challenging, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.
According to him, getting specimens from local areas to state hospitals is costly, while fuel prices and transportation challenges affect turnaround time. The 7-1-7 target refers to detecting suspected cases within seven days, reporting within one day and initiating response within seven days.
He noted that although the NCDC coordinates nationally through its Incident Management System (IMS), outbreak control ultimately depends on state-level execution. He also raised concerns about parallel reporting systems, revealing that some teaching hospitals have confirmed cases without reporting them to state authorities.
