Nigeria has inaugurated its Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Technical Working Group, a collaborative initiative supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC).
The group was launched by Dr. Jide Idris, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, representing the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The IPC Technical Working Group includes representatives from the Nigerian government, disease programs, partner organizations, and academia. Its goal is to enhance coordination among stakeholders to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, improve patient safety and care quality, reduce healthcare-associated infections—particularly those that are multidrug-resistant—and standardize infection prevention protocols nationwide.
At the inaugural meeting, Dr. Farah Husain, Program Director at the U.S. CDC’s Division of Global Health Protection, emphasized the critical role of robust IPC programs in protecting both patients and healthcare workers. She noted that strong IPC measures are essential for building sustainable healthcare systems, reducing antimicrobial resistance, and effectively managing outbreaks. The working group will oversee the coordination and planning of Nigeria’s IPC program, including biosecurity and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) initiatives. It will also develop comprehensive, evidence-based IPC plans aligned with national and international standards and strengthen IPC governance at all levels.
Since the Ebola outbreak in 2014, the U.S. government has steadily increased its support for IPC in Nigeria. Initially, the U.S. CDC assisted in creating an IPC curriculum and national guidelines. In 2018, in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the national IPC program was launched, leading to the establishment of the Orange Network—a consortium of 41 tertiary health facilities serving as IPC model centers. The current focus of the IPC program includes expanding the national healthcare-associated infection prevention surveillance system to provide data-driven decision-making and track progress in reducing morbidity and mortality related to healthcare-associated infections.
