Osagie Emmanuel Ehanire, the Minister of Health, on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, confirmed that two suspected cases of Coronavirus have tested negative after diagnosis in the country.
Ehanire, who confirmed the development, while declaring the Kano State Primary Health Summit opens at Government House, declared that the country was fortified with three well-equipped centers to diagnose the deadly disease and other viral infections.
He stressed that the Federal Government has put adequate mechanisms in place at all entry points in the country to screen all incoming passengers to ascertain their health status.
The minister added that efforts are being made to prevent possible carriers of the Coronavirus disease from entering the country.
Coronavirus: Nigerian Government Sets Up Test Centers In Lagos, Abuja, Edo
The federal government says it has set up three test centers to detect any possible case of coronavirus in the country.
Osagie Ehanire, the minister of health, disclosed this on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, after the federal executive council, FEC, meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
The three designated laboratories are in Lagos, Abuja, and Irrua in Edo state.
The minister said equipment for the centers were acquired about eight days ago.
He added that no case of the virus has been detected in any African country.
“Since about eight days ago, we obtained the reagents necessary; we have the machines. They are called Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR, machines which we have here for molecular diagnostics; but we didn’t have the reagents,” Ehanire said.
“Because for every pathogen, you have a specific pathogen that you will use to detect it and that one for coronavirus being a new disease was not very much available but we acquired it about eight days ago.
“And now three laboratories in Nigeria can test coronavirus and in fact, they have tested two cases already which were negative—Lagos, Abuja, and Irrua.
“Irrua, as you know is Nigeria’s center of excellence for this viral hemorrhagic fevers which is the category to which Coronavirus and Lassa fever belong particularly.
“As far as coronavirus is concerned, it is human to human transmission. Maybe we have been lucky that no person carrying that corona has entered our country and none has come here undetected.
“And we are particularly happy that the Chinese government is conducting what is called exit screening. They not only screen those who are entering their country, but they also screen those who are leaving; so that if they, themselves see any person who has any sign of being sick or having coronavirus, they will restrain that person from traveling.”
The disease, which first broke out in the Wuhan province of China, has infected 42,708 people and claimed 1,017 lives.
The World Health Organisation, WHO, says the first vaccine for coronavirus could be ready in 18 months.
