The U.S Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC) on Monday began a two-week capacity building program in Lagos for Nigerian public health experts on emergency response.
Mr Temitayo Famutimi, the information specialist for public affairs section (PAS), Lagos, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Port Harcourt.
He explained that CDC Nigeria was the country office of the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, with a vision of promoting public health excellence for Nigerians.
Famutimi stated that the office supports the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), its department, agencies, state ministries of health, and several key partners in developing, implementing, and evaluating disease response efforts and programs that contribute to a strengthened public health emergency.
He stated that the training seeks to certify the first cohort of 40 participants drawn from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), state ministries of health, the Nigeria Port Health Services, and the Nigerian military, in the Public Health Emergency Management Professional Certification (PHEM PC).
According to him, the US-CDC Nigeria Country Director, Mary Boyd, had stated that “the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates more the importance of ensuring the preparedness of public health and health care systems”.
During the training, he stated that the participants will receive specialized training in crisis and emergency risk communication, as well as public health emergency management functions and operations.
“The PHEM training is part of the U.S. government’s efforts to support pandemic preparedness globally. The US-CDC, NCDC, and Georgetown University, are collaborating to deliver this training,” he said.
He added that the US-CDC would support the Federal Government to achieve the 2024 targets of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) by strengthening workforce development, surveillance, emergency response, and laboratory capacity, among other areas. (NAN)
