By Christy Anyanwu
The two-week United States capacity training for public health officials aimed at equipping Nigerian experts for public health emergencies rounded up in Lagos at the weekend.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and Georgetown University collaborated to deliver the professional certification training.
The Consul General who spoke on Friday at the closing and graduation ceremony highlighted the strategic partnership between the US and Nigeria in strengthening health security and response to disease threats.
“The US Government is committed to promoting the health and wellbeing of Nigerians through initiatives and training that increase disease prevention, detection, and response,” she said.
The US Consul General, Claire Pierangelo, underscored the her government’s commitment and prioritization of Public Health Emergency Management as Nigeria works towards achieving the 2024 Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) targets and meeting the International Health Regulations (IHR) requirements by strengthening workforce development, disease surveillance, emergency response, and laboratory capacity.
About 40 participants drawn from the NCDC, state-level ministries of health, Nigeria Port Health Services, and the Nigerian military were certified in the first cohort of the intermediate-level Public Health Emergency Management Professional Certification Program (PHEM PC) adapted from the US-CDC was delivered by Georgetown University, a leader in Public Health Emergency Management training.