Nigeria must make infection prevention routine, not outbreak-driven

Dr Niniola Williams, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of (Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Health Trust, has called for routine infection prevention and control practices in Nigerian hospitals and communities.

He said the step would help to protect patients and healthcare workers from preventable infections.

She made the call at the 11th Future of Health Conference organised by Nigeria Health Watch in Abuja.

She said infection prevention and control (IPC) should be a daily healthcare priority rather than a measure activated only during outbreaks such as Ebola and Lassa fever.

She said patients should be able to trust hospitals to protect them from acquiring additional infections while receiving treatment.

Williams identified proper hand hygiene, safe injections, adequate disinfection of medical equipment, environmental cleaning and appropriate ventilation as essential measures for improving patient safety.

“Why do we wait for emergencies before we realise the importance of doing something so fundamental to safe healthcare?”

She said DRASA had equipped more than 16,000 healthcare workers across the country with IPC knowledge and skills, stressing that wearing gloves alone was insufficient to guarantee the safety of patients and health workers.

According to her, IPC is critical to protecting women during childbirth, patients recovering from surgery and healthcare workers exposed to infectious diseases in the course of their duties.

She said the organisation was strengthening infection prevention through professional training, mentorship and collaboration with state governments to incorporate IPC into health facility accreditation and licensing processes.

She also emphasised the role of community members in detecting and reporting suspected infectious diseases early.

She said DRASA had developed a network of nearly 100,000 health champions across Nigeria, equipping ordinary citizens with the knowledge and skills to identify disease warning signs, promote preventive practices and alert relevant authorities.

According to her, the health champions are being linked to government-led community-based disease surveillance and early warning systems to strengthen the country’s capacity to detect outbreaks.

She cited an example in which health champions in one community identified and reported more than 36 suspected cases of diseases, including measles, yellow fever, diphtheria and tuberculosis, within three months.

“The initiative demonstrated that community members without formal public health roles can contribute meaningfully to disease surveillance when properly trained and supported,” she said.

She said that the organisation was working with government and other partners to sustain the programme and expand its reach.

“The organisation’s long-term goal is to develop at least 500,000 health champions by 2035, ensuring that communities and health facilities have people equipped to prevent infections and respond to emerging threats.

Reflecting on the legacy of her aunt, Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, who died during Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak, Williams said the experience strengthened her commitment to preventing avoidable infections and improving public health preparedness.

She said that Adadevoh had raised the alarm over a suspected Ebola case during the outbreak, a decision that became central to Nigeria’s response to the disease.

According to her, DRASA Health Trust was established in 2015 in Adadevoh’s memory to promote infection prevention and protect Nigerians from preventable diseases.

She urged Nigerians to consider who was equipped to identify health threats and prevent infections in their homes, workplaces, schools and healthcare facilities.

“Stronger collaboration between communities, healthcare professionals and government institutions is necessary to make infection prevention a sustainable part of Nigeria’s health system.

(NAN)