EHORECON Seeks Tie With NCDC On Disease Control

EHORECON Seeks Tie With NCDC On Disease Control 

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja

 R-L: Registrar of Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), Dr. Baba Yakubu Mohammed presenting an award to the Director-General, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu in Abuja, recently. 

As part of its commitment towards addressing the scourge of communicable and non-communicable diseases, the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) has requested for active collaboration with the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) in ending cholera outbreak across the country. 

Registrar of EHORECON, Dr. Baba Yakubu Mohammed stated this in Abuja yesterday during a courtesy visit to the headquarters of Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC). 

Mohammed sought the establishment of environmental and public health department in NCDC for easy coordination of activities between the two agencies. 

According to him, "We want NCDC to also have a laboratory where water, air, food and soil can be analysed on time, as it will go a long way in addressing foodborne diseases that is currently ravaging our society”.

While acknowledging the role played by the NCDC during the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, he said that capacity building between EHORECON and NCDC would empower the staff to tackle emerging and re-emerging diseases.

The registrar said that Environmental Health Officers (EHO's) have adopted scientific innovations that is guiding the practice of environmental health and disease control in Nigeria.

He recalled that public health law, which is a regional law designed to grant sanitary inspectors the needed powers and privileges to inspect any premises without a warrant, would be useful if NCDC engages the services of EHOs during enforcement. 

The registrar stated that the Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar recently launched two additional curricula for the development of environmental health profession. 

Responding, the Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said the establishment of a laboratory is necessary as NCDC has been working day and night to test environmental samples.

He endorsed capacity building and partnership with Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs), meant to facilitate the control of infectious and emerging diseases in Nigeria.