NCDC launches COVID-19 online course on Infection Prevention and Control
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has launched a course on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), in the context of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This online course is available to the general public but targeted at health care workers, to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases while administering health care in Nigeria.
As at 03 July 2020, a total of 27,564 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 628 deaths have been recorded by NCDC. Additionally, as at 02 June 2020, about 812 health care workers have been infected in-country with over 230,000 infected globally.
The national strategy in response to COVID-19 has been multifaceted. In the absence of a vaccine or cure, compliance with IPC measures remains one of the most effective interventions to control the ongoing outbreak.
The NCDC has made efforts to rapidly strengthen the capacity of frontline healthcare workers in infection prevention and control wherever health care is provided. Since the first case in Nigeria was confirmed in February, NCDC has supported the training of about 17,436 health workers in IPC and works in collaboration with the Departments of Hospital Services and Food and Drugs of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), to ensure that health workers are provided with the required personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the risk of health workers’ infection.
To ensure that IPC training, knowledge and information is easily accessible to all who need it, the Infection Prevention and Control Unit of the NCDC, with technical assistance from eHealth Africa, has developed a COVID-19 IPC online course. The course features modules on standard and transmission-based precautions, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential aspects of infection control in healthcare. A certificate of participation will also be awarded at the end of the course by NCDC.
The online course is also designed to document vital information to monitor IPC compliance across health facilities at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, both in public, private and faith-based facilities in Nigeria. Infection prevention and control measures cuts across all other components of the COVID-19 response in Nigeria and is critical for strengthening national health security.
The NCDC, under the guidance of the Federal Ministry of Health and her other agencies, remains strongly committed to protect the health of Nigerians. We urge the public to remain aware of the risks of COVID-19 and to adhere to the preventive measures advised by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the Federal Ministry of Health.
