US CDC calls for improved diagnostic capacity for Acute Febrile Illness

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The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) on Wednesday called for improved laboratory diagnostic capacity for Acute Febrile Illness (AFI) in Nigeria.

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The Senior Public Health Specialist for Epidemiology and Surveillance at the US CDC Nigeria, Oladipupo Ipadeola, made the call at a media roundtable in Abuja, to highlight its support for AFI surveillance in the country, in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and other partners.

Mr Ipadeola said limited laboratory diagnostic capacity for AFI is leading to misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis of diseases, and inappropriate treatment and management of patients in the country.

He said addressing gaps such as weak policies, limited testing facilities, and poor diagnostic capacity is essential to strengthen AFI surveillance in Nigeria.

Acute Febrile Illness

Mr Ipadeola said AFI is an illness characterised by the rapid onset of fever, with or without other symptoms.
He explained that AFI can be caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi, and is more prevalent in children and young adults but can affect all age groups.

According to him, AFI presents with overlapping symptoms and limited laboratory diagnostic capacity complicates its management.

Mr Ipadeola noted that AFI surveillance is crucial for early identification of infectious disease outbreaks, understanding their epidemiology, and implementing control measures.

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He added that AFI surveillance refers to the systematic monitoring and investigation of cases of acute fever that occur suddenly and typically have a short duration.

Efforts made

Mr Ipadeola said the federal government has shown commitment and implemented several strategies and initiatives to address AFIs.

He said some of the key actions include surveillance and monitoring to improve early detection and response, public health education campaigns, malaria control programmes, vaccination initiatives, strengthening healthcare infrastructure, and collaborating with partners to enhance AFI activities.

He explained that the US CDC, in collaboration with the NCDC and other partners, has established sentinel surveillance sites across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, testing over 11,000 samples for priority diseases such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever, Lassa fever, and COVID-19.

He said the agency also enhanced laboratory capacity by upgrading equipment, introducing multiplex PCR testing, and training staff in selected laboratories.

He emphasised that AFI surveillance is a key component of the US CDC’s work to advance global health security and noted that AFI surveillance is helping to identify disease patterns, co-infections, and strengthen diagnostic capacity in Nigeria.

Strengthening AFI survelliance

In her opening remarks, the Programme Director at the Division of Global Health Protection, US CDC Nigeria, Farah Husain, emphasised the importance of strengthening surveillance for AFI in Nigeria.

Ms Husain said AFI are among the most common but often misunderstood health conditions.

She explained that a robust surveillance system will help identify the causes, burden, and spread of such diseases, enabling better and faster responses to outbreaks.

“Today’s engagement is a broader effort by the US CDC in collaboration with the NCDC to establish a sustainable AFI surveillance system in Nigeria,” she said.

“The overall intent of this system is to help improve early detection, enhance laboratory capacity, strengthen data, and ultimately help us respond better and faster to outbreaks.”

The Director of Surveillance at the NCDC, Fatima Saleh, stressed the need to strengthen surveillance systems, improve response capacity, and scale up outreach efforts.

Ms Saleh emphasised the need for strong advocacy across all levels of government to ensure evidence-based action, wider inclusion, and sustained support for protecting the health of Nigerians.

Also, Alash’le Abimiku, Executive Director of the International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE) at IHVN, noted that AFI surveillance was instrumental to detecting emerging illnesses, including Mpox in 2023 and dengue fever in 2025.

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Ms Abimiku said good data has made it possible for NCDC to stay ahead of outbreaks and take the right responses.

“This has been a collective effort under NCDC leadership with the US CDC’s funding and technical input,” she said.

She stressed the importance of rapid testing at the community level, urging Nigerians to adopt a “test before treatment” culture.