Sokoto metal poisoning: Nigeria, Niger strengthens border surveillance

In a significant step towards enhancing regional public health, officials from Nigeria and Niger convened for a three-day cross-border meeting aimed at improving disease surveillance and outbreak intervention strategies.

Organised by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the event aims to strengthen cross-border surveillance and enhance cooperation in managing public health threats.

Speaking at the meeting held in Goshen City, Karu, Nasarawa State, Nigeria, on Tuesday, Dr Abdulganiyu Yusuf, the Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Sokoto State, emphasised the development of action plans.

He said, “Our goal is to ensure that deliberations lead to actionable strategies for managing notifiable diseases affecting both countries. This includes heavy metal poisoning, measles, meningitis and diphtheria.”

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Daily Trust reports that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) earlier reported 164 cases of heavy metal poisoning which affected mostly children in the past two weeks, with recent reports indicating a similar outbreak in Niger.

Dr Yusuf Abubakar, Director of Public Health Services in Zamfara State, underscored the meeting’s importance, stressing the interconnectedness of health issues between the two nations.

He said, “Given the numerous land borders between Nigeria and Niger, anything affecting states like Sokoto or Zamfara inevitably impacts Niger. This meeting ensures both countries are aware of and can effectively manage disease outbreaks.

“By the end of this meeting, we aim to develop a coordinated action plan. This includes sharing information and using it to manage outbreaks effectively.

“We reported these cases almost simultaneously. While heavy metal poisoning is a pressing concern, we’re also dealing with other diseases like diphtheria, meningitis and cholera.”

 Dr Aisha Usman, Technical Advisor on Cross-Border Surveillance for ECOWAS, further explained: “This meeting is part of West African Health Organisation’s (WAHO’s) mandate to strengthen collaboration between Nigeria and Niger. By monitoring, preventing and sharing information on priority diseases, we aim to develop a joint action plan to manage outbreaks effectively.”