In order to prevent a potential outbreak of the newly discovered COVID-19 variant, which was recently announced by the World Health Organisation, the House of Representatives has ordered the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and other pertinent government agencies to step up surveillance measures at all international borders and points of entry into the nation.
The House has also called on the government to send out staff to perform screening and quarantine services on all incoming travellers and to supply thermal equipment and infrared thermometers for temperature screening.
The House requested that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, or NCDC, educate the Nigerian people about the XEC variant in a motion of urgent public significance that was presented by Uyime Idem, PDP, Akwa Ibom. In order to monitor and subsequently report any suspected cases, the House also urged all health authorities to turn on heightened alert systems.
Nigeria’s economy and public health have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Idem, although it is noteworthy that Nigeria made great progress in battling the first strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to remain vigilant and proactive in the face of emerging threats.
MINNews recalls that the World Health Organization, WHO, recently issued a global alert regarding a new COVID-19 variant, XEC, with similar symptoms to the former strain. The XEC variant, a hybrid strain of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron, has been detected in several countries worldwide, including those with high vaccination rates.
The lawmaker said as of September 24, 2024, the WHO designated the XEC as a variant under monitoring, and initial experimental data suggests that this COVID variant exhibited increased infectiousness and unique changes that may contribute to Idem said the emergence of the XEC COVID-19 variant in Africa poses a significant threat to Nigeria’s public health, raising concerns about the variant’s possible spread throughout the continent.
