The University of Ilorin says it is soliciting the support of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to upgrade the university’s Molecular Laboratory to a Public Health Laboratory.
According to the university’s Bulletin issued on Tuesday, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, SAN, the Vice Chancellor, made the request when he paid a courtesy visit to the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, at the agency’s office.
He said the upgrade was of paramount importance because of other infectious outbreaks such as Lassa fever and Diphtheria in the country.
Egbewole emphasised on need for further research on the emergence of Diphtheria and growing concerns over public health significance of COVID-19.
He observed that the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) was one additional growing threat to man requiring molecular approaches to curb, if Nigeria must not return to pre-antibiotic era.
The VC also identified poliomyelitis as another infection of public health concern that remained a challenge to the country and could be handled if the status of the institution’s laboratory was upgraded.
He said that a support to the university laboratory in the proposed upgrade would bring the institution and NCDC to a global focus on the subject.
He explained that it would provide the platform for cutting edge research that will have the potential of significantly reducing the burden of communicable disorders.
The Vice Chancellor, however, announced that with the NCDC support, the University of Ilorin Molecular Diagnostic and Research Laboratory had processed about 1,300 COVID-19 samples since its commissioning in 2021.
“This has significantly contributed to efficient management of the disease outbreak both on campus and in Kwara State as a form of service to humanity,” he said.
According to him, the university’s team of researchers, in collaboration with the NCDC, have co-authored a manuscript on “SARS-COV-2 Variants-Associated Outbreaks of COVID-19 in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution, North Central Nigeria”.
He added that the manuscript was to be published in PLOS ONE, a journal covering the technologies/fields/categories related to multidisciplines.
Egbewole also informed the DG that with continued TETFund support, the Unilorin molecular lab recently acquired an Illumina Sequencer, useful for a wide range of molecular research.
In his reaction, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, the Director General of NCDC, commended the VC for the visit, while reiterating the support of the agency on researches in the institution.