FG Urges Calm, Clarifies Rising Flu Cases Not COVID-19

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, has assured citizens that there is no cause for alarm over the rising cases of flu-like illnesses in parts of the country, saying the situation is seasonal and not related to any new strain of COVID-19.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, the minister explained that the flu currently circulating in major cities like Abuja is typical of the period, which is usually marked by high humidity that traps infectious particles in the air.

“It is not every flu-like illness that we can ascribe to COVID. There is a season for flu, which usually happens when we have high humidity that retains a lot of infectious agents in the air. Right now, we do not have anything to panic about in terms of health security,” Salako assured.

He noted that the government’s surveillance systems are active nationwide, with health workers mandated to report any unusual increase in illnesses for further investigation.

According to him, the country’s overall health security rating improved from 39 per cent before 2023 to 54 per cent last year, based on an external evaluation that assessed Nigeria’s capacity to prevent and manage disease outbreaks.

Explaining further, he said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has expanded its emergency health infrastructure and improved disease monitoring and laboratory testing.

“Our capacity to quickly test and detect what is going on has grown significantly. We now have about seven laboratories that can conduct genomic sequencing, and all 36 states, including the FCT, now have emergency operation centres that meet periodically to review health data and respond to abnormalities,” he said.

Turning to the efforts in place to improve traditional medicine, the minister said Nigeria has taken deliberate steps to integrate herbal and complementary medicine into its healthcare system.

“We have a Department of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the ministry, and some states, such as Ogun, have set up agencies to regulate and promote the practice,” he stated.

He noted that many traditional remedies are being scientifically studied for their effectiveness, citing Nigeria’s herbal medicine for sickle cell management, which is now prescribed in several countries.

“One of the drugs used globally for controlling sickle cell crisis was developed here in Nigeria.

“Some researchers from one of our northern universities have also found a herbal medicine that has shown effectiveness against brain cancer in animals, and we are supporting them to go through proper clinical trials,” said Salako.

He added that the ministry has inaugurated a committee focused on the development and commercialisation of phytomedicine to ensure that local herbal discoveries are properly refined, tested, and made available for public use.

When asked about Nigeria’s capacity to produce vaccines, the minister admitted that the country still relies on imports but said efforts are ongoing under the Presidential Initiative on Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain to promote local manufacturing.

“We are working on promoting local vaccine development. However, this requires careful planning and cost analysis because vaccine production involves high-end technology and must be globally compatible,” he said.

Responding to questions on other health sector reforms, Salako acknowledged the ongoing migration of Nigerian medical professionals but said it is part of a global shortage of health workers.

He explained that the government has introduced policies to improve welfare, training, and incentives in order to retain more personnel, adding that progress has been made in addressing the concerns of resident doctors and also in modernising healthcare delivery.

According to him, about 80 per cent of federal tertiary hospitals have been digitised, enabling patients to access services electronically without paper records.

Salako also presented a 30-month health sector scorecard showing improvements in maternal and child health, service delivery, and financing, assuring that Nigeria maintains 24/7 preparedness to detect, prevent, and respond to future health emergencies.