The Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society (NIDS) has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s vulnerability to recurring and emerging infectious disease outbreaks, warning that weak immunisation coverage, donor-dependent health financing and poor sub-national preparedness continue to undermine national health security.
The warning was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the society’s 16th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference held in Kaduna, where experts identified cholera, meningitis, Lassa fever, tuberculosis, HIV, Mpox, diphtheria and antimicrobial resistance as persistent and escalating threats.
Signed by the newly elected President of NIDS, Dr Mahmood Muazu Dalhat, the communiqué said the prevalence of several vaccine-preventable diseases pointed to “Perennial failures in Nigeria’s childhood immunisation programmes, weak outbreak preparedness and suboptimal health system readiness, particularly at sub-national levels.”
The conference, themed “Resilient Health Systems in a Changing World: Confronting Emerging and Endemic Infectious Disease Threats in Nigeria,” brought together infectious disease experts, public health professionals, policymakers and development partners from Nigeria and beyond.
Participants stressed that Nigeria must urgently strengthen health sector governance, financing and preparedness to withstand both current and future disease shocks.
The communique partly reads: “Nigeria cannot build health security on fragile foundations.
“A resilient health system requires effective governance, sustainable financing, a competent and motivated health workforce, and deliberate investments in prevention, preparedness and response.”
NIDS noted that inadequate infrastructure, critical shortages of skilled health workers and fragmented, donor-driven financing continue to weaken infectious disease control efforts, despite ongoing reforms aimed at improving population health outcomes.
A key outcome of the conference was a strong call for vaccine sovereignty, with stakeholders underscoring the urgency of developing an end-to-end domestic vaccine production ecosystem, from research and development through manufacturing and distribution.
“Achieving vaccine self-reliance will require deliberate collaboration among government, academia, industry, regulators and development partners,” the communiqué added.
NIDS noted that vaccine development must be driven by strong academia, industry linkages and supportive regulatory frameworks, as it acknowledged progress in HIV treatment, particularly the emergence of long-acting antiretroviral therapies, which experts said could significantly improve adherence, reduce stigma and accelerate control of the epidemic if rapidly approved and equitably accessed.
However, NIDS expressed concern over the growing burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), warning that weak implementation of Nigeria’s One-Health AMR National Action Plan was already undermining the treatment of common and life-threatening infections.
The society further cautioned that climate change was heightening Nigeria’s exposure to vector-borne, water-borne and zoonotic diseases, calling for climate-sensitive surveillance, stronger inter-sectoral collaboration and climate-resilient health systems.
In its recommendations, NIDS urged increased domestic funding for disease surveillance, laboratory strengthening, outbreak preparedness and response, health workforce development and decentralised healthcare delivery.
It also called for innovative financing models, including public-private partnerships and health security trust funds, to reduce reliance on external donors.
NIDS further advocated accelerated regulatory approvals and phased introduction of long-acting antiretroviral therapies, strengthened antimicrobial stewardship, and sustained investment in biotechnology and artificial intelligence to boost indigenous vaccine research, development and manufacturing.
