The federal government has considered the reactivation of COVID-19 isolation centres across the country as deadly flu hits China.
This is contained in a leaked memo from the office of the secretary to the government of federation and addressed to the minister of health, director general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
According to the memo dated January 16, 2023, the deadly flu portends danger for Nigeria considering the experience of COVID-19, which originated from China.
The memo signed by the permanent secretary in the OSGF Mr. Aliyu Mohammed, informed the minister and agency heads that the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), had on December 13, 2022 raised concerns over the outbreak of an unknown deadly flu, following the death of some residents, which included three Nigerians.
“The initial clinical analysis ruled out COVID-19, but the symptoms of the fatal flu include dry throat, fever, and difficulty in breathing. Hospitals in Guangzhou have been inundated with patients having the disease, with seven Nigerians said to be in critical condition as a result of the flu.
“Considering the potential danger of this outbreak to human beings, there may be need to note the development with a view to emplacing measures to reactivate COVID-19 centres across the country,” the memo stated.
It further noted that the fact that the new flu is yet to be diagnosed, an indication that the flu could have spread beyond the shores of China, especially as millions of migrant workers who returned home for Lunar New Year celebrations, travelled back to their various bases outside China across the world.
