By Rotimi Odofin
The Kogi State Ministry of Health has strengthened its preparedness and response mechanism against disease outbreaks with a one-day refresher training for members of the State Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) team.
The training, held on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, was designed to enhance the capacity, coordination and operational readiness of the EOC team to respond swiftly and effectively to disease outbreaks across the state.
Speaking at the programme, the Coordinating Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Maji Enoch, charged members of the EOC team to adhere strictly to the established operational procedures guiding the centre.
Dr Abdulazeez stressed that the responsibilities of the EOC team were critical to disease surveillance, outbreak mitigation and control, noting that the level of preparedness of the team could significantly determine the state’s ability to contain public health emergencies.
He urged participants to pay premium attention to the refresher training and use the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge, technical competence and readiness to confront any disease outbreak that may occur in the state.
The Commissioner said the state government remained committed to strengthening its disease surveillance and emergency response systems, particularly at a time when emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases continued to pose serious public health threats.
Earlier, the State Epidemiologist, Dr Augustine Ojotule, said the refresher training was organised to acquaint participants with the EOC mode of operations and the Incident Management System (IMS), while also sensitising them on their roles and responsibilities in disease surveillance and outbreak response.
According to him, the training was also aimed at strengthening the state’s capacity for effective disease surveillance and outbreak response, with pertussis used as a case study.
Ojotule explained that the training focused on the EOC mode of operations and Incident Management System, an overview of pertussis surveillance, as well as pertussis surveillance and data management.
He emphasised the importance of accurate and timely surveillance data in detecting disease outbreaks early and enabling health authorities to deploy appropriate interventions before outbreaks escalate.
The State Epidemiologist noted that continuous capacity building of EOC personnel remained essential to maintaining a responsive and coordinated emergency health system in Kogi State.
As a build-up to the refresher training, the Ministry, under the coordination of the Honourable Commissioner for Health, had earlier convened an Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Committee meeting to develop a roadmap for the refresher training and other planned activities aimed at strengthening the state’s outbreak preparedness and response capacity.
The training also underscored the importance of collaboration among government institutions, development partners and other stakeholders in strengthening disease surveillance and emergency response in the state.
In attendance were representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), alongside delegates from relevant line ministries, including the Kogi State Ministries of Agriculture and Ministry of Environment.
The participation of the various ministries and development partners further highlighted the importance of a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach to preventing, detecting and responding to disease outbreaks in Kogi State.
