From November 23rd – 24th we attended and participated in the National Conference on Infection Control (NCIC) in Abuja. The conference was hosted by the Nigeria Infection Control Association (NICA).

The conference theme was Integrating Infection Prevention and Control into Healthcare Delivery: A National Priority.

Why all the focus on preventing infections in healthcare delivery? Think of it this way: as Dr. Sani Aliyu – Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) – said during the conference, the reason modern medicine is successful is because of infection control, not necessarily the skill of the surgeon.

Dr. Sani Aliyu – Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)

If you need a liver transplant and the health facility you go to is not using proper infection control practices, there’s a very high risk that you will die from getting an infection when your body is cut open and exposed. So apart from the usual risks of transplant surgery such as the skill of the surgeon and your body’s acceptance of the new liver, there are many other risks you can face as a result of poor infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. A lack of IPC can kill.

Oral poster presentation

From the plenary sessions to the panel discussions to the oral poster presentations, the conference was a fantastic forum for sharing information and ideas, celebrating achievements, exploring issues and challenges, and coming together to decide on the best way to move IPC forward in Nigeria. We learned a lot and look forward to collaborating and supporting the great work that people all over the country are doing to protect health workers, patients, and the larger society from infections.

DRASA’s MD Niniola Soleye presenting at NCIC 2017

Some of the highlights and lessons learned were:

• Infection control is everyone’s business
• Nigeria needs a national, standardized infection control curriculum that:
  • Meets international standards
  • Provides practical solutions that are suited for the resource challenges and unique situations of Nigeria’s health facilities
• Discipline is important
  • Health workers must be assessed and audited to ensure they continue using good IPC practices
  • Audits should include penalties for non-compliance and rewards for compliance
• Training must be ongoing
  • The frequency should be at least annual with a required certification
  • Additional trainings should be given for new staff and also when the IPC audit shows poor compliance results for a facility
• Advocacy must be stronger
  • We need to use data to show the impact of IPC and what happens when it’s not done properly
  • We need to advocate for IPC at all levels from senior management in health facilities to federal government

NCIC 2017 attendees

Some of our favorite quotes and messages shared during the conference include:

• “The continuous outbreaks show us the state of our IPC practices. IPC is not working.” Dr. Joshua Obasanya, Director of Planning, Research & Statistics, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

• “We have to remember our core duty to keep patients safe” Dr. Sani Aliyu, Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)

• The first Ebola patient was contained because there was a “very high index of suspicion” and he “presented at a facility where the staff were capable” Dr. Sani Aliyu, Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)

• “With Ebola there was fear because you can’t just throw antibiotics at it so infection prevention and control became very important.” Prof. Sade Ogunsola, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), College of Medicine, University of Lagos

• “Bacteria don’t know anyone. Any cadre, animal or human it doesn’t matter” Dr. Joshua Obasanya, Director of Planning, Research & Statistics, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

NCIC 2017 attendeesNCIC 2017 attendeesDRASA at NCIC 2017DRASA and friends at NCIC 2017DRASA and friends at NCIC 2017