The Lagos State Government on Sunday said it was building capacity for prevention, detection and response to outbreak of diseases.
The government stated that a new biosecurity laboratory would be opened in Lagos on Tuesday to serve as a store for all high-concentration pathogens, adding that such would help the state to boost its response to outbreak of diseases.
A statement on Sunday said Governor Akinwunmi Ambode would join the Governor General of Canada, Julie Payette, to inaugurate the laboratory.
It added that the bio bank was built at the Mainland Hospital in Yaba, where the isolation unit used by the government to contain the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak was located.
“The laboratory, funded by Canada in partnership with the state government, will serve as a single repository for all high-concentration pathogens in the state.
It will also help the state to mitigate post-EVD threats and build capacity for prevention, detection and response to future outbreaks in Nigeria and West Africa,” the statement read in part.
It added that the Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, would be part of Ambode’s team to receive Payette at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, from where the team would go to Yaba to inaugurate the facility.
The statement stated that after the inauguration, Payette would visit students participating in the CodeLagos computer programme, aimed at educating over one million residents on how to write code and creatively solve problems.
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