I returned from China with lessons on fighting coronavirus, says NCDC DG

Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says Nigeria can learn from China on how it is combating coronavirus.

Ihekweazu said he shared lessons from China’s fight against coronavirus with the ministry of health on his return to the country.

Upon his return to the country, the DG went into self-isolation for 14 days as a precautionary health protocol.

The NCDC earlier debunked the claim that Ihekweazu was quarantined, saying the DG tested negative for coronavirus after he returned from China where he was a part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) mission.

TheCable reports he has already spent at least seven days in self-isolation.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Ihekweazu said going to China was something that had to be done despite the coronavirus outbreak in that country.

“Since our return, I have shared lessons from the mission to China with the leadership of @Fmohnigeria and the #NCDCTeam Currently, the number of new cases in China is less than the number of new cases outside of China. The country did something right that we can learn from,” he tweeted.

“Going to China during a large outbreak was not an easy decision to make. But it is what we do. In Nigeria, nearly every week, I approve the deployment of Teams to investigate and respond to outbreaks. When our expertise is needed at the global level, we will contribute.”

Going to China during a large outbreak was not an easy decision to make. But it is what we do.

In Nigeria, nearly every week, I approve the deployment of Teams to investigate and respond to outbreaks. When our expertise is needed at the global level, we will contribute to this. pic.twitter.com/ufPTgdJoWK

— Chikwe Ihekweazu (@Chikwe_I) March 4, 2020