Infectious disease expert and Director-General of the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Professor John Obafunwa has assured that necessary measures have been put in place to handle any detected case of the Human metapneumovirus (HMPV).
Speaking on Monday – yesterday, January 27 – in Lagos, at a media chat organised to brief journalists on the institute’s activities, Obafunwa said NIMR is working closely with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
He said the institute has set up a team of researchers who are working on a possible outcome to guard against the virus in the country.
According to the World Health Organisation, Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is one of the viruses that causes the common cold (upper respiratory infection).
The virus belongs to the Pneumoviridae family of viruses, along with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Obafunwa said: ”Some of us are probably familiar with the recent discussions about the human metanemovirus, we don’t have the problem of an outbreak here in Nigeria at this point in time.
”I want to tell us that NIMR is fully prepared, and we have the researchers who are in a position to develop primers and the diagnostic kit for it.
”We’re already in talks with the NCDC on this, towards achieving this objective”.
Speaking also, Prof. Bamidele Iwalokun, the Team Lead of the research committee set up by NIMR, said the group was in the process of getting a diagnostic kit and also working to develop tools for surveillance.
Iwalokun said that the HMPV was not a “China Virus” but a misinformation that was spread to mislead people about the disease.
He said that the NIMR team was given a terms of reference of six weeks to get all its work done.
”What we first did was to create an awareness document on HMPV through the Central Research Lab for the purpose of engaging professionals and the media.
“The document is highly informative, and one of the important contents in that document is to address the misinformation that HMPV is another China virus.
“We have it as evidence that the virus was first detected as an RNA virus in the Netherlands in 2001 but before that, there is also evidence that it has been with us for over 50 years , even before 2001.
“The NCDC has also set up a committee so that we can form a consortium in preparing for it and they also requested for primer and diagnostic kits
“We are in the process of getting the diagnostic kit done, ”he said.(NAN)
