The Nigerian Government has directed health authorities nationwide to activate heightened alert systems in response to the emergence of the XEC COVID-19 variant, which is rapidly spreading globally.
The directive was contained in a letter signed by Dr. Anuma, the Permanent Secretary and Head of the Teaching Hospital Division at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The letter, addressed to the Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors, called for increased vigilance and immediate action to prevent the potential spread of the variant.
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Dr. Anuma emphasized the need for collaboration and timely information-sharing between health institutions and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ensure a coordinated response.
This comes as global health authorities monitor the XEC variant, which has been detected in 29 countries since it was first identified in Australia.
XEC is the latest in a series of evolving COVID-19 variants.
This directive is aim to safeguard public health and mitigate the risk of another wave of infections.
