The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu got an invite from the DG of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to “join the high-level mission to China for COVID-19″ and he is sharing all that he learnt during his short trip.
Click here to read the official report from the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Chike Ihekweazu shared some details of what he learned in an interview with Sunrise Daily on Channels TV. He also took to Twitter to discredit false reports about his trip to China.
Here’s what he shared on Twitter:
When @WHO Director-General @DrTedros asked me to join the high-level mission to China for #COVID19, I saw it as an opportunity to:
1. Contribute the expertise we have grown at @NCDCgov to a global health problem and solutions.
2. Learn best practice from colleagues in China.
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.
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.
This is time for #FactsNotFear. We must remember that #EveryEffortHelps If the advice is for travelers from certain countries to be in self isolation, we should all adhere- government official or not. We should ALL take responsibility not to spread fake news to cause panic.
He added that “I am well and have continued my duties from home since my return from China as part of the WHO-China Mission on #COVID19 The rumour that I am sick or in quarantine is obviously false. I look forward to returning to the office after 14 days of self-isolation”.
Watch his interview on Sunrise Daily.
