Nigeria to lose US$6bn in productivity annually to diarrhoea-Microbiologists

 Nigeria is estimated to lose US$6 billion annually, in productivity as a result of diarrhoea, whose cost is put at about US$10 per case, revealed a group of scientists operating under the  aegis of the Association of Industrial Microbiologists of Nigeria (AIMN), which has renewed commitment to promote safety of foods, pharmaceutical and biologics in order to stem the  menace of food borne diseases in the country.

The scientists who stated this at the 2021 Conference and Symposium of their Association in Lagos said that, 31 hazard-causing food borne diseases were responsible for over 600 million illnesses and 420,000 deaths worldwide and that World Bank’s “Safe Food Imperative” found that the cost-of-illness of diarrhoea, attributable to food contamination, is about 10 dollars per case, with Nigeria estimated to lose about US$6billion  annually in productivity.

 The Theme of the conference is “Emerging Concerns in Safety of Foods, Pharmaceuticals and Biologics in Nigeria”.

In her opening remarks, the Acting Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Dr. Agnes Yemisi Asagbra, said “in today’s age, there are constant concerns of the positive and negative effects of what goes into the human body. Safety of foods, pharmaceuticals and biologics are of great concern for consumers and a challenge to scientists and regulatory authorities.”

According to Asagbra, there are more than 250 food borne diseases caused mainly by infections from a variety of bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. It is no wonder that microbiological aspects of foods, pharmaceuticals and biologics safety have been studied for quite some time. Viruses are not still well investigated and presently are a major cause of food borne episodes.

Because of this, she said, in July 2021, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire at a launching ceremony in Abuja emphasized on the significant of training for food processing in Nigeria.

According to the FIIRO boss,  the minister said that, 31 hazard-causing food borne diseases were responsible for over 600 million illnesses and 420,000 deaths worldwide. World Bank’s “Safe Food Imperative” found that the cost-of-illness of diarrhoea, attributable to food contamination, is about 10 dollars per case, with Nigeria estimated to lose about six billion dollars annually in productivity.

Therefore “ understanding the microbes and development of food safety tools can significantly reduce the incidence of food borne diseases. Pasteurization of milk, decontamination of water, good agricultural practices, good manufacturing practices, good hygiene practices, HACCP, has ensured greater food safety. Even so risks are encountered because of mutations in microbes, changes in environment and ecology and elongation of the food chain.”

Besides,  said the FIIRO DG , “with the advance in science and better laboratory tests it is possible to identify microbes which were undetected before. It is of utmost importance to design a surveillance system that is able to detect food infection anywhere in the production chain.

For that reason it is important to have accurate and timely laboratory analysis, with well-designed sampling plans. Equally, it is necessary to prevent infection and to achieve that objective to create predictive tools which would enable risk assessors to proactively address imminent problems before they cause harm.”

 She noted that pharmaceutical drug safety, which can be defined as the freedom from preventable harm with medication use, is a global public health concern and part of the primary mission of pharmacy practice.

 Drug safety issues negatively impact patient health outcomes including hospitalization, increased length of hospital stay, mortality, and overall health care costs. These issues are more profound in developing countries.

 In Nigeria, there are many issues and challenges related to drug safety culture among pharmaceutical and health care professionals including underreporting of medication errors and adverse drug reactions, and beliefs in certain traditional norms.

 Dr. Asagbra said  that  ,currently, there are global concerted efforts and action plans geared toward patient safety in health care and minimizing preventable harm, adding that  in Nigeria, there are emerging concerns on drug safety issues related to pharmacovigilance activities and adverse drug reaction, drug misuse and abuse, medication errors and reporting, counterfeit medicines, self-medication practices, storage practices and disposal of pharmaceutical wastes.

She said that in November 2020, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control launched an application named “Med Safety App” for the safe use of pharmaceutical drugs in Nigeria. “Med Safety App” was launched to report adverse drug reactions that might occur while taking pharmaceutical drug.

“ Focus of the world is on the safety of drugs used in healthcare delivery and the battle to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. All professionals are encouraged to report side effects, especially those associated with new or experimental treatments using pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, biologics and medical devices.

“As the title of this Annual Conference and Symposium suggests, our emphasis will be on innovative techniques in safety of foods, pharmaceutical and biologics.

“Innovation is critical because the microbes themselves are too clever to conform to tradition and, with more stringent norms for safety and developments in technology, analytical methods have to be constantly renovated.

“I am sure the ideas generated in this Annual Conference and Symposium will be of great help to professionals in industries, regulatory agencies, academia, R&D and other sphere of influence,”  she advised  participants .

Chairman of the occasion, Greg Udeh , who is the Chief Operating Officer of  Sygen Pharmaceuticals Limited said  food, pharmaceuticals and biologics are essential to the survival of the growing population in Nigeria mostly at this crucial time we are recovering from the Covid 19 pandemic.

The various regulatory agencies working to complement each other has deployed and implemented policies to ensure manufacturing companies adhere to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) to assure the safety, efficacy and quality of products before entering the market.

The main goal of this conference is to highlights safety concerns in the food, pharmaceuticals & Biologics and proffer solutions from consumer, regulatory and industry perspectives.  The big discussion among each stakeholder should pose positive meaning, and we can look forward to its influence for our future reference in reality.

“Implementing rapid microbiology analytical tests which are more sensitive with shorter lead times will help facilitate interventions that will enhance the safety of the populace.

“Awareness and education on the best handling of produce and goods across the value chain will help assure quality and products safety, and therefore the safety of the populace.

“The design of facilities should be adequate and fit for purpose in manufacturing safe Food, pharmaceuticals and Biologics.  

“My challenge to the Association, is that the outcomes of this conference do not just end up in notes and published proceeding, but find a way of making the outcomes count in the way produce and goods are harvested, handled and processed to assure the health and safety of the populace and profits for the value chain players.”