A Research Professor at the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos, Prof. Richard Adegbola, on Friday advised the country to consider safety as a key element in vaccine production.<\/p>\n
Adegbola gave the advice during the implementation strategy meeting on COVID-19 vaccine development held at NIMR in Lagos.<\/p>\n
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative, funded by the Federal Government through TETFund, is engaging both health and educational institutions to fast-track COVID-19 vaccine development in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
The institutions involved are: Usman DanFodiyo University, Sokoto, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom near Jos and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos.<\/p>\n
Others are National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Jos.<\/p>\n
Adegbola said the institutions need to be cautious when producing the covid19 vaccine<\/p>\n
“I want to sound with a note of caution because I know we are passionate about this”<\/p>\n
\u201cVaccine production is different from when you are making drugs or chemicals because safety is very crucial”<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a bid of trying to make vaccine that will protect people against a certain disease or diseases the key element is that it must be able to stimulate immune response that will protect people when exposed”<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the process of of protecting them from the disease being vaccinated against safety should be considered so they don\u2019t get something that is toxic or rectogenic in the process”<\/p>\n
\u201cCome out with a roadmap on what can be done within short-term, mid-term and also strategies on the long-term”<\/p>\n
\u201cVaccination should also be put into consideration because there is no point making a vaccine that will not get to the people who need to be vaccinated and that is why vaccine does not protect but vaccination does\u201d<\/p>\n
Adegbola who was elected as a member of Sabin Vaccine Institute Board of Directors in Washington D.C. noted that Africa produced only one per cent of vaccination being used in the continent.<\/p>\n
Adegbola also a consultant in Immunization and Global Health at RAMBICON in Lagos added that producing a vaccine in our settings would help to evaluate the efficacy of such vaccine.<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t think the vaccines available now are the best for Africans because none of them has been evaluated here”<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody will take a vaccine in the U.S. or UK that has not been evaluated in their settings and a vaccine that has a high efficacy in the UK may or may not have high efficacy here in Africa” he said<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Research Professor at the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos, Prof. Richard Adegbola, on Friday advised the country to consider safety as a key element in vaccine production. Adegbola gave the advice during the implementation strategy meeting on COVID-19 vaccine development held at NIMR in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":3195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\n