Nigeria to Discuss Cholera Epidemic, Counterfeit Drugs with Neighbors

Officials from Nigeria and several of its neighboring countries will meet in Abuja, Nigeria, to discuss the recent cholera epidemic as well as counterfeit drugs.

The meetings, to be held on October 17 and 18, will focus on the epidemic that has already claimed the lives of 350 people in Nigeria, according to 234Next.com.

A statement from the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwuto, said that Nigerian officials will meet with their counterparts from Niger, Chad, Cameroon and the Benin Republic to discuss the cholera empidemic, polio, yellow fever, dengue fever, river blindness, neglected tropical diseases and movement of counterfeit drugs.

Specifically the officials will discuss how to adopt common policies regarding disease surveillance and how to best develop follow-up mechanisms to ensure that jointly agreed action and activities are properly implemented, according to Afrique en Ligne.

According to the news source the meeting will include representatives from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, World Bank and a number of other agencies.

Nigeria is all too familiar with the problems that can be caused by counterfeit drugs. In 1995, approximately 2,500 Nigerian children died from taking a fake meningitis vaccine.