Muhammad Pate, Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare has expressed concerns that Nigeria is facing a growing health threat as drug-resistant infections continue to rise, describing the trend as a “silent pandemic” that can erode the country’s gains in disease control and treatment.
He cautioned that the countries often wait for crises before investing in preparedness, noting that this reactive approach had proven costly in both human and economic terms.
“The rising threat of drug-resistant infection is a silent pandemic. It is time now that we need to prepare and get ready because crisis can strike any time. The lesson of Ebola and COVID-19 are clear. Every naira spent on infection prevention, hygiene, and antimicrobial resistance control, save many more in treatment and economic loss”, he noted.