Notifiable diseases are diseases (human or animal) that ought to be reported to government authorities by law. The government enacted regulations for reporting these diseases because, with this information, authorities are able to monitor the diseases closely, prepare/warn for a possible outbreak, ensure appropriate treatment procedures are in place, stock up on medications and vaccine supplies, and make quarantine arrangements as the case may be.
Disease surveillance, notification, and reporting are all effective ways to scrutinize and avoid the spread or occurrence of diseases. They enable intervention for the prevention and control of diseases. Effective infectious disease control relies on effective response systems, which in turn depend on effective disease surveillance.
Nigeria has been collecting information on epidemic-prone and other infectious diseases that can concern the populace through the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System (IDSR) since 2001.
The current Nigerian IDSR system, which was created in 2001, initially listed 23 diseases as “notifiable” diseases in Nigeria. These diseases are categorized into:
- Epidemic-prone (cholera, measles)
- Targets for eradication/elimination (poliomyelitis, dracunculiasis)
- Potential Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), (malaria, bird flu).
The IDSR system helps to identify notifiable diseases at all public primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare facilities in Nigeria.
When reporting a notifiable disease, physicians often follow a reporting chain from the healthcare facility to the local government authorities (LGAs), to the state-level Ministry of Health, and lastly to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), who then analyze and disseminate IDSR data.
Below we are going to disclose the list of notifiable diseases.
List of Notifiable Diseases in Nigeria
Here is the comprehensive list of notifiable diseases in Nigeria:
1. Cholera
2. Diphtheria
3. Leprosy
4. Meningococcal Meningitis
5. Pertussis (Whooping cough)
6. Tetanus
7. Tuberculosis
8. Typhoid fever
9. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
10. Dengue fever
11. Chickenpox
12. Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E.
13. Human immunodeficiency virus
14. Lassa fever
15. Zika virus
16. Foodborne diseases outbreak
17. Smallpox
18. Rubella
19. Measles
20. Poliomyelitis
21. Waterborne diseases outbreak
22. Ebola
23. Measles
24. Dracunculiasis
25. Anthrax (human)
26. Adverse Effects Following Immunization
27. Diarrhea with blood (Shigella)
28. Rabies (human)
29. Lymphatic Filariasis
30. West Nile Fever
31. Onchocerciasis
32. Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans disease)
33. Avian influenza or Bird flu (human).
How to Report A Notifiable Disease in Nigeria
Many physicians and healthcare professionals in Nigeria don’t know how to report a notifiable disease. In fact, a study in 2018 titled “Awareness and reporting of notifiable diseases among private laboratory scientists in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria” attested to this fact. It found out that more than half of them don’t know how to report a notifiable disease in Nigeria.
Although another study in 2008 titled “Notifiable disease reporting among public sector physicians in Nigeria” found out that most of the doctors have reported notifiable diseases before. So it is possible that physicians in the public health sector have more knowledge on reporting notifiable diseases in Nigeria than those in the private sector.
When reporting a notifiable disease, physicians often follow a reporting chain from the healthcare facility to the local government authorities (LGAs), to the state-level Ministry of Health, and lastly to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), who then analyze and disseminate IDSR data.
Well, while researching to write this article, I found an ebook on the Technical Guidelines for Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response in Nigeria. It contains all the information you need to know about notifiable diseases in Nigeria.
Bottom Line
Notifiable diseases are usually the most common causes of death, illness, and disability in Nigeria. It is vital that healthcare professionals know the list of notifiable diseases in Nigeria, as well as how to report it. The Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response is a strategic way for health officials to detect the targeted diseases, obtain laboratory confirmation of the disease, and to initiate action at the LGA level.
