The Kwara Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Issa Kayode, on Thursday charged health officials in the state to adopt the strategy of timely disease surveillance and control to promote a healthy population.

Kayode made the call in Ilorin at a sensitisation meeting on disease surveillance organised for health officials in the 16 local government areas of the state.

He said that the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa had adopted a strategy called “Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR)”.

According to him, the IDSR aims to create functional disease surveillance system in African countries which will generate information for timely action on control of diseases.

“The goal of IDRS strategy is to develop sufficient capacities on level of the National Health System resulting in a flexible and effective National Disease Surveillance and Response.”

He, however, stated that there were challenges confronting the effective implementation of the IDSR in the state.

The commissioner said that there was low level of awareness and understanding of IDSR among the health workers.

Kayode also said that there were inadequate tools, equipment and supplies.

“To combat these challenges, Kwara Government has put measures in place to ensure success of the IDSR,” the commissioner said.

He said that government would make budgetary provision with cash release for the implementation of activities by the epidemiological and surveillance unit.

In a lecture delivered, an Epidemiologist, Dr Michael Oguntoye, lamented that disease surveillance was weak in most African countries. (NAN)