Professor Iruka Okeke, a pharmaceutical microbiologist from the University of Ibadan, has called for the urgent adoption of genomic technology in Nigeria’s healthcare system to enhance disease diagnosis and management.
Highlighting the limitations of traditional diagnostic methods, she explained that many Nigerian healthcare facilities lack the necessary tools to accurately diagnose illnesses like diarrhoea, sepsis, and typhoid fever, resulting in thousands of preventable deaths annually.
“Traditional diagnostic methods are slow, costly, and often inaccurate, leaving healthcare professionals without the critical information they need to respond effectively,” Okeke noted.
She emphasized that genomic technology offers faster and more precise identification of bacterial pathogens, enabling timely interventions and advancing vaccine development. “With genomics, we can analyze pathogens in detail, track their evolution, and understand their resistance patterns. This helps us not only in treatment but also in preventing the spread of infections,” she said.
Addressing the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance, Okeke pointed to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics as key contributors. She advocated for the use of genomic sequencing to combat resistant strains of typhoid and neonatal sepsis, the latter being a leading cause of death in newborns.
“Genomic sequencing allows us to diagnose neonatal sepsis within one or two days instead of the current four to five days. This can mean the difference between life and death for vulnerable newborns,” she explained.
Through her collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Okeke has helped establish a national antimicrobial resistance surveillance system. This framework, supported by sentinel laboratories, centralizes data for better disease monitoring and management.
She also highlighted her commitment to training young African scientists in genomic techniques, aiming to build a new generation of public health and microbiology experts across the continent. Additionally, her work includes developing advanced sequencing tools to facilitate rapid diagnostic methods for low-resource settings.
“Genomics is not just a technology; it is a tool for saving lives and shaping the future of healthcare in Africa,” Okeke concluded.
