Meeting Targets and Maintaining
Epidemic Control(EpiC)
Funded by: USAID | Duration: 2019 – 2027
Project Summary
EpiC is an eight-year global initiative (April 2019 – December 2027) being funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented in over 60 countries, including Nigeria. EpiC was initially designed to provide strategic technical assistance and direct service delivery to achieve control of the HIV epidemic and promote self-reliant management of national HIV programs by improving HIV case finding, prevention, treatment programming, and viral load suppression. EpiC was however modified in early 2020 to include improvement of health systems’ capacity to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic .In August 2022, EpiC was modified to respond to Mpox. In April 2023, EpiC was further modified for a broad range of Global Health Security preparedness and response.
In Nigeria, the EpiC which kickstarted in June 2020 has supported KP-led comprehensive HIV services in Niger and Bayelsa states and built the capacity of sub-award partner UCS Global towards readiness to receive direct funding in line with PEPFAR’s goal of ensuring 70% of it’s funding goes to local partners. The EpiC project has served as a bridge mechanism following the closeout of SIDHAS and SHARP TO 1, to sustain HIV service delivery in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kwara and Niger states and to health facilities previously supported by GF in Bayelsa, Edo and Lagos States following transition to USAID support. The bridge implementation has now ended and has been transitioned to the new USAID funded mechanism called Accelerating Control for HIV Epidemic Project (ACE Clusters 1 – 6).
With the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, EpiC has contributed to the effort to prevent, prepare for, respond to and bolster health systems to address COVID-19 and reduce cases of re-emergence in Nigeria. EpiC has provided Technical assistance (TA) to 88 facilities that received donation of 200 ventilators including capacity building on case management & critical care, technical support for set up of emergency operation center in Bayelsa; upgrade of Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratories for COVID-19 diagnosis at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Lagos, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) Uyo, and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) Awka.
EpiC had initially leveraged on the USAID supported comprehensive ART program to support service delivery activities related to COVID-19 vaccination among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. This was later expanded to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake in general and priority populations through integrated community and facility campaigns implemented in 4 states (Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Cross River and Enugu) to achieve the target of vaccinating 70% of eligible populations against COVID-19 and other routine immunizations.
EpiC’s support for case management and critical care evolved into Technical Assistance (TA) for oxygen ecosystem in collaboration with HSD/FMOH and across selected states.
EpiC provides technical assistance to NACA and its subrecipients on the GF COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) implementation in Nigeria through embedded staff located in NACA, NCDC and the CCM. Specifically, EpiC’s technical assistance contributes to objective 2 of COVID response in the Country: to reduce morbidity and mortality from COVID-19, mitigate transmission, and strengthen health systems, including to prevent, detect, and respond to pandemic threats.
TA is provided with specific emphasis on three priority areas: Operational, Management Support and Capacity Building: Strengthen oversight and operational management of the Global Fund C-19RM grant Oxygen Ecosystem: Support to develop systems and protocols to monitor availability of oxygen at sub-national levels
Supply Chain System: Strengthen capacity for forecasting, quantification, warehousing, distribution for emergency response.
EpiC participated in the 2023 Joint External Evaluation for Nigeria; NCDC national strategic plan finalization and launch; Antimicrobial Resistance National Action Plan review and finalization; as well as attended the PALS (participatory approach to learning in systems) conference themed: Catalyzing the power of people for sustainable IPC improvement in health care.
In alignment with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NSHRII), EpiC is part of the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) Health Security TWG.
Recently, EpiC supported the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to review the case investigation form(CIF) to allow integration of Mpox and HIV surveillance among PLHIV and Key populations. This was followed by a Training of Trainers (ToT) and step-down trainings in 10 Mpox highest prevalence states. Seed stock of the reviewed CIF were distributed during the step-down trainings.
EpiC continues strategic engagements on the support of the development of a data- sharing framework between surveillance databases/tools (SORMAS/NADIS), the research and policy framework for coordinating Mpox research to guide future responses. EpiC is a part of the National One Health Technical Committee (NOHTC) led by the DG NCDC/FMOH, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria (CVON)/Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and the Director Pollution Control and Environmental Health/Federal Ministry of Environment. EpiC also joined the National Mpox Technical Working group (TWG). All of these collaborations and coordination efforts is geared towards enhancing knowledge sharing among partners and aligning the objectives of the project with the sector wide approach in tackling challenges in health program implementation in Nigeria.
In December 2021, with USAID funding an the assessment of 21 countries on the capacity to use and maintain LOX Infrastructures was done and in July 2022, Nigeria was selected amongst 15 countries to expand their LOX infrastructure. As part of efforts to strengthen the medical oxygen ecosystem in Nigeria, USAID through EpiC is currently supporting 10 tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. At the end of the implementation cycle each health facility will receive various levels of support including a 10,000 cubic meters tank, infrastructure upgrade/piping of 150 beds and six (6) months supply of LOX for efficiency and to meet the demands for medical oxygen and the development and deployment of sustainability plans for the various health facilities.
As part of efforts to enhance coordination in the Medical Oxygen space the EpiC project convened the inaugural Medical Oxygen dialogue, this meeting the first of its kind provided the platform for thought leaders and stakeholders in the medical oxygen space to deliberate and come up with innovative ideas on how to enhance the access to medical oxygen in Nigeria.
EpiC Nigeria, continues to diversify and leverage on strategic partnerships, operational, and developmental networks, to explore ways to build local capacity and sustainability at National and Sub-national levels, across technical, institutional and financial domains with our various scopes of work. We conduct capacity strengthening and skills transfer through embedded staff, using collaborative approaches to train, coach, deliver feedback and making influence with or without authority. Our current work is majorly with Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies at National and Subnational levels, such as National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Departments of Hospital Services and Planning Research and Statistics of the FMOH, the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) and their equivalents at respective states. We work through technical working groups (TWG) and communities of practice (COP) to drive knowledge management, strategic communication, advocacy and policy change. We map and forge partnerships with critical community structures and health facilities to drive ownership and improve health seeking behavior of target beneficiaries. We work with a willingness to adapt to emerging needs of our stakeholders and see every challenge as an opportunity to learn and to grow as we teach.