Chikwe Ihekweazu

Chikwe Ihekweazu is a Nigerian epidemiologist and public health physician. He was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on 15 August 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari.[1][2]

Personal life

Chikwe was born to a Nigerian-German parents. His father is a Nigerian doctor and the mother, a German professor. Chikwe holds an MBBS from the University of Nigeria and a Masters in Public Health from Heinrich-Heine University, Germany.

Chikwe married his wife Vivianne Ihekweazu in 2003 and they have two children.

Career

He co-founded EpiAFRIC and Nigeria Health Watch as managing partner and editor respectively.[3] In 2011, he moved to Johannesburg, South Africa with his family to become the co-director of the Centre for Tuberculosis at the South Africa National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa and later as a medical epidemiologist consultant at United Kingdom's Health Protection Agency.[4] He is currently the Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC),[5] He was the acting director of the Regional Centre for Disease Control for West Africa. Following Nigeria's National Assembly bill and act, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) became an independent agency on 13 November 2018 and Chikwe emerged the first Director General of the agency.[6][7]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was part of a team of experts of the World Health Organisation on a joint mission to study the epidemic in China.

Health Advocacy

In 2007, Chikwe attended his first TED conference in Tanzania. It was reported by Nature that Chikwe criticized Nigeria for being unprepared for epidemics in his blog- 2009–10 H1N1 influenza pandemic, "Nigeria needs a central, well-resourced centre for infectious disease prevention and control, or one day we will pay the price the hard way".[8]

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References
  1. Organization, World Health. "Biographies of Members of, and Advisers to the 1st Meeting of the 2018 IHR Emergency Committee for Ebola Viral Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo". WHO.INT. World Health Organization. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  2. Maxmen, Amy (20 February 2019). "This Nigerian doctor might just prevent the next deadly pandemic". Nature. 566 (7744): 310–313. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00615-x. PMID 30787458.
  3. Health, Society for Family. "r. Chikwe Ihekweazu". sfhnigeria. Society for Family Health Nigeria. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  4. Africa, One. "Chikwe Ihekweazu Chief Executive Officer/ National Coordinator, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control". one.org. One Africa. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  5. NCDC, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. "Office of the Director General". ncdc.gov.ng. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  6. Owoseye, Ayodamola (13 November 2018). "Buhari signs bill establishing Nigeria Centre for Disease Control". Premium Times Nigeria. Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  7. Ebhomele, Eromosele (2 July 2019). "President Buhari appoints Ihekweazu as DG of government agency". Legit.ng – Nigeria news. Naij.com Media Limited. Legit. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  8. Maxmen, Amy (20 February 2019). "This Nigerian doctor might just prevent the next deadly pandemic". Nature. 566 (7744): 310–313. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00615-x. PMID 30787458.
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