Institute of Human Virology, fully indigenous, says Dakum

By Ikenna Osuoha

The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) is fully indigenous and operating as an organisation, its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Patrick Dakum, says.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday that the institute, since inception in 2004, had remained indigenous for the provision of quality healthcare for Nigerians through collaboration with the University of Maryland in the U.S.

We are fully indigenous. We collaborate with the University of Maryland in the U.S. and other partners through memorandum of understanding.

“We will continue to get technical support from University of Maryland in the area of programme implementation and HIV surveillance.”

Dakum, who said that the institute had qualified virologists and reputable scientists from Nigeria as researchers, including Prof. Emeritus Umaru Shehu as Chairman of the board, noted that Shehu was one of the researchers at the forefront of the eradication of small pox.

He added that IHVN’s collaboration with the University of Maryland was quite wide.