The attention of the National Veterinary Research Institute
(NVRI), Vom was drawn to Laboratory Tests Results of some
COVID-19 suspected cases for Plateau State currently
circulating on several platforms on the internet.
As a reputable and highly professional Institution with almost
100 years of providing quality diagnostic laboratory services,
we are shocked to witness this highly unethical and
unprofessional action.
Having given the relevant authorities sufficient notice to act,
and also being constantly inundated with calls from our local,
national and international partners for clarifications, it has
become necessary to state as follows:
1. The NVRI Vom is the National Veterinary Laboratory and has
consistently provided high quality diagnostic and research
data for many years.
2. The professionalism of the staff of the laboratory has led to
our laboratory serving as regional testing centre for some
highly pathogenic and zoonotic diseases like avian influenza
(H5N1) and monkeypox viruses, always delivering quality
services to even other African countries. The laboratory has
served in this capacity for upwards of 15 years in our recent
history without any breach in confidentiality.
3. An important component of our quality management system
and practice has been constantly demonstrated by the
stringent adherence to professional ethics which is at the core
of our values as an institution.
4. Never in our history has our integrity and professionalism
been brought to question. It is therefore with shock and grave
concern that we witness what has transpired with some of the
COVID 19 test results for Plateau State.
5. There is an established system of communication of
COVID-19 diagnostic results developed by the Nigeria Centre
for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and in line with
global best practice where patient confidentiality is paramount,
and the NVRI Laboratory has strictly followed this protocol
from inception.
6. As an institution with excellent record of professional and
ethical practice, our laboratory did not break the stated
protocol above and therefore did not in any way or form
divulge the said results to the public.
7. The NVRI Vom testing laboratory has received samples from
other States in the country including Plateau State since it
commenced testing of human samples for COVID-19, and we
cannot but wonder how such a confidential document for
Plateau State found its way to the social media and other
online platforms. This action has placed everything the NVRI
holds true and stands for in a bad light and threatens our well-
established reputation.
8. The NVRI laboratory condemns in strong terms this breach
of ethics and dissociates itself from any form of propagation
of the same.
9. We therefore call on all stakeholders involved in managing
COVID-19 case information for Plateau State to quickly take
definitive action by investigating this breach of professional
ethics and deal with it in order to forestall any future
occurrence.
10. We wish to restate our unflinching support to the collective
fight against this pandemic and declare the Institute’s resolute
determination in providing technical support in the most
professional manner while upholding the most stringent ethical
values at all times.
11. We remain grateful to all those who immediately called our
attention to this incidence while expressing their confidence in
the fact that such breach of protocol would be highly unlikely
to have emanated from us. Your confidence is of great value
to us and for this we are grateful.
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