National Institute of Virology (NIV)

The NIV was established in 1976 when the government took over the laboratories of the Poliomyelitis Research Foundation. The NIV is the national virology reference centre in the country and has several reference laboratories accredited by the World Health organization, the only biosafety level-four laboratory in Africa. This is the highest safety status accorded to a laboratory and it provides the environment for scientists to work with highly contagious and dangerous bio-hazardous materials and pathogenic organisms such as viruses causing Congo fever, Lassa fever and Ebola fever.