Health

5Oct By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

Africa CDC Inaugurates West Africa Committee To Strengthen Public Health

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has launched the West Africa Regional Technical Advisory Committee (ReTAC). The role of the ReTAC is to provide technical guidance and operational support for the West Africa Regional Coordinating Centre (WA RCC). Herilinda Temba, the acting regional director of the West Africa Regional Coordinating Centre (WA RCC) under the Africa CDC, said this in a statement on Friday. Ms Temba said the inauguration was a significant step towards enhancing regional collaboration and preparedness in combating public health emergencies. She said the launch of West Africa ReTAC marked another key milestone towards full operationalisation of the RCC in West Africa. Ms Temba said the initiatives were pivotal to driving the reg...

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6Sep By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

Edo Declares Cholera Outbreak, Confirms Six Cases

The Ministry of Health in Edo on Thursday declared a cholera outbreak in the state, confirming six cases of the disease so far.Stephenson Ojeifo, the director of public health, announced this during a news conference in Benin. Mr Ojeifo said six confirmed cases were identified among the 40 suspected cholera cases recorded in Edo. “We sent 23 suspected samples that tested positive to the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja for a confirmatory test. “We also have three suspected samples that tested negative to RDT but with obvious clinical signs and symptoms. The total number of samples sent to the national reference laboratory for confirmatory testing are 26. “As of Tuesday this week, we received 15 results out of which six were confirmed po...

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31Aug By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

Edo Records One Confirmed Case Of Mpox In Eight Months

Stephenson Ojeifo, the director of public health at Edo State Ministry of Health, says the state recorded one confirmed mpox case between January and August. In an interview with journalists on Friday, Mr Ojeifo said the confirmed case was among the 11 suspected cases recorded in the state during the period under review. “All 11 samples were sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja. We have gotten 10 tested results and one outstanding result, which we are expecting to come. “The outstanding is due to the fact that the patient’s sample was collected in Delta State, but the patient is from Edo, so the result will come through Delta. “Out of the 10 results obtained, we have one positive case. The case was among the three suspected cases reported earlier in the month of ...

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28Aug By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

Brain Brain Has Reduced Staff Of National Hospital Abuja To 2,500-CMD

The National Hospital Abuja says the health sector’s brain drain has reduced its workforce from 3,000 to 2,500.This is despite its 25 years of medical breakthroughs and significant staff expansion, Muhammad Raji, its chief medical director, said in an interview in Abuja on Tuesday. Mr Raji highlighted the hospital’s achievements and ongoing impact amid the staffing challenges. Reflecting on the hospital’s growth over its 25-year history, the CMD said it began operations with a few staff members, offering limited services primarily for women and children. He mentioned that the hospital now had no fewer than 2,500 workforces, pointing out, “If was not for the brain drain affecting our workforce, we would be talking about 3,000 today,” he added. Mr Raji recalled that years ago, m...

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20Aug By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

Mpox: Doctors Warn Nigerians Against Consuming Undercooked Bush Meat

The Association of Resident Doctors, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (ARD-UITH) has warned against the consumption of undercooked bush meat to avoid the deadly mpox virus.The president of ARD-UITH, Yusuf Muhammed, told journalists on Monday in Ilorin that people should also avoid contact with dead animals as much as possible. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak of mpox in parts of Africa a public health emergency of international concern. The ARD-UITH president explained that “mpox is not entirely new, but at some point, new strains commonly appear, and in recent times, WHO sent warnings that the strain that is currently detected is a new one. “The fear is that the antibody that humans have may not be able to protect against it like the strain tha...

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14Aug By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

WHO Convenes Emergency Committee Amid Global Mpox Outbreak

The World Health Organisation said cases of the infectious viral disease mpox are on the rise around the world, adding that it convened its emergency committee to discuss the outbreak. WHO convenes emergency committee amid global mpox outbreakThe WHO said that the constitution of an emergency committee was to alert health authorities to a rise in cases.The WHO reported this on Tuesday from Geneva. Confirmed cases of the disease, formerly known as monkeypox, declined slightly in June to 934 from 963 in May, but the WHO is assuming the cases are probably higher, as not all cases are being recorded and testing has declined. The committee is to discuss the spread of a new clade, or variant, on Wednesday as they deliberate on whether a Public Health Emergency of International Concern ...

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10Aug By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

MPOX: African Countries To Declare Public Health Emergency

The African continent is poised to declare a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security as the mpox outbreak continues to spread across many countries. Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC), said this during a webinar on Thursday on the mpox outbreak situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries. Mpox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It is similar to smallpox, though generally less severe. It is characterised by symptoms such as fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes. The disease can spread from animals to humans and between humans; through close contact, respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and other health bodies renamed monkeypox to “pox” in 2022...

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23Jun By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

Reps Minority Leader Calls For State Of Emergency On Cholera

The minority leader in the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers), has urged the federal government to declare a state of emergency over the cholera outbreak in the country. He made the call in a statement on Saturday, stressing the need for coordinated joint stakeholder action against the outbreak to nip it in the bud. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had earlier announced the outbreak of the water-borne disease in 30 states of the federation. Mr Chinda, therefore, stated that “the outbreak highlights critical deficiencies in public health safety measures and underscores the need for immediate action.” According to him, a lack of adequate investment in public and personal health education has contributed significantly to the spread of preventable ...

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26May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

WHO Releases Strategic Framework For Mpox Prevention, Control

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a strategic framework for the prevention and control of Mpox. This is contained in a statement issued by the organisation on Friday. According to the statement, Mpox has continued to affect people around the world. It added that the new framework would guide health authorities, communities and other stakeholders in preventing and controlling any outbreaks. “It will also eliminate human-to-human transmission of the disease and reduce spillover of the virus from animals to humans.” The world body defined Mpox as a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). It can cause painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick. The virus transmits from person to person through...

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9May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

HPV: UNICEF Seeks Stakeholders’ Commitment To HPV Vaccine Uptake In Nigeria

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) visited critical stakeholders in Ibadan on Wednesday to seek their commitment to promoting trust in and uptake of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine in Oyo State and Nigeria at large. Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, the social and behaviour change specialist at UNICEF Lagos, led the advocacy visitation of the UNICEF team. Among the stakeholders the team visited were community and traditional rulers, market heads and religious leaders. Ms Akinola-Akinwole said the essence of the advocacy visit was to create awareness among girls between nine and 14 about the importance of the HPV vaccine. She called on all stakeholders, including parents and caregivers, to join the organisation to promote the trust and uptake of the HPV vaccine, saying th...

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1May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

WHO: Immunisation Key To Preventing Childhood Killer Diseases

Musa Mahdi, the Plateau coordinator of the World Health Organisation (WHO), says vaccination is imperative in preventing vaccine-preventable diseases in children. Mr Mahdi said this on Tuesday in Jos during the commencement of the African Vaccination Week. The coordinator said that diseases such as smallpox were eradicated globally through vaccination. He further noted that vaccination reduced the burden of many vaccine-preventable diseases. He urged parents and guardians to ensure that their infants and toddlers were fully immunised to help build herd immunity and prevent diseases in children. Raymond Juylit, the executive secretary of Plateau State Primary Health Care Board, encouraged parents and caregivers to always provide their infants and toddlers with immunisation. ...

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27Apr By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

Plateau Government Fines 103 For Violating Sanitation Laws

The Plateau Environment Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA) says 103 persons in Jos -Bukuru metropolis have been sanctioned by the mobile courts for violating the sanitation laws. The director-general of the agency, Samuel Dapiya, who disclosed this on Saturday in Jos while monitoring the exercise, also said the exercise recorded minimal compliance by residents of the Jos-Bukuru axis. Mr Daniya said there was partial compliance in Jos North from Gangare to Salisu Adamu area on Bauch road, as the youths were seen evacuating waste and dumping same in the dust bins provided by the agency. Mr Dapiya, further said in Jos South, around Anguldi Junction,the heavy vehicular grid lock showed the non challant attitude of the people towards the exercise. According to the D-G, going ...

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22Mar By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

NCDC: Lassa Fever Killed 20 Across 16 States In One Week

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said it registered new cases of Lassa fever and 20 deaths across 16 states in one week. According to the NCDC, the period spans from February 26 to March 3. The NCDC, via its official website, said that for week nine of 2024, there was an increase in the confirmed cases from 96, in week eight. Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic (excessive bleeding) illness transmitted to humans through contact with food or household items contaminated by infected rodents or contaminated persons. Its symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pains, chest pain, and in severe cases, unexplainable bleeding from ears, eyes, nose, mouth and other body openings. The ...

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3Mar By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

World Atlas Predicts Rise In Obesity-Related Deaths

The 2024 World Obesity Atlas paints a concerning picture, indicating a significant rise in adult obesity if immediate action is not taken. The report, released ahead of World Obesity Day on Sunday, projected an increase from 0.81 billion people in 2020 to 1.53 billion in 2035. The World Health Organisation defines obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation posing health risks. It affects over 25 BMI. In 2019 alone, an estimated five million non-communicable disease deaths were attributed to higher-than-optimal BMI. Once seen primarily in high-income nations, obesity now pervades middle-income countries, with 79 per cent of affected adults projected to reside in low- and middle-income countries by 2035. Similarly, 88 per cent of affected children are expected to live ...

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29Feb By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

Economic Hardship: More Nigerians Prone To Mental Health Crisis, Says Psychiatrist

A consultant psychiatrist, Taiwo Obindo, on Wednesday, said some Nigerians might be prone to developing mental health conditions due to the visible hardships in the country. Mr Obindo, the president of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), said this in an interview in Lagos. He said the current economic hardship, coupled with the level of poverty and other social factors in the country, might likely inflict mental illness on more Nigerians. He listed the social factors, including the high cost of living, kidnapping, financial problems, inflation, child abuse, rape, broken homes and broken marriages, traumatic experiences and degrees of violence, among others. Mr Obindo explained that people who were predisposed to social factors were more likely to develop mental ...

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6Feb By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

NAFDAC Bans Production Of Alcohol In Sachets, Pet Bottles

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has banned the production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml. Kazeem Adeniran, NAFDAC assistant chief regulation officer, investigation and enforcement, announced the development on Monday at a two-day enforcement exercise in Ota, Ogun state. Adeniran said the ban is in line with the agreement reached by a tripartite committee set up in 2018 by the federal ministry of health. He said part of the 2018 agreement was that distillers, under the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), would stop the production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml with effect from January 31, 2024. Adeniran said the committee was made up of representatives of NAFDAC, DI...

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9Oct By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health

Diphtheria: Yobe Records 117 Deaths, 1,796 Suspected Cases

The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has confirmed that 117 children have died following a diphtheria outbreak in Yobe since 2022. The agency, however, said 1,600 children had recovered from the disease within the period under review. Faisal Shuaib, the agency’s executive director, stated this during an inspection visit to the diphtheria isolation centre in Potiskum, the disease’s epicentre in the state. He said 1,796 cases of the disease had been reported in Yobe since November 22, adding that the disease was more prevalent among children aged five to 14. Mr Shuaib, who led the Diphtheria Emergency Task Team to the state, expressed satisfaction with the diphtheria vaccination conducted in Potiskum and 17 other local government areas. “By October 12, ...

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7Aug By Alaba AbdulrazakNo Comments

Health, News

NMA To FG: Reverse ‘No Work, No Pay’ Plan- It Will Destroy Medical Sector

The FCT Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA-FCT) has urged the federal government to reconsider its “no work, no pay” proposed policy for medical workers, saying the act will further destroy the sector. The call by the association was made in collaboration with the Nasarawa and Kogi chapters at a news conference on Sunday in Abuja to usher in the 2023 annual general meeting and scientific conference of the NMA. Charles Ugwuanyi, the NMA chair in Abuja, condemned the proposed policy by the Federal Government, which took the decision following the National Association of Residents Doctors strike. According to Mr Ugwuanyi, if the government continues with the plan, it will further encourage the perceived healthcare challenge of the dearth of doctors, where most have alre...

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2May By Sharpedge NewsNo Comments

Health, Recent Stories

Don’t Joke With Your Health, Oyebanji Advises Civil Servants

The Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has advised civil servants to attach great importance to their health and strike a balance between work and rest to avert untimely death. Governor Oyebanji gave the advice on Monday, while flagging off the construction of the Ekiti State Civil Service Senior Staff Club and Recreation Centre in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital. The foundation-laying ceremony which was withnessed by the deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, Speaker of the state Assembly, Rt Hon Bunmi Adelugba, labour leaders and top government officials was done immediately after the workers day taly at the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion Ado Ekiti. The governor, who described the project as historic, urged top government functionaries to always strike a balance betw...

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25Jan By Gami TadanyigbeNo Comments

Health, Recent Stories

Clinic Inaugurates Advanced Screening Test for Pregnant Women

EHA Clinics, an integrated health care provider, has introduced an advanced screening test for pregnant women which estimates the risk of a foetus with Down’s syndrome (T21), Edward’s syndrome (T18) and Patau’s syndrome(T13). This is contained in a statement issued by Mary Yakubu, Chief of Staff of EHA Clinics, in Abuja on Tuesday made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The advanced screening is known as IONA® Care test, a non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) service carried out on a small blood sample taken from the mother’s arm with no risk of miscarriage. Yakubu said this is an ultrasound scan to measure the nuchal translucency (NT), combined with a blood test. “This is less accurate than NIPT, detecting about 85 per cent of babies with Down’s syndrome,’’ she said....

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