According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 75% of all abortions in Africa are unsafe. It added that across the world, women in Africa have the highest risk of dying from unsafe abortion. While the WHO recently raised alarm regarding unsafe abortion, the situation is most severe in Africa where abortion is largely unsafe and the risk of dying is highest but this does not mean that it is not a global crisis. According to the WHO, 45% of
Late October 2020, Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it received a report about the US FDA’s warning on the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) around 20 weeks or later in pregnancy which may cause rare but serious kidney problems in an unborn baby. This can result in low amniotic fluid. “After about 20 weeks of pregnancy, the unborn babies’ kidneys produce most of the amniotic fluid, so kidney problems can lead to low
These were my sister’s exact words following a sneer and her usual sarcastic laughter. She said this in response to the announcer whose voice boomed from the radio announcing 118 new cases of the Corona Virus recorded in Nigeria on the 19th of October 2020. Sadly, this is the reality of many Nigerians, nobody seems to care anymore. Why should they? There are a lot of myths surrounding the COVID-19 virus. This has especially increased after a lot of sectors relaxed
The DG of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has described health as the essential underpinning of productive, resilient and stable economies. He described the COVID-19 pandemic as a powerful demonstration that health is not a by-product of growth. The DG said this while delivering opening remarks at the G20 Leaders Summit. He threw his weight behind the call earlier this week for an immediate investment of US$4.5 billion for vaccines. “This is the smart thing to do, both
Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has confirmed it has been directed by Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, to enlist corps members in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). According to the NYSC leadership, arrangement has been concluded to implement the presidential directive. “Furthermore, the scheme has concluded arrangement with the NHIS for the enrolment of corps members into the NHIS in line with a presidential directive. We have also expended huge resources on critical health needs of corps members, including footing
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has announced that it is strongly encouraged by new study results showing that the antiretroviral medicine cabotegravir, which is administered by injection every two months, prevents HIV among women. The study shows that the long-acting injections among women in sub-Saharan Africa were 89% more efficient in preventing HIV compared to daily tablets of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). “These results are hugely significant. UNAIDS has long been calling for additional, acceptable and effective HIV prevention options
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed that it is supporting the governments of Delta and Enugu states in their response to suspected outbreak of yellow fever. In a statement, NCDC said this is following reports of a sudden spike in cases and deaths in some communities in both states. In a statement, the center said on the 2nd and 3rd of November 2020, it was notified by the state ministries of health of Delta and Enugu states respectively,
A genetically edited form of a herpes simplex virus — rewired to keep it from taking refuge in the nervous system and eluding an immune response — has outperformed a leading vaccine candidate in a new study from the University of Cincinnati, Northwestern University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Published Nov. 6 in the journal Nature Vaccines, the study found that vaccinating guinea pigs with the modified live virus significantly increased the production of virus-combating antibodies. When challenged with a virulent strain
As of 15th October 2020, the continent has a remarkably low 4.2% of the global burden of the disease and just a little above 3.5% of deaths. In this opinion piece, Africa CDC Director Dr. John Nkengasong, and AU Commissioner Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil describe what the continent of Africa still needs to do to beat the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone knows by now that due to a combination of leadership, environment, social ecology, demographics and as yet unknown biological and other