The rising rates of caesarean section suggest increasing numbers of medically unnecessary, potentially harmful procedures, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says. According to new research from the World Health Organization (WHO), caesarean section use continues to rise globally, now accounting for more than 1 in 5 (21%) of all childbirths. This number is set to continue increasing over the coming decade, with nearly a third (29%) of all births likely to take place by caesarean section by 2030, the research finds. While
A coalition of global health experts today called on the Group of Seven (G7) leaders to share at least 1 billion, and aim for 2 billion, vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries by the end of this year, and more urgently help countries distribute and deliver vaccines quickly and equitably across their populations, striving to achieve at least 60%, and ideally 70%, vaccination coverage in every country in 2022. President Biden and his G7 counterparts will meet at their annual
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and other members of an Independent Scientific Expert Group, have recommended a number of actions that should be urgently taken by members of the Group of Seven (G7) which is an intergovernmental organization consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. In their letter, the scientists noted that without a globally coordinated approach managing COVID-19 as a global public health crisis,
The reluctance or refusal to accept Covid-19 vaccinations can be tackled by a five-pronged strategy to addressing the behavioural and socio-demographic factors behind vaccine hesitancy. Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, a group of population health, demographic, epidemiology and behavioural scientists propose an approach focused on confidence, complacency, convenience, communication and context. While confidence in the safety and efficacy of vaccines is crucial, they write, complacency, particularly among younger people and those of lower socioeconomic status, is
New research published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) suggests the method used to calculate how obesity is measured may affect whether it is considered a risk factor for lung cancer. The JTO is an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Although the association between measures of obesity and both cancer incidence and outcome are clear in some solid tumor types such as breast, esophageal, and colon cancer, the relationship between obesity and lung cancer is
The perception of cancer screening an added cost and inconvenience is one of the major reasons why past efforts to raise awareness for cancer and treatment options have not been completely successful in improving cancer health behaviour amongst women in Nigeria. This was the submission of Nigerian First Ladies against Cancer (FLAC). At a press briefing held on Tuesday, FLAC members and Roche Nigeria noted that f it is institutionalized as one of the requisite tests, then cancer screening will become
Child malnutrition remains a public health problem in Nigeria. Child growth is the most widely used indicator of nutritional status in a community and is internationally recognized as an important public health indicator for monitoring health in populations (WHO). Childhood under-nutrition is characterized by failure to grow. Height-for-age (stunting), weight-for-height(wasting) and weight-for-age (underweight) are standard indices of physical growth that can be used to assess nutritional status. The Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2018 revealed that stunting amongst children under 5 years
WHO today validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing. The vaccine is produced by the Beijing-based pharmaceutical company Sinovac. “The world desperately needs multiple COVID-19 vaccines to address the huge access inequity across the globe,” said Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Health Products. “We urge manufacturers to participate in the COVAX Facility, share their