Health

Africa Lags Behind in Trans Fat Elimination Efforts, says WHO Report

According to a new status report from the World Health Organization (WHO), five billion people globally remain unprotected from harmful trans fat, increasing their risk of heart disease and death. Despite the global goal for its total elimination in 2023, progress towards this target has been slow, with only 43 countries having implemented best-practice policies for tackling trans fat in food, protecting 2.8 billion people globally. Industrially produced trans fat is commonly found in packaged foods, baked goods, cooking oils and

Why the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be declared over yet

While the COVID-19 pandemic has declined significantly in 2022, there are still many gaps and uncertainties that prevent the World Health Organization (WHO) from declaring the pandemic over. Addressing journalists recently, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that gaps in surveillance, testing, vaccination, treatment, and health systems are preventing the ending of the pandemic. Gaps in surveillance, testing and sequencing mean we do not understand well enough how the virus is changing; Gaps in vaccination mean that millions

WHO recommends against the use of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its living guideline on COVID-19 therapeutics to include convalescent plasma. For non-severe COVID-19 patients, WHO recommends against its use, while it should only be used within clinical trials for severe and critical COVID-19 patients. Convalescent plasma is a transfusion of blood plasma from someone who has recovered from COVID-19. Current evidence shows that convalescent plasma does not improve survival or reduce the need for mechanical ventilation, while it has significant costs. An independent panel of experts,

At least one in seven children in sub-Saharan Africa experiences significant psychological hardship

At least one in seven children in sub-Saharan Africa experiences significant psychological hardship. As the world marks World Mental Health Day, UNICEF and WHO shine a light on the need for increased investment and access to mental health prevention and response services on the continent. Children and adolescents are always at risk of developing mental health problems, especially vulnerable children facing poverty, discrimination and violence. The lack of access to basic social, health and education services, combined with wide-reaching structural inequalities,

Why Nigerian doctors are commencing indefinite strike from August 2

From Monday August 2, Nigerian doctors under the umbrella body of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) will commence an indefinite nationwide strike. This action, the association said, is as a result of the expiration of a 113-day ultimatum that was issued to governments at the state and federal levels, to address the issues of welfare, training and service delivery by resident doctors. Addressing journalists on Saturday, NARD President, Dr Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, said the decision to embark on strike was

The benefits of milk as a nutritional safety net for children

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

Top 5 Stories From #PCOSWithMedplus Showing The Importance Of Health Awareness Campaigns

Using the hashtag, #PCOSWithMedplus, Nigeria’s leading health and beauty retail pharmaceutical chain, Medplus Pharmacy reached out to audiences to share their stories with PCOS and its relevant symptoms, from irregular periods, difficulty getting pregnant, weight gain, to excessive hair growth. Mrs. Joke Bakare, Medplus Founder and CEO, commented, “PCOS is a major condition that impacts several aspects of life for women, but yet, it tends to be under-recognized by women as they have no idea what their symptoms mean, and end

High blood pressure in adults

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Chocolate prevents heart disease

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