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Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organisation (WHO), Regional Director for Africa, says African Region is on the verge of being certified free of wild poliovirus. Moeti disclosed this on Tuesday at the ongoing virtual World Health Assembly 2020 in Geneva.
This is the first time the assembly, which is WHO’s main governing body, will convene virtually since the pandemic began. According to her, the development is a major public health milestone in Africa. The regional director, however, called for continued support to make healthcare a reality for every African.
The Chairman of the Kogi State branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Kabir Zubair has said that testing for the Coronavirus disease remains a challenge in the state.
The state NMA chairman stated this on Thursday, in a reaction to the report by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), that only one testing sample has so far been sent in for checking by Kogi. The test result returned negative.
Reps tackle health minister over explanation on Chinese doctors
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The House of Representatives has picked holes in the explanations by the Federal Government on the status of the 15 Chinese doctors and health workers who came into Nigeria on April 8, 2020, with the claim of coming to assist the government in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the plenary on Tuesday, the House resolved that the Minister of Health, Prof. Osagie Ehanire, should give the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, a “full status report” on the expatriates. 1tcA member, Mr Dachung Bagos, had moved a motion to demand a probe into the activities of the Chinese medical personnel, especially due to the conflicting information from officials of the Federal Government.
COVID-19: Despite Pause Of Trial By WHO, Nigeria To Continue Chloroquine Trial
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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has said it would continue the trial of Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment despite the announcement of a temporary pause by the World Health Organisation.
WHO had on Monday cited safety concerns for the temporary pause of the trial of Hydrochloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Speaking on the continuation of the trial in Nigeria, Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, who spoke during an interview on Television Continental on Tuesday, said the drug had proven to be effective for mild case COVID-19 patients.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved N10 billion aggregate loan request by pharmaceuticals and other health care organizations from its earlier announced N100 billion facility to enable the entities produce items to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The apex bank Director, Corporate Communications, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, confirmed that “on the loan component about N10bn worth of applications have already been approved and many more are being processed.”
Nigeria records 389 new cases of COVID-19, highest daily figure ever, NCDC says
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Nigeria on Wednesday reported 389 new confirmed new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total of confirmed infections in the country to 8,733. NAN reports that the figure is the highest daily cases so far reported since the beginning of the outbreak in the country.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday reported that COVID-19 cases in Africa as at May 26 had risen to over 123, 000. The WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, gave the update on its official twitter handle @WHOAFRO.
“There are over 123,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent – with more than 50,000 recoveries and 3,600 deaths,’’ it said. The figures show that South Africa, Algeria and Nigeria have the highest reported cases in the continent.
Lagos Govt Assesses 329 Primary Health Care Centres, To Commission 23 More Centres
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As part of efforts to revitalize Primary Health Care system in Lagos state, the State government has carried out a comprehensive assessment on no fewer than 329 primary health centres in the State.
The State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi made this known on Wednesday at a press briefing held to commemorate the first year in office of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Speaking on the objective of the assessment, Abayomi said it focused on the level of functionality and geographical positioning system of the Primary Health Centres to identify gaps for service improvement efforts.
87 Patients Discharged In Lagos After Testing Negative For Coronavirus
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Eighty seven patients were on Wednesday discharged from various isolation centres in Lagos after testing negative for coronavirus twice, bringing the number of those discharged to 825. The state Ministry of Health disclosed this on its twitter handle, adding that those discharged comprised 47 males and 40 females.
The ministry said of those discharged, 26 were from Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba; 24 from Onikan, 12 from Eti-Osa (LandMark), 11 from Agidingbi, nine from Gbagada and five from Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) isolation centres.
Doctors Refusing To Treat Patients Of Other Ailments Over Fear Of COVID-19, Says PTF
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More deaths are being recorded in patients with other ailments because medical institutions in the country are refusing to handle cases because of fear of contracting coronavirus, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the pandemic has observed.
Chairman of the task force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, who said this at its briefing in Abuja on Thursday, expressed regrets that government tertiary medical institutions are also guilty of it.
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‘Poor COVID-19 Preventive Measures In Pregnancy Can Worsen Nigeria’s Maternal Mortality’
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ALTHOUGH a high proportion of pregnant women in Nigeria have the knowledge of COVID-19 infection, at least 70 per cent of them do not adhere to its preventive measures such as regular hand washing with soap and water to avoid the infection, a study has said.
In a research, which spanned a 2-month period, held among 284 pregnant women at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, adhering to preventive measures against person-to-person transmission of coronavirus infection was poor. This was contained in the April edition of the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics.
European governments should not cut healthcare spending during the current economic crisis sparked by the coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdowns, the World Health Organization warned on Thursday.
“We are concerned that countries will respond to this crisis in the same way they did to the recession 10 years ago… by cutting public spending on health,” WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, told a press conference. “Those cuts prevented many people from accessing the healthcare that they needed.”
Three out of the numerous claims of COVID-19 herbal cure have been validated and forwarded to relevant authorities for validation, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has said. To this end, the PTF called on researchers and scientists to take up the challenge and come boldly forward with their innovation.
Speaking at the resumed daily briefing on of the PTF in Abuja on Wednesday, the Secretary to the government of the Federation and PTF chairman, Boss Mustapha, said that the validation was made by the Federal Ministry of Health after holding a virtual meeting with
Minister of state for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, says the World Health Organisation (WHO) cannot dictate to Nigeria on the steps to take in the fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Recall that the WHO on Monday announced the suspension of the solidarity trial which featured the use of hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients. WHO director-general, Tedros Ghebreyesus, had said the global health body decided to halt the trial due to safety concerns. However, on Tuesday, the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Moji Adeyeye,
