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197 people have ‘moderate drug-resistant’ tuberculosis in Lagos -Commissioner
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The Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says about 197 people in the state are living with ‘moderate drug-resistant’ tuberculosis. Abayomi said this on Wednesday in commemoration of the 2021 World TB Day organised by the Disease Control Directorate of the Lagos Ministry of Health.
In a series of tweets via his official Twitter handle @ProfAkinAbayomi, the commissioner said the moderate drug-resistant TB is a dangerous type of TB currently emerging. “A dangerous type of TB called ‘the moderate drug-resistant TB’ is currently emerging, this type of TB is resistant to the normal treatment and we have about 197 people with this type of TB,” he tweeted.
Aspirin may reduce risk of severe illness, COVID-19 deaths, study says
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A new study suggests that low-dose aspirin may have lung-protective effects and reduce the need for mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and in-hospital mortality in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
Researchers at George Washington University published their findings in the April 2021 edition of the monthly peer-reviewed journal Anesthesia & Analgesia:Volume 132 – Issue 4 – p 930-941. It is titled, ‘Aspirin Use Is Associated With Decreased Mechanical Ventilation, Intensive Care Unit Admission, and In-Hospital Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.’
What you can safely do after obtaining COVID-19 vaccination
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The United States Centres for Disease Control says that once someone completes the full dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine, they can gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
In the guidance released by the CDC on March 8, the agency also stated that a fully vaccinated person can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Nigeria Still Far from Achieving 2022 Target on TB Control, Says WHO
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World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed worry that the country may not be able to reach its set target of diagnosing and treating over 1.1 million TB cases by next year.
WHO’s worry came just as the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire said the first-line test for TB diagnosis, is barely 41 per vent; 317 out of 774 local government areas in the country.
The National Association of Resident Doctors threatens to embark on a nationwide strike on April 1, 2021 over “poor welfare packages and unpaid wages,” among other demands. This followed the expiration of the 60-day ultimatum given to the Federal Government on January 25 for the payment of salary arrears of House officers across the country and to review hazard allowance, among other demands.
NARD noted that it has lost 17 doctors since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, adding that families of deceased doctors are yet to benefit from the Death in Service Insurance Scheme. It also decried the continued payment of N5,000 as hazard allowance to its members,
How careless handling of umbilical cord exposes newborns to infection risk, death
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Child health specialists have condemned harmful cultural practices where unsterilised instruments are used to sever umbilical cord of newborns, saying such practices expose babies to risk of infection.
The pediatricians say in some cultures in some parts of the country, after cutting the umbilical cord, caregivers don’t even tie the cord, thereby exposing the baby to bleeding. According to the physicians, many babies have bled to death after cutting the umbilical cord.
Drinking ALCOHOL After Getting A Covid Vaccine: What To Know
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Many states across Nigeria have Flaged-off COVID19 vaccination; prioritizing frontline health workers in the first phase of the exercise but the big question is: Can you drink after you get your vaccine? Can you drink between doses? Should you wait to drink until after your last shot? If so, for how long should you wait?
The CDC’s guidelines for vaccine side effects include pain, nausea, muscle pain and headache, among others. The agency doesn’t include any advisories against alcohol use.
Why you should limit sugar content in your child’s foods, according to paediatrician
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A paediatrician, Dr. Nuhu Sule, has advised parents to limit their children’s consumption of sugary foods and beverages to avoid diabetes. Sule gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaduna on Wednesday. He said that sugary foods and beverages such as sodas, juice, iced teas and others contribute to excessive weight gain, which can lead to diabetes.
Sule, therefore, urged parents to provide healthy diet for their children. “Feed and encourage your child to eat low-fat, nutrient-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole-grain cereals and breads, dairy products, and lean proteins.
Nigeria must produce vaccines locally, Senate President says
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President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has called for concerted efforts towards developing COVID-19 vaccine locally. He stated that vaccine production has become a necessity for almost every country, urging Nigeria to create an enabling environment and allocate resources for its production.
Lawan warned that failure to produce the vaccines in Nigeria, herd immunity may not be achieved in the next five years. The Senate President made the call at the presentation of a report by the Young Parliamentarians Forum of the 9th National Assembly and supported by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in Abuja on Wednesday.
How we donate blood to our patients during emergencies -Physicians
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Physicians have decried the acute shortage of safe blood and blood products in the country, revealing that this had led to the deaths of many patients, especially now that insecurity has increased the demand for blood.
The physicians who spoke with our correspondent stated that as bad as the situation is, they sometimes donate blood, of their own volition, to their sick patients in their bid to keep such patients alive.
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A former first Vice-President of the National Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Julian Ojebo, says resident doctors decided to embark on an industrial strike on April 1 [today] following the deadlocked meetings with the Federal Government.
Ojebo, who is also a Specialist Registrar/Associate Fellow in Anaesthesia & Critical Care at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, spoke on Morning Crossfire, a live radio programme on Nigeria Info, on Thursday [today].
No serious side effects reported from AstraZeneca vaccine so far, says Navy hospital
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The Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo, Lagos, says it has not recorded any adverse effect from people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine in its facility. Head of Public Health Department at the NNRH, Dr. Munirat Afolayan, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos.
The hospital began the vaccination programme on March 15. Afolayan said that the hospital initiates follow-up on patients immediately after they are vaccinated, in order to observe if there would be adverse reactions.
Water supply paralysed, admission reduced as UCH changes 64-year-old pipes
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The Public Relations Officer of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Mr. Toye Akinnola, says the tertiary institution’s water supply has been disrupted by the ongoing renovation work.
Akinnola said that some of the pipes carrying water into the hospital were laid since the hospital was established in 1953, and they had never been changed, adding that the pipes buried underground were being removed and replaced.
There’s no functional MRI in any govt-owned hospital in Abuja, says NARD executive
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A former first Vice-President of the National Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Julian Ojebo, says none of the government-owned health institutions at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
According to him, the only MRI at the National Hospital, Abuja, is operated under a private partnership.
