Chioma Umeha

• Experts vow to nip it in the bud Irked by the country’s worsening indices of malnutrition, especially in the North, a group of experts who have vowed to take the bulls by the horn, announced in Abuja, on Thursday morning, that they will dig to the root of the cankerworm. The professionals who are from the federal and state governments, development partners, civil society and academia believes that child malnutrition is critical to reducing the staggeringly high rate of child malnutrition in northern Nigeria. There are approximately 1.7 million severely acutely malnourished children under-five in Nigeria, accounting for a tenth of the global total. This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under- five and maternal mortality due to acute malnutrition in the world. Nearly a thousand Nigerian children die of malnutrition-related causes every day a total of 361,000 each year. Acute malnutrition also leads to stunting of children causing life-long physic

Starting your day off with warm lemon water is thought to have a ton of health benefits – and it has been an Ayurvedic practice for a long time. Here are more health benefits of drinking lemon water first thing in the morning. Lemon fruit Aids in digestion Not only does warm water help to stimulate the GI tract, the lemons are believed to stimulate and purify the liver. It also helps digestive acids with digestion and elimination. Supports immune function Citrus fruits like lemon are high in vitamin C and ascorbic acid. Vitamin C can help fight colds and ascorbic acid helps iron absorption which also plays a role in immune function. Alkalizes the body If your body is in a chronic pH imbalance, it’s susceptible to disease. Even though lemons seem acidic, they are extremely alkalizing and a great way to ensure your pH balance is where it should be especially if your diet is heavy in meat, cheese and/or alcohol. Helps Detox Lemon water is a natural diuretic,

The Bauchi State Traditional Ruler, Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman has pledged that traditional and religious institutions in the State would continue to be advocacy champions for child and family health to ensure government’s commitments to achieve it. The traditional ruler said this known during a dialogue session on child and family health with the media organised by Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) under the aegis of Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) in Bauchi state, during the weekend. He said: “The traditional, religious and community leaders will intensify advocacy efforts to ensure sustainable routine immunization, management of childhood killer diseases, apart from encouraging the communities to embrace appropriate nutrition status. Also, Islam is not against family planning and immunization. I therefore encourage parents to immunize their children to build a healthy society.” free health screening fo

Inadequate opoid for the treatment of serious pain and lack of access to narcotic drugs for the management of similar conditions have remained a major health concern especially people suffering from these health conditions. The Acting Director General of National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs. Yetunde Oni expressed this concern at the presentation and dissemination of the 2015 Annual Report of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) at NAFDAC corporate headquarters in Abuja. In a statement, signed by Ephraim Anjembe, Public Relation Unit (PR Unit) NAFDAC, Mrs. Oni said the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC with the support of INCB have made tremendous progress toward meeting the country’s requirements of opiods. She noted that under the National Drug Control Master Plan, provisions have been made to decentralize the distribution of narcotic drugs by the establishment of zonal drug distribution centres in the six geo-political z

Nutritionists and paediatricians have reaffirmed that giving water to babies in their first six months when they are undergoing exclusive breastfeeding is unnecessary. The experts, made the declaration at a one-day symposium orgaanised by Promasidor Nigeria Limited on Tuesday in Enugu. The theme of the symposium was ‘The Nutrition Wisdom of Infant Feeding Choices.” They include Professor (Mrs.) Ngozi Nnam, the President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), Dr Ngozi Ibeziako, President of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN), Mrs. Stella Umunna, a retired Deputy Director/ Head of Nursing at Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital in Anambra State and Dr Patrick Eze, former National President, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM). They also called on husbands, mothers-in-laws, government and the society in general to support women to exclusively breastfeed their babies in the first six months and apply wisdom in introducing alternatives afterwards.

Though the word, Endometriosis is tongue twisting, the health disorder is common with one in every 10 women of reproductive ages, suffering from its unbearable pain. Regrettably, there is poor awareness among many women concerning the disease. Even some of those in the medical world began only recently to identify the symptoms and pay proper attention to the health condition. In view of this, a Non –Governmental Organisation (NGO), Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria (ESGN) in collaboration with Nordica Fertility Centre and the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) 2015, has taken awareness of the health disorder to Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos. Central to the objective of the sensitization exercise, according to the Managing Director, Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, and ESGN representative, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, was to educate the girls about the devastating health implications of Endometriosis and the need to seek early medical intervention for those affected. Addressing t

To avert possible local transmission of Zika virus in areas where Aedes mosquitoes are more active, the Federal Government has been urged to institute proper vector control and effective surveillance throughout the Federation. Making the call during a special presentation on Zika virus in Lagos, the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Prof. Innocent Ujah, said although a serological study carried out on Nigeria showed that 40 per cent of the urban population had neutralising antibodies to Zika virus there is need for an informed policy to combat any disease outbreak. According to Ujah, even if one person dies of the virus, it is significant to the country as efforts should not be about statistics but human beings. He stressed the need for government to identify areas of high risk and put vector surveillance measures in place. “The virus is contracted from Aedes aegypty mosquitoes and there is need for Nigerians to maintain healthy en

A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos yesterday sentenced a lady, Clara Onah, 35 to seven years imprisonment over manufacture, distribution and sale of fake drugs. Onah was charged by the National Agency for Food, Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria on five count charges bordering on possession and sale of fake drugs. A graduate of Microbiology of the University of Nigeria and a postgraduate student of Mass Communication, Onah resides at No 12, Mosalashi St., Alagbado Lagos. In the charge, the accused was said to have committed the offence on January 26,2016. The prosecutor,Umaru Shamaki told the court that the accused sold fake brand of 200 mg of Amazon Amagyl a brand of Metronidazole tablets to members of the public. When the accused was arraigned and the five count charge read to her in the earlier sitting, she had pleaded guilty to all. Shamaki had therefore urged the court to remand the accused pending

…PSN inaugurates new boss, pledges support  for local  industries It was a historic event with pleasant memories for the new President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, as the elites of the health industry, friends and colleagues gathered at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, to witness his inauguration and the investiture of new fellows of the society which took place penultimate Thursday. 70 new fellows were inducted to the board of fellows of the society, the same day. Yakasai, the 20th President of the 89-year-old association was elected at the 88th annual national conference of PSN November, last year. While delivering his inaugural address, Yakasai promised to serve humanity through public health, expansion of the knowledge base of Pharmacists and protection of the rights of the patients. He emphasized the need for cooperation among all healthcare professionals and urged the Minister of Health to organize an inter-profe

Imagine a patient reporting to a hospital with lymphoma, a potentially curable disease. Unfortunately, given its clinical similarities to tuberculosis (TB), lymphoma was misdiagnosed and the patient treated unnecessarily with potentially harmful TB medication. Research has shown that about 70 per cent of the indices required for effective disease management or surveillance emanating from the medical laboratory. A patient who visits the hospital expects that the symptoms presented will prompt the proper diagnosis, leading to a successful treatment and recovery. But, negligence leads to misdiagnose of a condition, creating additional health concerns for the patient. The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) has therefore embarked fresh regulatory exercise towards achieving quality laboratory diagnosis across the country. MLSCN has also restated its vows to shut down any facility which are illegally operating without the council’s certification and below its s

Lagos State Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode today at the Federal Palace Hotel Lagos launched a groundbreaking campaign to end violence against children. By doing so, Lagos became the first State in Nigeria to respond to the call of the President and Commander in Chief of the country, Muhammadu Buhari, for every State to initiate their own campaigns during the national Year of Action to End Violence against Children, which was launched on September 15, last year. Yesterday’s launch was collaboration between Lagos state, the US Mission in Nigeria, UNICEF and other development partners.  “We have a clear moral, legal and economic imperative to end violence against children” says Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, “We cannot allow the findings or the priority actions to remain on paper.” Millions of children suffer violence every year in Nigeria – approximately six out of every 10 children experience some form of physical, emotional and sexual violence before the age of 18 years, according

The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has said that the one per cent health provision from Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) in the National Health 2014, was not too late for current appropriation, stating that the committee would critically scrutinise the budget to work out the modality to accommodate the allocation to provide for effective health care services at all levels. The Chairman made this known during an advocacy visit to Speaker of the House, Hon. Yakubu Dogara by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and a developmental partner, primarily to advocate for fund mobilisation and adequate budgetary allocation to child and family health in the country. “While the whole essence of advocacy is to educate and inform the legislature of important issues affecting the country, the issues affecting budgetary allocation to child and family canvassed by the group have informed the Committee to without further delay, co

As more winners continue to emerge every day in the Astymin Get Alert Promo, more accolades have continued to trail the Astymin brand from many Nigerians, including winners who emerged and are being rewarded by the brand. The promo which commenced on the 1st of February to reward Nigerians for their loyalty and support, as part of the celebration of its fifteen years of existence in the country, has seen many Nigerians smiling to the bank courtesy of the promo. Many of the winners believe that Astymin is not only delivering positively on their health and well-being through its essential amino-acid and multivitamins; it is also putting smiles on their faces by subtly touching their lives where it matters. One of the lucky winners, InuolajiBukolaAjara shared her experience on the Astymin Get Alert Promo and how she intends to improve her business with her prize reward. She said she has been using Astymin with her family after trying it the first time, following doctor’

Nescafé , a brand of Nestle products, recently identified with social media week in Lagos, Nigeria to boost and share ideas, innovations and insights into how social media and technology are changing business, society and culture worldwide. A statement signed by Dr. Sam Adenekan, Head of corporate communications, Nestle Nigeria plc, said that the fourth West African edition of the annual international conference takes place from February 22-26, 2016, highlighting this year’s theme of ‘The Networked African: Technology’s Impact on Africa (and How We Can Harness it for Good)’. Social Media Week brings together global brands, agencies, publishers, start-ups and platform companies to promote engagement through creative ideation and strategy, experiential design, original content, product and brand integration, campaign launches, video production and community management from across the continent. As part of Nescafé’s partnership with Social Media Week, the brand will lead