Chioma Umeha

By: CHIOMA UMEHA  Olumide Akintayo is the National President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN).  In this interview Akintayo speaks on World Pharmacists Day and the role of pharmacy in simplifying the use of medicines for patients’ benefit. CHIOMA UMEHA (HEALTH EDITOR) provided the details.  Excerpts:  Majority of people suffering hunger live in developing countries, where the prevalence of undernourishment is estimated at 14.3 per cent, the United Nations’ (UN) food agencies said on Tuesday. Of the 842 million hungry people in the world, 827 million live in Africa, the UN agencies said. Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment, with more than one in five people estimated to be undernourished, while most of the undernourished people are in southern Asia.  One in eight people around the world is chronically undernourished, the agencies also said, warning world leaders that some regions would fail in halving the number of hungry b

By: CHIOMA UMEHA Africa has highest proportion of undiagnosed diabetes A study by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) published in the World Diabetes Atlas Africa has said that the Africa continent highest proportion of undiagnosed diabetes which is about 78 per cent. It said Sub-Saharan Africa has more than 15 million of the 371 million people living with diabetes in the world.  It said an estimated 344,000 deaths in the region could be attributed to diabetes, which represents 6.1 per cent of deaths from all causes. The study which was contained in  news agency report weekend, revealed that investment, research, and health systems are slow to respond to this burden and remain focused primarily on infectious diseases. It said the region accounts for less than one per cent of global healthcare expenditures due to diabetes. It said estimates for the Africa region indicate that at least $2.8 billion was spent on healthcare due to diabetes in 2011; this expenditure due to

By: Chioma Umeha *The kid athletes with top Nigerian athletes Falilat Ogunkoya-Omotayo and Yussuf Alli during the Nestlé/IAAF Kids Athletics Activation in Ikeja, Lagos…yesterday, in Photo Nestlé Nigeria Plc, the beverage company has called for positive physical, health and social skills development of school-age-children by engaging them in sporting activities, apart from enhancing their qualities as future athletes Making the call was Dr Samuel Adenekan, Manager Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Nestlé, who explained that the company was the main sponsor of the just concluded International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) Kids Athletics programme.  According to him, supporting the just concluded International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) Kids Athletics programme, which is one of the biggest grassroots development programmes in the world of sports, was part of Nestle’s commitment to nutrition and health. A statement at the weekend

By: CHIOMA UMEHA The Child Protection Network(CPN) a coalition of n o n – governmental Organisations (NGOs) Civil Society Organisations (CBOs) and Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) and government agencies in 31 States and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) working in the area of Child Protection in the country have decried the removal of Section 29(4) (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the retention of Section 29(4) (b), last Wednesday, by lawmakers in the country.  A statement signed by the various representatives of CPN from the various geopolitical zones and states in the country condemned the Senate’s move. The statement read: “CPN decries in very strong terms the removal of Section 29(4) (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the retention of Section 29(4) (b) of the same on Wednesday July 17 by the members of the National Assembly.” According to them, the action violates the African Charter on the Rights and Wel

Chioma Umeha The World Health Organisation has released new clinical protocols and guidelines to health care workers for treating the mental health consequences of trauma and loss. Mental disorders are common, disabling and usually untreated, and WHO’s Mental Health Global Action Programme (mhGAP) was developed in 2008 to scale up care for mental, neurological and substance use disorders with simple treatment protocols that could be offered by primary health care doctors and nurses.  The clinical protocol and guidelines which was made available to the Ghana News Agency by Fadéla Chaib, WHO Spokesperson noted that the body is now extending the programme by including care for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress and bereavement within its global plan. It said traumatic events and loss are common in people’s lives; in a previous WHO study of 21 countries, more than 10 per cent of respondents reported witnessing violence (21.8 per cent) or experiencing interpers

By: Chioma Umeha There is increasing global concern over the rising incidence of hepatitis and its health implications as 1.4 million die yearly from the five hepatitis viruses that cause severe liver infections. Against this background, the World Health Organisation (WHO) during the recent World Hepatitis Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) urged governments to act against the five hepatitis viruses that cause severe liver infections and lead to over 1.4 million deaths each year.  The complexity of hepatitis disease lies in the existence of different types of viruses. The director Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases of the world health body, Dr Sylvie Briand, said Hepatitis A and E are food borne and waterborne infections, which cause millions of cases of acute illness every year, sometimes with several months needed for a person to fully recover. Hepatitis B, C, and D are spread by infected body fluids including blood, by sexual contact, mother-to-child transmission during b

By: CHIOMA UMEHA  The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has began investigations to unveil those behind the importation of 158 cartons of fake Tramadol Capsules, a semi-synthetic opiod analgesic for the management of pain. Announcing the interception of the truck load of the counterfeit medications in Lagos, weekend, NAFDAC’s Director, Ports Inspection Directorate, Mrs. Maureen Ebigbeyi said, the NAFDAC enforcement has commenced investigations to apprehend the persons behind the importation.  Ebigbeyi said the cartons containing the Tramadol Capsules 120mg, have no label. Neither do they have addresses to show name of the producing company and the country of manufacture. However, with intelligence works and investigations, she said NAFDAC enforcement will definitely get the importers of these products. The drugs, which are in high demand and often abused when taken at overdose level to keep alert, were brought in as transit products to the R