Chioma Umeha

As part of its philosophy of completing families and to mark the 12th anniversary, Nordica Fertility Centre, one of the leading assisted conception Centre in the country, recently provided its clients unique opportunity to bond with their completed families through what it described as the ‘Babies Picture Competition.’ The competition was hosted on Facebook and opened to all families who submitted pictures of their babies between the ages of zero and two years. The baby with the highest number of votes (Likes) emerged winner of the competition. To get all and sundry interested and involved in the competition, it was widely promoted using social media sponsored stories and syndicated across blogs other online channels. The competition which started from first week of April to April 29, with over 100 entries from different families across Nigeria, saw baby Barry Joel Adefisuka winning the overall prize. In fulfillment of Nordica’s plan for the winning family, the Nordica team to

Over the past two decades, there has been increased concern on the plight of people living with disabilities and the need to foster social and developmental inclusion in the society. This is even as experts have continued to preach about inclusive society to benefit people living with disabilities, in line with the United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolutions 63/150 and 65/186. The United Nations General Assembly resolutions 63/150 and 65/186, calls upon States to ”…ensur[e] accessibility and reasonable accommodation to enable persons with disabilities to realize their right to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, as well as to be agents and beneficiaries of development.” There has been five United Nations world conferences held in the 1990s to emphasize the need for a ‘society for all,’ advocating the participation of all citizens, including persons with disabilities, in every sphere of society. These meetings were aimed to promote greater aw

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered and sealed a warehouse belonging to H&H Integrated Nigeria Limited following illegal importation and housing of 49 unregistered food products and non-adherence to good hygienic practices in Lagos. Newswatch Times gathered that the large warehouse located at N0. 30 Iman Dauda Street, Eric Moore, Lagos, was sealed following a tip-off and intelligence report which revealed that the company was involved in importation and storage of illegal food products, particularly snacks commonly consumed by children. The company was also accused of not adhering to good hygienic practices as most of the products were stored in an unhygienic environment. And out of its 50 different brands of products, one was registered. Some of the 49 unregistered products which are largely biscuits products for children include; Mr. Magic Soft Candy, Cracker soda biscuit, milk chocolate wafer roll, non-dairy creamer

Here is an alarming statistic: In Nigeria, about 22 per cent of the population are affected by high blood pressure (HBP) and it is called a silent killer, because it doesn’t show signs or symptoms till it becomes too late. Nigerians living with high blood pressure is estimated at about 56 million. One out of every three, or 77.9 million, adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, according to a report by the American Heart Association – and it is only getting worse. By 2030, it is projected that 41.4 per cent of U.S. adults would have high blood pressure. Why is this so serious? Nearly 28 per cent of Americans do not even know they have the disease. It’s called the “silent killer” because high blood pressure or hypertension is a cardiovascular disease that is very difficult to detect. The symptoms and signs are subtle. As a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, hypertension is the primary cause of death in Americans. It is one of the most preventable condit

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a silent affliction in some homes in Nigeria.  Many families of children with CP primarily take steps to shield the disability and remain in silence. This is one of the reasons Mrs. Alaba Gbadebo,a mother of a nineteen-year-old with CP co-founded a non-governmental organisation known as Benola, a cerebral palsy initiative with her husband. During this year’s business luncheon with health editors, the lecturer turned to CP advocate spoke to CHIOMA UMEHA (HEALTH EDITOR)  about the condition, Benola’s advocacy initiatives, among other things. Mrs Alaba-Gbadebo You are a co-founder of Benola, a cerebral Palsy initiative. What is cerebral palsy? Cerebral palsy is actually brain damage in mostly children during or after delivery. This damage affects a child’s ability to control its muscles. Most times not all the brain is damaged. If a child with cerebral palsy can talk, then that part of the brain is not damaged. But you might notice something about the pos

Recently, select journalists from West and Central Africa visited the Research and Development (R & D) Centre of Nestle, one of the world’s leading nutrition and Health Company in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire to have a firsthand experience of its quality and food safety network. Dr. Owen Fraser, Head of the Nestle Quality and Assurance Centre (NQAC) who conducted the selected 20 journalists round the facility, spoke about Nestle’s commitment to delight consumers with healthy food and beverages of the highest quality. CHIOMA UMEHA (HEALTH EDITOR) provides the excerpts: Dr Owen-Fraser Role of R&D in quality and safety Our R&D organisation includes a dedicated quality and food safety network. This has a number of different elements such as: An early warning network, which identifies and helps prevent potential safety issues; a microbiological safety network that provides fast and reliable microbiology safety assessments; an analytical methods network to develop and improv

To say that blood is one of the most important parts of the human system is to state the obvious. Blood is the life wire of the body and human beings cannot live without it. Without blood, we cannot keep warm or cool off. We cannot fight infections because the circulating blood is what keeps our immune system healthy and our heart pumping.  Blood transfusion is generally the process of receiving blood products into one’s circulation intravenously. Transfusion of blood and blood products helps save millions of lives every year. Although blood transfusions can be life-saving, they are not without risks. Infections were once the main risk, but they have become extremely rare with careful testing and donor screening. Transfusion reactions and other non-infectious problems are now more common. A statement weekend, signed by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Assistant Director, Public Relations, Lagos State Ministry of Health, said that the State has been in the forefront of ensuring the safety of bl

Over 20 medical doctors from a range of specialisations gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, last Friday, participated in a sensitisation workshop on the UNAIDS treatment target – the 90-90-90.  The doctors from the Nigerian Medical Association(NMA) and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors(NARD) listened to presentations by facilitators from UNAIDS and UNICEF on the ambitious treatment target and shared their views on how best to fast-track and achieve it by 2020. The workshop organised by UNAIDS and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) was geared to sensitise participants on the treatment target which aims at ensuring that, by the year 2020, 90 per cent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status; 90 per cent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy; and 90 per cent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral load suppression. “Unless medical practitioners are fully engaged and take owner

Over 200 diseases are caused by unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses, chemical substances It is estimated that two million deaths occur every year from contaminated food or drinking water.  Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food borne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. Food borne diseases take a major toll on health. Millions of people fall ill and many die as a result of eating unsafe food. Deeply concerned by this, WHO Member States adopted a resolution in 2000 to recognize food safety as an essential public health function. Consequently, the world health body devoted this year’s World Health Day to highlight the challenges and opportunities associated with food safety under the slogan “From farm to plate, make food safe.” Food safety encompasses actions aimed at ensuring that all food is as safe as po

•Continued from last week  The patient should avoid fatty, fried meats, fatty fish, poultry skin, all processed meats and sausages.  You should also avoid nuts, peanut butter, nut spreads, potato chips, vegetables smothered in butter or cheese sauces and fatty snacks or very spicy snacks Avoid all food preparation that increases the amount of fat contained in meals, such as frying in butter, margarine or oil. Rather boil, poach, grill and cook in a nonstick pan. Cut out junk food, alcohol and sugar.  These foods can actually weaken the immune system. Appetite stimulation Appetite stimulation to overcome anorexia – this is probably one of the most difficult challenges facing anyone who is trying to assist a hepatitis patient who may feel so ill and debilitated that they totally refuse to eat.  Offer the patient his favourite fat-free or low-fat foods, for example, fruit juices and energy drinks (Lucozade). Make from fresh or canned fruit, fat-free milk or yoghurt and