Chioma Umeha

Dr Perpetua Uhomoibhi, Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) in the Federal Ministry of Health, in this interview with CHIOMA UMEHA highlights the activities of NMEP in the fight against malaria, saying that the Programme has adopted several measures to reduce the scourge. Excerpts What is the ministry doing to combat malaria in the country?   There is a policy shift in that the drug for the treatment of malaria that is now recommended is a combination therapy. We no longer use the mono therapy, which is only one drug treatment for malaria, due to resistance. So we have shifted to Artemisini-base Combination Therapy. You must use Artemisinin and another drug for the treatment of malaria; so that is a shift from what was obtained in the past. The National Council on Health has banned the use of mono-therapy for the treatment of malaria, and we also are trying to eliminate malaria from Nigeria because its spread is s

By Chioma Umeha IDONGESIT ASHAMERI UYO Two of the common causes of child mortality in rural communities in Africa, Nigeria, the Niger Delta Region and Akwa Ibom State inclusive, are diarrhea and pneumonia. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, these avoidable diseases had been responsible for a yearly mortality rate of about 1.8 million for children under the age of five, especially in rural communities without primary healthcare facilities. In some rural communities with functional health care facilities, the highest number of in-patients is children plagued with either diarrhea or pneumonia. Some of the children, according to medical personnel, arrived the clinic already too weak with very slim chances of survival. As deadly as the diseases might be, their preventions are simple and extremely affordable for all classes of persons, irrespective of community, social status and levels of education, as these can simply be prevented by

•Urges Sustained Dialogue To Avert Industrial Actions CHIOMA UMEHA Lagos As the 89th National Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) holds from November 7 to November 12 in Minna, Niger State, the Society has promised to use the gathering to exploit areas of huge manpower development for Nigeria in order to attain self sufficiency and economic growth. Pharm Ahmed Yakasai, president of PSN said this while granting interview to journalists recently, ahead of the conference, just as he promised that a “new positive force” will emerge at the end of the annual event. According Yakasai , the conference with a theme, ‘Pharmaceutical Industry Contributions to National Development’ will bring together pharmacists and other scientists across the country and even beyond. The PSN boss stressed: “Our nation needs to develop an efficient manpower base in the quest for self-sufficiency and economic growth. “(So), this unique conference will, there

Olugbenga Mokuolu is a Professor of Paediatrics and child health and Director, Centre for Malaria Care at the University of Ilorin. In This Interview with CHIOMA UMEHA , he discusses progress in the fight against malaria in the country, impact of malaria in pregnancy, among others. Is it every mosquito bites that results in malaria? No. It is only bites from infected female anopheles mosquito that results to malaria. It is important to note that mosquito bites occur between dusk and dawn. Concerning the main methods of malaria transmission, research has shown that it could be accidental or through blood transfusion and needle stick injury. It could also be through mother to child transmission. One in 20 mothers could infect their babies if they have malaria close to delivery. Malaria is a serious disease which can often be fatal, hence the need to refrain from saying ‘ordinary malaria’. How soon after bite do people get malaria? It takes about 10 days to fo

By   Chioma Umeha Lagos To ensure safety of drivers and commuters, Lagos state through its Ministry of Health took its routine free medical screening to the Ikeja main garage motor park, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Lagos. Over 200 commercial vehicle drivers were screened under the medical mission tagged: “Motor Park Health And Safety Programme,” which was organised by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation. According to the officer in-charge of the mission, Dr Dolapo Fasawe, the outreach is to take the state’s free health programme closer to every Lagos resident. Fasawe said: “Urine test, breath analysis, eye screening and others are being provided free of charge for all the participants.” Dr Tolu Ajomale of the Special Project Unit of the ministry said the programme would address the drivers’ healthcare needs. Ajomale said: “It is specifically called healthcare programme and safety for commercial drivers in Lagos. It is me

By Chioma Umeha The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has launched the 2016 State of the World Population Report (SWOP) in Nigeria and appealed for more investment in girl child to enable them harness their potentials. Mrs. Beatrice Mutali, Deputy Regional Director, UNFPA, made the call at the public presentation of the report in Abuja on Tuesday. The 2016 SWOP report was titled: “10: How our future depends on a girl at this decisive age’’. Mutali said that forced marriage, child labour, female genital mutilation and other harmful practices undermine girls’ health and rights, and also threaten the world’s ambitious development agenda. According to her, the harmful practice starts at age 10 and it prevents them from realising their full potential at adult stage and contribution to the development of their communities. “Without the contribution of this important segment of the society, the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its accompanyi

•Sector, Not Major Contributor To Nation’s GDP – Yakasai By Chioma Umeha There is growing anxiety that indigenous medicines are fast disappearing from the shelves of pharmacies in Nigeria as scarcity of foreign exchange lingers. Raising the concern were pharmacists under the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) who alerted that 70 per cent of medicines manufactured, marketed, used, and dispensed in Nigeria are becoming near inaccessible. PSN identified why the pharmaceutical sector, which is valued at over $2 billion is not a major contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Some of the reasons identified by the pharmacists at the PSN’s 89th Annual National Conference, held recently, in Minna, Niger State, are rampant Substandard, Spurious, Falsely Labelled, Falsified, and Counterfeit (SSFFC), limited numbers of qualified pharmacists to ensure that community and clinical pharmacy are at the heart of primary and secondary healt

•Rapists On The Prowl By Chioma Umeha Timalayo, 12, hawks ‘pure water’ in Ajegunle, a suburb of La gos state. Timilayo was thoroughly beaten by her aunt the first day she reported that a 57-year-old truck driver raped her. The first reaction from her aunt was: “What were you doing and discussing with him that he raped you? Your business is to sell ‘pure water,’ nothing more. “Stop meddling with them and I don’t want to hear this nonsense report again, Timi as fondly called by her peers told Independent.” Her aunt seriously warned that she will not pay Timi’s lesson fee if she mention the matter again. This made Timi become exposed to serial abuse at the popular Ajegunle motor park. By the time it was discovered, serious harm has happened. As at the time of this report, Timi was still on the hospital bed receiving treatment. Her case is one out several rape incidents across the country. Ada, a friend recently shared a post with me on Independent mail.

By Chioma Umeha To boost the oral wellness of Nigerians, Procter & Gamble’s oral care brand, Oral-B, has conducted a capacity building seminar for Nigerian dentists which is aimed at growing their capacity. This was made known at this year’s National Dental Association Continuing Continuous Medical Examinations Education (CME) in partnershi p with Oral B. Giving the opening remarks titled: ‘The Exceptional Dentist- five years of New Paradigm for Enhanced Productivity’ at the capacity building seminar for dentists recently in Lagos, Tolulope Adedeji, Brand Marketing Director, P&G Nigeria, stated that the company is sponsoring the CME for dentists in order to provide the necessary trends and development to promote and ensure ample support for oral care hygiene of Nigerians. Adedeji also said: “The Oral B dental detailing programme is aimed at educating dentists on oral care and to further develop the professional competencies of practicing dental car

By Chioma Umeha The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has launched a website that will be at the centre of the digital channels to be deployed for communications functions. The site, which is now live, will also serve as the primary source of health information to Nigerian citizens, journalists and health workers for information on how to protect themselves from health threats. At the official launch in Abuja, CEO of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, appreciated the role of the University of Maryland, MGIC-Nigeria project in the implementation of the project. He said communications and technology, would play major role in the overall fulfilment of the mandate of the NCDC. “We are not deploying a back office for communications at the NCDC, we are picking the best hands possible and we are placing the function at the level it deserves to be. The website we are launching today is core to all our activities and we hope it goes ahead to fulfil our intentions in the