Chioma Umeha

By Chioma Umeha There are two major causes of STDs/STIs: Bacteria, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Viruses, including HIV/AIDS, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B virus, and cytomegalovirus (CMV, pronounced sahy-toh-MEG-uh-loh-vahy-ruhs), yeasts and protozoan parasites, such as Trichomonas vaginalis (pronounced TRIK-uh-MOH-nuss vaj-uh-NAHY-lis), or insects such as crab lice or scabies mites, cause STDs/STIs. In many cases, bacteria, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are linked to infertility primarily when they are left untreated. Similarly, viruses, including HIV/AIDS, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B virus, and cytomegalovirus among others can lead to primary infertility when they are left untreated. What causes a sexually transmitted disease or sexually transmitted infection (STD/STI)? For effective management of infertility, it is important for couples, even intending partn

By Chioma Umeha In recent years, the world has recorded tremendous progress in the fight against malaria. The World Malaria Report 2015 shows malaria mortality rates have fallen by 66 per cent among all age groups and by 71 per cent among children under five in Africa since 2000. But, there is still work to do just as a new vaccine developed by a US-based team is showing promising results, and could accelerate progress. Creating the vaccine, researchers infected people with weakened, genetically modified forms of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite in safety trials. The weakened malaria parasite, while unable to complete its lifecycle and develop into full-blown malaria, exposes the immune system to the disease and stimulates a response that could block an actual infection. After tests on ten people during trials, the results were encouraging: there were no cases of full malaria infection and no significant side-effects. Describing the positive test res

By Chioma Umeha FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, weekend, witnessed a fire outbreak in the condensed factory at its premises in Ogba Industrial Estate, Ikeja, Lagos State, but was immediately brought under control. According to Ore Famurewa, Corporate Affairs Director: “The fire was promptly put under control by the Lagos State Fire Service, supported by FrieslandCampina WAMCO Safety Team and corporate neighbours.”’ The fire was, however, promptly put under control by the Lagos State Fire Service supported by FrieslandCampina WAMCO safety team and corporate neighbours. No casualties were recorded in the process, as immediate action was taken to safeguard the lives of employees on duty by evacuating them. Only the conveyor area of the condensed factory was affected through a mass conveyor carrying empty cans to the filling room. The company’s Corporate Affairs Director, Mrs. Ore Famurewa, in a statement issued yesterday said: “The fire outbreak, which occurred

By Chioma Umeha The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has called on pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of its arrangements with the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) to facilitate a smooth registration process in 2017. Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, President of PSN, said in a release that the arrangement was particularly key to achieving a faster pace of licensure of practitioners and pharmacy facilities to ensure that the tenets of Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) are entrenched for consumers of health in Nigeria. Yakasai explained that in 2017 the procedures would entail that all pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies fulfil the protocols of regularising their membership of PSN following which they would be issued Clearance Certificates by the respective state branches. The release read: “Regularisation of membership will include the payment of a compulsory building fee of N5, 000 in line with resolution of the National Council of P

• Kangaroo Mother Care Can Avert Such Loss – Experts By  Chioma Umeha Before the curtain of last year closed, about 240,000 premature Nigerian children died from complications, according to Mamaye 2016 factsheet on Nigeria preterm babies, mainly due to lack of incubators and other specialized devices to care for them in the country’s health facilities. Yet, only few parents are aware that a skin-to-skin form of care between a mother and her baby, known as kangaroo mother care (KMC), is an effective alternative to an incubator. Experts said, the KMC, if initiated immediately and continuously after birth, will save premature babies from death or complications. Rebecca Akinwale, middle aged mother is one of the few examples of the success stories of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). She gave birth to a preterm – baby David who was at birth 1.2kg, but now is 1.99kg through the aid of Kangaroo Mother Care method. She told Independent: “When I gave birth to David, I wa

By Chioma Umeha The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is investing as much as 44 billion naira, an equivalent of $140 million to support development of a tiny implantable drug pump it believes could help prevent people in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere from becoming infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The matchstick-size pump is being developed by Intarcia Therapeutics Inc., a closely held Boston biotechnology company, according to FOX News Health. It can hold six or 12 months’ supply of medicine and is designed to deliver microdoses continuously to patients, ensuring they stay on the treatment. The new investment which Intarcia announced weekend, comes amid a flurry of fresh efforts to develop HIV prevention strategies. Last week, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced a global 4,500-patient clinical trial to test whether injections every eight weeks of an experimental HIV drug, cabotegravir, from U.K.-based ViiV H

Abiodun Adewuya, a Professor of Psychiatrics in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and a Psychiatrist, recently spoke with CHIOMA UMEHA on issues of mental health in Lagos State. Excerpts: A medical doctor recently stated that it is not only the people, who are mentally deranged and roam the streets that are mentally sick. How do you identify those that have mental issues? Well, mental health problem are diverse in that there are some with mild mental health problems, which is called common mental disorder; there are some moderate ones; there are some severe ones. Yes! The doctor is very correct. It is only those ones that have severe cases that are likely to be seen on the streets. But, what we are trying to do is to make sure that we prevent that from happening. One thing is to treat the people that have already broken down, that have severe mental illness. But, the best way to tackle common mental disorder is by treating the mild and moderate me