Chioma Umeha

By Chioma Umeha Ibafon Primary Health Care (PHC) Centre, Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA in Lagos has joined the league of PHCs that has benefited from the family planning (FP) project of Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, a nongovernmental organisation, popularly known as NURHI, on Monday. The PHC can now boast of a basic standard family planning (FP) unit after it was commissioned by the Hon. Fehintola Danmole-Akaba, the Sole Administrator of Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area. While expressing his joy over the project, the community leader – Baale – Kayode Okunlola was optimistic that the high rate of maternal mortality as experienced in the local government would be a thing of the past. According to Okunlola, the project was a dream come through. He said: “We have so many people who are not enlightened in our community. If you look at majority of unfortunate things that happen during child birth, Ajeromi Ifelodun records the highest in Lagos State.

By Chioma Umeha Akwa Ibom State will on Saturday, commence the first statewide 30-day survey of HIV/AIDS to fill gaps in its data about the condition. Some 3,257 households and 16,936 individuals, including 7,791 children, have been mapped to be sampled across all 31 local government areas of the state starting on April 1. The survey is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with technical support from FHI360 under a project called Strengthening Integrated Delivery of HIV/AIDS Services (SIDHAS). “The findings from this survey will help the government and its stakeholders to plan how best to address and find solutions to the problem of HIV & AIDS in communities, LGAs and in the state generally,” according to Robert Chiegil, Country Director, FHI 360 Nigeria, in a statement. “It is a unique initiative that will generate precise data to describe the HIV epidemic in Akwa Ibom and also estimate the unmet need for HIV inte

By Chioma Umeha To create awareness about oral hygiene, members of the Nigeria Dental Association, employees of Unilever Nigeria Plc, dental practitioners among other stakeholders, weekend embarked on oral health walk in Lagos. The walk which was sponsored by Unilever Nigeria was aimed at sensitising Nigerians on the importance of brushing their teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. Tagged, ‘Pepsodent Oral Health Walk,’ the exercise which began from Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba took participants to Ojuelegba was part of the activities lined up to celebrate this year’s World Oral Health Day Celebration with the themed: ‘Live Mouth Smart.’ Commenting, Ibironke Ugbaja, Oral Care Category Lead, Unilever Nigeria, explained: “The oral health walk is part of Unilever’s vision to help millions of Nigerian families adopt the best oral health practices.” To achieve the oral hygiene campaign, Ugbaja said her company introduced the Pepso

By Chioma Umeha A consultant Physician/Neurologist and Epileptologist, Dr. Olusola Talabi, has advocated synergy among the three tiers of government in the country in tackling the scourge of people living with epilepsy so as to have a society free from epilepsy. Dr. Talabi stated this at the event commemorating the 2017 International Epilepsy Day, held at Health Suites, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. The Epileptologist expert also said the Day was to continue seeking awareness and educate the general public on the true facts about epilepsy and the urgent need for improved treatment, better care and greater investment in research. He said epilepsy persists, making many people reluctant to talk about it, adding that reluctance leads to lives lived in the shadows, discrimination in workplaces and communities, saying that nothing stop people associating with people living with epilepsy. Dr. Talabi said lack of funding for new therapies research for people wi

•As Entries Into Nigeria Prize For Science 2017 Begins By Chioma Umeha Another window of opportunity has been provided by Nigeria LNG (NLNG) Limited to reward the efforts of researchers whose works have contributed to the control of Malaria in the country. Specifically, NLNG has repeated the 2016 theme and is calling for entries from researchers with evidence of works in Malaria control to apply for the 2017 edition of the ‘Nigeria Prize for Science.’ The announcement which was contained in the website of the Nigeria LNG Limited also said that each winner of this year’s award with the theme: “Innovations in Malaria Control,” will receive 100, 000 US dollars. The statement further advised candidates who missed the initial call or made submissions in 2016 to re-apply for the 2017 award using the new entry guideline. The notice said: “Nigeria LNG Limited invites entries for The Nigeria Prize for Science, in line with its vision of helping to build a bett

By Chioma Umeha Ahead of the 70th World Health Assembly in May, 2017, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has pulled together experts from various Ministries and Agencies, academia and the private sector to chart a path towards a National Action Plan to combat Anti -Microbial Resistance (AMR) in Nigeria. The group met for two days to review the country’s requirement to complete her National Action plan and enroll in the Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS) of the World Health Organisation The threat of a time when antibiotics will fail to serve their roles in combating infectious diseases is currently the biggest fear of the entire global health system. Currently, reports of infections not responding to treatment with antibiotics are stressing countries around the world. Global projections are that resistance will cost the entire world $100 Trillion by 2050, if nothing is done. It is currently deepening the burden of otherwise treatabl

By Chioma Umeha Around two or three days before the embryo transfer, the doctor will choose the best eggs to transfer to the womb. There are many processes available to aid selection, though non-invasive methods such as metabolomic profiling are becoming favoured. Metabolomic profiling is the process of selecting the most beneficial eggs based on a number of different factors. This limits the need for invasive procedures and increases the number of useful eggs. These eggs will then be fertilized in a lab and left to culture for one to two days. If many good quality embryos develop, the ones that are not going to be transferred can be frozen. The process of an embryo transfer The embryo transfer process is similar to the process for a pap smear. The doctor will insert a speculum into the woman’s vagina to keep the vaginal walls open. Using ultrasound for accuracy, the doctor will then pass a catheter through the cervix and into the womb. From there, the em