Chioma Umeha

By Independent Following fears of projection that Nigeria would become the world’s third most populous nation by 2050, stakeholders have counselled Federal Government to take the issue of family planning seriously, saying it is critical to controlling the rising country’s population. The stakeholders, mainly experts in family planning also reiterated that increase in the uptake of family planning remains a sure-way of reducing poverty and maternal deaths. They have therefore urged governments at all levels to invest in family planning by making the commodities free and available to the people and to also, ensure that barriers to family planning services were removed. The experts made the call at a Contraceptive Technical Updates (CTUs) for policy makers organised by the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) II in Lagos, recently. They stressed that there is need to curb the rising Nigeria’s population which does not match available resources

By Independent The United Nations (UN) and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) weekend, signed an action plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in the armed conflict in the North-East. The CJTF is a youth vigilance group established by the government and people of Borno State at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency to tackle the Boko Haram insurgents. The group, which is made up of volunteers, has been accused alongside the warring Boko Haram sect of recruiting children in the ongoing insurgency in the North-east. In order to set the record straight, the group signed an action plan with the United Nations supervised by the Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Durkwa, at the Pinnacle Hotel, Maiduguri. According to the plan, CJTF will identify and release all children within its ranks and instruct its members not to recruit or use children in the future. CJTF president Lawan Jaffar and the UNICEF country representative Mohamed Fall c

By Independent The United Nations (UN) has sent an SOS, saying it needs $9.9 million (around N3.5 billion)    to respond to the current cholera outbreak in Borno State and prevent further outbreaks in high-risk areas. The amount is roughly same as the federal government released to fund a nationwide measles vaccination slated to start October 26. The UN response-and-prevention plan is to address immediate needs for 3.7 million people who could be affected by the outbreak. Despite extensive efforts to improve sanitation conditions in camps and raise awareness on the importance of best hygiene practices, the first cholera cases were identified in Borno State on August 16. To date, the outbreak has claimed at least 44 lives, out of close to 2,300 confirmed and/or suspected cases. Humanitarian partners have been working around the clock in support of the Borno State Ministry of Health to contain the outbreak and implement preventive measures in the most at-risk

By Independent To mark the world contraception day on Tuesday, a non-governmental organisation, Development Communications (DEVCOMS), has revealed that about 46 million abortions are performed in Nigeria every year. In a release, DEVCOMS explained that unplanned pregnancies can have huge impact on the individuals, as well as, their partners’ lives, hence the need to use contraceptives as protection. “Sex can be fun, pleasurable, and fulfilling part of life, but without protection, it can lead to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and unplanned pregnancies,” the statement said. It added that contraception prevents unsafe abortion, which has become a persistent, preventable pandemic and remains one of the most neglected sexual and reproductive health problems in the world today. According to National Demographic Health Survey 2013, the prevalence rate for contraceptive use in Nigeria is only 15 per cent. “This is very low in spite of the high rate of se

By Independent Dr Arikawe Adeolu, a medical practitioner at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja, has warned that an overdose of paracetamol drug could cause liver failure within 24 hours. Adeolu gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday. He said that medications generally had side effects and that some drugs, such as paracetamol, which were often abused, could lead to liver damage. “One of the major causes of liver disease is drugs. There are some kinds of drugs that can lead to liver damage if not taken as prescribed. “There is one common drug that is very popular among this class of drugs and that is paracetamol. Paracetamol if taken above the recommended dose has the ability to damage the liver. “An overdose of paracetamol can actually lead to liver failure within 24 hours. This is why it is not recommended that drugs are taken by self-medication. “Excessive consumption of alcohol is another caus

By Independent Polycystic ovary syndrome is a problem in which a woman’s hormones are out of balance. It can cause problems with your periods and make it difficult to get pregnant. PCOS also may cause unwanted changes in the way you look, according to studies. If it is not treated, over time it can lead to serious health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease. Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts camera.gif on their ovaries. That is why it is called polycystic ovary syndrome. The cysts are not harmful, but lead to hormone imbalances. Early diagnosis and treatment can help control the symptoms and prevent long-term problems. What are hormones, and what happens in PCOS? Hormones are chemical messengers that trigger many different processes, including growth and energy production. Often, the job of one hormone is to signal the release of another hormone. For reasons that have not been scientifically proven, in PCOS the hormones get out of balance.

By Independent Malaria No More has announced that the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the leading U.S. Government body working to prevent and control the disease across the globe has expanded its programme and is planning to protect additional 90 million people. PMI has directly saved the lives of 1.7 million children and has overall contributed to saving nearly seven million lives since its creation in 2005. Mark Green, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator announced this weekend, during the event, tagged, “The Role of Country Leadership in Accelerating Global Malaria Elimination,” at the United Nations, saying, “the U.S. will launch new programmes in Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Niger, and Sierra Leone, while expanding its programme in Burkina Faso.” The expansion will help further strengthen healthcare systems and bring more core malaria-fighting tools, including life-saving bed nets, anti-malarial treatments, and diagnostic t

By Independent Nothing could be more devastating than watching one’s own healthy, beautiful born child transformed to a horrible sight, no thanks to a sudden ailment. This was the predicament of 12-year-old Wisdom Geofoeyin, who developed tumour in his left facial region, diagnosed as ossifying fibroma – cancer of the immune system. Wisdom was living with this strange ailment that caused him a lot of discomfort for three years now, while her low income earners parents watched him helplessly. However, help came to him recently, from Senator (Dr.).Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State Governor, who sponsored his surgery at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara. Describing his suffering before the surgery, Wisdom told INDEPENDENT; “I travelled to Port Harcourt with my father and we stopped over in a hotel. The hotel attendant walked close and asked me to walk out of the hotel because of my facial appearance that looked grotesque. “I was to wr

By Chioma Umeha One can easily tell the source of happiness of Igbe Assumpta, a 26-year-old mother seeing her bond with her baby as she cuddled him. he Enugu state-born nursing mother and student believes that exclusive breastfeeding provides every nutritional value her child needs for proper growth. The World Health Organisation (WHO) explains, “Exclusive breastfeeding means that the infant receives only breast milk. No other liquids or solids are given – not even water – with the exception of oral rehydration solution, or drops/syrups of vitamins, minerals or medicines.” In an interview with INDEPENDENT, Assumpta said, “Exclusive breastfeeding boosts my baby’s intelligent quotient, as she is very sharp. Even my friends who are not doing exclusive breastfeeding used to tell me that my baby is very sharp. My baby is strong and healthy. “Since I gave birth to her, I haven’t taken her to the hospital. It saves me money. My baby is five months and two weeks an

By Independent Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health has reiterated Federal Government’s commitment toward reducing mortality and morbidity from road crashes in the country. Adewole said this when he received the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of United Nation on Road Safety, Mr. Jean Todt, in Abuja. He said that the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health would continue to partner with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant stakeholders towards realisation of the goals of the UN decade of Action on road safety in Nigeria. He pointed out that some of the activities of the ministry are in line with the fifth pillar of the UN Decade of action which includes establishing and developing a formal training for paramedics in accredited institution in Nigeria. This comes with full curriculum and placement into scheme of service in the country, Prof Adewole added. He explained that there is a fully equipped level