Medical experts have warned Nigerians against applying ear wax on boils, warning that it could cause further complications of the health condition.  According to the experts, using unconventional forms of treatment for boils is dangerous and could lead to infections.

Earwax, also known as cerumen, is a brown, orange, red, yellowish, or gray waxy substance secreted in the ear canal of humans and other mammals. While a boil is a painful, pus-filled bump under the skin caused by infected, inflamed hair follicles.

A health expert, Dr. Chinonso Egemba, has cautioned against frequent shaving of pubic hair, warning that those engaging in it could be more at risk of herpes, human papilloma virus and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The medical practitioner, popularly known as ‘Aproko Doctor’ on social media said that the pubic hair is there for a reason, adding that sometimes it’s just better to leave it alone than to shave.

The Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency has shut down Medville Global Health Centre, temporarily. This is not unconnected to the demise of the wife of a telecommunications engineer, Chibuike Nwachukwu, who alleged that his wife died at the hospital as a result of the facility’s incompetence.

The PUNCH had reported that Mr. Nwachukwu, has been thrown into mourning after his wife, Vivian, died during childbirth at the Medville Global Health Centre. Chibuike, who demanded justice, accused the management of the hospital of negligence.

A health expert, Dr. Chinonso Egemba, has warned against leaving towels to dry in the bathroom after cleaning the body, noting that it can lead to the growth of harmful organisms like fungi and bacteria.

The medical practitioner, popularly known as ‘Aproko Doctor ‘on social media, said the appropriate place to dry a towel is where it can be directly hit by sun rays.

In a post on his Instagram page @aproko_doctor, Egemba explained that using a towel that is not properly dried can be harmful to the skin, and can cause skin irritations.

He said, “When you finish taking your bath, take the bath towel, go outside and hang it. That extra two minutes you spend will not make you go late to the office and will also help save your skin, because skincare does not start from buying skincare products, it starts from making sure your towel is dry and clean.”

According to Time, an online publication on it health page, towels are great bacteria traps because every time they are used, natural skin bacteria, and any other germs on the body are transferred to their surface.

“But towels offer the perfect environment for bacteria and other microorganisms to grow because they’re often damp, warm and absorbent, and they hang in dark bathrooms.

“Because your hands can transfer microbes to your towels from whatever they touch, the bathroom is an especially threatening place for a towel to spend most of its time.

An Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Emily Martin said, “Most of these germs won’t have any negative health effects because they’re coming from you. Our bodies are adapted to being able to live in this environment with all of these microbes around.”

Healthline, an online health portal noted that bath towels store different types of microorganisms that people might not welcome into their personal hygiene routine.

The health portal noted that damp towels gives room for breeding of unwanted germs.

It stated, “It’s easy to assume that because you’re clean when you dry off with a bath towel, your towel stays pretty clean even after a few uses. But bath towels host a variety of microorganisms that you might not welcome into your hygiene routine.

“Towels absorb a lot of water and remain damp for hours and it is the perfect breeding ground for unwanted germs. That’s why towels should be washed every three uses.

“You have 19 million skin cells and 650 sweat glands in every inch of your body and one powerful tool keeps it all clean day after day – your bath towel.

“Dead cells make up the top 20 layers of your skin. Some of these cells scrub off in the shower, but many of them will end up on your bath towel every day.”

“The best way to prevent germs from growing on your bath towel is to let it dry completely between each use, and wash it frequently. The consequences of using a dirty towel include irritated skin and possibly spreading infections. The bacteria that causes staph infections is known to spread on towels and linens.

“The best way to prevent germs from growing on your bath towel is to let it dry completely between each use, and wash it frequently.

The Cleaning Institute recommends washing bath towels after three uses. If you shower every day, that means laundry almost twice a week. Regular laundry is sufficient to clean towels and remove any germs that are starting to accumulate.

“Washcloths that you use to lather and scrub in the shower should air-dry and be washed after every use.”

Source: HealthWise

Consultant Urologist at Ogah Hospital and Urology Centre, Fugar, Edo State, Dr. Gabriel Ogah, has said men with a sperm count of an average of 4 million sperm count can still impregnate their wives.

According to the urologist, there may be no such thing as normal sperm count as research has found that men who had an average of three or four million sperm count were able to impregnate their wives. Medical News Today, an online health portal noted that sperm count refers to the average number of sperm present in one sample of semen.

Participants at the citizen-led health agenda development workshop have set an eight-year target to reduce the rate at which Nigerians seek medical care abroad by 50 per cent.

During the programme that held on Thursday, they also agreed that it was pertinent to improve the health care sector for the actualisation of the target by 2027. The workshop was organised by the Universal Health Coverage 2023 forum, a coalition of citizens and stakeholders in the health sector created to amplify UHC goals ahead of the 2023 elections, in Abuja.

Maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may expose babies to the risk of bowleg and other bone deformities, says a nutrition expert, Nwabumma Asouzu.

Asouzu, a Registered Dietician-Nutritionist at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, said adequate vitamin D in pregnancy is critical because the lifetime of bone health of every individual starts from the womb. Bowleg deformity, she said is an incorrect alignment around the knee that can affect people of all ages.

Chinese researchers and their counterparts from British and Dutch universities have printed a cardiac tissue that can survive in vitro and sustain pulses for more than six months.

3D bioprinting has demonstrated its advantages as one of the major methods in fabricating simple tissues, yet it still faces difficulties to generate vasculatures and preserve cell functions in complex organ production.

Experts in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Nutrition have faulted findings from studies that claimed that pregnant women who consume Hibiscus sabdariffa tea, popularly known as Zobo, stand the risk of having a miscarriage or premature labour.

The experts also faulted claims that the drink, which has become a relished delight, can put the foetus at risk of congenital birth defects and increase the chances of having babies with low birth weight.

The Federal Government has introduced a new international travel guideline by removing mandatory PCR testing for fully vaccinated visitors and instituted stiff penalties for any unvaccinated traveller that violates the new rules.

The Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, made this know on Saturday, noting that the ‘Provisional Travel Protocol for Travellers Arriving Nigeria’, which takes effect from Monday, April 4, 2022, also prescribed sanctions for airlines that board violators of the new rules.