New research has revealed that Ebola can survive in detectable concentrations in wastewater for eight days – a finding that has implications for the disposal of contaminated liquid waste during epidemics and outbreaks. The study, by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Drexel University, both in Philadelphia, and the National Institute of Health (NIH), is published in the Environmental Science & Technology Letters. According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) situation report, there have been 28,005 confirmed cases and 11,287 deaths as a result of the virus since cases were first reported in March 2014.

In their background information, the authors note that in the wake of the outbreak, there remained significant questions on the appropriate handling of virus-contaminated liquid waste and one of these concerns is the persistence of Ebola in wastewater. Studies have indicated that the virus can persist in survivors. For example, one study describes how viable Ebola virus was found in the eye of a survivor months after recovery. In contrast, there is limited data on the fate and transport of Ebola in wastewater collection systems.

No fewer than 500 medical and health personnel in Borno are to be trained on to provide psychosocial support to Internally Displaced Person (IDP’s) in 17 camps in the state. Alhaji Sale Mene, the Executive Secretary of Borno State Primary Health Care Management Board (BPHCMB), stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Maiduguri on Friday. Mene said the training was necessary to assist traumatized victims of Boko Haram to enabled them overcome the shock of their past experiences and return to normal life.

“Most of the IDP’s, especially women, have suffered much emotional harm, pain, trauma and shock. A lot of them have bitter experiences, while many have seen terrible things while in captivity. “Some of these women from Bama will tell you that they had been in the town for two years even while Boko Haram had captured the town.“We therefore have a lot of work to do. We need to build their confidence and give them the courage to move on. This is because some of them have lost everything.

Nigeria loses a sum of N250 billion annually to medical tourism, the Nigeria Medical Association(NMA) has said. To put an end to such capital flight, the NMA recommended the upgrading of the country’s tertiary institutions and replacing their obsolete equipment with modern ones. In a communiqué at the end of its national executive council (NEC) meeting in Ilorin, Kwara state ,the association said it was opposed to giving girls out in marriage before the age of 18. The communiqué was jointly signed by NMA President and Secretary General, Dr Kayode Obembe and Dr Adewunmi Alayaki.

 Reading the communiqué, Dr Obembe urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a medical doctor as the minister of health, adding that “doctors who take care of the sick must be accorded priority in the scheme of things.” Part of the communiqué reads: “NMA has been clamouring for the post of Surgeon General which is paramount in our health system. Examples we can point to are: Attorney General of the Federation, Accountant General of the Federation and Surveyor General and Auditor General.

No part of public service in Nigeria has experienced more strikes than the health sector. Right now, public tertiary hospitals in Nigeria are struggling to get back to life after another series of strikes. The University College Hospital, Ibadan, was crippled for 108 days by a strike called by the Association of Resident Doctors. At LAUTECH Oshogbo, a strike closed the hospital for 5 months, and in the Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, doctors walked away from their duty posts leaving their patients to their own means.  The story of the Federal Medical Centre in Owerri is already legendary, as health workers came to “work” every day but spent their time singing and praying on the hospital grounds, while ignoring their patients in the wards, protesting against the privatisation of some of the hospitals services. Their strike lasted for three months.

This story map details the major health sector strikes in 2015. Last year, many public sector hospitals across the country were closed for about half of the year following strikes as doctors refused to return to work, even during the Ebola outbreak. Almost as soon as they returned, other health sector workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) proceeded to strike from November 2014 to February 2015. When there are strikes in public sector hospitals, there are only two constituencies that suffer: a) the patients, and b) the tax-payer (i.e. you and I), who do not get a service that is paid for on our behalf by government.

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday restated his resolve to ensure that Nigeria is finally certified polio-free by 2017, saying all Nigerians must join hands with the federal government to achieve this .Buhari said this at separate meetings with governors of polio-vulnerable states and members of the High-Level Advocacy Group. The president noted that for the country to become polio-free permanently, it must build on its achievement of being polio-free for 12 months, which was marked in July. Senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari as saying he had initiated the meetings with the governors and Advocacy Group members because the country could not afford a reversal of what had been achieved after 17 years of the polio eradication programme in Nigeria.

The president said: “I want to reaffirm the commitment of the federal government to sustain the gains and momentum to enable Nigeria achieve certification by 2017. “I am, therefore, inviting you to join me in actualizing this pledge as experts have cautioned that the progress we have made in the polio eradication efforts is still very fragile and that there is the risk of gains reversal if we don’t sustain this great effort and allow complacency to set in.“As you are aware, the fact that we have not had any case of polio for over a year now does not mean that we are polio-free; it is just one of the milestones on the path to being polio-free.

The 4th edition of Medic West Africa Exhibition and Congress (MWA),organised by Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, will take place on 14-16 October 2015 at the Eko International Convention & Exhibition Center, Lagos, Nigeria. The event boasts a strong healthcare education programme as well as CPD accredited master classes taught by some of the key healthcare companies in the industry. “Medic West Africa is primarily concerned with providing accredited medical education to healthcare professionals who are interested in updating and furthering their clinical knowledge and skills,".

Jamie Hill, Director, Informa Life Sciences Group, Africa, said, adding that "by ensuring that our conferences are accredited and our speakers are leading experts in their fields, MWA is committed to providing the best possible medical education available within Nigeria and West Africa." This year's main conference themes are quality,  diabetes care, cardio-renal disease, healthcare financing and social media in healthcare. The conferences are offered in partnership with Beyhealth, and in association with the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria. “We are introducing the interactive social media workshop hosting experts from both a social media background and a healthcare background, to discuss the importance of social media in advancing healthcare in West Africa,” adds Mr. Hill.

Another fake doctor, a female, Nwosu Angela Njide, has been arrested by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and handed over to the police. The Head of Department of the Inspectorate Unit of the MDCN, Dr Henry Okwuokenye, who carried out the arrest, told LEADERSHIP that the council has been on the trail of the impostor for more than a year now as she has been evading arrest. He said the fake doctor who is in her 30s had confessed to have worked in different places, including the British American Tobacco (BAT) clinic, Ibadan, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and eventually in Rauz hospital, Apo in Abuja before nemesis caught up with her.

Okwuokenye narrated that the fake doctor’s ordeal began more than a year ago when she went to Oyo State to register for her license to practice at the Ministry of Health under the Oyo State Director, Medical Services. However, luck seemed to have ran out on her as the officials of the ministry became suspicious of   her qualifications and went to the MDCN to verify the authenticity of her claims. Nwosu claimed to have graduated from medical school 2005 at University of Nigeria, Nsukka.and did housemanship at UNN’s teaching hospital, but she failed simple questions any medical student is expected to know. Following the refusal of the Oyo State Ministry of Health to register her, she was said to have relocated to Abuja, and brazenly went on her own to the MDCN to register for her license.

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Thursday promised to support massive investment in modern medical equipment to meet the health challenges of residents of the state. Ambode, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, made the promise at the inauguration of Clinix Healthcare, an Ultramodern Diagnostic Centre in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos. He said that private sector participation in healthcare delivery, had complemented efforts of government and yielded tremendous dividends through qualitative healthcare. “We are delighted that the private sector partnership has yielded another state-of-the-art health facility, with the opening of this ultramodern diagnostic centre. “Medical diagnosis is the bedrock of effective treatment. With more facilities like this, we can achieve accurate and quick diagnosis of ailments and proffer immediate treatment. “As a government, one of our objectives is to curb the incessant travels abroad for diagnosis and treatment, through our Medical Park Project, that will make Lagos State a destination for medical tourism.

“I am reassuring the business community of our commitment to encourage investment in critical sectors, through appropriate incentives and support,’’ he said. Ambode urged residents to take their health seriously, by going for regular checks for prompt detection of ailments and treatment. Dr Modele Osunkiyesi, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, urged the centre not to compromise the quality of services. Osunkiyesi said that quality and accurate health diagnosis was the key to detecting ailments and treatment, to secure the health of the people and reduce mortality. In his remarks, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Chairman, Clinix Healthcare, said that the desire of the centre was to provide world class healthcare service and reduce medical tourism. Ighodalo urged government at all levels, to support and create enabling environment to encourage the private sector to complement government’s efforts.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, to exempt the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), the regulatory body for the medical and dental profession, from the blanket dissolution of boards and councils, as have been done for the governing councils of universities and the council for legal education. A statement by the NMA made available to LEADERSHIP in Abuja over the weekend, signed by the president, Dr Kayode Obembe and the secretary general, Dr Adewunmi Alayaki, respectively, lamented that so far, it has not been well with medical education and practice in the country. They stated that certain structures are needed to drive needed changes and the governing council of the MDCN is top on the list.

They said, “It is an established fact that President Buhari is that clean broom that would rid the Nigerian nation of all manner of impunity, corruption and other unwholesome practices. It is in sharing this vision that we make this appeal so that order would prevail and strict compliance to the Codes of Ethics achieved. We are therefore, praying Mr. President to make a proclamation exempting the MDCN from the blanket dissolution of Boards and Councils.” The statement argued that whenever there is no council, all cases before the council’s investigating panels and tribunal are suspended and new cases cannot be attended to. According to them, this has resulted in the public expressing dissatisfaction with the “council”, accusing it of protecting erring members of the profession when in actual fact there was no council in place to handle such cases.

Bauchi State Government said it had spent N221.5 million on various health projects and programmes under the Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), within its 100 days in Office. Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Yahaya Yerima made this known on Saturday in Bauchi while fielding questions from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Yerima disclosed that N160 million was paid as counterpart fund to Bill & Melinda Gates and Dangote Foundations for boosting of routine immunization in the state. He said that N9.4 million was spent on the control of 2015 cholera epidemic recorded in Bauchi, Ganjuwa, Toro, Bogoro, Shira and Tafawa Balewa Local Government Areas of the state.

Yerima said that N87 million was spent on the purchase of essential drugs for distribution to various hospitals in the state. He stated that the state recorded 9,000 cases of gastroenteritis (stomach flu), as against 93,000 cases recorded in 2014. Yerima said that the drop in the figure followed the timely release of fund by the state government to control the spread of the disease. He however said that no single death was recorded as a result of the outbreak of the disease, adding that surveillance teams were currently monitoring the situation. (NAN)