Frontpage News (3259)
The Federal Government says it will be introducing second dose of measles vaccination into the routine immunisation schedule. The second dose measles vaccination is for children aged 15 months. The first dose is administered at nine months.
According to the FG, the new immunisation schedule is to commence in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this in a press statement released on Tuesday.
UK issues allergy warning over Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
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British health officials on Wednesday warned that anyone with a history of significant allergic reactions should not have the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 jab for the time being.
The warning came after two members of the state-run National Health Service who were among the first to receive the vaccine on Tuesday suffered allergic reactions and needed treatment. NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said both people, who had a history of reactions, were now recovering well.
‘9 of 10 people in poor countries won’t get COVID-19 vaccine’
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Amnesty International has warned that nine out of 10 people in poor countries are going to miss out on a COVID-19 vaccine next year.
The international organisation said COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers — Pfizer, Moderna, BioNTech and AstraZeneca — must share their science, technology and know-how. “Otherwise, billions could miss out,” Amnesty warned. It added, “We need a people’s vaccine, not a profit vaccine.”
COVID-19 vaccines should be subsidized, says Gates Foundation
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The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says there is a need for COVID-19 vaccines to be subsidised so that low-income countries can easily get them. This is just as the foundation approved the release of $250m to accelerate development and equitable distribution of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines to end the pandemic.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Gates Foundation, Mark Suzman, said this during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
Concerns over rising cases of hypertension in ‘children’
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Researchers ESEARCHERS have raised alarm over rising cases of hypertension among teenagers and adolescents especially those in secondary schools across the nation.
In fact, several studies concluded that the prevalence of hypertension in Nigerian children is high and appears to be increasing and there is need for routine Blood Pressure (BP) and urinalysis check for all children in especially those in clinics and wards.
The World Health Organisation has estimated that over 40 per cent of the health facilities in Borno State have been damaged and not functional. The organisation said this in an article it published on ‘How community engagement prevents and protects health care from attacks in north-east Nigeria’ on Wednesday.
It said every attack has a dramatic impact on communities. The article published on the organisation’s website quoted WHO representative to Nigeria, Dr Kazadi Mulombo, as also saying that over 50, 000 are facing the risk of losing access to all essential services.
A consultant paediatrician at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Agatha David, says kissing a newborn on the lips or any part of the face can lead to meningitis, a viral infection caused by herpes.
She warned parents against allowing outsiders to carry their newborns, especially within the first one month of life, noting that their immune system is still very fragile to fight off pathogens or environmental germs.
You shouldn’t chew, crush or break tablets or pills, or open and empty powder out of capsules, unless your physician or another qualified healthcare professional has told you to do so. Experts warn that some tablets, pills and capsules don’t work properly or may be harmful if they’re crushed or opened.
They also gave reasons why tablets may need to be swallowed. According to experts at the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, tablets, pills and capsules are designed to release medicine slowly into your body over time and crushing them could cause an overdose.
Nigeria lacks ultra-cold freezers to store COVID-19 vaccines -Minister
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Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, says Nigeria may encounter a challenge if it opts for COVID-19 vaccines that require ultra-cold freezers for storage. He said the country hardly has ultra-cold freezers, stressing that the Federal Government may have to raise money to procure them if it settles for vaccines that need such temperature by January 2021.
This is even as a renowned Professor of virology and former Vice-Chancellor of the Redeemer’s University Nigeria, Oyewale Tomori, expressed fear that Nigeria might encounter a ‘humongous problem’ in the course of storing the vaccines.
Exposure to loud noise can trigger abortion in pregnant women -Study
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High noise exposure during critical periods in gestation is a potential stressor that may result in increased risk of implantation failure (miscarriage), dysregulation of placentation or decrease of uterine blood flow, experts say.
America-based National Institutes of Health made this known in an archive of biomedical and life sciences journal publication titled, Reproductive Outcomes Associated with Noise Exposure — A Systematic Review of the Literature. This is even as the Centres for Disease Control also warns that noise levels can damage the foetus’ hearing.
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The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, on Wednesday, said Nigeria should take delivery of COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021. He said a committee set up for that purpose was already working to decide the kind of vaccine that would be suitable for Nigeria.
Ehanire disclosed this in an interview with State House correspondents after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. He said Nigeria had signed up with the World Health Organisation and the GAVI Alliance for access to vaccines immediately they are available.
WHO launches labour-monitoring tool to reduce complications during childbirth
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The World Health Organisation has launched a new Labour Care Guide to reduce complications during labour and help every woman have a positive childbirth experience. According to WHO, over one third of maternal deaths, half of stillbirths and a quarter of neonatal deaths result from complications during labour and child delivery.
The global body on Tuesday said the majority of these deaths occur in low-resource settings and are preventable through timely interventions, adding that knowing when to wait — and when to take life-saving action — is critical.
The Lagos State Government has said it is supporting people living with HIV/AIDS in the state with equipment, training and grants to make them economically independent in view of the hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Aids Control, Dr Monsurat Adeleke, said the state would continue to give priority to the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. A statement on Wednesday said Adeleke spoke during the presentation of sewing machines to some beneficiaries at the agency’s head office.
Lagos experiencing sharp increase in COVID-19 cases requiring oxygen -Commissioner
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Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says since October, the state has been experiencing a very sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, with many of the patients requiring oxygen and intensive care.
According to the commissioner, Lagos now has over 25,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases with over 300 deaths, lamenting that the positivity rate in the state has suddenly risen to 12.2 percent, compared to 3.5 percent that it was in September.
