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COVID-19 variants spreading faster than vaccine rollout, says WHO
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The World Health Organisation has alerted that variants of COVID-19 is spreading faster than the global vaccine rollout, noting that except prompt actions are taken the world could be overwhelmed by the pandemic.
According to the WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the highly contagious Delta variant first identified in India, is “outpacing” vaccinations, Business Insider reported.
Mentholated ointment, camphor could trigger jaundice in babies, paediatrician warns
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A paediatrician with the University College Teaching Hospital, Ibadan Dr. Ifeoma Ude has cautioned parents against using mentholated ointment on their children as well as keeping their newborn babies’ clothes in camphor.
According to the physician, mentholated ointment and camphor could trigger jaundice in newborn babies. Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, the paediatrician said, “In addition to the normal causes, storing a baby’s clothes in camphor causes the breakdown of red blood cells.
Claims COVID-19 vaccines contain magnets false, says virologist
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A renowned professor of virology and former Vice-Chancellor at the Redeemer’s University Nigeria, Ede, Osun State, Oyewale Tomori says COVID-19 vaccines for COVID-19 do not contain metals that make recipients magnetic at the site of injection.
Reacting to a series of viral videos claiming to show magnets attracted to the arms of alleged vaccine recipients, Prof. Tomori said the claim is false. Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise, he said the claims in the viral videos not true. “It is not true. It is not possible that COVID-19 vaccines cause the body to be magnetic. There is no science behind it. It is fake false and fraud,” Tomori noted.
WHO recommends new treatment guidelines for severe COVID-19 patients
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The World Health Organisation has updated its patient care guidelines to include interleukin-6 receptor blockers, a class of medicines that are lifesaving in patients who are severely or critically ill with COVID-19, especially when administered alongside corticosteroids.
The new recommendation was informed by findings from a network meta-analysis initiated by the WHO. According to the WHO, prospective and living network meta-analyses were the largest on the drugs to date, noting that data from over 10,000 patients enrolled in 27 clinical trials were studied.
Why there is no effective HIV vaccine 40 years after first patient, by experts
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Unlike COVID-19, which took less than two years for scientists to develop effective vaccines, there is yet no functional Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) jab, four decades after the first cases were documented.
Indeed, the month of June marks 40 years since the first cases of HIV/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were documented, in 1981. Since that time, researchers and scientists have made huge strides in HIV treatment and today it is no longer a deadly disease, but rather a manageable condition.
Stroke warning signs often occur 10 years before attack, study suggests
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A new study has suggested that people who suffered stroke may have started experiencing signs of the health condition 10 years before the attack occurs.
Reporting in the BMJ Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, the team of scientists from the Netherland said that they wanted to determine the long-term trajectories of cognition and daily functioning before and after stroke because little is known of the cognitive decline that occurs before a stroke.
Cardiologists have warned about a growing silent epidemic of heart disease in Nigeria, noting that many people with very high blood pressure are unaware of their precarious health condition. The heart care medical experts said it has become imperative for all Nigerians to embrace the culture of going to pharmacies and hospitals to check their blood pressure and get treatment if it is high to ensure it is within the normal range.
The cardiologists warned that patients with very high blood pressure are like a ticking time bomb that can explode anytime. Uncontrolled blood pressure, they said, could cause health problems like stroke and cardiac complications anytime without giving a sign.
UNICEF, Janssen sign agreement to supply COVID-19 vaccine to African Union
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The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund has signed an agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV to supply up to 220 million doses of the J&J single-dose vaccine for all 55 Member States of the African Union by the end of 2022.
Some 35 million doses are to be delivered by the end of this year. The agreement between UNICEF and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV will help implement the Advance Purchase Commitment (APC) signed between the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust and Janssen in March of this year.
Body massage could help improve management of chronic conditions –Experts
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Healthcare experts say body massage should be seen as a fundamental part of healthcare delivery, noting that it offers a lot of benefits in the management of chronic health conditions. According to the experts, if body massage is professionally handled, it can help to induce muscle relaxation and the flow of blood as well as reduce pain from parts of the body.
The experts, President, Association of Clinical and Academic Physiotherapists of Nigeria, Dr. Chris Okafor, and an alternative medicine practitioner, Mr. Augustine Oresanya explained that some health benefits of massage have been validated by research, adding that other benefits are based on clinical experience.
The Federal Government is set to approve eight more hospitals to the previous lineup of 12 hospitals in its Cancer Access Partnership Programme. Speaking on Wednesday during the official launch of the 2021 Upgrade Oncology, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Uche Nwokwu, said the programme is aimed at subsidising cancer treatment for patients
Cancer Access Partnership Programme is an initiative designed to train oncologists, pharmacists, and nurses in Nigeria to address the shortage of personnel in cancer treatment in the health sector.
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Having repeated breast lumps doesn’t increase cancer risk –Researcher
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A professor of pharmacology and fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Isa Hussaini, has said that women can have a recurring breast lump that is not cancerous. According to Hussaini, while women who have a reoccurring case of breast lumps should always have it checked by physicians, they should not panic unduly because lumps do not necessarily indicate breast cancer.
Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise, Hussaini who specialised in cancer research also noted that having repeated breast lumps does not necessarily increase breast cancer risk. According to the American Cancer Society, a lump or mass in the breast is the most common symptom of breast cancer.
Alcohol consumption was linked to four per cent of all new global cancer cases last year, according to a study published on- Wednesday, as researchers warned of an urgent need to alert people of the risks.
Men accounted for more than three-quarters of the estimated cases, which were mainly linked to risky or heavy drinking, although one in seven of these alcohol-related cancers were linked to moderate consumption of around two drinks a day. The study, published in the journal The Lancet Oncology, estimated that there were more than 6.3 million cases in 2020 of mouth, pharynx, voice box larynx, oesophageal, colon, rectum, liver, and breast cancer — all of which have established links to alcohol.
Thousands of cases of cholera have been reported in Nigeria between January and June 2021. The northern states of Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Plateau and Zamfara are among those affected.
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria. It is passed on from feces through contaminated food, drinks and unhygienic environments, and causes severe dehydration. Infected people can die if their illness is not quickly managed with oral rehydration.
The World Health Organisation has warned against mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines, noting that lack of study and data on its effect makes engaging in it dangerous.
Giving the warning during an online briefing on Monday, WHO’s chief scientist, Soumya Swaminatha advised against people mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines from different manufacturers, calling it a “dangerous trend” since there was little data available about the health impact.
