Health

Nigeria has vaccinated seven million girls across the country against cervical cancer, a common disease among young women in the country. The two-week vaccination program is a major step toward the protection of girls and women against the life-threatening disease, according to the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, a global health partnership collaborating with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). "It's a major breakthrough in girls’ health in Nigeria. In just two weeks, an impressive 7 million girls have been vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV)," said Sania Nishtar, the chief executive officer of the vaccine alliance.

The House of Representatives and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control have resolved to lift the ban on the sale and consumption of sachet alcoholic beverages in the country. The deputy spokesman for the House, Philip Agbese, who disclosed this, said the lifting of the ban would end when the economy fully recovers from its current strain. NAFDAC had banned the production of beverages in small sachets and bottles for reasons not unconnected with the prevailing cases of drug abuse in the country, especially by some young Nigerians.

Following a meeting with stakeholders, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for voters’ registration for the upcoming elections in Edo and Ondo States. The exercise was earlier scheduled to end tomorrow, Wednesday June 5 but it has been extended to Sunday, June 9 in order to allow more eligible voers to register.

The Nigerian Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, says that health systems in Nigerian will remain weak as long as developing countries like Nigeria continue to lose its trained health professionals to developed countries that did not invest in their first professional education. Pate made these remarks at the opening plenary of the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) yesterday, saying half the world’s population is still facing “health poverty”, deprivations of access to affordable basic health care, such as immunisation, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health care. 

Society for Family Health (SFH), has decried rising cases of abortion among married women in Nigeria, attributing the development to the rise in inflation and love for their families. The nonprofit, non-political, non-governmental organization which intervenes in various health fields, added that many married women undertake to abort pregnancies without the knowledge of their husbands.

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a public notification on its website, 'Public Alert No.15/2023, regarding the recall of Caro White Skin Lightening Beauty Lotion by the European Union (EU) Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Non-Food Products (RAPEX). This action comes as the product fails to comply with the Cosmetic Products Regulation due to its high Kojic Acid concentration, surpassing the allowable maximum concentration of one percent. This conclusion was drawn by the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS).