Health

The Federal Government has revealed plans on stepping up its surveillance and all health protocols at all international airports in the country, in response to the increase in the spread of the novel virus COVID-19. In the quest of curtailing the spread of the virus, a revisit to the relaxed scientific approach will be needed, by creating awareness and involving the public with increasing vaccination, hence travelers will now fill out health forms, in addition to temperature checks. The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire made this known while speaking at the 17th Edition of the PMB Administration Scorecard on 10th January 2023.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it is collaborating with its partners on renaming the monkeypox virus and its variants. The announcement was made on Tuesday by the Director-General (DG) of WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus who stated that the new name would be announced as soon as possible. Last week, more than 30 international scientists signed a document that called for the renaming of the monkeypox virus because “a continued reference to, and nomenclature of this virus being African is not only inaccurate but is also discriminatory and stigmatizing”.

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally departed for the United Kingdom for his two-week medical vacation days after returning from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) 50th anniversary, Nairobi, Kenya. The president is expected to undergo his routine medical check-up.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has said it will invest $3 billion to support Africa's vaccine manufacturing capacity. Akinwumi Adesina, AfDB President said this during at the 35th African Union Summit on Saturday in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia, explaining that the funds will ensure Africans get greater access to quality healthcare.

The Federal Government has launched a National HIV self-testing (HIVST) and Pre-Exposure (PrEP) communication strategy. The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Gambo Aliyu disclosed this, saying the national HIVST and PrEP communication strategy are approved tools in the HIV combination prevention package for people with a substantial risk of HIV infection.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has on Tuesday announced that Nigeria is currently experiencing a fourth wave of the COVID-19, following the recent surge of confirmed cases in the country. The Director-General, NCDC, Dr. Ifeday Adetifa made the announcement in a statement on Monday, saying the development was sequel to the 500 percent increase in COVID-19 cases recorded in the past two weeks.