Health

The Federal Government has stepped up health surveillance measures at airports, seaports, and land borders across the country as part of efforts to prevent the importation of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and other viral haemorrhagic fevers. The move follows concerns over the ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in parts of East and Central Africa and forms part of Nigeria’s broader disease preparedness and response strategy.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has affirmed the authority of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate complaints involving medical negligence. Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the ruling on April 15 in a suit filed by Life Bridge Medical Diagnostic Centre Ltd, which had challenged the commission’s jurisdiction over healthcare-related complaints.

In an effort to increase efforts to prevent new infections, the Federal Capital Territory Administration plans to launch Lenacapavir, a new injectable alternative for HIV prevention. In partnership with the FCT Agency for the Control of AIDS and the National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs Control Programme, the FCT HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs Control Programme is spearheading the rollout, scheduled for Tuesday at Asokoro District Hospital. The FCT Public Health Department revealed this in a press invitation sent to our correspondent on Monday.

Enforcement of the ban on packaged alcohol and sales in sachets and small bottles is protective rather than punitive and is still prohibited in the nation, according to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC, signed a statement stating that the organization had resumed enforcing its prohibition on the manufacture and distribution of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small-volume PET/glass bottles (less than 200 ml). According to Adeyeye, the action complied with the Senate's recent guidelines.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Southwest Zone destroyed counterfeit, substandard, and unwholesome pharmaceutical products worth N20 billion on Thursday in Ibadan, Oyo State. According to the agency, the routine destruction operation is consistent with its duty to prevent expired, falsified, and hazardous medical products, as well as other NAFDAC-regulated items, from being reintroduced into the market.

Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has come under fire from former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, over an altercation with soldiers in a disputed area of Abuja. Videos that went viral on Tuesday showed Wike arguing angrily with troops at the location in the country's capital.