Health

It is well known that adding salt regularly to your food raises the risk of hypertension and the resultant risks of heart attacks and strokes. But now, researchers in New Orleans, USA, have found that it also significantly increases the danger of triggering Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The study, which involved 465,288 participants, showed that a higher self-reported frequency of adding salt to foods, a common eating behaviour shaped by a person’s long-term preference for salty taste in foods and habitual salt intake, was significantly associated with an increased risk of CKD. In the paper, published in JAMA Network, the team found that people who added salt to their foods were also more likely than those who did not add salt to their foods to be current smokers and have diabetes or CKD at baseline.

Dr. Olusimbo Ige, a Nigerian, has become the first-ever black female to be appointed as the Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, disclosed this in a congratulatory message to Dr Ige. In the congratulatory statement shared yesterday, Dabiri-Erewa described Ige’s milestone as “extraordinary”, saying: “History made! Congrats to the first black woman in the History of Chicago Dept. of Public Health to be appointed as Commissioner.”

The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has given the federal government till Jan 31, 2024, to implement the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS. President of the association, Dr Uche Ojinmah, gave the ultimatum on Sunday during the closing ceremony of the association’s National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Abuja. Ojinmah stressed that the association cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the ultimatum if the government fails to meet their demands amongst which is the upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure. While stressing how doctors have been making great sacrifices he further urged the government to implement the newly approved accruement allowance with arrears from June 2022.

The House of Representatives has expressed concern toward reviewing laws and policies in order to address environmental disasters that poses serious threat to Nigerians.

The Federal Government (FG) through the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammed Pate has announced it would unveil Universal Healthcare (UHC) Initiative. This was revealed by Pate on Monday while commemorating UHC Day which is celebrated annually on December 12.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is in meltdown following another deadly virus emerged, adding a fifth to the list of those already wreaking havoc worldwide this month. Anthrax, which was first spotted in 1752, has already made its way to Europe after reducing Zambia to chaos with the virus detected in 684 people as of November 20. Four deaths have been reported among the cases specified. Five countries in the East and southern Africa are presently experiencing anthrax outbreaks, with over 1100 suspected cases and 20 related deaths reported since the beginning of 2023. A total of 1166 suspected and 37 confirmed cases have been recorded in African countries including Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, where the disease is endemic, with seasonal outbreaks every year, according to data reported to WHO.