Health

Scientists have created a vaccine that has the potential to protect against a broad range of coronaviruses, including varieties that are not yet known. The scientists from the University of Canbridge, the University of Oxford, and Caltech in the US are developing a novel approach called "proactive vaccinology" which aims to train the body's immune system to recognise several different coronaviruses. The vaccine is made by attaching harmless proteins from different coronaviruses to minuscule nanoparticles that are then injected to prime the body’s defences to fight the viruses should they ever invade. Because the vaccine trains the immune system to target proteins that are shared across many different types of coronavirus, the protection it induces is extremely broad, making it effective against known and unknown viruses in the same family.

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and other development partners are set to optimise innovative HIV prevention and strategies for increased domestic funding towards community ownership and sustainability of HIV. The event which will be held between 7 and 9 May in Abuja, was contained in a statement issued on Friday and signed by the agency's public relations officer, Toyin Aderibige. The conference tagged "Accelerating HIV Prevention to End AIDS through Innovations and Community Engagement," aims at opening dialogue on optimistic innovative HIV prevention approaches towards achieving HIV epidemic control. It will also showcase a diverse array of sessions including dedicated tracks on youth empowerment, community engagement sessions, leadership discussions, plenary sessions, sponsored sessions, and special sessions.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has stated that the alleged Nido infant milk formula, which is said to contain excess sugar or honey, is not registered in Nigeria, is not known to the agency, and is not in circulation. This comes after an investigative documentary aired on Al-Jazeera, an international cable network, which accused Nestle of adding excessive sugar to its NIDO Infant Formula and selling it to poorer countries like Africa.

Three Sub-Saharan nations, namely Benin, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, have launched a significant program for malaria prevention in Africa. The program is a large-scale rollout of a life-saving malaria vaccine that aims to target millions of children. The vaccine's launch is announced on Tuesday 25th April 2024 in commemoration of World Malaria Day, and it seeks further to scale up vaccine deployment in the African region. Over 30 countries in the African region have shown interest in the vaccine, and several of them are scheduled to roll it out in the next year with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The Republic of Congo has announced an epidemic of Monkeypox (mpox) after 19 cases were confirmed across five departments, including the capital Brazaville. Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It can occur in humans and other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. Mpox is a zoonosis, a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans, with cases often found close to tropical rainforests where there are animals that carry the virus. Evidence of monkeypox virus infection has been found in animals including squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, different species of monkeys, and others. The disease can also spread from humans to humans. It can be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects.

The shutting down of some pharmaceutical companies leaving the country coupled with the hyper inflation that has hit the country after the removal of fuel subsidy by President Tinubu administration, prices of malaria, antibiotics, anti-diabetes, hypertension drugs and other related products have soured leading to fears of increased mortality and reduced life expectancy among Nigerians.The danger has manifested more vicious as retail prices for the most commonly used medication in country have skyrocketed by at least 300 per cent in the last six months unchallenged.