Health

The Nigerian Government has approved the use of “Wondfo HIV I and II rapid test kit” for the use in the country as a measure to arrest the spread of the viral disease.
Dr. Akudo Ikpeazu, The National Coordinator, National AIDS/STD Control Programme (NASCP) disclosed this yesterday in Abuja while making a presentation on the evaluation report on the said kit. She said, “The Wondfo rapid test kit, could be used as a confirmatory test because of its high specification of 99.4 percent,”

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has decried the increasing number of cannabis smokers in the country, warning that it could have a dire consequence for the country. Chairman of the agency, Col. Muhammad Abdallah (retd.) gave the warning at a virtual news briefing to commemorate the 2020 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking in Abuja. “In the light of the prevailing atmosphere of COVID-19, drug-dependent persons are more acutely at risk because of their usually attendant underlying health issues, social stigmatization, and the dearth of access to health care.

The Federal Government on Friday received samples of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine through Russia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Alexey Shebarshin who paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire in Abuja.

A shortage in the supply of monkeys may slow down the development of COVID-19 vaccines that are still in the early stages of development in the United States. This scarcity could be a major obstacle to the vaccine moving to the next stage. The scarcity of the primates in the country was revealed by The Atlantic magazine on Monday, August, 31. Scientists in the United States are particularly worried, with around 35,000 monkeys used in experiments there every year.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had yesterday announces 221 newly recorded cases of the coronavirus in the country, lowest in the last three months. The Health agency made this known yesterday through its official tweeter handle. According to the trend, the record marks the lowest figure in the health agency record in the last three months.

Billionaire Bill Gates and African richest business mogul, Aliko Dangote have hailed the declaration of Nigeria and Africa by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as polio-free. Yesterday, 25th August 2020, WHO declared Nigeria and the rest of Africa as a polio-free nation. The WHO African Region Certification Commission said the major milestone was achieved four years after the last incident recorded in the country. In his verified tweeter handle, Gates tweeted that, it is a remarkable achievement and we are close to global to polio eradication. He stated, “Today, we move one step closer toward a world without polio. This is an incredible milestone that’s worth celebrating. It is also an important reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal.”