Health

Lassa fever, one of the deadliest diseases in the country that has not received the required attention from the authorities has within January 2022 alone killed 40 persons and infected four health workers. This was a report released by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) via its verified website this morning, lamenting that currently, the disease has threatened health workers response to the disease. Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted by rats. It has been known since the 1950s, but the virus was not identified until 1969, when two missionary nurses died from it in the town of Lassa, in Borno state, Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary, Yobe state Primary Health Care Board, PHCB, Dr. Babagana Kundi Machina has raised the alarm that some neglected tropical diseases are still threatening them in Yobe state. Machina raises this concern during the media briefing to mark the year 2022 World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has reacted to report by some sections of the media that there was an outbreak of wild poliovirus in some states. Reacting to the statement, the NPHCDA, Executive Secretary, Dr. Faisal Shuaibu disclosed that Nigeria has recorded 395 cases of circulating mutant poliovirus Type 2 (cMPV2) across 27 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The NPHCDA boss made this statement while reacting to the report in Abuja today; saying contrary to the report, what was recorded was not the Wild Polio Virus (WPV). That has been eradicated in the country since 2016, he said. 

A new variant of coronavirus has just been discovered in France; the variant was identified as B.1.640.2 and dubbed the IHU variant, and since has infected about 12 persons so far in France. According to a research journal published by French scientists of the Méditerranée infectious University Hospital Institute (IHU) France claimed the index case was first linked to a person who has a travel history to the Cameroun Republic. The statement reads, “The index case was an adult first diagnosed as infected with SARS-CoV-2 by real-time reverse transcription PCR (qPCR) performed in a private medical biology laboratory on a nasopharyngeal sample collected mid-November 2021,”

Amidst surging infection of the pandemic coronavirus Omicron variant amongst the populace leading to some fatalities, a health expert has lent their voice calling on the populace to turn up for vaccination. The call follows the outcry by some members of the public who laments that despite receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, people still get infected with some even dying from its severity.
In defense, the expert revealed that it was because of the vaccine received; otherwise, the fatalities would have been much higher than what we are seeing.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has yesterday warned that a blanket booster programme for covid-19 may likely prolong the pandemic and increase equity. The WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghabreyesus, gave this warning at the Geneva Headquarters of WHO yesterday while giving a brief for the end of the year. Ghabreyesus said, “No country can boost its way out of the pandemic.
He added, “And boosters cannot be seen as a ticket to go ahead with planned celebrations, without the need for other precautions,”
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Expert on Immunisation (SAGE) has in the interim issued some guidelines saying, mass programmes for countries that can afford it will worsen vaccine imbalance.