Health

Commissioner of Health, Katsina State, Mrs Mariyatu Bala Usman has on Saturday disclosed plans to carry out reactive vaccination following an outbreak of meningitis that claimed lives of eight persons in Bugaje ward, Jibia local government area of Katsina state.

Mrs Usman confirmed the development to Vanguard’s correspondent and was quick to disclose that the government plan to carry out the vaccination exercise in tall he affected areas. She said of the eight persons that died as a result of the meningitis outbreak, seven of the victims died at home.

African governments have been urged to develop an inclusive approach, including recruitment and training of local citizens on how to curb the prevalence of common diseases.

The governments should focus on the elimination of common transmissible and non-transmissible diseases in the continent.

According to a study published in the Lancet Diabetes, persons who have slightly elevated blood sugar levels that's not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis may still have a higher risk of heart and kidney disease than individuals with normal or low blood sugar.

Diabetes has long been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Plenty of previous research also ties diabetes to an increased risk of kidney disease.

For the study, researchers examined a nationally representative sample of 27,971 adults surveyed in four waves.

Researchers estimated the number of adults with pre-diabetes increased from 56.2 million at the start of the study period to 78.5 million by the end. By the end of the study, several people with pre-diabetes had risk factors for heart and kidney problems. 37 percent had high blood pressure, 51 percent had high cholesterol, 24 percent smoked, five percent had reduced blood filtration by the kidneys, and eight percent had elevated levels of the protein albumin in the urine that suggested impaired kidney function.

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the hearing of Olisa Metuh’s application seeking permission to travel abroad for urgent medical treatment.

The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, noted that even though the application was filed as urgent, the cases cited by the parties have just been forwarded to him.

The judge said he will need time to study the cases.

Dr Veronica Akuete, A Consultant Optometrist and , Medical Director, Forst Eye Clinic, Lagos, on Friday, warned that studies have shown relative increase in the cases of glaucoma in the country.

“There were likely to be more cases, because of low awareness about the disease that causes irreversible blindness.

“Studies have shown that we have 16.7 per cent prevalence of glaucoma in Nigeria, but I can tell you that it can even be more.

“Awareness is very low. We really need to focus on glaucoma because it is becoming an epidemic,” she said.

The Borno State government has confirmed the demise of 3 persons as a result of cholera disease outbreak in the state.

Commissioner of Health in the state, Dr Haruna Mshelia, made the disclosure during an interview with the press on Thursday in Maiduguri.

According to Dr Mshelia, so far about 693 persons have been diagnosed with the disease in villages around the Lake Chad area of the state.