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The Federal Government via its Federal Director of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Dr. Maimuna Abdullahi Habib on 5th January 2023 has revealed that it has tightened its border over the movement of birds into the country, following an outbreak of the popular influenza virus (bird flu) that affects birds in Niger Republic, hence the commencement of bird vaccination in the country. Maimuna also noted that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar would be meeting with stakeholders in the poultry industry to ensure measures are put in place to avert the menace of this bird disease.

The Federal Government (FG) has announced that COVID-19 tests would no longer be required for travelers regardless of vaccination status. This was made known in a letter addressed to airline operators signed by Musa Nuhu, the Director-General (DG) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that monkeypox will now be known as ‘mpox’, following concerns raised by individuals and countries over the racist and stigmatizing language associated with naming the disease monkeypox. The organization said both names will be used simultaneously together for one year while monkeypox is phased out. This was disclosed in a statement issued by WHO on Monday, which stated that global experts were consulted before the new name was decided upon.

A new kind of therapy that could slow down the start of type 1 diabetes in children by up to three years has been approved for use in the US. The treatment, called Teplizumab, works by partially blocking the immune system’s attack on insulin-making cells in the pancreas and is believed to be the first to postpone the start of any autoimmune condition. It is most likely to pave the way for approval decisions in other countries of the world.

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday, blamed lack of education in managing diabetes for the reason many patients die untimely. Obasanjo spoke, during a novelty match between All-Stars FC, Abeokuta and the ex-Super Eagles, organized by the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, as part of activities marking this year’s World Diabetes Day. Obasanjo, who has been living with diabetes for over 40 years, stressed that the disease is incurable, but it can be managed.

There is growing concerns that more Nigerians may get infected and many more may lose their lives from nationwide cholera outbreak occasioned by flooding, terrorism-related activities, civil unrest, lack of proper environmental sanitation as well as shortage of vaccines. Just few days ago Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) report had it that 80 persons died from cholera across the country in September while it also registered 4,153 Cholera infections between September 5 and October 2, 2022. NCDC said thirty-one states have reported suspected cholera cases in 2022. These are: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.