A recent study conducted in the United States of America has revealed that individuals who sleep too little or too much face significant health risks, including an increased chance of early death. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study found that those who do not get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night have a 29% higher risk of premature death from any cause.
The World Stroke Organisation in collaboration with Stroke Action Nigeria, the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha, the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba and the Asaba Specialist Hospital, commenced a four-day sensitisation training for medical and ancillary health workers in Anambra State, towards combating the rising incidents of stroke sickness in Nigeria. The training, tagged ‘Addressing the rising burden of stroke in Nigeria,’ with over 200 participants, including healthcare professionals and service providers is aimed at equipping them with the relevant skills in stroke prevention, early detection, and management.
A yet-to-be-identified disease has claimed the lives of about 50 people in northwest Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC. On Monday, local authorities reported that over 943 cases of fever of unknown origin have been identified in Basankusu in the DRC’s Equateur Province since February 9, with 52 fatalities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced a new platform to provide cost-free cancer medicines for thousands of children in low- and middle-income countries, aiming to improve survival rates that lag far behind those in wealthier nations. As part of the initiative’s pilot phase, the first shipments of medicines have been delivered to Mongolia and Uzbekistan, with additional deliveries planned for Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal, and Zambia. This year, the program is expected to benefit approximately 5,000 children across at least 30 hospitals in these six countries.
Dr. Sam Adegboye, a physician, has dismissed the notion that frequent sexual activity lowers the risk of prostate cancer in men. Adegboye, who serves as the Assistant Chief Medical Officer and General Practitioner at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, refuted the claim during a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. He stated: "Most neurological studies do not support this claim. For instance, a review of the American Journal of Neurology revealed some biases. Research must be evidence-based, and currently, there is no concrete proof from neurologists to back this idea, although some traditional beliefs endorse it."
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has proposed the death penalty for drug peddlers. According to the DG of the agency Mojisola Adeyeye, only stiff penalities will deter peddlers especially when it leads to the death of the children.
