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The World Health Organisation's cancer agency on Thursday warned that the global cancer burden of new cancer burden is rising and that the United Nations agency expects a 77% spike in cancer cases in 2050. “The rapidly-growing global cancer burden reflects both population aging and growth, as well as changes to people’s exposure to risk factors,” the International Agency for Research on Cancer said. It cited tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and air pollution as “key factors behind the increasing incidence”. Ahead of World Cancer Day, the WHO and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released the latest estimates on cancer cases and data about how much states finance cancer and palliative care services.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa, revealed on Thursday during an official visit to the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, that the Federal Government has okayed waivers to hospitals for the employment of health workers to boost healthcare services. Alausa said that medical directors would get waivers for employment from 2024, as the Federal Ministry of Health would be setting up a waiver committee that would be in charge of all hospitals. Alausa said, “The President saw the need and gave the approval for us to start it in the ministry. Each institution will generate the number of workers it needs, and there will be some checks and balances based on the budget.

China has recently reported the death of a 63-year-old woman from East China's Anhui province due to a mixed infection of H3N2 and H10N5 flu strains, but the case is rare and the risk of human-to-human transmission is low, according to health authorities. The woman, a resident of Xuancheng, Anhui, had multiple underlying diseases. She exhibited coughing, a sore throat, and a fever on Nov 30 and was admitted to a local hospital on Dec 2, according to a statement released by the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration on Tuesday. On Dec 7, she was transferred to a hospital in neighboring Zhejiang province, where she died on Dec 16.

The Federal Government on Tuesday officially flagged off the implementation cycle of the $933 million grant donated to the country by the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria between 2024 and 2026. Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the coordinating minister of Health and Social Welfare while speaking during the ceremony in Abuja revealed that the grant would support the building of a resilient and sustainable system for health for pandemic preparedness, ensuring health security for all citizens, especially vulnerable populations such as women and children under the age of five. As the Chairman of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), Dr. Pate emphasized the grant’s role in supporting the government’s efforts against the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. He said Nigeria is the highest recipient of the Global Fund grant in the 2021-2023 implementation periods with over $1.2 billion including COVID-19 allocation.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has alerted its residents over the resurgence of Lassa fever cases, with two confirmed cases and four suspected cases, the administration has activated the Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs) based on risk assessment and the need to interrupt further transmission. This update was revealed on Monday in the nation's capital by the FCTA's Secretary, Health and Environmental Services Secretariat, Dr.Adedolapo Fasawe, noting that there was no mortality, after an alert of Lassa Fever her Secretariat received from a clinician in Bwari General Hospital. Fasawe noted that investigations that were immediately initiated revealed the cases, children of 14 months and 13 years old respectively, who had contact with their mother in Bauchi and became at high risk.

The Lagos State Government has publicized its ban on the usage and distribution of single-use plastics and Styrofoam packs, widely known as 'takeaways' immediately. This was revealed in a statement on Sunday by the states' Commissioner, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab. According to the statement, which was posted on X by the ministry’s spokesperson, Kunle Adeshina, the use of these plastics has caused a menace in the environment. It read, “Most drainage channels in the state are daily clogged up by Styrofoam and other plastics through its indiscriminate distribution and usage despite the regular cleaning and evacuation of the drains with humongous amounts.“The Commissioner added that the State Government cannot fold its hands and watch the continued desecration of its environment especially for a coastal city.”