The World Health Organisation WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, says there are over 400,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Africa.
The UN health agency gave the update on its regional official Twitter account — @WHOAFRO on Wednesday.
It noted that “there are over 400,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent- with more than 190,000 recoveries and 10,000 deaths.” The regional office stated that South Africa has 151,209 cases and 2,657 deaths, followed by Nigeria with 25,694 confirmed cases and 590 deaths, while Ghana has 17,741 confirmed cases and 112 deaths.
It added that Lesotho, Gambia and Seychelles were countries currently with the lowest confirmed cases in the region as Lesotho had 27 confirmed cases with zero death.
The Gambia had 49 reported cases and two deaths, while Seychelles had 81 reported cases with no death, the office said.
Meanwhile, the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said the agency had marked six months since it received the first reports of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in China.
Ghebreyesus said at a news conference at the WHO Headquarters that the six-month anniversary of the outbreak coincided with reaching 10 million cases and 500,000 deaths.
“This is a moment for all of us to reflect on the progress we have made and the lessons we have learned and to recommit ourselves to doing everything we can to save lives.
“Six months ago, none of us could have imagined how our world – and our lives – would be thrown into by this new virus.
“The pandemic has brought out the best and the worst of humanity; all over the world, we have seen heartwarming acts of resilience, inventiveness, solidarity and kindness.
“But we have also seen concerning signs of stigma, misinformation and the politicisation of the pandemic.
“For the past six months, WHO and our partners have worked relentlessly to support all countries to prepare for and respond to this new virus,’’ he said. The director-general said that the agency had published an updated and detailed timeline of response to the pandemic, so the public could have a look at what happened in the past six months concerning the response.
“It illustrates the range of WHO’s work to stop transmission and save lives; we have worked with researchers, clinicians and other experts to bring together the evolving science and distil it into guidance.
“Millions of health workers have enrolled in courses through our OpenWHO.org online learning platform.
“We launched the Solidarity Trial to find fast answers to which drugs are the most effective. “We launched Solidarity Flights to ship millions of test kits and tonnes of Personal Protective Equipment to many countries.
“We launched the Solidarity Response Fund, which has raised more than 223 million dollars for the response,’’ he said.
As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare, businesses and the economy continues to mount, with public and private healthcare institutions in Nigeria and around the world leveraging technology to best serve their clients, MeCure Smart, a smartphone app (msb.ng) that allows remote online consultations has partnered HelloDocApp, the largest online community of doctors in Nigeria, to bring over 10,000 doctors on its platform.
According to a press statement made available by Mr Ajinkya Shelar, product manager, MeCure Smart, MeCure Smart, HelloDoc partnership works as a pure marketplace, which means customers can browse doctors by specialty and compare them by prior customers’ feedback, ratings and even pricing, adding that each doctor on the platform has a verified MDCN certificate and is vetted through a rigorous background checks.
According to him, the pandemic has forced businesses to rethink their strategy and make favourable and long-term change, saying consumers have also shown an overwhelming interest in placing the health and safety of their families first and are adopting innovative ways to interact in these unprecedented times.
“Access to quality and safe healthcare is quite simply the most important need not just for Nigerians but citizens of every country in the world. But, if you have a cough or a fever, how safe would you feel visiting a doctor’s clinic today? How do you diagnose and treat diseases while maintaining social distancing guidelines? The answer is Tele-Medicine or Online Consultations,” he said
He added, “Against the background of rising demand for online consultations or Tele-Medication services, which has picked up exponentially ever since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, over 10,000 doctors would be providing online healthcare services, the scale and demand for telemedicine services was overwhelming today, hence, we decided to tie up with HelloDoc.”
On the benefits of the partnership, Shelar said this partnership will allow them to bring on board over 4,000 doctors across every specialty, ranging from general physicians to neurosurgeons on the MeCure Smart app immediately, saying they intend to further expand it to up to over 10,000 doctors by the end of 2020.”
He continued, “Through this initiative anyone in Nigeria will immediately have access to quality and affordable healthcare that is also COVID-safe. As businesses continue to grapple in these unprecedented times, if there is one thing needed more than anything else to keep going, its innovation, and MeCure Smart seems to be innovating in the right direction.
The Lagos state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso has recently said in a statement that Coronavirus testing for residents of the state was free of charge.
Omotoso said: “The state would like to reassure the general public that testing is still free at all the COVID-19 public testing laboratories for all Lagos residents.
“Residents are enjoined to take advantage of this service if they feel unwell or feel they have had close contact with an infected person.”
Babajide Sanwo Olu, Governor of Lagos State
The commissioner said that the government has established sampling centres across the state and has continued to enhance the capacity of the public testing laboratories to examine all those who required testing free of charge.
According to him, if any resident feels unwell, he should please, lodge a complaint through the appropriate channel by calling 08000CORONA.
He said that the state government has launched a consortium of seven private laboratories in the first phase.
“This is part of the testing strategy of the state to increase the accessibility of testing facilities to the organised private and corporate sector who wish to test for various reasons.
”For the avoidance of doubt it is necessary to reiterate to members of the public that testing remains free of charge at all public testing laboratories,” the commissioner said.
The Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa announced on his Facebook page that he and his wife, Edith Okowa have recently tested for COVID-19.
According to him: “My wife and I have tested positive for COVID-19. We are well and continuing with our isolation/medication. We thank you all for your continued prayers for us and our daughter”, he wrote.
The governor had gone into isolation last week with his family after one of his daughters tested positive for the virus.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba had said, that “consequently, the Governor and his family members will immediately commence self-isolation for 14 days”.
“It is again pertinent to stress that COVID-19 is real, and citizens are advised to be disciplined and comply with the protocols of wearing face masks and maintaining physical-distancing while in public places as well as basic hygiene of hand-washing with soap and running water and use of alcohol-based sanitisers as NCDC regulation demands,” Ifeajika added
Also, two top officials of the government had tested positive to the virus recently.
They include the Secretary to the State Government, Chiedu Ebie, and Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu.
According to the latest figures by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) there are 25,694 confirmed cases in the country. Some 9746 patients have been discharged while 590 deaths have been recorded. About 965 of the confirmed cases recorded are in Delta State.
Following the surge in number of COVID-19 cases recorded in Nigeria in the last couple of weeks, the federal government is considering locking down 18 local government areas which account for 60 per cent of confirmed cases in the country.
This was revealed on Monday by the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, while fielding questions from press men shortly after he briefed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on situation report at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said affected state governments would implement what he described as “precision lockdown” in order to curb the spread of tje infection in those areas.
Data released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC as of June 2, showed that Local Government Areas in Lagos and Abuja have recorded most COVID-19 cases in Nigeria. Below are the LGAs mostly affected:
Mustapha further explained why the country has recorded low death cases in comparism with other countries, noting that 80% of the infections are in the age bracket of 31 to 40 years, which he described as a very active part of the population.
Pharmanewsonline reports that Nigeria recorded highest infections on Saturday with 779 cases, then 490 on Sunday, 566 on Monday and 561 cases for Tuesday.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 561 more cases of COVID-19, with recovered 9746 patients and 17 new deaths.
According to NCDC, to date, 25,694 cases have been confirmed, 9,746 cases have been discharged and 590 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. A total of 134,257 tests have been carried out as of June 30th, 2020 compared to 132,304 tests a day earlier
The agency said the 561 new cases were reported from 19 states- Lagos (200), Edo (119), Kaduna (52), FCT (52), Niger (32), Ogun (16), Ondo (16). Imo (14), Plateau (11), Abia and Oyo (8), Bayelsa (7), Katsina (6), Kano (5), Bauchi, Osun, Kebbi (3), Borno (2) and Jigawa (1).
Meanwhile, the latest numbers bring Lagos state total confirmed cases to 10,510, followed by Abuja (1,870), Oyo (1,380), Kano (1,216), Edo (1,105), Rivers (1,056), Delta (965), Ogun (826), Kaduna (766), Katsina (557), Gombe and Bauchi (503), Borno (493), Ebonyi (438), Plateau (382), Imo (332), Jigawa (318), Abia (310).
The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has just tested positive for Coronavirus.
The 63-year-old governor revealed this at a press conference in Akure, the state capital today 30 June.
He said: ”I had malaria a few days ago and was treated. I did get over it and as at the time we had our party NEC and my colleagues called on me, I spoke with one of them who felt that malaria shouldn’t be treated lightly but that I should go ahead and have a test for COVID-19.
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu Tests Positive for Coronavirus
“The result came out today 30 June and I tested positive.
“I am asymptomatic. I am not feeling sick nor feeling hot in anyway but my doctors have decided I should take the normal treatment and self-isolate. I believe that supervised home management will be ideal for me for now and so from now, I will be isolated and go on with the supervised home management” he said
Ondo state currently has 276 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have warned that pigs are more infectious to humans and need to be watched closely, to prevent them from spreading infection to humans, which could cause another pandemic.
According to the study published in the US journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers have been studying outbreaks of swine flu in pig farms across the country and say the latest strain can pass to humans even though only two people are confirmed to have caught the virus, dubbed G4 EA H1N1, since the first outbreak in 2016.
The experts who say the disease is ‘highly adapted’ to infect humans are now calling for monitoring of farms and people working on or near them as further transmission could cause the virus to ‘adapt and become a pandemic’.
The two cases of a G4-like EA H1N1 virus were of a 46-year-old and a 9-year-old.
New Virus in Pigs Could be the Source of Next Pandemic – Chinese Researchers
‘Epidemiological survey found that the two patients had neighbours who reared pigs, suggesting that G4 EA virus could transmit from swine to human, and lead to severe infection and even death.’
During tests of the virus in ferrets they found symptoms such as fever, sneezing, wheezing, and coughing were all common.
George Gao, Jinhua Liu, and colleagues isolated 179 viruses from pigs across 10 provinces in China from 2011 to 2018 to study the risks they pose to humans and found that since 2016 the majority of viruses found in farmed pigs exhibited features you’d expect from the populace during a pandemic.
According to the scientists, out of 300 samples taken from pig farmers on 15 different pig farms, only 10.4 per cent had antibodies against this strain of the virus.
This means the virus poses a particularly strong chance of pandemic spread according to the scientists.
‘All of this evidence indicates that G4 EA H1N1 virus is a growing problem in pig farms, and the widespread circulation of G4 viruses in pigs inevitably increases their exposure to humans,’ study authors wrote in their paper.
The novel coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have originated in horseshoe bats in southwest China, and could have spread to humans via a seafood market in Wuhan, where the virus was first identified.
The PNAS study revealed that igs are considered important “mixing vessels” for the generation of pandemic influenza viruses and called for “systematic surveillance” of the problem.
China took action against an outbreak of avian H1N1 in 2009, restricting incoming flights from affected countries and putting tens of thousands of people into quarantine.
The new virus identified in the study is a recombination of the 2009 H1N1 variant and a once prevalent strain found in pigs.
But while it is capable of infecting humans, there is no imminent risk of a new pandemic, said Carl Bergstrom, a biologist at the University of Washington.
“There’s no evidence that G4 is circulating in humans, despite five years of extensive exposure,” he said on Twitter after the paper’s publication. “That’s the key context to keep in mind.”
A recent study published in the Journal of American Medical Association has shown that face shield is even more effective than mask when it comes to protecting yourself and others from COVID-19.
Amesh Adalja, M.D., a pandemic preparedness expert at the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security, says, “There’s a lot of at least biological possibility to suspect that [shields] are definitely better than homemade face masks, and maybe even better than other types of masks as well, because they not only prevent you from spreading it, as it also covers your eyes, it provides more protection to the mucus membranes of your face where you might be getting infected.”
James Cherry, M.D., a distinguished research professor and infectious disease expert at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, says that while experts aren’t yet sure about how vulnerable our eyes are to infection from this coronavirus, “With many viruses, the eyes are important.”
He pointed to measles and adenoviruses as examples of viruses that are known to infect people through their eyes.
He said: “With a mask, you may find yourself constantly adjusting it and therefore touching your face and possibly transferring the virus from your hands, but wearing a shield “doesn’t really put you in a position where you’re touching your face so much, because it’s not cumbersome to wear.”
Face Shields May be More Effective than Masks – Study Finds
Adalja added, “If you walk down the sidewalk, you can find lots of masks that are just discarded there, which are an infection control risk for other people. Whereas a face shield is something that people can just clean themselves and reuse.”
A recent opinion piece in JAMA by Eli Perencevich, M.D., a professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, and two of his colleagues pointed to such benefits of shields for infection prevention and noted that “face shields appear to significantly reduce the amount of inhalation exposure to influenza virus, another droplet-spread respiratory virus.
In a simulation study, face shields were shown to reduce immediate viral exposure by 96 per cent when worn by a simulated healthcare worker within 18 inches of a cough.” In an April 19 tweet Perencevich wrote, “Biggest benefit of face shields would be inside crowded office situations where air exchanges aren’t ideal.”
Another benefit is that with warmer weather, many may also find a face shield attached to a headband or cap cooler to wear than a cloth mask.
Some members of the public are taking such arguments to heart — choosing shields especially for their ability to keep the entire face visible.
Lauren Lek, head of school at Academy of Our Lady of Peace, in San Diego, plans to have her 750 returning faculty and students wear face shields at school rather than masks this August.
“Safety and health for our community is a priority for us in reopening,” she says. “As soon as we saw from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our local public health office that face shields would be an acceptable alternative to face masks, we knew this was a direction we wanted to move in.”
Noting that face-to-face interaction is key to the education her school provides, Lek adds that face shields are better than masks for students with learning differences, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), because they allow for full visibility of facial expressions that can help them read and understand social cues.
The school has purchased more than 10 different types of face shields to test before classes restart, Lek says, with each posing challenges in terms of clarity, fogging, ease of cleaning and reuse. They also shouldn’t cause headaches when worn 10 hours a day. “With each product we try, we are getting closer to the best option for the start of school in August.”
Carnahan acknowledges that masks are difficult for people like herself who have hearing difficulties. She says she finds herself asking colleagues to repeat themselves frequently when she cannot see their mouths. “It is a reality for many who rely on lip reading or ASL [American Sign Language] that masks make communicating much harder,” she notes, “especially because facial expressions are an integral part of American Sign Language.”
Whatever you decide to wear to prevent infection when you’re out and about, keep in mind that staying safe from COVID-19 means putting in place multiple safeguards, including thorough hand washing.
The most important safety measure, though, is social distancing, Cherry says. “The virus is in these droplets, and they don’t go very far they fall to the ground. So that’s why staying six feet away from others is the most important thing that we can all do.”
Ashley Pangold of Port Charlotte said she and her team kind of feel helpless seeing people suffering from Coronavirus despite using facemask. “And for me, to get that little piece of control back – helping the community is kind of how I do that.”
When Coronavirus came on the scene, Ashley Pangold of Port focused on helping the helpers. She created a network of sewers to make masks for essential workers and community members in need, donating more than 8,400 face shields.
The spread of novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria touched a new milestone as the latest statistics provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reveal Nigeria now has 25,133 confirmed cases.
On the 29th of June 2020, 566 new confirmed cases and 8 deaths were recorded in Nigeria, having carried out a total daily test of 2,140 samples across the country.
To date, 25,133 cases have been confirmed, 9,402 cases have been discharged and 573 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. A total of 132,304 tests have been carried out as of June 29th, 2020 compared to 130,164 tests a day earlier.
COVID-19 Case Updates- 29th June 2020
Total Number of Cases – 25,133
Total Number Discharged – 9,407
Total Deaths – 573
Total Tests Carried out – 132,304
According to the NCDC, the 566 new cases are reported from 20 states- Lagos (166), Oyo (66), Delta (53), Ebonyi (43), Plateau (34), Ondo (32), FCT (26), Ogun (25), Edo (24), Imo (15), Bayelsa (13), Benue (12), Gombe (11), Kano (11), Kaduna (11), Osun (8), Nasarawa (7), Borno (5), Katsina (2), Anambra (2).
Meanwhile, the latest numbers bring Lagos state total confirmed cases to 10,310, followed by Abuja (1,818), Oyo (1,372), Kano (1,211), Rivers (1,056), Edo (986), Delta (965), Ogun (807), Kaduna (714), Katsina (551), Gombe (503), Bauchi (500), Borno (491), Ebonyi (438), Plateau (371), Imo (318), Jigawa (317), Abia (302).
Following the uncertainty that surrounded the death of Professor Okwudili O. Udemezue the Provost of Health Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, which was alleged to be related to complications from the novel Coronavirus, the family members have requested for the result of the COVID-19 test conducted on him.
The family revealed they were told that Udemezue died of COVID-19 complications, without receiving result of the test which confirmed him positive for the disease.
Professor Okwudili O.
They further expressed their worries over their inability to see the result of the sample test conducted on him, while they called on the authorities in charge to release the result for them.
The family’s spokesman, Sir Orji Udemezue, in a chat with newsmen recently in Nnewi, along with the family head, Chief Ogochukwu Udemezue, said they demanded a definite information, including independent test on the late Professor’s sample.
Udemezue said he never knew testing for Covid-19 had become that complex, as the hospital management had claimed to have conflicting results when contacted.
Recall that the late Udemezue, a Professor of Anatomy who became the College’s Provost in October 2018, died after being admitted into isolation centre of the hospital on Saturday on suspicion, but there was no concrete evidence to affirm he died of COVID-19.
NAUTH’s Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Dr Joe Ugboaja, confirmed the death of the provost to newsmen but he said he could not confirm if the late Professor died of COVID-19.
The acting Public Relations Officer of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Chika Eneh, also said the institution was still awaiting a report on the cause of the death.
Eneh said: “The provost is dead but we cannot ascertain what killed him. We are yet to know”.
The Standards Organization of Nigeria has warned against the use of non-approved hand sanitizers, which it says can cause damage to the skin.
The regulatory body said in a statement released on Monday 29 June, that it will “not tolerate any minus in standards” as quality hand sanitizers are important in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
Non-Approved Hand Sanitizers Can Cause Skin Damage – SON
Manufacturers were also advised to get the required standard for their products which will go to the markets.
The statement partly reads: “SON urged consumers to always insist on patronising only hand sanitizers certified by SON to avoid harmful effects to their skin, while also getting value for their hard-earned money.
“Quality hand sanitizers and liquid hand wash are some of the critical tools to battle the virus. Hand washing with soap and water is one of the most important steps that can be taken to avoid getting sick and spreading the virus to loved ones”, the agency stressed.
Nigeria has been excluded from the list of the countries whose travellers could be received into Europe when the borders reopen on July 1, this was said by the European Union Commission.
The Commission released list of 54 countries that qualify for travels into Europe and Nigeria was conspicuously absent.
According to a report from Schengenvisainfo.com, citizens from Nigeria, Brazil, Qatar, the US and Russia would not be allowed to travel into Europe until such a time when the epidemiological situation in their countries with regards to COVID-19 improves.
COVID-19: Nigeria, US, Others Not Permitted into Europe from July 1
According to the report, the countries whose citizens have been granted permits into Europe include Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Australia, Bahamas, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada.
Others listed are Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lebanon and Mauritius.
Speaking on the development, Eric Manner, the EU Commission spokesman, said the union had the right to choose who would enter its borders. He added that it was based on health criteria.
In order to provide relevant agencies with requisite data for adequate planning and provisions on the number of Coronavirus cases in Nigeria, Data Analyst, Raimi Emmanuel, has recently designed a model for the month of July 2020.
According to the analyst, the model was designed to predict the skew of the number of cases likely to ensue from the Coronavirus situation in the country. He added that with these projections, the Nigeria Control Centre for Disease (NCDC) would know the extra efforts that would be required to handle the spike in the number of cases if lockdown measures are totally lifted.
He also added that the economic consequences of the Coronavirus situation in Lagos state and Nigeria as a whole would also be critically considered and subsequent actions will be taken.
He said with this model, several measures on how to reduce the number of cases as well as keeping the fatality rate at the barest minimum will be put in place.
Raimi stated: “The model has hit a variance of -6 and -8 on two occasions and other occasions have been closer than farther from reality”.
The Director General of The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dame Julie Okah-Donli, has revealed that young boys in Nigeria are currently more susceptible to rape than girls.
She attributed this to the fact that many people tend to focus more on girls being raped and forget that the reality is that the incident of rape for boys in Nigeria is currently on the increase.
She said this at the flag-off of the ‘Cover me’ campaign aimed at exposing perpetrators of child abuse, advocate for stricter punishment for rapists and advocate for stronger mechanisms for preventing approach on Saturday 27 June.
Okah Donli
“I do not advocate for capital punishment of death sentence because it will make rapists become brutal because they will not want to leave witnesses and it will also encourage jungle justice with people using it to accuse and kill people falsely.
Boys are more vulnerable to rape because we tend to focus more on girls so we need to focus on all our children. Now you see a lot of silly videos with people sharing and reposting. If you send it to me I will arrest you for child pornography, as anyone who stigmatizes victims will be punished. We need to make people know that we are serious.
During the lockdown, a lot of things where revealed to us, we realized that most of the reports we got were from observant neighbours and not parents,” she said.
Ugo Nwafor, the coordinator Cover Me project, explained that his organisation has set up a one million man online petition to implement capital punishment to stop rape, child defilement, and child abuse in the country. He said that capital punishment is implemented to curb rape, defilement, and abuse by 60 per cent.
He said that the Cover Me project will also embark on the distribution of clothing items to children in rural areas all over the country because they believe that the constant nudity of little children in rural areas might also encourage pedophile.
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has added a runny nose or congestion, nausea, and diarrhoea to the growing list of Coronavirus symptoms.
The new symptoms are likely to appear between two to 14 days after exposure to the virus.
Three New Coronavirus Symptoms Including Diarrhea, Runny Nose Added to Official List
The CDC reports that anyone with the following symptoms may have COVID-19: Fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting diarrhoea.
“This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19,” the website states.
The US federal department also warned: “Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.”
This comes as almost 10million people have been infected by the disease worldwide with nearly 500,000 deaths.
Towards creating more awareness about the spread and prevention of COVID-19 in Ogun and Lagos States, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, a leading pharmaceutical company in the country, has donated 20 kiosks and flyers to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) RS2HQ, Lagos.
Presenting the items at a media launch in Lagos, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Neimeth, Mr Mathew Azoji, described the partnership as historical, as the FRSC Zone 2 Lagos is the first federal government institution the company is partnering on COVID-19 advocacy.
Some of the donated kiosks during the presentation.
He said the donated COVID-19 enlightenment kiosks and flyers were crucial campaign materials to improve the quality of life of citizens in this era of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The Neimeth boss while commending the FRSC for the partnership, also urged Nigerians to observe strictly the COVID-19 prevention guidelines as stipulated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), especially the use of antiseptics and disinfectants.
He said considering the over-crowded nature of the society, enlightenment, personal hygiene, the use of face masks, antiseptics and regular hand washing would go a long way to prevent further spread of the virus.
Azoji, who was represented by the organisation’s Executive Director, Sales and Marketing, Mrs Roseline Oputa, described the partnership with FRSC as a worthy humanitarian cause, saying the firm is looking forward to many more partnerships that revolve around healthcare of Nigerians.
Some executives of Neimeth in a group photograph with FRSC officers at the presentation.
Commenting on the current global and national cases of the infection, which is growing at an alarming rate, Azoji said prevention remains the only viable option against the virus with regular antiseptic use, disease spread can be curtailed and prevented.
“Our use of NCP liquid and hand sanitizers for this partnership is very apt. NCP will help to promote NCDC’s recommendation of regular personal and environmental hygiene as an effective way to prevent contracting diseases and infections including Coronavirus.
“Based on this recommendation, NCP can be use to sanitise hands in the absence of soap and water, as well as for cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces in the home or office, he said.
In his response, Mr Samuel Obayemi, the zonal commanding officer, FRSC, RS2HQ, in charge of both Lagos and Ogun states, commended Neimeth for deeming it fit to partner Fenliin curbing the spread of COVID-19 through the provision of kiosks and flyers for advocacy and public enlightenment.
Obayemi, who was represented by the Lagos State Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide, said the global health crisis requires partnership and participation of all, saying government alone can not tackle the pandemic.
According to him, the rising cases of the virus in the country necessitated the corps’ partnership with Neimeth to bring the global health challenge under control through public transportation, adding that when it comes to the issue of health crisis, institutions, non-governmental organisations and other critical stakeholders must come together and join hands with the government.
” FRSC does not joke with the pandemic as we see it as a battle to win. We are always available to project this enlightenment campaign targeted at curbing the spread of this deadly virus. We are excited to be with Neimeth to drive this project. The foot soldiers are here, our men will put their strength to drive this motive and Nigerian citizens will be better for it.”
He added: “When the pandemic broke out, FRSC was one of the first paramilitary organisations to combine the mandate of road safety with public enlightenment against its spread with the provision of flyers. Our collaboration with NGOs in Nigeria have been a very robust one and it is what is being exhibited today with the provision of several kiosks and flyers to combat spread of COVID-19.
Also speaking, Pharm. Chovwe Emaniru, head of marketing, Neimeth International Plc, noted that Neimeth as an establishment has been at the fore-front of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in line with the federal government’s directive, adding that there is need for sustained sensitization and public enlightenment through hygiene education.
Emaniru said the donated kiosks and flyers would provide another avenue to reach the motoring public at motor parks on the danger of the pandemic and the need to adhere strictly to the prevention protocols.
She added that the 20 units of NCP-FRSC co-branded kiosks would be placed at strategic locations like motor parks, highly populated grass root environments in Lagos and Ogun states for the COVID-19 public enlightenment.
Other dignitaries present at the launch were DCC Innocent Etuk; DCC D. Marcus; DCC Anthony Daodu; Mr Isaac Igbanoi, director of admin, Neimeth; Mrs Florence Onyenekwe, secretary, Neimeth; Ms. Ifeyinwa Maduka, head of business, Ethical; Pharm. Osaretin Asowata, among others.
The spread of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria touched a new milestone as the latest statistics provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reveal Nigeria now has 24,077 confirmed cases.
On the 27th of June 2020, 779 new confirmed cases and 4 deaths were recorded in Nigeria, the highest daily case recorded having carried out a total daily test of 2,068 samples across the country.
To date, 24,077 cases have been confirmed, 8625 cases have been discharged and 558 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. A total of 127,158 tests have been carried out as of June 28th, 2020 compared to 125,090 tests a day earlier.
Total Number of Cases – 24,077 Total Number Discharged – 8,625 Total Deaths – 558 Total Tests Carried out – 127.158
According to the NCDC, the 779 new cases were reported from 22 states- Lagos (285), Rivers (68), FCT (60), Edo (60), Enugu (56), Delta (47), Ebonyi (42), Oyo (41), Kaduna (19), Ogun (18), Ondo (16), Imo (12), Sokoto (11), Borno (9), Nasarawa (8), Abia (5), Gombe (5), Kebbi (5), Kano (4), Yobe (3), Ekiti (3), Osun (2)
Meanwhile, the latest numbers bring Lagos state total confirmed cases to 10,026, followed by Abuja (1,736), Oyo (1,305), Kano (1,195), Rivers (1,050), Edo (933), Delta (828), Ogun (774), Kaduna (703), Katsina (528), Bauchi (497), Gombe (492), Borno (486), Ebonyi (327), Jigawa (317), Abia (302), Plateau (298), Imo (290).
Worried by the daily increase in number of Nigerians involved in drug and substance abuse, a development which has been attributed to the rise in crime rate, economic burden and HIV infection, Nigerian scientists have called on governments at all levels to invest in evidence-based treatment, which has proven to decrease negative health consequences and social effects of substance dependence and drug abuse.
The pharmacists and researchers asserted that for every dollar spent on treatment of drugs and substance addicts, 7 dollars are returned in cost-savings, as the treatment is proven to be cost-effective in both developed and developing countries, which costs less than imprisonment, they suggested.
Banner of the programme
The scientists made the remarks during the webinar organised by the National Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) Friday, in commemoration of the 2020 International Day against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking.
Themed: “Better knowledge for better care”, the webinar which was well attended by about 150 participants had distinguished scientists and pharmacists in attendance with the likes of the PSN President, Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa; Pharm. (Sir) Paul Enebeli; Pharm. Ibrahim Binji, vice chairman, PSN Board of Fellows; Prof. ISSA Baba Awoye, consultant psychiatrist; Dr Ojo, Adeniyi Obaloluwa, CEO Merit Healthcare Ltd; Dr Kingsley Amibor, national chairman AHAPN; Ambrose Umoru,CN, Kwara State Commander, NDLEA; Pharm.(Mrs) Mewu-Umuche Chinenye; Federal Neuropsychriatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, and a host of others.
Speaking on the theme of the event, Prof. ISSA Baba Awoye, consultant psychiatrist, emphasised the need to drastically reduce the incidence of substance dependence in Nigeria in order to curb other affiliated crimes to it. He endeavoured to demystify several myths associated with substance abuse, as he revealed that 114 countries have reported HIV infections related to injection drug use.
Contrary to the believe in some quarters that Nigerians do not have drug-related challenges, Awoye said no country is immune to substance related problems. “Substance users are found worldwide among men, women and youth. Incidence of substance dependence are on the rise, and in many countries substance use is the driving force for other epidemics”.
He further clarified the widespread notion that drug and alcohol related problems only affect individuals in developed countries, saying the condition is more prevalent among the poor in developed countries, as there is strong evidence showing an increase in drug-related problems in developing countries with a significant impact on mortality, disease and injury
The consultant psychiatrist also countered the belief which discourages further research on drug and alcohol related problems for policy making, arguing that drug and alcohol using behaviours are dynamic, with emergent patterns changing depending on factors such as: availability of drugs, introduction of new drugs, new modes of administration and rapid social changes.
He therefore called for more research into the development of new treatments and preventive strategies, support services and to understand the associations between substance dependence and other risky behaviours. The new challenges of HIV related to injecting drug use pose a new focus for further research.
Dr Obalolu Ojo, in his presentation highlighted the national and international prevalence of drug abuse noting that 14.3 million of the world’s population abuse drugs in one way or the other, while 1 in 7 Nigerians ages 15 to 64 have used drugs.
His compilation of drug abuse statistics further shows that 1 in 5 users are addicted in Nigeria, with 1 in 11 globally, 1 in 4 users are women in Nigeria, which forms 3 per cent of the nation’s population, while 6 per cent misuse Cannabis.
He further disclosed that 14 per cent of the Nigerian population are opioids mis-users, a situation which has led to the country ranking 5th in global suicide rates, surge in sudden death, rape and other crimes.
To prevent and subdue this monstrous enemy of man, Ojo suggested a multidimensional approach in addressing the problem of drug abuse, which will involve: Family, community/religious group, utterances & action, youth groups, positive peer pressure, government, empower agencies, sanitise distribution of drugs, stimulate economy, alternative engagement, professional/trade groups.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the PSN President condemned unauthorised access to drugs in the country, which is fuelling spike in violent gangs’ activities in several parts of the nation, as he called on regulatory agencies to beef up more surveillance on drugs and substance circulation in Nigeria.
He argued that by training and statute, medicines and drugs are supposed to be under the control of pharmacists. “Therefore any abuse or illicit trafficking must challenge our custodial responsibilities. Are we falling short in our responsibility? How come controlled and psychoactive drugs get passed the gatekeepers? It bothers me and believe must bother all of us here”, he propelled them.
Prof. Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health, Lagos State
No fewer than 2,381 COVID-19 patients have defied admission into any of the Lagos State isolation centres due to their refusal to be picked up and provision of wrong information, which has made it difficult for the state team to locate them, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi has said.
Abayomi made the disclosure during a televised COVID-19 situation update Friday, as he noted that the state has approved the use of seven private laboratories to ramp up COVID-19 testing.
Presenting the summary of COVID-19 report since the outbreak of the infection in the country, Abayomi said the state has recorded 9,496 confirmed cases, of which 2,381 are yet to be admitted, 128 patients have died, while 5064 patients were believed to have recovered in the community.
A presentation slide of COVID-19 summary cases in Lagos, designed by the Lagos State Government.
He added that I,470 cases were admitted and discharged from state’s COVID care centres, while 447 are currently on admission at state’s COVID centres and 7 patients evacuated from COVID care centres.
With the spate of infection transmission in the state, Abayomi revealed that Lagos will commence a new phase of treatment of the infection, as mild-to- moderate cases will be treated at home, while critical-to-severe cases will be well monitored at isolation centres.
“Over the next couple of days, we will be transitioning to the next phase of the response which we refer to the community based care. We provide the opportunity for mild-to-moderate cases to be managed and isolated at home, in situation where this is allowed. Our critical to severe cases will be continually managed at our COVID centres, where they will have the opportunity of the best treatment available”, he stated.
He listed the newly accredited private laboratories as follows: Total Medical services; Synlab; 54 Gene; Medbury Medical Services; Biologix Medical Services; 02 Medical Services; and Clina Lancet Laboratories.
The health commissioner also mentioned the inclusion of three selected private facilities for the expansion of isolation centres in the wake of limited bed spaces in government isolation centres in the state. The three approved private facilities to be included in community base care in the state are: First Cardiology Consultants; Paelon Memorial Clinic and Vedic Hospital.
Meanwhile the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA has warned against the adoption of home treatment of COVID-19 patients, as it is capable of leading to spike in cases.
NMA President, Prof. Innocent Ujah in an interview with Pharmanewsonline frown against the strategy, while doubting its practicability in the country, where majority of the population are living in limited space accommodation.
“We talked about self- isolation, I think that is one area that we didn’t get right.
“How can a man living in a one-room apartment with many children self-isolate when he comes in contact with a COVID-19 case? It is going to be difficult to self-isolate under such condition.
“Again, our culture and tradition must be evaluated to see how we can appropriately respond”, he stressed.
On the COVID-19 update in the state, Abayomi said Lagos being the epic centre of the infection has recorded 42% of the total cases in the Nigeria, but accounts for only 23.6% of deaths recorded due to the infection, while the remaining 58% confirmed cases are distributed among other states.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General.
The World Health Organization said Friday that a global initiative to speed up the development and production of COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments will require more than $30 billion over the next year.
Providing details of the so-called ACT accelerator, launched in April and aimed at pooling international resources to combat the pandemic, WHO said: “the costed plans presented today call for $31.3 billion in funding”.
So far, $3.4 billion of that had been pledged, the UN health agency said, pointing out that an additional $27.9 billion was needed over the next 12 months, including nearly $14 billion to cover immediate needs.
The announcement came ahead of a major pledging event in Brussels in support of the ACT accelerator, set to take place on Saturday. “This is an investment worth making,” Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a special envoy for the ACT accelerator, told a virtual briefing.
“If we don’t rally now, the human costs and the economic pain will deepen,” she said. “Though these numbers sound big, they are not when we think of the alternative. If we spend billions now, we will be able to avoid spending trillions later.
“The time to act is now, and the way to act is together,” the former Nigerian finance minister said, stressing the need for equal access for all to any safe and effective vaccines and treatments developed.
Her comments came as the world counts nearly 490,000 deaths from COVID-19 and over 9.6 million cases since the new coronavirus emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally from official sources.
“It’s clear that to bring COVID-19 under control, and to save lives, we need effective vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, in unprecedented quantities and at unprecedented speed,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the briefing.
He stressed though that a core principle of the initiative is to ensure equal access for all. “Vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics are vital tools,” he said.
“But to be truly effective they must be administered with another essential ingredient, which is solidarity.”
The funds requested should make it possible to deliver 500 million tests and 245 million courses of treatment to low and middle-income countries by mid-2021.
They also aim to deliver two billion vaccine doses by the end of next year.
Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO’s chief scientist, pointed out during a separate briefing on the vaccine pillar of the project, known as COVAX, that antibody studies indicate that “a large, large proportion of the world’s population, 90 per cent, continues to be susceptible.”
“The best bet we have really if we are going to end it… is to have a vaccine as soon as possible.” There are currently around 220 vaccine candidates, with 15 in clinical trials, and experts are hoping a handful of them will prove successful.
The problem is that investing in vaccine development can be risky since 80 per cent of vaccines in early-stage development fail before reaching clinical trials.
And since there will be a need to produce billions of doses quickly, manufacturing capabilities need to be scaled up before it is even clear whether a candidate will be successful.
To address this obstacle, COVAX is aimed at pooling financial and scientific resources, making it possible to hedge the risk of backing an unsuccessful candidate, and ensuring that lower-income countries receive equal access to successful vaccines.
“The critical issue (is) speed. If we lose a month now, that could mean 200 million fewer doses in 2021,” Seth Berkley, head of the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, told reporters.
Even producing two billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021 will be far from enough to vaccinate everyone.
Experts, therefore, insist on the need to guarantee that vulnerable groups and health workers worldwide receive the first jabs.
“Having a subset of populations of high risk vaccinated around the world is the best way to control the pandemic,” Berkley said. (AFP)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as at 11:55 pm on Friday disclosed that there are 684 new cases of the virus in the country making a total of 23298 persons infected with the disease.
In a tweet posted on Friday evening, the agency said 684 new cases were confirmed in Nigeria:with five deaths
NCDC said : Till date, 23298 cases have been confirmed, 8253 cases have been discharged and 554 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The 684 new cases are reported from 19 states- Lagos(259),Oyo(76), Katsina(69), Delta(66), Rivers(46), Ogun(23), Edo(22), Osun(22), Ebonyi(21), FCT(20), Kaduna(16), Ondo(10), Imo(9), Abia(9), Gombe(5)
It further stated that; “On the 26th of June 2020, 684 new confirmed cases and 5 deaths were recorded in Nigeria
“No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.” It added.
Contrary to the age-long myth that coffee consumption offers little or no health benefit to the human body, more and more studies are springing up daily to negate that assumption, as a new research has found that drinking about six cups of coffee per day reduces the risk of early death by 16 per cent.
The new study conducted by scientists from various institutions including the US National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health, affirmed that coffee can be part of a healthy diet, which could be taken in moderation for maximum health benefit.
A cup of coffee
Studies have now shown that moderate coffee consumption might protect against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease, to name but three.
The research published in the JAMA Internal Medicine, and reported on Daily Mail Online, monitored the consumption level of coffee in about 500,00 Britons, between the of ages 38 and 73, for the period of 10 years.
The team revealed that those who drink six or seven cups of coffee per day are 16 percent less likely to die from any disease over a 10-year period than those who never have a cup of the drink.
To obtain their data, the researchers asked the respondents one-on-one, how many cups of coffee they drank per day, including the type: decaffeinated, ground or instant. The collection of their responses revealed that those whose coffee intake was high fared the best.
In affirmation of the findings of the new study, earlier studies have established a link between moderate consumption of Coffee and reduction in the risk of developing heart disease, cancer, dementia, diabetes and depression.
Additionally, caffeine has been shown to be abundant in antioxidants which reduce inflammation and boost both lung function and sensitivity to the glucose-controlling hormone insulin.
According to lead author Dr Erikka Loftfield, a cancer epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, the results held true whether the type of coffee drank was ground, instant or decaffeinated.
However, in 2015, the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report concluded that moderate coffee consumption of five cups per day can be a part of a healthy diet.
The scientists however warned against the consumption of too much caffeine, which can result in anxiety, dizziness, upset stomach, a fast heartbeat and even muscle tremors.
“Coffee drinking was inversely associated with mortality, including among those drinking eight or more cups per day”, said Dr Loftfield.
“These findings suggest the importance of non-caffeine constituents in the coffee-mortality association and provide further reassurance that coffee drinking can be a part of a healthy diet”, he quipped.
Pharm. (Mrs) Bukky George, CEO of Healthplus, biggest Pharmacy chain stores in Nigeria and CasaBella International, has narrated her ordeal in the hands of the dreaded novel Coronavirus.
The Healthplus CEO, who has just recuperated from the infection, after she and 10 other members of her household were discharged from the Infectious Diseases Hospital, IDH, Yaba, took to social media to recount her experience.
Pharm. (Mrs) Bukky George
In a post titled: “When the unthinkable happens”, Bukky, as she is fondly called, told the story of her journey before, during and after COVID-19 infection, saying her family was the least expected to be infected, having complied with virtually all preventive measures, but lo and behold, the virus still struck.
She said : “What I did not bargain for was the vvveeerrryyy slow process of recovery post discharge. The two of us who had the respiratory illness remained weak for at least 4 to 6 weeks. I coughed throughout this period.
“For me, the biggest takeaways are the mercy and grace of God on my family and I, listening to experts, leveraging networks, no man is an island – you need your family and friends, and acting with GREAT SPEED!”.
Read the full text of her narration below:
I am the least likely person to be infected by COVID-19. Why? Because I am strict and particular about hygiene, health matters and maintaining standards. As the pandemic trended in Asia, Europe and the Americas, I stayed on top of authentic news & information, and swiftly put in place processes and procedures at home and at work. For example, I coordinated the return of my children from their schools back to Nigeria, ensuring proper decontamination on arrival and 14-day self-quarantine for each.
We initiated working from home before the Lagos State lockdown. My home too was on lockdown before the Lagos State lockdown. “No one in, no one out” was our mantra! All packages coming into the house were sanitized with bleach solution in a spray bottle, disinfecting wipes, hot ironing or washing with soap and water, depending on the item. All members of the household religiously took their nutritional supplements and had their stash of masks, gloves, hand sanitizers etc.
One weekend in April, a member of the family started coughing. It was a chesty cough and I did not initially pay attention, afterall, dry cough was the symptom associated with COVID-19. After a few days of constant coughing, it was necessary for a visit to be made to the hospital and COVID-19 antibody test was carried out. The result came back positive.
Antibody tests have about a 70% degree of accuracy. I was trembling like a leaf when I got the news. I was in total shock. How did this virus get into our fortress? I will never know for sure! I immediately reached out to a friend who facilitated swift PCR tests the very next morning. Every member of the household including the drivers were tested (nose & throat swabs and sputum tests). I asked the doctors about the timing of the results. I was told 48 hours.
A call came through in 24 hours and the doctor said ‘’Is this a good time? Well, there is never a good time for news like this. We have a lot of positives’’. I grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling. 11 out of 12 of us were positive. We had several vulnerable persons with underlying conditions in our family. From cardiovascular disease, asthma, allergies to the elderly. My life flashed before me!
Yes, I am aware that COVID-19 infection is not a death sentence but according to statistics, about 3% – 4% of infected persons will die. What are the odds that all of us will be spared? I was frightened. I was even more gutted by the fact that I had made a comment before the lockdown that if I get COVID-19 infection, I will die because of my underlying health conditions. Now my result was positive! My first action was to fall on my knees, join hands with one of my family members to pray and cancel my earlier confession. I learnt a lesson of a life time – never ever will I confess negatively again, as there is power in the tongue. I asked God to forgive my careless words.
I carefully broke the news of the positive test results to each person, managing emotions. My son researched information on what COVID survivors did and he shared the details with me. One of his findings is that they ate and drank alkaline foods and beverages and took a lot of hot fluids. We therefore shopped for alkaline foods such as lemon, watermelon, pawpaw, kiwi, pineapple, cucumber, kale and other green leafy vegetables. Other alkaline foods include broccoli, cauliflower, onion, garlic, root vegetables (sweet potatoes) and nuts. We avoided acidic foods such as sugar, dairy, processed foods, apples, grape fruit and drinks. We ordered a lot of juices from a popular local brand as some of their combinations ticked the alkaline box. We were determined to deal with this virus that was susceptible to heat and an alkaline environment.
The next day, we all packed our clothes and personal items for 7 days. We checked into the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) Yaba for isolation. The testimonial of Mrs Eyamba Dafinone on Arise News was reassuring as we journeyed to Yaba. There were 5 of us in the female ward and 6 in the male ward. Therapy started immediately. We were placed on Antiretrovirals (Lopinavir and Ritonavir aka Aluvia), Antibiotics (Azithromycin), Calcium, and Vitamin C. We continued our own prescription medicines (where relevant) and nutritional supplements. The supplements included our usual Multivitamin & Mineral Complex, Immune Boosters, Zinc, Black Seed Oil, Vitamin D etc.
The hospital was clean. The beds were new and the building had been obviously renovated from the Ebola times. This was comforting. The mattress was however covered by a disposable fitted sheet. There were no bedsheets, no pillow cases and no blankets. For the first two nights, we slept without these. The day after admission, my good friend helped us shop for bedsheets, pillow cases, blankets, cartons of bottled water, mentholated balm, Aboniki, electric kettles, plastic buckets and bowls, healthy snacks, honey, toilet paper, liquid hand soaps, detergent, disinfecting wipes, air freshener, disposable plates and cutlery, mugs, body cream, shower gel, toothpaste, toothbrushes etc. These were split between both wards. We tried to stay positive, determined to make the most of our stay. Food was ok but we augmented on most days.
All was well on Day 1 after admission. No one had symptoms. On Day 2, I was coordinating our affairs when I suddenly felt my lungs fill with fluid, like I was drowning. It was very uncomfortable and I felt some pain under my rib cage. It appeared like my chest was being pumped with fluid using a bicycle tyre pump. I raised an alarm. Luckily, our ward mate was a registered nurse who contracted COVID-19 in the course of duty. She swiftly grabbed a bucket, boiled water in a kettle, poured the boiling water in the bucket, put in a scoop of mentholated balm, sat me on a chair, I bent over the bucket and covered my head with a blanket. She coached me to breath in and hold for 10 seconds, then breath out and in again. I repeated these for 10 minutes. When I stood up, I felt better. Next was chest physiotherapy. She patted my back for some minutes.
I was then offered a very hot cup of tea. I felt much better. Finally, I went online for information on breathing techniques that help COVID-19 patients. I had heard about these and found one. The relief lasted 3-4 hours and the fluid/mucus started building up again. I quickly figured that I had to repeat this process of steam inhalation, chest physiotherapy, breathing technique and hot fluids 3-4x a day. I was really afraid to sleep that first night. I told my folks to check on me periodically. When I completed my last routine and slept on my tummy, I surprisingly slept like a baby that night. In the morning when I woke up, before opening my eyes, I whispered ‘’Thank you Lord’’.
The cough started a day after the respiratory illness. It was a raspy, productive cough with white sputum. My good friend shopped and made us two bowls of herbal paste made by chopping, blending and boiling 5 ingredients – Ginger, Garlic, whole Lemon, whole Orange and Pineapple. A heaped teaspoon of this paste in boiling water, in a mug, sweetened with honey became our mainstay. We shared with our fellow inmates.
Over the next 5 days, I got progressively worse. No fever, no loss of smell, no loss of taste, no headaches, just this horrible respiratory illness! Breathing was laboured. There was a fullness in my throat, like I had extra flesh inside the base of my throat. There was a tugging sensation across my throat and chest. There was a perpetual painful turbulence in my chest. I felt awful. The symptoms, which were sometimes indescribable, were worse at night.
I recalled the animated documentary on CNN that described the damage that COVID-19 causes as it ravages the lungs. This bothered me. I have hyper inflammation on a good day, so I wasn’t surprised I was suffering so much. Apart from the respiratory symptoms, my legs ached. I also had back pain. It felt like I was permanently wearing a lead jacket. I walked slightly bent over. I was weak on several occasions. The wave of weakness made me feel like a doughnut, hollow on the inside. My symptoms were very similar to that of my girlfriend who lives in the UK. When she came down with the virus, I was in touch with her almost everyday and was very aware of how she suffered. She did not receive any medication beyond paracetamol and home remedies. I told myself that if she made it, I had a better chance of coming through.
The medicines gave me diarrhoea at first but this soon settled. Imodium was the remedy for this. We were advised to drink at least 3 liters of water daily to flush the kidneys. COVID-19 is known to pack up the kidneys. It was important to rest, at the same time movement was key. The good nurse/fellow patient said to me “You need a lot of both rest and exercise”.
Lying on my back was not advisable as breathing became difficult. Lying on the tummy was advised but I found this position uncomfortable. My compromise position was on my side. I did not sleep well most nights. Exercise was walking within and in front of the wards. This good nurse made my entire family one spirometer each (aka blow glove). She requested for 11 latex examination gloves, 11 10ml syringes and cellotape. This DIY device was used to measure the movement of air into and out of the lungs. We all used it to exercise the lungs by blowing hard into the glove 10x back to back, once a day. She advised escalating to the doctors if anyone was unable to blow properly.
I made friends with the other ladies in the ward. We came from all walks of life, across all ages. Some were infected by their husbands. It appears many men don’t listen to advice, feel they know all, feel invincible! Small wonder COVID-19 infection statistics show a 70% to 30% split between male and female patients. Quite a few on admission were doctors and nurses who caught the virus on the job. We had pregnant patients too. Every morning and evening, we praised and worshiped God. We read the Bible and prayed. This kept us going. We kept hope alive. We developed a special bond. By His grace, we did not lose anyone in our section of the ward.
Three of us in the ward however had the respiratory illness. My SPO2 monitor (aka Pulse Oximeter) was my companion. As long as the oxygen saturation in my blood was equal to or greater than 95, all was well. So I tracked this measurement periodically each day. I dipped to 92 on a few occasions but the breathing technique I found on Youtube and my other routines bumped my numbers back up. Apart from that done by the nurses, we still checked our temperature daily. Hot water salt gargle was recommended, so we did this 2x a day.
Hot water bottle was suggested and we bought two. I filled both with hot water and placed them on my back. The back ache disappeared by the next day. We all had to wear our 3 ply surgical masks all the time while on admission. My guess is that it was to minimize further exposure to the virus which may increase viral load and delay recovery. I purchased a steamer, usually intended for a DIY facial. I preferred the steamer to boiling water in a bucket. I would set up the steamer, add 6 drops of eucalyptus or another relevant essential oil. The steamer provided a constant stream of steam for 15-20 minutes and this helped to break down the mucus in my lungs. Very effective!
I set up a WhatsApp group called ‘’Male Isolation’’ for my family in the male ward and posted on it all we were learning and practicing in the female ward. The duties were shared. Someone tracked temperature, SPO2 and pulse rates. We had Captains for praise & worship, prayers, exercise, chest physiotherapy, breathing technique, for producing hot tea and setting up steam inhalation. Keeping busy and active was great for the mind. The children had online school, so they were occupied. They just needed adequate data.
I saw many depressed and anxious people. Many cried. The burden of looking out for so many of my family members and domestic staff got to me. I was anxious. My pulse rate was high on many occasions. Through our ward windows, we watched the increasing numbers of people come for testing. A young lady was rushed in but unfortunately died. Her kids were so young. This was heartbreaking. While exercising one day, we met a young lad whose dad passed away due to COVID-19 infection. His mum and sister were also on admission. A grandpa was on admission, unaware his wife did not make it. Although mortality rate at 3% seems low, when you know a casualty, it hits home hard. These are not just numbers, but real people with family, friends, and aspirations, cut down in their prime.
A sense of humour was needed to stay positive and as happy as can be. I was grateful for some WhatsApp groups I belong to that were intentionally declared COVID-Free zones. I stopped my obsession for news on the pandemic. I cancelled my daily pilgrimage to worldometers.info for latest data. I only wanted to hear God’s promises and joyful news!
The doctors, nurses and cleaners at IDH tried their best. Their garb of jumpsuit, face shield, masks, gloves, boots, shoe covers, head cover etc must have been very uncomfortable, but each day, they visited the wards and did their jobs. One main complaint I had was the inadequate monitoring of the patients’ health…chest X-rays and blood tests were not carried out. Just food and medicines were given. Oxygen was available when required. Bottled water was grossly inadequate.
Every 3 days, our samples (nose swabs) were taken and by Day 7, most of my family members and I had tested negative twice. We were discharged. Such joy! We packed up our belongings and said our very emotional goodbyes. We met some folks there and we were now leaving them behind. One lady had been on admission for 30+ days.
Upon discharge, the staff of IDH decontaminated our bodies, bags and suitcases with their contents with bleach solution. We stayed at a friend‘s apartment which was empty while our home was fumigated and cleaned. We cleaned professionally each day for 5 days to remove all traces of the fumigation chemicals. We couldn’t afford to add further distress of any kind to our respiratory system. A 14-day isolation period was required of us after discharge.
I am grateful to NCDC, the Governor of Lagos State and the Commissioner for Health for Lagos State who are at the forefront of this fight. Given our limited resources and poor healthcare infrastructure, they have been excellent. I appreciate the medical corp and other workers at IDH, LUTH and other Isolation Centres.
I am grateful to my family and friends who prayed us through this ordeal, who reached out with encouraging phone calls, cheering videos and even monetary gifts. Above all, I am grateful to our merciful God for saving all of us. Each of us recognise we have another chance at life. We know it is a miracle that all of us survived. We have recommitted our walk with God and the service of others. We are determined to live life more purposefully.
When we stepped back into our home 14 days after we left, we held a praise, worship and prayer session. Each of us spoke. My son said “This is a miracle I will remember for the rest of my life. I will share it with my children and grandchildren”.
What I did not bargain for was the vvveeerrryyy slow process of recovery post discharge. The two of us who had the respiratory illness remained weak for at least 4 to 6 weeks. I coughed throughout this period. Since no tests were carried out at IDH, we visited a nearby Lab for chest X-ray and full blood work. They questioned us on the reason for the test requests and we said we were COVID positive, but now negative. We just wanted to be sure all was well beneath the surface. The Manager could not look at us in the face. I produced my negative certificate, still we were refused. I pointed out that the refusal was stigmatization. The Manager said we were a first for them. We waited for 90 minutes for escalation to their top management before we were attended to. I couldn’t understand the hesitation, afterall, a Lab should assume all clients could be COVID positive and therefore apply their standard procedures for protection of all parties.
We continued with the admission routines. We were advised by a doctor to get a mucolytic cough syrup to speed up the break down of the mucus; Loratadine, an anti-itch medicine helped; Prednisone tablets to reduce the inflammation in the lungs and baby Aspirin (75mg) once a day to prevent clots, especially with all the unsubstantiated news of clots being a major cause of death. All these were carried out with a doctor’s guidance!
For me, the biggest takeaways are the mercy and grace of God on my family & I, listening to experts, leveraging networks, no man is an island – you need your family & friends, and acting with GREAT SPEED!
I am now 100%. We hope the antibodies we have will protect us but this disease is novel and there are a lot of uncertainties.
The rate of infection is very much on the rise. We are beginning to know people whose lives have been lost. I will therefore like to encourage you all not to let your guard down. Continue to “DO THE FIVE” as recommended by WHO. These are:
1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
2. Cough or sneeze into your bent elbow or tissue. Dispose the tissue immediately and wash your hands.
3. Avoid touching your face, particularly your eyes, nose and mouth.
4. Adhere to social distancing rules. Stay at least 1 meter away from others.
5. If you feel unwell, stay at home. Please follow all the instructions provided by your local health authorities.
I will add that wearing a face shield in addition to a good quality face mask when you leave your home is very important, especially so when you visit crowded places like the market. It is safer to go the extra mile.
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The spread of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria touched a new milestone as the latest statistics provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reveal Nigeria now has 22,614 confirmed cases.
On the 25th of June 2020, 594 new confirmed cases and 7 deaths were recorded in Nigeria, having carried out a total daily test of 2,047 samples across the country.
To date, 22,614 cases have been confirmed, 7,822 cases have been discharged and 549 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. A total of 122,155 tests have been carried out as of June 25th, 2020 compared to 120,108 tests a day earlier.
COVID-19 Case Updates- 25th June 2020 Total Number of Cases – 22,614 Total Number Discharged – 7,822 Total Deaths – 549 Total Tests Carried out – 122,155
According to the NCDC, the 594 new cases were reported from 22 states- Lagos (159), Delta (106), Ondo (44), FCT (34), Edo (34), Oyo (33), Kaduna (33) Enugu (28), Katsina (25), Imo (22), Adamawa (15), Ogun (12), Osun (11), Abia (8), Rivers (6), Nasarawa (5), Bauch (5), Niger (5), kebbi (4), Ekiti (3), Plateau (1), Taraba (1).
Meanwhile, the latest numbers bring Lagos state total confirmed cases to 9,482, followed by Abuja (1,656), Kano (1,191), Oyo (1,188), Rivers (936), Edo (851), Ogun (733), Delta (715), Kaduna (668), Bauchi (493), Gombe (482), Borno (477), Katsina (459), Jigawa (317), Plateau (294), Abia (288), Imo (269).
Senator Abiola Ajimobi, former governor of Oyo State from 2011 to 2019, has been confirmed dead, after battling the deadly Coronavirus for about a month.
The former Oyo governor was said to have died at the age of 70 at the First Cardiologist and Cardiovascular Consultants Hospital, Lagos.
Senator Abiola Ajimobi
Although rumours of his death had circulated on social media about a week, but it was debunked by his family members, who said he was in a critical condition in hospital admission.
While he was still on admission, he was named the Acting National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress last week but couldn’t resume due to his health condition.
Sources confirmed to Pharmanewsonline that he was hospitalised at First Cardiologist and Cardiovascular Consultants Hospital, Lagos on June 2, 2020.
The late Ajimobi was said to be diabetic, an ailment that worsen his COVID-19 case, which eventually led to his death, as doctors battled his to safe his life to no avail.
He was said to have been confirmed positive earlier and was managing the situation at home before the illness worsened and he had to go to a hospital.
Ajimobi’s wife, Florence, had earlier been hospitalised with her husband. She was, however, discharged. .
President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated fellow citizens on the joyous and historic occasion as Nigeria becomes Wild Polio Virus Free.
Mr Buhari also appreciated all partners, local and international, for their relentless efforts in ensuring the clean health bill.
The president made his feelings known in a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in Abuja an Sunday.
According to the president, this achievement reflects the resilient spirit of Nigerians, particularly the capacity of hardworking men and women in the health industry, who drew resources and support from multiple sectors to deal a final blow to the deadly virus.
He said: “This achievement is not only one of the great successes of this generation of Nigerians but also one of the obvious dividends of this administration, which is consistent with our progressive investment in the health of our people since 2015.
How Nigeria overcame Wild Polio Virus – Buhari
“This landmark achievement is also a promise kept to all Nigerians. As you will recall that in August 2015, barely three months after we assumed office, I promised Nigerians that: ‘My government shall provide the necessary resources and commitment required to strengthen the health system, routine immunisation and ensure the country is certified Polio free.’’
The president noted that in 2016, the country suffered a major setback in the polio eradication efforts with the outbreak of the Wild Polio Virus in Borno, after about two years without any case.
Mr Buhari recalled that he promptly directed the immediate release of N9.8 billion to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to contain the outbreak.
“Subsequently, we have been meeting all our financial obligations to bilateral and multilateral agreements, and also provided the moral support and leadership required at all levels to motivate the men and women in the frontline of polio eradication.
“In addition, we sincerely appreciate our donors and development partners who stood by the country during those trying times,’’ he added.
According to him, this achievement is a hard-won battle spanning over three decades of hard work and dedication by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
He also lauded the Federal, States and Local Governments, polio eradication team at all levels, the nation donors and development partners, both local and international for their contributions in achieving this feat.
“As we recall, the polio eradication structures were used when Nigeria successfully eradicated Ebola Virus Disease within the shortest possible time in 2014.
“I am glad that these same human, material and technological resources have been deployed to steadily increase Routine Immunisation coverage and are being organised to implement the fight against community transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This big battle would not have been won without the support of our donors and development partners.
“These include Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Rotary International, United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, USAID, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and European Union.”
The president also acknowledged the contributions of the Global Health Canada, German Development Bank (KfW), WHO, UNICEF, Nigeria Governor’s Forum, Polio Survivors Group, the media, faith-based and other non-governmental organisations.
Besides, he noted the immense contribution of traditional and religious leaders who mobilised communities to accept immunisation and other government programmes.
“The final theatre of the polio eradication fight was particularly championed by the Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Polio Eradication and Primary Health Care (NTLC) under the guidance of His Highness, Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Saad Abubakar, and strategic leadership of late Shehu of Bama, Alhaji Kyari Ibn Umar El-Kanemi.
“We thank you all for the leadership and partnership over the years,” the president said.
A Stanford study has linked babies of older fathers with a variety of increased risks at birth, including low birth weight and seizures, though they’re slight.
The paper published on Wednesday in the journal BMJ showed that babies born to fathers of an “advanced paternal age,” which roughly equates to older than 35, are at a higher risk for adverse birth outcomes.
The study, based on data from more than 40 million births, also suggested that the age of the father can sway the health of the mother during pregnancy, specifically her risk for developing diabetes.
Children of Older Fathers Have More Medical Problems – Study Shows
The older a father’s age, the greater the risk, according to the study.
For example, men who are 45 or older are 14 per cent more likely to have a child born prematurely, and men 50 or older are 28 per cent more likely to have a child that requires admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.
The researchers organized data based on the fathers’ age: younger than 25; 25 to 34; 35 to 44; 45 to 55; and older than 55 and adjusted for mothers’ age, maternal smoking, race, education and other factors.
The data revealed that once a dad hits age 35, there’s a slight increase in birth risks overall.
With every year that a man ages, he accumulates on average two new mutations in the DNA of his sperm.
Also, the risk of gestational diabetes for pregnant women also increases in line with the age of the father.
Women carrying the child of a man aged 55 years or older have a 34 per cent higher odds of gestational diabetes.
They noted that this was an observational but not a cause-and-effect study and the overall absolute risks of these outcomes still remained low, so fathers don’t have to change their original life plan.
But findings emphasized importance of including men in preconception care.
Pregnant women whose partners are smokers may face higher risks of miscarriage, according to a recent Chinese research.
Conducted by the Research Institute of the National Health Commission, the research was based on data of 5.8 million non-smoking pregnant women and their partners, who participated in China’s free pre-pregnancy checkups from 2010 to 2016.
A pregnant woman
After the follow-up research of pre-pregnancy, early pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes, researchers found that pregnant women whose partners smoke are 17 per cent more likely to miscarry than those with non-smoking partners.
The risk of miscarriage increases as the amount of paternal smoking increases.
For women with non-smoking partners, the overall rate of miscarriages was 2.38 per cent, while for women whose partners smoke, the overall rate of miscarriages was 2.92 per cent.
The research also showed that when would-be fathers quit smoking before or just after the pregnancy, the miscarriage rate decreased.
Ma Xu, the leading researcher, said tobacco control at home needs to be emphasized to ensure maternal health.
He also recommended that husbands quit smoking during pregnancy.
The research was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Members of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria, AHAPN have asked the federal government for an immediate upward salary review, as reflected in the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) table for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
“We want to use this medium to draw the attention of government to these protracted issues that have demotivated pharmacists in the discharge of their duties of care to millions of Nigerians. The federal government should look at a holistic way of solving the myriads of problems of the healthcare sector instead of the current piecemeal approach that is cosmetic, shallow and creates more problems at the end of the day”, they stated.
AHAPN in a press statement jointly signed by the National Chairman, Dr Kingsley Amibor and the National Secretary, Dr Hafiz Ola Akande, expressed its grievances with the government for its failure to review the salary structure of other health professionals, having adjusted that of medical doctors twice over the period of 6 years.
The association explained that contrary to the decision reached in 2008 which brought about the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) table for medical doctors and Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) table for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, the federal government has adopted the CONMESS table while neglecting that of CONHESS.
AHAPN said: “The federal government in 2014, over 6 years ago, adjusted the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) table for medical doctors and has since adjusted the CONMESS twice without any single adjustment to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) table for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
“ It is worthy of note that in 2008, there was a job evaluation in the healthcare sector in this country which gave rise to the CONHESS and CONMESS, taking into cognizance, relativity in salary and allowances; a recommendation that was intended to reduce the level of acrimony in the health care sector. Sadly, this recommendation was partially adopted with the adjustments to the CONMESS Table without relative adjustment of the CONHESS Table.
“We call on government to do the needful, which is, immediate adjustment of CONHESS as has been continuously canvassed by pharmacists and other healthcare workers, in order to avoid needless strike actions and disruptions in service delivery in the healthcare sector”, the association pleaded.
The association also craved the indulgence of government to the provision of adequate personal protective equipment, PPE, for frontline pharmacists and other healthcare professionals battling with the containment of the deadly COVID-19, saying the news of pharmacists coming down with the infection on a daily basis is not a welcomed development.
It further reminded the government to make good its decision of the upgraded hazard allowance for healthcare workers, noting that the pronouncement has not translated into a tangible result, as they are yet to be paid.
They said: “We appreciate the government on the efforts being made to contain the Corona pandemic in the country, however we must state that pharmacists and other healthcare workers are getting infected every day because of lack of basic personal protective equipment (PPE).
“We call on government to provide adequate PPEs for pharmacists and other healthcare workers who are at the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic control efforts.
“Additionally, we wish to remind government to honour her decision of paying enhanced hazard allowance to healthcare workers since March, 2020. This pronouncement has not translated into tangible result yet. For proper motivation of healthcare workers, we call on the federal government and other states in the federation who have made similar promises, to pay healthcare professionals the enhanced allowance” they requested.
Women who have multiple children may age faster than others, new research suggests. Someone who has delivered three babies probably won’t look any older than a mother-of-one the same age, but the stress of repeated pregnancies may be damaging her cells in invisible ways.
Pregnancy and supporting the life of a developing fetus requires a lot of energy from a woman’s body and evolutionary biologists think that the energy devoted to this may sap energy away processes that help preserve lifespan.
Scientists at Northwestern University found that young women who had had multiple babies showed two different signs of accelerated aging.
‘One of the biggest mysteries for evolutionary biologists is explaining why we age,’ study co-author Dr Christopher Kuzawa told Daily Mail Online.
‘And one assumption is that we have finite energy available to allocate across functions, so one or the the other can get short-changed.’
In other words, the body is constantly negotiating energy and deciding what its top priority is, whether that be sleeping, eating or reproduction.
‘The trade-off viewed as most important has been [between] reproduction and maintaining lifespan,’ says Dr Kuzawa explains.
Dr Kuzawa, his team and other evolutionary biologists think that the female body is pre-programmed to choose supporting fetal life over lifespan-lengthening activities like tissue and cell repair.
There’s historical data that supports this idea,’ says Dr Kuzawa.
‘Analyses of historical records of royalty and the aristocracy finds that lifespans get shorter the more kids they had.’
Of course, that’s just correlation, and it is harder to establish when scientists look at data on more diverse contemporary populations, among which there are also more confounding variables.
To try to cut down on complicating factors like wealth and access to health care, the Northwestern scientists limited their study to a group of more than 3,200 Phillipino women between the ages of 20 and 22.
These women are ‘operating under a bit more nutritional stress and are more stretched in terms of resources,’ so their bodies might have a greater need to ration energy, Dr Kuzawa says.
Woman with many children
A handful of women had had as many as four or even five children already, but the largest group had no children.
This study is not a slam dunk showing that having kids leads to aging…we may also see that these differences wash out with time, said Dr Christopher Kuzawa, Northwestern University professor and study co-author.
The Northwestern then looked at two very different measures of biological age in these women. First they examined telomeres, the protective end caps of DNA strands.
We’ve long known that these are good measures of biological age and lifespan.
Throughout our lives, our bodies constantly make new cells through a process called replication. Each time every chromosome has to copy itself, and a little bit of telomere wears away with each iteration.
‘Telomeres get shorter with each replication and if they get too short, the cell can no longer replicate,’ Dr Kuzawa says.
Despite the fact that every woman in his study was in her early 20s, ‘even at that young age, we saw shorter telomeres among women that have had more live births,’ he adds.
His team used blood samples to analyze the telomere lengths. The cells they gather from blood are immune cells, so really they were quantifying the age of the women’s immune systems.
‘We have no idea if you would see the same thing if you would look at the brain or liver or other tissues in the body, which of course we can’t look at in living people,’ says Dr Kuzawa.
‘But to the extent that these telomeres are getting shorter [as women have more children], this might limit the ability of the immune cells to fight infection and cancer many decades down the road.’
They also looked at the epigenetic ages of these women.The epigenome is a catalog of chemical tags that get added onto DNA throughout our lives, and dictates which genes get switched on and off (or expressed).
That in turn dictates which cells become what kind of tissue, and how they function.
These chemical tags can be affected, damaged and changed throughout our lives, which changes the expression of our genes. These changes can even be passed on to offspring.
So epigenetic age actually tells scientists a great deal about our cellular and genetic health and the markers of one process in particular, methylation, ‘is actually a really good biological clock,’ Dr Kuzawa says.
‘If age is accelerated according to these markers, compared to chronological age, it’s an indicator of mortality risk.’
That was exactly what he and his team found in their study: the more children a young woman had had, the older she was in epigenetic years.
‘We appear to have similar stories in really different biology,’ Dr Kuzawa says.
This kind of aging is important to lifespan, but really has nothing to do with outward aging, so ‘you’re not going to see a difference in wrinkles or appearance,’ he adds.
The exact causes of these effects on telomeres and the epigenome aren’t clear yet, but could be related to oxidative stress from the immune system changes a woman has to go through to carry a a baby, and the stress of lactation and pregnancy itself.
But, he insists: ‘This study is not a slam dunk showing that having kids leads to aging…these are subtle differences consistent with this evolutionary hypothesis.’
‘We don’t know if these effects will persist. It’s possible they will but we may also see that these differences wash out with time,’ Dr Kuzawa says.
Nigeria has recorded 649 new cases of the novel Coronavirus, making the total infection in the country now 22,020, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC has said.
The country’s tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose from 21, 371 on Tuesday to 22,020 on Wednesday as 649 new infections were announced by (NCDC).
Meanwhile, a total of 7,613 patients have fully recovered and discharged.
The health agency in a tweet Wednesday night said the new cases were reported in 22 states.
As of Wednesday, 35 states and the FCT have recorded at least a case of the disease. Only one state, Cross River, is yet to report any case of the virus.
However, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, on Monday, said all states in the country had cases of the disease, suggesting Cross River was not free of it as the state government claims.
Lagos recorded the highest daily figure of the infection on Wednesday, and remains the epicentre for the disease in the country.
Do you live in Lagos or any other busy city in Nigeria, where people are always confronted with stress on a daily basis? Since it’s obvious you can’t avoid it, then it’s a must for you to perfect your stress management skills. Below is #13 Golden Tips on managing stress.
Fatique? Check Out Tips on Stress Management
According to medical experts from Army Medicine, you can manage your stress better by doing the following:
Understanding yourself better
Set priorities
Set realistic goals.
Live a healthy lifestyle.
Get plenty of exercise.
Eat healthy foods
Pray regularly
Engage in breathing exercises.
Spice up your life with comics- All work and no play…
Love what you do for a living
Develop a supportive team of reliable friends
Believe in yourself and your skills
Read inspirational stories of those that rose from grass to grace
Again when you see the Symptoms below setting in, you are likely feeling distressed and need to see your health care giver:
Headaches
Fatigue
Gastrointestinal problems
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Heart problems, such as palpitations
Inability to focus/lack of concentration
Sleep disturbances, whether it’s sleeping too much or an inability to sleep
A new study from researchers at Binghamton State University of New York may help to peel the layers of unhealthy skin and get closer to a cure.
Over 35 million people suffer from eczema, a chronic skin condition also known as atopic dermatitis. Worldwide, two to five per cent of adults and about 15 per cent of children suffer from symptoms such as dry, inflamed and very itchy skin with open sores.
According to research, eczema is an inflammation of the skin characterized by reddening, swelling, bumps and crusting, followed by thickening and scaling. It is also referred to as dermatitis. It refers to a chronic inflammatory skin condition, characterized by dry skin, with patches that are red and intensely itchy
Researchers Get Close to Discovering Why Eczema Happens
Although there are myriads of treatments for eczema, such as medical creams and natural remedies, the exact causes of the condition remain elusive.
Eczema affects millions of people, and most of them are infants and children. Ten per cent to 20 per cent of all infants have eczema, according to the National Institutes of Health. However, nearly half outgrow the condition. It usually appears in children between 6 months and 5 years old, according to the National Eczema Association. Rashes usually begin on the face, scalp, hands and feet. The problem can last throughout childhood and into adulthood.
In a new paper, the team—Associate Professor Guy German and Ph.D. student Zachary W. Lipsky from the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Associate Professor Claudia N.H. Marques of the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biological Sciences—connects two aspects of eczema research that are rarely studied together.
One result of atopic dermatitis is a decreased level of skin oils known as lipids, particularly one group called ceramides. Lipids on the surface of the skin function to regulate hydration and also help defend the skin from foreign invaders either indirectly through immune signaling or directly through their inherent antimicrobial activity.
Another result of eczema is an increase in staph bacteria in the skin, which can cause irritation and infection.
German said that genetics can play a part in whether someone has eczema, but people in certain occupations have also been shown to be more likely to get the skin condition, such as healthcare professionals, metalworkers, hairdressers and food processing workers. The connection? An increased amount of handwashing or regular contact with detergents for your job.
“What happens if, either through a mutation or through occupational risks, there’s a decreased presence of lipids on the skin?” he asked. “The essence of this study is that in normal, healthy conditions, bacteria do not penetrate the skin barrier. In atopic dermatitis conditions or lipid levels consistent with AD, it does—and it consistently takes nine days.”
Because the staph bacteria are immobile, they need to multiply in number to grow through the protective outer skin layer known as the stratum corneum. The Watson researchers believe the bacteria don’t grow around the skin cells but actually through them. With lipid depletion—either through genetics or occupational risks—the skin appears to become more vulnerable to bacterial invasion and infection of underlying skin tissue.
“When we usually think about the oils in our skin, we think about water retention and moisturizing—things like that,” Lipsky said. “Now we’re looking at how these lipids are important for protection against these microorganisms that can come in and cause diseases.”
While this study has not unlocked all the secrets of atopic dermatitis, showing that the bacteria could be the cause rather than the result of the disease is a major step forward. Further research is required, and that’s where the Watson team will investigate next.
“Now that we know that bacteria can permeate through lipid depleted skin, how does it affect the skin mechanically?” Lipsky asked. “Does it make the skin weaker and more likely to crack? Can we figure out how bacteria are moving through different skin layers?”
German added: “In scientific research, you get one answer and three additional questions pop up, so we’re never stuck for things to do.
Scientists have drawn the attention of mothers and all women to the challenges inherent in the use of medicated powders containing ‘talc’, which is capable of causing respiratory problems in children, and ovarian cancer in women. The American Academy of Paediatrics joined in the campaign, stating that baby powder can cause breathing trouble and serious lung damage if a baby inhales the particles. And the particles are small enough that it’s hard to keep them out of the air during use.
This is especially true of talc-based powders, with their small, easily inhaled particles. But other powders, including cornstarch-based powders, can also be inhaled.
According to a report from Baby Center, it stated that even small amounts of powder can irritate a baby’s lungs – especially if she’s at high risk for respiratory illness. (Those at high risk include premature babies, babies with congenital heart disease, and babies who have had RSV or frequent respiratory illnesses.)
It however added that powder can be used sparingly on babies without high risk of lungs disease, but must be carefully applied without direct contact first on the infant.
Whereas information from Prairielandherbs shows that talc is closely related to the potent carcinogen asbestos, and talc particles have been shown to cause tumors in the ovaries and lungs of cancer victims. For the last 30 years, scientists have closely scrutinized talc particles and found dangerous similarities to asbestos.
“Talc is used on babies because it absorbs unpleasant moisture. Clearly, dusting with talcum powder endangers an infant’s lungs at the prospect of inhalation. Exposing children to this carcinogen is unnecessary and dangerous”.
Several studies have shown that heart disease continues to be the number one leading cause of death in the world. For those with heart disease and living in New York City during the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, these factors have led to more people experiencing heart attacks worldwide.
A cardiologist, Dr Mercy Dic-Ijiewere, said cardiac arrest can happen to anybody without symptoms and it mostly happens due to abnormal electrical activity or irregular beating of the heart.
She also said normal electrical activity of the heart is when your heart and pulse beats between 50 to 100 times per minute.
When a seemingly healthy person suddenly collapses, her heart stops. Cardiac arrest can happen with no warning. But why? Who’s at risk? And how can you protect yourself?
Dr Andrew Krahn, an internationally recognized expert in cardiac arrhythmias and head of cardiology at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine, explains this frightening phenomenon – and how being prepared could help you save a loved one’s life.
What You Need To Know About Cardiac Arrest
What is cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest is an electrical malfunction that stops the heartbeat, shutting down the heart – like a breaker switch turning off all the power in a house. A person experiencing cardiac arrest will collapse and be unresponsive.
How is it different from a heart attack?
A heart attack happens when a blocked artery slows or cuts off blood flow to the heart, but usually the heart continues beating. Typical heart attack signs are discomfort in the chest or upper body, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea and light-headedness.
What causes cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest can be caused by some types of arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat that can short circuit the heart’s electrical system. And about one quarter of heart attacks actually trigger cardiac arrest – either immediately or within an hour or two. Other rare contributors to cardiac arrest include drug overdose, major electrolyte abnormalities, or large clots that block flow to the lungs.
In most cases the only way to correct a cardiac arrest is to deliver a shock from a defibrillator.
Are there any warning signs?
If you have fainted you should be evaluated by a physician because it may be a warning sign for a rhythm disorder that could cause cardiac arrest. Although fainting is a relatively common occurrence, if it occurs during physical activity, when swimming or from emotional excitement, it can be a warning sign of sudden arrhythmia death syndrome (SADS). Also, since heart attack can precede cardiac arrest, it’s critical to be aware of heart attack signs and get medical attention immediately. If you experience tightness in your chest, Dr Krahn says, you should be aware that it isn’t necessarily from a pulled muscle.
What should you do if someone has a cardiac arrest?
Call the emergency line.
Push hard and fast in the centre of the chest.
Why is response time critical?
In cardiac arrest you typically have about five minutes to restore circulation. Most people don’t survive it because it’s unexpected, bystanders do not perform CPR or use an AED, or the ambulance doesn’t get there in time.
How do CPRs and AEDs help?
When the heart stops, blood flow to organs, like the brain, stops too. In most cases, the only way to correct a cardiac arrest is to deliver a shock from a defibrillator. CPR can keep blood moving through the body for a short period. An AED delivers an electrical shock that can restore the heart’s rhythm. Performing CPR and using an AED until emergency medical services take over can double the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest
The spread of COVID-19 disease in Nigeria touched a new milestone as the latest statistics provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) revealed that Nigeria now has 21,371 confirmed cases.
On the 23rd of June 2020, 452 new confirmed cases and 8 deaths were recorded in Nigeria, having conducted a total daily test of 1,809 samples across the country.
To date, 21,371 cases have been confirmed, while 7,338 cases have fully recovered and discharged with 533 deaths recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The NCDC COVID-19 cases update as at 24 June 2020, captured the following at a glance: Total Number of Cases – 21,371 Total Number Discharged – 7,338 Total Deaths – 533 Total Tests Carried out – 117,569
According to the agency, the 452 new cases were reported from 14 states which are- Lagos (209), Oyo (67), Delta (37), Ogun (36), FCT (22), Abia (20), Enugu (16), Bauchi (15), Kaduna (8), Ondo (8), Osun (7), Imo (3), Benue (3), Borno (1).
Days after a member of the Imo State House of Assembly tested positive for COVID-19, 13 more members of the House have been confirmed positive for the infection.
This brings the total of infected lawmakers in the state to 14.
The spokesman for the State Task Force on COVID-19, Chinedu Iwuala confirmed the 13 new cases on Tuesday.
Iwuala confirmed to Channels TV that the infected lawmakers have gone into isolation and the assembly will remain shut indefinitely.
Pharmanews Ltd, organisers of the Young Pharmacist of the Year Award and PANSite of the Year Award, is introducing a new category of award – Outstanding Pharmacist of the Year, into its Online Poll series.
The Outstanding Pharmacist of the Year Online Poll is a unique competition, which is not for Pharmacy students and young pharmacists. The award is for older pharmacists, who have contributed significantly to the development of the healthcare industry.
Pharmanews logo for the online poll
To qualify for this prestigious award, the candidate must meet the following criteria:
Must be a registered pharmacist in Nigeria
A pharmacist of 36 years of age and above
A person of proven integrity
Relevant leadership skill and experience
Must have made remarkable contribution to the Pharmacy profession, in particular and healthcare, in general
We hereby call for nomination of practising pharmacists who meet the above criteria.
Please mention your nominee as a comment to the post.
Sequel to the nomination exercise, a specially constituted selection panel will conduct background checks on nominees with the highest nominations. Thereafter, qualified candidates will be shortlisted for the Online Poll. The candidate with the highest votes becomes the winner of the coveted award.
Please note that nomination closes on Friday, 17 July 2020 at 12 noon.
N/B: Management and staff of Pharmanews are excluded from the competition.
Newborn triplets in Mexico have tested positive for coronavirus in a new case, according to local health authorities.
Monica Rangel, the health secretary of the northern state of San Luis Potosi, said the triplets were born 8 May to a mother who was also positive but asymptomatic.
Rangel said the triplets are not believed to be in danger. She said the case was being studied to see whether the triplets were infected before or after birth was being conducted, but said it appeared improbable they could have been infected outside the womb so quickly.
COVID- 19: Newborn Mexican Triplets Test Positive
It is not the first time newborns have tested positive for the virus, but it is rare.
Nationwide, Mexico’s confirmed coronavirus cases rose by 4,577 to 185,122, and the confirmed death toll rose by 759 to 22,584.
Both numbers are considered significant undercounts due to Mexico’s very low levels of testing. Officials said that levels of infections appear to have stabilized, and held out hopes, as they have many times before, that the numbers may start declining soon.
There is no evidence that the virus causes miscarriage or affects how your baby develops in pregnancy, but, as a precaution, pregnant women are advised to be strict about avoiding close social contact to reduce their chance of getting coronavirus.
If they become infected, most mums-to-be will have mild or moderate symptoms and recover. Babies may show no signs of the illness at all. If you are caring for a baby, you can reduce their risk of getting the virus by keeping your hands clean with regular hand washing.
A preliminary trials on the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis for COVID-19 in Nigeria has recorded some level of success.
The study protocol, sponsored by LiveWell Initiative in collaboration with frontline healthcare workers in the country, has undergone hypothesis testing among physicians, researchers and pharmacists with debates on several professional health platforms.
The results are based on preliminary data gathered from physician-patient compassionate use as prophylaxis and off-label use of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and quinine in treatment of moderate to advanced COVID-19. It also recognises some self-medicating individuals who took advantage of the non-prescription remedy.
A table showing a preliminary study on chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis
In a statement released by the Chief Executive Officer of LWI, Pharm. (Mrs) Bisi Bright, 123 volunteers were involved in the study of which 110 were on prophylaxis and 13 on treatment.
“The preliminary data also included a few self-medicating members of the public who did so under guidance. Out of the 110 on prophylaxis, there were 76 men and 34 women to corroborate the fact.
“Our LWI Study Protocol recommends quinine for all COVID-19 inpatients (oral for regular inpatients and intravenous for ICU Patients)” she said.
According to her, quinine crosses the blood-brain barrier into the alveoli which gives it an added advantage over chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 and picks up where CQ/ HCQ stop.
“That, of course, is in advanced COVID-19 treatment especially during Cytokine Storm. The side effects are self- limiting. Reversible ototoxicity is the commonest but the benefit of administering it outweighs the risk of losing a life to COVID-19.
“The terminal disequilibrium caused by COVID-19 is lethal and is better not experienced. The study protocols are currently being used in Kaduna, Bauchi and some other states in Nigeria,” she said.
Bright explained that the study protocol comprises six segments namely pre-exposure prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis, ambulatory care, inpatients care, intensive care unit, post-discharge intermittent and post-discharge intermittent prophylactic therapy.
As part of the empirical data garnered, the Assistant Secretary General of Healthcare Federation of Nigeria noted that the COVID-19 team deployed by LiveWell Initiative in Kaduna received positive feedback from the State Government which has adopted the protocol for trial.
There are reports that Bauchi State also adopted the protocol after debates while a self-isolated traveler in Chevron, Lagos, recovered after she was placed on PEP following her physician’s advice.
In Canada, a patient on admission at an intensive care unit was discharged after fully recovering on injectable quinine instituted by her physician while another patient, self-quarantined nurse in the United Kingdom fully recovered after PEP.
In Oyo Isolation Centre, all 11 patients placed on the 4-Aminoquinolines were discharged after full recovery.
Other designated facilities which have procured the protocols, with ongoing communication with LWI are Lilly Hospital, Warri; FMC, Keffi; FMC, Keffi; Faith Multiplex Hospital, Benin City; Babcock University, Ilishan; Plateau State Government, Jos; Lagos University Teaching Hospital; AKTH Akwa Ibom State and AKTH Akwa Ibom State.
The LWI boss identified the 4-Aminoquinolines deployed for the preliminary study as chloroquine / hydroxychloroquine for PreP and PEP therapy, chloroquine / hydroxychloroquine for ambulatory care, quinine oral for inpatient care, injectable quinine for critical care patient and CQ/HCQ for post-discharge intermittent prophylactic therapy.
“Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis works effectively for COVID-19 prophylaxis as all the clients recovered fully, after six weeks post-lockdown. None of the 110 patients placed on prophylaxis has progressed into full-blown COVID-19.
“The drug combination is relevant for ambulatory care as the laboratory tested positive healthcare worker on self-quarantine who was treated with chloroquine is fully recovered, up to six weeks post-lockdown with no relapse and having tested negative twice post-treatment,” she said.
Speaking further, Bright observed that there was 100 per cent positive outcome and zero deaths with 4-Aminoquinolines in COVID-19 response, stressing that quinine works in an advanced stage of COVID-19 as the case of the single laboratory tested positive client has shown.
“Although it has been proven that CQ/HCQ is effective in early COVID-19, more studies will be needed due to the small sample size deployed while quinine is effective in advanced stage of COVID-19 including ICU.
“However, post-treatment intermittent prophylaxis is recommended in COVID-19. This explains why I mentioned earlier that more studies are needed,” she said.
According to her, the LWI Study Protocols for COVID-19 response are affordable, scalable, and replicable for all Africans and in the Diaspora.
“Recently it was discovered that some tertiary health institutions are using the LWI Study Protocols for COVID-19 prophylaxis and outpatient care. The reason is obvious.
“Chloroquine /hydroxychloroquine has multiple modes of action which prevents the virus from penetrating the host cell using its S protein and Protease. It breaks the polymerase chain and prevents viral replication.
“It is a zinc ionophore and ensures penetration of zinc into the viral cell, altering the Ph. The Zinc also potentiates chloroquine action leading to a good safety profile in therapeutic doses,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer of LiveWell Initiative reaffirmed that her COVID-19 team has co-hosted a webinar on 25 April 2020 with WHO Nigeria, International Pharmaceutical Federation, AFROPHARM, and EMROPHARM to further discuss on the innovations of the three phases of its study protocol.
“Our objective is to work alongside with governments of Africa and other healthcare stakeholders in the continent to join hands in reducing and eliminating the spread of the COVID-19 virus through hypothesis testing of our study protocol,” she emphasized.
Waterleaf is one of those green leafy vegetables rich in fibre, protein and has various vitamins necessary for human healthy diet. It is a good source of some important minerals such as magnesium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, potassium; as well as antioxidants.
Scientifically named Talinum triangulare, waterleaf is an herbaceous perennial plant that is native to Mexico. It is an all-season vegetable that is extensively grown in many countries in Asia, South America, Central America and West Africa.
In Nigeria, it is widely cultivated and consumed in the Southern part, particularly in Cross River and Akwa Ibom State. The demand for waterleaf is high in these states, and it is therefore a major source of income for farmers.
Its high demands are attributed to its nutrient value and importance as a “softener” when cooking the common fibrous leafy vegetables such as Afang (Gnetum africana).
Research done by students from University of Calabar, supervised by Dr Otobong B Iren has revealed the medicinal and nutritional values of waterleaf. According to them, it acts as green forage for rabbit feed management, adding that waterleaf production provides a complementary source of income to small scale faming households.
Waterleaf is a shade loving leafy vegetable grown throughout the year, it can also grow in fully exposed localities, but the plants remain small. Growth is most profuse when water content of the soil is close to field capacity
Furthermore, another study published in the Journal of Research Gate revealed the benefits of the consumption of this vegetable for health.
Some of the benefits are listed below:
Promotion of healthy heart: Waterleaf, when consumed on a daily basis, perform a key role in maintaining the body system.
It helps to keep the heart healthy by regulating its activities; it also helps in reducing the risks of heart-related diseases (e.g. stroke) by adequately supplying the right amount of blood and oxygen to the necessary areas.
Improves the blood cell: The crude protein contained in waterleaf is an important supplement both in quality and nutritional perspective which play a very important role in the human blood cell. It generally helps in improving both the red and white blood cells.
Eases indigestion: Study shows waterleaf helps to reduce constipation and aid the proper digestion of food. For those who suffer from indigestion are advised to eat freshly and softly cooked waterleaf soup as it helps make the stomach enzymes act on already existing food particles as well as prompts you to empty your bowels.
Eliminates infection and diseases: The consumption of this vegetable is often prescribed locally for the treatment and prevention of health conditions like malaria (when mixed with other vegetables or ingredients). For more effective results, the leaf should be squeezed to extract the juice and taken orally.
Aids weight loss: Waterleaf aids weight loss diet due to the amount of fibre content in it and should be taken on a regular basis; either used in a salad or steamed to a certain temperature. The fibre content makes the stomach fuller thereby eliminating the chances of craving for more food. Its water content also helps in this case, which puts it among the list of vegetables to be added in our daily meals for proper weight loss management.
Supports the Liver: Liver diseases remain a major cause of death all over the World. Scientists examined the impact of methanol extract of Talinum triangulare on the liver and blood, they found out that the leaves are effective for treating liver diseases. It lowers the concentration of the enzymes in the blood.
Nigeria on Monday reported 675 new cases of the novel coronavirus, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The new cases bring the country’s total reported cases, since February, to 20,919.
According to the health agency, 7,109 patients have been successfully treated and discharged while 525 have died as a result of the virus.
In Monday’s report, Lagos state recorded the highest number of new cases with 288 and Oyo was second with 76.
Other states with new cases include Rivers (56), Delta (31), Ebonyi (30), Gombe (28), Ondo (20), Kaduna (20), Kwara (20), Ogun (17), FCT (16), Edo (13), Abia (10), Nasarawa (9), Imo (9), Bayelsa (8), Borno (8), Katsina (8), Sokoto (3), Bauchi (3), and Plateau (2).
According to the NCDC report for the day, seven new deaths were recorded in Nigeria, with no new state recording any infection.
It stated: “Till date, 20919 cases have been confirmed, 7109 cases have been discharged and 525 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory”.
Doctors under the umbrella of National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, have suspended their week-long strike, after they received some positive response from government.
The doctors had Monday, 15 June 2020 embarked on a nationwide strike following some disagreements regarding hazard allowance and safety of health workers in the front line against COVID-19, among others.
National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD logo
They acknowledged provision of personal protective equipment (PPEs) in some hospitals but maintained that were still needs for sustained supplies.
In a communiqué issued at the end of NARD’s National Executive Council, NEC’s virtual extra-ordinary meeting, jointly signed by the President, Aliyu Sokomba, Publicity Social Secretary, Dr Egbogu Stanley and the Secretary-General, Bilqis Muhammad, it was revealed that majority of members agreed to the suspension of the strike.
The doctors also announced the Medical Residency Training funding has been included in the revised 2020 budget through the intervention of Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and will be implemented as soon as the budget is assented to by the President.
While the suspension of the strike takes effect immediately from Monday 8am, the doctors said they are giving federal government four weeks to fulfill its promises.
NARD President Dr Aliyu Sokomba made these known in Abuja at a briefing after its extraordinary virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting. Speaking during the extraordinary virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, Sokomba said: “The NEC acknowledges the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to some hospitals. However these PPEs are consumables and non-reusable, therefore the need for sustained supply.
The Medical residency training funding has been included in the revised 2020 budget through the intervention of the Hon. Speaker, House of Representative and will be implemented as soon as the budget is assented to by the President. At the same time, we await the fulfillment of the promise made by the Nigeria Governors Forum to ensure same is done in all the states.
“On the Salary shortfall for 2014-2016, The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has promised to intervene. Government has shown commitment to procure group life insurance for health workers.
“The disengaged resident doctors at Jos University Teaching Hospital have been reinstated, the Chief Medical Director has been directed to pay their withheld salaries and comply with the provisions of the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA).”
He further added: “On State Tertiary Health Institutions (STHIs), the Chairman Nigeria Governors Forum His Excellency Dr Kayode Fayemi and the DG NGF Mr Asishana Okauru, appealed to be given time to discuss with other state Governors of KOGI, GOMBE, LAGOS, OYO, OSUN, OGUN, ONDO, LAGOS, KADUNA, NASSARAWA, ENUGU, ANAMBRA, ABIA and IMO, for immediate pay parity as with the corrected CONMESS of 2019 and that salary shortfalls due our members will be paid shortly.
Regular exercise is regarded as one of the keys to leading a long and healthy life. However scientists have recently delved into comparisons in longevity between those who participate in strenuous physical activity and those who lead mostly sedentary lifestyles as a result of their occupation throughout their lives.
The researchers – Naoyuki Hayashi and Kazuhiro Kezuka of Tokyo Tech’s Institute of Liberal Arts have conducted an unusual study that calls into question the idea that vigorous daily exercise positively correlates with longevity.
They compared the lifespans of four groups of Japanese traditional arts performers by examining data from a total of 699 professional male artists, both living and dead, whose birth and death records are all publicly available. They hypothesized that kabuki actors would lead longer lives owing to the high-level physical activity involved in their theatrical performances, compared with Sado, Rakugo and Nagauta practitioners, who are known to perform tea ceremonies, recount comic stories and play musical instruments while sitting, respectively.
Study Reveals Vigorous Exercise May Shorten and not Prolong Life
Using a method called Kaplan-Meier analysis, they found that contrary to expectations, the lifespan of kabuki actors was shorter than that of the other three types of traditional artists.
The researchers postulate that one reason for the shorter lifespans of kabuki artists could be that excessive endurance training and physical activity overwhelms the beneficial aspects of regular physical exercise. Another reason might be that in the past, kabuki actors have often worn oshiroi (white powder used for make-up) containing lead, which carries a significant health risk. The use of oshiroi was only banned in Japan in 1934.
The researchers point out their study is not without limitations. For example, the data examined male-dominated professions only, and therefore does not give a portrayal of population-wide longevity including females.
Further work would be needed to evaluate the optimal amount of exercise for protecting health. The possibly beneficial effects of “non-exercise” activities such as speaking, singing and playing musical instruments would also need further exploration.
Overall, the researchers say their study represents “a novel way of extracting information from publicly available data” and “contributes to the global trend in addressing reproducibility in science.”
Nigeria moved closer to being declared free of wild polio, following the completion of documentation for the free status, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
The UN health agency disclosed this on the official Twitter handle of its regional office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, @WHOAFRO.
“Today, Nigeria’s complete documentation for Wild Polio virus free status was accepted by the Africa Regional Certification Commission for polio eradication (ARCC).
“It is a historic day for Nigeria, Africa and the Global Polio Programme,’’ WHO said.
A Nigerian child receiving immunisation.
Meanwhile, Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director and CEO of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in a tweet at @drfaisalshuaib described the documentation as historical.
“Amazing moment in history to have had our polio-eradication documentation accepted by (ARCC); the Nigeria team led by NPHCDA and partners demonstrated evidence of our polio-free status.
“Nigeria achieving a Wild Polio Virus-free status today, is significant on multiple fronts.
“I look back at the incredible leadership that has brought us here.
“Apart from President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the two most important people who have made it possible due to their financial and technological contributions have been Mr Aliko Dangote and Mr Bill Gates.
“Thanks for this unquantifiable gift to Nigeria,’’ he said.
