-WHO Lists Measures to Prevent Covid19 at Workplaces
As a follow-up to the confirmation of the first Coronavirus case in Lagos, Nigeria, the Lagos State Ministry of Health has started with the identification process of all the persons who had contact with the index coronavirus patient, an infected Italian national, in order to isolate them and prevent the virus from spreading.
Prof. Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health, Lagos State
As anxiety heightened at some states, especially in Lagos, where the first case was detected, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi at a press conference on Friday, said that the identification exercise started at 3am on Friday and continues.
With number of countries affected by the global viral infection, which originated from Wuhan, China, approaching fifty, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted best methods to prevent the virus from spreading at workplaces.
List of countries affected so far by the epidemic include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Combodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Irag, Isreal,, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Labanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, The Philippines, Romania, Russia, Nigeria, among others
Abayomi at the conference stated: “We have aggressively started to identify all his contacts all the way to the airline and that process started around 3 am this morning and it continues. We will like to assure everybody that we are on this case to make sure that we can identify everyone he has come in contact with.
“We are identifying any possible person that may have come in contact with him so that we can start isolation and containment exercise to ensure we break the cycle of transmission”.
The commissioner further explained that the Italian national has no symptoms of respiratory disease but he does have a fever and body aches. “If he has respiratory symptoms, it is likely to be more contagious than it is at the moment,” he said.
How Covid-19 Spreads
Explaining means of transmitting the virus, the WHO through a statement noted that when someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales, they release droplets of infected fluid, and most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects -such as desks, tables or telephones.
And this reveals how people could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects –and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. If they are standing within one meter of a person with COVID-19, they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them. In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to flu.
“Most persons infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover. However, some go on to experience more serious illness and may require hospital care. Risk of serious illness rises with age: people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable than those under 40. People with weakened immune systems and people with conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious illness”.
Simple Tips to Prevent Coronavirus
As recommended by the apex health institution, here are the measures to prevent the spread of the virus at workplace:
Make sure your workplaces are clean and hygienic.
Surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant regularly.
Why? Because contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads.
Promote regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, contractors and customers
Put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace. Make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled.
Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefings at meetings and information on the intranet to promote hand-washing.
Make sure that staff, contractors and customers have access to places where they can wash their hands with soap and water.
Why? Because washing kills the virus on your hands and prevents the spread of COVID-19Promote good respiratory hygiene in the workplace.
Display posters promoting respiratory Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefing at meetings and information on the intranet etc.
Ensure that face masks and / or paper tissues are available at your workplaces, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them.
Why? Because good respiratory hygiene prevents the spread of COVID-19.
As a way of showing appreciation and to congratulate her for her outstanding efforts towards the progress of the association, members of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) Anambra State Chapter made a courtesy visit to the new Head of Department (HOD) Pharmacy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Dr (Mrs) Joy Ichoku, on her new appointment and also to seek her continued support.
Dr Mrs) Amara Nwaka Presenting the new ahapn system magazine to the hod nauth in the presence of other executive
Congratulating Ichoku on her latest appointment, the Chairman of the state branch, Dr (Mrs) Amara Nwaka explained that the main objective for their coming is to welcome and appreciate her.
Ichoku expressed her delight at the visit, while recalling her unflinching commitment as a member of the association in the past including holding executive position in the association.
She said this will only spur her to do and give more to the association in her new position. She expressed delight with the dynamic and progressive leadership of the present executives.
The new HOD of Pharmacy, NAUTH further emphasized that the members of the association should continue to close ranks and pursue specialization and professionalism, if hospital pharmacists in Nigeria must remain relevant.
Members of AHAPN Anambra in a group photograph with the new Head of Department (HOD) Pharmacy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Dr (Mrs) Joy Ichoku
Ichoku was thereafter presented with the new AHAPN system magazine, while she appreciated everyone that has contributed in one way or the other to the association.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria has recorded its first case of Coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, as confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) on Thursday, 27 February 2020.
Confirming the development, the FMoH in a statement signed by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire revealed that: “The index case is an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on the 25th of February from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit. He fell ill on the 26th February and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing”.
FMoH banner confirming the case
With this confirmation in country, Nigeria is now the third country in Africa with the reported case of #COVID19 after Egypt and Algeria; and the suspect in the former, a foreigner, later tested negative to the virus. In Algeria, an Italian who arrived Algiers on February 17 tested positive to the disease.
Meanwhile, Ehanire has assured Nigerians that measures are in place to respond appropriately, as the ministry is working with the Lagos State Ministry of Health (LSMOH). “We assure all Nigerians that measures are in place to respond appropriately. We’re working with the LSMOH to identify contacts & initiate response accordingly”
Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Health also corroborated the outbreak through his Twitter handle @ProfAkinAbayomi, “Lagos State has recorded its first confirmed case of #COVID19.The case, which was confirmed on the 27th of February 2020, is the first case to be confirmed in Nigeria since the outbreak in China in January 2020”, he noted.
The commissioner, urged all Lagosians to take care of their health and maintain hand and respiratory hygiene to protect themselves and others.
Abayomi further explained that the patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital (Mainland Hospital) in Yaba, Lagos.
Preventive measures
While it is double tragedy for Nigeria, which has since being battling the outbreak of Lassa fever in the country, the inclusion of Coronavirus to the list of viral infections in the country has made dissemination of preventive information a critical case for all healthcare practitioners.
To prevent the spread of the disease, these are the basic tips:
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Also use alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
Maintain at least 1 & half metres (5 feet) distance between you and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
People coughing persistently or sneezing should stay indoors or keep a social distance, but not mix with a crowd.
Practice respiratory hygiene – If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention.
Stay indoors if you feel unwell with symptoms, such as fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. Please call Lagos State Emergency hotlines 08023169485 or 08033565529 or 08052817243 which are available day and night.
Every day, scientists go into their laboratories and discover something new about the most recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This explains why two months after the first ever case was reported, there are now three drugs expected to halt the proliferation of the virus in the body.
In all, more than 80 clinical trials have been launched to test coronavirus treatments including a stem-cell trial where scientists infuse patients with stem cell from menstrual blood.
It has been a battle to save lives and also, for both new and existing drugs to prove their worth.
As at February 21, nine vaccines and four drugs undergoing clinical trial have shown signs that they can handle the virus inside the human body. Of all the drugs, only three: Favilavir, Remdesivir and Chloroquine have been approved for use in patients infected with the virus.
Already, Favilavir and Remdesivir have been successfully used to treat coronavirus patients.
Coronavirus: How Chloroquine and Other Antivirals Inhibit the Virus
So how did the anti-malaria, Chloroquine come into the picture?
On February 4, Cell Research Journal published a study by researchers, majority from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which declared remdesivir and chloroquine to be effective drugs in the treatment of the coronavirus.
Also, early data from trials being performed in China as noted by the Deputy Head, China National Centre for Biotechnology Development, Sun Yanrong revealed that chloroquine phosphate could help treat the new coronavirus disease, Covid-19.
Again, what does a defunct anti-malarial agent have to do with a virus as potent as the coronavirus?
The answer is, a lot.
Chloroquine has a broad spectrum anti-viral effect. Before now, there have been numerous HIV-drug trials involving chloroquine and its derivative, hydroxychloroquine. It has been discovered that they are able to inhibit glycosylation of viral receptors and induce production of non-infectious retrovirus particles in HIV-1.
According to the research, this forgotten anti-malarial agent is found to inhibit the virus as it enters and exits the body cells. It slows the progression of the infection and interferes with the glycosylation of the viral receptors in the host cell. It is able to achieve this in low micromolar concentrations.
This discovery about chloroquine is not unexpected. A research following the 2002 SARS coronavirus outbreak, a similar viral outbreak also in China, already demonstrated chloroquine’s potency against infections related to the coronavirus family.
The main problem regarding chloroquine is at what stage of the infection it can be effectively administered to someone sick with the coronavirus.
The second drug according to the Cell Research study is remdesivir. It is a nucleoside analog which shuts down transcription and synthesis of viral RNA.
Remdesivir was originally intended to treat the Ebola virus but failed during the human trials and replaced by more effective drugs.
However, with the new coronavirus, remdesivir and its manufacturers can make a timely comeback. In the United States, an infected patient was successfully treated with the drug and this has made the drug popular among researchers.
If remdesivir will eventually get approved, it is not going to be without some controversy. The research team at Wuhan Institute of Virology that facilitated the Cell Research study has filed a patent for the drug owned by the Gilead company in the United States. We don’t expect the manufacturers at Gilead to give up their intellectual property rights that easily.
Favilavir is the first ever coronavirus drug approved for use in patients. Before it was approved, a cruise ship of 2,666 passengers had been ravaged by the coronavirus and globally, 1863 deaths have been recorded.
Favilavir, an anti-viral product of a Chinese-based pharmaceutical company was originally developed to treat nose and throat inflammation caused by viruses.
The drug was cleared for use after it proved effective in a clinical trial of 70 patients with the virus. However, not much is known about the action of this antiviral drug because specific results of the clinical trial is yet to be released.
It is important to note that only Favilavir has been approved as a medicine for the new coronavirus. Remdesivir and chloroquine have only been cleared for human trials. They will be officially approved for use if they prove effective in reducing mortality rate among the human subjects infected with the virus.
Scientists have preferred to stick with pre-existing drugs in their search for the coronavirus treatment. It is a common thing during epidemics to use available drugs to control it as quickly as possible. This is because developing a new drug is painstakingly time consuming. It takes at least 10 years for a new drug to complete the journey from initial discovery to the market place.
The infection would have gone out of control and many lives lost before a drug is ready.
The coronavirus epidemic will not be the last of its kind and scientists know that.
For the future, scientists are building on available research works gathered from the two previous coronavirus outbreaks (SARS and MERS) as well as this current outbreak. They want to produce a one-in-all drug that would be able to combat the multiple strains of the coronavirus including the ones that haven’t surfaced yet.
We hope that we do not see a repeat of what happened during the SARS coronavirus outbreak, where the work starts and then stops as soon as the epidemic is gone.
In this exclusive interview with Pharmanews, Managing Director, Nigerian Army Drug Manufacturing Company (NADMACO), Colonel Laban Daniel Buba, expresses the readiness of the Nigerian Army to enhance the local capacity of the country to produce in large scale, drug for the Nigerian army and sister services, as well as the general public.
Buba, a pharmacist and fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), ventilates the yearnings of indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturers in the country, calling on the government to improve on the patronage of local products and the formulation of friendly policies. Excerpts:
col laban buba acting managing director of Nadmaco
Tell us about the operations of NADMACO
The Nigerian Army Drug Manufacturing Company (NADMACO) Limited is a limited liability company incorporated in 1994 and started commercial production in September 1998.
NADMACO drugs are know for their quality, safety and efficacy. NADMACO manufactures antimalarials, antibiotics analgesics/antipyretics, non steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs, anti-hypertensives, cardio-protective drugs, supplements and first aids kits.
At the inception of the company, we started with four product lines, namely, Nabco, Naramin, Nacemol, and Navic. Over the years, the capacity of the company was improved upon and our product lines systematically kept on increasing. Today, we are having a product range of over 20 products and still look forward to expanding.
What informed the decision of the Nigerian army to establish NADMACO?
First and foremost, drugs are the pivot of the medical healthcare delivery system; so the importance it plays was one of the reasons for the establishment of NADMACO. Also, the menace of faking and adulteration in the West African sub-region and even beyond has become a burden on the healthcare sector, and the Nigerian Army wanted to be very sure that our drug supplies were from well-organised and qualitative source. This is why the company was established, primarily to produce drugs for the Nigerian Army and sister services – that is members of the Nigerian armed forces.
Today, we have gone beyond supplying the Nigerian army and sister services and we have started getting our drugs even to the general public. We started as a small scale drug manufacturing company, as it was then known as NASDMU (Nigerian Army Small Scale Drugs Manufacturing Company). After achieving some level of growth, our production capacity increased. This informed the decision to seek a change of name from NASDMU to NADMACO. This was initiated in 2017 and we got the approval in February 2018.
Can you break down your product lines into ranges?
Our product lines cover antimalarials, antibiotics, supplements, analgesics and anti-inflammatory. We also produce first aid kit. Our flagship products are Nartel, which is our Artemeter and Lumefantrim combination for malaria; and Nacemol, which is our brand of paracetamol.
Talking about drug faking, what are you doing to ensure that your products are not faked?
As regards protecting the quality of our products, we take our packaging very seriously and we engrave our names on the products. Of course, we are careful about the distributors we are dealing with. We have done this and many more to safeguard our products from being faked.
Are your distribution confined only to members of the armed forces?
When we started, primarily, our products were for the consumption of the Nigerian army and sister services, but over the years, as we kept expanding our capacity, we started selling to the paramilitary, the Customs, DSS, Nigeria Immigration Services and so on.
We have even gone beyond that. Now even the general public patronise us, although on a small level because of capacity; we are planning to do more. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General T.Y. Buratai, has been very supportive and is providing the necessary backing for us to achieve that. His leadership has been unprecedented in helping us to achieve our goals. His professional and focused leadership encourages the business ventures of the Nigerian Army to be growing. We are hoping to achieve this expansion very soon.
Is NADMACO a member of the PMG-MAN and what do you think the government should do to enhance local pharmaceutical manufacturing?
NADMACO has been fully registered with all the drug regulatory agencies, including the National Agency for Foods Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmacist’s Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN). The company’s products have also been recognised as having met the highest standard achievable.
Talking about what the government should do, we need the government to encourage more local manufacturers by protecting the country from indiscriminate importation of drugs. If you want the local manufacturing industries to grow, there should be strict control on imported finished products through appropriate taxing procedures and other series of control that will make only the necessary products that are not locally produced come in.
We can’t produce all our drug needs locally but if what we produce locally is being replicated overseas, because of cheaper labour, facilities, and power over there, then we can’t be in competition. So those control measures should be directed at ensuring that only the needed products that are not being produced by local manufacturers are allowed to be imported from overseas.
If you don’t encourage local manufacturers, we will lose foreign exchange and be a consuming nation. That is not the way to grow the economy.
Is NADMACO into partnership with any local or foreign organisation?
Talking about partnership, we can’t be an island unto ourselves. We are into partnership with some institutions. Even recently, an offer came in and we are looking at the factors and trying to make cost-benefits analysis of it to see what the potentials are.
In what way do you think government can curb the menace of drug counterfeiting?
Government can do a lot. Apart from the fact that we have a lot of enabling legal provisions and laws that provide sanctions for such unacceptable practices, the laws themselves need to be strong to serve as a proper deterrent to offenders involved in faking and adulteration. Some of the laws have been there for long, and so sanctions attached to them are not quite tight. There is need to review some of those laws to strengthen the sanction that comes with such offences because fake drugs are killer drugs. We should proffer sanctions that reflect the seriousness of what faking is all about. Some of the laws need to be strengthened.
Where would you like to see NADMACO in the next few years?
We hope to see NADMACO maintain a steady growth in terms of production capacity and by implication increase our sales and profit margin. We are even looking at expanding towards liquid preparations. As at now, the kind of liquid preparations that we have is powder for reconstitution. Serious consideration has gone into that. We have done cost estimate; we have done a lot of feasibility studies including designs of the new structure to be built. We have done all the drawings and bills of quantities are already sorted out.
Meanwhile, it is funding sources that we are looking at; so we expect more patronage from the general public. The quality of our products are not in doubt and the motto of our company is “quality is our command.” Safety and efficacy are the hallmarks of our products, and of course, quality is not negotiable at NADMACO.
Community pharmacists play a fundamental role in improving public health. They are the most accessible and approachable healthcare experts. In many cases, they are the first port of call in a health crisis, making them indispensable lifesavers.
With the recent revolutionary shift of pharmacy practice to patient-centred care, some pharmacists have distinguished themselves in community practice by taking their roles beyond dispensing drugs. One of such is Dr Olutayo Arikawe. She is a multi-award-winning pharmacist who has been repeatedly recognised for her passion for Pharmacy, as well as dedication to improving the quality of lives of her patients and entire community.
Arikawe, who runs a community pharmacy in Dudley, United Kingdom, is a highly motivated woman with real passion for management and the ability to develop and grow businesses. She possesses a good team spirit and excellent leadership qualities. Her qualities and achievements in her community has led to both local and international recognitions for her efforts.
Background and education
Arikawe was born in July 1976. She grew up in Ogun state south-west Nigeria and had her secondary education at Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, Ogun State. She proceeded for her tertiary education at the University of Ibadan in 1993 and obtained her Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree (B.Pharm) in 2000. She received the University of Ibadan College of Medicine Provost’s Award at graduation.
Arikawe had her internship at Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, from 2000-2001, before proceeding to Jigawa State for the mandatory National Youth Service in 2001, serving at General hospital Babura. She received the Jigawa State honour award at the end of her service.
Arikawe started her professional career as a community pharmacist at Precious pharmacy in Ogun state in 2002. After her brief stint in community pharmacy, she worked as a hospital pharmacist at the General Hospital Ota, in Ogun State, Nigeria from 2002 to 2003. From there, she moved to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, where she worked as hospital pharmacist from 2003 to 2006.
Later in the same 2006, she relocated to the United Kingdom and had her OSPAP (Overseas Pharmacists’ Assessment Programme) conversion course at the Aston University in Birmingham to enable her practise as a pharmacist in the UK. She soon obtained her postgraduate diploma in Pharmacy at the Aston University, Birmingham, UK and thereafter a postgraduate diploma in Public Health at the University of London from 2007 to 2008. She went on to obtain a master’s degree in Public Health at the University of London in 2009.
Arikawe had her internship working as a pre-registered pharmacist at Lloyds’ Pharmacy, UK, from 2006 to 2007 and became a cluster lead/pharmacist manager. This saw her managing a chain of 13 pharmacies from 2007 to 2010. From there she moved to Murrays Healthcare where she worked from 2010 to 2012.
Uncommon passion
Arikawe is passionate about people and her community. She is the managing director at LT Coaching and Consulting Ltd, an independent consulting firm, where she coaches women to optimise their potentials and achieve their dreams. She has helped many women to start their own businesses and achieve success in their chosen careers. She has particularly been an inspiration to women of colour to break barriers in their chosen fields.
Arikawe has also worked as pharmacist manager at Priory Community Pharmacy (from 2012 to present) and was appointed as the director/superintendent pharmacist of YPG Project Limited, a hospital and healthcare company affiliated to the Priory Community Pharmacy, where she manages, coaches and trains staff to attain optimum performance. She also works as a visiting lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton, UK where she gives career advice and offers work placements for students.
Arikawe and her team at the YPG Project go the extra mile to promote better health and reduce health inequality in their community. They carry out health promotions on topics like cardiovascular risks (diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol etc.), reduction of teenage pregnancy, smoking cessation and alcohol awareness (creating awareness on how much people are drinking and how they can conform to the national recommended unit).
In the quest to better equip herself to offer better health services to her community, Arikawe has undertaken several professional certificate programmes on leadership, business management and counselling. These include: Practice Certificate in Pharmacy Management, Medway School of Pharmacy, Kent (2008); Practice Certificate in Independent/Supplementary Prescribing (Sexual Health), Keele University, Keele, UK (2010); CPD+ Substance Misuse/ Postgraduate Cert in Prescribing Studies, Keele University (2011); Diploma in Professional Development (Leadership & Management) Coventry University, (2012) and Diploma in Coaching, NLP and DISC, The Coaching Academy UK (2013 & 2014).
Awards and recognitions
In 2014, Arikawe won the Pharmacy Business Award. Two years later in 2016, she won the award for the Best Community Pharmacist and Pharmacy Manager in the United Kingdom (Chemist and Druggist Awards). In the same 2016, was the recipient of the Public Health Pharmacist of the Year award. She also won the “I Love My Pharmacist” national award by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
The “I Love My Pharmacist’ Award” was created by RPS, the professional body for pharmacists in Great Britain, to showcase and celebrate the great work that pharmacists do for their patients across the country. It actually celebrates Britain’s best pharmacists.
In 2017, Arikawe was crowned the “Best of the Best pharmacist” (Chemist and Drugist Awards) and in 2018, she won the Pharmacist of the Year award at the Zenith Global Award. She has won many other awards both local and international in the course of her career.
All of the following statements concerning vitamin A functions are true EXCEPT:
a) Transmission of light stimuli to the brain, via combination with a specific protein, opsin, to form a visual pigment, rhodopsin, in the retina of the eye
b) Regulation of cell growth and differentiation in epithelium, connective tissues (including bone and cartilage) and hematopoietic tissues by retinoic acid, a highly bioactive metabolite of retinol
c) Retinoic acid is especially important during embryogenesis
d) Acts as a hormone involved in regulation of calcium and phosphorus homeostasis
Amidst growing concern over the rising cases of chronic kidney diseases especially among young adults in Nigeria, renowned nephrologist and director general of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Prof. Babatunde Salako has identified hypertension, diabetes, drug abuse, sickle cell disease and issues relating to human genomics as some of the major factors responsible for the rise of chronic kidney disease in Nigeria.
Salako, who made this disclosure in an exclusive interview with Pharmanews recently in Lagos, also revealed that non-communicable diseases may kill more people in the near future than infectious diseases if the right steps are not taken to tackle them.
Prof. Babatunde Salako
He disclosed that cases of chronic kidney disease were quite common among young Nigerian adults, leading to the untimely death of many breadwinners.
While disclosing that NIMR was involved with a consortium looking at the relationship between human genomics and chronic kidney disease, Salako also mentioned the discovery of a gene in black people which appear to predispose them more to chronic kidney disease than their caucasian counterparts.
“What we are looking at is a gene that has been discovered to predispose African-Americans to chronic kidney diseases and appear to spare, in a way, their Caucasian counterparts. So we are looking at the frequency of that gene among Nigerians in different tribes and the environmental supporters of the gene that predispose the individuals to the disease.
“We hope that we might be able to design a better preventive approach for the disease or even come up with the possibility of new treatments after we have completed the research,” he said.
The eminent researcher and former vice chairman of Oyo State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), also listed other causes of chronic kidney diseases to include: obstruction in urinary tract, obstruction caused by prostate in men, ovarian cyst in women and stones in kidney.
He also cautioned against the use of bleaching or skin toning creams and cosmetic products containing mercury compounds, as a prolonged use of these could expose individuals to the risk of kidney diseases.
The NIMR DG also called on pharmaceutical companies to invest more on researches in the field of kidney disease management, while advising that greater interest be shown in the area of traditional or alternative medicine for home-grown solutions to the scourge.
Salako also aired his views on the current global outbreak of corona virus and the resurgence of Lassa fever in Nigeria.
Below is the full text of the interview:
Tell us briefly about the current policy of NIMR to focus more on communicable diseases and what informed the policy.
NIMR, over the years, has developed capacity and expertise in infectious diseases which really are the diseases ravaging our population, especially our children, and causing significant morbidity and mortality among them. This is also responsible for our poor health indices, especially in the areas of infant and maternal mortality. The institution has not been doing much of what we call non-communicable diseases’ research.
The institution is supposed, under its mandate, to conduct research on diseases of public health importance – meaning, again, diseases that are causing significant morbidity or mortality among the Nigerian population and NCDs (Non-communicable diseases) are a group of such conditions. For example, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, sickle cell and kidney disease are all diseases that can be categorised under NCDs and they also cause a lot of havoc and we are supposed to be an institute of medical research.
So it stands to common reason that we should also be involved in conducting research on NCDs. More so, it’s been shown that NCDs are likely to cause more deaths than infectious diseases in the next few years, maybe in the next ten years. So we need to begin to look at the Nigerian situation in terms of NCDs. What are our peculiarities? So that they don’t just bring research findings from elsewhere and extend it to us. This may not be as effective as Nigerian reports that can inform our own policies and strategies against those diseases.
Talking about these non-communicable diseases, are there specific ones that NIMR is currently working on?
We are currently working on chronic kidney disease. Again it’s a disease that is quite common among young adults. And it kills a lot of family breadwinners. So we are involved with a consortium called Human Heredity in health consortium. We are looking at the causes of chronic kidney diseases in relation to human genomics in Nigeria.
NIMR is one of the several centres in Nigeria that are looking at this. What we are looking at is a gene that has been discovered to predispose African-Americans in America to chronic kidney diseases and appear to spare, in a way, their Caucasian counterparts. So, we are looking at the frequency of that gene among Nigerians in different tribes and the environmental supporters of the gene that predispose the individual to the disease.
We hope that we might be able to design a better preventive approach for the disease or even come up with the possibility of new treatments after we have completed the research.
We are also looking at human papilloma virus, which is an agent that causes cervical cancer. We are looking at its prevalence among our women, its strains in the general genotype of patients that present with such ailments and the role of immunisation against the disease.
What is the prevalence rate of chronic kidney disease in Nigeria and are there specific lifestyle habits that predispose people to it?
Kidney diseases, especially chronic kidney diseases, are caused mainly by hypertension and diabetes. But there are other causes like sickle cell disease, drug abuse, like the use of some compounds in our creams, such as mercury-containing compounds in creams for people who wish to tone or bleach. This people run the risk of developing chronic kidney diseases in future after a prolonged use of the products.
Some other common causes like obstruction in the urinary tract, stones in the kidney, obstruction caused by the prostate in men, as well as ovarian cyst in women. We also have the third one, which is the direct infection of the disease called glomerolevarities. These are the common causes of kidney diseases in our environment.
In term of prevalence, we don’t have a national figure but we have pockets of studies that have been done by different researchers all over the country and the prevalence could be at between 20 or 30 per cent, depending on the area.
February 4 was World Cancer Day. In this part of the world, do you think we are doing well in terms of treatment and do you think our pharmaceutical companies are doing fine in terms of research and development of drugs in this area?
Well, in the past, pharmaceutical companies used to sponsor meetings and research in this area. I think there has been a lull in that regards and this might be related to their own marketing experience. I think they should support more of drug development, especially in relation to our traditional medicine.
Quite a number of claims here and there. I think the pharmaceutical companies need to venture into some of those claims; perhaps we might be lucky to verify and turn one or two of them into something useful that can be turned into orthodox medicine. We need to develop our traditional medicine because it is more related to Pharmacy.
In terms of treatment available for cancer, pharmaceuticals companies are involved in ensuring that drugs for cancer treatment are available. It’s just that affordability is a challenge. The drugs are available but they are expensive and the patients may need to take them over a long period of time. Sometimes the people involved may not even be able to afford first phase surgery, not to talk of second phrase surgery.
Perhaps, the one that ordinary people have in mind is radiation therapy. There are not many radiation therapy centres in Nigeria and those that we have are not functioning optimally.
I’m aware that government is building radiation therapy centres in most of our hospitals to ensure that we have at least one centre in each of the geo-political zones. In some of them, they are changing the radiotherapy machines. They are also buying some other forms of radiotherapy treatment. It may not be enough. Government should support more of public-private partnership.
Government should encourage private people to go into the establishment of radiotherapy centres – in conjunction with the hospitals or on their own as a hospital. Government cannot do everything but they can create an enabling environment for those who wish to create such centres. This will also help to create job for people, while creating accessibility to radiotherapy and prolonging people’s lives.
So I think there is need for a liberalisation of some sort about the establishment of radiotherapy outfits.
Concerning the coronavirus currently trending on the global health scene, what can you say about our state of preparedness in Nigeria?
First and foremost, I need to say that there is a lot of panic and hype about coronavirus. Yes, the WHO has declared it a disease that the world should pay attention to. But coronavirus’ fatality is not as bad as Ebola; probably half the fatality rate of Lassa fever. So there is a need to let the world know that there is a disease called coronavirus killing people but it’s not as bad as Ebola in terms of mortality, so that people won’t panic unduly. Otherwise all sorts of treatments and suggestions will be flying all around in the social media and that may even be very injurious.
Having said that, it’s a disease that people need to look out for because it has a public health implication, especially considering our population in Nigeria. Many of our big cities are choked already. We cannot afford to have that kind of infection here. I believe the nation is making preparations prevent any outbreak or spread. The Federal Ministry of Health is working through the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (CDC), Lagos State Ministry of Health and NIMR.
We have the capacity to screen and diagnose the virus. So, making diagnosis is not a problem. What we require is a coordinated approach in case we have a case. We need an isolation centre and we need all the preparation gadgets required to manage such situation, which I believe the CDC already has. They are battle ready.
Why do we have a resurgence of Lassa fever in Nigeria?
I think the only thing that can answer that question is research, which we are trying to do but are limited by funds. The CDC is ready and using public enlightenment approach to curb the spread, provide diagnostics, capacity and treatment.
Research needs to answer the question on why we have the current outbreak. Outbreak of Lassa fever has been shown to come up usually around the dry season and a few human behaviours have been noted though not seriously studied to confirm. For example the part where people spread cassava or yam powder on the roads near the bush where vectors, such as rats that are known to cause Lassa can easily approach and have contact with the food and they go back and pack these contaminated substances as foods. That process is known to be more prevalent in dry season.
The other activity is bush burning. During dry season, people just put fire into bushes. This can push rodents out to start having contacts with people who live around such suburb and this aids the transmission of Lassa fever. These are two reasons I believe we need to study.
We also need to study the attitude, beliefs and practices of the communities about the disease. Perhaps, we may come up with a common practice that may relate to the spread of Lassa. We also need to look at the vectors. Is it just the rats alone or are there other means? We have carried out our research in Ondo State and we found out that there are human carriers of Lassa. So human-to-human transmission of Lassa occurs as a result of that but maybe not as frequent as we see. We need to determine the role of these in the transmission and outbreak of Lassa fever.
It’s important for government to put in place a dedicated Lassa research fund if we have to clear recurrent outbreak of the disease. That has to happen, otherwise we are going to be doing this “fire brigade” or reactionary approach. Why is it seasonal? Is not something we can break? What do we need? Of course, we need funds to go to the field. This is my view. I believe that if we have funds today and you put a call to all the universities and call for a proposal that will specifically address the outbreaks and how to eradicate or reduce the incidences – there are people in our universities with bright ideas – I am sure within the next two to three years, we may be able to come up with what we need to do to eradicate or reduce the incidences of Lassa fever.
What message do you have for healthcare practitioners in a resource limited country like Nigeria, given your years of experience within the Nigerian healthcare space?
We, I think it’s simple. We, who practise in the system, must learn to believe in the system and patronise the system. We must also make judicious use of those little resources we have in the system. If we have equipment and the people’s attitude is wrong, it will be like we don’t have the equipment. So let us maximize the use of our resources in terms of equipment or manpower.
Let’s stop saying we don’t have this, we don’t have that. What about the ones we have? Have we put them into judicious use? Have we ensured that human attitude does not serve as deterrent from accessing the services we can render?
I also would like us to have sustained harmony within the healthcare system. When we take turns to go on strike action, like a relay race, it won’t help the situation. Today, the doctors go on strike, tomorrow, the nurses; and so on. It affects the people. But I think the rate of strike seems to have gone down a little and all stakeholders need to work hard to maintain industrial peace, so that we can have improved access to healthcare for the population.
If we don’t have harmony and the right attitude, not much will be achieved. Even if we have all the money to buy all the equipment, if we don’t have the right attitude not much would be achieved.
Let’s make judicious use of what we have, while making peaceful efforts to get more.
In many cultures and communities around the world, names given to people often have unique stories behind them. Whether it is the day or time a child is born or, more commonly, the circumstances surrounding the birth, several factors influence the names parents choose for their children. In western Nigeria, for example, it is not uncommon for the parents, grandparents and other members of a child’s immediate and extended families contribute at least one name to be given to the child. Consequently, the child ends up with several names – each telling its own special story.
Illustration of coronavirus as a respiratory system attack
The point here is that names often have significant connotations. In the case of the coronavirus, until recently, the deadly and rampaging disease had been known as the 2019-nCoV. That was the temporary name given to it, while the World Health Organisation (WHO) strategised on giving it an official name and battling it as should be the case. However, during his daily briefing recently, the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the official name as COVID-19.
Explaining the reasons behind the decision and the new name, he said: “We had to find a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people, and which is also pronounceable and related to the disease. Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatising. It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks.”
The coronavirus, now COVID-19, has killed more than 1,000 people with the majority of infections in mainland China. It broke out in the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province, the city was subsequently put on lockdown.
Should we panic?
Now, beyond the changed name, the spread of the virus outside China is worrying but not an unexpected development as the WHO had initially declared the outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern. It added cheeringly however that there is a “window of opportunity” to halt the spread of the disease.
The key issues here are how transmissible is this new killer disease among people and what proportion of infected people become severely ill and end up in hospital. It should be noted though that, in most cases, viruses that spread easily tend to have a milder impact.
According to the WHO, healthcare workers could be at risk if they unexpectedly come across someone with respiratory symptoms who had travelled to an affected region. Generally, the coronavirus appears to be hitting older people hardest, with few cases in children.
What are the symptoms?
The COVID-19 virus causes pneumonia. Those who have fallen ill are reported to suffer coughs, fever and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, there can be organ failure. As this is viral pneumonia, antibiotics are of no use. The antiviral drugs we have against flu will not work. If people are admitted to hospital, they may get support for their lungs and other organs as well as fluids. Recovery will depend on the strength of their immune system. Many of those who have died were already in poor health.
Can it be transmitted?
China’s national health commission has confirmed human-to-human transmission, adding that there have been such transmissions elsewhere. According to the commission, as of 12 February, 2020, there were 45,182 confirmed cases and 1,115 deaths. There are cases in 28 other countries outside China, with deaths recorded in one case in Hong Kong, and one case in Philippines. The number of people to have contracted the virus overall could be far higher, as people with mild symptoms may not have been detected.
A report from the UK stated: “The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK has doubled from four to eight after four more people in Brighton were diagnosed with the infection over the weekend. One of the other four confirmed cases is being treated at the HCID unit at the Royal Free hospital in north London, and the two Chinese nationals who tested positive for Coronavirus in New York are being treated at the HCID centre in Newcastle.”
Should Nigeria be worried?
There are definitely reasons to be concerned, because presently, the mortality rate of coronavirus is around 2 per cent However, this is likely to be an underestimate since many more people are likely to have been infected by the virus but not suffered severe enough symptoms to attend hospital, and so have not been counted. For comparison, seasonal flu typically has a mortality rate below 1 per cent and is thought to cause about 400,000 deaths each year globally. SARS had a death rate of more than 10 per cent.
As reported in the dailies, the members of the Senate Committee on Health recently raised an alarm over alleged poor control and surveillance of the deadly disease at the country’s two busiest entry ports – Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) and Apapa Port, both in Lagos. The lawmakers, following an inspection of the two facilities, were not pleased with the measures put in place to prevent coronavirus from entering Nigeria.
Most shocking to the lawmakers was that the foreign airlines were not complying with the regulators’ provisions on screening and self-declaration by passengers before arrival in Nigeria.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr Ibrahim Oloriegbe and Chairman, Senate Committee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases, Chukwuka Utazi, along with the team from the Nigeria Health Watch who went on an oversight visit to MMIA and the seaport, expressed displeasure at compliance rate and the screening exercise and how it was being handled with laxity.
Other issues discovered and condemned by the senate committee include: inadequate human resources, funding to purchase medical reagents and protective materials, unhygienic toilets, inferior face masks for the staff and hand sanitisers, noncompliance of airlines on security policies by the Federal Ministry of Health, poor state of the airport facilities, unavailability of vehicles for mobility of affected person to be examined and treated, among others.
Oloriegbe said from what had been observed from the activities of the port health services, the country was not prepared to contain disease outbreak.
He questioned why the port health services were not strict with ensuring airlines complied with the health policy of making passengers fill the mandatory “passengers self-reporting form” while onboard for screening, lamenting that this act could jeopardise the whole nation. He went ahead to interview some foreign nationals that flew into Nigeria if they underwent all the screening measures and they confirmed that they were not checked on board, nor did they fill the health forms.
Oloriegbe, who gave an assessment of their findings, said: “From what we have seen both at the airport and seaport, we have a lot of gaps that need to be filled, for us to be assured and say we are prepared for any eventuality. The gaps include, starting from the human resources. At the airport and seaport we don’t have enough medical officers, or other health workers that need to be on ground.”
However, the country’s Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has assured Nigerians of safety, revealing that efforts were being made to ensure sustainability of their good health.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, Ehanire said Africa’s most populous nation had the capacity to detect, assess and respond in case the virus finds its way into the country.
“While the risk of importation exists, we can assure Nigerians of the nation’s capacity to detect, assess and respond to this and any other public health threats at the point of entry,” he said.
He also said the federal government had voted funds to increase services of the ministry’s Port Health Services Unit. He disclosed that government was in touch with 16 Nigerians in Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic in China’s Hubei province.
According to Ehanire, “There have been no confirmed cases in Africa but the potential has been clearly demonstrated. So far Kenya, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast have reported negative outcomes for suspected cases. Botswana is probing one such case.”
On his part, the Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the government only had travel advisories to issue but cannot ban travels. “Right now, we are working together at an inter-ministerial level to be able to contain the epidemic.
“What we will do is to give travel advisories that if it is not essential to travel to southeast China, do not make such trips. But you know it is very difficult to ban people from travelling,” he added.
While speaking in an interview with pressmen, Pharm. Jonah Okotie, secretary, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), said increased health education and putting in place measures to guarantee preventive health practices are some of the measures to checkmate coronavirus from entering the country.
“Nigeria is gradually becoming a ‘sleeping giant’; it is high time we rose to not just our health needs, but that of the world. I don’t see the reason why we can’t position our petrochemical and cotton industries to begin to produce not only face masks but other needed pharmaceuticals to save lives and prevent diseases,” he said.
Also, according to Pharm. Patrick Ugwumba, managing director, Farmkash Limited, guarding against the spread of coronavirus, in case of an outbreak, requires strict adherence to respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette and hand hygiene.
“It’s not yet very certain if one can get infected with the virus by touching a surface that has the virus on it and then using that same hand to touch the mouth or nostrils. It’s therefore advisable to keep your hand away from your mouth, nose and eyes, for now”, he said.
Safety measures
Recently, the Chinese province which is the centre of the coronavirus outbreak recorded a record high in deaths, bringing the total number to more than 1,300 people globally, and confirmed cases of infection in their thousands, as experts warned the epidemic could “create havoc” in less prepared countries, the world faces a formidable public health crisis in a recent outbreak of a virus infection called COVID-19
Although it originated in China, where most of the casualties have been reported, the disease has spread across the globe with reported cases in places as far flung as the United States, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, France and Germany.
As a member of the global community, Nigeria also has a responsibility to ensure that her citizens are not caught unawares. With the country already burdened by poverty and many deadly diseases, including the Lassa fever, which is currently spreading across the states like a wildfire, Nigeria cannot afford to start contending with an additional burden of the coronavirus, a disease about which very little is known for now.
It is quite encouraging that the Nigerian authorities have started taking steps to control a possible importation of the disease into the country. Although no case of actual infection has been recorded in the country, there has to be heightened surveillance and preparation to handle a possible outbreak.
Towards the success of its forthcoming Education Summit, the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm) has inaugurated a planning committee to see to the organisation and mobilisation of stakeholders for a very impactful summit.
Headed by Dr Lolu Ojo as the chairman, membership of the committee cuts across virtually all spheres of Pharmacy, including the academia, industry, community, hospital and administrative, public health, regulatory, associations, and others.
L-R: Pharm. (Mrs) Ngozi Onuorah, director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, NAFDAC; Distinguished Professor Cecilia Igwilo, chairman, NAPharm Standing Committee on Education; Vice-President, NAPharm, Pharm. (Sir) Ifeanyi Atueyi; Dr Lolu Ojo, chairman, Education Summit Planning Committee; and Prof. Lere Baale, at the meeting.
Speaking on behalf of the NAPharm. President, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, who was unavoidably absent at the meeting, the Vice-President, NAPharm., Pharm. (Sir) Ifeanyi Atueyi, warmly welcomed all participants, while he chronicled the activities of the Academy from inception till date for the enlightenment of planning committee members, who were attending the Academy meeting for the first time.
He explained how the Academy has made significant impact in the society through advocacy and collaboration with other practitioners for the benefits of patients.
“The Academy has made several strategic interventions in national life since its establishment, working largely through systemic advocacy. In the area of education, for instance, it contributed significantly to efforts which resulted in the adoption of Clinical Pharmacy curriculum by the National Universities Commission (NUC), leading to the award of PharmD degree by Nigerian Universities.
L-R: National Chairman, ACPN, Pharm. Samuel Adekola; Pharm. Kunle Oyelana, MD, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc; and Chairmanship aspirant, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Oyo State, Pharm. Oluwole Ajayi, also at the meeting.
“The Academy has, in this regard, enjoyed unfettered cooperation of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) as well as the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA). The first Pharmacy Education Summit was held from 22 to 24 April, 2015, in collaboration with PSN and PCN, with resource persons from NAPPSA and UK”, he asserted.
He did not fail to mention the roles played by the group in fostering interprofessional collaboration among Nigeria’s healthcare professionals, as it has been a major aspect of the Academy’s vision. “To this end, a symposium on Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare was organised on 11 May, 2017 in collaboration with PSN with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and seven other healthcare professional groups participated”.
His words: “The Academy is at the forefront of advocacy efforts for better funding and overall support for scientific and pharmaceutical research across Nigeria. We recognise that the march of disease can best be halted by targeted research and deliberately seek to address these problems. Consequently, the Academy formally launched the Olu Akinkugbe Research and Innovation Centre (OARIC) on September 13, 2018”.
For the Chairman, NAPharm. Education Planning Committee, Ojo stated the essence of the group to members, which is to bridge the gap in Pharmacy Education, and to facilitate the production of better pharmacists from Pharmacy Schools.
He highlighted the responsibilities of the committee to include: To organise Education Summit before 15 May, 2020; to determine the theme, topic, resource persons and venue for the Summit; the committee may call for memorandum to facilitate its assignment; And to mobilise the stakeholders for participation and support.
To enhance the easy execution of the committee’s job, chairman noted that sub-committees will be created to allow members to critically examine issues before arriving at conclusion of matters discussed at the meeting.
Some of the issues raised by members for critical discussion include: Thorough critique of the current Pharmacy Education curriculum; review of PharmD programme; upgrade of facilities in Pharmacy faculties; attitude of students; IT involvement; experiential learning; mentoring; out of school learning; support system; competency skill and knowledge, among other things.
Top among the members in attendance at the meeting were: Chairman, NAPharm Standing Committee on Education, Distinguished Professor Cecilia Igwilo; Pharm. (Mrs) Ngozi Onuorah, director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, NAFDAC; Vice-President, NAPharm, Pharm. (Sir) Ifeanyi Atueyi, by Dr Lolu Ojo, chairman, Education Summit Planning Committee; Prof. Lere Baale; Pharm. Ade Popoola, MD, Reals Pharmaceuticals; Pharm. Kunle Oyelana, MD, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc; National Chairman, ACPN, Pharm. Samuel Adekola; Chairmanship aspirant, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Oyo State, Pharm. Oluwole Ajayi; Chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Ogun State, Pharm. Pharm. Aiyelabola Lawrence.
Members of the committee also included: Prof. Ibrahim Oreagba; Dean of Pharmacy Faculty, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. M. A. Akanmu; Dean of Pharmacy Faculty, University of Lagos, Prof. Glory Oluremilekun Ajayi; Dean of Pharmacy Faculty, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Dr Oluyemisi A, Bamiro; National Chairman, Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) Dr Kingsley Amibor; Pharm. Anthony Oyawole; Mrs Modupe Bakare, director of pharmaceutical services, Lagos State Health Service Commission; Pharm.(Mrs) Margaret Obono, director of Pharmacy, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Lagos; Pharm.(Mrs) Modupe Oyawole, assistant director of Pharmacy, LASUTH; Pharm. Pharm. Isa Muhammad, national chairman, Young Pharmacists Group; among others.
Mareek Image Concepts, organiser of the Achievers’ Business Forum has drawn the attention of healthcare practitioners to the importance of developing personal effectiveness, which he described as a very germane factor in actualising one’s goal in life.
Pharm. Sesan Kareem, chief strategist, Mareek Image Concepts and convener, Achievers’ Business Forum, made the remarks while speaking with Pharmanews, at the event, held recently at the Sheraton Hotel Ikeja, Lagos.
The symposium, which had its maiden edition in 2017, was well attended by dignitaries in the industry including: Pharm. (Sir) Ike Onyechi, MD, Alpha Pharmacy and Stores; Mr Niyi Yusuf, managing partner, Verraki Partners; Pharm. Abimbola Adebakin, CEO, Advantage Health Africa; Mr. Omaruaye Ogheneochuko, MD New Heights Pharmaceutical Ltd, and others.
Speaking on the theme of the event “People, technology and profitability, maximizing the opportunities of the new decade”, Kareem said it was carefully chosen to equip, educate, and empower business leaders to transform businesses, within the shortest possible time.
Representatives of Alpha Pharmacy at Achievers Business Forum 5.0 with their MD Sir Ike Onyechi.5.0
Explaining the term, personal effectiveness, he said it is the ability to utilise all one’s talents, skills, time, energy and ability at one’s disposal in order to be able to master one’s life and achieve both work and life goals, noting that personal effectiveness is the result of personal development.
On how personal effectiveness can further make one a better person, Kareem enumerated getting new knowledge, new skills and a positive attitude to life as key, noting that this explains why successful business leaders were selected for this year’s symposium to share from their wealth of experience with other business leaders and managers.
Sesan Kareem presenting certificate to Mr Taiwo Adeshina
While endorsing the initiative at the two-day symposium, CEO, Business School Netherlands, Nigeria, Prof. Lere Baale, spoke on the topic “Organisational transformation and understanding the fundamentals”, stating that in order for an organisation to grow, companies should learn to define change, determine roadmap, deploy actions and develop plans.
Baale added that the route to transformation is to engage staff members through leadership skills, team development, and also growing potentials.
He further explained that when you develop your worker’s potentials, you grow their talents and you prepare them for next generation leadership.
Pharm. Tolulope Olugbadebo Ajayi is the Chief Executive Officer of Shekinah Specialties Limited, a retail chain pharmacy business and one of the fastest growing pharmacies, with branches in Lagos and Ogun States of Nigeria.
The 1996 graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University Pharmacy School is a self-driven, resourceful and result-oriented management executive, experienced in high volume, multi-unit business operations. He is adept at change management, cost optimisation and systems development, amongst others.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Brand Management of Nigeria (FIBM) and the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria (FIMC).
He started his career with locum pharmacy experience at Bernados Pharmacy and was at Nigerian-German Chemicals Plc in 1998 for internship training, which spanned the various aspects of industrial pharmacy practice. He later served under the Hospitals Management Board in Kano State, before being employed as a medical rep at Zoomota Nigeria Limited, representing Novo Nordisk AG Denmark.
Personality of the Month: Pharm. Tolulope Olugbadebo Ajayi
Ajayi’s further interests – marketing, management and leadership development – led him to the banking industry with appointment as relationship manager at Standard Trust Bank Plc, which later merged with United Bank for Africa Plc. He grew into branch management positions at the bank, pioneering and stabilising two branches before returning to the pharmacy profession by establishing Shekinah Specialties Limited in 2010.
His passion for coaching and talent management made him secure internship accreditation for Shekinah Specialties Limited. He has successfully mentored about 20 interns to date. Shekinah also partners with Industrial Training Fund for SIWES training of pharmacy students and other science undergraduates.
Ajayi has attended several leadership and management courses and trainings in Customer Service, Relationship Management, Financial Analysis and Control, Lending Ethics, Advanced Credit Structuring, Change Management, Turn Around Strategies, Sales and Marketing with global outfits like Franklin Covey Inc. USA, Leadership and Vision Limited, and many others. He is currently finalising his Fellowship programme at the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists.
He currently serves as vice chairman of ACPN, King Zone Lagos, and has been instrumental to successful anchoring of public health campaigns, both at the zonal and state ACPN levels. He was also chairman, Planning Committee, for the fully self-funded ACPN Lagos 2019 World Pharmacists Day, held in partnership with NGOs, donor agencies and pharmaceutical companies. The programmee impacted over 700 members of the public through health promotion lectures, free health screening, free product samples etc. Unsurprisingly, he is an award winner with ACPN Lagos.
Pharm. Tolulope Ajayi is an alumnus of Abadina College, University of Ibadan, where he serves as chairman, Health and Wealth Committee. He was the pioneer president of the 1988 set that donated 24 units of toilet facility to the college in 2018.
At leisure, he loves solving puzzles, reading and playing indoor games. He is happily married with children.
Parkia biglobosa, popularly called the African locust bean, is known in Yoruba as iru, in lgbo as ogiri and in Hausa as dawa-dawa. It belongs to the plant family Mimosaceae, of the order Leguminisae
Constituents
Rich in lipids, protein, fat, crude fibre, ash and carbohydrate, locust beans also contain carotenoids, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), saponins, tannins, phenols and hydrocyanic acid (HCN).
Preparations
The yellow pulp, which contains the seeds, is eaten raw as sweet meat, mixed with water and made into a refreshing drink, used as a sweetener in different foods and fermented into alcoholic beverage.
It may also be processed into a valuable carbohydrate food known as sikomu and daddawa among the Yoruba and the Hausa people, respectively. The seed is first cooked to remove the seed coat and then fermented to produce the desired result. When it is fermented, the Yorubas may either get it mashed or leave it loose/free. They are used for different types of soups, but for the same purpose.
Preparations of Parkia biglobosa which are used to manage health conditions include macerations, vapour, tincture, decoction, lotion and dried powder.
Pharmacological actions and medicinal uses
Locust beans has shown promise in boosting cellular immunity in immune-compromised persons, as well as in management of diarrhoea, diabetes, stroke, hypertension and heart attack. It could also serve as antidote to snake bites. The bark is used as a mouthwash, vapour inhalant for toothache, or for ear complaints. It is macerated in baths for leprosy and used for bronchitis, pneumonia, skin infections, sores, ulcers, washes for fever, malaria and sterility. The roots are used in a lotion for sore eyes.
Observations from a study showed that Parkia biglobosa helps to prevent complications of diabetes. Hence it could be recommended as part of the diet for diabetics. In another study, researchers showed that it helped to reduce arterial blood pressure in rats.
The Healing Powers of Locust Beans
Adverse effects
Exposure to both the acute and sub-letheal concentrations resulted in a number of physiological dysfunction of the test fish. Observation of the fish under the tests revealed unbalanced swimming patterns, loss of reflex, rapid opercular movements and gasping for air. Most studies show no adverse effect to human. However, few studies report possibility of drowsiness, dizziness, hypotension or a headache as side-effects when using Locust Bean medicine.
Economic potentials
The African locust bean tree, together with its by-products, is associated with herbal and food benefits. It is a good source of income for rural-dwellers in Africa, as everything within the African locust bean tree is of great importance.
The locust seed is a major item of commerce across West Africa. Overall, it is estimated that 200,000 tons of locust seeds are collected annually just in northern Nigeria. As far back as 1964, the seeds from a single locust were reportedly valued at $20 per year.
The locust bean tree provides wood for fuel, shade for shelter, land improvement (fertile with high nitrogen content), living abode (bee forage; twig is chewing-stick for cleaning teeth because of tannin), food for all, medicine for various health conditions, plaster for loam houses, etc.
In its quest to further promote vaccination as an efficient tool to prevent infections from undermining public health, Olpharm Nigeria Limited, a foremost pharmaceutical company, in partnership with Biological E Limited, the first Indian private company to enter into the Nigerian vaccine field, has unveiled a range of vaccines into the Nigerian pharma market.
The unveiled products included ComBE Five, Liquid (DTwP – rHepB – Hib); BEtt, Adsorbed Tetanus Vaccine BP; BEVAC Hepatitis B Vaccine (rDNA)BP, for adult; BE Td, Diphtheria and Tetanus Vaccine (Adsorbed) for adult and adolescents, and BEVAC Hepatitis B Vaccine (rDNA) BP for children.
The colourful ceremony, which took place at The Providence Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, on 7 February, 2020, had eminent pharmacists, nurses, doctors and other dignitaries in attendance.
Experts harps on vaccination, as Olpharm, Biological E, launches range of vaccines (3)
In his welcome remark at the event, Pharm. Johnson Olusetire, managing director/CEO, Olpharm Nigeria Limited, explained that vaccination against preventable diseases has been identified as one of the most cost-effective interventions in saving lives, adding that vaccination remains the best form of defence against diseases.
Olusetire disclosed that the company was glad and proud to partner with Biological E, which he said was one of the companies with the World Health Organistaion (WHO), prequalified vaccines in the world, as well as being a reputable company that is globally acclaimed for quality vaccines.
The Olpharm also stated that the company’s decision to partner with Biological E in launching the new products, was born out of the need to go into preventive medicines, as against the former focus on curative care, adding that it had been discovered that there was a wide gap between curative medicines and vaccination in Nigeria, and that the company had come to fill that gap.
“We want everybody, both adults and children, to imbibe the culture of vaccination because vaccines save lives ahead of danger. This is one the advantages the developed countries have over the underdeveloped countries. We aim to get the vaccines to the individuals, families, communities and the society at large,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the General Manager, International Marketing, Biological E Limited, Dulam Pramodh, said the company is committed to supplying vaccines that meet the highest International standards to fight all vaccine-preventable diseases afflicting mankind, adding that the company’s vast product range encompasses the whole spectrum of pharmaceuticals, from preventive to therapeutic, with a reputation for quality, safety and efficacy.
Speaking further, Pramodh, who is a pharmacist, noted that Olpharm and Biological E have similar ideologies and are both concerned about the wide gap between vaccination and medication in Nigeria; hence the need for the partnership and the launch of the first batch of the vaccines.
While expressing optimism about the partnership, Pramodh said he was delighted to be working with Olpharm, an established and reputable company in the Nigerian pharmaceutical market. He stressed that the partnership was fully aligned with Biological E’s vision of providing high quality vaccines to the private and public sector, adding that by leveraging Olpharm’s strengths in Nigeria market, the partnership is bound to succeed.
While also speaking at the event, Dr Emuobor Odeghe, a consultant physician and gastroenterologist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), noted that vaccines had greatly reduced the prevalence of diseases everywhere in the world, saying the world can make more progress against early death and disease with the help of vaccines.
Other notable guests at the event included, Sandeep Dhyani, senior manager, International Marketing, Biological E Limited; Dr Anifowoshe Aderinsola, Community Health dep, LASUTH; Mrs. Fadeke Adeyemi, Vacipharm Limited; Dr Uchenna Owowo, paediatric, Lifeline Clinic; Dr Elizabeth Onifade, managing director, Lifeline Clinic; Pharm. Ojo Oluseyi, Victory Drugs; Dr Sonoiki Olushola, community health, LASUTH; Pharm. Rotimi Oyewusi, Pharmaton; Dr C U Nwoku, gastroenterologist, LUTH; Mrs Lois Mosebolatan, Nursing, LASUTH and Mr Adekola Wojuola, and managing director, Honeyvent Pharma Nigeria Limited.
On 11 February, the World Health Organisation (WHO) formally christened coronavirus as COVID-19. The name for the viral condition, now a global threat, was influenced by the fact that the deadly condition was first reported in Wuhan, China on 31 December, 2019.
So far, the pandemic is reported to have claimed over 1500 lives. This number is bound to escalate in the coming days, with the disease spreading like an inferno across the world and already contracted by more than 40,000 people. Indeed, the WHO has minced no words in declaring that the diseases has now become a global health emergency.
COVID-19 has no preventive vaccine and managing the condition, even for nations with strong health systems and immense resources, has been very difficult. While a number of researches are going on, especially in China, in a bid to invent a vaccine for this viral condition, there is yet to be a breakthrough for science in this direction. This, among other reasons, is why stakeholders in the Nigerian health sector must take urgent, proactive steps to prevent the outbreak of this deadly condition on our shores. Failure to do so, we must warn, may result in unimaginable catastrophe for our health system, as well as causing massive socio-economic disruptions.
Nigeria is currently battling the recurring outbreak of Lassa fever, with over 1708 cases reported in many states of the federation and over 103 deaths. The nation, in this beleaguered state, can certainly not afford to add COVID-19 to its burden. To contend with such a double jeopardy would be unbearable for the nation’s wobbly health system. Yet, there are reasons to be worried, as the WHO has listed Nigeria among 13 African countries considered high-risk for the spread of COVID-19. A statement from the global health body said the identified African countries have direct links or a high volume of travel to China.
Averting COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria
We must reiterate that it is important for Nigeria to learn from the experience it had a few years back when it had to battle the Ebola outbreak which resulted in the death of a number of Nigerians, including some health workers. The only reason the nation had to battle Ebola was because it failed to prevent the infection from coming to the country. Even though the nation successfully conquered the outbreak, the fact remains that, had the right steps been taken, the general panic, as well as loss of lives and resources, could have been avoided.
It is quite encouraging and commendable that the federal government recently announced, through the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the launch of a Coronavirus Preparedness Group to swiftly combat the disease in the country, in case of an outbreak. According to the Chief Executive Officer, NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the preparedness group has representatives from Federal Ministry Of Health (FMoH), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), World Health Organisation (WHO), US Centres for Disease Control (US-CDC), Pro-Health International (PHI), Public Health England (PHE) and others working with the NCDC in assessing and managing the risk of importation of the disease to Nigeria, as well as making preparations for early detection and response.”
However, we must emphasise that beyond words, the Nigerian government must set in motion a standard protocol that will enable officials at the land borders, seaports as well as airports, to detect those with the dreaded disease and appropriately quarantine them before they come into the country and start spreading the virus. It may, in fact, be necessary to consider temporary suspension of flights and be extra careful with imports from China, as some European nations have done, considering that China currently has the highest burden of this condition and most of those infected outside the country were people who had had contacts with infected people in China.
More fundamentally, the Nigerian nation must begin to intensify enlightenment campaign to educate Nigerians on measures they should take to prevent this deadly viral infection. Interestingly, all of the basic hygiene rules that Nigerians imbibed during the outbreak of Ebola virus are also relevant in preventing COVID-19. Therefore, Nigerians must once again embrace regular hand-washing and other hygiene measures
As with all diseases, but particularly the COVID-19, prevention is by far better than cure. This must therefore be a cardinal programme of the government, as there is presently no cure for this highly contagious viral disease.
Ability to set priorities among your goals and activities is key to personal effectiveness. The natural tendency is to spend valuable time on minor activities that may even not be necessarily done. People tend to work along the line of least resistance. But you need to focus on those things that can make a real difference in your life.
In order to set your priorities right, you must first establish your values. Determine those things which are really important to you and then select the most important ones. Be clear about your values before setting your priorities. Let your activities and values match. What you do must align with what you believe. It is not possible to give the impression that you are preparing for an important examination while at the same busy with social media. It means you value the social media more than your study. In determining your values, what you say is not as important as what you do.
Look at your actions to determine your values. You always act in a manner consistent with what is most important to you. Look at the way you spend your time. This reflects your true values and priorities. Warren Buffet said, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
Lack of alignment between your values and your activities leads to stress and unhappiness. Doing something that is not consistent with your values and beliefs affects effectiveness and productivity. Sometimes people get a job in a good company but do not last there. The reason may be that the actual work they do there is not aligned with their unique values, talents and beliefs. This is a case of having a square peg in a round hole.
Pharm. (Sir) Ifeanyi Atueyi
People who work at jobs they do not enjoy feel frustrated and dissatisfied. But you are blessed if you find yourself in a job you enjoy. Ecclesiastes 3:22 says, “Wherefore, I perceive that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion…” God wants His children to enjoy what they do because that is how they can be fruitful and multiply. “…Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isaiah 65:22b).
It is good to examine what aspects of your life and work that give you the greatest satisfaction. You will find that they are the areas in line with your values and convictions. They are the areas contributing to your success in life.
Watch the choices you make. You always choose the value that is more important to you. I like to give people my books as gifts. Those who value knowledge and information are excited to receive the gift. Some actually read it and give me a feedback from the contents. However, one particular person I gave a book visited next time and requested me to give him some medicines instead of book as I gave him previously. He obviously values medicines more than my books.
Businessmen often have important choices to make between career, family and health. When I was a young man, I had a friend who was fond of saying that he must be a millionaire, even if it meant dying at 50. He valued money and fame more than his life. I also had a colleague who was smoking and drinking alcohol excessively. When I advised him to cut down on those vices, he maintained that man must die of something one day. Of course, one day, he died of something – cirrhosis of the liver.
How much of your time do you allocate to your family, work, social activities, games, reading, and relaxation? Of course, the amount of time you spend on these activities varies with stages in life but it gives an indication of your values and priorities.
Many of us like to establish goals – personal and business goals. I am not referring to those new year resolutions that fizzle out before the end of March. I mean real goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound). Prioritise your activities to achieve such goals.
In setting priorities, remember to separate the urgent from the important. Most urgent activities are not important. That ringing of telephone or interruption from a colleague requires immediate attention but is often not important in terms of long-term value.
When you examine yourself on the basis of your values and what is really important to you, you will start making the necessary changes that lead to health, happiness and fulfilment in your life and work.
Although people shy away from discussing it most times, but studies have shown that sexual activity is an important aspect of the human life, though it tends to drag as people get older. It has also been revealed that frequency of sexual activity can decrease with age, but sex still remains an important part of their life.
A recent study published in the journal Sexual Medicine has shown that frequent sexual activity can mean a more enjoyable life for older adults.
There’s a common misconception that as people age, they lose their interest in sex and capacity for sexual behavior. But as a UK survey shows, this isn’t the case.
Indeed, the survey found that 85 percent of men aged 60–69 report being sexually active as do 60 percent of those aged 70–79 and 32 percent of those aged 80 and over. Women were found to be less sexually active as they aged, but studies show that, just like men, many women also want to continue to have sex as they get older. Studies in the US report similar levels of sexual activity across these age groups.
Two amazing lovers
And the fact that so many people are still having sex as they age is good news, because as our new research seems to indicate, the less sex older people have, the more likely they are to experience mental and physical health problems.
The researchers examined the sex lives of 2,577 men and 3,195 women aged 50 and older. They asked whether they had experienced a decline in the last year in their level of sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity, or ability to have an erection (men) or become sexually aroused (women).
They found out that men who reported a decline in sexual desire were more likely to go on to develop cancer or other chronic illnesses that limited their daily activities. Men and women who reported a decrease in the frequency of sexual activities were also more likely to experience a deterioration in how they rated their level of health. And men with erectile dysfunction were also more likely to be diagnosed with cancer or coronary heart disease. It’s important to note, however, that changes in sexual desire or function could have been a result of early-stage, undiagnosed disease.
It was also found that older adults enjoy life more when they are sexually active. And those who experience a decline in sexual activity report poorer well-being than those who maintain their levels of sexual desire, activity and function in later life. We also found that men who are sexually active in later life continue to have better cognitive performance compared to those who don’t.
The research showed that, It’s no secret that sex can help to produce that “feel good” factor. This is largely because during sex, there is a release of endorphins, which generate a happy or elated feeling.
It went on to explain that this doesn’t just impact one’s mental health though, as higher endorphin levels are also associated with greater activation of the immune system which may reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Several researches suggested that people who engage in sexual intercourse with their partners are also likely to share a closer relationship. And closeness to one’s partner is linked with better mental health.
“It’s also important to remember that sex is a form of physical activity often performed at a moderate intensity which burns close to four calories a minute. All exercise comes with health benefits and sex is no different. So it’s definitely possible that you could gain mental and physical health benefits from regular sexual activity”, the researchers stated.
Sex is not the only factor that can help to improve health and well-being in older age. But as the research shows, older adults are not devoid of sexual desire, and an active sex life is something that should be encouraged. Indeed, it’s possible that a regular and problem-free sex life can lead to better mental (and possibly physical) health.
But it may well be that such discussions could help to challenge norms and expectations about sexual activity. And as the research revealed, it could also help people to live more fulfilling and healthier lives well into older age.
Following the widespread application of agrochemicals such as Dichlorvos (2,2-Dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate (DDVP) popularly known as Sniper on beans, as a pest control , the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned on the dangers of such chemicals to the human body.
The NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye gave the warning at the weekend through a press statement from her office, noting the health implications of such dangerous practice to include severe health conditions such as skin irritation, blindness, seizures, vomiting, diarrhoea, cancer and at high concentrations, convulsions, coma and even death.
Beans and other grains on display.
The NAFDAC boss who urged consumers to desist from buying beans with traces of agrochemicals, stated:”When you notice your grains/beans have traces of agrochemical, please do not buy or eat it”.
She however assured the general public of the agency’s effort in addressing the situation, while she advised them to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the nearest NAFDAC office.
“Protect your family from consuming beans contaminated with sniper and other agrochemicals. Wash your grains in several rinses of water before cooking: it is safer than just cooking without washing”, she cautioned.
The document reads in part: “The agrochemical should be properly applied with caution and good understanding, such that they do not come into direct contact with the agricultural commodity. This is to prevent contamination of such food products, which could constitute danger to public health. To avoid skin exposure, wear overalls made of tight fabric or polyvinyl chloride, gloves, rubber boots (some forms of rubber are attacked by dichlorvos), and a face shield or splash-proof goggles.
“To avoid inhalation wear a full facemask supplied-air respirator or self-contained breathing apparatus. Clothing that becomes contaminated with dichlorvos should be promptly removed and any contaminated skin immediately washed with soap and water. Protect from exposure persons under 18 years of age, expectant or nursing mothers, alcoholics, or those having diseases of the CNS, respiratory system, liver, kidney, or eyes”.
Prof. Adeyeye also noted that the agency is working closely with all relevant stakeholders including Croplife Nigeria to intensify this awareness campaign, as well as nationwide sensitisation of farmers and grain merchants on the health implications of wrong application of these agrochemicals.
It will be recalled that the news on sniper-treated beans went viral last Friday on social media, with videos of retailers sprinkling sniper on beans as a preservative method against weevils.
A pharmacist, Chukwuma Agubata, has said that taking Irvingia Fat from nuts of Irvingia Gabonensis Var Excelsa, known as “Ogbono’’ soup has helped to improve the efficacy of anti-malarial drugs.
Mr Agubata, a researcher and lecturer in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, made the assertion when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
He said that eating Ogbono soup while administering Artemether, an Anti-Malaria drug would improve the efficacy of the drug.
Ogbono Soup
He said that Ogbono would assist the drug to pass through all the barriers to get to its destination in the body and start working properly.
According to him, the finding came out of a research work entitled “Novel Lipid Microparticles for Effective Delivery of Artemether Anti-Malaria Drug Using a Locally-Sourced Irvingia Fat from Nuts of Irvingia Gabonensis Var Excelsa (Ogbono).
“Malaria is an endemic disease and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and we also know that most malaria drugs are administered by mouth — the Artemether Anti-Malaria drugs.
“’But there is a major challenge which is the low water solubility of the drug which limits it dissolution and absorption into the blood stream; all these also affect the efficacy of the drug.
“’So, what we have done in this research is to improve the anti-malaria efficacy of Artemether drugs by formulating with Irvingia Fat (Ogbono) which is locally sourced so that there could be improved delivery and efficacy.
Ogbono Seeds
“In our research, we got very good result and this shows that our local materials can actually improve the efficacy of some drugs that already exist,’’ he told NAN.
“The Ogbono was formulated as microparticles, where the fat from it was used to entrap the drug and it became a carrier for the drug to the blood stream.
“So, if you take Ogbono soup while administering or taking Artemether, there should be an improvement as it will assist the drug to pass through all the barriers to get to its destination in the body and start working properly.’’
Mr Agubata called for support from the government and private organisations to take the research to the next level.“We intend to take this research to the next level with the support of corporate organisations and the government.
“We will be able to do local mobilisation and mass produce the locally sourced materials so that Nigerians will benefit.“Going forward, there is hope in reducing the burden of malaria with this research,’’ he said.
NAN reports that Irvingia is a genius of African and Southeat Asian trees in the family Irvingiaceae, sometimes known by the common names wild mango, African mango, bush mango, dika or Ogbono.
They bear edible mango-like fruits, and are especially valued for their fat- and protein-rich nuts.
The fruit is a large drupe, with fibrous flesh. The subtly aromatic nuts are typically dried in the sun for preservation, and are sold whole or in powder form.
They may be ground to a paste known variously as dika bread or gabon chocolate. Their high content of mucilage enables them to be used as thickening agents for dishes such as Ogbono soup.
The nuts may also be pressed for vegetable oil and the trees yield a hard wood useful in construction.
Irvingia was described as a genus in 1860 and is named in honour of Edward George Irving, a UK Navy surgeon.
A report states that an old malaria drug known as Chloroquine effectively inhibits coronavirus infection and spread.
In a three-page paper published in Cell Research, scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s State Key Laboratory of Virology wrote that both Chloroquine and the antiviral Remdesivir were, individually, “highly effective” at inhibiting replication of the novel coronavirus in cell culture.
According to the paper, an efficient approach to drug discovery is to test whether the existing antiviral drugs are effective in treating related viral infections.
Several FAD-approved drugs were tested, including ribavirin, penciclovir, nitazoxanide, nafamostat, chloroquine and two well-known broad-spectrum antiviral drugs remdesivir and favipiravir against a clinical isolate of 2019-nCoV (coronavirus) in vitro.
Chloroquine Effectively Inhibits Coronavirus Infection and Spread
Among the tested drugs, two compounds – remdesivir and chloroquine – potently blocked virus infection at low-micromolar concentration and showed high SI, it was revealed.
Remdesivir has been recently recognized as a promising antiviral drug against a wide array of RNA viruses (including SARS/MERS-CoV) infection in cultured cells, mice and nonhuman primate (NHP) models. It is currently under clinical development for the treatment of Ebola virus infection.
It is a widely-used anti-malarial and autoimmune disease drug, has recently been reported as a potential broad-spectrum antiviral drug, which is aso known to block virus infection by increasing endosomal pH required for virus/cell fusion. Besides its antiviral activity, chloroquine has an immune-modulating activity, which may synergistically enhance its antiviral effect in vivo.
The scientists concluded by stating: “Our findings reveal that remdesivir and chloroquine are highly effective in the control of 2019-nCoV (coronavirus) infection in vitro. Since these compounds have been used in human patients with a safety track record and shown to be effective against various ailments, we suggest that they should be assessed in human patients suffering from the novel coronavirus disease.”
When Nigerians heard about the effectiveness of chloroquine in treating coronavirus, they took to Twitter to react to it and to reminisce on their experiences using chloroquine while growing up.
The use of fruits and vegetables in natural medicine is an integral part of traditional medicine practice over the years. Fruits are known to supply the body with vitamins and minerals and, sometimes, may even provide cure for some body ailments.
More often than not, when lemons are mentioned, what readily comes to mind is the extremely sour taste felt when eating it raw. But the importance of lemons cannot be over emphasised. They are often regarded as versatile fruits because they have a lot of health and culinary uses. The health benefits of lemon are due to its many nourishing elements like vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin E, folate, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenicacid copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, and protein.
Lemon fruit and juice
It is a fruit that contains flavonoids, which are composites that contain antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties. It helps to prevent diabetes and fever. Other health benefits of lemon include:
Relieves symptoms of cold, cough and sore throat
For centuries, lemon has been used to relieve throat infections. This is strongly due to its well-known antibacterial properties. Lemon juice assists in relieving respiratory and breathing problems, such as asthma attack. Being rich in vitamin C, it boosts the immune system to speed up recovery after an infection. Lemon and honey can be added to tea and taken three to four times a day when you have a cold.
Helps with indigestion and constipation
Indigestion, a common health problem, is majorly caused by inability to secrete digestive juices, which leads to discomfort. To resolve this health condition, lemon should be squeezed into warm water and taken first thing in the morning. This may be sweetened with honey or molasses.
This lemon water is best taken half to one hour before or after breakfast. The problem of flatulence and bloating can also be managed through natural means. Drinking lemon juice daily can flush the digestive tract naturally, thereby subsequently averting any disease that may follow.
Lemon tree
Regulates high blood pressure
A study published in Science Daily revealed that a daily dose of vitamin C can significantly reduce an individual’s blood pressure. Nitric oxide is a natural component of the human body that relaxes blood vessels, thereby helping to regulate blood pressure. Intake of vitamin C helps to protect the levels of nitric oxide and allows it to perform its natural function.
Lemon contains potassium which works with sodium to regulate blood pressure and various studies have shown that people who consume more potassium tend to have lower blood pressure. It is also used to reduce mental stress and depression.
Promotes weight loss
The use of lemon in weight loss is a practice that has stood the test of time. To achieve this, lemon is mixed with water and taken regularly. It is beneficial because the combination of lemon and water is a natural mixture which doesn’t add any calories to the body; it simply cleanses the bowels and eliminates lingering wastes which tend to add weight to the body. It also reduces hunger cravings due to the pectin fibres that are present in lemon.
Helps with hair, skin and dental care
Lemon juice can be applied to the skin for the treatment of acne and eczema, due to its antiseptic properties. It can be used for sun burns, wrinkles, blackheads, as well as bee sting. It has been used for years in eradicating dandruffs, hair loss and scalp-related issues.
Applying lemon juice to the hair directly can give it an exquisite shine. Lemon juice, mixed with baking soda, can be used to whiten the teeth.
Side effects
Drinking too much lemon can eventually lead to tooth erosion, heartburn, frequent urination or dehydration. Tooth erosion can be managed by diluting the lemon juice with water, drinking the lemon with straw, rinsing the mouth right after drinking lemon water or avoiding brushing the teeth for 60 minutes after.
Heartburn can be relieved by cutting back on acidic food and drinks. While dehydration can be managed by cutting back on the amount of lemon juice added to the water.
The medicinal use of lemon in Nigeria provides opportunities in sourcing, production, distribution, sales, regulation and research.
In a world where usage of smartphone is becoming inevitable, as students rely on social media to socialize, depend on Goggle for their assignments, with workers not left out of the whole digital development; a new study has found that this constant usage physically affects the brain the same way drug addiction does, leading to damage of the brain.
Regions in the brain known as grey matter showed changes in size and shape for people with social media addiction, according to a study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
Grey matter controls a person’s emotions, speech, sight, hearing, memory and self-control. Other studies have reported similar brain alterations due to drug usage.
Study Links Regular Smartphone Usage to Brain Damage
“Given their widespread use and increasing popularity, the present study questions the harmlessness of smartphones, at least in individuals that may be at increased risk for developing smartphone-related addictive behaviors,” reads the study by researchers from Heidelberg University in Germany.
According to several researches, in Nigeria, over 24% of kids from 8 to 12 years old have their own smartphones and 67% of their teenage counterparts do, with younger teenagers using an average of about six hours’ worth of entertainment media daily.
A rescue time survey in the United States shows that the average American spends around four hours a day on their smartphone.
Companies like Apple and Android provide features that help users manage their screen time, while other apps like Moment and Freedom help smartphone junkies block access to certain apps and websites.
In order to check the relation between smartphones and damage of the brain, Hyung Suk Seo, M.D., professor of Neuroradiology at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to gain unique insight into the brains of smartphone- and internet-addicted teenagers. MRS is a type of MRI that measures the brain’s chemical composition.
The study involved 19 young people (mean age 15.5, 9 males) diagnosed with internet or smartphone addiction and 19 gender- and age-matched healthy controls. Twelve of the addicted youth received nine weeks of cognitive behavioural therapy, modified from a cognitive therapy programme for gaming addiction, as part of the study.
Researchers used standardized internet and smartphone addiction tests to measure the severity of internet addiction. Questions focused on the extent to which internet and smartphone use affects daily routines, social life, productivity, sleeping patterns and feelings.
“The higher the score, the more severe the addiction,” Dr Seo said.
Dr Seo reported that the addicted teenagers had significantly higher scores in depression, anxiety, insomnia severity and impulsivity.
The researchers performed MRS exams on the addicted youth prior to and following behavioural therapy and a single MRS study on the control patients to measure levels of gamma aminobutyric acid, or GABA, a neurotransmitter in the brain that inhibits or slows down brain signals, and glutamate-glutamine (Glx), a neurotransmitter that causes neurons to become more electrically excited. Previous studies have found GABA to be involved in vision and motor control and the regulation of various brain functions, including anxiety.
The results of the MRS revealed that, compared to the healthy controls, the ratio of GABA to Glx was significantly increased in the anterior cingulate cortex of smartphone- and internet-addicted youth prior to therapy.
Dr Seo said the ratios of GABA to creatine and GABA to glutamate were significantly correlated to clinical scales of internet and smartphone addictions, depression and anxiety.
Having too much GABA can result in a number of side effects, including drowsiness and anxiety.
More study is needed to understand the clinical implications of the findings, but Dr Seo believes that increased GABA in the anterior cingulate gyrus in internet and smartphone addiction may be related to the functional loss of integration and regulation of processing in the cognitive and emotional neural network.
The good news is GABA to Glx ratios in the addicted youth significantly decreased or normalized after cognitive behavioral therapy.
“The increased GABA levels and disrupted balance between GABA and glutamate in the anterior cingulate cortex may contribute to our understanding the pathophysiology of and treatment for addictions,” Dr. Seo said.
As more information is unfolding about the situation of the deadly Lassa fever ravaging the country, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has disclosed that a total number of 103 lives have been lost since the outbreak of the disease in Nigeria.
The NCDC made the disclosure through its latest weekly report on the acute haemorrhagic fever titled: “Epi. Weekly 07” for the period within 10-16 February 2020, on Wednesday.
Meanwhile the Lagos State Ministry of Health (LSMOH) through its biosecurity unit has identified 63 people who possibly may have come in contact with the first patient, and has placed them under surveillance for early detection to stop further transmission of the infection.
Cumulative report of Lassa fever situation from Week 1 to Week 07 by the NCDC
The State’s Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi during a press conference held in Alausa on Wednesday intimated journalists on efforts made so far by the LSMOH team to track all suspected contacts with the index Lassa fever case to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Lagos recorded one confirmed case of Lassa fever yesterday. The patient is currently in isolation and receiving treatment through its Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health Directorate has commenced contact tracing to determine those who may have been infected while other surveillance and biosecurity strategies have been stepped up to prevent any further spread.
“He is on active treatment there and from the preliminary information available to us, the treatment is on-going satisfactorily.
“In our interrogation, there was no obvious contact with anybody prior to his arrival in Lagos but the test was confirmed as positive on the 17th of this month and he was then immediately transferred to the isolation containment facility within LUTH where he remains today”, Abayomi asserted.
The NCDC situation report on the outbreak from the national scene indicated that there was sharp increase in number of new confirmed cases from 109 cases in Week 06, 2020 to 115 cases in Week 07. And these cases were reported from 16 states of (Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Kano, Kogi, Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi, Enugu, Abia, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Sokoto and Katsina).
The report further revealed the cumulative fatality rate (CFR) from week 1 to week 07, 2020, as 103 deaths, put at 17.6 percent which is lower than the CFR for the same period in 2019 (21.1%). In total for 2020, 26 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 101 Local Government Areas.
The report reads in part: “Of all confirmed cases, 73 percent are from Edo (35%), Ondo (32%) and Ebonyi (6%) states. The predominant age group affected is 21-30 years (range: <1 to 78 years, median age: 33 years).
Cumulative report of Lassa fever situation from Week 51 2019 to Week 07 by the NCDC.
“The male to female ratio for confirmed cases is 1:1.2, while the number of suspected cases has significantly increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2019. Two new healthcare workers, were affected in Bauchi and Katsina states in reporting week 07”.
However, further information from the agency showed that it has scaled up the degree of emergency response as the document stated that National Rapid Response Teams have been deployed from NCDC to support response activities in nine states.
“State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre have been activated in affected states. The five molecular laboratories for Lassa fever testing in the NCDC network are working at full capacity to ensure that all samples are tested and results provided within the shortest turnaround time. While NCDC is working to support states in Nigeria to identify a treatment centre in every state, while supporting existing ones with care, treatment and IPC commodities. Risk communications and community engagement activities have been scaled up across states using television, radio, print, social media and other strategies”, the agency disclosed.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Osagie Ehanire, says Lagos State, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, is well prepared and ready to contain the novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infectious disease, if eventually it breaks out in Nigeria.
Ehanire gave this assurance on Sunday, while briefing newsmen after inspecting facilities at the Emergency Response Readiness designated for the Coronavirus victims at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba in Lagos.
“I can say that Lagos State is well prepared; there is high level of readiness here, and also the awareness is there,” he said.
Enahire, therefore, commended the state government for its level of preparedness against the outbreak of any infectious disease in the state.
While expressing satisfaction at the infrastructure put in place, he said that the state, considering its vulnerability to infectious disease, had learnt lessons from the Ebola episode of 2014, and reflected the experience in its level of preparedness.
“It is quite clear that Lagos has a clear-cut edge in managing infectious diseases and preparedness.
“I am extremely happy that Lagos is equipped in the area of knowledge built from the foundation it obtained from the 2014 Ebola outbreak which the state managed properly,” Ehanire said.
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire
The minister, who also inspected the state Bio-bank located inside the Mainland Hospital, lauded the state government for deploying additional 30 health personnel to assist with surveillance at the ports entry.
“I am impressed that the state has taken science to a very modern and admirable level. This is obviously a place where lot of lessons will be learnt,” he said.
The minister said that the Federal Government would continue to collaborate with the state on knowledge sharing and support team.
Earlier, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, said that the state had been working assiduously to prevent an import of CoronaVirus into the state.
Abayomi said that the state government was ramping up its preparedness for containment should there be an outbreak.
“Since the experience we had with Ebola few years ago, we have been building capacity, infrastructure, revising our policies and laws, training staff that are specially equipped to deal with outbreak of infectious diseases like Ebola, Monkey pox, Lassa Fever and Coronavirus if it comes here.
“So, we are ready in Lagos; we have the facility, trained staff, and robust surveillance system in place to contain and effectively manage an outbreak,” Abayomi said.
The commissioner said that the state was supporting the Federal Government with staffs at the airport to ensure effective surveillance and screening of travelers.
Responding to rumours of a suspected case of coronavirus in Alimosho Local Government Area, Abayomi dismissed the news as fake, noting that Lagos has no suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus.
“We heard the same rumour and we deployed our biosecurity team there yesterday.
“They have gathered a lot of medical and community intelligence, and so far, it appears to us that there is no such thing and that this was fake news.
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to Lagosians and Nigerians that when you spread false rumours, it is actually very damaging.
“Though, it is testing our capacity to respond, but is also very expensive and can cause panic in the community apart from the stigmatisation it causes,” the commissioner said.
Abayomi noted that novel Coronavirus was not a racial illness, adding that the disease can affect anybody, while warning that perpetrators of fake news would be punished when caught. (NAN)
The Lagos Ministry of Health, has validated the state’s index Lassa fever patient as an indigene of Ebonyi State, who over the weekend arrived at the Nigerian Law School in Lagos.
Mr Tunbosun Ogunbamwo, the state health ministry’s director of public affairs, made the disclosure to journalists on Wednesday, while assuring residents of the ability of the ministry to “comfortably contained” the outbreak.
Although, other biodata of the patient are yet to be released by the ministry, Ogunbamwo only said the index patient was from Ebonyi State.
Rats
He further explained that the patient was in Lagos for a brief programme when he visited the Nigerian Law School Clinic to complain of a fever.
“He said he was feeling funny. This made people direct him to the Law School Clinic.
“When the ailment became complicated, he was referred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, where Lassa fever was diagnosed.”
“Consequently, people within the clinic have been confined, including the nurse who attended to him,” the source said.
He said that while it was not yet clear whether the patient arrived by air or by road, there are concerted efforts to identify those he associated with in the last 24 hours of his arrival.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi had earlier assured the public that he and his team are working assiduously in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to contain the disease.
Abayomi, who said the patient is currently in isolation and receiving treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, urged residents to remain calm as the situation is under control, saying routine contact tracing, an exercise often necessary to curb the spread of the disease, has commenced in earnest to contain the spread.
According to him: “The Lagos State Ministry of Health, LSMOH, through its Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health Directorate has commenced contact tracing to determine those who may have been infected at the Nigerian Law School, and those who might have traveled along with him, while other surveillance and biosecurity strategies have been stepped up to prevent any further spread. The LSMOH is also in active collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC to contain and prevent the spread of the infection in Lagos”.
In view of the development, the commissioner emphasised the need for members of the public to ensure and maintain adequate personal hygiene and environmental sanitation at all times as part of prevention and control measures against the spread of the disease in the state.
He also urged health workers, as well as citizens to report suspected case or cases of the disease to the nearest government-approved health facility, the Ministry of Health or call the emergency operation centre lines – 08023169485, 08033565529 and 08052817243.
In further recognition of its determination to take university education in Nigeria to new heights, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved four additional courses to be offered at degree level by Trinity University (TU), Yaba, Lagos. The new courses are Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science, International Relations and Diplomacy, as well as Physics with Electronics.
According to a statement signed by the Vice-Chancellor, TU, Professor Charles Korede Ayo, the approval followed a thorough inspection of the institution’s facilities by the NUC, leading to the conclusion that it was adequately equipped to foster exceptional teaching and learning in the approved courses.
Front view of Trinity University, Yaba, Lagos.
The communique added that the institution had consequently begun to admit students to the newly approved programmes for the current 2019/2020 academic session, stressing that the move is designed to be a huge relief and opportunity for students who have not been able to gain admission to study the highly competitive courses in other universities.
The four new courses have further swelled the number of courses approved for TU by the NUC. Courses earlier approved for the institution include Computer Science, Information Technology, Industrial Chemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biology, Business Administration, Accounting, Marketing, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Economics, Political Science, Mass Communication, and English and Literary Studies.
Expressing delight at this latest achievement by TU, Professor Ayo, who was the immediate past vice-chancellor of Covenant University, described it as a vital contribution to the advancement of tertiary education in Nigeria.
Assuring existing and prospective students of a “stimulating, dynamic and fulfilling environment” for learning, Ayo added that “it will also be good news to parents/guardians and potential students that the fees are moderate.”
Duly accredited by the Federal Government of Nigeria, Trinity University was established by Trinity Education and Development Foundation (TEDF), the promoters of Trinity International College, Ofada, Ogun State, which has been acclaimed as a world class secondary school with 25 years of quality education.
The Lagos State Government has recorded the one case of the Lassa fever, on Tuesday, as confirmed by the State’s Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, some hours ago, through his Twitter handle @ProfAkinAbayomi.
Abayomi, who said the patient is currently in isolation and receiving treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, urged residents to remain calm as the situation is under control, saying routine contact tracing, an exercise often necessary to curb the spread of the disease, has commenced in earnest to contain the spread.
Rat being tested for Lassa fever virus
According to him: “The Lagos State Ministry of Health, LSMOH, through its Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health Directorate has commenced contact tracing to determine those who may have been infected while other surveillance and biosecurity strategies have been stepped up to prevent any further spread. The LSMOH is also in active collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC to contain and prevent the spread of the infection in Lagos”.
In view of the development, the commissioner emphasised the need for members of the public to ensure and maintain adequate personal hygiene and environmental sanitation at all times as part of prevention and control measures against the spread of the disease in the state.
He stated that the prevention and control of the disease remained a shared responsibility of all citizens through the observance of the highest possible standards of personal and community hygiene as well as environmental sanitation.
“To contain and prevent the spread of the infection in Lagos, I enjoin the public to remain calm as the situation is under control. My team and I will keep Lagosians updated of any further development on the case. Let’s stay free from infections by maintaining high standard of personal and environmental hygiene to Lassa fever”, he quipped.
He further urged residents to store house-hold refuse in sanitary refuse bags or dust bins with tight-fitting covers to avoid infestation by rats and rodents; dispose refuse properly at designated dump sites and not into the drainage system and store food items in rodent-proof containers.
“Members of the public are further advised to avoid contact with rats, to always cover their food and water properly, cook all their food thoroughly, as well as block all holes in the septic tanks and holes through which rats can enter the house and clear rat hideouts within the premises.
“Isolation wards have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases, drugs, and other materials have also been prepositioned at designated facilities while health workers have been placed on red alert and community sensitisation activities intensified,” Abayomi said.
The Outbreak
It is crystal clear that health institutions in Nigeria in the last eleven weeks have been struggling to contain the scourge of Lassa fever, which has claimed many lives with several confirmed cases.
Since the outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever from 1 January 2020 to 9 February, it has spread to 26 states and 92 Local Government Areas in the country, and this is the first case to be confirmed in Lagos, as the updated report from the NCDC showed that there have been 1708 suspected cases, 472 confirmed cases and 70 deaths.
Due to lack of a validated vaccine, the disease has become an epidemic in the country as it has become a year-round outbreak with cases usually rising from November and peaking by May.
Scientists from Cardiff University, King’s College London have recently devised a new potential tool to help detect psychological strategies that disguise signs of autism.
Autism is usually diagnosed in childhood but a growing number of adults are being diagnosed with the condition, even in mid-to-late adulthood.
Many adults develop compensatory psychological strategies to hide their symptoms from clinicians, employers and even their own families.
These strategies make the developmental condition much harder to diagnose and “performing” to fit into society can place a huge mental strain on the autistic person.
Scientists Develop Tool to Diagnose Signs of Autism in Adults
Dr Loretta Burns, a US-based psychologist and behaviorist specialist, said that about one per cent of the world’s population is estimated to be on the autism spectrum.
Eloise Stark, 30, a postgraduate student at Oxford University diagnosed with autism three years ago, said the hardest part of being autistic was trying to “hide it,” and likened it to wearing a “mask.”
In a new study, published today in Molecular Autism, the researchers outline a checklist of 31 compensatory strategies that doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists could look for or ask their clients about.
They developed the checklist by asking autistic people about their experiences of using psychological strategies in everyday social situations.
Dr Lucy Livingston, who led the research, said: “This allowed us to come up with a checklist of the most frequently-reported ‘social scripts,” including things like copying gestures and facial expressions of others, learning when to laugh at a joke without understanding why it is funny and deliberately making eye contact, even when it might be really uncomfortable”.
Dr Livingston, a psychology lecturer from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, who has worked with autistic people who received a first diagnosis in adulthood for many years, said the next step would be to test its clinical efficacy.
“At the moment, professionals know very little about these strategies and what to look for. The new tool, if found to be effective, could help clinicians assessing adults for autism who appear to be non-autistic or ‘neurotypical’ on the surface, particularly those who are highly intelligent,” she said.
“Being aware of these strategies should help clinicians to understand how hard the individual could potentially be working to keep up this appearance.
“Ultimately, this could mean that autistic people receive a more accurate and timely diagnosis”.
Eloise said: “This work has the potential to help spot autism in people like myself, who have gone ‘under the radar’ up to now.
“If I had received my diagnosis earlier, I may have avoided years of inappropriate medical and psychological interventions, and I would also have been able to build the positive autistic identity that I enjoy today much earlier”, he explained.
Dr Livingston said it might also help clinicians to identify and support those autistic people with additional mental health difficulties experienced as a consequence of “pretending to be normal.”
It could also be used by adults who think they might be autistic or are seeking a diagnosis to help them understand their own behaviour, she added.
About 700,000 people in the UK are living with autism and it is under-diagnosed in females; three times as many males as females are diagnosed.
Senior author Francesca Happé, who is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at King’s College London, said “Our work is one step towards helping to recognise compensating behaviours that autistic people use, often to avoid bullying and negative responses from neurotypical peers.
“We hope it will aid diagnosis and improve understanding of just how hard many autistic people work to fit in to an often hostile world”.
All these drug groups useful in angina both decrease myocardial oxygen requirement (by decreasing the determinations of oxygen demand) and increase myocardial oxygen delivery (by reversing coronary arterial spasm), EXCEPT:
a) Nitrates and nitrite drugs (Nitroglycerin, Isosorbide dinitrate)
b) Calcium channel blockers (Nifedipine, Nimodipine)
c) Beta-adrenoceptor-blocking drugs (Atenolol, Metoprolol)
Following the conclusion of the 2019 Pharmanews Young Pharmacist of the Year Online Poll, on 17 Monday 2020, organised by Pharmanews Ltd, Pharm. Frank Eze, has won the contest with a total votes of 4,343, while the first runner-up Pharm. Funmbi Okoya, had 4,178 votes.
The three other contestants in persons of Pharm. Saidu Lawal Burji; Pharm. Augustine Odibo; and Pharm. Kenneth Bitrus David had a total of 1,149 votes, 121 votes, and 22 votes respectively.
Pharm. Frank Eze
The management of Pharmanews Ltd wishes to use this opportunity to appreciate all contestants and voters for participating in this online poll. While congratulating Eze and his supporters for winning the keen contest, we are assuring others not to be discouraged, as opportunity abounds to emerge winner in the future.
We are pleased to inform you that the award presentation ceremony for the winner comes up on 12 March 2020, at the Pharmanews Ltd corporate head office, 8 Akinwunmi Street, Mende, Maryland, but it is strictly by invitation.
It will be recalled that Pharmanews commenced the Online Poll in 2018 with Pharm. Isah Muhammad as the winner with a total of 7,368 votes.
A hospital director in the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan, the epicentre of a new coronavirus outbreak, died from the disease on Monday, state media reported on Tuesday.
Liu Zhiming, Director of Wuchang Hospital, died from infection with the new coronavirus, which has so far spread to more than 72,000 people across China, the state-owned newswire China News Service said on microblogging site Weibo.
Team of medical practitioners on the front line in China.
His death comes as more medical personnel on the front lines of China’s battle against Covid-19 are falling ill with the disease.
China reported last week that more than 1,700 medical workers have been infected, and at least six have died.
A total of 72,436 infections and 1,868 deaths have so far been reported across the country, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday.
In the previous 24 hours, medical authorities counted 1,886 new cases and 98 deaths.
Both the number of new infections and deaths dropped slightly from the past few days.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday the number of new coronavirus infections in China appeared to be declining, though it was too early to tell if the reported decline would continue.
China’s renowned epidemiologist, Zhong Nanshan, said he expected the outbreak to peak by middle-to-late February, later than initially estimated, according to Southern Metropolis Daily.
Mr Zhong said he expected the situation to be “stable” by the end of April.
Cities continued to tighten their restrictions meant to curb the spread of the virus.
Beijing on Monday cordoned off its hutongs, traditional alleyways in the centre of the city, with community members restricting non-residents’ access.
The Beijing International Automobile Exhibition, which was supposed to take place from April 21 to April 30, has been postponed due to the outbreak, the organisers said in a statement.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC} is set to host the third African Medicine Quality Forum (AMQF) meeting, at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, from 24 – 28 February, 2020.
The AMQF was established in 2017 as a Technical Working Group of African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) that is jointly domiciled at AUDA-NEPAD and WHO, Geneva as joint secretariats. The goal is to build and strengthen the capacity of African countries in medicines quality control and regional post marketing surveillance which in turn, will contribute significantly to reducing sub-standard and falsified medical products in circulation in the African markets.
NAFDAC Logo
In a statement signed by NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, it was noted that the meeting will convene all members of the AMQF including its Technical Committee (TC), leadership from USP, AUDA-NEPAD, WHO, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Regional Health Organizations (RHOs) as well as other partners and key stakeholders.
The conference themed: “2020: Perfect vision for quality of medicines in Africa’’ is jointly sponsored by World Bank, NAFDAC, West African Health Organisation (WAHO), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), AU-NEPAD, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) World Health Organisation (WHO) and manufacturers.
Adeyeye highlighted some of the responsibilities of AMQF including driving the harmonization of Quality Control (QC) standards and practices and, ultimately the mutual recognition of QC tests among African countries. It is a platform for a holistic continental quality control agenda that facilitates sharing of best practices, an advocacy platform to raise the national and international visibility of National Quality Control Laboratories ((NQCL)
She stated that AMQF membership is open to heads of NQCLs from all African countries and formally reports to the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) Steering Committee.
Her words: “NAFDAC looks forward to support and collaboration from all stakeholders in delivering safe and quality medicines, and all Nigerians towards a successful hosting of this continental meeting.
“I believe that at the end the meeting, the Heads of Quality Control Laboratories from the over 35 African countries would have achieved a clearer picture of the importance of the NQCLs and their convergence for collaborative reliance at the regional and continental levels. This realization will ensure that substandard, falsified and counterfeit drugs products will be reduced to a minimum”, she remarked.
Some of the objectives of the Abuja meeting include: Reinforce the importance of quality control laboratories in post marketing surveillance; Strengthen regional/cross border collaborative survey of medicines in Africa as a means of protecting public health; Familiarize regional economic communities with instrumentation and analytical techniques to facilitate convergence for ensuring quality of medicines; Complete the roadmap for strengthening national quality control laboratories infrastructure and systems to help make informed, reliable and consistent regulatory decisions.
Other goals of the third AMQF conference are : Emphasize the importance of Quality Control in the entire drug approval process: Manufacturing to Post-marketing; Sensitize National Medicines Quality Control Laboratories on the importance of drafting laboratory strategic and business plan to ensure continual provision of quality control testing that meet international standards of quality and develop proposal to ensure that national medicine quality control laboratories have the required legal mandate and well-defined scope of activities.
Recently it has been discovered that so many countries have legalized the use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, but medical experts are warning against the possible health risks that these may pose to consumers, as well as their family members.
According to reports, it was stated that the United Nations 2018 drug use survey carried out in Nigeria showed a high prevalent use of the drug in Lagos, Nigeria.
Another example, is that of Canada, where authorities declared certain marijuana edibles and marijuana infused foods legal as of October 2019.
In Canada, respondents to recent Deloitte surveys reported that they were eager to use edibles not just for recreational purposes, but also for a range of medical reasons, chiefly to help them cope with anxiety and sleep disorders.
Experts Warn Against the Health Risks of Marijuana Edibles
“It is also notable that current edible consumers say they are more likely to buy premade marijuana edibles rather than make their own — mainly because it’s more convenient, according to 80 percent of current consumers,” states the Deloitte report based on the results of those surveys.
However, edibles come with a range of health risks — both for people who have never used marijuana before and for some of their family members and cohabitants, particularly children and pets.
Jasleen Grewal, Ph.D., and Lawrence Loh, Ph.D. — from the University of Toronto in Canada — have recently published a commentary in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that draws attention to these risks.
Overconsumption is a significant risk
“Although edibles are commonly viewed as safer and more desirable alternatives to smoked or vaped marijuana, physicians and the public should be aware of several risks related to the use of marijuana edibles,” warned Grewal and Loh in their published paper.
One risk is that unlike smoking marijuana, consuming edibles can take much longer — up to 4 hours — to produce an effect.
This delay could lead some people, especially those who are new to the drug, to increase their portion, resulting in overconsumption.
Moreover, the authors note, the effect of marijuana from edibles can last for 8 hours or even longer, “which lengthens the duration of impaired judgment and coordination experienced in comparison to inhaled marijuana.”
The two researchers also warn that even the standard, state-approved dose of marijuana present in regulated edibles can cause different effects in different individuals, as some may be more sensitive to the drug than others.
Thus, some people may overdose even on edibles with lower concentrations of marijuana, and those who have no previous experience of the drug are particularly at risk, the specialists’ cautioned.
Another issue is that edibles often come in very appetizing forms, such as candy or cookies, meaning that they may appeal immediately to children and household pets. Should children and animals end up consuming marijuana edibles, they could easily come to harm.
Other groups who may be vulnerable to the health risks associated with consuming marijuana edibles are older individuals, the researchers report. The two authors also cite data from the U.S. regarding the effect of the legalization of edibles on those belonging to at-risk groups.
“After legalization of marijuana edibles in Colorado, the state poison control centre saw a 70 percent increase in calls for accidental marijuana exposure in children from 2013 to 2017, and studies of healthcare usage reported more children than adults being treated for ingestion incidents,” they stated.
“Among older adults, marijuana consumption including use of edibles has been linked to greater cognitive impairment and a heightened risk of hypotension-related falls, arrhythmia, and drug interactions,” the authors add.
Going forward, Grewal and Loh advised healthcare professionals to make sure to explain to their patients the risks associated with edibles, as well as methods of preventing these risks.
“Physicians should routinely question patients who ask about cannabis about their use or intended use of edible marijuana products so that they can counsel these patients regarding child safety, potential for accidental overconsumption and delayed effects, and potential for interactions with other substances, such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, sleeping aids, and opioids”, they concluded.
All of the following statements concerning the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in the treatment of heart failure are true EXCEPT:
a) They improve hemodynamics by decreasing afterload
b) They can increase plasma cholesterol levels
c) They may slow the progression of heart failure by preventing myocardial and vascular remodeling
d) They are effective first-line agents in the treatment of chronic heart failure
Professor (Pharm.) Michael U. Adikwu, former vice-chancellor, University of Abuja (UniAbuja) has clinched The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Regional Award 2019, for his numerous contributions towards the development of scientific educational materials in the region.
Congratulating him on the noble achievement, which comes with a cash prize of 3000 USD, the International and National Liaison Manager at ASSAf TWAS-SAREP Coordinator, Stanley Maphosa, through a mail, explained the purpose of the prestigious prize was aimed at fulfilling TWAS’ objective of recognising, supporting and promoting scientific capacity and excellence in the developing world.
Professor Michael U. Adikwu, former vice-chancellor, University of Abuja
He said: “You are honoured with this scientific award for your significant contributions to the development of scientific educational materials. Scientific Educational Materials are essential components for solving many local, regional and global challenges that include poverty, health and sustainable development. The appointed committee agreed that you meet the requirements: Scientific research achievement of outstanding significance for the development of scientific thought (or) and outstanding contribution to the application of Science and Technology to industry or to human well-being in a developing country”.
Adikwu’s successful performance as vice chancellor of UniAbuja, was a testimonial to his fantastic administrative skill, as he significantly transformed the institution from what it used to be, when he amicably resolved frequent strikes by academic and non-academic staff, brilliantly ended students’ agitation over the non-accreditation of their programmes as well as the allegation of forgery and racketeering of the university’s certificates and admissions that had almost defied all solutions.
Known as a man of integrity, in all his academic career, Adikwu never attempted to cut corners, he methodically followed due processes, even till the time he applied for the job as the vice-chancellor, University of Abuja, he was regarded by most of his compatriots as a fulfilled man with several publications of his research works in both national and international professional journals.
The former UniAbuja VC is one of most intelligent Nigerians, who became a Professor of Pharmaceutics at a youthful age of 35, after acquiring a second class upper division degree, a master’s degree and PhD in the same discipline.
Prior to his appointment at the University of Abuja, Professor Adikwu was a visiting professor at The University of Manchester, UK. In February 2009 he was elected Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Science, and was the National Project Coordinator for Science and Technology Education Post-Basic (STEP-B) Project in the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja. He received his Doctorate and other degrees from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Hearty congratulations to him from all of us at Pharmanews Ltd.
There are very interesting reasons why drinking tea has remained a very strong tradition for thousands of years in many countries and communities around the world. Beautifully summarizing these reasons, Katherine Tallmadge of the American Dietetic Association, simply said, “There doesn’t seem to be a downside to tea”. This basically means that every sip of tea is a refreshing tonic of health, vitality and defence for the body.
Historically, it was the Eastern countries which first discovered these amazing secrets of tea. Indeed, it is said that the Chinese emperor, Shen Nung, who first drank tea in 2732 BC, described the liquid as giving him such a warm feeling that penetrated and “investigated” every part of his body. It comes as no surprise therefore that many Easterners continue to see tea as an elixir of not just good health, but also happiness and wisdom.
What may come as a surprise to many people however is that tea is now consumed even more in Western countries than in the East. Currently, Turkey ranks as the highest consumer of tea, followed by Ireland and the United Kingdom. Guess why this is so? Series of studies have continued to confirm the healthful richness of tea over other beverages. So, it’s time to grab that beautiful mug of yours and pour in some tea!
Real Reasons Tea Remains Top Health Beverage
But wait a minute. Before drinking that tea of yours, make sure that your “tea” is actually tea. Although “tea” is a name people give to a lot of beverages, nutritionists consider only black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, and Pu-erh tea as the real tea. So, if you’re taking tea to get the several health benefits that we shall be exploring in detail shortly, then make sure it’s any of these. Let’s take a closer look the different kinds of tea and their unique benefits.
Types of Tea
Green tea: this is generally made with steamed clean tea leaves; it has a high concentration of Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) as it has been widely examined. Green tea’s inhibitor’s may interpose with the growth of breast, stomach, lung bladder, colorectal and pancreatic, and cancers; burn fat, prevent clogging of the arteries, counteract oxidative stress on the mind, cut down risk of neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, cut down the risk of stroke, and high blood pressure and enhance cholesterol levels.
Black tea: Made with soured tea leaves, this tea has the most prominent caffeine content and forms the foundations for flavoured teas like chai, along with some instant beverages. Analyses have found that black tea may prevent the lungs from damage caused by the vulnerability of cigarette smoke. It also may reduce the risk of cerebrovascular accidents.
White tea: Unfermented and unseasoned. One report has recently found that white tea has the most potent properties of anticancer compared to more refined drinks.
Oolong tea: It is a famous Chinese tea in Zoology; those given antioxidants from this kind of tea were found to reducing harmful levels of cholesterol. Another variety of oolong is that it is heavily marketed as a weight-loss supplement, although science hasn’t backed the claims.
Pu-erh tea: Made from aged and refined leaves. It has a dark brown-red colour, and its leaves are pressed into cakes. One study has showed that animals given pu-erh hadreduced LDL cholesterol and less weight gain, if it in this for animals, it would undoubtedly work for humans.
10 Health Benefits of Tea
Tea contains antioxidants.
One thing you have to know is that tea contains different substance that inhibits oxidation. The work of an antioxidants is to prevent the body’s version of rust and thus help to protect us from damage pollution, and keep us young. Load up on antioxidants with white tea, which is less refined than green or black or tea, so it holds back more promoting and enhancing antioxidants.
Tea has little caffeine than coffee.
Anything herbal blends have no caffeine, while traditional drinks have less than 60 percent of what typically is found in coffee. That means you can devour it without those annoying effects on your nervous system, says Leslie Bonca, dietitian and owner of Active Eating Advice. If you’re trying to replace tea to coffee, she advised that you try a chicory plant tea like Teeccino, which has a flavour and mouthfeel, which is almost like coffee. Chicory plant is likewise known to help cut down stress, and it is also prebiotic so that it may be assistive to your gut.
Tea may cut down your risk of stroke and heart attack.
“There are a lot of published writings out there on heart health and tea,” said Anna Ardine, clinical nutrition manager at Magee-Women’s Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre explained that this is a health effect for which there is a good evidence.
In fact, a report conducted earlier this year shows that combined data from a host of the earlier study found a nearly 30 percent reduction in the danger of coronary failure and a 36 percent reduced risk of cerebrovascular accident among those who drank two to four cups of green tea a day. Those who took five or more cups of green tea daily had a 35 percent reduction in the risk of having a coronary failure and cut down levels of Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol. Drinking five cups of green tea may keep you running to the toiler, but you can get the same benefit from taking one cup of matcha tea, which is made from ground green tea leaves, which are usually said to be equal in the nutritional benefits of 10 cups of regular green tea.
Tea may help with weight loss.
Tea has a large class of plant pigments having a chemical structure called catechins that may boost metabolism and help your body shed fats more quickly. And the caffeine in many teas enhances your energy use, causing your body to drop more calories. Study on this isn’t as strong, Ardine said, noting that researches that have shown an effect have depended on the intake of large amounts of tea, often in a tablet of medicine shape.
Tea may help protect your bones
Information from past animal studies has proved that green tea may help protect your bone. Moringa, a plant that is native to Africa and Asia, has been known for its medicinal purposes, and it is now quickly becoming a well-known superfood. It is a plant that is native to the sub-Himalayan areas of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. It is also grown in the tropics. The leaves, bark, flowers, fruit, seeds, and root are used to make medicine.
With more vitamin A, and K, iron, calcium than milk, moringa tea is a great addition to help keep those bones healthy.
Tea may keep your smile bright
“Greece researchers have found that tea can lessen tooth loss,” Ardine noted that tea changes the pH in your mouth when you take it, and that may be what could prevent cavities.” Beyond that, tea, unlike many other drinks, does not appear to wear away tooth enamel which would make you smile well, Bonca explained.
Tea may boost the immune system
Reports have recently found that tea can adjust the immune cells, so they reach their targets faster. Holy tulsi or basil tea has been used by Ayurveda practicians for centuries to help keep the immune system firm after illnesses or injuries, all thanks to its anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial properties.
8. Tea may help fight cancer
Reports on this are currently mixed, which means there is a need for more research, Bonca said. But, “if you have a history in your family on cancer and you want to do anything you can, try to increase your intake of tea,” she added.
Herbal tea may aid the digestive system
“Herbal teas can be good for people with bowel syndrome that is irritable because it has drug used to relieve or prevent spasms antispasmodic,” Bonca said. “And ginger teas can calm nausea.” Get a dose of both with a ginger chamomile tea.
Unadulterated tea is calorie-free
“Tea is a great no-calorie alternative to water,” Bonca said. “It provides so many options for versatility and flavour. You can have it neither cold nor hot. And you don’t have to dilute it with anything, although you might want to add some ginger or a cinnamon stick. “Which means you can now hydrate with something other than water alone.”
In conclusion
Get yourself a pack of green, and you won’t remain the same in terms of health, you can either mix with sugar or natural flavours like acai berry, litchi, pineapple, and strawberry and litchi.
Though most analyses on tea is highly positive, it’s not all definitive, so make sure you keep these cautions in mind before stocking your storehouse with tea:
Keep it cool. I.e., neither warm, not cold. Drinking hot beverages all the time may raise the risk of oesophageal cancer. Give your tea some minutes to cool off before sipping.
The studies seem convincing, but a mouse is not human. Chemical substances in tea may react differently in the laboratory than they do in the human body. Tannins (and the other good stuff in green tea) may not be bioavailable for humans, meaning tea might not always benefit human health in the same way laboratory studies suggest.
All tea drinks are not created equally. The body’s access to the good stuff in tea might be decided by the varieties of tea, processing, and canning, and the way it was created from raw material.
The Saint Valentine’s Day, usually celebrated on every 14 February has always been the lookout for most young ‘lovers’, to express their ‘love’ to the fullest, but the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) have warned on the dangers of embarking on illicit and unprotected sexual intercourse during the season, which they said could bring about deadly sexually transmitted diseases, which are antibiotic resistant.
It will be recalled that the WHO has been on the campaign against antibiotics resistant infections since last year, and in fact issued a warning about ‘super gonorrhoea’ during the period. It said millions of lives were at risk.
This formed the basis of the Valentine’s Day sex caution by Dr Tina Joshi, a lecturer in molecular microbiology at Plymouth University, reiterating the dangers of emerging threat of antibiotic resistance to all. She noted that unnecessarily dishing out the drugs is making bugs that could once be easily cured, such as gonorrhoea, become untreatable.
Dr Joshi whose statement was not against the commemoration of the day, however noted that antibiotic resistance, is considered on par with terrorism and global warming, which could kill more people than cancer in the next 30 years, she warned.
Her words: “Without antibiotics, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis, which are caused by bacteria, wouldn’t be treatable. Even worse, STIs often go undiagnosed, meaning they don’t get treated until it’s too late”.
The WHO has previously warned if nothing is done the world was headed for a ‘post-antibiotic’ era.It claimed common infections, such as chlamydia, will become killers without immediate answers to the growing crisis. Figures estimated that superbugs will kill ten million people each year by 2050, with patients succumbing to once harmless bugs.
Around 700,000 people die yearly due to drug-resistant infections including tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria across the world.
In the same vein, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has warned young Nigerians to exercise caution and to “love wisely’’ as they prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14.
The former NACA DG Sani Aliyu, gave the warning via a statement issued last year, noting since the valentine period is known as a time for young people to express love for one another, they should express such love cautiously, within the context of caring deeply for their loved ones.
According to his statement to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): “As members of the wider society, your health and productivity is vital to the future of our country.I urge you also to take advantage of the spirit of love and togetherness that the Valentine’s Day signifies to know your HIV status.’’
He said that knowing one’s HIV status was necessary because of the present high prevalence rate of HIV infection among young persons aged between 15 and 24 in Nigeria.
“Condoms prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), HIV and unwanted pregnancies.The practice of having multiple sexual partners increases HIV vulnerability among the youth population alongside the very low HIV testing rates”, he said.
With gratitude to God for a legacy- filled life, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Rivers State Chapter, announce the death of a pharma icon, distinguished colleague, Fellow and the founding national Chairman of Association of Lady Pharmacists (ALPs), Pharm. Mrs Amy E. Dublin-Green.
She was one of the “three musketeers” that conceived, nurtured and grew ALPs in the garden City of Port Harcourt and Nigeria, before she went on to become her first national Chairman.
The Nigerian Pharmacy family will surely miss her but her legacies will forever be cherished. She will be buried at her home in Bonny Island Rivers State on Saturday, 29 February, 2020. Our sincere condolences to her family, friends and associates as we join them in prayers for the peaceful repose of her kind and gentle soul.
*Adieu Great ALPIAN. * Adieu iconic pharmacist * Adieu beloved daughter of Zion.
In order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, commonly known as COVID-19, scientists from Queen Mary University have warned people to avoid hugging and kissing ahead of Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day, is celebrated annually on February 14. Originating as a Western Christian feast day honouring Saint Valentine and a few others, Valentine’s Day is recognised as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love in many regions around the world.
Most people however, celebrate this day by kissing and hugging each other, Professor John Oxford, from the university said people could protect themselves from the deadly virus by employing a bit of standoffishness.
Speaking ahead of Valentine’s Day, Professor Oxford described the illness as a ‘social virus’ that could infect people by close contact and want people cut contact off.
Happy black couple kissing and laughing
During the BBC Radio 4’s programme, Professor Oxford said: ‘I think we have to galvanise ourselves in our social actions – how we interact with people. I think that is extremely important; more so than wearing a mask. I think that’s a total diversion.
“What we need to do is less of the handshaking, hugging, kissing, that sort of thing, because this virus looks like its spread by ordinary tidal breathing, not necessarily colds and coughing.”
Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London in a statement said that 60 percent of the entire population could become infected.
He told The Telegraph: ‘Surveillance has started in hospitals across the UK of pneumonia cases that will give us a proper picture.
“Our best estimate is that transmission in the UK will get going in the next few weeks; unless we are very lucky probably peaking two to three months after that.
‘If it truly establishes itself in terms of true person to person transmission, it will behave like a flu pandemic may be up to 60 percent of the population being affected but most of those people having very mild symptoms.”
The Coronavirus spreads via droplets in someone’s breath and it has killed more than 1,100 people with almost 46,000 cases confirmed worldwide.
Although, the virus is yet to be announced in Nigeria, however the message is for our readers who are in the following countries Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, The Phillipines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, U.K, U.S.A, and Vietnam.
One of the of the most remarkable benefits that come with the dawn of every new year is the opportunity to ponder the past, review the present and where necessary re-strategise for the future.
This, no doubt, is the same cheering prospect that this year presents to the leaders and stakeholders of the Nigerian health sector.
Yet, even with this fresh hope of a new lease of life for the beleaguered sector, there are already indications that the biggest albatross to an improved healthcare delivery in the new year remains inadequate finance to tackle the myriad infrastructural, operational and administrative needs of the sector. The 427.03 billion naira 2020 health budget, which is just 4.14 per cent of the total budget of 10.33 trillion naira, is without doubt, a drop in the ocean when pitted against the needs of the health sector and the over 200 million citizens to care for.
It must therefore be emphasised that the health sector can only provide improved and affordable healthcare for Nigerians this year if the government and leaders of the health sector decisively tackle the perennial funding challenge and also ensure that funds for healthcare are judiciously used.
For the umpteenth time, we must restate that the Nigerian government has, over the years, not given the health sector the special attention it deserves and this continues to reflect in the haphazard way the sector is being funded and managed. Despite the fact that Nigeria was a key figure among the African countries which, under the auspices of the African Union at a conference in Abuja in 2001, pledged to increase health budget to at least 15 per cent of the annual budget, the government has not only failed to keep to this pledge but has consistently kept the health sector among the least of its funding priorities.
For instance, the 4.14 per cent of the 2020 budget allotted to health is a further reduction from the 2019 figure which was 4.75 per cent. That is basically in keeping to the government’s tradition of taking two steps forward and three steps backward when it comes to health. No significant progress or development can happen with such a lackadaisical approach.
Indeed, nothing illustrates this anomaly of policy summersaults in health financing more than the decision of the government to reduce by half the additional fund that is meant to help finance healthcare, which is one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). While the one per cent of the CRF, which is for the Basic Healthcare Fund (BHF) in the 2020 budget, was supposed to be 81.55 billion naira in accordance with the National Health Act, the government has cut this figure by half to 44.50 billion naira. This, it must be said, is a travesty for a nation that wants its citizens to enjoy adequate healthcare.
We aver that the first step to ensuring that the health sector fares better this year and beyond is for the Nigerian government to be compelled to reverse the CRF cut. This is because the reduction does not only contravene the law (National Health Act 2014), but also loudly indicates that the government does not consider health a priority. Health, we reiterate, must be a priority for the Nigerian nation because for the nation to be productive it must be healthy.
However, beyond the reversal of the CRF allocation to health, other tiers of government must also begin to commit significant resources to healthcare. The states and local governments must make provision of healthcare a cardinal programme by reviving the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) in their domains because majority of those who need care are actually at the grassroots.
Another area of healthcare financing that should be strengthened this year and beyond must be health insurance. State governments must begin to back this scheme because, if made functional, it will significantly help ensure more Nigerians, especially the poor, have access to healthcare. It will also fundamentally help the quest of the nation to achieve universal health coverage, not just in 2020, but beyond.
Researchers from Stanford University published a study recently that suggests we might need to rethink what we’ve been told about normal and fever temperatures. The study analysed databases from the mid-1800s to 2017, and found that humans’ normal body temperatures are now running almost 0.5 degrees Celsius cooler, compared to the 1800s.
This means that normal human body temperature isn’t the 37C or 98.6F that most of us have known. Instead, ‘normal’ seems closer to 36.5C or 97.7F. What’s perhaps most surprising is that this isn’t even news. A number of studies in recent decades have shown that normal isn’t 37C.
Jonathan Hausmann, a rheumatologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, explained what this means for parents and parents to be.
Human Body Temperature has Decreased to 36.5c, Researchers find
Why the change in normal body temperature?
I’m not sure normal body temperature is going down. The ‘normal’ body temperature of 98.6F comes from research done in the mid-1800s by a German physician, Dr Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich. It’s been called into question whether his thermometer was properly calibrated, so it’s possible the measurement was wrong to begin with.
With so many studies in recent years debunking that 37C (98.6F) number, why is it still widely used?
It’s one of those ideas that’s failed to die. Even within the medical community, most physicians would tell you that that 98.6F is normal and 100.4F means fever. Perhaps this is because in Celsius, 37 degrees (normal) and 38 degrees (fever) are convenient, round numbers. But when you look at the evidence behind it, there isn’t any, except for that study by Wunderlich over a century ago.
You did your own study on normal body temperature. What did it conclude about what is normal and what is feverish?
In our 2018 study, we recruited over 300 people to record 5,000 temperatures and enter their data in a smartphone app. We found average temperatures around 97.7F and we defined a fever as 99.5F. We also looked at the circadian rhythm to temperature relationship, which has been described in other studies, and found that temperatures are lowest at around 4 a.m. and highest at 4 p.m. These results are supported by other trials done under controlled conditions.
How should this change how we measure our kids’ temperatures?
For parents, it’s helpful to know that if the temperature is 97F, that’s probably within normal limits, and when it’s 100F, especially if it’s early in the morning, that may be a true fever, and that may represent a mild infection.
It’s important to be aware of what time of day it is when you’re taking the temperature because normal body temperature naturally varies. So a temperature of 99 degrees at 4 in the morning may be a fever, whereas that same temperature at 4 in the afternoon is within normal limits.
Does this mean we should be treating kids’ fevers at lower thresholds?
I don’t think this information should change how parents manage illnesses. Parents hear advice that they should treat fevers above 102F, for example, but I haven’t seen any evidence that says you must treat a fever above 102F.
In fact, some studies that have shown that if you give patients with the flu medications that reduce fevers, they have symptoms for longer.
Higher temperatures above 105F are concerning because they are more likely to indicate more serious infections. It’s important to remember that it’s our own immune system that is creating fever, and it likely serves the purpose of fighting infections.
The World Health Organisation on Tuesday has christened the deadly Wuhan’s Coronavirus as “Covid-19” , which was first reported on 31 December in Wuhan, China.
“We now have a name for the disease and it’s Covid-19,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva, explaining that “co” stood for “corona”, “vi” for “virus” and “d” for “disease”.
Illustration of coronavirus as a respiratory system attack
Meanwhile, the agency has issued a warning to all health institutions and practitioners to be wary of criminals who are disguising themselves as WHO to steal money or sensitive information from unsuspecting citizens.
“If you are contacted by a person or organisation that appears to be from WHO, verify their authenticity before responding”, the agency cautioned.
“As of February 6, there have been 365 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 47 deaths in 23 Nigerian states.”
Lassa fever, also known as Lassa Haemorrhagic Fever (LHF) is a viral infection caused by the Lassa virus.
The Lassa virus has its roots in Nigeria and it is named after the town in Bornu where the first case was identified in 1969. It affects 10 out of the 18 countries in West Africa, where it majorly occurs.
In some areas of Sierra Leone and Liberia, it is known that 10-16 per cent of people are usually admitted to the hospital every year due to Lassa fever outbreak.
Approximately, 300,000 – 500,000 cases are reported annually which has led to 5000 deaths. Among casualties of Lassa fever ar medical professionals and other volunteer healthcare workers. Aniru Conteh, a renowned Sierra Leonean Lassa fever expert whose works are still relevant today was among the earliest medical professionals to lose their lives while tackling the virus.
Unlike the coronavirus virus which affects mostly the elderly and immuno-compromised individuals, Lassa fever has no clear-cut preference for any age-group. Available data shows that the most affected age group is 11-40 years. This does not mean that people outside this age group are not at risk of getting infected.
Spread
“Within just 4 weeks, Lassa fever spread to 60 local governments, 19 states including Abuja.”
Lassa fever spreads through contact with the Mastomy’s rat or an infected human being. The virus is stored in the urine and faeces of these rats. An infected person will spread the virus through their body fluids (blood, faeces and urine).
However, the risk of person-to-person transmission of Lassa fever is low compared to Ebola. In fact, no person-to-person transmission has been reported outside West Africa.
The Lassa fever virus can also spread through the air when you inhale aerosols from the Mastomy’s rat excretion, or materials infected with the virus.
Mastomy’s rats
Dry weather conditions enable the spread of the virus and this explains why outbreaks are common between December and April.
According to the Nigerian Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC), Lassa fever has been confirmed in 23 states including Abuja. Ondo State has the highest number of cases at 98. The high number in Ondo may have been influenced by the presence of a free treatment centre.
Diagnosis and Treatment
“Any febrile illness that does not respond to anti-malaria and antibiotics after 48 hours, could be Lassa fever.”
The early signs of Lassa fever are identical to that seen in typhoid and malaria. However, a person infected with the Lassa virus will also have: chest pain, back pain, ringing ears and facial swelling due to loss of fluid from blood vessels.
If you feel unwell and are having any of the symptoms, it is important you go for proper diagnosis and initiate treatment early to increase chances of survival.
Currently, there are a number of Lassa fever diagnostic centres in Nigeria, among them are the three Emergency Operations Centres: the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (Edo State), the Federal Medical Center, Owo (Ondo State) and the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakiliki (Ebonyi State).
Ribavirin given intravenously during the early stages of the illness is the only recognised treatment for Lassa fever at the moment. In the only study to evaluate the use of Ribavirin, it was found to reduce mortality from 50 per cent – 5 per cent.
Current Situation
“National fatality rate has dropped to below 20%. This means that of the 365 Lassa fever cases in 2020, up to 318 will survive the disease.”
Nigeria has collaborated with both local and international bodies to tackle the disease. However, it cannot be denied that the international community has been relatively silent about this disease spreading through West Africa.
During the severe 2018 Lassa outbreak in Nigeria, there were 633 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and 171 deaths. But Western media preferred to channel their attention to a concurrent Ebola outbreak in Congo which had a similar 600+ cases.
Regardless, there has been a consistent improvement in the handling of Lassa fever cases and behind the scenes are spirited health professionals and passionate volunteers who have risen to the challenge against all odds.
As a result of poor control movement in Nigeria, the spread of the disease has not been properly managed. Even though we now have more cases of the disease, only a small percentage die from the disease. National fatality rate has dropped to below 20 per cent. This means that of the 365 Lassa fever cases in 2020, up to 318 will survive the disease.
Response
“These colleagues are not just government workers because this is not their usual routine. They volunteered to be part of the Emergency Operations Centre and they work even in the face of panic and limited resource.”
Dr Ahmed Adeagbo Liaso
(Chief Medical Director of FMC Owo)
Since the inspiring story of Sierra Leone’s Aniru Conteh, numerous stories have emerged of resilient healthcare workers who have put themselves at the forefront of the fight against Lassa fever. One of them is Mrs Martha Okonofua, whose story was first published by the Nigeria Health Watch.
Mrs Martha is the matron at the Lassa fever Isolation Ward of the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State and has been directly involved in managing 200+ Lassa fever patients.
The Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital has a long standing partnership with the Bernhard-Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Germany and currently leads all local and global researches on Lassa fever.
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) is working on a project to improve the response to annual Lassa fever outbreaks in Nigeria through the development of new diagnostics and laboratory strengthening initiatives. This project is in partnership with NCDC and WHO and will be executed at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital.
In 2017, with the help of the government and the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), a 38-bed capacity Lassa fever Isolation ward was established in FMC Owo, Ondo State.
One of the biggest achievements of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was the inclusion of colleagues from the Agricultural and Environmental sector to the Rapid Response Teams (RRTs). This will widen knowledge of environmental and zoonotic factors which are important to control the spread of Lassa fever.
At the moment, there are no approved Lassa fever vaccines but according to the CEO of the NCDC Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, plans are in place to begin clinical trials for available vaccines in Nigeria.
The three Emergency Operations Centres are not enough to manage patients during outbreaks. It is crucial that more centres are set up in every region of the country. This will not only support early treatment but it will help reduce the unnecessary spread of the virus.
Precautions
“Primary transmission of the Lassa virus from its host to humans can be prevented by avoiding contact with Mastomys rodents, especially in the regions where outbreaks occur.”
No one in Nigeria is safe from this virus and if you fail to apply precautions you might be the next victim of the disease. To protect yourself from the disease you have to ensure proper sanitation; don’t handle rats or any other rodent with your bare hands; store foodstuffs in containers with well-fitting lids.
To prevent human-to-human transmission: avoid crowded areas; don’t travel to areas where the virus is prevalent; preferably wear clothes that do not expose your skin to avoid direct contact with other people’s body fluids.
Nigerians have not yet shown the same level of concern for this year’s Lassa fever outbreak like they did during the previous years’ outbreaks. The reduced fatality rate and discovery of an effective treatment might have contributed but Lassa fever leaves harrowing post-treatment effects (like deafness) on survivors. In the end, the prevention is still better than the cure.
Ginika is a Pharmacist and a Content Writer. You can find her active on LinkedIn where she also publishes some of her works.
You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Facebook with the same name
