healthnews.ng

14/11/2023

Eight in ten people living with diabetes (80%) in Nigeria only found out they had diabetes after developing complications associated with the condition. Additionally, almost all (94%) of those surveyed in the country had experienced one or more diabetes complications during the course of their life with diabetes. The findings come from global research recently carried out by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) ahead of World Diabetes Day on Monday, 14 November....

Eight in ten people living with diabetes (80%) in Nigeria only found out they had diabetes after developing complications associated with the condition. Additionally, almost all (94%) of those surveyed in the country had experienced one or more diabetes complications during the course of their life....

08/09/2023

Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, Founder and CEO of Healthtraka, is on a mission to transform healthcare in Africa. In a recent interview with healthiness.ng, she shared her inspiring journey and vision for making lab testing easy and accessible through at-home sample collection and rapid digital results delivery within 1-3 days. "I knew that I wanted to provide a solution to make sure that people have access to on-demand healthcare,"...

Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, Founder and CEO of Healthtraka, is on a mission to transform healthcare in Africa. In a recent interview with healthiness.ng, she shared her inspiring journey and vision for making lab testing easy and accessible through at-home sample collection and rapid digital results deli...

08/09/2023

In the heart of Nairobi, a team of dedicated researchers is poised to revolutionize maternal healthcare, potentially reshaping the future of pregnancy outcomes for women. Led by Dr. Moses Obimbo Madadi, a Clinician-Scientist and Associate Professor at the University of Nairobi, this groundbreaking project is shedding light on the intricate relationship between vaginal infections, reproductive health, and neonatal mortality rates in Africa, where 27 deaths per 1,000 live births remain a stark reality....

In the heart of Nairobi, a team of dedicated researchers is poised to revolutionize maternal healthcare, potentially reshaping the future of pregnancy outcomes for women. Led by Dr. Moses Obimbo Madadi, a Clinician-Scientist and Associate Professor at the University of Nairobi, this groundbreaking p...

03/09/2023

29/08/2023

In Abuja, Nigeria, Dyslexia Help Africa (DHA) is driving an educational initiative that focuses on comprehensive reading intervention and support for children with dyslexia. This program combines advocacy, educator training, and a specialized learning intervention platform. Through patient guidance and innovative teaching methods, this initiative is breaking down educational inclusion barriers for kids with learning disabilities by promoting evidence-based strategies and empowering dyslexic learners....

In Abuja, Nigeria, Dyslexia Help Africa (DHA) is driving an educational initiative that focuses on comprehensive reading intervention and support for children with dyslexia. This program combines advocacy, educator training, and a specialized learning intervention platform. Through patient guidance....

03/08/2023

In spite of the stark inundating and overwhelming realities, Isaac Olufadewe argues he is on a mission to transform healthcare in some Nigerian remote communities. In the heart of Nigeria, where the pulse of healthcare struggles to find its rhythm, one man has taken it upon himself to rewrite the narrative. Isaac Olufadewe, a dedicated medical doctor, found his purpose amidst the challenges that plagued rural and slum communities....

In spite of the stark inundating and overwhelming realities, Isaac Olufadewe argues he is on a mission to transform healthcare in some Nigerian remote communities. In the heart of Nigeria, where the pulse of healthcare struggles to find its rhythm, one man has taken it upon himself to rewrite the na...

03/08/2023

In some resource-limited settings in Nigeria, reusable pads are being used as a sustainable solution to period poverty that can help girls stay in school and manage their menstruation with dignity. But the scale of this initiative may not be big enough to have statistically significant impact(s) on national metrics. Halima Akande is among thousands of girls who miss school several days every month—once her menstruation comes....

In some resource-limited settings in Nigeria, reusable pads are being used as a sustainable solution to period poverty that can help girls stay in school and manage their menstruation with dignity. But the scale of this initiative may not be big enough to have statistically significant impact(s) on....

27/06/2023

There are strong indications that Dr Muhammad Pate could be Nigeria's next health minister, this follows his decision to rescind his appointment as the CEO of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, choosing instead, "to accept a request to return and contribute to his home country, Nigeria". Professor Muhammad Ali Pate has rescinded his appointment as the next Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, and, according to indications, he could instead be returning to Nigeria to serve as the country's next health minister....

There are strong indications that Dr Muhammad Pate could be Nigeria’s next health minister, this follows his decision to rescind his appointment as the CEO of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, choosing instead, “to accept a request to return and contribute to his home country, Nigeria”. Professor Mu...

01/06/2023

At 14 years old, Paul Ajayi is experiencing the world through two eyes for the first time since he was three, thanks to a remarkable free surgery. While one eye is still on its way to recovery, he gets perfect vision through the other, liberating him from the confines of the School for the Blind where he had been enrolled....

At 14 years old, Paul Ajayi is experiencing the world through two eyes for the first time since he was three, thanks to a remarkable free surgery. While one eye is still on its way to recovery, he gets perfect vision through the other, liberating him from the confines of the School for the Blind [.....

12/05/2023

Solving health insurance remains an uphill challenge in Nigeria but newcomer believes its approach may be the solution.

Payment for healthcare in Nigeria is predominantly out-of-pocket but a new player believes in spite of the numerous odds stacked against it, an already familiar approach could make a lot of difference in expanding access to health insurance. In Nigeria, achieving most health goals has been greatly l...

14/04/2023

The intent of a cashless economy is to make life easier. Recently, Nigerians, due to the scarcity of cash, had to solely rely on cashless channels. However, the unintended consequences of the platforms' inadequacies made healthcare one of the worst-hit sectors. For years, the government of Nigeria, the country’s finance sector regulator — the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), their partners and others had aggressively campaigned and incentivized Nigerians to adopt going cashless, describing its cashless policy as an economic enabler that will drive the development and modernization of Nigeria's payment system in line with Nigeria's vision 2020 goal of being among the top 20 economies by the year 2020. ...

The intent of a cashless economy is to make life easier. Recently, Nigerians, due to the scarcity of cash, had to solely rely on cashless channels. However, the unintended consequences of the platforms’ inadequacies made healthcare one of the worst-hit sectors. For years, the government of Nigeria...

04/04/2023

One woman's mission to break the cycle of discrimination and despair for families affected by Cerebral Palsy in Nigeria. tells the story of

In Nigeria’s commercial capital city of Lagos, nestled within lush greenery, lies a majestic edifice of orange and butter colours. The building, known as the Cerebral Palsy Centre, is a haven for fully dependent individuals living with cerebral palsy. Founded by Nonye Nwoke about thirteen years ag...

21/03/2023

Tanzania has confirmed its first-ever cases of Marburg Virus Disease, after laboratory tests were carried out following reports of cases and deaths in the country’s north-west Kagera region. According to the country's National Public Health Laboratory, eight people developed symptoms including fever, vomiting, bleeding and renal failure. Five of the eight cases, including a health worker, have died, and the remaining three are receiving treatment....

Tanzania has confirmed its first-ever cases of Marburg Virus Disease, after laboratory tests were carried out following reports of cases and deaths in the country’s north-west Kagera region. According to the country’s National Public Health Laboratory, eight people developed symptoms including f...

06/03/2023

is taking on Nigeria's monumental mental healthcare challenges via a multi-pronged approach. But challenges remain. reports

Nigeria has made significant advances in health policies development and legislation aimed at achieving health for all, but challenges remain for mental health services. An initiative is addressing the country’s monumental mental healthcare challenges by deploying a multi-pronged approach that inc...

03/02/2023

In this piece, describes how is striving to close a critical gap in medication management in , and, eventually, beyond.

Access to necessary medications for illnesses such as HIV/AIDS can be a struggle for patients in emerging markets like Nigeria and other African countries. With pharmacists being the first point of access, patients are often required to visit them every month to receive their medications and to keep...

23/01/2023

Despite the disappointing discontinuation of the vaccine trial, ' Exec Director, still sees the world ending by 2030

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has called for continued innovation and urgency in ensuring that proven HIV prevention and treatment options reach all those in need, following the discontinuation of the Mosaico HIV vaccine trial. The trial, which began in 2019 as a partnershi...

23/01/2023

According to a new status report from the World Health Organization (WHO), five billion people globally remain unprotected from harmful trans fat, increasing their risk of heart disease and death. Despite the global goal for its total elimination in 2023, progress towards this target has been slow, with only 43 countries having implemented best-practice policies for tackling trans fat in food, protecting 2.8 billion people globally....

According to a new status report from the World Health Organization (WHO), five billion people globally remain unprotected from harmful trans fat, increasing their risk of heart disease and death. Despite the global goal for its total elimination in 2023, progress towards this target has been slow,....

23/01/2023

Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, together with a consortium of global partners, have announced that an independent data review of the Phase 3 Mosaico study of Janssen’s investigational HIV vaccine regimen was not effective in preventing HIV infection among the study participants. The study will be discontinued and further analysis of the data will be conducted. They revealed no safety issues with the vaccine regimen were identified during the trial....

Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, together with a consortium of global partners, have announced that an independent data review of the Phase 3 Mosaico study of Janssen’s investigational HIV vaccine regimen was not effective in preventing HIV infection among the study participa...

23/01/2023

The Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) in Lagos, Nigeria has achieved full laboratory accreditation status from the World Health Organization (WHO) for its contribution to the fight against measles and rubella in the country. The CPHL is one of the laboratories under the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Measles and Rubella laboratory network. "WHO full accreditation status attained by the laboratory is a great achievement for Nigeria as quality laboratory is critical to understanding the impact of a country's vaccination program on the prevalence and spread of disease," said WHO's Country Representative, Dr....

The Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) in Lagos, Nigeria has achieved full laboratory accreditation status from the World Health Organization (WHO) for its contribution to the fight against measles and rubella in the country. The CPHL is one of the laboratories under the Nigeria Centre for Dise...

13/01/2023

Five United Nations agencies are calling for accelerated progress on the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting, as increasing numbers of children suffer from acute malnutrition in the face of ongoing conflicts, climate shocks, and the impacts of COVID-19. Currently, more than 30 million children in the 15 worst-affected countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, the Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen, are affected by wasting, or acute malnutrition....

Five United Nations agencies are calling for accelerated progress on the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting, as increasing numbers of children suffer from acute malnutrition in the face of ongoing conflicts, climate shocks, and the impacts of COVID-19. Currently, more than 30 million children in th...

13/01/2023

Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari recently signed the country mental health bill into law. Described as groundbreaking, the new law aims, among others, to improve access to mental health care and services in Nigeria. The mental health bill aims to improve access to care and services for people with mental health issues. The bill, which has been long-awaited by mental health advocates, aims to address the significant gap in mental health services in the country....

Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari recently signed the country mental health bill into law. Described as groundbreaking, the new law aims, among others, to improve access to mental health care and services in Nigeria. The mental health bill aims to improve access to care and services for people ...

13/01/2023

Despite the large number of lives threatened by unsafe practices, abortion remains a highly controversial issue in Nigeria, where it is mostly illegal except to save the life of the mother. Despite the restrictive laws, however, unsafe abortions continue to be a major public health concern in the country, with an estimated 3.5 million induced abortions taking place each year. This is due to a lack of access to safe and legal abortion services, as well as cultural and religious opposition to the practice....

Despite the large number of lives threatened by unsafe practices, abortion remains a highly controversial issue in Nigeria, where it is mostly illegal except to save the life of the mother. Despite the restrictive laws, however, unsafe abortions continue to be a major public health concern in the co...

12/01/2023

An estimated 7 million children in Africa died before their fifth birthday, according to the latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). The group also found that 1.9 million babies were stillborn in the same period. Many of these deaths could have been prevented with equitable access and high-quality maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health care....

An estimated 7 million children in Africa died before their fifth birthday, according to the latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). The group also found that 1.9 million babies were stillborn in the same period. Many of these deat...

11/01/2023

The World Health Organization's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has urged countries to increase their COVID-19 sequencing efforts and share data with the global community in order to detect and track the emergence and spread of new variants. The Director-General stated that despite the progress made in the fight against the pandemic, such as the development of vaccines, the number of sequences being shared has dropped by over 90% since the peak of the Omicron wave and the number of countries sharing sequences has fallen by a third....

The World Health Organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has urged countries to increase their COVID-19 sequencing efforts and share data with the global community in order to detect and track the emergence and spread of new variants. The Director-General stated that despite t...

11/01/2023

Uganda has declared the end of an Ebola outbreak caused by Sudan ebolavirus, just four months after the first case was confirmed in the country's central Mubende district on September 20, 2022. The country's Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Acero, praised the swift response to the outbreak, which included surveillance, contact tracing, and infection prevention and control measures. In total, there were 164 cases of the disease (142 confirmed and 22 probable), with 55 confirmed deaths and 87 recovered patients....

Uganda has declared the end of an Ebola outbreak caused by Sudan ebolavirus, just four months after the first case was confirmed in the country’s central Mubende district on September 20, 2022. The country’s Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Acero, praised the swift response to the outbrea...

05/01/2023

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a statement in The Lancet Public Health stating that there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health. Alcohol, classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, causes at least seven types of cancer, including the most common types such as bowel cancer and female breast cancer....

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a statement in The Lancet Public Health stating that there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health. Alcohol, classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, causes at least seven types of cancer...

01/01/2023

We wish you a happy new year

25/12/2022

We wish you a Merry Christmas.

24/12/2022

Since February 2022, Nigeria's federal ministry of health has not posted anything on its official Facebook and Twitter pages. The minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has also not posted on his official social media handle since March 2021. The health ministry's last post on Twitter was on February 24 when the health minister received the Japan Ambassador to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi to discuss possible areas of collaboration as regards capacity building of medical personnel and health care reform....

Since February 2022, Nigeria’s federal ministry of health has not posted anything on its official Facebook and Twitter pages. The minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has also not posted on his official social media handle since March 2021. The health ministry’s last post on Twitter was on Fe...

23/12/2022

While the COVID-19 pandemic has declined significantly in 2022, there are still many gaps and uncertainties that prevent the World Health Organization (WHO) from declaring the pandemic over. Addressing journalists recently, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that gaps in surveillance, testing, vaccination, treatment, and health systems are preventing the ending of the pandemic. Gaps in surveillance, testing and sequencing mean we do not understand well enough how the virus is changing; Gaps in vaccination mean that millions of people – especially health workers and older people – remain at high-risk of severe disease and death; Gaps in treatment mean people are dying needlessly; Gaps in health systems leave them unable to cope with surges in patients with COVID-19, flu and other diseases; Gaps in our understanding of post-COVID-19 condition mean we do not understand how best to treat people suffering with the long-term consequences of infection; And gaps in our understanding of how this pandemic began compromise our ability to prevent future pandemics....

While the COVID-19 pandemic has declined significantly in 2022, there are still many gaps and uncertainties that prevent the World Health Organization (WHO) from declaring the pandemic over. Addressing journalists recently, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that gaps in sur...