Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out a new meningitis vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in a historic move. According to WHO, this is especially important for countries like Nigeria where multiple serogroups are prevalent. The new vaccine uses the same technology as the meningitis A conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVac®), which wiped out meningococcal A epidemics in Nigeria.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed the outbreak of a disease of unknown origin which is said to have infected a total of 164 persons and killed four in six wards of Isa local government area of Sokoto State. The director general of the agency, Dr Jide Idris, said so far, a total of 164 suspected cases had been identified in six (6) wards of Isa local government area in the following wards: Bargaja (22), Isa North (17), Isa South (98), Tozai (12), Tsabre (4), and Turba (11), adding that four deaths had been recorded amongst the suspected cases. He said the agency was notified by the Sokoto State Ministry of Health on March 21, 2024, of reported cases of children presenting with symptoms that include abdominal distension due to rapid onset of fluids in the abdomen (ascites), fever, vomiting and weight loss from Isa LGA of Sokoto State.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, has envisaged a 3-day thunderstorms and sunshine across the country from Friday 5th April, 2024.

Nigerian health workers seeking greener pasture has been directed to gladly resign their appointment with Federal Government before leaving the country. The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa stated this in a directive by the FG, that health workers seeking employment opportunities abroad must resign their appointments before leaving. Alausa revealed this on Saturday, stating that the era where health workers could apply for leave of absence and pursue opportunities in other countries has ended. He disclosed that the ban on leave of absence for health workers resulted from an Executive Order issued by President Bola Tinubu, who aims to combat the ‘Japa Syndrome’ facing the nation’s health sector. The ‘Japa Syndrome’ refers to Nigerians leaving the country in search of better opportunities. 

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr. Mansur Kabir as the Chairman of the Board of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and re-appointed Prof. Moji Adeyeye as its Chief Executive Officer.

Professor Ranti Familoni, an expert in Medicine and Cardiology from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, has advised Nigerians with “unstable cardiovascular conditions” to stay away from the Sunday African Cup of Nations final between Nigeria and Ivory Coast. This was due to the issues surrounding people collapsing while watching football, leading to sudden death. Following the just concluded AFCON semi-final games on Wednesday, between the Super Eagles of Nigeria, and the Bafana Bafana of the South African, several death cases were recorded due to the effect of how competitive it was. an All Progressives Congress chieftain, Cairo Ojougboh, a serving National Youth Service Corps member, and three others slumped and passed away while watching the Nigeria vs. South Africa football match.

Three Sub-Saharan nations, namely Benin, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, have launched a significant program for malaria prevention in Africa. The program is a large-scale rollout of a life-saving malaria vaccine that aims to target millions of children. The vaccine's launch is announced on Tuesday 25th April 2024 in commemoration of World Malaria Day, and it seeks further to scale up vaccine deployment in the African region. Over 30 countries in the African region have shown interest in the vaccine, and several of them are scheduled to roll it out in the next year with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The Republic of Congo has announced an epidemic of Monkeypox (mpox) after 19 cases were confirmed across five departments, including the capital Brazaville. Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It can occur in humans and other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. Mpox is a zoonosis, a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans, with cases often found close to tropical rainforests where there are animals that carry the virus. Evidence of monkeypox virus infection has been found in animals including squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, different species of monkeys, and others. The disease can also spread from humans to humans. It can be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects.

The shutting down of some pharmaceutical companies leaving the country coupled with the hyper inflation that has hit the country after the removal of fuel subsidy by President Tinubu administration, prices of malaria, antibiotics, anti-diabetes, hypertension drugs and other related products have soured leading to fears of increased mortality and reduced life expectancy among Nigerians.The danger has manifested more vicious as retail prices for the most commonly used medication in country have skyrocketed by at least 300 per cent in the last six months unchallenged. 

The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email. On Wednesday last week during a routine test, Nigeria's regulator recalled a batch of Benylin syrup, having found a high level of diethylene glycol in the product. Diethylene glycol is toxic to humans when consumed and can result in acute kidney failure, although there have been no reports of harm in the latest incident. The contaminant, alongside another closely related toxin, has been linked to the deaths of more than 300 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and Cameroon since 2022. However, there is no evidence that these incidents are linked to the new recalls.

In an effort to address the rising number of cancer cases in Nigeria, the Federal Government (FG) has announced plans to launch a comprehensive national cancer registry and data system. This was revealed by the Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Dr. Usman Aliyu during an interview with journalists in Abuja on Saturday. He said a centralized cancer registry is necessary, adding that lack of funding from government and private health centres has impeded its establishment.

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned the general public about the cough syrup, Benylin Pediatrics Syrup manufactured by Johnson & Johnson with batch number 329304 and manufactured in May 2021 due to expire this month, April 2024. The cough syrup was found to contain unacceptably high level of Diethylene glycol and caused acute oral toxicity in laboratory animals. In an effort to halt its circulation, the agency has recalled the product, which is a vital method of managing risks associated with an unhealthy/faulty product.

Medical doctors under the auspices of Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan in Oyo State have commenced a three-day strike over alleged assault on one of their members by relatives of a patient in the hospital. 

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down the Eziukwu Market, popularly known as Cemetery Market, in Aba, Abia State, following production and selling of dangerous fake beverages.

The acting Head, Media and Publicity, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Manji Yarling, has disclosed the collaboration of the Austrian and the Federal Government of Nigeria on Transport Infrastructure and other Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed in its safety audit report, incidences of sexual violence against children living in some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Benue State.

The Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Enugu State Chapter has threatened an industrial action over abduction of members in the state and the need for the State Government and security agencies to emplace measures to safeguard Medical and Dental Council workers in the State.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has introduced the Human Papilloma Virus, HPV, vaccine into its routine immunization system, to protect over 7.7 million girls between aged 9 to 14 years as part of Renewed Health Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.