Nigeria Records 453 Deaths, 7,202 Diphtheria Cases

The Federal Government has recorded 453 deaths and 11,587 suspected cases of diphtheria in the country with 7,202 confirmed cases from 105 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 18 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This comes as the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate reportedly established a national emergency task team. A breakdown of the figure showed that Kano State accounted for 6,185, Yobe (640), Katsina (213), Borno (95), Kaduna (16), Jigawa (14), Bauchi (8), Lagos (8), FCT (5), Gombe (5), Osun (3), Sokoto (3), Niger (2), Cross River (1), Enugu (1), Imo (1), Nasarawa (1) and Zamfara (1).

Diptheria: FG Sets-Up Emergency Taskforce

The Federal Government (FG) through the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has set-up an emergency taskforce to curb the spread of diphtheria in the country according to a press statement issued on Thursday by Pate’s Special Assistant on Media and External Relations, Tashikalmah Hallah.

MDCAN Issue FG 21-day Ultimatum, Threaten Strike

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government over non-universal implementation of CONMESS for all medical and dental doctors irrespective of the agencies of the government they represent.

Ogun Government Raises Alarm Over Cholera Outbreak

Ogun state government has raised alarm over the outbreak of cholera in Ijebu North Local Government Area of the state. It was reported that four persons have lost their lives to the disease in the LGA. In a statement on Sunday signed by Tomi Coker, Special adviser to the governor on health, the state government asked residents to report any familiar cases of frequent stooling and vomiting. The government also requested residents to be wary of the types of foods and drinks they consumed.

These Habits Could Add 24 Years To People’s Lives – Study 

A new study involving reports from more than 700,000 U.S. veterans theorised that people who adopt the undermentioned healthy lifestyle habits by middle age can expect to live substantially longer than those with few or none of these habits. These habits include: being physically active, avoiding smoking, properly managing stress, being free from opioid addiction, having a good diet, not regularly binge drinking, having good sleep hygiene, and having positive social relationships. According to the results, men who have all eight habits at age 40 would be predicted to live an average of 24 years longer than men with none of these habits. For women, having all these healthy lifestyle factors in middle age was associated with a predicted 21 additional years of life compared to women with none of these habits.

Nasarawa Govt. Commences HPV Vaccination Against Cervical Cancer

Nasarawa State government has disclosed its plans to administer a free cervical vaccine to girls between ages nine and 14 years to protect them from Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This was revealed by the Executive Secretary, of Nasarawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NAPHDA), Dr. Mohammed Addis, at a stakeholders meeting, yesterday, in Lafia the state capital. The chairman, who was represented at the occasion by the Programme Manager of, the State Emergency Routine Immunisation Coordination Centre, Ismaila Oko, explained that Nasarawa was among the 16 states in the country selected for the first phase of the vaccination. He noted that the vaccine had been procured already and stored in the state for onward distribution to various centres.