Health

NLNG, on Thursday, commissioned a state-of-the-art modern laboratory complex at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), reaffirming its commitment to improving access to quality healthcare across the country. The milestone is part of the company’s flagship Hospital Support Programme (HSP), an ongoing initiative aimed at improving Nigeria’s medical infrastructure and enhancing healthcare delivery nationwide. The commissioning is coming after a recent opening of a neonatal ward and intensive care unit at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba by the Company. The new facility, the tenth in the list of completed projects, is outfitted with advanced diagnostic technology, significantly boosting the hospital’s capacity for accurate and timely diagnosis. The laborator...

Source: Realnews By Ono Yima The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has intercepted and uncovered expired non-alcoholic beverages valued at N35 million in Kaduna State, reports News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday in Kaduna, Andrew Tamanuwa, Deputy Director, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate at the NAFDAC Kaduna Office, disclosed that the interception followed a tip-off from a concerned citizen. According to Tamanuwa, the informant alerted NAFDAC on Sunday evening about two buses and a golf wagon loaded with expired beverages heading toward Kwanar Dangora in Kiru Local Government Area of Kano State. "Upon receiving the tip, our investigation and enforcement operatives acted swiftly. The vehicles were...

By Ali Elias According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a diphtheria outbreak has been confirmed in Edo State, with two recorded deaths and at least five confirmed cases. The development has prompted swift action from state health authorities and international partners. Dr Cyril Oshiomhole, Edo State Commissioner for Health, announced the outbreak on Tuesday in Benin City during an emergency response meeting attended by representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other public health stakeholders. “This is a serious cause for concern,” Oshiomhole said, warning of the potentially severe and life-threatening nature of diphtheria if not promptly treated. Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection that primarily affects the nose and throat. In ...

Image source: Wikipedia By Ali Elias The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has recorded a major breakthrough in HIV prevention, announcing that fewer than one per cent of babies born to HIV-positive mothers enrolled in its care have contracted the virus—a success rate comparable to international standards. This was revealed on Tuesday by Professor Oliver Ezechi, Director of Research at NIMR, during the institute’s monthly media chat in Lagos, an event designed to brief the public on current research milestones. According to Ezechi, over 7,000 women have participated in NIMR’s Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme nationwide, with 5,717 of them delivering their babies at NIMR’s health facility. Remarkably, in the past four years, no HIV-positiv...

By Ali Elias The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a dire warning about the escalating burden of breast cancer, with cases projected to increase by 38% globally by 2050. This alarming trend, highlighted in a new report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), also predicts a 68% rise in annual deaths from the disease. Published in Nature Medicine on Monday, the findings indicate that if current trends persist, the world will witness 3.2 million new breast cancer cases and 1.1 million related deaths annually by mid-century. “The burden will be disproportionately felt in low- and middle-income countries, where access to early detection, treatment, and care remains limited,” the report warns. According to Dr. Joanne Kim, an IARC scientist and co-author o...

photo credit: Realnews By Ali Elias The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has affirmed its commitment to safeguarding public health following reports of a Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreak in China and other regions. In a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja, Dr. Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC, outlined the agency's proactive measures to address any potential threats.  Dr. Idris emphasized that while the World Health Organization (WHO) has not classified HMPV as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the NCDC is closely monitoring global developments in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.  “Nigeria’s National Influenza Sentinel Surveillance (NISS) system has not detected any ...

By Ali Elias Following our report, Doctor Allegedly Harvests 13-Year-Old Boy’s Kidney During Surgery, Police Complicit, Father Cries Out For Justice, we received what appears to be an earlier statement outlining the Enugu State Government’s efforts to clarify the allegations surrounding the-now-15-year-old Chidera Nnamdi. Investigations revealed the boy was born with only one kidney. In the statement, Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, shared findings from credible medical facilities, refuting the claims and exposing the role of quack practitioners in the initial procedure. The government, she emphasized, is committed to ensuring justice and has offered further investigations at any facility of the family’s choice. Below is the full clari...

By PR In furtherance of its war against cancer, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), along with its partners - TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria Limited, SAPETRO, CNOOC, and PRIME 130 - has inaugurated a cutting-edge mammography centre at the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia, Nasarawa State.  The centre, which is the second – one Mammography Centre had earlier been commissioned at Garkida General Hospital, Gombi Local Government Area, Adamawa – along with the series of free cancer screening programmes by the NNPC Foundation, is part of a strategic push by NNPC Ltd to improve access to early cancer detection and treatment to tackle the high mortality rate in Nigeria.   Speaking at the commissioning of the facility, the Chief Upstream In...

Determining nationality in this situation isn’t as straightforward as one might think. Since planes travel over different countries and cross many borders, it can be tricky to decide if the baby belongs to the country where the plane took off, the country it’s flying over, or even the country where it lands. Different countries have different rules for assigning nationality, and not all of them apply the same way when a birth happens on an aeroplane. Let’s break it down. The basics of nationality for babies born on planes When a baby is born on the ground, their nationality is usually decided based on where they’re born or their parents’ citizenship. But in the sky, things aren’t so simple. Here are the main ways a baby’s nationality might be determined if they’re born on a pla...

BY PR The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC Ltd) through NNPC Foundation, its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, is set to launch a free cancer screening campaign to address Nigeria's rising cancer cases The campaign tagged “Cancer Awareness and ZSX Screening” will provide, not just free cancer screening to indigent Nigerians, but also health education, workshops, and consultations with healthcare professionals aimed at empowering individuals to recognize early symptoms, adopt preventive health measures, and better understand the importance of regular screenings.  The campaign which will be organised in collaboration with local health authorities and expert healthcare providers is targeted at reaching about 3,000 individuals across the six geo-political zo...