Diabetes threatens Nigeria's population, DICOMAG warns

CONCERNED about the growing population of people living with diabetes in Nigeria, the Diabetes Control Media Advocacy Group, DICOMAG, has called for urgent measures to stem the tide.

Speaking on the 2019 World Population Day, the Trustee Chairperson of DICOMAG, Dr. Afoke Isiavwe, said diabetes could become a serious threat to the nation’s population in the next few years if urgent steps are not taken to address the growing spread. 

Isiavwe noted that the steady increase of the global population, which stands at approximately 7.7 billion people, has made diabetes, also increasing at an alarming rate,  a major health issue that should be in focus.

"Currently, no fewer than 425 million persons live with diabetes worldwide. In Nigeria, it is estimated that nearly 4 per cent – 11 per cent of the population, about 4 million people, live with the condition.

“The prevalence is however higher than figures often quoted because it is known that nearly a half of all people with diabetes don’t know they have it, thus missing the opportunity for early detection and necessary treatment needed to reduce the dangerous complications often associated with diabetes.

“It is also known that 80 per cent of type 2 diabetes mostly suffered by adults could be prevented while 70 per centy of deaths among adults are largely due to behavior initiated during adolescence.

"The major aim of the World Population Day is to focus attention on the consequence of population issues and how it affects overall development plans and programs. In particular, this year's edition calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development thus stressing the need for leaders, policymakers, grassroots organizers, institutions and individuals to help make reproductive health and rights a reality for all.

 "DICOMAG however believes that with its alarming increase in all parts of Nigeria, like elsewhere in the world, diabetes may soon become a population issue if urgent steps are not taking to address the current an unacceptable high burden of the disease.

 “We therefore call on governments at all levels on this occasion of World Population Day to step up measures towards the control of diabetes in the country.

 "Such measures will include preventive measures such as public screening for early signs ofdiabetes, public enlightenment,  effective control measures such as scientific guidelines fordiabetes treatment and prevention, access to medications and test kits for people living with the condition, among others.”

Kalenga resigns over Ebola response in DR Congo

Oly Ilunga Kalenga visiting an Ebola clinic in Butembo, DR Congo, in March.

 

JOHN WESSELS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Oly Ilunga Kalenga, erstwhile minister of health of DR Congo  resigned Monday in  protest of takeover of the country’s Ebola response by President Félix Tshisekedi. In a letter, Kalenga, 59, alleged there were hidden plans to deploy an experimental Ebola vaccine  to battle the year-long EBV outbreak.

Since August 2018, the DRC has recorded more than 2500 cases of Ebola and, among them, more than 1700 deaths.

He had been Minister since January 2017. He wrote that Tshisekedi’s decision to remove him from heading the country’s Ebola response was made without his knowledge while he was supervising the response in the city of Goma, DRC, where a first Ebola case was diagnosed 14 July.

“As a result of your decision to oversee the response to the Ebola epidemic, and because I anticipate that this decision will inevitably lead to a predictable outcry, I submit to you my resignation as Health Minister,” Kalenga stated in the letter.

He said his ministry had communicated daily on the situation in the ongoing outbreak “to reassure and show the world that the country is managing this epidemic, thus preserving its reputation and preventing negative socioeconomic effects on the impacted regions.”

In his letter, Kalenga attacked efforts to launch trials of an experimental vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson in the country. A Merck & Co. vaccine is already in use in DRC.

 Tshisekedi’s administration had announced that direct supervision of the Ebola response was being placed with a team of experts under the direction of Jean Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, Director-General of the DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research (NIBR) and a microbiologist at the University of Kinshasa’s medical school. Tamfum has studied Ebola and responded to outbreaks for more than 40 years.

The change in leadership came days after the World Health Organization declared the DRC outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, welcomed the move as a bold decision to change strategy and bring the Ebola response under direct supervision.

. “The [Merck] vaccine currently used in the context of this epidemic is the only one that has shown efficacy,” Kalenga wrote, and it does so within 10 days. “It is fantastical to think that the new vaccine being recommended (with two doses administered 56 days apart) … could have a determinative effect on the epidemic that’s now underway,” Kalenga wrote. He charged that those proposing the use of the J&J vaccine “have shown a clear lack of ethics by intentionally hiding important information from the health authorities.”

​WHO assists Nigeria to contain Lassa fever outbreak

The  World Health Organization is scaling up its response to outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria, which has spread to 17 states infected up to 450 people between 1 January and 4 February 2018. 

 No less than 132 cases  are laboratory confirmed Lassa fever with 43 deaths reported, 37 of which were lab confirmed. 

A statement from WHO said among those infected are 11 health workers, four of whom have died.

"The acute viral haemorrhagic fever is endemic in Nigeria but for the current outbreak the hot spots are the southern states of Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi. 

  “The high number of Lassa fever cases is concerning. We are observing an unusually high number of cases for this time of year, ” said Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alemu, WHO Representative to Nigeria.

 The Agency  is advising national authorities on strengthening infection, prevention and control practices in healthcare settings. 

With the increase in the number of cases, WHO initially donated personal protective equipment to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and to the affected states and procured laboratory reagents to support the prompt diagnosis of Lassa fever. 

The WHO is deploying international experts to coordinate the response, strengthen surveillance, provide treatment guidelines, and engage with communities to raise awareness on prevention and treatment.

 Since the onset of the outbreak, WHO Nigeria deployed staff from the national and state levels to support the Government of Nigeria’s national Lassa fever Emergency Operations Centre and state surveillance activities.  

The WHO is helping to coordinate health actors and is joining rapid risk assessment teams travelling to hot spots to investigate the outbreak.

 The agency observed that healthcare workers caring for Lassa fever patients require extra infection and control measures, including the use of personal protective equipment to prevent contact with patients’ bodily fluids.

NCDC launches 5-yr plan for disease control, prevention

Towards ensuring the prevention and control of diseases of public health importance in Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has launched her strategy and implementation plan for 2017-2021. 
The document detailing the strategy was launched in Abuja at an event tagged “Idea To Reality”, as a platform to closely monitor and support the work of the NCDC.

National Coordinator/CEO of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the new strategic plan seeks to create a strong vision for the NCDC underpinned by clearly defined principles and supported by well-articulated implementation and delivery plans.

“Under the mandate of the current leadership of the NCDC, activities started in late 2016 to collaboratively develop a 2017–2021 strategic plan, incorporating a new vision and mission to guide activities.

Ihekweazu said the Agency now has a new vision entitled: ‘A healthier and safer Nigeria through the prevention and control of diseases of public health importance’.

“This cascades into a mission Statement, which is further broken down into five key strategic goals with defined outcomes, 22 objectives and 89 corresponding activities for the 2017–2021 horizon.

“In addition, a performance management structure has been instituted to oversee and coordinate the execution of the multiple initiatives, as well as evaluate the progress made towards achieving the strategic goals.

“Our vision is to build the confidence of Nigerians and the global community in the NCDC in our preparedness to protect the health of citizens through information, inclusion and timely response to health concerns.

“We are ready to take on the task ahead, working in partnership with the Nigerian people. We assure you that we will give all it takes to strengthen our contribution to improving public health in Nigeria. Thank you for supporting taking our Idea to reality,” he noted.

The NCDC is Nigeria’s national public health institute with the mandate to provide a healthier and safer Nigeria through the prevention and control of diseases of public health importance.

It is focused on protecting the health of Nigerians through evidence based prevention, integrated disease surveillance and response activities, using a one-health approach, guided by research and led by a skilled workforce. 

In Nigeria, infant mortality drops but child malnutrition rises

Infant mortality rate has dropped to 70 per 1000 live births from 97 in 2011 in Nigeria according to the 5th Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS5), conducted in 2016 and 2017. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), UNICEF and other key partners  officially released the survey results that showed that deaths among children under age five have also dropped to 120 per 1000 live births from 158 in 2011. 

But the MICS5 showed that malnutrition among children under age five has worsened nationwide with the highest concerns in northern states. Child wasting (children who are too thin for their age) increased from 24.2% to 31.5%, while child stunting (children who are too short for their age) increased from 34.8% to 43.6%.

The results showed Nigeria has  not kept pace with population growth since 2011 when the last survey was conducted.

MICS5 is a recognised and definitive source of information for assessing the situation of children and women in the areas of Health; Nutrition; Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH); Education; Protection; and HIV & AIDS amongst others – in Nigeria as well as in other countries where it is carried out. The findings of the survey are used for planning, monitoring and decision making on programmes and policies to address issues related to the well-being of children and women in Nigeria.

“The use of this new MICS5 data will improve the lives of Nigerians by informing about important gaps that are impacting children and women so that appropriate actions can be taken”, said Pernille Ironside, Acting Representative for UNICEF in Nigeria. “It is not about data for the sake of data”, she added.

Since 1995, UNICEF has supported the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), with technical assistance and funding to conduct five rounds of MICS, informing progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other major national and global commitments. The data for MICS5 was collected between September 2016 and January 2017 from 33,901 households in 2,239 enumeration areas across the 36 States and Federal Capital Territory. A total of 34,376 eligible women; 28,085 of mothers/caregivers of children under 5 years; and 15,183 men were interviewed using structured questionnaires aided by Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) devices.  This is the largest MICS survey conducted in Africa to date.

Five Nigerian States commit to address reproductive health needs of urban poor

TOWARDS achieving the National 36 per cent Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) 2018 target, five Nigerian States, Ogun, Kano, Delta, Bauchi and Niger,  have signed a letter of commitment with The Challenge Initiative (TCI) Nigeria, for implementation of The Challenge Fund Catalytic Grant.

The move is aimed at providing technical and financial assistance in implementing successful high impact family planning  interventions in the states.

Following a demand-driven self selection process, the grant is aimed at providing technical and financial assistance to the states in implementing successful high impact Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) family planning proven interventions.

The Challenge Initiative is  implemented globally by the Gates Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and in Nigeria by the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programs (JHUCCP).

TCI is built on the success of the pioneering Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) which contributed to increased CPR (average of 11.5 percentage points) in six cities (FCT, Ibadan, Ilorin, Kaduna, Benin, and Zaria).

It encourages states to invest in family and implement proven strategies and model such as NURHI to contribute to the achievement of the national family planning goal of 36 per cent mCPR by 2018.

In a statement, TCI said it  will work with the State Government through the State Ministry of Health, State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and other relevant Departments and Agencies of the states to implement the grant with the states in the drivers seat at the forefront of executing the grant and TCI providing light touch technical support.

The award will fund planned activities targeted at ensuring improved social norms in favour of family planning; expanded and continuous availability of modern contraceptives; improved Quality of Contraceptive Care (Family Planning Services) as well as documenting improvements in supply, all aimed at improving uptake of Family Planning services amongt underserved urban poor using the NURHI evidence based, high impact approach.

It is to encourage states to invest in family and implement proven strategies and model such as NURHI to contribute to the achievement of the national family planning goal of 36 per cent mCPR by 2018.

With the challenge fund, these states are set to ensure the necessary shift in Family Planning/Child Birth Spacing programming at the structural, service and community levels.

The self selected States, through the Ministry of Health and the benefiting Local Government Areas have committed to provide enabling environment and leadership to the successful implementation of the proposed activities through an efficient, cost effective and result oriented manner. This “business unusual” model of grant strengthens sustainability by warranting states to fulfill their commitment for counterpart financing and in-kind resources to accomplish approved work plans.

“The Challenge Initiative offers a unique approach because interested Nigerian cities self-select to participate in the Initiative and bring their resources to the table in order to leverage significant resources and be able to provide high quality family planning and reproductive health services to those in need," said Dr Mojisola Odeku, Portfolio Director of JHUCCP Nigeria country projects.

According to Odeku, “With the Challenge Initiative, this set of grantees will be able to meet the growing demand for voluntary family planning, particularly among the urban poor, and break the cycle of poverty. Family planning and reproductive health gives women, families, and communities a brighter future.”

Program Manager, TCI Nigeria, Dr. Victor Igharo, said the Initiative will continue to provide to self selected to adapt the NURHI model or any slice of the model for change.

For states to achieve the National 36 per cent Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) 2018 target, they need robust plan to improve access to voluntary Family Planning/Child Birth Spacing – a key component of reproductive health that has proven to have transformative impacts on communities and countries to promote health and prosperity. 

Family planning information and services reduce maternal mortality by 30 per cent, while giving women, men, couples and young people the opportunity to choose whether and when to have a child, space births, and prevent unintended pregnancy – unlocking their future opportunities and improving their overall quality of life.

Nigeria has demonstrated  commitment to family planning with the National Blueprint for Family Planning in 2014, which aims to achieve a National CPR of 36 per cent by 2018, to reposition the Family Planning/Child Birth Spacing programme on its investment agenda and to ensure all women of reproductive age (15-49) have unhindered access to modern family planning/child birth spacing methods of their choice.

In November 2016 at the national family planning conference in Abuja, Minister of Health, Prof. Adewole,  committed Nigeria to contributing $3 million per year and that for 2017 the sum would increase to $4 million yearly.

Poor living conditions fueling monkeypox spread, says Envision

Monkeypox pustles on the face of a young child

Humanitarian organisation, Envision Global Care Foundation wants the Nigerian government to improve the living condition of the less privileged to prevent epidemic disorders such as Monkeypox that is rapidly spreading in the country in recent times.

Speaking in Abuja, President of the Organization, Mr Jerry Ikogho, observed that the less privileged groups are more vulnerable to disease outbreaks due to their poor living condition, access to good medical care and other environmental hazards. 

Calling for concerted effort by all institutions to ensure the virus is contained, Ikogho commended the prompt response of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) noting that Nigeria had reached a stage where vaccines needed for prevention and drugs for treatment of such disease should be readily available and distributed.

He urged the NCDC to be more proactive towards prevention by increasing awareness on the disease at rural communities as well as Internally Displaced Person’s camps.

According to the Foundation’s Programme Director, Diana Eyo-Enotte: “We are happy that the NCDC is coordinating investigation and response across the affected states through active case finding, epidemiological investigation and contact tracing.

"However we should see it that the swift spread of the virus to seven states in less than a month means that Nigerians are not properly educated about the virus and how it spreads, most of which are due to body contact attributed to environmental and poor living condition of the people.

“At this point monkeypox should be declared a serious medical emergency and the government must pay full attention to it by providing both human and financial resources to contain its spread,” she added

Envision also urged the Federal government to pay more attention to the health needs of the poor by making access to medical care easier, cheaper and better.