In Nigeria, Lagos NRHJN champions girls’ rights

 

International Day of the Girl 2023:

 By Sola Charles

 

In order to enable girls and women in Nigeria to reach their full potential both now and in the future, the Nigerian government has been given the mandate to give protection of their rights a high priority.

 Calls have been made for improved and sustained investment in the girl child in Nigeria towards the attainment of gender equality and girl empowerment in line with the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.

 The Lagos State Chapter of the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria, NRHJN, made the statement on the occasion of this year's International Day of the Girl, stating that girls in Nigeria will only reach their full potential if they are given the opportunity and empowerment to live healthy and fulfilling lives.

 The Network gave the government the duty of achieving objectives that would lead to justice, inclusiveness, an economy that works for everyone now, and a shared environment for future generations in a statement signed by the Lagos State Coordinator, Kikelomo Oduyebo, and the Assistant Secretary, Yesirat Apakala.

 “Every October 11, we join the rest of the world to raise awareness about gender inequality and advocate for girls' rights and empowerment, while focusing on addressing the challenges girls and young women face and ensuring their human rights are fulfilled.

“We fully align with this year's theme as selected by UNICEF: ‘Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being’ which focuses on acting to curtail girls' rights and gain progress on gender equality and equity.

 “The NRHJN Lagos chapter emphasizes the rights of girls to a safe, uncompromised, and healthy life during their formative years and as they mature into womanhood. Girls have the potential to change the world as empowered women, workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders, just to mention a few. We firmly believe that investment in realizing the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights and promises a more equitable and prosperous future.

 Calling for an unhindered achievement of gender equality and girl empowerment, the Network also advocated for an end to female genital mutilation. It forced child marriage arguing that schoolgirls must have access to quality education and a safe environment free of harassment, kidnapping, bullying, and defilement.

 “Our girls are our heroines, and the Lagos NRHJN will continue to encourage mothers to nurture their girl child in order to break down traditional, cultural, and religious stereotypes and barriers that have prevented girls from achieving their goals, as we encourage more girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

 “We will continue to support the government, schools, families, and other stakeholders in empowering the Nigerian girl by providing adequate and equitable educational and instructional resources that would lead to the eradication of all forms of sexual and gender-based violence against girls and women in the country.

 “Girls, and boys too, should be given equal opportunities to thrive in the family, schools, and society at large for a realistically inclusive society. There should be no compromise.”

Nearly 40 million children are dangerously susceptible to growing measles threat

Measles vaccination coverage has steadily declined. In 2021, nearly 40 million children missed a measles vaccine dose; 25 million children missed their first dose and an additional 14.7 million children missed their second dose, according to a joint publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

This decline is a significant setback in global progress toward achieving and maintaining measles elimination and leaves millions of children susceptible to infection.

In 2021, there were an estimated 9 million cases and 128 000 deaths from measles worldwide. No less than 22 countries experienced large and disruptive outbreaks. 

Declines in vaccine coverage weakened measles surveillance and continued interruptions and delays in immunization activities due to COVID-19, as well as persistent large outbreaks in 2022, mean that measles is an imminent threat in every region of the world. 

In the views of the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “The paradox of the pandemic is that while vaccines against COVID-19 were developed in record time and deployed in the largest vaccination campaign in history, routine immunization programmes were badly disrupted, and millions of kids missed out on life-saving vaccinations against deadly diseases like measles.

“Getting immunization programmes back on track is absolutely critical. Behind every statistic in this report is a child at risk of a preventable disease.”

The situation is grave: measles is one of the most contagious human viruses but is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. 

Coverage of 95 percent or greater of 2 doses of measles-containing vaccine is needed to create herd immunity in order to protect communities and achieve and maintain measles elimination.

 The world is well under that, with only 81 percent of children receiving their first measles-containing vaccine dose, and only 71 percent of children receiving their second measles-containing vaccine dose. These are the lowest global coverage rates of the first dose of measles vaccination since 2008, although the coverage varies by country.

The WHO notes that urgent global action is needed now that measles is a threat everywhere, as the virus can quickly spread to multiple communities and across international borders. 

No WHO region has achieved and sustained measles elimination. Since 2016, 10 countries that had previously eliminated measles experienced outbreaks and reestablished transmission.

In the views of CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, “The record number of children under-immunized and susceptible to measles shows the profound damage immunization systems have sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Measles outbreaks illustrate weaknesses in immunization programmes, but public health officials can use outbreak response to identify communities at risk, understand causes of under-vaccination, and help deliver locally tailored solutions to ensure vaccinations are available to all.”  

In 2021, nearly 61 million measles vaccine doses were postponed or missed due to COVID-19-related delays in immunization campaigns in 18 countries. 

Delays increase the risk of measles outbreaks, so the time for public health officials to accelerate vaccination efforts and strengthen surveillance is now. CDC and WHO urge coordinated and collaborative action from all partners at global, regional, national, and local levels to prioritize efforts to find and immunize all unprotected children, including those who were missed during the last two years.

Measles outbreaks illustrate weaknesses in immunization programs and other essential health services. To mitigate the risk of outbreaks, countries and global stakeholders must invest in robust surveillance systems. 

Under the Immunization Agenda 2030 global immunization strategy, global immunization partners remain committed to supporting investments in strengthening surveillance as a means to detect outbreaks quickly, respond with urgency, and immunize all children who are not yet protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. 

Scientists create male and female cells from one individual

By Sola Charles

Scientists have devised a tool that could generate XX and XY cells from a single person for the first time. This unique set of cells could help researchers tackle long-standing questions about how sex chromosomes affect disease and the role they play in early development.

Benjamin Reubinoff, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Hadassah Medical Centre in Israel, and his team began the project to overcome barriers facing investigations of sex differences in humans. 

Currently, there are two major ones, according to Reubinoff: the difficulty of separating chromosomal and hormonal effects and the inability to pinpoint the effects of X and Y chromosomes while ruling out contributions from the rest of a person’s genetic makeup. 

“The main reason for doing this study was the lack of a good model to study differences between males and females in humans. There have been animal models, but a model in humans was not available.”

To create such a model, Reubinoff, and Ithai Waldhorn and their colleagues first obtained white blood cells previously collected from a person with Klinefelter syndrome, a condition in which male individuals are born with an extra X chromosome. 

The cells came from the repositories of the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, where people donate samples for use in a wide range of biomedical research projects. 

The donor had a rare “mosaic” form of the condition, in which some of their cells had three sex chromosomes (XXY), some had two X chromosomes, and some had one X and one Y. The researchers reprogrammed all three cell types into induced pluripotent stem cells, which have the capacity to self-renew and develop into neurons, muscle cells or other cell types.

Ultimately the team generated XX and XY cells that—apart from their sex chromosomes—were genetically identical. The researchers then conducted a series of experiments replicating findings from prior studies with other models. They confirmed previously reported differences in genes that were turned on in XX or XY cells. 

They also coaxed their stem cells to develop into immature versions of neurons and found evidence of previously reported sex differences in early neural development. “It was reassuring to see that the model really shows differences between the sexes that were reported from other systems,” Reubinoff says. The story is published in Stem Cell Reports.

Bolanle Raheem: Women Ministry says killing is crime against humanity, as NRHJN seeks psychological tests for policemen

The late Mrs Omobolanle Raheem

By Sola Charles

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has described the killing of Lagos lawyer Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem, by a trigger-happy policeman in Lagos as a crime against humanity, even as the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria, NRHJN, has called for mandatory psychological tests for all policemen in Nigeria to determine their state of mental health.

In a statement condemning the killing, the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline K. Tallen, said all Nigerian women were demanding justice as a crime against one woman is a crime against all women.

Dame Pauline Tallen

Her words: “It is still unbelievable that a Police Officer who is supposed to be protecting lives has turned out to be a murderer.  How do we explain how an ASP attached to Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah, Lagos State pull a trigger at a vehicle with women and children resulting in the death of a female Lawyer Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem, on Christmas Day?

“As the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, we are still in shock and strongly condemn this dastardly act. We view it as a crime against humanity in all its ramifications. Nigerian women demand justice as a crime against one woman is a crime against all.”

 Tallen noted that although, the ministry was glad that the Inspector General of Police has condemned the unfortunate incident. Women were demanding stiffer penalties as a deterrent measure to forestall any such occurrence in the future. 

“While we are monitoring with keen interest the next line of action, we sympathize with the family of our sister at this time. This is indeed a great loss not only to her family and the legal profession but Nigerian women.”

 

NRHJN seeks psychological tests for policemen

In a related development, the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria, NRHJN, had called for mandatory psychological testing for all members of the Nigeria Police.

 In a statement, Mrs. Yinka Shokunbi and Mrs. Sekinal Lawal, President and National Secretary of the Network respectively, observed that even though the IGP has waded into the incident and ordered the speedy trial of all the men found culpable in the killing, it will be expedient that the Police conduct regular and periodic psychological checks within its rank and file.

Mrs Yinka Shokunbi

According to the Network, psychological testing of the police had become crucial as it is essential in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions and disorders.

 “It is disheartening and very unwarranted the gruesome killing of innocent lawyer and mother of one, Mrs. Bolanle Raheem by a policeman at Ajah, Lagos State on Christmas Day, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022. The death of Bolanle Raheem from a gunshot wound according to a news report is the second by the policemen from this same Ajiwe Police station, Ajah, Lagos within a month.

 “While the hierarchy of the Police has made arrests and sent the trigger-happy policemen behind the bars awaiting trial, members of the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria demand that the Nigeria Police Force does more than send such evil men behind the bars. Members of the Network cannot understand why a policeman would pull the trigger if mentally stable and balanced.”

Mrs Sekinat Lawal

 According to the Network, “The incessant killings of innocent men and women and youths by the disbanded SARS was what was responsible for the 2020 anti-SARS protest in the country in which several young people were killed and the nation is yet to heal from the aftermath that is seeing thousands of young people fleeing the country in the "Japa" syndrome. 

 “The country is now counting its numerous losses following the mass exodus of young professionals due to hardship and unwarranted killings by the policemen. The killing of a pregnant woman in the presence of her family on a day of joy is heartless, inhuman, unjust, and dastardly to say the least.

 “We demand that the IGP ordered for a thorough investigation of the Ajiwe Police station and the claims that the station is notorious and find a way to include regular medical checkups including psychological checks on all members of the police who interface with the public. Enough is enough before another ‘#ENDSARS’ happens!”

 The late Bolanle Raheem was shot dead on Christmas day around Ajah under a bridge in Lagos when a policeman among those who mounted roadblocks at the spot reportedly opened fire on the vehicle conveying the deceased and her family as they were returning from Church, killing Bolanle who was said to be pregnant at the time. Rather than save the life of the woman after the shooting, the policemen reportedly took to their heels

Nigeria must equalize access to essential HIV services, says NACA boss

By Sola Charles

On this year’s World AIDS Day,  the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, called for commitment towards ending AIDS by 2030.  

Director-General of the Agency, Dr Gambo Aliyu, argued that there was an urgent need to equalize access to essential HIV services, particularly for children, pregnant women, key populations and their partners and those who are often forgotten.

Aliyu stressed that the theme for this year, “Equalize to End AIDS: Equal Access to Treatment & Prevention Services’’, is clearly a call for action.

His words, “In Nigeria, we are moving closer and closer to our targets. We are certainly proud of the achievements we have made, working together with our partners. Today we have 90 percent of people who are HIV positive know their status, 98 percent of these are on HIV treatment and 95 percent of those on treatment have attained viral suppression.

“Having come this far, we must all now work together to address the inequalities which pose barriers to ending the epidemic.

“Despite the availability of free treatment services, as of today, we still have an unacceptable number of children, less than 15 years, living with HIV who are difficult to find and place on treatment.”

According to the D-G, “We need to equalize access to essential HIV services, particularly for children, pregnant women, key populations and their partners, and those in closed settings who are often forgotten. To do this, we must, in a consistent manner address and remove all structural barriers that impact negatively access to services. 

Explaining further, Aliyu said among specific strides made by Nigeria this year to address access issues include a PMTCT mapping to identify all places where women access delivery services in order to find all HIV-positive pregnant women.

“Based on the findings we are working toward expanding the points of service from the current 6,000 to about 40,000 locations identified in the mapping across the 36 states and FCT. Our aim is to find all pregnant women, test all, treat all and report all.

“In addition, to address some of the concerns in access for children, Nigeria has joined the Global Alliance to end AIDS in Children by 2030. The alliance is currently made up of 12 countries that are committed to building momentum to address gaps, mutual accountability, and galvanizing action for results.

“In this regard we will focus on the four pillars of the Alliance which are: early testing and optimized treatment for children, closing treatment gaps for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV, preventing and detecting new infections among adolescent girls and women, and addressing structural barriers that hinder access to services.

“As we step up, the fight to end AIDS, the Federal Ministry of Health, through NASCP, reaffirms its commitment to continue to push for programs and policies aimed at addressing inequalities to access to high-quality HIV testing and treatment services.

Calling on all stakeholders to work together to “Equalize”, Aliyu urged all concerned and partners to remain steadfast and join the drive to tackle stigma and discrimination, and other structural barriers that affect access.

 

Institut Pasteur de Dakar forms alliances to strengthen epidemic preparedness, response in West Africa

By Sola Charles

The Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) has partnered with the African Risk Capacity, ARC, AfriCatalyst, and the West African Health Organisation, WAHO, to strengthen outbreak preparedness and response to high-consequence infectious diseases in West Africa. The targeted diseases include Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, Meningococcal meningitis, Monkeypox, and other emerging pathogens of concern. 

A statement by the IPD said that the partnership will also evaluate the capacities for epidemiological surveillance and laboratory diagnostics for viral haemorrhagic fevers in the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.

Further, it will model the risk of new and re-emerging outbreaks and epidemics in the region and put in place epidemic contingency plans and countermeasures. 

As a WHO collaborating centre for arboviruses, the IPD will provide expert opinion to enhance the capacity of the programme to evaluate surveillance and laboratory capacities in the region.

It will also support the development of realistic outbreak scenarios deployed to prepare ECOWAS member states in their training and preparedness for response and national contingency plans.

The CEO, of IPD, Dr. Amadou Alpha Sall, noted: “The Alliance represents a unique partnership of leading African institutions with a global outlook that brings expertise in science, policy, governance, and finance to advance global public health security through epidemic intelligence and outbreak response. 

“As the project meets its goals, the Alliance will represent a critically important convergence of complementary expertise to promote health security in Africa and mitigate the risk of global threats spreading to and from the region.”

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer at AfriCatalyst, Daouda Sembene, noted: “We look forward to supporting the critical work being undertaken by ARC, WAHO, and IPD in the context of the Alliance to strengthen epidemic preparedness and response in our region. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the BMGF as we fulfill this unique responsibility.” 

United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and ARC Group Director General, Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, said ARC will continue to develop Outbreaks & Epidemics risk insurance products to enable early containment of epidemic-prone diseases and respond to acute public health emergencies.

The IPD is rising to the challenge of scaling new innovations, tools, and systems to contribute to the global effort to end epidemics and prevent pandemics. 

NGF, SCI seek stronger political support for breastfeeding in Nigeria

By Sola Charles

In continuation of their commitment to the survival and welfare of children, Save the Children International (SCI) and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) are seeking stronger political support for breastfeeding in Nigeria. 

Noting that breastmilk is a natural, free, accessible, and rich nutritious source of all valuable nutrients that save lives, and serve as a vaccine, the two bodies called on the government at all levels, and all stakeholders to promote, protect, support, and sustain breastfeeding-friendly environments for lactating mothers and their babies in the post-pandemic era. 

 Making the call on the occasion of the 2022 World Breastfeeding Week, SCI and the NGF stressed that health workers, professionals, and their professional associations should be key advocates for breastfeeding and play an important role in influencing political support.  

World Breastfeeding Week 2022 focuses on strengthening the capacity of different relevant actors; health workers and other structures at community levels that must take positive actions to promote, protect and support breastfeeding. It enhances child growth and development, increases their performance at school, improves immunity to withstand diseases, and savings from household income. 

"If breastfeeding were adopted at close to universal levels, in low- and middle-income countries, 823,000 child deaths could be prevented each year," SCI indicated in its report entitled “Nutrition Critical: Why we must act now to tackle child malnutrition (2020).”

Further, the body explained that breastfeeding would lead to global savings of $300 billion per year, as a result of enhancing human capacity – increasing intelligence, and boosting adult earning potential.  

The report further revealed that early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of life, alongside exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and complementary feeding until the age of two, is essential to child survival, health, growth, and development. 

Both the SCI and NGF expressed the belief that health workers, professionals, and their professional associations should be key advocates for breastfeeding and play an important role in influencing political support for breastfeeding in Nigeria.  

"Our organization has been in support of the full boarding of health and medical facilities at workplaces and in fact, as a proactive organization, we have a functional creche in our office where nursing mothers can keep their offspring and we recommend that all organizations should make provision for such to enhance baby/mother bonding without necessarily affecting their jobs adversely,’’ the Director-General of the NGF, Mr. Asishana Bayo Okauru noted in his statement.

On his own part, Mr. Famari Barro, Country Director, SCI, Nigeria observed: “Proper education of the mothers and their caregivers/support systems on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, can encourage them to practice it. All health workers, including health professionals and lay health workers, who come into contact with women, infants and families must be adequately trained to provide evidence-based breastfeeding support.” 

Already, the leadership of SCI and NGF are working together to support initiatives where health care workers and providers, community workers, and volunteers are adequately trained to provide breastfeeding counselling, correctly advise caregivers on child nutrition, and provide psycho-social support to pregnant women, women with infants and young children and adolescent girls, thus integrating Mental Health & Psychosocial support into all Mother Infant and Young Child Feeding (MIYCF) counselling. 

"We are also focused on ensuring pregnant women and caregivers of children less than two years of age benefit from social protection measures to support appropriate, respectful, and safe maternity services and recommended infant and young child feeding practices in Nigeria." 

Save the Children is a leading child rights organization headquartered in the UK with offices in over 120 countries around the world. Since it was founded 102 years ago, it has changed the lives of more than one billion children for the better. 

In Nigeria and around the world, SCI gives children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. SCI believes that every child deserves a future and we work every day including in
times of crisis to ensure the future of every child is secure. The organization works with partners to help governments identify and scale up innovations to ensure that children survive, learn, and are protected.   

The NGF is a coalition of elected Governors of the 36 States of Nigeria. It is the leading voice of Governors and a non-partisan policy hub dedicated to promoting good governance and development at the sub-national level.