NCDC rules out Ebola in two suspected cases in Adamawa

By Precious Dipe

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has ruled out Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in two suspected cases in the North Eastern State of Adamawa after two rounds of laboratory testing returned negative results, confirming that the Federal Capital Territory remains the only location with a laboratory-confirmed case in Nigeria.

The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Saturday night, saying the two individuals were identified in Yola after presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola.

According to him, the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre received the report in the early hours of October 30, prompting an alert and the activation of appropriate public health measures.

Idris said the suspected cases were immediately isolated, while samples were collected for laboratory investigation to establish the cause of their illnesses.

He explained that the NCDC was working closely with the Adamawa State Government, through the Ministry of Health and Human Services, to investigate the cases and strengthen response operations.

Commending the state Commissioner for Health and his team for their proactive response, the NCDC chief assured that the agency would continue to provide technical support to the state.

He reiterated that the previously confirmed case in the Federal Capital Territory remained Nigeria's only laboratory-confirmed Ebola case to date.

The NCDC urged Nigerians to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified reports or speculation, advising the public to rely on official government and public health communication channels for accurate information.

It also warned that Ebola is a serious infectious disease requiring early detection, prompt clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

Idris advised anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following possible exposure, to seek immediate medical attention and disclose relevant travel or contact history to healthcare workers.

He cautioned against self-medication and urged the public to follow the advice of healthcare professionals.

The NCDC said it would continue to monitor the situation in collaboration with the Adamawa State Government and other relevant stakeholders, promising to provide further updates as verified information becomes available.

AMR: Lagos art exhibition targets public awareness, behavioural change

By David Comix

As antimicrobial resistance threatens to render life-saving medicines ineffective and make once-treatable infections harder to cure, about 15 Nigerian artists are turning to paintings, music, drama and interactive experiences to mobilise public action against the growing health threat.

The artists will showcase their works at Microbe Madness 2.0, an initiative of Art for Health Initiative scheduled for November 18 in Lagos, as part of efforts to make the dangers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) more understandable and inspire behavioural change.

The event, tagged Microbe Madness 2.0, is being organised by Art for Health Initiative in collaboration with the DRASA, Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art and BNL Healthcare. It will hold at CEP Entertainment and Media Hub, Lekki Phase 1, under the theme, “One Action for Our Future.”

The initiative comes amid growing global concerns over antimicrobial resistance, a major public health threat that occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites develop resistance to medicines designed to treat infections, making treatment increasingly difficult and, in some cases, ineffective.

The development threatens the effectiveness of essential medicines, increases the risk of complications from infections and could undermine routine medical procedures, including surgery.

Founder of Art for Health Initiative, Chidera Aneke, said the event was designed to make the AMR conversation more accessible by using creativity and storytelling to connect public health concerns with people's everyday decisions.

“Protecting the future of medicine requires a collective effort. Everyone has a role to play, and our contribution is to make health information accessible through art, creativity and innovative storytelling,” Aneke said.

She added that the organisers hoped participants would leave with practical steps they could take to help preserve the effectiveness of medicines.

“Art has a way of carrying messages across generations. We want people to enjoy the experience, connect with the stories and leave with one action they can take to protect our shared future,” she said.

The event will feature an art exhibition, animation, drama, music and interactive games designed to stimulate conversations around AMR, infection prevention and responsible medicine use.

A dedicated mental health corner will also showcase artworks produced during the organisation's “What We Carry” workshop, extending the event's engagement to emotional wellbeing.

According to the organisers, Microbe Madness is part of the initiative's sustained efforts to address AMR, one of its key public health priorities. The Lagos edition builds on the inaugural event held in Enugu in 2024.

The November 18 event coincides with the opening of World AMR Awareness Week, which runs from November 18 to 24, and comes ahead of Nigeria's hosting of the Fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR in Abuja from December 6 to 8, 2026.

The organisers said the Lagos gathering would provide an opportunity to take the AMR conversation beyond health institutions and policy discussions into the wider community, highlighting the role individuals can play in preventing infections and safeguarding the medicines needed by future generations.

Journalists, creatives, health professionals, students, community members and prospective partners are participating.

Nigeria identifies 2 fresh suspected Ebola cases

NCDC isolates patients, begins contact tracing as laboratory tests commence

By Seun Greeners

Nigeria has identified two new suspected cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the North-East, raising fresh concerns over the country's efforts to contain the deadly infection following the confirmation of an imported case in Abuja.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) disclosed this in its Ebola Situation Report update, October 31, 2026, confirming that both individuals had been isolated while contact identification and listing were underway.

Laboratory investigations are also being conducted to establish whether the suspected cases are indeed Ebola infections.

However, the agency cautioned against interpreting the development as confirmation of additional Ebola infections, stressing that the classification of the individuals as suspected cases does not mean they have tested positive.

The NCDC did not disclose the states where the two suspected cases were identified, their travel histories or possible sources of exposure.

The development comes barely 11 days after Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade, involving a 42-year-old foreign woman who tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus in Abuja on October 20.

The woman, who had travelled to Nigeria from Uganda through Ethiopia, was subsequently isolated and treated before being medically evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 following a formal request from her country.

In its October 29 Ebola situation report, the NCDC disclosed that 62 contacts linked to the confirmed case had been identified and were under monitoring.

The agency also reported no new contacts identified and no symptomatic contacts in the preceding 24 hours. One suspected case reported in Enugu State had tested negative.

It is not yet clear whether the two newly identified suspected cases in the North-East have any epidemiological connection with the Abuja case.

Meanwhile, the NCDC has urged Nigerians to maintain good hand hygiene, practise enhanced sanitation and follow guidance issued by public health authorities.

The agency assured the public that further updates would be provided as verified information becomes available.

Nigeria to recruit 100,000 community health workers by 2028

...As Africa's plans recruitment of 2m frontline health workers by 2030

By David Comix

Nigeria has committed to recruiting 100,000 salaried community health workers by 2028 as African leaders launch an ambitious continental plan to employ two million frontline health workers across 51 countries by 2030, in a major push to expand access to primary healthcare.

The commitment was announced in Abuja on Friday at the launch of the Community Health Programme Continental Acceleration Plan 2026–2030, formally inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The plan seeks to address Africa's shortage of frontline health personnel, strengthen primary healthcare systems and improve access to essential health services, particularly in underserved communities.

Speaking at the event, Shettima said community health workers were indispensable to achieving universal health coverage, citing their roles in identifying maternal health risks, reaching unvaccinated children, collecting household health data and detecting disease outbreaks.

He called for their legal recognition, regular remuneration, adequate support and equitable deployment, stressing that primary healthcare could not be sustained without a properly supported community workforce.

Shettima disclosed that Nigeria would require an estimated 315,000 community health workers by 2030, adding that the Federal Government was working to bridge the shortfall through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.

Under the initiative, the government plans to revitalise more than 17,000 primary healthcare centres, train 120,000 frontline health workers and employ 100,000 salaried community health workers by the end of 2028.

He also called on African governments to reduce their dependence on external funding for community health programmes by strengthening domestic financing, adopting nationally owned implementation plans and providing dedicated budgetary allocations.

Providing a continental perspective, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa CDC, said the two-million-worker target builds on an African Union commitment made in 2017, which has so far been achieved by just over half.

The agency estimated that Africa would require $4.3 billion annually to meet the target, projecting that every dollar invested could generate up to $19 in economic and social benefits.

It identified Nigeria's commitment to employing 100,000 salaried community health workers as an important contribution to the continental ambition.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, commended President Tinubu for approving Nigeria's hosting of the high-level forum, describing the initiative as significant to strengthening community health systems and advancing primary healthcare delivery across Africa.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, represented by the ministry's Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment to strengthening primary healthcare and expanding the community health workforce under the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.

In her remarks, Kachollom acknowledged the contributions of the African Union Commission, Africa CDC, development partners and other stakeholders, stressing that sustained investment, effective partnerships and coordinated implementation would be critical to translating the plan's ambitions into improved health outcomes.

Tinubu serves as the African Union Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership.

NRHJN mourns Niger State Coordinator, Habibah Alabura

By Admin

The Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria (NRHJN) has been thrown into mourning following the death of its Niger State Coordinator, Hajia Habibah Dauda Alabura.

Alabura, a staff member of Niger State Television, was described by the network as a committed journalist, passionate advocate of reproductive health and a dependable colleague whose contributions would be sorely missed.

In a condolence statement signed by its National President, Mrs 'Yinka Shokunbi, and National Secretary, Alhaja Sekinah Lawal, NRHJN said her death was a painful loss to the organisation and the wider health journalism community.

The network recalled her dedication to duty, her support for colleagues and her efforts to raise awareness of reproductive health issues, particularly through her leadership in Niger State.

"Her passing leaves a huge vacuum not only in NRHJN but in the broader health journalism community and the media profession," the statement said.

NRHJN extended its condolences to her family, friends and colleagues at Niger State Television, as well as members of the network, praying that Almighty Allah forgives her shortcomings, accepts her good deeds and grants her Aljannatul Firdaus.

The organisation also prayed for strength for her family and loved ones to bear the loss.

Nigeria ratifies African Medicines Agency treaty

By Seun Greeners

Nigeria has deposited its instrument of ratification of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty, becoming the 34th African Union member state to do so in a major step towards strengthening medicines regulation and pharmaceutical development across the continent.

The development was announced by the African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Ambassador A. Twum-Amoah, at the ongoing inaugural African Medicines Agency Week in Kigali, Rwanda.

The event, holding from October 25 to 30, 2026, brought together medicines regulatory authorities from across Africa, representatives of Regional Economic Communities, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Union and other international development partners.

Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, attended the conference alongside the Director of the Central Drug Control Laboratory and the Special Assistant to the Director-General.

Reacting to Nigeria's ratification, Adeyeye said the development reinforced the country's commitment to protecting public health, combating substandard and falsified medical products, promoting pharmaceutical innovation and strengthening local manufacturing.

She said Nigeria's position as Africa's most populous country and one of its largest pharmaceutical markets made its participation particularly significant to efforts to establish a coordinated and harmonised regulatory framework for medicines and other medical products.

According to her, ratification would also deepen cooperation between NAFDAC, the African Medicines Agency and other national and regional regulatory institutions.

Adeyeye, however, stressed that the achievement must translate into practical action through sustained institutional collaboration, regulatory capacity development, information sharing, scientific cooperation and effective implementation of the treaty.

She said the success of the AMA would ultimately depend on its ability to ensure that Africans have access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines, adding that the maturity and capacity of national regulatory agencies would be critical to achieving that objective.

" Nigeria's ratification is therefore not merely a diplomatic or legal achievement; it is a significant investment in Africa's health security, pharmaceutical sovereignty and sustainable development," she said.

The African Medicines Agency is expected to strengthen regulatory coordination across the continent, improve access to quality medical products and support the development of Africa's pharmaceutical industry.

Scientists remove extra chromosome linked to Down syndrome

By Precious Dipe

Japanese researchers have successfully removed an extra copy of chromosome 21 from human cells associated with Down syndrome, raising the possibility of a new approach to tackling the genetic condition.

The researchers, from Mie University in Japan, used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to eliminate the additional chromosome responsible for Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21.

In the laboratory experiment, the team achieved chromosome removal in up to 37.5 per cent of tested cells under specific experimental conditions, offering evidence that gene-editing technology could potentially be used to correct abnormalities involving entire chromosomes, rather than individual genes.

The study, published in PNAS Nexus in 2025, investigated an approach known as trisomic rescue, in which cells with three copies of chromosome 21 are converted to cells with the usual two copies.

The findings showed that cells from which the extra chromosome had been removed exhibited improvements in gene expression, cell growth and other biological functions, suggesting that correcting the chromosome abnormality could reverse some of its cellular effects.

Down syndrome is a genetic condition caused by the presence of an additional copy of chromosome 21. The extra genetic material alters normal development and can lead to intellectual disability, characteristic physical features and a range of associated health complications, including congenital heart defects and hearing and vision problems.

The latest findings could mark an important development in chromosome engineering, as most existing gene-editing approaches focus on correcting or disabling individual genes rather than removing an entire chromosome.

However, the breakthrough remains at the experimental stage. The researchers performed the work on cells in the laboratory, not in living human beings. Questions surrounding unintended genetic damage, chromosome stability, editing efficiency and the safe delivery of the technology into human tissues must still be addressed.

The findings do not represent a cure for Down syndrome, nor do they establish that chromosome removal could safely reverse the condition in an affected person.

Nevertheless, the research opens a new avenue in the investigation of chromosome abnormalities and the possibility of developing future interventions targeting the underlying genetic changes.

Source: Hashizume, R., et al. (2025). Trisomic rescue via allele-specific multiple chromosome cleavage using CRISPR-Cas9 in trisomy 21 cells. PNAS Nexus, 4(2), pgaf022.