The Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that 40 confirmed cases were recorded out of the 830 suspected cases nationwide on Friday. The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, revealed this during the Joint NCDC/World Health Organisation National Mpox briefing with stakeholders and partners in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu has approved a National Policy on Health Workforce to transform Nigeria’s healthcare and reintegrate Diaspora professionals to the healthcare sector. This was disclosed in a statement by Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate.
The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, in Ekiti State, has urged President Bola Tinubu to implement import duty and value-added tax (VAT) waivers on drugs and other medical consumables to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for Nigerians. In a communique issued after its 27th annual general meeting, the NMA also urged the President to implement the newly increased capitation rates of the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA, and to strengthen the scheme to ensure broader coverage for Nigerians in the pursuit of Universal Health Coverage. Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti over the weekend, its newly elected state chairman, Dr. Oreyemi Ifedayo, stated that such a policy would not only help reduce the spate of sudden deaths among Nigerians but also create a more conducive environment for health practitioners in the country.
In its 2024 Global AIDS Report, "The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads," the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) outlined intentions to exterminate HIV/AIDS by 2030. UNAIDS stated that in order to attain the objective of eradicating AIDS as a public health concern, Nigeria and other low- and middle-income nations must see an increase in yearly investments in HIV interventions.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun Area 1 Command, has called on the general public to avoid the consumption of smuggled frozen poultry products due to health implications from experts. The command’s Comptroller, Mr James Ojo, gave the warning during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) today in Ota, Ogun state.
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have pledged to intensify efforts to combat growing malnutrition and polio in Nigeria. At a meeting in Lagos, the collaboration was reinforced by Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME), as the three organisations vowed to leverage their expertise and influence to protect children. UNICEF’s Nutrition Manager, Prosper Dakurah, noted the need for states to provide counterpart funding to access Child Nutrition Fund (CNF). This fund is crucial in the fight against malnutrition, which threatens approximately nine million children under five years in Nigeria. “Without urgent action in 2024, UNICEF estimates approximately nine million children under five years will suffer from moderate and acute malnutrition,” Dakurah warned. CNF is a financing mechanism to support sustainable policies, programmes and supplies to end child wasting. It is tailored to assist government-led efforts in countries with highest rates of child malnutrition. Dakurah noted while some states: Katsina, Jigawa and Plateau have committed funding: Adamawa, Ebonyi and Gombe are yet to do so. He urged these states to expedite their contributions, emphasising UNICEF would match any state’s counterpart fund. “You pay one dollar, you get additional dollar from CNF,” he said.
