Major health stories last week

Africa needs family planning – Report

Booming population will become a problem for Africa by 2050 if the continent does not begin to seriously promote family planning, a report has warned.

African population is beginning to overstretch the low infrastructural facilities in the continent, leading to mass migration to European countries, the report released last week stated.

To slow down population explosion and poverty rate in the continent, it urged Africans to shift toward wanted births, or even reduce early births by improving women’s knowledge and access to contraceptives.

10 million cases of TB recorded in 2017 – WHO

An estimated 10 million people worldwide developed Tuberculosis (TB) in 2017, and the world is far from ending the epidemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) report said.

The WHO recorded 6.4 million cases of TB officially, but estimates the number of people who developed the disease was as high as 10 million due to underreporting and underdiagnosis.

Cases of TB were reported in all countries and age groups, but two-thirds of cases were in eight countries: India, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and South Africa.

Cholera kills 61 in Yobe

The Yobe State Government has confirmed 906 fresh cases of cholera with 61 deaths and 50 others still on admission in hospitals across the state.

Muhammad Kawuwa, the Commissioner for Health, said Acute Water Diarrhea (AWD) cases were reported in some parts of the state and later confirmed to be cholera after laboratory tests.

According to him, 906 cases were recorded in six local government areas: Gujba, Gulani, Damaturu, Fune, Potiskum and Nangere in two months.

More Nigerians have access to cell phones than toilets – UNICEF Official

An official of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says more people have access to cell phones in Nigeria than they have access to toilets.

Quoting a 2018 report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Chief of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), UNICEF, Zaid Jurji, said 140 million people in Nigeria have cell phones, while only 97 million have access to improved sanitation.

Mr Jurji who spoke at the European Union Niger Delta Water Project, in Port Harcourt, said the sanitation sector in Nigeria is severely under resourced, as sanitation is only 19 per cent of WASH budget.

He added that only 39 per cent Nigerians use an improved toilet that is not shared by more than one household.

NAFDAC seizes cartons of Tramadol, Diazepam from Lagos warehouse

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) operatives raided a Lagos warehouse and seized controlled drugs, such as Tramadol, valued at N105.6 million.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Moji Adeyeye, explained that the operatives raided a transit warehouse at Ijora Ororo, Lagos State and discovered 187 cartons of assorted Tramadol, with a range of 120mg, 200mg and 225mg doses.

More than 49 cartons of Diazepam (another controlled drug) concealed amongst household items including but not limited to bicycle, used tyres and printers were also seized.

“The seized products, valued at N105.65 million have been evacuated from the transit warehouse for necessary action and further investigation,” she said.

Stroke severity reduced in those who walk regularly – Research

New research supports the idea that light to moderate physical activity, such as walking and swimming, could reduce the severity of strokes.

A study of nearly 1,000 individuals who had stroke found that those who had been doing 4 hours per week of light or 2–3 hours each week of moderate activity had less severe strokes than those who had not been exercising.

The researchers defined light activity as walking at normal pace and moderate activity as brisk walking, swimming, and running.

The study author, Katharina Sunnerhagen of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said while exercise benefits health in many ways, the research suggests that getting in a small amount of physical activity each week may have a big impact later by possibly reducing the risk of stroke.

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