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NAFDAC Explains Reasons For Strange Disease, Deaths In Kano

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NAFDAC Indomie ban

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says the strange disease in Kano State is caused by food poisoning through a flavoured drink.

The Director-General of the Agency, Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television programme.

Adeyeye described the incident as “very serious,” adding that investigations are still in progress.

“The Kano incident is a case of food poisoning with flavored drinks that has a chemical called Dansami. It is very serious because food poisoning resulted in diarrhoea, vomiting, and hospitalisation.

“Our zonal director, Pharmacist Gimba, is on top of this and our pharmacovigilance officers are also investigating what actually happened.

“We’re going to do a lot of testing in the lab to know the nature of this chemical that probably led to the food poisoning,” she said.

When asked if there is further information on the origin of the flavoured drink, the NAFDAC boss said she does not yet have details on its origin.

She said although the chances of recurrence are minimal, NAFDAC is yet to find out if it is a drink approved by the agency or an imported drink.

“But our pharmacovigilance is already there; so once we determine the cause, we’ll know what next to do in terms of arresting the culprit or bringing them to the office to know what is going on,” she said.

Speaking on chances of recurrence of the incident, Adeyeye said “The chances of recurrence are minimal. But we don’t even know whether the flavored drinks are smuggled. We sometimes find out that manufacturing is not approved by NAFDAC. So, we just have to find out whether this particular flavored drink was approved by NAFDAC.”

The has been a report of an outbreak of a strange infection in Kano with two persons feared dead and many others hospitalised.

The State Ministry of Health confirmed that the affected patients presented symptoms of haematuria which causes bloody urine or dark urine, fever, lethargy, and sometimes jaundice.

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Man Says He Will Not Send Children Away If DNA Test Shows They Are Not His 

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Akom on DNA tests

Amidst recent shocking discoveries from paternity DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (DNA) tests in Nigeria, a Nigerian father, Takema Akom Smith, has said he won’t give up his children if DNA test shows they are not his biological kids.

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Akom, who hails from Benue State took to his Facebook handle to express his position on the searing DNA test issue.

The post read, “I can not drive any of my children to go because DNA shows he or she is not my biological child, the bond between father and child has been established and I can’t let it lose.”

See Akom’s post below 👇

Sadly, recent studies have revealed that one in every four tested men turned out not to be the biological father of their child(ren) and ranks Nigeria as the second highest in paternity fraud.

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Woman Suffers Kidney Shut Down After Using Hair Straightener Cream

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Kidneys of woman shut down after using chemical hair cream straightener

A woman has suffered organ failure after using a hair straightener cream which caused her kidneys to shut down.

The woman, who was not named, felt nauseous and suffered from vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and back pain just after regularly using products with glyoxylic acid, according to Mail Online. 

The report gathered that she had no health problems before the treatments, but said she would also feel a burning sensation on her scalp whenever the chemicals were applied.

Doctors warned that glyoxylic acid and its derivatives like glycolic acid popular in ‘Brazilian’ and ‘formaldehyde-free’ hair straightening treatments, could seep through the skin into the blood and travel to the internal organs.

Once there, they could form crystals the doctors suggested which may stop the kidney from functioning correctly.  

In the case, revealed in the New England Journal of Medicine, the woman went for treatments three times at the same salon in June 2020, April 2021, and July 2022.

On the same day after each treatment, she was diagnosed with acute kidney injury, which is a sudden loss of function in the kidneys when they stop filtering water and waste products from the blood.

It was not clear how she was treated, but this may have included intravenous fluids and dialysis or being hooked up to a machine to filter the blood.

The woman, from Tunisia, had used a cream that contained ten percent glyoxylic acid. 

Doctors suggested glyoxylic acid damaged the kidneys because within the organs it was broken down into ‘elongated’ crystals which formed stones and stopped the organs from functioning properly.

Glyoxylic acid works by temporarily altering the structure of hair, allowing hairdressers to change frizzy hair to straight.

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SFH Partners Law Enforcement Agencies On Human Rights

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The Society for Family Health(SFH) has expressed its appreciation to law enforcement agencies in the country for its commitment in their partnership with the organization. 

The Managing Director of the Society for Family Health, Dr. Omokhudu Idogho expressed this in his goodwill message at a 3-day training workshop organized by SFH for the law enforcement officers held at Chatwell Hotel on Monday in Bauchi. 

The sensitization workshop focused on general health issues, gender diversity and human rights as they relates to the survival of the key populations.

The MD who was represented by Chief of Party, KP-CARE2 Project of the SFH, Mallam Abdulsamad Salihu said law enforcement agencies have shown serious commitment to  its partnership with his organization. 

He disclosed that the officers have been part and parcel of the organization’s activities over the years especially as it relates to public health programming,  HIV and AIDS service implementation and extraordinary general security provisions.

He said, “It is with no doubt that our gallant and prestigious law enforcement personnel are through considerable tests of their resolve by the significant increase in criminal activities on the country, especially because of the challenges with poverty, inflation, banditry and insurgency

The SFH CEO concluded that, “we also know that over 200 million Nigerians rely on the law enforcement agencies for their security and livelihoods, many of which are also supported by SFH.”

In his address, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police,  CP Auwal Mohammed Musa disclosed that gender inequalities are not new concepts but that their pervasiveness has brought them to international focus. 

He pointed out that the police force as an institution is a major stakeholder in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, guided by its mandate to maintain peace and uphold fundamental rights to freedom. 

The police boss further explained that every individual deserves safety and respect, but that the scourge of rape and defilement are curbed, and that women and girl child and boys can live their lives free from fear, intimidation and harassment. 

He expressed hope that the training program would facilitate a smooth police service delivery and improve the areas of gender sensitivity in the Force.

In his speech, the Zonal Commander of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA), Zone B, Idris Mohammed Bello thanked the Society for Family Health for its commitment on confronting the HIV menace over the years and the benefits therein.

The NDLEA boss expressed his belief that participants will leave the training better equipped to stem the problem due to the increased knowledge they will acquire from the training. 

Bello also informed that this was the second time he would be attending the Society for Family Health sensitization training for officers with his strong belief that the participants will live with the takeaway and even impact the knowledge on others.

Other agencies in attendance at the training include the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC), Hisbah Corps, representatives of the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), heads of State AIDS Control Agencies(SACAs) and representations  from KP-led Community-Based Organizations(CBOs) among others.

The training attracted officers from the North West and North East regions comprising Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba and host Bauchi states.

About 40,000 vulnerable individuals receive care from the project with support from the United States Agency for International (USAID) and the Nigerian government.

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Sleeping In Freshly Painted Room Can Cause Respiratory Disease, Cancer – Pulmonologists

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Pulmonologists and public health physicians have warned that sleeping or staying for just a few minutes in freshly painted rooms less than 48 hours after exposes people to some hazardous chemicals that can cause respiratory diseases and various types of cancer.

They hold that, volatile organic chemicals found in paints might irritate the lungs, leading to allergies, wheezing, and shortness of breath.

The experts, however, said not everyone will have such symptoms from being exposed to freshly painted fumes, and that not all paints include organic chemicals but there is a need to apply caution.

According to a health website, Healthline, most paints have some level of volatile organic chemicals also known as VOCs, which are released into the air as gases, solids or liquids.

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It noted that VOCs include; toluene, xylene, acetone, formaldehyde, and benzene.

A study published in an open journal found that higher levels of a specific type of VOC called propylene glycol and glycol ethers lead to a greater likelihood of conditions, such as asthma, eczema, and rhinitis.

A professor of Public Health at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Tanimola Akande explained that fresh paint has some toxic effects particularly if it is gloss paints, stressing that it can pose several hazards to humans.

He explained, “Those that are asthmatic may rapidly get attacks from perceiving the smell emanating from paints. Fresh paint can pose several hazards to humans due to the release of volatile organic compounds and other chemicals into the air. These chemicals can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, as well as cause headaches and dizziness

“It’s important to ensure proper ventilation when painting indoors and to follow safety guidelines provided by paint manufacturers to minimize these risks.

“Newly painted houses have volatile organic compounds and chemicals in the form of gases in them. Such gases are hazardous to the health.”

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Man Recovering After Pig Kidney Transplant

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A 62-year-old man is said to be recovering well and should leave hospital soon, after getting a new kidney from a pig that was genetically modified to reduce the risk of the organ being rejected after the transplant.

US surgeons say Rick Slayman is a “real hero” for trying the pioneering operation.

The ultimate hope is to use animal organs for more transplants.

Pig kidneys have been put into brain-dead people before as a test.

The four-hour surgery, performed on 16 March, “marks a major milestone in the quest to provide more readily available organs to patients”, Massachusetts General Hospital said in a statement.

Mr Slayman had a human kidney transplant at the same hospital in 2018 after being on dialysis for seven years before that, because his own kidneys were not working properly.

Five years later, the transplant failed and he had to go back on dialysis in May 2023.

His prospects were not looking good, say his doctors – getting the dialysis to work was difficult since his blood vessels had been repeatedly used for it many times, hence the option of the pig kidney transplant became a viable option.

He encountered recurrent dialysis vascular access complications, requiring visits to the hospital every two weeks for de-clotting and surgical revisions, significantly affecting his quality of life, his doctors explained.

Mr Slayman said he weighed up the pros and cons and decided to go ahead with the pig kidney transplant: “I saw it not only as a way to help me, but a way to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive.”

There is a chronic shortage of human donor organs for people who need them. Animal donors might help solve that. Heart transplants from pigs to humans have been tried recently too. Pig organs are a good match for people when it comes to size.

The special pig kidney used for the transplant was provided by eGenesis of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The animal had been genetically edited to remove genes that could be harmful to a human recipient and to add certain human genes to improve compatibility.

Mr Slayman is still taking anti-rejection drugs though, and it is not clear for how long his new kidney will function. This is unchartered territory.

One of the pig kidney transplant team, Dr Tatsuo Kawai, said: “Our hope is that this transplant approach will offer a lifeline to millions of patients worldwide who are suffering from kidney failure.”

Source: BBC

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Top Robotic Surgeon Joins Services Of Kelina Hospital

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Kelina hospital

One of Nigeria’s leading facilities in nephrology and kidney management, Kelina Hospital has announced the arrival of world-class robotic and laparoscopic surgeon, Dr Njinou Ngninkeu Bertin in the services of the hospital.

A statement made available to GWG.ng on the phenomenal development that is expected to further strengthen its position in the management and treatment of kidney issues said:

“This is to inform the Medical Community and General Public in Nigeria that Dr Njinou Ngninkeu Bertin, a World Class Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgeon from Paris, France, has joined the services of Kelina Hospital Lagos, in March 2024, to provide routine Laparoscopic surgery, including Radical Prostatectomy (LRP) for prostate cancer.

“Dr Bertin has done over 2,000 robotic and laparoscopic prostate cancer surgeries worldwide.

“Kelina Hospital does Minimally Invasive Surgery routinely. We have done 360 Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) in the last 5 years. We also do laser lithotripsy and PCNL for kidney stones, laparoscopic surgery for gallstones, appendix, hernia, laparoscopic surgery for uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts and other precision surgeries.

“You may wish to take advantage of this opportunity rather than travelling abroad for a procedure we do locally in just 2 hours. Our patients eat their food the same day and go home after just 2 days following Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.”

GWG.ng reports that medical consultations are available at Kelina Hospital, located at 7 Ologun Agbaje Street, off Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island.

Further details are available at the hospital’s website www.kelinahospital.com

09120338755, 09120338737

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I Am Getting Well, Princess Catherine Speaks After Cancer Revelation

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Princess Catherine cancer

The Princess of Wales, Princess Catherine says she is in the early stages of cancer treatment, an announcement that has further brought focus on the health issues of the Royal family.

In a video message, she says the news came as a “huge shock” and her family had experienced “an incredibly tough couple of months”

Catherine, 42, says it has taken time to “explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis … and to reassure them that I am going to be OK”

“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance,” she says as she thanks well-wishers

She says her major abdominal surgery in January was successful. Tests later found cancer had been present

King Charles, who himself is being treated for cancer, says he is “so proud” of his “beloved” daughter-in-law’s courage

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Kate has shown “tremendous bravery” and has the “love and support of the whole country”

GWG.ng reports that the news that Princess Catherine has cancer is expected to tamper many of her royal duties. Princess Catherine is the wife of Prince William, the Prince of Wales who is the next in the line of ascendancy to the English monarch.

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Surgeons Successfully Transplant A Pig Kidney Into A Man

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Pig kidney transplant man

A groundbreaking medical feat has occurred at Massachusetts General Hospital, showcasing a significant breakthrough in transplant medicine and xenotransplantation after the transplant of the kidney of a pig into a man.

Richard “Rick” Slayman, a 62-year-old individual, underwent a pioneering procedure where he received a genetically modified pig kidney. This revolutionary operation has the potential to transform the landscape of organ transplants in the future.

The successful transplantation of the pig’s kidney into a human marks a major milestone in addressing the critical shortage of human organs available for transplantation. With over 100,000 people on the national transplant waiting list, the majority requiring kidneys, this achievement offers hope to countless individuals in need.

Each year, thousands of lives are lost while waiting for a transplant, highlighting the pressing need for alternative solutions to mitigate the organ shortage crisis.

The utilization of genetically modified pig kidneys signifies significant progress in overcoming the historical challenge of immune rejection, a major hurdle in xenotransplantation endeavors. Previous attempts at animal-to-human organ transplants failed due to immune system rejection. However, this operation demonstrates the promise of genetically modified pigs whose organs are more compatible with the human body.

Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, the transplant surgeon, is optimistic about the pig kidney’s functionality, expecting it to last at least two years. While there’s a possibility of kidney failure, the success of this surgery paves the way for further advancements in xenotransplantation research and development.

The entire surgical procedure lasted four hours, and Rick Slayman is currently recuperating well. This achievement represents a significant step forward in the quest to address the critical shortage of transplantable organs and offers hope to countless individuals awaiting life-saving procedures.

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Delta State Govt Confirm Outbreak Of Lassa Fever

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The Delta State Government has confirmed about four cases of Lassa fever in the state.

The State’s Commissioner of Health, Joseph Onojaeme, who spoke to newsmen in Asaba on Friday, March 22, listed the affected local government areas as Okpe, Oshimili North, Oshimili South and Ndokwa East.

According to him, Emergency Operation Center, EOCs, have been set up across the state to monitor the situation and ensure residents are aware of what is going on.

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“In week 12, we have four confirmed cases so far recorded with a fatality rate of 50% though the general fatality rate for Lassa fever is 1 – 15% so we are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that we curtail the transmission from patient to health workers and from patients to relatives,” the commissioner disclosed.

He said the government is doing a lot of advocacy to especially to health workers, and sensitisation of residents to have a high index of suspicion when they see those cases.

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Onojaeme added that the state government is working closely with Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo State, and has been able to get test results in less than 24 hours, as against what was commonly obtainable which was within the range of 72 hours.

The State Epidemiologist, Dr Mildred Igumbor said one case of Lassa fever is an outbreak hence all hands should be on deck to ensure the elimination of the disease.

She explained that Lassa fever is spread through contact with the urine of rats on foods and urged residents to ensure rats don’t get in contact with their food so that they don’t contract the disease.

Igumbor stated that the Isolation Center in Federal Medical Center Asaba has the capacity for isolation and management of confirmed cases, and if there is a need for referrals, they would be transferred to Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo State.

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