Author: Helen Okechukwu

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has delivered relief materials and health equipment to victims of the flood that struck the Kpege area of Mokwa, Niger State. In a statement shared on Friday night, NEMA recalled that the incident occurred on Thursday morning. The flood, which affected the Unguwan Hausawa and Tiffin Maza neighbourhoods, has claimed over 100 lives, the statement noted. Many homes were destroyed, and residents displaced. Rescue operations are still ongoing. NEMA activated its Minna Operations Office and deployed technical personnel and equipment from its Abuja headquarters. Read Also: Seven Iraq-bound trafficking victims rescued by NAPTIP The government…

Joint health authorities have announced the expansion of the Health Security Partnership for more Africa nations.  The joint health partners include the World Health Organization (WHO), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). This partnership, which started in 2023 in six countries – The Gambia, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, and Tunisia – is now adding Rwanda in its second phase, which will run from 2025 to 2028. Although Africa faces more disease outbreaks than any other region in the world, the health organizations have witnessed progress in disease surveillance. Experts…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first official guidelines to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a major cause of serious lung infections in young children worldwide. RSV causes around 100,000 child deaths and over 3.6 million hospital stays each year, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Infants under 6 months are the most at risk. One of the new WHO position paper recommends is the maternal vaccine (RSVpreF)— given to pregnant women from week 28 of pregnancy to protect their babies through antibodies passed before birth. Another recommendation is the monoclonal antibody (Nirsevimab)—a single shot is…

The Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) has developed 23 new herbal medicines, surpassing its 2024 target of 11. The announcement was made by the agency’s Director-General, Prof. Martins Emeje, during a public accountability event in Lagos. Emeje, a professor of Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine, said the new remedies include treatments for diarrhoea, peptic ulcers, hepatitis B, sickle cell, diabetes, and immune boosting. He described the diarrhoea medicine as a key achievement, developed using nanotechnology and recognised at a national science competition. “Diarrhoea is a child killer disease,” he said, adding that the National Assembly allocated funds in the 2025…

A dramatic rise in bedbug populations over the centuries can be traced back to a pivotal shift in human behaviour, leaving caves to build cities, new scientific research said. Published in the journal Biology Letters, the study reveals that bedbugs have been parasitising humans for more than 50,000 years, but it wasn’t until the rise of early urban settlements around 12,000 years ago that their numbers began to soar. The Independent report noted that researchers found that bedbugs split into two distinct genetic lineages thousands of years ago: one that remained on bats and another that adapted to human hosts.…

The Federal Government has announced plans to establish eight advanced medical simulation centres across Nigeria to improve medical training and healthcare delivery. Speaking in Abuja during the inauguration of a 19-member Implementation and Monitoring Committee, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the centres would address the lack of simulation facilities in medical institutions. The committee is tasked with finalizing the project proposal, ensuring compliance with objectives, developing quality assurance measures, and working with selected institutions on implementation. Alausa said the initiative supports our vision to make Nigeria a hub of medical excellence. He also emphasized financial sustainability through inclusive…

In a major breakthrough, police operatives from the Rumuji Division of the Rivers State Police Command have neutralized a notorious kidnapper and murderer, David Kamalu, popularly known as M-Kaze. The police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko in a document shared on Thursday said the operation took place in the early hours of 25 May, at a suspected criminal hideout in Rumuodogu 1 Community, Emohua Local Government Area (LGA). The operation, which began at about 1:00 am, followed days of intelligence gathering. It was part of ongoing efforts by the police to dismantle criminal gangs in the state. According to police reports, officers…

Global COVID-19 activity is on the rise once more, reaching levels not seen since July 2024, according to recent data from sentinel surveillance sites. This was contained in the World Health Organisation (WHO) situational report shared to journalists on Thursday. The WHO reports that since mid-February 2025, the SARS-CoV-2 test positivity rate has climbed to 11 per cent, underscoring the need for continued vigilance. The increase in cases is being primarily observed in countries across the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific regions. This trend coincides with a shift in global variant patterns. While the prevalence of the LP.8.1…

20 million Nigerians, representing 20 per cent of the country’s population, live with mental health conditions. A report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicates. According to the WHO, mental health problem is a disorder characterised by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour.  It is usually associated with distress or impairment in important areas of functioning. There are many different types of mental disorders.  It may also be referred to as mental health conditions. The Secretary, Board of Trustees of the Nigeria-American Institute for Mental Health, Dr Azubike Aliche, said this at a mental health…

A fast-spreading cholera outbreak in Sudan has left at least 172 people dead and over 2,500 infected within just one week, according to the country’s health authorities. The epicentre of the outbreak is Khartoum and its twin city, Omdurman, although infections have been reported in several provinces nationwide. The spike in cases, which began in mid-May, is overwhelming a healthcare system already stretched thin by ongoing conflict and severe resource shortages. International medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported treating nearly 2,000 suspected cases in the past week alone. Joyce Bakker, Sudan coordinator for MSF, said the situation in…