Author: Helen Okechukwu

Barely a few hours since the Rivers State chairmanship and councillorship electoral process began on Saturday, the environment has remained peaceful as party agents gave accolades to the electoral body and security personnel. The election is scheduled across 23 Local Government Areas (LGA), 319 wards and 4,442 polling units in the state, conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). At various registration centres and polling units, ad-hoc staff, voters, including observers, were seen present while strategic areas remained deserted. The election, which was supposed to be conducted on 9 August, was later postponed to 30 August due to…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that more than 409,000 cholera and acute watery diarrhoea cases, including 4,738 deaths, were reported in 31 countries between 1 January and 17 August 2025. WHO on Friday issued a warning of a very high risk of spread noted that conflict, floods and weak health systems fuel outbreaks. According to the global health organisation, about six countries have recorded fatality rates above 1%, pointing to poor access to timely care. Resurgent outbreaks in Chad and the Republic of Congo, alongside ongoing epidemics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Sudan, are…

The Kenya government has underscored the central role of nutrition in achieving Vision 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063, stressing that proper nutrition is essential for health, productivity and economic growth. This was disclosed via the Kenya Ministry of Health social media page on Friday. Speaking during a Media Roundtable Breakfast on Nutrition Advocacy in Nairobi, Veronica Kirogo, Head of the Division of Nutrition and Dietetics at the Ministry of Health, said that nutrition must be fully embedded in the country’s development plans. The meeting, organised in partnership with the Global Alliance for Improved…

The Child Protection Network (CPN) has taken a major step toward safeguarding vulnerable children in Sokoto State with the inauguration of a technical working committee to drive the implementation of an alternative child care policy. State Coordinator of CPN, Mr. Usman Ahmad-Suka, said the initiative targets children in orphanages, shelters and other homes outside their immediate families, many of whom face neglect, poor feeding, inadequate schooling and lack of essential support. He explained that the committee would champion the policy already drafted by the organisation, which is awaiting the governor’s approval, and expressed confidence that it would improve the welfare…

The Rivers State Anti-Quackery Committee has intensified its clampdown on unlicensed medical operators, sealing no fewer than 72 health facilities and arresting 12 individuals since it commenced operations. Committee chairman and Director of Medical Services, Dr Vincent Wachukwu, told journalists in Port Harcourt recently that the arrests have led to ongoing investigations and, in some cases, prosecutions. According to him, quackery remains widespread despite repeated raids by the state government. “We have sealed about 72 hospitals and arrested 12 persons in connection with quackery. If you also recall there was a hospital that was sealed sometime ago in Oyigbo that…

Children in England will, for the first time, be offered a free vaccine against chickenpox from January 2026, in what ministers are calling a major step to strengthen childhood immunisation. The move means the varicella jab, currently available only privately at around £150, will be included in the NHS childhood vaccination programme and given as part of a new four-in-one injection protecting against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV). The combined shot will be administered at 12 and 18 months, replacing the existing MMR schedule. Health officials expect the rollout to cover about half a million children annually, sparing families…

A new global assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has found that one in four people worldwide remain without access to safe drinking water, despite progress in recent years. This was contained in documents shared to press men on Tuesday while nothing that the report, Progress on Household Drinking Water and Sanitation 2000–2024: special focus on inequalities, was launched to coincide with World Water Week 2025. It highlights that 2.1 billion people continue to rely on unsafe sources, with 106 million drawing directly from rivers, lakes, and other untreated surface water. Sanitation…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the circulation of falsified batches of Postinor-2, a popular emergency contraceptive pill. In a public notice released on Friday, 22 August, the agency confirmed receiving a report from the Society for Family Health (SFH), the authorised marketing company, disowning the affected batches. According to NAFDAC, the counterfeit products were identified after a careful review of packaging details which revealed spelling errors and discrepancies in the verification stickers. While the original pack carries the correct spelling and a visibly larger font on its verification sticker,…

More than half a million people in England are now living with a confirmed dementia diagnosis, the highest number on record, as the NHS rolls out new home monitoring technology to help patients stay safe and supported. Figures released by NHS England show that 506,549 people are now living with a confirmed diagnosis, up from 490,163 recorded at the same point last year. Health leaders say the milestone reflects growing awareness, earlier detection, and more families seeking medical support. In response to the rising demand, NHS hospitals are increasingly turning to new technologies designed to help patients remain at home…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a criminal network at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, after uncovering how its members planted illicit substances on unsuspecting Nigerian pilgrims who later faced detention in Saudi Arabia. Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, flanked by the Director of Assets and Financial Investigation, Dr Abdul Ibrahim, and the Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo, confirmed that six members of the syndicate, including its ringleader, 55-year-old Mohammed Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, were in…