Author: Helen Okechukwu

Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has called on Nigerians to practice and promote clean environmental habits to prevent breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The wife of Tinubu made this call on Friday through her Media Aide, Busola Kukoyi, while marking the 2025 World Malaria Day (WMD). “We should also ensure that our environment and surroundings are clean and free of stagnant water, which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” she said. Celebrated every April 25, this year’s theme is “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite.” She said it’s time to recall that malaria is not just a public health challenge…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines calling for urgent action to stop the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), especially its growing “medicalization” — where health workers themselves are carrying out the harmful procedure. FGM involves cutting or injuring parts of a girl’s private parts for non-medical reasons. It is usually done to young girls before puberty and is considered a serious “violation of human rights.” WHO says that even when health workers perform FGM, it still causes harm and can sometimes be even more dangerous. According to WHO, around 52 million women and girls have undergone…

The Lagos State Government has taken a big step toward improving sanitation and waste management by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Messrs. Phasur Green Energy. This new partnership will help boost the State’s wastewater management system. According to the Lagos State Wastewater Management Office, the agreement will tap into Phasur Green Energy’s expertise to make better use of wastewater. One of the company’s key plans is to turn dewatered sludge into biogas — a move that supports a cleaner environment and a circular economy. Read Also: Lagos boost environmental sustainability through collaboration, innovation  This partnership is part of…

To ensure that residents of Ojudu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) have access to clean water, the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC), in partnership with WaterAid and Armani Beauty, has embarked on the rehabilitation of the Akilo Micro Waterworks. In a post shared on Friday via the Lagos State Government (LGS) Facebook page, it was noted that the initiative aims to provide quality water to over 100,000 residents. The agency described it as a significant milestone in expanding clean water projects to underserved areas. Additionally, the LWC revealed that rehabilitation works at Adiyan I, Iju, and Akute, as well as the…

A large-scale study has uncovered a worrying link between metabolic syndrome — a cluster of health conditions like high blood pressure and high blood sugar — and an increased risk of developing young-onset dementia, a form of the disease that strikes before the age of 65. Published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, the study tracked nearly 2 million Koreans aged 40 to 60 over an 11-year period through the country’s National Health Insurance Service. Researchers found that those with metabolic syndrome were 24% more likely to develop dementia than those without the condition. Read Also: WHO warns of rising dementia cases…

Global immunization efforts are teetering on the edge as vaccine-preventable diseases resurge and health systems face unprecedented pressure. Marking World Immunization Week slated to run between 24 April to 30 April, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and Gavi—the Vaccine Alliance—issued a stark warning: misinformation, population growth, humanitarian crises, and significant funding cuts are endangering decades of progress and leaving millions vulnerable. Outbreaks of diseases like measles, meningitis, and yellow fever are rising dramatically, says WHO document shared on Thursday to journalists. Once-controlled illnesses, including diphtheria, are threatening to re-emerge, further straining health systems already battered by post-pandemic recovery challenges.…

To prevent health complications and mortality, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a warning against the consumption of Zovirax IV Infusion 250mg RN3T following a recall in Hong Kong. The manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Limited, made the notification voluntarily after receiving a complaint from its branch in Taiwan that batch RP8K contained glass-like particles. This was made via Nigeria’s anti-drug agency’s verified X account on Tuesday, stating that although the product was not listed in the NAFDAC database, it urged importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare providers, and patients to remain vigilant. “As a precautionary measure,…

The Lagos State Government has revealed that three hospitals, located in Ojo, Lagos Island, and Ketu-Ejirin, will be commissioned in the next twelve months as part of efforts to halt the brain drain among doctors and the japa syndrome. With over 33,000 doctors needed in the state, the Commissioner for Health Services, Prof. Akin Abayomi, noted that the state is left with 7,000 doctors to serve a population of 20 million people, which is below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended patient ratio of 1:200. During a chat with newsmen while marking Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second year of his second…

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Kano State government have renewed commitment to eradicating polio, targeting no fewer than 4.1 million children for vaccination across the state. The commitment was made on Tuesday in Kano during a media dialogue on polio and routine immunisation, held ahead of the 2025 World Immunisation Week, says News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Speaking at the event, the State Immunisation Officer, Sa’adatu Ibrahim, said the immunisation week is part of efforts to sustain Nigeria’s polio-free status and prevent resurgence of the virus. Mrs Ibrahim said the target is to reach every child with…

After Nigeria was declared polio-free on June 18, 2020, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm over the outbreak of polio in Kano State and eight other states. While speaking with government officials and development partners in Kano on Tuesday, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office, Rahama Farah, explained that the outbreak was due to low routine immunization coverage, especially in high-risk areas. According to Farah, the variant poliovirus in circulation is type 2 (cVPV2), revealing that in 2024, Nigeria recorded 83 cases of cVPV2, describing it as a threat to the country’s efforts in eradicating the virus.…