SiWith high rate of children mortality faced in Nigeria, where report evidence that one in ten children dies before age five, a new initiative is showing potential to turn the tide on this long-standing public health crisis. The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has launched SARMAAN — Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance of Mass Administration of Azithromycin in Nigeria — to combat infant mortality using azithromycin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic. In…

A breakthrough by scientists at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity may have brought the world a step closer to a cure for HIV, after researchers found a novel way to force the virus out of hiding inside human cells. HIV’s ability to lie dormant within certain white blood cells has long been a formidable barrier to a cure. These “invisible” viral reservoirs evade both the immune system…

Bowel cancer, also called colorectal or colon cancer which usually start from the large intestine called the colon. It is the second deadliest cancer worldwide. Although the causes of bowel cancer is yet-to-be-identified, but reports evidence that lifestyle, diet, health conditions and family history could be the leading cause of bowel cancer. While it mostly affects older adults, cases are rising among younger people, particularly among people under 40. Early…

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday honoured Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates with the national award of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). The recognition, presented in Lagos, celebrates Gates’ contributions to global health, innovation, and development, especially in Africa. Gates met with Tinubu and other leaders to support reforms in the primary healthcare system. He will also attend the “Goalkeepers Nigeria” event focused on Africa’s innovation…

The Ondo State Government has commissioned an upgraded Central Medical Store in a major move to improve drug quality and healthcare delivery across the state. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, at the commissioning event, emphasized that health remains a top priority of his administration. He described the upgraded facility as a “bold step” towards eliminating counterfeit and substandard drugs from the state’s supply chain. “It became imperative to upgrade the facility to…

The Abia government has issued a public health advisory following a reported outbreak of diphtheria in the neighbouring Imo. The information commissioner, Okey Kanu, announced the advisory on Monday while briefing journalists at the Government House, Umuahia, on the resolutions of the State Executive Council meeting, says News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Mr Kanu said the proximity of Imo made Abia vulnerable and restated the importance of preventive action to…

With over 8 million tobacco-related deaths recorded yearly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for global intervention to ban flavoured tobacco and nicotine products. WHO made this known while marking World No Tobacco Day. The WHO report showed how flavours like menthol, bubble gum, and cotton candy are making harmful tobacco products attractive to young people. These flavours mask the harshness of tobacco and make it harder for users…

Telehealth provider Hims & Hers announced on Friday that it will lay off 68 employees and about four per cent of its workforce as it responds to a recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban on mass-produced copies of the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy. The FDA’s ruling, which took effect on May 22, prohibits compounded versions of Wegovy, a drug developed by Novo Nordisk. Following the announcement, Hims’ stock…

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…

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,…

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…

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…