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…

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…

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…

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…

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…