Health

Covid-19: NPHCDA Deploys Moderna Vaccines To 29 States

Published

3 years ago

August 24, 2021

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), says the Moderna vaccines donated by the United State to step up efforts to battle a third wave of the Covid-19 have been deployed to 29 states.
The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, at the National COVID-19 vaccines briefing.
The Tide source reports that the donation was part of President Joe Biden’s promise to give 500 million vaccines to the world by the end of 2022.
The vaccines are brought in through COVAX, the international aid initiative that seeks to ensure global access to vaccines.
Shuaib said it was pertinent to state that the agency could not deploy the vaccines immediately after the NAFDAC certification because, unlike the Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna vaccine did not come with a complete barcoding.
The Tide source reports that a barcode, consisting of bars and spaces, is a machine-readable representation of numerals and characters.
There are two primary types of barcodes, linear and 2D. Linear and 2D barcodes serve the same purpose, however 2D barcodes can store more information in less area.
The NPHCDA boss said, “this is absolutely needed for us to be able to track and trace the vaccines. Nigeria was the first country to use track and trace, to monitor the movement and utilisation of the vaccine.
“At every point in time, we know where each vaccine vial is in the country. This takes a lot of time as it entails careful packaging, serialisation and follow up to the end user.’’
He said that any state the agency was sending the vaccines to was fully ready to receive them.
“Readiness here means that the state’s ultra-cold chain equipment is fully functional and able to store the vaccines at the required temperatures. Also, the states must have back-up storage facilities such as walk-in cold room, walk-in freezer or chest freezers with reliable 24-hour power supply”.
“Additionally, we require that the states have trained health care workers who will monitor the equipment and the vaccines.
“Now that the vaccines are in the states, we are counting on our governors to continue to provide the needed oversight and resources to ensure that these vaccines are secured and maintained in the required temperatures and that all eligible persons are mobilised to access the vaccines to protect themselves, their families and their communities against COVID-19,” he urged.
Shuaib said that for Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is a single dose, using the Geographical Information System (GIS) the agency had mapped out the hard-to-reach areas across all states, such as security-compromised, riverine, nomadic and border settlements, where these vaccines would be deployed for targeted vaccination.
“The reason for targeting these areas with the Johnson & Johnson is because of geographical constraints that make it difficult to reach the dwellers with the second dose after the first contact. Secondly, it removes the additional logistic cost for going to these communities twice.
“We have developed the necessary protocols to guide the states and ensure compliance with the distribution guideline for the vaccine,” he said.
According to him, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be used as the second dose for those who received their first dose during the first phase to ensure they are fully vaccinated.
“Consequently, the administration of AstraZeneca vaccine will commence on Aug. 25, and will close Sept. 5,” he said.
He, therefore, urged all those who received their first dose prior to July 8, to visit a designated vaccination site from Aug. 25 to Sept.5, to receive their second dose and become fully protected against virus.
He noted that as the country received more supplies, it would then open it up for those who might wish to take their first dose.
Shuaib said that the initiatives the agency had introduced in the second phase of the vaccination rollout and subsequent phases was the Primary Healthcare services Integration (PSI), also known as the “whole of family” approach.
“This means that when you visit a health facility for your COVID-19 vaccination, you will be given health talks to improve your knowledge of the vaccine and vaccination and if you are 40 years and above, you will have the opportunity to check your blood pressure and be assessed for the risk of diabetes.
“Similarly, children aged zero to 12 months will be screened for malnutrition and vaccinated against childhood diseases such as measles, yellow fever, hepatitis and polio. If you need further medical attention, you will be referred to the appropriate hospital for additional analysis and treatment,” he explained.
He called on every person aged 18 years and above, who had not been vaccinated to visit any of the agency’s vaccination sites to receive their first dose of Moderna vaccine.
Also speaking, representative from UNICEF in Nigeria, Dr Peter Hawkins, called on Nigerians to receive the vaccines available in the country, noting that they were all verified to be efficacious.
According to Hawkins, who was represented by Dr Gupta Gagan, of UNICEF, the vaccine can be lifesaving but people will only take on information that they trust.
“There are useful information round COVID-19 vaccines, from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), World Health Organisation (WHO) and NPHCDA websites, where they can get verified information,” he said.
He said that the healthcare workers should be responsive to citizens when they came for vaccination.
Hawkins called on the over 2.5 million Nigerians who had been vaccinated to mobilise the people in their communities to go out and be vaccinated.
Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO representative to Nigeria, highlighted the country’s high level preparedness.
Mulombo reiterated the importance of extensive engagement of the media to create sensitisation and get more Nigerians vaccinated.
He, however, underscored that the vaccines approved by both WHO and NAFDAC were safe and effective.
He enjoined Nigerians get vaccinated to reduce transmission of the virus.

Health

RSG Plans Fresh Training For TBAs

Published

2 weeks ago

April 10, 2024

The Tide

Plans are in the works by the authorities in the Rivers State Ministry of Health to conduct training for Traditional Birth Attendants(TBAs) in the State.
State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh gave the hint while chatting with newsmen recently in Port Harcourt.
She said the training has become crucial to school the TBAs on methods and measures to complement in maternal health care.
In her words,” We are aware of of their roles, but we need to be confident that they can still play that role, especially the skills set needed to complement what government is doing.’’
Dr. Oreh explained that maternal and child care has evolved, hence, the TBAs need to be schooled,” we want them to scale up their skills, especially on high risk pregnancies.”
She continued, “ We want to make sure that our system mops up those high risk pregnancies, because we know that many of them carry out clandestine activities they are not helping us.”
Assuring of improved manpower in the State health sector, Dr. Oreh said the Governor Siminalayi Fubara administration has embarked on fresh recruitment exercise for health workers to meet current challenges.
She assured that once the recruitment exercise is completed, the various health centres and hospitals will be staffed with qualified manpower to provide efficient health services in the State.

Kevin Nengia

Health

Viral Hepatitis Claims 3,500 Lives Daily -WHO

Published

2 weeks ago

April 10, 2024

The Tide

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised an alarm on viral hepatitis infection that claims 3,500 lives each day.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2024 Global Hepatitis Report, the number of lives lost due to the viral hepatitis is increasing.
The disease is the second leading infectious cause of death globally — with 1.3 million deaths per year, the same as tuberculosis, a top infectious killer.
The report, released at the World Hepatitis Summit revealed that despite better tools for diagnosis and treatment, and decreasing product prices, testing and treatment coverage rates have stalled.
It, however, said, reaching the WHO elimination goal by 2030 is still achievable, if swift actions are taken now.
New data from 187 countries show that the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83percent were caused by hepatitis B, and 17percent by hepatitis C. Every day, there are 3,500 people dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infections.
“This report paints a troubling picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated,” said WHO’s Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He added, “WHO is committed to supporting countries to use all the tools at their disposal – at access prices – to save lives and turn this trend around.”
Updated WHO estimates indicate that 254 million people lived with hepatitis B and 50 million with hepatitis C in 2022. Half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infections is among people 30–54 years old, with 12percent among children under 18 years of age. Men account for 58percent of all cases.
New incidence estimates indicate a slight decrease compared to 2019, but the overall incidence of viral hepatitis remains high.
In 2022, there were 2.2 million new infections, down from 2.5 million in 2019.
These include 1.2 million new hepatitis B infections and nearly one million new hepatitis C infections. More than 6,000 people are getting newly infected with viral hepatitis each day.
The revised estimates are derived from enhanced data from national prevalence surveys. They also indicate that prevention measures such as immunisation and safe injections, along with the expansion of hepatitis C treatment, have contributed to reducing the incidence.

Health

How Dates Boost Fertility -Research

Published

2 weeks ago

April 10, 2024

The Tide

Now, researchers in a study, suggest that date palm is an arsenal to fight infertility in couples. They found that 1-month consumption of date palm has a positive impact on the sexual function of infertile couples.
The study to investigate the effect of date palms on the sexual function of infertile couples was in the 2022 edition of the BMC Research Notes.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted on infertile women and their husbands who were referred to infertility clinics in Iran in 2019, researchers found sexual function in females (arousal, orgasm, lubrication, pain during intercourse, satisfaction) in the intervention group was significantly increased compared to females in the control group that had no date palm.
Infertility and infertility management affects different dimensions of a couple’s life. Sexual dysfunctions can appear in both partners and might provoke problems in every stage of sexual response. Infertility negatively affects the sexuality of infertile couples.
Numerous studies show that infertile women have lower sexual function than fertile women. Sexual satisfaction is strongly affected by the consequences of infertility such as reduced self-esteem, feelings of depression and anxiety, and failed sexual relationships.
The intervention group was given a palm date capsule and the control group was given a placebo. The starch powder was applied to prepare the placebo capsules.
Also, all areas of male sexual function (erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction and overall satisfaction) significantly increased in the intervention group compared to the control group.
Infertility is not only a medical problem but also affects all personal dimensions and social life of most infertile individuals. Infertile couples are more prone to psychological problems (anxiety, depression, and stress), which may result in marital distress, social dysfunction (stigma, social exclusion, and feelings of failure), and reduced quality of life.
Infertility and infertility management affects different dimensions of a couple’s life. Sexual dysfunctions can appear in both partners and might provoke problems in every stage of sexual response. Infertility negatively affects the sexuality of infertile couples.
Numerous studies show that infertile women have lower sexual function than fertile women. Sexual satisfaction is strongly affected by the consequences of infertility such as reduced self-esteem, feelings of depression and anxiety, and failed sexual relationships.
Dates palm is known to have come from what is now Iraq. In Nigeria, dry and soft date fruits are sold out for consumption. However, in the northern part, they are added to the locally brewed alcoholic beverage to help reduce the intoxicating power.
Dates are a good source of energy and vitamins and important elements such as phosphorus, iron, potassium and a significant amount of calcium. It is also rich in phenolic compounds possessing free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity.
Since ancient times, the date palm has been used in Greece, China and Egypt to treat infertility and increase sexual desire and fertility in females. There are few studies on the effect of date palms on male and female sexual function in human beings.
Besides, studies have shown that the various parts of its plant are widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various disorders which include memory disturbances, fever, inflammation, paralysis, loss of consciousness and nervous disorder.
Culled from Tribune online.

The researchers suggested that the improvement in male and female sexual function can be due to active ingredients and increased levels of sex hormones following the consumption of date palms since studies indicated that increasing sex hormones are effective in sexual function.

They, however, recommended more studies with a longer duration on the use of date palms on sex hormone levels in infertile couples.

Previously, a study revealed that using date palms in postmenopausal women for 1 month had a positive and significant impact on sexual desire and arousal. Another suggested that using date palms had a positive impact on orgasm, satisfaction and lubrication in women and also reduced pain during intercourse in women.

In the laboratory, administering date palms to male rats and measuring their sexual behaviours, researchers showed that sexual behaviour parameters (number of ejaculations, number of intercourse) increased compared to the control group.