Health

FG’s Response To COVID-19 Outbreak, Late -Nigerian Scientists

Published

5 years ago

April 6, 2020

The country’s apex body of scientists, the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), has said measures put in place by the Federal Government to check the spread of the COVID-19 disease in the country came too late.
Although the government had earlier insisted that it was “well-prepared and ready to contain Coronavirus, if it eventually broke out”, decisive steps were not taken until the number of cases started rising, after an Italian tested positive on February 27.
The Federal Government has now closed the country’s borders, and the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states are on lockdown, following orders issued by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Some states have also locked their boundaries, while also shutting markets, schools, churches, mosques and other public places.
But the Nigerian Academy of Science said the Federal Government should have acted earlier.
The academy specifically faulted the failure to monitor visitors who arrived from high risk countries, as well as the delay in stopping flights coming into Nigeria from such nations.
In an interview with newsmen, President of the NAS, Prof. Mosto Onuoha, noted that the government started doing the right things when it was already late.
Assessing the government’s response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, Onuoha said, “The response was late in many areas – we should have been monitoring people coming from high risk areas.
“The Federal Government should have stopped flights coming from some countries early enough but that was not done until it became late.
“It was as if the Federal Government could not take that action because it was afraid of those countries due to the fact that we depend on them in many areas.”
The academy, an independent scientific body, also acts as an advisor to the government but our correspondent learnt that recommendations forwarded by the scientists to the authorities on ways to tackle the disease in the country were not acted on.
According to Onuoha, NAS sent the recommendations to the Federal Government even before the Coronavirus disease was recorded in the country.
The academy sent its advice to the government after the World Health Organisation (WHO) listed Nigeria among 13 African countries that were vulnerable to the disease due to close economic contacts with China, the country where the pandemic originated from.
The Federal Government’s reaction to the WHO warning was to set aside the sum of N620million, reportedly to monitor, detect and contain the virus in a bid to prevent an outbreak of the disease in the country.
With the disease now in the country, the NAS also believes that the government is not conducting enough tests.
“They are not conducting enough tests to detect those that are already infected. The government is not testing as many people as they should test,” he said.
Onuoha equally faulted the state governments for waiting until cases were recorded in their territories before taking steps to curb the spread.
“Many of the states were not doing anything. Apart from Lagos State, many of them did not have anything on the ground until they had their first cases.
“Also, the Federal Government did not do much to carry the states along in plans to check the disease,” he observed.
However, Onuoha said many Nigerians are not playing their part in the campaign against COVID-19.
He said, “People are flouting some of the directives issued by the government and the WHO on ways to curb the spread.
“Even there are so many people that believe the disease is not for them.”
The academy also called on the government to provide palliatives for Nigerians who are adversely affected by the lockdown.
Onuoha warned that the lockdown could be counter-productive if measures were not put in place to alleviate its economic consequences on vulnerable Nigerians.
The NAS, in the same vein, welcomed the planned visit of Chinese medical experts to Nigeria.
The Federal Government had on Friday disclosed that the medical team would visit the country to assist in efforts to contain the spread of the disease.
Some Nigerians have expressed concerns about the planned visit amid suspicions over China’s role in the emergence of the pandemic.
There are calls on the government to reject the Chinese assistance.
Onuoha said there was nothing wrong in Nigeria accepting medical assistance from China.
“I personally do not see anything wrong with that. China is currently sending help to many countries, I don’t see why Nigeria should not accept the help, especially if those coming are medical experts.
“China is one of our major partners and they have a lot to lose if Nigeria goes down.
“If we can accept economic and technological assistance from China, I don’t see why we should not accept medical help,” the NAS President added.

Health

‘How Micro RNA Research Won Nobel Prize’

Published

2 months ago

October 9, 2024

The Tide

Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”

Health

WHO Begins Regulation On Antibiotic Waste

Published

3 months ago

September 4, 2024

The Tide

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.

“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”

Health

Kebbi Harmonises Doctors’ Salaries To Curb Brain Drain

Published

3 months ago

September 4, 2024

The Tide

In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.

In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.