The Doctors Without Borders otherwise known as the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Friday said it had scaled up its activities to control cholera outbreak in Bauchi. MSF’s Field Communication Manager, Maro Verli in a statement released in Maiduguri said that the organisation was collaborating with the Bauchi State Ministry of Health to contain spread of the disease. According to MSF, a 70-bed capacity Cholera Treatment Centre had been set up at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, which would be upgraded to 100-bed capacity to enhance treatment of the disease. “MSF teams and hospital of Bauchi have received a…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The National Professional Officer of World Health Organisation (WHO) in Nigeria, Dr Michael Jose has decried the alleged sale of free Tuberculosis (TB) drugs to patients in Rivers state. He raised the concern in an interview in Port Harcourt on Thursday observing that it was an inhuman act for free drugs to be sold to the same patients that needed it. Jose stressed that TB drugs were donated by WHO meant to be given free to the patients, adding that it was wicked and callous for anybody charged with the responsibility of dispensing the drugs to sell them for his selfish…
A few weeks ago, like thousands of other scientists around the globe have done before, I stood up in front of a public audience and “defended” my PhD thesis to a jury of senior scientists. The PhD defense is probably the single-most significant milestone in a career in science. It’s part examination and part ritual – PhD defenses in the Netherlands, for instance, feature a robed jury and a master of ceremonies with a ceremonial mace. In my university in Switzerland, tradition dictates that PhD students get whimsical “hats” made by fellow researchers which are donned just as the results (hopefully…
The National Arbovirus and Vectors Research Centre (NAVRC) has conducted inaugural workshop for State Disease Vector Surveillance Officers to boost active surveillance of vectors of diseases of public health importance in Nigeria. The Coordinator of the centre, Dr Emeka Asadu said in a statement on Thursday in Abuja that the training was also to provide skilled state level manpower for active surveillance of vectors of diseases in the country. Asadu stated that active surveillance of disease vectors would serve as early warning system that would enable government and key stakeholders to take preemptive action to forestall outbreak of serious infectious…
Over 32,500 rural households in the Bagoué, Poro, Tchologo, Hambol and Gbêkê regions will benefit from a financial agreement signed today between the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Cote d’Ivoire to increase the incomes and food and nutrition security of rural households. The programme will promote market-oriented agriculture and help farmers add value to their products, as a way to reduce rural poverty and stimulate economic growth in the programme areas. The financing agreement for the Agricultural Value Chains Development Programme (PADFA) was signed in Rome by Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD, and Seydou Cissé, Permanent Representative…
On World Water Day 2018, a new report released by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) shows that sustainable investment in freshwater ecosystems in developing countries helps farmers reduce the impact from floods, droughts and water pollution. The Water Advantage: Seeking Sustainable Solutions for Water Stress, which draws evidence from a review of IFAD-supported projects in six countries, shows that sustainable solutions such as drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting and saltwater tolerant crops will go a long way to protecting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and food security for millions of people around the world. “For smallholder farmers in developing…
The Federal Government in collaboration with key stakeholders and partners have pledged to achieve a Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) of 27 percent among women by 2020. The Chairman Board of Trustees, Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), Alhaji Sani Jabbi made this known while briefing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja. With a theme, “Towards the Nigeria renewed Family Planning (FP) Commitment” the event was aimed at enabling healthy timing, spacing of births, and to limit the number of births among women of reproductive age. Jabbi said Nigeria joined other Member Countries of the FP 2020 global community to…
Oil prices rose up on Tuesday, supported by concerns that tensions in the Middle East could lead to supply disruptions. Hopes that behind-the-scenes talks between the United States and China will prevent a looming trade war between the world’s two biggest economies also supported global markets, including crude oil futures. Brent sweet crude futures were at 70.20 dollars per barrel while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at 65.69 dollars a barrel . James Mick, Managing Director and Energy Portfolio Manager with asset management firm Tortoise, said “rising geopolitical tensions” were driving up oil prices. The biggest risk…
By Abdulrazak Ibrahim The Fourth Industrial Revolution is creating a new era, fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds. Breakthroughs in different fields – including artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and gene editing – are creating waves of disruption, forcing politicians, business leaders and regulators around the world to react to paradigm shifts created by these technologies. Perhaps none of them is more significant than the gene editing technology known as CRISPR, recognized as a game changer for the biotechnology industry. And although the various breakthroughs have emerged primarily in the US and Europe, Nigeria is a strategic destination and market…
Kano government said it has dispatched a Rapid Response Team to check the authenticity of a reported case of a strange killer disease in Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of the state The state Commissioner of Health, Dr Kabiru Getso made this known through the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Alhaji Isma’il Gwammaja on Tuesday in Kano. He said that the story of the reported outbreak of the strange disease was reported through the media and that prompted the Commissioner to direct the rapid response team to swing into action with a view to ascertaining the veracity of the…