...Health info at your doorstep

Blog

Jul172018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Group Advocates For Youths And Adolescence Inclusion In Family Planning

Group Advocates For Youths And Adolescence Inclusion In Family Planning

NEWS
A Non-Governmental Organization, Education as a Vaccine (EVA) in collaboration with National Population Commission has launched a Toolkit aimed at advocating for youths and adolescence inclusion in family planning. Executive Director of EVA, Olabukunola Williams stated that Nigeria has a large youthful population and adolescence is a significant phase in their lives which is why Nigeria was selected as one of the countries to launch the tool kit as well as he selection of the NGO to be the focal point of implementing the plan “We want to provide young people with tools and resources they need to make informed decisions about their lives. If young people are not too young to run, they are not too young to access information and services on their sexual and reproductive health and rights,
Read More
Jul172018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Sultan Foundation Moves To End Maternal Mortality Through Data Collection

Sultan Foundation Moves To End Maternal Mortality Through Data Collection

NEWS
Worried by the increasing number of maternal deaths among women in Northern Nigeria, the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development has converged in Kaduna for a 1- day Bi-Annual Review Meeting on Community Based Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response Project (CBMPDSR) with a view to ending the trend through data collection. Speaking at the meeting on Monday in Kaduna, the Coordinator of the foundation, Malam Muhammad Aminu Inuwa said the aim of the meeting is to tackle the problem of maternal mortality bedeviling the region. He said, “The project is aimed at collating data of women that die during the period they are carrying a pregnancy or when they are in labour, or when they have delivered at home. Data that is available now, is data from health facilities. Over 70 p
Read More
Jul172018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
UCH Endorses Wearing of Hijab by Nursing Students

UCH Endorses Wearing of Hijab by Nursing Students

NEWS
The University College (UCH), Ibadan has approved the wearing of Hijab for its nursing students. This approval, DAILY POST learn Friday evening, came after the Minister of Health, Professor Isacc Adewole approved the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on standardization of the use of Hijab on school uniform in the schools of nursing, having noted that its recommendations were in line with the standards of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. The hospital in a statement issued by A. K. Shinyabola, its Director of Administration advised students who want to embrace their religion in fulfilment of the religious belief to do so in strict compliance with the approved standard. Shinyanbola in the circular dated Friday, 13th July 2018, issued on behalf of the hospital’s Chief Medica
Read More
Jul172018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
West African Physicians Decry Exodus Of Young Doctors

West African Physicians Decry Exodus Of Young Doctors

NEWS
The West African College of Physicians (WACP) has lamented high rate at which Nigerian and African trained young doctors are leaving the continent to seek greener pasture in advanced countries. The chairman/vice president of the college, Professor Abel Onunu made the lamentation in Kaduna yesterday while addressing journalists ahead of the 42nd Annual General Meeting of the college commencing in Kaduna today. Professor Onunu said Nigeria spends huge resources to train the doctors who later move to countries that have not invested a dime in their training.  The Professor expressed fear that, there may come a time when Nigeria will lack adequate and competent hands to manage its health sectors if nothing is done urgently, especially when old hands must have retired. In the same v
Read More
Jul172018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Unseen stool blood may predict mortality risk

Unseen stool blood may predict mortality risk

NEWS
According to a study recently published in the BMJ journal Gut, the presence of "invisible blood" in one's stool may indicate a higher risk of all-cause mortality. The new research was led by first author Gillian Libby, of the Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee in the United Kingdom. The corresponding author of the study is Robert Steele, a professor in the Division of Cancer at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School. The presence of blood in the stool is a well-known test of colorectal cancer. Perhaps less known is the fecal occult blood test (FOBT), which is a laboratory test used to detect occult, or hidden, traces of blood in a person's stool. The test is commonly used to screen for colorectal cancer in seniors, or to detect adenomas, which are a precursor of...
Read More
Jul172018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Water Is Enough to Clean the Vagina -Gynaecologist

Water Is Enough to Clean the Vagina -Gynaecologist

NEWS, Women's health
Gynaecologists have once again cautioned women against the use of soap, detergent, and antiseptics amongst others on their vagina. The experts that gathered at the sectorial meeting of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), Lagos sector also warned women against practices like douching.  They stated that washing the vagina with these substances and engaging in practices like douching  washes away  the natural flora in the vagina and gives room for other bacteria to thrive in that environment. Dr. Chukwuemaka Odeigha, a consultant obstetrics and gynaecologist at the Military Hospital, Ikoyi while speaking at the event made it known that women constantly expose themselves to risk factors of vaginitis and that is why it is constantly on the rise and keeps reoccurring.
Read More
Jul162018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Only 85,000 Out Of 5m Benefiting From NHIS In Benue

Only 85,000 Out Of 5m Benefiting From NHIS In Benue

NEWS
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) state coordinator, Oche Otalu has bemoaned the low health insurance status of Benue state, stating that out of the 5 million people of the state, only about 85,000 have health insurance. Otalu, who made this known when he led other officials on an advocacy visit to the Benue state Governor, Samuel Ortom, blamed it on the low awareness of the benefits of NHIS programmes in the state. The NHIS coordinator, in an address, appealed to Governor Ortom to provide the needed logistic support to the State House of Assembly to carry out public hearings on the Benue State Health Insurance Agency, stating that establishment of the agency would facilitate affordable healthcare for the state by reducing poor health outcomes. “This would reduce the incidence
Read More
Jul162018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Kaduna Community Where Open Defecation Attracts Seven Strokes of Cane, N200 Fine

Kaduna Community Where Open Defecation Attracts Seven Strokes of Cane, N200 Fine

NEWS
As part of the commitment to ensure hygienic environment for healthy living, open defecation now attracts seven lashes and N200 fine in Unguwan Damaru in Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Malam Adda’u Ibrahim, the community’s Chairman of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee, said that in addition to seven lashes and the fine, the offender would also be made to properly dispose of the waste. Ibrahim told the correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria who was in the community on Thursday to assess the impact of Phase II of Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria project in the community. He said that the measure was part of efforts to promote hygiene and prevent outbreak of diseases in the community. Ibrahim explained that in the past, open defecation and living in fi
Read More
Jul162018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Foods That Affect Your Medicine

Foods That Affect Your Medicine

Food And Nutrition, NEWS
Some things just don’t mix well. But what you eat or drink can affect how some drugs you take work. You may not find time to read medical information that details contraindications, but you should talk to your doctor or pharmacist to see if there’s anything you should avoid. Grapefruit- This citrus changes the way certain cells in your intestine take in and move medication through your body. It can affect more than 50 drugs. It can make some less effective and make others too strong. Milk- Milk can make it harder for your body to process certain antibiotics. Minerals in milk like calcium and magnesium are part of the reason, along with the protein casein. If you’re taking antibiotics, make sure to find out about the foods or beverages you should stay away from. Chocolate- Dark chocolate
Read More
Jul162018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
How Many Calories Should I Eat A Day?

How Many Calories Should I Eat A Day?

Food And Nutrition, NEWS
When most of us think of calories, we think of how fattening a food is. In dietary terms, calories are the amount of energy that a food provides.If we consistently take in more energy than we need, we will gain weight. If we take in too little energy, we will lose weight, fat, and eventually muscle mass. The definition of a calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram (g) of water through 1° Celsius. The type and amount of food we eat determine how many calories we consume. For many people on a weight-loss diet, the number of calories in a food is a deciding factor in choosing whether or not to eat it. How and when we eat can also make a difference, as the body uses energy differently throughout the day. Our body’s energy use will depend on how active we are
Read More
Jul162018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
WHO Says Sex Addiction Sign of Mental Illness

WHO Says Sex Addiction Sign of Mental Illness

NEWS
The World Health Organisation has recognised sex addiction or “compulsive sexual behaviour” as a mental disorder, but said Saturday it remained unclear if it was an addiction on a par with gambling or drug abuse. The contentious term “sex addiction” has been around for decades but experts disagree over whether the condition exists. In the latest update of its catalogue of diseases and injuries around the world, the WHO takes a step towards legitimising the concept, by acknowledging “compulsive sexual behaviour disorder”, or CSBD, as a mental illness. But the UN health body stops short of lumping the condition together with addictive behaviours like substance abuse or gambling, insisting more research is needed before describing the disorder as an addiction. “Conservatively speaking, we
Read More
Jul162018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Health Advocates Task Buhari on 2018 Budget

Health Advocates Task Buhari on 2018 Budget

NEWS
Health advocates under the aegis of the National Advocates for Health (NA4H) have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to increase the health budget and ensure timely releases in 2018. The group made the call in a statement by its chairman, Professor Dapo Ladipo after a symposium tagged ‘framing for advocacy and accountability for effective implementation of 2018 National Health Budget, Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and Global Financing Facility (GFF)’ in Abuja. They enjoined President Buhari to submit a supplementary health budget to the National Assembly in order to raise its percentage to at least 7.5% this year and to also raise the budget by 1% percent increase in subsequent years.   Daily Trust News
Read More
Jul162018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Fund NAFDAC to Enforce MAS on Drug Products, Adeyeye Tells NASS

Fund NAFDAC to Enforce MAS on Drug Products, Adeyeye Tells NASS

NEWS
The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration & Control, NAFDAC, has urged the National Assembly to fund the agency towards realisation of the enforcement of the Mobile Authentication Scheme, MAS, on drug products so as to reduce counterfeiting. Disclosing this position weekend, Director- General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye said the request was in response to the suggestion by the Speaker of the House of Representatives  that the agency utilises MAS for all drugs regulated by it. Adeyeye said: “The suggestion by the Honourable Speaker to use MAS for all drugs regulated by NAFDAC is noble, and in line with the agency’s ultimate agenda. However, a lot of staffing and funding will be needed for full implementation. “The limited authentication that is being undertaken curr
Read More
Jul162018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Scientists Record Breakthrough In HIV, Malaria Vaccine

Scientists Record Breakthrough In HIV, Malaria Vaccine

NEWS
Findings have shown that an experimental HIV-1 vaccine regimen is well-tolerated and generated comparable and robust immune responses against (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) HIV in healthy adults and rhesus monkeys.Also, another separate research has shown that higher levels of Plasmodium falciparum antibodies are protective against severe malaria in children living in Papua New Guinea. Children who have higher levels of antibodies to a specific short amino acid sequence in the malaria parasite, P. falciparum, have much lower rates of clinical and severe malaria. This amino acid sequence, an antigen, is similar among P. falciparum strains elsewhere in the world, suggesting that this antigen would make a good target for a malaria vaccine. The research is published in Infection and Immunit...
Read More
Jul162018 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Optometric Association Wants Govt. Recognition to Ease Operation

Optometric Association Wants Govt. Recognition to Ease Operation

NEWS
The Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) has pledged its commitment to collaborate with government to ensure the absorption of optometrists’ internship in government health institutions. Dr Ozy Okonokhua, the newly elected President of NOA gave the assurance in a statement issued on Sunday after he assumed office on Saturday in Abuja. Okonokhua lamented that optometrists were not given due recognition both in full time practice and internship in public health institutions in spite of the key role they perform in delivering healthcare. He described the development as unacceptable noting that the daily activities of every individual were incomplete without the services of optometrist. According to Okonokhua, “Optometrist is a healthcare professional who specialises in the art and scienc
Read More