Fear heightens in Benue as cholera kills eleven

A cholera outbreak in Benue State has claimed at least eleven lives, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The epidemic in Apaogbozu community of Apa, in Ado Local Government Area of the State has also left six others in critical condition.

The disease broke out about four days ago, the immediate past secretary to the Ado Local Government Council, Dr Perpetual Okafor, disclosed.

Speaking to newsmen in Makurdi, Okafor, who hails from the area, called on the state government to come to the community’s aid as the situation could not be contained by the local authorities

“The first day that the cholera outbreak occurred, three deaths were recorded. Yesterday, about four persons also died and today, this evening, we have lost four persons again.

“As I speak with you, six others who went for church service since yesterday were caught in the web.

“They are right inside the church; nobody is there to help us remove them. I had wanted to enter the church but I couldn’t. It was an emergency situation. Our people are dying seriously.

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“We wanted to hire private medical personnel to assist us in treating the remaining affected victims who are in critical condition, but we couldn’t because the resources is not there. We have nobody to assist our people.

“Lives have been lost and many are down. Whosoever knows the agency that can come to our rescue should help us please. It is an emergency situation.

“I am calling on the Benue State government and other public spirited individuals to come to our aid so our people will not be completely wiped away by this dreaded disease.

“The situation is far above our community”, Okafor lamented.

Meanwhile, the Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Yanmar Ortese, confirmed the situation but failed to give the number of casualties recorded so far.

However, he said information available to him indicates that there is only one suspected case of cholera in the area, adding that staff of the Ministry are already working on it.

“The Deputy Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly drew my attention to it today at about noon of a cholera outbreak in one Apaogbozu community.

“I called the emergency operation center under my Ministry to verify if the claim is true and they told me there is one suspected case.

“From what they said, the person is having diarrhea and is also vomiting. They will move quickly and take samples to see if it’s actually cholera or not.

“That is the information for now. We already have our public health staff who are everywhere in all the local governments and they are doing the surveillance. So it’s only a suspect from the area and our staff are working on it.

“They will take samples to see if it’s actually cholera or not. That is the information for now,” the commissioner said

Fear heightens in Benue as cholera kills eleven

Malaria resurgence may kill 337,000 people – UN world leaders

Heads of State and Government gathered at the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, have issued a stern warning about the urgent need to increase funding for malaria prevention to ward off a potential increase in the number of new malaria cases and deaths.

Failure to do so, they caution, could lead to a resurgence of the disease within the next five years resulting in an additional 137.2 million malaria cases and up to 337,000 deaths between 2027 and 2029.

Giving the warning ahead of the Global Fund Replenishment in 2025,  following concerns from new modelling conducted by the Malaria Atlas Project, the world leaders say that even if current funding levels are maintained, a perfect storm of threats could still result in 112 million more cases and 280,000 deaths due to malaria.

The urgent need for increased funding highlights malaria’s ongoing global health crisis and the critical importance of sustained efforts to combat the deadly disease.

The World Health Organization reports that there are already nearly 250 million malaria cases and over 600,000 deaths annually, primarily affecting young children and impoverished countries.

The urgent call for increased malaria funding underscores the ongoing global health crisis posed by this deadly disease and the critical importance of sustained efforts to combat it.

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The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, one of the primary sources of funding for the control and elimination of AIDS, TB, and malaria, is funded largely by governments, and pools the world’s resources to fight the three diseases, raising and investing money in three-year cycles known as Replenishments.

According to the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, “From the new models, if there is a flatlining of malaria resources (with the Global Fund Replenishment again achieving approximately $15.6 billion in total and allocations across the three diseases remaining on par with the current cycle), the world could see an additional 112 million malaria cases and up to 280,700 additional deaths across the three years, with upsurges and outbreaks happening right across the continent of Africa.”

The RBM Partnership said the situation will be even worse if the total Global Fund Replenishment sees a cut to resources and takes funding away from malaria.

“In the event of a lower replenishment of $11 billion, and a reduction in the malaria allocation, the modelling forecasts we can expect an estimated 137.2 million additional malaria cases and up to 337,000 additional malaria deaths.

“The world is already facing insufficient funds based on the current cycle. There is an estimated gap of more than $1.5 billion to sustain services at 2023 levels; but with the new challenges we are facing, even this will not be enough to get the fight against malaria back on track.

The new projections were raised by President Umaro Sissocco Embaló at a fireside chat titled “Confronting the Malaria Perfect Storm”, convened by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, where they expressed concerns that malaria will quickly resurge if appropriate action is not taken in this Replenishment cycle.

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The CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, Dr Michael Charles, said, “The evidence is clear that there is a significant risk of malaria epidemics if funding isn’t increased and high-burden areas are unable to deliver critical malaria prevention services.

“Unlike HIV and TB, malaria is concentrated in lower-income countries, particularly across Africa, so often these countries have the least ability to afford the fight. Everyone, no matter where they live, has a right to health. Malaria is straining health systems and making it difficult for people in low-income countries to fully enjoy their right to health.”

Charles admitted that allocating the funds from the Global Fund Replenishment is complex, but emphasised that while all three diseases urgently need attention, malaria must receive an increase in its funding from the Global Fund if we are to avoid a wide-scale resurgence.

“If this doesn’t happen, we can expect cases to spike and increased mortality. We already know this will impact women and young children hardest, as they are disproportionately affected by the disease. It will also push more people into poverty and overwhelm already fragile health systems, with economic consequences that will ripple across the world.

“We simply cannot afford to let this happen. The world has a duty to ensure our most vulnerable populations are not further disadvantaged and to do this we need to ensure the right funding is in place, starting with the global fund replenishment,” he remarked.

The ongoing fight against malaria faces significant challenges that threaten to undermine current efforts. Worse still, insecticide and anti-malarial drug resistance are on the rise, rendering existing interventions less effective.

While highly effective tools like dual-insecticide mosquito nets are available to address resistance, their implementation comes at a higher cost. The combination of climate change and humanitarian crises has further exacerbated the situation, leaving vulnerable populations at increased risk of malaria infection.

These converging challenges highlight the urgent need for increased funding and innovative strategies to combat malaria effectively.

The RBM Partnership to End Malaria is the largest global platform for coordinated action against malaria. It was established as Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership in 1998 and mobilises for action and resources and forges consensus among partners.

Malaria resurgence may kill 337,000 people – UN world leaders

NAFDAC destroys N43bn substandard products in Oyo

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has conducted a significant operation in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, destroying substandard products, including counterfeit drugs and medical devices, valued at N43 billion.

The destruction was carried out on Thursday at the Moniya dump site in the Akinyele Local Government area of the state, with representatives from security agencies and the Oyo State Government in attendance.

During the event, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Professor Christiana Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Pharm. Shabba Mohammed, shared that the products were voluntarily surrendered to the agency by compliant companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and trade unions.

Professor Adeyeye detailed the extensive efforts that led to the confiscation of numerous unregistered and registered pharmaceutical products, citing various raids across different locations.

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The seized items included aphrodisiacs, sex enhancement drugs, over-the-counter medications, and prescription-only drugs.

“Over thirty different products were seized in total,” she noted, highlighting that the confiscated items included banned substances such as codeine and narcotics, with a total value exceeding N48 million.

“The agency has been actively gathering intelligence on illegal warehousing, sale, and distribution of narcotics by pharmaceutical vendors in Lagos and other states.”

“Recent raids conducted by the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate resulted in the confiscation of products worth over N700 million.”

“In addition to counterfeit pharmaceuticals, the operation also targeted contraband items such as unregistered soaps, tomato paste, and counterfeit beverages.”

Professor Adeyeye, however, emphasised the importance of public involvement in combating counterfeit drugs and unwholesome food products. She urged citizens to report unlawful practices to the nearest NAFDAC office for immediate investigation.