Health
Malaria resurgence may kill 337,000 people – UN world leaders
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.
READ ALSO:
- NFF names interim coach for Super Falcons
- NRC, Lagos govt, NPA, NSIB, others support Nigeria transport summit
- Three Nigerian siblings arrested for deceiving Croatian into sending nude pictures
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.
READ ALSO:
- Officers accused of extorting N1m from corps members under interrogation – Police
- God doesn’t want sinners to die, Portable tells Bobrisky
- Bobrisky denies link with leaked audio in EFCC bribery scandal
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
Health
OSSAP-SDGs inaugurates 20-bed health centre in Oyo community
OSSAP-SDGs inaugurates 20-bed health centre in Oyo community
The Office of Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals has inaugurated a 20-bed primary health centre and renovated the existing primary health facility at Isokun in the Oyo West area of Oyo State.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, at a brief handover ceremony, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his leadership and dedication to collaborating with sub-national governments to deliver crucial interventions and accelerate the achievement of the SDGs in Nigeria.
Represented by Nura Ali Rano at the event, Orelope-Adefulire stressed the importance of the SDGs as a global call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030.
She also spoke on the need to prioritize interventions with significant impact on multidimensional poverty, such as basic healthcare, vocational skills development and education, in alignment with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She said strategic projects such as the Mother and Child Centre had become essential given the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oyo Central Senator, Dr Yunus Akintunde, who facilitated the project, expressed his gratitude to President Tinubu and OSSAP-SDGs for selecting his constituency for the significant project.
He described the primary health centre as the biggest in Oyo State while emphasising the state’s commitment to fully utilising the facility, as part of a broader plan to of mitigation that will reduce the need for residents to seek medical treatment outside the constituency.
Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu commended OSSAP-SDGs for the good job and bringing such a world-class facility to the Oyo central constituency.
Health
Physiotherapist: Cellphone, laptop use can increase dementia risk
Physiotherapist: Cellphone, laptop use can increase dementia risk
Using mobiles and laptops may increase the risk of dementia, a physiotherapist has warned.
His analysis suggests that the posture people adopt while using their devices can reduce blood flow to the brain, which leads to cognitive decline.
Research has previously shown that more time spent on cognitively passive behaviours — like watching TV — leads to an increased risk of dementia, regardless of physical activity levels. However, cognitively active passive activities — like using the computer — were associated with a lower dementia risk.
Abrahams who has reviewed research on the subject says ’emerging evidence and clinical trials have indicated the potential consequences for cognitive and neurological health’.
READ ALSO:
- Sickle Cell Foundation, LUTH celebrate bone marrow transplant breakthrough
- Breaking: Appeal Court faults ex-CJN Onnoghen suspension, orders FG to unfreeze account
- Bobrisky travels out of Nigeria, says ‘See you soon’
“The persistent pressure on the arteries by holding your head in a forward position, as many people do when looking at their phones, can lead to a chronic reduction in the diameter of those arteries, potentially reducing the amount of blood which can reach the brain.
“Any restriction in these blood vessels may cause a decrease in blood flow to the brain, resulting in various brain-related diseases.”
According to Abrahams, Alzheimer’s disease is going to become more prevalent as the population ages, but his research points to daily habits of poor posture from staring down at our phones as a potential cause of an increase in cases.”
In his advice, he said “Hold your phone somewhere where you don’t need to bend forward. Take a positive step in your spine and brain health by using your phone when you can keep your neck in its natural alignment, and when you use a laptop, adjust your working environment to support a healthy posture.”
Physiotherapist: Cellphone, laptop use can increase dementia risk
Health
Sickle Cell Foundation, LUTH celebrate bone marrow transplant breakthrough
Sickle Cell Foundation, LUTH celebrate bone marrow transplant breakthrough
The first two Sickle Cell Disease patients admitted to the Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria/Lagos University Teaching Hospital, SCFN/LUTH, Bone Marrow Transplant Centre in Lagos, have been discharged and are under observation.
The patients, one paediatric and one adult, successfully underwent the first-of-its-kind Bone Marrow Transplant, BMT, in Nigeria and West Africa, heralding a groundbreaking achievement for Nigerian healthcare.
The feat was achieved at the state-of-the-art Centre following weeks of meticulous care and preparation, including chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and bone marrow stem cells harvested from family donors, then infused into the patients.
With this achievement, the SCFN in partnership with LUTH is the first non-profit organisation in Africa to lead a comprehensive bone marrow transplant initiative for sickle cell disorder.
The milestone marks a significant step forward in the treatment of sickle cell disease and other blood disorders and positions Nigeria as a hub in West Africa for advanced medical care particularly in hematology-oncology.
The Centre, equipped with advanced technology and staffed by highly skilled medical professionals, provides a comprehensive range of services for patients undergoing bone marrow transplants, even as no less than 127 potentially qualified patients are lined up to undergo the procedure.
The achievement is particularly significant for Nigeria, which has one of the highest burdens of SCD globally. Before the establishment of the center, Nigerian patients seeking bone marrow transplants had no option but to seek treatment abroad, often incurring significant costs and facing challenges related to access and affordability.
One of the mothers of the discharged patients said, “Our Bone Marrow Transplant experience has been remarkable, filled with hope and certainty. I felt confident in the exceptional care we received at the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria/LUTH BMT Centre. From the moment of admission to discharge, the medical staff provided round-the-clock attention,” said the mother of one of the discharged patients.
In the views of the Chairman, Board of Directors. Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria, Chief Tunde Afolabi, SCFN’s journey is far from over.
Sickle Cell Foundation, LUTH celebrate bone marrow transplant breakthrough
-
Sports2 days agoBREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
-
Aviation2 days agoDisaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
-
metro1 day agoCourt orders varsity to pay lecturer N40m compensation for wrongful dismissal
-
Opinion1 day agoApomu king turns warmonger for PDP
-
Education3 days ago12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools
-
Politics1 day agoOndo poll: Three gov candidates withdraw for Aiyedatiwa
-
News2 days agoEdo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
-
metro2 days agoWe are understaffed, ICPC boss laments