Health
Omicron Covid-19 not in Nigeria yet; we’ve ramped up surveillance — FG
… as NCDC prioritises sequencing of samples from SARS-COV-2 positive travellers
As concerns continued to mount over the new variant of COVID-19 designated as variant of concern (VOC) and named Omicron by the World Health Organisation, WHO, the Federal Government on Sunday night reassured Nigerians that the Omicron variant has not been detected in Nigeria.
In a press statement, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, said the centre is prioritising sequencing of recently accrued samples from SARS-COV-2 positive travellers from all countries, especially those from countries that have reported the Omicron variant already.
Adetifa further urged all States to ensure that sample collection and testing are accessible, so that travelers and people with symptoms or who have been exposed to COVID-19 cases get tested promptly.
“The state notes that the NCDC, through the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) continues to coordinate genomic surveillance and other activities required for the detection of variants.”
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Adetifa also explained that a number of cases have now been reported in the UK, Israel, Botswana, Hong-Kong, Germany, Belgium, Italy and counting but no deaths have been attributed to the new variant yet.
He said: “A total of 126 genomes of this variant have been detected globally and published on GISAID, (GISAID is a global mechanism for sharing sequencing data).
“Given the high number of mutations present in this Omicron variant and the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases observed in South Africa, this virus is considered highly transmissible and may also present an increased risk of reinfection compared to other VOCs.
“However, the fears about its ability to evade protective immune responses and/or its being vaccine resistant are only theoretical so far.
“This virus can still be detected with existing Polymerase Chain Reaction (P”CR) tests.
“The WHO and researchers across the world are working at speed to gain understanding of the likely impact of this variant on the severity of COVID-19 and on the potency of existing vaccines and therapeutics,” he added.
Continuing, he said in collaboration with Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health, enhanced surveillance is ongoing at the airports and points of entry, and to ensure compliance with current travel guidance especially for the day 2 COVID-19 PCR testing.
“Should there be any changes to travel guidance, this will be communicated in due course.
Covid-19 protocols
“Considering the highly likely increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant and its emergence that is linked to unmitigated community transmission of the virus, he urged Nigerians to ensure strict adherence to the proven public health and social measures in place, which are enforceable by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC-COVID-19), through the COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations 2021.
“We are collectively responsible for our own health security including playing our part to reduce the risk of the importation or spread of the Omicron variant in Nigeria,”he stated.
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He implored Nigerians to make every use of the currently available opportunities to get vaccinated against COVID-19, adhere to public health and social measures that have been proven to help prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection regardless of the circulating variant.
He said Nigerians should continue to wear face masks especially in crowded settings, wash their hands regularly, observe physical distancing i.e., keeping a distance of two metres from others, where possible, ensure good ventilation, avoid travel to countries where there is a surge in COVID-19 cases or reported cases of the Omicron variant and avoid all non-essential travel both local and international.
“If you must travel, please adhere to travel protocols instituted by the PSC-COVID-19 which are in place to prevent the risk of importation of the virus or its variants to Nigeria.
“The virus is more likely to spread where people gather and do not adhere to these measures.
“Therefore we appeal to business owners, religious leaders, and people in authority to take responsibility by ensuring people in their premises wear masks and adhere to physical distancing.
“We must do all we can to protect ourselves and our country,” he advised.
Vanguard
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’.
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“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
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