Health News Of The Week

NINE DIE OF LASSA FEVER IN BENUE STATE 
The Punch Newspaper reported that no fewer than nine people have died of Lassa fever in Benue State in the past two months. Dr Sam Ngishe, the State's Epidemiologist,  revealed this to journalists via a telephone chat.

This comes after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said it has recorded 2,621 suspected Lassa fever cases and 84 deaths with a case fatality rate of 18.6 per cent. According to Ngishe, no fewer than forty six people, including health workers and internally displaced persons, have been infected by the dreaded disease across the state.

HOUSE CALLS FOR SUSPENSION OF NEW NURSES/MIDWIVES GUIDELINES
Nigeria’s House of Representatives has urged the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN to stop the implementation of its revised guidelines for the verification of nursing certificates issued by the council, pending the outcome of investigation into the controversy surrounding the new policy.

The House also charged a joint panel to probe the controversy concerning the NMCN's new guidelines. The panel was given four weeks to report back to the House for further legislative actions.

NIGERIA, NETHERLANDS SIGN AGREEMENT ON TACKLING BLOOD SHORTAGES
Nigeria and the Netherlands have signed an agreement to address blood shortages leading to unnecessary complications and death. Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate while signing the agreement in Abuja, said the partnership aligned with the National Health Plan to increase blood supply. He also added that the agreement would unlock the health sector value chain and encourage private sector participation.

The primary goal of the agreement is to increase the blood supply, thereby saving the lives of numerous Nigerians, according to Dr. Pate.

FG ENROLS 750,000 NIGERIANS INTO HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, disclosed that the Federal Government had enrolled about 750,000 Nigerians into the National Health Insurance Scheme.

The Punch reported that the minister stated this at the third edition of the ministerial press briefing series initiated by the Ministry of Information in Abuja, noting that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration will unveil a comprehensive programme to digitize the nation’s healthcare system in the next two weeks.

HEAT WAVES CAN TRIGGER PREMATURE DELIVERY – PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSOR
In an interview with Victoria Edeme of the Punch, Tanimola Akande, a professor of Public Health at the University of Ilorin and former National Chairman of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, mentioned that hormonal changes occur with heat waves, which make pregnant women more susceptible to heat stroke than other people.

“Pregnant women need more fluids in their system. A derailment in it because of dehydration is a problem. Heat waves can affect the mother as well as the fetus. The mother can experience stress. The fetus can also be stressed, which can lead to fetal distress. Sometimes, the child is even born before full term, which is known as preterm delivery or preterm labour.”