Nigeria News

23 February 2017 – Years of violent conflict have deprived millions of people in north-eastern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, western Chad and south-east Niger of even the most basic health care services. Malnutrition is widespread and in the 3 worst-affected states of Nigeria nearly 6 million men, women, children and infants urgently need health assistance. WHO is working with the Nigerian Ministry of Health and partners to reach those in need with lifesaving health care.

Abuja, 27 February 2017 - The newly appointed Executive Director (ED) of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, has informed the World Health Organization Country Representative (WR), Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu, that the agency will implement a 4-point priority agenda towards reversing Nigeria’s poor health indicators and achieving positive outcomes. He noted that as Nigeria’s most important partner in the health sector, WHO’s contributions will be invaluable.

Kano, 01 March, 2017 - Kano State Governor, His Excellency Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has expressed commitment   to deploy significant resources towards sustaining gains of polio eradication and supporting other child survival interventions during discussions with the World Health Organization Country Representative (WR), Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu on 28 February 2017.

Maiduguri, 03 March 2017 - Borno state in northeast Nigeria has recorded its first Lassa fever outbreak in almost five decades. The last confirmed outbreak of the deadly disease was in 1969. WHO is supporting the government to contain the outbreak in an area of the country which is already coping with a humanitarian crisis resulting from years of conflict.

Abuja, 08 March 2017 - Over the years, the Polio Eradication Initiative has been a vehicle for the empowerment of Nigerian women economically and socially. In recent times, this positive development has gained more impact with the timely and direct disbursement of funds for payment of vaccination personnel allowances down to grassroots level.

Maiduguri, 15 March 2017 - An estimated 400,000 children in the northeast, Nigeria are currently suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) because of the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Severe acute malnutrition is a life threatening condition requiring urgent treatment. Without proper treatment, one in every five of those children -75, 000 could die.

Abuja, 24 March 2017 - In keeping with the 2017 World Tuberculosis (TB) Day slogan of ‘Accelerating TB Case Finding and Treatment’, Nigeria is scaling up availability of GeneXpert machines country-wide in order to start reversing the country’s unflattering position of having highest burden of TB in Africa.

Maiduguri, 25 March 2017 - Regardless of the insecurity in Borno state, more than 14, 000 volunteers are set to vaccinate 1.9 million children under 5-years old against wild poliovirus. The exercise, which is the first nationwide campaign against polio this year, will take place from 25 to 29 March 2017. WHO and partners have trained 1,817 house-to-house, 410 fixed posts and 362 transit teams in addition to 150 health camps across 206 wards in all local government areas (LGAs) except Abadam and Marte due to insecurity. 

Abuja, 27 March 2017 - Following the reported cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in four(4) local government areas (LGAs), the Niger state government  in north central Nigeria has activated one of the most robust CSM disease outbreak preparedness and responses yet. With close to 60 suspected cases so far, the state has taken major steps including the appointment Dr Mustapha Jibril, the  Commissioner for Health, to lead the state response in close coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Abuja, 30 March 2017 -Various Governors and Commissioners for Health have been fully engaged in the first National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) campaign in 2017 to permanently stop polio transmission in Nigeria by providing overall oversight and monitoring of activities during the round. The NIPDs implemented in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, officially ended on 29 March 2017.