Nigeria News

In a ceremony that took place at the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja on 15th July 2011, the acting WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr. David Okello, handed over a Toyota Hilux pick-up 4-WD vehicle to the Honourable Minister of Health, Professor C.O. Chukwu, ably represented by Dr. Mansur Kabir, Head of Public Health Department at the Federal Ministry of Health, to boost Guinea worm disease (GWD) surveillance activities in Nigeria. Dr.

The Kwara state government and the World Health Organisation in Nigeria are set to work together towards reducing child and maternal mortality rate.

This consensus was reached at a recent meeting between Her Excellency, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed, the First Lady of Kwara state and the Representative of the World Health Organisation in Nigeria, Dr. David Okello at the United Nations House, Abuja.

In December, 2010, WHO announced the official endorsement of the new Xpert molecular technology.

Xpert MTB/RIF has been described by many as a revolutionary breakthrough in the fight against TB. Xpert MTB/RIF detects M. tuberculosis as well as Rifampicin-conferring resistant mutations and provides results within 100 minutes. It is an automated cartridge-based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) for TB based on the GeneXpert multi-disease platform.

In this issue:

Director of Administration and Finance Visits Nigeria
The Lassa Fever Outbreak
Polio Eradication an emergency in Nigeria
Implementation Research
Staff News

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Though TB control and prevention efforts in Nigeria has progressed relatively well over the almost two decades of the introduction of the DOTS Strategy, it still constitutes a public health challenge.

The National TB control programme under the Federal Ministry of Health has finally started a nationwide population based national TB prevalence survey. Advocacy, enumeration and data collection has started in three states in the southern part of the country. Take off is built on the experiences of the pilot survey which was conducted in March/April 2011.

23rd March 2012 -- On the occasion of World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Nigeria donated TB laboratory diagnostic equipment and consumables worth $330,000 to improve TB care in Nigeria. The materials were procured with support of USAID.

The items donated included 65 binocular microscopes, 840,000 sputum containers and 540 boxes of laboratory consumable kits.

Pledges of commitment by government and partners and advocacy for malaria prevention and control characterized interventions made  during events organized to mark this year’s World Malaria Day (WMD) in Nigeria.

The weeklong celebration kicked off with a well-attended Ministerial press conference on 24 April 2012 at the Minister’s conference room in Abuja.

In this issue:

Lead Poisoning in Zamfara State of Nigeria
Use of ARVs in HIV Prevention
WHO support introduction of Pentavalent vaccine
World Malaria Day 2012 Celebration in Nigeria
Healthy Ageing

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With a view to improving child health, the Nigerian government has introduced pentavalent vaccine into her routine immunization schedule. Pentavalent vaccine is a combination of five vaccines-in-one that prevents diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis b and haemophilus influenza type b, all through a single dose.

With this introduction, nearly 400,000 cases of haemophilus influenza type B would be prevented with about 27,000 lives saved annually in Nigeria.