Nigeria News

Abuja, 23 March 2015 - The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) has inaugurated the National Laboratory Containment Committee (NLCC) for polio virus.  The inauguration of the committee on 20th March 2014 in Abuja by the Executive Director(ED), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Ado Mohammed, is seen as a major milestone in the fight against the polio disease  in Nigeria. 

The eight-member committee is chaired by Dr Muhammad Dallatu, a virologist, working with the Usmanu Danfofiyo University, Sokoto.

Abuja, 24 March 2015 - The Federal Government has renewed its commitment towards closing tuberculosis (TB) control gap in Nigeria including ensuring that all currently diagnosed drug-resistant TB patients are put on treatment.

The Minister of Health, Dr Khaliru Al-Hassan gave this commitment at this year’s World Tuberculosis Day (WTBD) ministerial  press briefing and public lecture commemoratory event in Abuja on 24 March, 2015; with the theme “Nigeria unites against tuberculosis” and working slogan “support, reach, treat and cure everyone”.

Abuja, 14 April 2015 - The World Health Organization state office in Sokoto has supported government to immunize 81,761 (89%) people aged 2-30yrs against cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM), out of the 91, 857 targeted in Shagari, Tangaza and Gudu; the three affected local government areas (LGAs) in the state.

Abuja, 20 April 2015 - The Minister of State for Health, Mr. Fidelis Nwankwo has debunked the rumors of unidentified disease outbreak which is attributed to 19 deaths since 15th April 2015, out of 24 reported cases. He further provided insights on the causes of illness and sudden deaths in two communities of Irele, Local Government Area (LGA) in Ondo State of Nigeria.

Ibadan, Oyo 23 April, 2015-The World Health Organization (WHO) State coordinator (SC) in Oyo, Dr Ada Erinne is confident that Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials donated by WHO to the State Ministry of Health (SMOH) will bolster integrated disease detection and reporting as well as facilitate the attainment of certification standard acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance.

In the latest determination to achieve this, tertiary and secondary institutions are the focus for strengthening surveillance performance.

Abuja, 24 April 2015 – With the theme ‘Vaccination, a gift for life’ the importance of vaccines as one of the greatest human advance in history was emphasized by the WHO Country Representative, Dr Rui Gama Vaz at a press conference held yesterday in Abuja to herald the African Vaccination Week (AVW) in Nigeria which had the presence of the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care (NPHCDA) and partners.

Zaria, Kaduna 27 April 2015 - As part of efforts to adequately  respond to the recent isolation of circulating vaccine derived polio virus (cVDPV) from the environment in Zaria, Kaduna state, WHO and other Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners have solicited  the support of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Zaria, Dr Shehu Idris to mobilize communities for the upcoming targeted polio campaign of combined inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) scheduled for 27 April – 2 May, 2015.

Abuja, 30 April 2015 - The Government of Japan has  extended a USD 620,000 grant to the World Health Organization in March 2015 to support a project for Ebola virus disease (EVD) preparedness and response in 10 high risk states in Nigeria.

In November 2014, the Government of Japan pledged to provide an additional package of USD 100 million with a view to rebuilding the health system of the affected countries and stabilizing the societies of those countries being ravaged by the Ebola disease. 

Abuja, 30 April 2015 - This year, Nigeria commemorated the World Malaria Day (WMD) in a week-long celebration which included a Town Hall meeting with communities on malaria best practices, rallies, advocacy to churches and mosques as well as wide range of media activities to create awareness on the malaria elimination programme; centered around the theme for the 2015 WMD ‘’Invest in the future; Defeat Malaria’’.

Abuja, 05 May 2015 - Due to the insurgency that has affected parts of Nigeria; with the attendant humanitarian crisis threatening  huge numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPS) from Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Bauchi States, the WHO Regional Director for the African Region Dr Matshidiso Moeti on 07 April 2015 signed a declaration of Nigeria as an “Internal grade 2 Emergency”.