Nigeria News

Abuja, 02 December, 2015: Nigeria has  commemorated the  2015 World AIDS Day with the national theme of “Getting to Zero - ending HIV/AIDS by 2030” which reverberates the global vision of achieving zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDs related deaths by 2030.

National commemoratory events spanned the whole week and included HIV testing and counselling at internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and selected Armed Forces barracks in the Federal Capital Territory, annual HIV lecture; special prayers; a novelty match and a ministerial press briefing.

Abuja, 10 December 2015 - The induction programmed for newly recruited staff into the World Health Organization, Nigeria Country office, a new WHO African Region (AFRO) initiative in furtherance of the   transformation agenda, has been successfully concluded. The 2-day intensive course was held in Abuja on 8 and 9 December with 19 participants drawn from across the country.

Abuja 21 December 2015: The Federal Government of Nigeria has signed an agreement with the German Government to spend 10 Million Euros (€10,000,000) to improve and sustain gains made in polio eradication in the country. The ceremony was conducted in Abuja on 21 December, 2015.

Abuja, 15 January, 2016 -- Lassa fever, which is endemic in Nigeria, has between late December 2015 and January 14, 2016 resulted in 53 deaths in 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 

Lassa fever outbreak is a yearly occurrence during the dry season in Nigeria but, this year’s outbreak is more widespread with 10 states, 140 suspected and 30 confirmed cases. The case fatality rate (CFR) is significantly high at 53 or 37.9% of all cases.

Kaduna, Nigeria 22 January 2016 - The Co-Chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr Bill Gates has applauded the World Health Organization for the support to the Nigeria Government in establishing environmental surveillance and building sustainable institutional capacity needed to ensure that there is no undetected circulation of the wild polio virus (WPV).

Abuja, 22 January 2016 - Traditional leaders from 19 Northern states have resolved to intensify community sensitization efforts in their respective domains and bring to an end, the Lassa fever outbreak, which as of 20 January 2015, recorded a total of 239 suspected cases and 44 confirmed cases, with 82 deaths from both confirmed and suspected cases in 17 states as well as  the Federal Capital Territory.

Lassa Fever is named after Lassa town in Borno State and is endemic in most of the northern states.

Abuja, 02 February, 2016 - As part of ongoing efforts to contain the spread of Lassa fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Journalists’ Initiative Against Polio (JAP), has taken the campaign on personal and environmental hygiene to both urban and rural communities in the North East Zone (NEZ) with emphasis on infected states of Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba.

Abuja, 11 February, 2016 - The Honourable   Minister of Health, Professor Isaac  Adewole, has assured the citizenry during a press briefing in Abuja on 11 February, 2016 that the “current outbreak of the Lassa fever is under control as evidenced by decline in new suspected cases, new laboratory confirmed cases and newly reported cases by week”.

Despite this achievement, Professor Adebowole informed the journalists that it is dangerous to be complacent at this stage since another second wave deep in the dry season is possible.

Abuja, 11 February, 2015 - The 31st session of the Expert Review Committee (ERC) on Polio Eradication and Routine immunization (ERC), warns that the perception of a “job done” coupled with risks of waning political commitment and accountability at each level, funding gaps and delays, access to children in North-East and pockets of low population immunity, could be bottlenecks to achieving certification in 2017.

Abuja, 19 February, 2016 - The World Health Organization (WHO) has handed-over ambulances and other Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) equipment and supplies procured by funds from the Africa Development Bank (AfDP), to the Federal Ministry of Health for onward distribution to states, health facilities and relevant agencies.