Health
Mrs Imoke Charges Nutritionists On Dev Agenda
The wife of Cross River State Governor, Mrs. Obioma Liyel-Imoke, has challenged the Nutrition Society of Nigeria to come up with local solutions for achieving national socio-economic and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as proffer ideas that will attract policy makers to make nutrition top of the agenda of the national discourse.
Mrs. Liyel-Imoke who gave the charge during the 43rd Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference 2013 held in Calabar, noted that the theme of the conference “Prioritizing the Nutrition Agenda for Sustainable Development in the 21st Century” could not have been more timely as malnutrition, a major health problem in Nigeria.
The Governor’s Wife who was represented by Dr. Regina Ejemot-Nwadiaro explained that “despite the progress made by this present administration in the areas of health, agriculture and other related sectors, reports have it that about 41% of children under-five years in Nigeria are still stunted, 23% are underweight and 14% wasted.
Imoke’s wife who is the Grand Patron of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria reviled that she had been committed to health and nutrition promoting activities through her complementary role in the people oriented health programs of her husband, Senator Liyel Imoke through her flagships projects that promote crosscutting concerns and synergy in maternal and child welfare as well as nutrition, sexual and reproductive health.
The President of Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof. Ngozi Nnam, in her welcome address said the theme of this year’s conference was apt and would provide basic platform for the launch of the Scale Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in the country.
She stated that the society has a vision for improved nutrition in the country and that their annual general meeting and scientific conference was a part of their mission to ensure adequate nutrition for all. She was optimistic that they would provide opportunities for nutritionists and other professionals to share expertise and exchange experiences that can strengthen nutrition issues to promote development as well as afford young Nutritionists a window of opportunity for growth.
According to Prof Nnam, “Malnutrition is responsible for more than 60% of child mortality in Nigeria. Up to 10.9 million children under-five years of age are stunted in Nigeria by malnutrition. This implies that their physical and cognitive development is impaired and they are unable to reach their full potentials”.
She said for Nigeria to make a significant progress in development, nutrition sensitive issues need to be prioritized to reduce the double burden of malnutrition that negatively impact on the health and economic development of the country. She thanked their sponsors and all those that made the conference possible.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the conference, Prof Saturday Etuk commended the members of Nutrition Society of Nigeria for holding their conference in Calabar and expressed his happiness that they are fighting a noble course of preventing people dying from nutrition related disorders, such as diabetes, Hypertension. He asked the participants to savour the tourism potentials of the state.
The Vice Chancellor, Cross River University of Technology Calabar (CRUTECH) Prof. E.E. Ene-Obong, (FAS) who was represented by Prof Akon Monday Joshua called for the inclusion of nutrition as a subject in the Nigerian school curriculum.
Health
‘How Micro RNA Research Won Nobel Prize’
Two United States scientists who unraveled the human micro RNA have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the coveted prize for their work on microRNA as their discoveries help explain how complex life emerged on earth and how the human body is made up of a wide variety of different tissues.
MicroRNAs influence how genes – the instructions for life – are controlled inside organisms, including humans.
Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked in our DNA.
However, despite starting with the identical genetic information, the cells of the human body are wildly different in form and function.
The electrical impulses of nerve cells are distinct from the rhythmic beating of heart cells. The metabolic powerhouse that is a liver cell is distinct to a kidney cell, which filters urea out of the blood.
The light-sensing abilities of cells in the retina are different in skillset to white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
So much variety can arise from the same starting material because of gene expression.
The US scientists were the first to discover microRNAs and how they exerted control on how genes are expressed differently in different tissues.
The medicine and physiology prize winners are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
They said: “Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
“It is now known that the human genome codes for over 1,000 microRNAs.”
Health
WHO Begins Regulation On Antibiotic Waste
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun acting to curb effects of antibiotic pollution.
The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected challenge ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) taking place on 26 September 2024.
The emergence and spread of AMR caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites responsible for the pollution.
Despite high antibiotic pollution levels being widely documented, the issue is largely unregulated and quality assurance criteria typically do not address environmental emissions. In addition, once distributed, there is a lack of information provided to consumers on how to dispose of antibiotics when they are not used, for example, when they expire or when a course is finished but there is still antibiotic left over.
“Pharmaceutical waste from antibiotic manufacturing can facilitate the emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria, which can spread globally and threaten our health. Controlling pollution from antibiotic production contributes to keeping these life-saving medicines effective for everyone,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for AMR ad interim.
Globally, there is a lack of accessible information on the environmental damage caused by manufacturing of medicines.
“The guidance provides an independent and impartial scientific basis for regulators, procurers, inspectors, and industry themselves to include robust antibiotic pollution control in their standards,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO. “Critically, the strong focus on transparency will equip buyers, investors and the general public to make decisions that account for manufacturers’ efforts to control antibiotic pollution.”
Health
Kebbi Harmonises Doctors’ Salaries To Curb Brain Drain
In a concerted effort to curb brain drain, the Kebbi State Government has harmonised medical doctors’ salaries to be at par with their colleagues in the federal government’s tertiary health facilities.
Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Musa Inusa-Isma’il, disclosed this at the handing over of ambulances to the state-owned health facilities at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
Inusa Isma’il, according to a statement by Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the essence of the harmonisation was to retain the existing medical doctors and attract more to the services of the state.
According to him, the doctors across the state had already started enjoying the new salaries from August 2024.
He said the release of the vehicles was in fulfilment of Governor Nasir Idris’ promise to uplift health care services in the state.
“His Excellency said I should inform you, the beneficiaries of this gesture, that the vehicle should be strictly used for the intended purpose. It should not be used for anything else.
“If there is no referral case, each of the vehicles must be parked at the hospital by 6 pm. The governor said you should warn your drivers against reckless driving as well as violating the instructions.
“We should also do everything possible to reciprocate the gesture by working according to the terms and conditions attached,” he advised.
The benefiting health facilities included Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi; State Teaching Hospital, Kalgo; General Hospital, Argungu; General Hospital, Yauri; General Hospital, Zuru; and General Hospital, Bunza.
In his speech, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Shehu Koko, recalled that the ambulances were handed over to the ministry last Friday by the governor for the onward handover to the benefiting hospitals.
He observed that the ambulances would go a long way in improving the referral system in the state, adding that delays in reaching the secondary and tertiary facilities would be eliminated.
The permanent secretary attributed the high rate of maternal mortality in the country to delays in getting to the health facilities for proper medical care.
“We believe with the provision of these ambulances, part of the gaps we have in our referral system will be addressed, whereby patients who require secondary healthcare could be easily transported to secondary and tertiary health centres, where they can get such help,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed expressed gratitude to the governor for the support he has given to the ministry to excel.
While advising the beneficiaries to use the vehicles judiciously, the commissioner advised that services and maintenance of the vehicles must be prompt to derive the maximum benefits from the vehicles.
The commissioner also highlighted some achievements recorded by the government in the last year, including beautification of the state capital, completion of a multimillion-naira ultramodern state secretariat, road construction, construction and renovation of classrooms and upgrading of some health facilities, among others.