Health
Don Urges Stroke Prevention Strategies
In a bid to curtail the high rising cases of stroke in the country, a neurologist professor in the Department of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Prof Arthur Onwuchekwa, has advocated moderation in certain food intake, regular sensitization and media outreach as possible effective strategies to prevent the killer disease.
Onwuchekwa stated this at the 135th inaugural lecture of the College on the theme: Stroke: A Preventive Disaster Waiting to Happen” at the Ebitimi Banigo Hall, of the institution recently.
The neurologist who noted that the saying “prevention is cheaper and better than cure” was squarely important in tackling the menace of rising stroke cases in the country, maintained that population-based strategies that would involve community, education, pointed materials, lectures sensitization awareness programmes, and -visual bill board and television programmes as well as radio jingles remained concrete ways of reaching out to the vulnerable segments of the nation’s populace.
Quoting World Health Organisation (WHO), Onwuchkwa defined stroke as rapidly developing clinical signs of focal disturbance of the cerebral function lasting more than 24 hours with no apparent cause other than vascular origin. This results when blood flow to the brain is abruptly interrupted leading to the demise of cells”.
According to him, “this manifests as inability to move on one part of the body, problems of understanding, feeling like the world is spinning or loss of vision to one or both eyes. This is usually sudden in outset within seconds and minutes.
He noted that “if the symptoms last less than 24 hours and resolves outrightly with no residual deficit, it is called “Translent Ischaemic Attack (TIA) or Mini stroke”.
Noting that stroke symptoms normally commence abruptly within seconds to minutes, the Professor said the symptoms rely on the area of brain affected as well as function of that area, the more extensive area affected, the more functions are likely to be lost.
The Don stated that the commonest way to recognize stroke is by the means of the facial deviation, Arm weakness, slurred speech and Time in the brain (FAST).
“Every minute in which a large vessel Ischaemic stroke is untreated, the average patient loses about 1.9 neurons, 13.8 billion synapses. Each hour in which treatment fails to occur, the brain loses as many neurons as it does in almost about 3.6 years of normal aging, Onwuchekwa averred.
He listed high blood pressure, diabetes mellintis, high blood cholesterol, excessive alcohol intake, obesity, smoking, lack of physical activity among others as major risk factors that predispose people to stroke.
While stating that stroke was classified into two categories of Ischaemic, which is called cerebral infration, caused by interruption of blood supply to the brain and Haemorrhagic, which results from bleeding into the brain tissue due to rupture of blood vessels, a condition called intra-cerebral Haemorrhagic (ICH), and reiterated the significance of team work among health workers to ensure effective treatment.
Onwuchekwa said “stroke is the new face of chronic non-communicable disease in sub -Saharan Africa, a forerunner, of health transition in the developing countries and a preventable disaster waiting to occur”. He therefore called on policy-makers in health, education, transport, finance, power, agriculture and information acting in concert to deal with the problem of stroke.
“Stroke education should target prospective patients such as hypertensive, diabetics, sicklers, the aged including care givers, adding that the campaign should be carried to tertiary, secondary and primary schools including churches and markets.
The Don who called for improved healthcare delivery system that would lay strong emphasis on primary healthcare also stressed the need for the rehabilitation of health facilities for physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy to cater for the needs of those who eventually comedown with stroke.
Lady Godknows Ogbulu
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.”
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.”
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.