Health
Society Moves To Streamline Asthma Treatment
The Nigerian Thoracic Society (NTS), says that there is the need to streamline the various treatment options in the management and Asthma in Nigeria to meet international standards and practices worldwide.
To attain the standard, the society has initiated the “Guideline for Asthma Management in Nigeria’’, launched penultimate Tuesday in Lagos.
The National President, National Thoracic Society, Prof. Etete Peters, told newsmen in Lagos that the management of asthma in Nigeria over the decades had involved diverse therapeutic approaches.
“The challenges of managing asthma are still enormous because of the diverse approaches to it by many patients some of whom still adopt unorthodox methods of treatment.
“This gave room for the need to put together a concise method of treatment which was initiated in Uyo in November 2015,’’ he said.
Prof. Gregory Erhabor, Chairman, National Asthma Committee, said that asthma was an inflammatory disease that affects the lungs, causing repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and nighttime or early morning coughing.
Erhabor, a Consultant Pulmonologist and professor of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, said that asthma had to do with genetic pre-dispositions.
“If the family had asthma history or allergies, one becomes predisposed to acquiring the disease.
“Asthma is a great killer in the world; annually, about a quarter of a million people die globally from asthma.
“Although we do not have written statistics here, we know that a lot of people equally die from asthma in Nigeria.
“They die because their conditions are poorly diagnosed, under-treated and they do not have the right guidelines for treating their conditions.
“Globally, guidelines are set but they have to be adapted to the local images and peculiarities.
“So, with the Nigeria Asthma Guidelines, what we are trying to get is local peculiarities toward helping the physician, healthcare providers, pharmacies and even the patient, on the proper way to manage asthma,’’ he said.
According to Erhabor, who is also the President of Asthma and Chest Care Foundation, this will help to reduce the burden of the disease.
On the significance of the guidelines, he said: “Almost every nation of the world has a guideline, but there is a global guideline which we call the Global Initiative for Management of Asthma (GIMA).
“However, we are creating a Nigerian guideline which will be useful to Nigeria and the West African sub-region as there is no other guideline in West Africa; South Africa has one.
“Again, not everything that is done globally for the management of asthma can be applicable to Nigeria because some of the drugs are not affordable and may not even be available.
“Also, some of the drugs have their way of working due to genetic predispositions; so, every year, we will look at what is new and upgrade the guidelines.
“This guideline will be distributed to hospitals, medical centres, medical schools and teaching hospitals; people will now have a way of managing asthma.
“We hope to distribute as many copies as possible, to make it accessible online and also include it in medical journals,’’ he said.
Erhabor said that asthma could be triggered by genetic predisposition and environmental conditions, including house dust, stressful situations, exercise and allergies.
“Some drugs, some occupation, laboratory and climatic conditions can also trigger attack in asthmatics.
“Attacks are common in early mornings and late at nights; if one does not have attacks in the night, then it may not be asthma
“Some symptoms of asthma include cough, restlessness and allergies,’’ Erhabor said.
Also, Dr Emmanuel Alabi, Past Membership Director and Administrative Secretary, NTS, said: “This guideline is one of its kind in Africa, especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Most countries like U.S. and U.K. have their guidelines to direct institutions and asthma caregivers on how to manage the disease; this is a written document which is revised from time to time.
“For Nigeria to have one, it is a good and laudable development and I urge all practitioners and caregivers in the management of asthma to adhere to the guidelines,’’ Alabi said.
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.