Health
Sustaining Success In Polio Eradication
It gives me great pleasure to address you today with very warm felicitations from the Executive Governor of Rivers State on the occasion of the first National Immunisation Plus Days campaign against Polio disease in 2012. On this great occasion, I feel quite impressed and happy to congratulate the people of Rivers State and the present administration led by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on the remarkable gains so far collectively achieved in the struggle to eradicate Polio disease from the State.
Polio is a viral disease transmitted feaco-orally and causes Acute Flaccid Paralysis in the young people leading to deformities and disabilities. There is concerted global effort to eradicate the disease from all over the world. Though the disease has no cure, complete eradication is achievable. Unfortunately, Nigeria is among the few countries in the world where the wild Polio Virus is still found. The major thrust of the eradication effort is ineffective mass immunisation, health education and awareness creation, collaboration, surveillance and evaluation of eradication strategies.
Interestingly, the disease has been eradicated in many parts of the world. In Nigeria, twenty one cases were recorded nationwide in 2010, and fifty seven cases in 2011. However, despite this increase in national incidence, the last case of confirmed Polio disease was seen in Rivers State on 31st May, 2007. There has been no reported case of Polio in the state in the last five years. This bold achievement is a direct consequence of collaborative effort of stakeholders and agencies in the state and particularly the commitment of the present administration to achieving the desired eradication target.
The administration of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has also taken the lead in sustaining and achieving this effort through a massively structured sustainable grassroot oriented Polio Vaccination Campaign, co- ordinated by the state Ministry of Health. The Free Medical Care Programme of the state has also unprecedentedly improved patient/client confidence in the health care service delivered by the government. Additionally, the new Model Primary Health Care Centres have become a portal for regular immunisation services as well as other preventive and therapeutic services. Furthermore, the Nigeria Governor’s Forum under the able Chairmanship of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is on a pioneer trail of grass- root, awareness campaign. All these have kept the state Polio free in the last five years.
We can surely say that ‘YES, WE CAN ERADICATE POLIO’. But all hands need to be on deck. The populace must remain vigilant and strive towards improvement in health promotional values. It is necessary to ensure a clean environment and personal hygiene. Appropriate refuse disposal and regular hand washing are important factors that help in interrupting the spread of the virus. Everyone is enjoined to take advantage of the immunisation services, state of the art functional health care facilities and be an awareness crusader for sustaining the on-going eradication campaign.
To consolidate the gains so far achieved the House to House Polio immunisation which begins on Saturday 18th February to 21st February, 2012, Health Workers and community guides will move from house to house (including schools, churches, playgrounds, health facilities and all settlements) administering the recommended dosage of two drops of Oral Polio Vaccine to children less than five years of age. All children within this age bracket are expected to participate in this exercise irrespective of how many times they have had the vaccine previously. The vaccines are safe, carries no risk of overdose and the benefits of participating in the exercise cannot be over emphasised.The Child Rights Law No. 10 of 2009 guarantees the right of the child to be immunised. Therefore, men, women, community leaders, traditional and religious leaders etc. are urged to mobilise and ensure that the children receive vaccination against the virus which is given at no cost.
I will conclude by commending the support of all the various agencies, stake holders and partners in the eradication of Polio especially the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Being a statewide broadcast by the State Commissioner of Health.
Sampson Parker
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.