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Katsina records 2 cholera cases, zero-cases in Kaduna, Kano 

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9 months ago

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As Nigeria grapples with a surging  cholera outbreak, available data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) showed that no fewer than 31 states have so far recorded 528 confirmed cases.

Out of these cases, 53  deaths have been recorded in no fewer than 117 local governments across the country.
However, the three tiers of government and their partners have been employing proactive measures to tame the outbreak and prevent it from spreading.
President Bola Tinubu had since approved the establishment of a multi-sectoral cabinet committee on the control of the epidemic headed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate.
In Katsina, the state government said it has recorded only two confirmed cholera cases, out of 118 suspected cases, disclosing that it was putting in place proactive measures to curtail the possible outbreak of the disease.
The Director of Epidemiology, state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Kabir Suleiman, stated this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Katsina.
Suleiman explained that cholera was an ailment caused by bacteria, which was detected with acute diarrhea.
“Based on our records, around March, this year, we had an outbreak of cholera in Kusada local government. There were 68 suspected cases where we have two confirmed cases with one death.
“The situation was effectively managed by the government together with the development partners,” he said.
Suleiman added that recently, about 118 suspected cholera samples were taken for laboratory tests.
According to him, all the cases were negative, adding, “So, for now, we don’t have new cholera cases. But the state is fully prepared for any emergency.
“Basically, we can coordinate any outbreak that can affect the state at any point in time.”
The director said the state, together with some of the development partners, have the required equipment to fight against the disease.
“We have all the needed equipment to treat such outbreaks. We have maintained our system at alert, where we are now at alert mode.
“Rapid Response Teams, including surveillance and notifications officers have already been trained on proper detection and management of such diseases.
“In terms of prevention and control, we are taking measures to curtail the spread of the disease to other places in the state,” Suleiman said
He further said that the agency has produced jingles to sensitise the residents on the causes of the disease, treatment and preventative measures.
The director further revealed that the government engaged about 3, 000 ‘Volunteer Community Mobilizers (VCMs)’ who visit house-to-house to sensitise women on the importance of maintaining personal hygiene.
Suleiman also said that the government had established ‘Oral Rehydration Points’ at the 34 Comprehensive Health Centres (CHCs) for admission and treatment of cholera cases.
“We also have a normal routine surveillance system that is working throughout the day in order to effectively fight against outbreak of emergencies like cholera,” he said.
Suleiman added that the government was also building 102 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in the state to enhance healthcare services at the rural areas across the state.
He. therefore,urged the people in the state to continue to imbibe the habit of personal hygiene and environmental sanitation, as part of the plausible measures to avert diseases’ outbreak.
Meanwhile, in Kaduna, the State Primary Health Care Board (SPHCB) said that there was no any reported case of cholera in the state in spite of it being recorded in neighboring states.
The Incident Manager (IM) of the board, Dr Abdullahi Musa, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
Musa, who doubles as the board’s ‘Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer (DSNO),’ therefore said the state was alert and prepared in the advent of any emergency to curtail it in a short time.
He disclosed that the state had reactivated its rapid response team which consists of a team of experts that were competent and capable of responding to any form of outbreak or public health emergency.
Musa also said they were able to identify some of designated health facilities at the local government levels that would serve as treatment centres in case of the outbreak of cholera in the state.
He equally said they have identified some selected facilities that can diagnose the case of cholera, adding, “This are facilities that have laboratories for diagnosing cases of cholera.”
Speaking on the area of surveillance, the DSNO said they were able to sensitise many personnel on how to identify cases of cholera.
Stressing the importance of surveillance, Musa said they have Surveillance Officers, the DSNO’s at the LG level, other Surveillance Officers at facilities level and community informants.
“We were able to sensitise them so they could be informed on the current outbreak of cholera in some states, and should be able to pick up cases on time before it spread, when it eventually comes to the state,”he said.
Speaking on area of media engagement, Musa said they were airing jingles and having programmes in order to sensitise the public about the outbreak of cholera in the country and various ways it could be contacted, its signs and symptoms and prevention.
He added that the government was also supporting them in areas of water purification by procuring chlorine to chlorinate sources of water.
Musa added, “Currently, we have marked all the waves in the state.  Over 260,000 waves were marked out and about to start chlorination so as to purify sources of water for the public.”
He urged the public to take any suspected case to the hospital, restating the state’s readiness to respond to the cholera outbreak without spreading it to other places in the advent of an emergency.
Also in Kano State, the state government said it has not recorded any case of cholera.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had earlier listed Kano among the states battling the disease.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran, said this while fielding questions from newsmen in Kano.
Labaran, however, said that findings so far revealed that there was no cholera outbreak in the state.
“We don’t have a single case as of now. We have seen some reports in the media but we can categorically tell you that there is none,” he said.
The commissioner explained that the state government had unveiled proactive measures to safeguard the people against the cholera outbreak in the state.
Labaran said, “As a government, we have taken necessary measures, including alerting our Emergency Preparedness Response (EPR) committee two weeks ago when the disease broke out in Lagos.
“The committee, comprising health practitioners, surveillance and notification officers, health educators, and ward volunteers, is tasked with reporting any strange disease or pandemic and taking prompt measures to halt its spread.
“The state has launched a sensitisation campaign to educate people, particularly in rural areas, on how to protect themselves.
“We have launched public campaigns to raise awareness and promote proactive measures within communities, focusing on personal and environmental hygiene, and avoiding the consumption of unsafe water.”
He further said that the state government had procured drugs to combat the disease in the event of an outbreak.
The commissioner also urged the communities to promptly report any malfunctioning public water facilities to the nearest officials for immediate repairs, ensuring access to clean water throughout the state.
Similarly, the Director-General, Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC), Prof.  Muhammad Abbas, has called on the people in the state to take cholera with the seriousness it deserves due to its fatal consequences in the society.
Abbas strongly advised the residents to take proactive measures to set the state free from the dreaded disease.
The director-general  explained that the commonest identified symptoms of cholera were diarrhea, vomiting and rapid dehydration, advising, ”whoever is spotted with any or all of the symptoms should be rushed to the nearest health facility.
”The people must take timely actions to avert cholera outbreak in the state through frequent washing of hands with soap and water, drinking safe water and avoiding contaminated sources of water including rainwater.”
The rest, said he, include avoiding close contact with the people showing symptoms of cholera, storing food appropriately and washing hands before and after using toilets.
Abbas further emphasized that the people should develop the habit of staying safe with good hygiene as additional protection against cholera through use of proper toilets and hygienic disposal of wastes.
According to him, all foods should be thoroughly cooked and safely stored, raw and cooked seafood should be avoided while fruits and vegetables must be adequately washed with clean water before use.
The director-general also assured the people of the state that the agency was up and doing, through the fullest support of the ministry, to focus on any public disease that may cause havoc to their socio-economic well-being. (NAN
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Health

Pharmaceutical Firms Want FG To Relax Regulatory Laws

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1 week ago

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March 23, 2025

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Pharmaceutical companies across the world have appealed to the Federal Government to relax the law guiding the setting up of industries in Nigeria.

The pharmaceutical companies wanted the federal government to grant them opportunities to set up manufacturing facilities in Nigeria in order to deepen their market penetration in the pharmaceutical/healthcare sector.

The, firms who are currently exhibitors in Nigeria, also called on the Federal Government to remove the hurdles put on the way by some of its regulatory agencies like National Administration for Food Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The appeal was made by pharmaceutical companies present at the Pharma West Africa Exhibition, which is the West Africa’s largest trade event dedicated to improving access to quality medicines.

The exhibition, which was organised by Trade Show Organisation of Nigeria from March 18 to 20 2025, was held at Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, and attended by exhibitors from over 50 countries around the world.

According to Mr. Simranjit Singh Gandhi, the founder and director of Aprazer Healthcare Private Limited in India, he said this was their first time of being at the event. He, however, promised to have a discussion with the Nigerian regulatory agencies in order to make available their products in the country.

“This is our first time in Lagos, Nigeria, and it is great,” he said.

“We have some businesses to seal but we want people to see the big opportunities in this Pharma West Africa because this is a very big event.

“This is a great opportunity because Nigeria is a great market, to be honest. We are here to have discussions with NAFDAC, have discussions with business associates so that our products can be available in Nigeria in a legitimate manner.

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“We want to be part of the Nigerian market and make sure our products are here to help the country in areas needed,” he said.

Gandhi further disclosed that they saw an opportunity from Pharma West Africa to participate in the exhibition.

According to Gandhi, “This is a very big event. Nigeria is a very big market. We discovered that there are a lot of areas that have not been explored. So, we are here to meet business associates in order for our products to be known in Nigeria in a legitimate manner and to provide pharmaceutical products to Nigerians at affordable price. We will continue to attend the exhibition, and we will always support the event and partner the organisers. “

Also speaking, Victor Chinedum, the Vice President (Commercial and Branding), PureLife Health, whose company came up with a platform to help connect the people with healthcare experts, said the innovation would help to integrate various aspects of primary healthcare, including health and wellness products, vaccinations, diagnostics, specialist consultations, and medication delivery.

He said; “We are utilising technology to address hitherto difficult medical processes. We are serving as a platform for all primary healthcare activities, from medical doctors to diagnostics, to pharmacists and we are making sure that individuals that have access to this app can have access to all these primary healthcare drivers on one platform.

“We are here at Pharma West Africa because it is one of the largest gatherings of pharmaceutical stakeholders and this is a veritable platform to connect with business owners, to companies. We feel that if we want to make it easier for people to access their health, why can’t we create a general platform whereby they would have access to all these things at a go and so this is good because at the comfort of your home, you can list orders. At the comfort of your home, you can see the doctor, run diagnoses and get prescriptions.

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“This is because four out of every ten Nigerians do not completely care for their health, so we saw all these loopholes and decided to make healthcare accessibility easy for them by coming up with this,” he said.

On his own, Mr Kausher Nayabali of KNA, a group of companies, spoke on their mission in Lagos for the Pharma West Africa.

“We are into many sectors like pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, FMCG appliances. It is about a 100 years old company. We are in Nigeria for exhibition with our products and we want to offer these products to Nigerian people at an affordable price.

“We are enjoying our presence here and hope to be here for second time. We are looking to discuss with big importers and we can also produce our products right here. Because of logistics, we at times have issues bringing our products here but we can produce them here. We have been dominating the market for the past 15 years and we want to do the same in Nigeria.

“If we have good support from Nigeria, we can do more. Nigeria is one of the strongest economies in Africa with a big population, so we can help Nigerians to get good quality products at reasonable prices.”

Speaking on the exhibition, Kieran Westlake, the Exhibition Manager for Pharma West Africa, said the idea behind the event which began in 2024, is to create a platform for exhibitors to meet and network as local and foreign companies in pharmaceutical business.

According to Westlake, so far, Pharma West Africa is meeting the objective following the success of the event.

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Jamie Hill, Founder and Managing Director of Trade Show Organisers of Nigeria, said in his opening remarks at the opening of the three days exhibition that: “We are delighted to be hosting Pharma West Africa again after having such positive feedback from the launch event in 2024.

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FG reviews national culture policy after 37 years

Published

2 weeks ago

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March 22, 2025

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Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has said work is at final stage in the review of Nigeria’s National Policy on Culture.

The minister said in a statement on Friday in Abuja, that this was coming 37 years after the last review.

Musawa said the exercise was in collaboration with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

”The document was last reviewed in 1988, and has remained in draft form for over 37 years in spite of its significance in shaping Nigeria’s cultural and creative industries.

”A Cultural Policy Drafting Committee was inaugurated in July 2024, comprising over 100 members, divided into sub-groups to research, develop, and refine the policy framework.

”The committee successfully completed the virtual drafting process in December 2024, leading to the need for a physical drafting exercise to consolidate and refine the document,” she said.

She explained that the final stage was to get the policy ready for Stakeholders Engagement and Validation exercise before submission to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.

“In recognition of the urgency of the reforms, the ministry initiated the comprehensive review process, ensuring that Nigeria’s cultural framework aligns with global best practices and reflects the evolving creative economy.

“This initiative reflects the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to cultural development under the Renewed Hope Agenda,” she said.

According to her, national policy on culture serves as a legal framework guiding the preservation, promotion, and development of Nigeria’s cultural heritage.

She noted that the review will ensure that the policy reflects contemporary trends, particularly the shift from a creative industry to a creative economy.

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Musawa further said that the ministry’s partnership with NESG and UNESCO had been instrumental in ensuring a well-structured and inclusive review process.

“Through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2024, NESG has provided research, technical support, and stakeholder engagement strategies to ensure that the final policy meets both national and international standards.

“Additionally, UNESCO’s technical assistance has played a key role in training Ministry staff and NESG representatives to align the revised policy with global best practices.

“The organisation has facilitated workshops and provided expert guidance to ensure that Nigeria’s policy supports the growth of the creative economy while preserving cultural heritage,” she said.

Also speaking, a facilitator at NESG, Ikenna Nwosu, who participated in the policy drafting process said: ”for 37 years, this policy remained unchanged despite the rapid transformation of the cultural and creative sectors.

“Ideally, such policies should be reviewed every five to 10 years. What we are witnessing today is a long-overdue intervention.

“The industry has moved far ahead of governance, and this exercise is an essential step in ensuring that policies catch up with the sector’s economic potential.

“The minister’s leadership in driving this review is commendable, as it will reposition our cultural sector as a key contributor to Nigeria’s GDP.”(NAN)

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Lassa Fever cases decline in Nigeria, fatality rate remains high – NCDC

Published

2 weeks ago

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March 17, 2025

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Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a decline in new confirmed Lassa fever cases in its Epidemiological Week 9 2025 report.

The NCDC via its official website on Sunday, said that the fatality rate remained alarmingly high at 18.7 per cent, with 100 deaths recorded so far in 2025.

According to the Lassa Fever Situation Report released by the agency, 29 new cases were confirmed across nine states, a drop from 54 cases recorded in the previous week (Week 8).

It said that the affected states included Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, Ebonyi, Plateau, Cross River, Nasarawa, and Enugu.

The NCDC highlighted that 72 per cent of all confirmed cases were reported from just three states—Ondo 31 per cent, Bauchi 24 per cent, and Edo 17 per cent.

It said that these states continued to bear the brunt of the outbreak, raising concerns over the effectiveness of ongoing containment efforts.

Furthermore, it noted that one new healthcare worker was infected in Week 9, bringing the total number of affected health workers in 2025 to 17.

“This underscores the urgent need for better protective measures, adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs), and enhanced infection prevention protocols in hospitals,” it said.

The NCDC outlined several challenges impacting the response to the outbreak, including: “Late presentation of cases, leading to high fatality rates”.

“Poor health-seeking behaviour, attributed to the high cost of Lassa fever treatment and management.

“Poor environmental sanitation conditions in high-burden communities and low awareness about Lassa fever symptoms and preventive measures”.

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In response to the outbreak, it said that the National Rapid Response Team (NRRT) had been deployed to Gombe, Nasarawa, and Benue states to provide technical support.

Additionally, the NCDC said it had intensified risk communication efforts and conducted training for healthcare workers in Bauchi, Ebonyi, and Benue states.

The agency said it was also collaborating with international partners such as WHO, MSF Geneva, and Georgetown Global Health Nigeria to improve case management and enhance surveillance.

Comparative data from the NCDC showed that while the number of confirmed cases in 2025 (535 cases as of Week 9) is lower than in 2024 (682 cases during the same period), the fatality rate remains nearly the same (18.7% vs. 18.8%).

“The NCDC continues to advise Nigerians to: “avoid contact with rodents and their droppings, store food properly to prevent contamination, and seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms such as fever, headache, sore throat, and unexplained bleeding,” it reported.

Meanwhile, Public Health experts said this called for more proactive measures to address gaps in early detection, treatment affordability, and public awareness to reduce mortality rates in future outbreaks.

They urged state governments, donor agencies, and community leaders to intensify awareness campaigns and improve healthcare infrastructure in Lassa fever hotspots.

As Nigeria battles this recurrent public health challenge, experts emphasised the need for long-term investments in disease surveillance, public health education, and improved access to treatment to curb future outbreaks.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the Lassa virus, primarily spread through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine, faeces, or saliva of infected rodents.

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Human-to-human transmission can also occur, particularly in healthcare settings, with inadequate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures.

Nigeria records Lassa fever cases year-round, with peak transmission occurring between October and May.

The high burden of the disease is linked to widespread rodent infestations, poor sanitation, and a lack of awareness in many communities.

Efforts to combat Lassa fever in the country include: surveillance and early detection, case management, and public health awareness campaigns.

In spite of these efforts, Lassa fever remains a significant public health challenge, with high mortality rates and the potential for international spread, as seen in the recent report. (NAN)

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