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July 18, 2022 WHO puts Nigeria, others on High Alert as Ghana announces First Marburg Virus Case

WHO puts Nigeria, others on High Alert as Ghana announces First Marburg Virus Case

The World Health Organisation; WHO has reached out to neighbouring high-risk countries including Nigeria to be on the lookout for the Marburg Virus Disease.

In a press statement made available to newsmen, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said, “Health authorities have responded swiftly, getting a head start preparing for a possible outbreak. This is good because without immediate and decisive action, Marburg can easily get out of hand. WHO is on the ground supporting health authorities and now that the outbreak is declared, we are marshalling more resources for the response.”

The UN body said more than 90 contacts, including health workers and community members, have been identified and are being monitored.

Marburg is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Illness begins abruptly, with a high fever, severe headache, and malaise.

WHO noted, “Many patients develop severe hemorrhagic signs within seven days. Case fatality rates have varied from 24 percent to 88 percent in past outbreaks depending on virus strain and the quality of case management. Although there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus, supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival.

“A range of potential treatments, including blood products, immune therapies, and drug therapies, as well as candidate vaccines with phase 1 data are being evaluated.”

Ghana had just recently announced its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease, after a World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre laboratory confirmed earlier results.

The Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal received samples from each of the two patients from the southern Ashanti region of Ghana – both deceased and unrelated – who showed symptoms including diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting.

The laboratory corroborated the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research results, which suggested their illness was due to the Marburg virus.

One case was a 26-year-old male who checked into a hospital on 26 June 2022 and died on 27 June. The second case was a 51 -year-old male who reported to the hospital on 28 June and died on the same day. Both cases sought treatment at the same hospital within days of each other.

Marburg is a highly infectious viral hemorrhagic fever in the same family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease. It is only the second time the zoonotic disease has been detected in West Africa. Guinea confirmed a single case in an outbreak that was declared over on 16 September 2021, five weeks after the initial case was detected.

Other outbreaks and cases of Marburg in Africa have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

July 18, 2022 NDDC Boosts Fight Against Tuberculosis With Renovation of Center in Khana LGA, Rivers

NDDC Boosts Fight Against Tuberculosis With Renovation of Center in Khana LGA, Rivers

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC has renovated the Infectious (Tuberculosis) diseases control Hospital located in Taaba community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The Commission installed solar panels, a new 100kva Perkins generator and provided internet services at the health centre, making it possible to provide modern and efficient health care services.

The gesture by the intervention agency has sparked commendations from residents and Indigenes of the area, who lauded the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC for the timely upgrade of the community’s healthcare facilities.

The royal fathers, led by His Royal Highness, Mene MSK Nule, stated that with the Commission’s intervention, especially the emphasis on the treatment and care for tuberculosis patients, the center is set to do more for the community and improve the health of the people.
He assured that the community will handle the facility with care.

The facility, which comprises a main hospital building, staff quarters for doctors and nurses, gate house and a generator house, is fully equipped and furnished with air conditioners, beddings, office furniture, as well as computers, patients trolleys, wheel chairs, oxygen cylinders, amongst others.

June 13, 2022 NCDC Reports 10 New Cases of Monkey-Pox in Edo, Rivers, Plateau, Lagos, others

NCDC Reports 10 New Cases of Monkey-Pox in Edo, Rivers, Plateau, Lagos, others

Cases of Monkeypox have continued to soar worldwide, even as scientists at the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are tracking incidents in countries that do not normally have the disease.

According to latest figures from the CDC, there were 1,472 confirmed monkeypox cases in 33 non-endemic countries, as at June 10, 2022.

The list includes (in order of most cases to least): United Kingdom, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Canada, France, Netherlands, United States, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Australia, Czech, Slovenia, Sweden, Denmark, Israel, Finland, Argentina, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Austria, Brazil, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, and Poland.

Also, latest update on monkeypox in Nigeria, by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), shows there were 10 new positive cases in Week 22, 2022 (May 30 to June 5) from six states – Edo (two), Rivers (two), Plateau (two), Lagos (two), Ondo (one) and Imo (one).

Globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of June 5, 2022, there have been 920 confirmed and 70 suspected cases. Of 64 confirmed cases with known travel history, 32 were associated with travel from Europe, three from West Africa, two from Canada, and one from Australia. For 26 cases, travel history locations remain unknown.

According to the latest report from NCDC, “there were 44 new suspected cases reported in Week 22, 2022 (May 30 to June 5, 2022) from 14 states – Kebbi (11), Lagos (eight), Gombe (four), Plateau (four), Rivers (three), Adamawa (two), Edo (two) Kano (two), FCT (two), Niger (two), Ondo (one), Katsina (one), Bayelsa (one) and Imo (one).

“From January 1 to June 5, 2022, there have been 110 suspected cases in total and 31 confirmed cases from 12 states – Adamawa (five), Lagos (six), Rivers (three), Cross River (two), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja (two), Kano (two), Delta (two), Bayelsa (two), Edo (two), Imo (two), Plateau (two), and Ondo (one).

One death was recorded in a 40-year-old man with co-morbidity, who was receiving immunosuppressive drugs.”

NCDC said overall and from September 2017 to June 5, 2022, 622 suspected cases have been reported from 33 states in the country.

It said of the reported cases, 257 (41.3 per cent) have been confirmed in 23 states – Rivers (55), Bayelsa (45), Lagos (36), Delta (31), Cross River (16), Edo (12), Imo (10), Akwa Ibom (seven), Oyo (six), FCT (eight), Plateau (five), Adamawa (five), Enugu (four), Abia (three), Nasarawa (two), Benue (two), Anambra (two), Ekiti (two), Kano (two), Ebonyi (one), Niger (one), Ogun (one) and Ondo (one).

In addition, from September 2017 to June 5, 2022, a total of nine deaths have been recorded (Cade Fatality Ratio/CFR= 3.5 per cent) in six states – Lagos (three), Edo (two), Imo (one), Cross River (one), FCT (one) and Rivers (one).

Since September 2017, Nigeria has continued to report sporadic cases of monkeypox.

On May 26, 2022, a monkeypox Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was activated in response to the risk assessment conducted, which put Nigeria at high risk for an outbreak. The essence of the activation was to improve coordination of related preparedness/response activities across the country.

NCDC said there was a case of importation from Ghana. “The case is stable and receiving care at the hospital. Active case search is ongoing. International Health Regulation (IHR) notification has been sent to Ghana,” it said.

April 29, 2022 Health Break Highlights the Role of Citizens as Stakeholders in the Fight Against Malaria

Health Break Highlights the Role of Citizens as Stakeholders in the Fight Against Malaria

The conversation underscoring the need for efforts by all to ‘Advance Equity, Build Resilience to end Malaria was the focus of Health Break on April 19, 2022.

The guests; Dr. Anyiekere Ekanem, a Public Health Physician and Dr. Boniface Ukpong of State Malaria Elimination Programme ( SMEP) joined Ima Dem on live Radio ahead of the WORLD MALARIA DAY 2022 commemoration.

Do listen to the role citizens must play as stakeholders in the fight against Malaria.

 

 

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