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Vaccination: WHO tasks African governments on additional funding

Vaccination: WHO tasks African governments on adequate funding

NAN-H-117

Vaccination

By Akeem Abas

Ibadan, May 2, 2017 (NAN) The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on African governments to support vaccination programme with adequate funding so as to increase the coverage.

Dr Matshidiso Moetic, the WHO Regional Director, made the call on Tuesday in Ibadan during the celebration of 2017 African Vaccination Week in Oyo State.

Moetic said improved and regular funding of the exercise would increase coverage to a level enough to interrupt transmission of diseases and introduce new vaccines into the continent’s immunisation system.

“Immunisation saves millions of lives and is widely recognised as one of the world’s most successful and cost effective public health interventions.

“Vaccines provide beyond health outcomes and reduce time spent on caring for sick children. These savings accrue to improve education, economic growth and accelerated poverty reduction for families, communities and nations.

“Immunisations’ coverage has improved dramatically in Africa. Vaccination for diphtheria, tetanus and peruses containing vaccine (DTP3) have increased from 52 per cent in 2000 to 76 per cent in 2015.

“Cases of many vaccines preventable diseases such as measles and meningitis have fallen in many countries saving millions of lives,’’ he said.

Earlier, Dr Lanre Abass, the Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, said that the stakeholders’ meeting was aimed at improving on the delivery of vaccination in the state.

Abass said that there was need for more stakeholders to improve the vaccination to make Nigeria polio-free and other diseases.

“We need more awareness on the vaccination and sensitise people, religious leaders, head of countries on the importance of vaccination,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Oyo State Government has announced May 6 to May 9 for the second round of National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs) across the state.

Dr Azeez Adeduntan, the State Commissioner for Health, explained that enough personnel had been engaged to conduct the exercise simultaneously across the state.

He said that children would be given oral polio and all missed routine antigens against Poliomyelitis, measles, hepatitis, diphtheria, yellow fever, while pregnant women would be immunised against Tetanus toxoid.

Adeduntan advised parents and care givers to bring out their children and wards from 0-59 months of age for immunisation, adding that Vitamin A would also be administered on children between the age of six months to five years.

“The exercise will be conducted across the 33 local government areas and the newly created 35 local council development areas of the state.

“The exercise is to ensure that all children are immunised against the diseases,” he said.

NAN reports that the first round of the NIPDS was held from March 25 to March 28 across the state. (NAN)

TAA/MO/MST

Edited by Omolade Morayo/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Don urges more funding for Malaria research

Don urges more funding for Malaria research

NAN-H-52

Malaria

By Yashim Katurak

Abuja, April 25, 2017 (NAN) Prof. Ademola Olaitan, President, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), has urged the Federal Government to fund research on malaria in universities to boost investment in fight against the disease.

Olaitan made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday on the sidelines of the ‘World Malaria Day 2017’.

The event is commemorated on April 25 annually. This year’s theme is: “End Malaria for Good”.

He said the federal government had a responsibility to fund research being carried out in universities on how malaria can be prevented.

Olaitan said that although a lot of progress has been made in achieving a malaria-free country, more efforts still needed to be made in the area of educating the populace on causes and preventive measures against malaria.

“We need to keep sensitising and educating the people on what needs to be done to prevent malaria. People need to continuously be informed on the need to clear bushes around their surroundings.

“They should be sensitised on the importance of not allowing stagnant water within and around where they reside, so that mosquitoes do not breed there.

“The fact that government is giving out mosquito treated nets to the people is a good development. I think Nigeria and Africa has made appreciable progress in eradicating malaria,” Olaitan said.

He lauded the efforts of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in supporting African countries in the fight to eradicate the disease and the preparedness of the organisation to roll the world’s first malaria vaccine in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2018.

According to him, the introduction of the malaria vaccine by WHO is a big leap forward because once we have the vaccine, the prevention rate will improve drastically for the benefit of the continent.

NAN reports that Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a statement to mark the World Malaria Day 2017, reiterated the organisation’s readiness to roll out the world’s first malaria vaccine through pilot projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Moeti said the vaccine known as ‘RTSS’ will provide partial protection against malaria in young children.

He said the vaccine is being assessed as a complement to the existing package of WHO recommended malaria preventive, diagnostic and treatment measures.

According to Moeti, the test phase of the vaccine will be a milestone in the fight against malaria.

He explained that the World Malaria Day was commemorated to highlight malaria and its devastating impact on families, communities and development.

Moeti noted that malaria was a global and regional priority which continues to kill over 400,000 people around the world each year.

“The theme of `End Malaria for Good’ stresses the need to accelerate and sustain efforts to defeat malaria.

“Countries are committed to end the malaria epidemic by 2030 as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“World Malaria Day is an occasion to renew political commitment and continue investment for malaria prevention and control,’’ he said. (NAN)

KRY/OIF/MST

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

IHVN seeks funding to offer training on cervical cancer

IHVN seeks funding to offer training on cervical cancer

NAN-HG-2

Cancer

By Yashim Katurak

Abuja, March 1, 2017 (NAN) The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has called for funding support to enable it scale up its training programme for medical personnel on cervical cancer screening in the country.

Dr Patrick Dakum, the IHVN Chief Executive Officer (CEO), made the appeal while fielding questions at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the institute has had to slow down the cervical free testing programme as it did not have enough trained personnel to conduct the screening in some parts of the county.

“First of all you require funding to scale-up. In the places where we have trained people already they are continuing with providing cervical cancer screening.

“In the places where we have not trained people we need funding to be able to do that and we do not have the funding for that, and basically that is the reason why that project slowed down,” Dakum said.

He said although cancer has in recent time become one of the re-occurring diseases in Nigeria, the level of cancer burden in the country could not yet be ascertained as investigations have not been carried out in the area.

He said that the institute was therefore making plans to carry out investigations into the types of cancer that were prevalent and the burden of such cancers in the country.

“I have applied for a research grant to investigate and see the burden of cancer among HIV patients specifically in women.

“We are hoping that this proposed investigation will get funded so that we can know the actual burden of cancer in the country,’’ according to Dakum.

He said that the institute has supported the establishment of about seven cancer registries across the country as the registries which were available were not organised.

“These registries systematically collect data about cancers and report the issues to relevant agencies. For now, we do know that HIV is associated with some cancers; specifically the skin cancer and cervical cancer.

“We also know that if you start treatment early for HIV it reduces a lot of complications; it reduces the incidence of Tuberculosis (TB) and the incidence of cancers.

“One thing we noticed is the prevalence of cervical cancer in women among HIV patients and we are currently supporting a number of hospitals in establishing visual inspection with acetic acid.

“This is where the women are examined and if they see a discoloration acetic acid is applied to nib the problem in the bud,’’ said the chief executive officer. (NAN)

KRY/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola