Category: Health

  • ATWAP justifies hike in sachet water price

    ATWAP justifies hike in sachet water price

    The National President, Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP), Mrs. Clementina Ative, has explained why there is a hike in prices of sachet water (also known as pure water) from N100 per bag to N200. The change in price was necessitated by huge inflation that have impacted negatively in the productions costs, she stressed.

    According to her, ATWAP increased the price of one bag to N200 to enable members produce and give quality water to Nigerians instead of looking for ways of cutting corners, which might result to quackery and substandard water. Justifying the sachet water price increase, the ATWAP boss said when sales of sachet water began in 1998, fuel price was N11.00 per litre of fuel; while pure water nylon was N170,000 per tonne and packing bag was N700.00 per bundle.

    She explained further that ATWAP members were selling a bag of pure water, which contains 20 satchets,  for retailers at N50.00 per bag and a satchet for N5 per sachet to the public.

    “Between 1998 to 2012, prices of all components of our production rose to point that nylon went to N600,000 per tonne, packing bags rose to N3.500 per bundle, fuel rose to N97 per litre and so do all components of our production from treatment medians to cleaning materials. We had no choice than to increase our price to N100 per bag to the retailers. And a sachet was being sold for N10.00 to the public.

    Read Also: Fuel scarcity looms as private depots hike price by N9/litre

    “From 2012 to 2021, the prices of all components of our production have gone to an unbearable point that we could no longer bear it. Nylon has gone to N1,550,000 per tonne; packing bag has gone to N7.000 per bundle. Diesel is  N320 per litre and all of us depend mostly on generator. Pure water machines that we used to buy N220,000 are now N1million. We cannot change our distribution vehicles anymore; cost of micro filters has risen to more than 700 per cent. To improve on any water facilities will take the producer to go borrowing which he might not be able to pay.”

    Ative defended the hike in response to a threat by the Chairman of Keffi Local Government Council in Nassarawa State, Mohammed Baba Shehu, to sanction packaged water producers in his jurisdiction over increase in price of sachet water from N100 per bag to N200. She said the new council boss does not have the power to determine the price of satchet water and any other commodity as price control is not within his purview and statutory mandate.

    According to her, Shehu’s statement was ill-informed and misguided as the recent rise in the price of sachet water was predicated on astronomical rise in production cost arising from market forces.

    Instead of playing to the gallery and playing politics with a very serious socio-economic issue, Ative advised the council boss to use his good office to introduce palliative measures to help packaged water producers in his council to reduce price of sachet water, adding that ATWAP is ready to work harmoniously with all tiers of government to ameliorate the suffering of the people.

     

  • Expert advises couples to plan pregnancies

    Expert advises couples to plan pregnancies

    A Benin-based pediatrician, Dr Victoria Osamuyi, has advised couples to go for family planning to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

    Osamuyi gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Benin.

    Family planning allows people to attain their desired number of children, and to determine the spacing of pregnancies. It is achieved through the use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of infertility.

    According to her, every couple or individual is at liberty to choose the number of children they want to have and the freedom to decide the timing and spacing of pregnancies.

    READ ALSO: Gyneacologist cautions women on effects of late pregnancies

    She said “family planning allows couples and individuals to protect themselves and their family’s wellbeing in significant ways.

    “It helps to protect women from any health risks that may occur before, during or after childbirth.

    “This is because women who bear more than four children are at increased risk of maternal mortality, so they need to plan the birth of their children.”

    She maintained that women who got pregnant after the age of 35 were vulnerable to health risks; hence they should be protected through careful planning as well.

    Osamuyi noted that Family planning helped to protect women from any health risks that may occur before, during or after childbirth. (NAN)

  • Key facts about diabetes

    Key facts about diabetes

    Diabetes is described as a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces, leading to an increased concentration of glucose in the blood.

    The United Nations established that 100 years after the discovery of insulin, millions of people with diabetes around the world cannot access the care they need.

    People with diabetes require ongoing care and support to manage their condition and avoid complications.

    Below are key facts about diabetes:

    • There are three main types of diabetes:

    Type 1 diabetes, previously known as insulin-dependent or childhood-onset diabete, is characterised by a lack of insulin production.

    Type 2 diabetes, formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes, is caused by the body’s ineffective use of insulin. It often results from excess body weight and physical inactivity.

    Gestational diabetes is hyperglycemia that is first recognised during pregnancy.

    • According to the United Nations, about 460 million people are living with diabetes and millions more at risk.
    • Globally, an estimated 422 million adults were living with diabetes in 2014, compared to 108 million in 1980. The global prevalence of diabetes has nearly doubled since 1980, rising from 4.7% to 8.5% in the adult population. This reflects an increase in associated risk factors such as being overweight or obese.
    • Over the past decade, diabetes prevalence has risen faster in low and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.
    • Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputation.
    • Healthy diet, physical activity and avoiding tobacco use can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
    • Diabetes can be treated and its consequences avoided or delayed with medication, regular screening and treatment for complications.
  • Heavy metal contamination threatens public health in oil-producing regions – study reveals

    Heavy metal contamination threatens public health in oil-producing regions – study reveals

    In a groundbreaking study that could redefine Nigeria’s environmental and public health priorities, Stephen Olalekan Awogbami and Oluwaseun Odipe have raised the alarm over alarming levels of heavy metal contamination in groundwater sources across oil-producing regions of Rivers State, Nigeria. The findings, published in a high-impact international journal, highlight an urgent need for policy intervention to safeguard communities at risk from chronic exposure to toxic substances.

    The study provides the most comprehensive risk evaluation yet on the long-term health implications of industrial pollution in the Niger Delta. The research examined groundwater samples from several oil-impacted communities and found elevated concentrations of lead, cadmium, chromium, and iron which are heavy metals known to cause cancer, kidney failure, and developmental disorders in children.

    Stephen Awogbami, an environmental and public health scientist emphasized that the study was conducted following international ethical and laboratory standards. “Our findings demonstrate that residents in these oil-producing areas are at a significant non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risk due to prolonged exposure to contaminated groundwater,” he said. “These results underscore the urgent need for remediation strategies, stricter environmental enforcement, and community awareness initiatives.”

    Oluwaseun Odipe, co-author and leading environmental toxicologist, added that the persistence of heavy metals in water systems has far-reaching ecological and socio-economic consequences. “Once these contaminants enter the food chain, their effects accumulate over generations, leading to chronic health problems, reduced agricultural productivity, and loss of biodiversity,” he noted.

    The researchers recommended immediate policy reforms, including the implementation of stricter effluent discharge regulations, continuous water quality monitoring, and expansion of public access to clean water. They further proposed the adoption of bioremediation as an eco-friendly process using microorganisms to detoxify polluted environments for a sustainable alternative to chemical treatment methods.

    This pioneering study reinforces the vital role of Nigerian scientists in advancing global understanding of environmental hazards. It aligns with international research standards and provides a scientific framework that policymakers, the oil industry, and public health stakeholders can adopt to mitigate contamination risks.

    Experts across academia and government have lauded the research as a timely wake-up call. Environmental health advocates argue that Nigeria’s development goals cannot be achieved without prioritizing the remediation of polluted ecosystems and the protection of vulnerable communities.

    This research also represents not only a major scientific contribution but also a significant step toward achieving environmental justice for millions of Nigerians affected by decades of industrial pollution.

  • Oriki Spa sets up training institute for youth empowerment

    Oriki Spa sets up training institute for youth empowerment

    Luxury spa and wellness brand, ORÍKÌ, mark its sixth anniversary by setting up a training institute for youths’ skill acquisition and launch of its franchise.

    According to ORÍKÌ, the franchise will afford corporate entities and individuals the opportunity to own a spa and wellness business and invest in a proven model of recurring revenue.

    The Franchise system offers end-to-end support that will ensure sustainable business growth and profitability for participants.

    Also the ORÍKÌ Training Institute (OTI), which is the first of its kind indigenous training institute that couples consultancy will offer comprehensive training programs for spa professionals and individuals interested in venturing into the spa and wellness industry and up skilling.

    The launch is scheduled to hold on Monday, November 1 2021 and will be a hybrid event in full adherence to Covid-19 protocols.

    Gracing the event will be stakeholders, business executives, Nigerian state officials, and many others.

    Read Also: Institute, others urge Kwara to make provision for women in 2022 budget

    Joycee Awosika, the founder and Managing Director of ORÍKÌ Group, said the launch of the franchise and training institute is testament to the tremendous growth of the ORÍKÌ brand in the last six years.

    She added that it also underscores the Group’s commitment to empowering lives and engendering economic growth.

    According Awosika: “Having been a part of the development of seven spas in the past six years we have noticed a gap in the market for professionally trained and knowledgeable therapists. Conscious Wellness is here to stay and thus we need more hands.

    “The launch of the training institute signifies our commitment to job creation and training expert therapists to fill the demand in the sector. The launch of the franchise further signifies our passion to democratize wellness and to bring ORIKI spas to communities across Africa and the world.”

    Speaking on the OTI, the company said that the institute will be open to intending and practicing therapists, including management staff, that are not employees of ORÍKÌ but want to be their own bosses.

    In addition, experienced spa therapists seeking to be employed by ORÍKÌ can apply to join the program.

    According to Awosika, a primary motivation for the institute is to ensure the economic independence of women through skill acquisition training as well as the promotion of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, 5 and 8.

  • Cholera kills 21 in five States – NCDC

    Cholera kills 21 in five States – NCDC

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said 21 Nigerians died in cholera outbreaks in five states in one week.

    It said between October 11 and 17, 2021, seven States reported 417 suspected cholera cases.

    They are Yobe (121); Adamawa (86); Borno (71); Zamfara (67); Niger (49); Katsina (14) and Kaduna (9).

    According to the epidemiological data from the NCDC, Yobe, Adamawa and Borno accounted for 67 per cent of 417 suspected cases reported.

    Overall, a total of 93,362 suspected cases including 3,283 deaths (CFR 3.5 percent) have been reported from 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) this year.

    Read Also; Four polio cases detected in Adamawa

    The States are Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, FCT, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Rivers and Zamfara .

    “Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, age group 5 – 14 years is the most affected age group for male and female. Of all suspected cases, 50 percent are males and 50 percent are females.

    “Three states – Bauchi (19,452 cases), Kano (12,116 cases), Zamfara (11,084 cases) and Jigawa (10,763 cases) account for 57 percent of all cumulative cases.

    “Twelve LGAs across five States Bauchi (4), Zamfara (4), Jigawa (2), Kano (1), and Katsina (1) have reported more than 1,000 cases each this year,” the report stated.

  • A Public Health Conversation with Chidumebi Uzoho: Addressing crisis of Open Defecation in Nigeria

    A Public Health Conversation with Chidumebi Uzoho: Addressing crisis of Open Defecation in Nigeria

    Ms. Chidumebi, open defecation remains a persistent and growing concern in Nigeria. From a public health standpoint, how serious is this issue?

    The challenge is both urgent and far-reaching. Nigeria currently accounts for over 46 million people who practice open defecation, a figure that places the country among the highest globally. 

    The public health implications are profound—cholera outbreaks, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, and parasitic infections continue to proliferate due to contaminated water sources and unsafe environmental practices.

    Open defecation contributes significantly to childhood morbidity and mortality, disrupts educational outcomes, and places immense pressure on local health systems. It is not merely a sanitation issue but a multifaceted public health crisis.

    Chidumebi stated that during her role as a Health Services Administrator within the civil service, she was involved in the development and execution of health policies aimed at improving workplace wellness, disease prevention, and hygiene awareness. She recognized that many illnesses reported in primary care facilities could be traced back to poor sanitation and hygiene practices. 

    She stated that during her time as a Health Services Administrator with the Office of the Head of Civil Service in Abuja, I was involved in a critical environmental health initiative that targeted several Local Government Areas across the Federal Capital Territory. 

    This project involved house-to-house inspections, where we assessed sanitation conditions, conducted health risk evaluations, and engaged residents in meaningful conversations about safe waste disposal and hygiene practices.

    Can you elaborate on what this project aimed to achieve and your specific contributions?

    The primary goal was to eradicate open defecation through direct community engagement. We collaborated with environmental health officers and public health educators to identify households without proper toilet facilities and provided tailored guidance on how to adopt safe sanitation practices. 

    My role included: We also used this outreach as a platform to promote basic hygiene habits, such as handwashing with soap, which significantly reduces the transmission of infectious diseases.

    What impact did this initiative have on the communities involved?

    The response was overwhelmingly positive. Many households expressed appreciation for the direct, respectful engagement, and several local government councils adopted our recommendations into their community health plans. 

    The initiative contributed to increased demand for sanitary facilities, a noticeable improvement in hygiene practices, and strengthened relationships between public health officials and the communities they serve.

    What steps do you believe are necessary to address this national issue?

     Chidumebi emphasized on some comprehensive approaches that are required—one that involves government commitment, behavioral change, community engagement, and infrastructure development. 

    First, there must be stronger integration of public health education campaigns that emphasize the health risks of open defecation. Secondly, investment in safe and accessible toilet facilities, particularly in rural and underserved communities, is critical.

    Moreover, the use of epidemiological and geospatial data to identify high-risk areas would enhance targeted intervention. 

    Enforcement of environmental health regulations, coupled with collaboration between public, private, and non-profit sectors, is also essential for sustained progress.

    In the final rounds of the interview, Chidumebi expressed her commitment to continue to drive  advocacy in this space of general health and safety measures. ‘ I remain committed to this work because I have witnessed the human cost of inaction. 

    The preventable loss of life, particularly among children, due to diseases linked to poor sanitation, is deeply troubling. I believe that every Nigerian deserves to live in a safe, dignified environment. 

    Ending open defecation is a foundational step toward achieving health equity, reducing preventable diseases, and ensuring long-term public well-being’.

  • Godwin Obaseki: Shedding bloody tears for astroveniga

    Godwin Obaseki: Shedding bloody tears for astroveniga

    I hope that, with the death of twice vaccinated Mr. Ladi Williams (SAN) on Sunday October 3, 2021 and that of twice vaccinated General Collins Powell on October 18, 2021, Edo state Governor Godwin Obaseki and Kaduna State Governor el Rufai may wish to rethink their garulous jungle orders of forcing everyone in their domain to be vaccinated against COVID-19 infection. el Rufai set Sunday, October 31 2021 as deadline for civil servants to be vaccinated or lose their jobs. Both governors and co-travelling governors are following the Federal Government in tow. The vaccination order sweeping through Nigeria assumes that human beings are pieces of wood, metal or stone, cannot think for themselves and do not know how to safeguard their lives. The passing of Williams (SAN) and that of Gen. Powell are yet other testimonies that vaccination does not necessarily prevent COVID-19 infection, complications and death. So, why force a whole population to be vaccinated when it is not even yet known what the future repercussions would be.

    Today, some scientists are blaming the wide spread cases of cancer on tuberculosis and small pox vaccinations in the 1950s and 1960s. For I watch daily events in Malaysia for about three million Nigerian traders in Chymall e-commerce which, like that country’s physical space and economy, had been on lockdown since about February. The lockdown was imposed when the daily infection rate hit more than 15,000 persons. It was to be lifted on August 1, if it crashed to under 5,000. But, as August approached, the rate spiralled to 15,000 and then crossed a 20,000 bar and began to even storm its way to 25,000 before, repentantly or what shall we say, It stopped “carrying shoulders” and then “calmed down”, as we, also, say, to about 18,000.

    This is a country of only 32 million, or just about the population of Lagos and Ogun states. On October 5, Nigeria’s 220 million population reported 141 cases of COVID-19 infections with 70 recoveries, far insignificant in comparison with Google account of 273,972 daily malaria infections and 822 daily deaths. Over insignificant COVID-19, our governors are breaking our bones, trying as it were, to kill a group of irritant flies with bombs dropped from jet bombers. In one day, more than 20,000 new cases of infection hit Malaysia, about 14.5 per cent of Nigeria’s population, presenting 4,000 cases of persons who had taken the second jab. If these figures count little before our governors, there may be, in their decisions to force us to vaccinate rather than find alternative natural routes to safety, something at the bottom of the river drumming and singing for the dancing mermaid on the surface.

    To check if there is music playing at the bottom of the river, I made the following post in Facebook on….

     

    Nigeria’s COVID-19 Vaccination: Ridiculous and Nonsense

    WITH the Federal Government and no fewer than three southern states imposing compulsory COVID-19 vaccination on civil servants in a world in which civilised nations are recognising the right to not be vaccinated, Nigeria is set for the spread of yet another wild fire in the handling of citizen rights. As usual, a nation well known for negotiating peace with terrorists, bandits and felon warriors against the state is pursuing the line of least resistance in the management of COVID-19 pandemic. Even the Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, one of the world’s largest producers of COVID-19 vaccines, is yet to be vaccinated and says that, so far, he has no need for it because, at 59, he is hale and hearty, had no health challenges and possesses a sound immunity.

    Is this statement not suggesting that the COVID-19 vaccination campaign is fishy? Is vaccination the only amour against infection? Have some vaccinated persons not been infected and died? Have producers of the vaccines not admitted that vaccination is not a guarantee against infections? Were about 4,000 vaccinated persons in Malaysia not among about 22,000 infected persons in one day? Isn’t there something in forced vaccinations to suspect that African leaders who objected in the “morning” and were toppled or ran into other troubles in the “evening” are victims of machinations of vaccines merchant against them and their peoples? Isn’t there something to also suspect that African leaders who are imposing compulsory vaccination on their people are captives of a plotted and emerging new world order of a world government which was speculated but denied by vaccine producers when Coronavirus first reared its head?

    When Pfizer Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Albert Bourla was reminded by an interviewer that he was yet to take his jab of his company’s vaccine, he replied: “I can, I will. I don’t. The only sensitivity here, eh…hh, eh…hh I don’t want to set an example that I am up in the line. I am 59 years old. I am not working in the front line. So, my type are not recommended to get vaccinated.”

    So, whose “type” is “recommended to get vaccinated”? Helpless Nigerian civil servants who do not wish to be vaccinated, who are not in the “frontline” will comply to keep their jobs because they live in a country where millions of citizens are unemployed, and may not find another job on years. If the CEO of Pfizer can say what he said about himself having no need to be vaccinated, why should African leaders lead their people to the slaughter slab, if COVID-19 vaccination ends in a huge global scam of medicine as many Euro-American critics and objectors are saying? For what Bourla seems to be telling us to our faces is that what is sauce for the gander is not necessarily good for the goose. Sometimes, as in this case, I cannot disagree with critics of Big Pharma, the controller of Orthodox Medicine, that Orthodox medicine has become Big Business in which Disease are invented and pre-disease solutions are suddenly “invented”.

    We are all living witnesses to the HIV/AIDS scare mongering. Doctors such as Dr. F. Batmanghelidy who said there was no such thing as the HIV virus and proved it in the laboratory were ostracised. Even after the doctor who claims credit for the discovery of the virus publicly apologised that he told a lie, Big Pharma and Orthodox Medicine have continued to say there is a virus. Dr. Gallo’s problems began in 1984 when he published in the prestigious science magazine that he and his team of American researchers had discovered the cause of a disease which had been killing thousands of people globally. Apparently, the United States and France were in a race to discover “the cause of the deaths”, give it a name, win scientific validation for the work and produce patented medicines which would be sold globally and bring more money into their economies. That was the situation in 1984.

    In 1986, Dr.Gallo won the prestigious Lasker Award for his “discovery”. This created a controversy between the United States and France over who should be credited for the discovery: Dr.Gallo of the United States or Dr.Montagnier of France. They resolved their differences later as we shall soon see. In 1989 journalist John Crewdson published his investigative report on Dr.Gallo’s work. He claimed that Gallo “misappropriated samples” in the laboratory. Apparently, Gallo’s team and Montagnier’s team of researchers were spying on each other and struggling over who will take “credit” for discovering an HIV virus, whether one existed or not. The American National Institutes of Health (NIH) dismissed Crewdson’s report to Gallo misappropriated samples. The NIH said Gallo had asked Montagnier for samples of his French team, unknown to both parties that Montagnier’s samples had been contaminated by the virus and that the contamination later contaminated Gallo’s samples.

    In 2002, Gallo and Montagnier ended their scientific war and phase-off over who discovered the virus when they wrote an article acknowledging each other’s contributions. In 2008, the Big Pharma train left Gallo behind and stranded in the march of Orthodox Medicine when the Nobel Prize committee recognised the contributions of Montagnier and Dr.Barré–Sinoussi.

    Back in 1987, the American and French governments sorted out the differences between Gallo and Montagnier by agreeing to share the proceeds from patent rights of the HIV/AIDS vaccine. It did not matter to them who eventually got the credit. What matters most was the money. After all, they did not see HIV/AIDS as a Euro-American disease. It was meant to be an African disease, and a vaccine was developed for Africa which would bring money to France and America.

    Thanks to well-meaning researchers who confronted this medical oligarchy, especially from the stand point of Alternative Medicine. We now know HIV disease did not come from heaven. It is a group of symptoms exhibited by persons whose natural immunity is broken down. Immunity breaks down under certain conditions, including when the internal environment becomes acidic and not alkaline and there is a poisoning, disorientation and weakening of all cells in the body, including immunity cells. Bacteria, fungi and viruses take over an acidic internal human environment in order to dismantle it and return it to dust since that is their calling.To avoid this circumstance, which is a natural process, the internal human environment, according to the hygienist, is to be kept clean and alkaline. But this is hardly possible nowadays because of the diet which is anti-Creation Diet, stressful lifestyle, emotional distress and pollution of all sorts. That is why many people still on their feet and going about on their daily occupations are half dead and half living persons. Their bodies tend towards acidosis carrying a high microbial load which is constantly trying to break down the acidic body while the immune system, poorly nourished and over worked, is by instalments losing the battle. Several decades ago, the Daily Times columnist Allah Dey (Alhaji Alade Odunewu) call such persons Walking Corpses. He was one of them, he said, because his doctor discovered his blood pressure to be terribly over the bar but he did not know until he went for a checkup. In alternative medicine, when attention is given to this concern, the HIV viral load drops, CD4 count rises and the frequency and intensity of symptoms automatically decrease. This is the story line of many people I know who are diagnosed with HIV but are regaining or have regained their balance and do not have to be on HIV medications for life. Batmanghelidy mentioned in particular the importance of Cysteine and Zinc for recovery from this symptom.

    Back to Coronavirus. The same forces at play in the days of HIV in the 1980s are very much at play today. These forces try to make a mountain out of the mole of Ebola virus but failed. They succeeded long ago with the Polio virus. That is why countries which produce vaccines against this virus make lots of money every day from the vaccination of all children worldwide. Now, it is time to make money from Coronavirus. They make mouth-watering donations of free vaccines to poor nations into whose peoples they instilled health, economic and personal financial fears. But we know it is all a matter of trade in the future and not aid or love. When you are hooked as a nation on a donors’ vaccines, you would buy it in future. So, to capture your future as a nation they first capture your leaders through all sorts of means, legitimate or not. In their own countries, they accept and grant freedom of choice to an enlighten citizenry but pretend they no nothing about democracy and freedom when your own leaders pin you down and abrogate your freedom in this matter and ram compulsory vaccination down your throat.

    Africans are not stupid, though. Na Condition Make Crayfish Bend. That condition is the African leader. About 200 years ago, the African leader sold his people into slavery abroad. Today, the African leader loots the treasury and makes living in the country so unpleasant that some of the victims of his looting voluntarily flee into modern captivity and slavery abroad. Now, the African leader is leading his people to take a vaccination which the man who produces it has confessed he has not taken. Who should have been the first to take the jab? In Africa, if your neighbour is sick and you have a home remedy which can help his condition, you taste it or use it before you give it to him. This is to proof that you are not giving him poison. In Nigerian’s psychiatric hospital, doctors and nurses insist that friends and family members who bring edibles to their patients eat portions of it, randomly chosen to be sure they have not come to poison this people.

    Pfizer and Co have led many of us to believe that Mother Nature is powerless against Covid19. At the same time, Bourla suggested he believes in Mother Nature because his immunity is capable of protecting him. Then, why are we discarding the relevance of immunity in the fight against Covid19? In March, last year, I went down with some of the symptoms of COVID-19. I was five months from 70. If I went to an isolation center, I may have passed with the experimentation of drugs going on at that time. Two other members of my household went down as I came back to live. Knowing that immunity would help, I kept working at it for three long weeks, making sure it did not affect my breathing or make my blood to clot and that the temperature crashes from time to time. I shared some of these remedies with Nigerians in the United Kingdom and in New York and it worked for them, too. Even now, I continue to share them with Nigerians at home. The ones for the blood are crucial. They include Vida Maxx, Cardiotonic pill, Choleduz, Wheat Germ Oil etc. Vida Maxx comes from an anti-clotting extracts of tomato. Cardiotonic pill contains one per cent of camphor. Both do not allow the blood to clot. I lost appetite, and had to be sustained on pure honey and solarised water. Check solarised water online. It is amazing. It contains all the ethers to sustain life, including Vitamin D3 for immunity.

    To stabilise my organs and systems, I took CBD oil. There were anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial recipes as well. One of my sisters-in-law, Mrs Shade Kusa, brought me Oregano Leaf which I now grow in the flower beds and eat raw with every meal. The Oregano super strength drops and Black Seed Oil were given to me every three hours or so to keep my breathing open and prevent a systemic wave. I was happy to learn from a professor of medicine sometime last month on the television that Zinc and Selenium, both immune booster are routinely given to patients on the arrival at isolation centers. My experiences are reported in www.olufemikusa.com under the heading COVID-19: Look Alike Symptoms Join The Lexicon. It is interesting that all of us three members of my household then (the others were Udeme Edet James and Better Effiong Happiness) went through the symptoms…and came out of it.

    With the background, I would advise that Nigerian governors respect human rights, do not compel anyone to take the vaccination. If we spend a quarter of the energy and money we are throwing at the vaccination good nutrition, education and herbal medicines, Covid19 would have no hold on our nation and on our people. In any case, as I write, there is hardly a Nigerian home in which one recipe or the other against COVID-19 is not kept for emergency and used in everyday cooking or as a food supplements. Kudos to our people. One lesson for me in all of these is that forms may change, the content hardly changes. In this case, the forms of our leaders who have been selling us into slavery have been changing, from the monarchs of traditional society and the soldiers in government to the politician in State House today, whereas the Content, which is the selling of their people into one form of slavery or the other, has remained a constant factor throughout modern African history.

     

     

  • Pfizer raises breast cancer awareness

    Pfizer raises breast cancer awareness

    To drive greater awareness around breast cancer and support breast cancer patients in Nigeria and Ghana, Pfizer, along with some professionals, has held a virtual media roundtable to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Metastatic Breast Cancer Day.

    The participants stressed that although great progress has been made in the treatment and care of breast cancer, there is still a lot more work to be done. They agreed that this is especially true within underserved and hard-to-reach communities.

    Timely access, affordable treatment options and expansion of resources and programmes that address current disparities across age, race, gender, and location can remove barriers that stand in the way of the most vulnerable people with breast cancer.

    Medical Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Pfizer, Dr. Kodjo Soroh,  said: “Across the region, patients are diagnosed with late or advanced-stage cancer at a higher incidence rate than other regions globally. There is a distinct need for more awareness campaigns to regularly encourage patients to check themselves for breast cancer and better understand the disease. Moreover, over the past decade, improved diagnostics, and newer treatment options for late-stage breast cancer, including those with different gene abnormalities, offer new horizons and hope for these patients.”

    Read Also: Adelusi-Adeluyi: pharmacists stress good health

    National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre, Ghana, Dr. Hannah Naa Gogwe Ayettey Anie: “Most women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have any signs or symptoms of the disease. However, there are changes in the breast that some women do not notice. Therefore, it is hard to overestimate the importance of conducting self-examination and going for regular check-ups.

    “While each case is unique, age, certain genetic mutations (like BRCA1 and BRCA2), getting periods before age 12 or starting menopause after age 55, having dense breasts, and family history are all known risk factors. With better awareness, prevention, treatment, and access to diagnostics, early detection could save between 2.4 and 3.7 million lives each year globally. ”

    Prof. Ifeoma Joy Okoye of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, added: “It is crucial for patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer or even metastatic breast cancer to have the right information and expectations. It is our duty to encourage them to have open conversations with their healthcare teams to understand how they can be supported but also how they can participate in their own care – taking an active role in their treatment can help them feel empowered in making the best decisions for themselves.”

     

  • ‘Euracare is here to help healthy people get healthier’

    ‘Euracare is here to help healthy people get healthier’

    The Managing Director of Euracare Hospital, Mr Pieter Slabberts, has vowed that his team of experts is determined to help healthy people to get healthier and stop the menace of medical tourism in Nigeria.

    He said this at the unveiling of Euracre Wellness Centre in Lagos.

    Euracare, an institution with a vision to be at the forefront of healthcare in Nigeria, launched a wellness centre at a ceremony attended many dignitaries, including the Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Prof Akin Abayomi.

    Abayomi commended the management of Euracare for their thoughtfulness in investing in preventive care.

    According to Slabberts, the mission of the centre is to provide world-class medical services to patients without the stress and expense of international travel, offer corporate companies and insurers efficient healthcare solutions for their employees and customers and to make available to physicians a technologically advanced and optimised work platform.

    Also, the Centre Manager, Dr Busola Ayelowo, said: “Euracare Wellness Centre is an institution with a vision to be at the forefront of healthcare in Nigeria. While we appreciate the importance of routine checkups and the cardiovascular benefits of having an active lifestyle, there is a growing appetite for holistic health and a need to nurture not only the body but also the mind. This growing demand for optimal health and wellness with a focus on caring for our mind and body to prevent illness rather than cure it, has birthed an increased interest in the wellness industry among Nigerians.

    “With a focus on prevention as the best cure, wellness practitioners believe in treating the whole person and the cause of illness rather than merely isolating and treating the symptoms. Faced with an increasingly chaotic lifestyle, as most residents of Nigeria are, it is all too easy to forget to prioritise our health. Euracare Wellness Centre is stepping in to fill that gap as they are constantly pioneering new, innovative treatment procedures to take you to the peak of optimal health and wellness.”