The Nation Newspaper

Category: Health

  • Self-care guide will reduce maternal mortality, infertility, others – Experts

    Self-care guide will reduce maternal mortality, infertility, others – Experts

    By Sola Shittu, Gombe

    Experts on reproductive health on Wednesday agreed self-care guidelines will reduce the increasing rate in maternal mortality and other health challenges in the country.

    A reproductive health expert, Dr Adewole Adefalu, who also doubles as the Country Director, Jo Snow Incorporated at a one day Orientation/DQA meeting with State Family Health Stakeholders on National Self-Care/Self-Injection Guidelines in Gombe, said through sensitisation a lot of women would be aware of emerging health challenges, which includes cancer and infertility issues.

    “These two guidelines are essential for us as a country to continue to support women by reducing maternal mortality too many women are dying every day and until we all collectively work towards innovations that can help us to reduce this mortality we will continue to have challenges as a country.

    “The government is beginning to look more inwards towards strategies we can use as a country to reduce this mortality.

    Read Also; UN experts alarmed over spread of terrorism from Nigeria

    “Self-care in itself looks at the opportunity for people to take control of their health and there are basic things you can do that you will not have to get to the hospital for some of our women they can be empowered information on how to do them some of which are family planning methods, fertility control, for those who want to have kids and are having challenges. This will provide awareness about issues relating diagnosis of cervical cancer to help women provide information towards preventing cancer,” he said.

    Adefalu added the coronavirus pandemic spurred the interest to increase to standardize self-care.

    “All of these interventions are targeted at helping the government reduce the burden on healthcare. The Covid-19 last year taught us all how to think outside of the box because of the dwindling in healthcare.

    “We are implementing the access collaborative project. It looks at introducing new products in the last 4 years we supported the rollout DMPA, a type of Sayana press, one of the family planning method that is why we are duty bound to continue to support,” Adefalu added.

    Director in charge of family planning branch Federal Ministry of Health Dr. Lawrence Anyanwu, said government has realised the far reaching impact of self-care, towards improving healthcare of citizens especially women.

    Anyanwu stressed stakeholders would be better equipped to sensitise residents of Gombe on the successful uptake, adding “we are here to engage with officials of state ministry of health concerning the national document that we recently developed which has added you the documents we are using to manage the promotion of health and wellbeing of Nigerians.

    “This document is the national safety healthcare guideline which the federal ministry of health mobilized stakeholders from the state ministry of health and implementing partners to develop.”

    Gombe Commissioner for Health Dr. Habu Dahiru assured government would support in the implementation of the guideline, adding that efforts are geared towards mobilizing towards it success.

  • Gird your loins, all AA’s, malaria season has come (2)

    Gird your loins, all AA’s, malaria season has come (2)

    By Femi Kusa

    NIGERIA is blessed by mother nature with plant medicines for all ailments, including malaria. But, somehow, we have become too distant from this caring mother. We are shown how stupid we have become in the works of several researchers, including those of Prof. L.S. Gill, an Indian who spent many years teaching at the University of Benin, and gathering knowledge about Nigeria’s medicinal plants. This part of the series will rely on some of his experiences which are well documented in the book he gave to us…Ethnomedical  Uses  of  Plants in  Nigeria 

    For the introduction of the book, Prof. F. I. Opute, the provost of the college of Agriculture, Science and Engineering of the University of Benin in 1992, said in the forward:

    “The book Enthnomedical uses of plants in Nigeria” is an original attempt to collate information on the medicinal uses of a wide range and number of plants employed by the indigenous people of Nigeria in the practice of healing and cure of diseases and different afflictions. The author for ease of identification has painstakingly given the valid scientific nomenclature as well as the common English and the local native names as much as possible. The various parts or organs of the plants used and the possible constituents are also indicated. In rather detailed form, the author lists the different ailments and diseases that could be cured by the plants, including in some cases traditional recipes.

    “In suggesting the possible use to which the plants may be put, the author cannot vouch for the efficacy and curative power and the various claims therein contained. The book, on the other hand, has assembled very important information gathered from different sources which may be of therapeutic value. By clearly identifying the plants, the job is made easier for detailed phytochemical and pharmacological studies in order to isolate and characterise the active therapeutic principles. Rather than dismiss the claims of the traditional medical practitioners, it is my belief that their knowledge should be scientifically investigated and where useful and proven, as they sometimes turn out to be, should be incorporated into the National Health Care Delivery System”.

    “The book is recommended as a useful reference or resource material to a wide range of the reading public, especially students of plants science, orthodox medical practice, pharmaceutics, pharmacognosy and pharmacology, as well as traditional medical practitioners, including all those interested in the manufacture of drugs and medicine from indigenous plant resources”.

    We are far away from the dreams of Prof. Opute. Many doctors and nurses still do not pay attention to herbs when it comes to the treatment of malaria. Yet hundreds of thousands of people, especially children under the age of five years and pregnant women, are dying of malaria every year and malaria fever or complications such as organ failures and cancers. Prof L. S. Gill, author of the book in reference, is an interesting and dedicated scholar, and I would like to introduce him, as he is in the book….

    Professor Gill

    “Prof L.S. Gill has been associated with teaching and research for the past 26 years and has authored one text book “Taxonomy of Flowering Plants” and over 215 scientific research papers in international Journals all over the world. He was born in 1940 in the Punjab State of India. He took his B.Sc. general degree in Botany, Zoology and Chemistry in 1959 from Punjab University, Chandigarh. Later, he joined the Honours school in Botany of the same University and obtained in 1961 his B.Sc Hons. School with distinction. He had his M.Sc. Hons. School in Cytology from the same university in 1963. For three years, he was a Senior Research Fellow of the Government of India at Punjab University Chandigarh. In 1966, he joined as Research Fellow in the United States of America Peace Public Law 480 project on the “Cytology of economic plants of Western Himalayas” and carried out Cytogenetic Research on the Bicarpellatae group of plants from Western Himalayas. In 1967 he joined Punjabi University Patiala, India as Lecturer and curator of the herbarium. In 1969 he was awarded a research fellowship by the University of Waterloo, Canada and from where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1971. For three years, he worked as teaching Post – Doctorial Fellow at the University of Waterloo, Canada. In 1974 he joined the University of Dares-Salaam, Tanzania and Senior Lecturer. In July 1976, he moved as Senior Lecturer to the University of Benin, Nigeria where he has been Professor of Botany since 1982″.

    “Professor Gill is actively engaged in research in Biosystematics, Cytogenetics, Morphology, Ecology of weeds and applied Botany. He has supervised many post-graduate in these various aspects of Botany. Presently(1992), five students are working under his supervision for their Ph.D degrees. He has been external examiner to many universities for M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees.

    “Professor Gill is an active member of many professional organisations, and also a Fellow of the Linnean Society London and Indian Academy of Wood Science. He is on editorial boards of several scientific journals. In 1986, Prof. Gill was awarded “Men of Achievement Certificate” by international Biographical Centre, Cambridge, London. In 1988, he was chosen for distinguished standing and has been conferred with an honorary appointment to the “Research Board of Advisors” by the American Biographical Institute”.

     

    Fagara (Zanthoxylum Zanthoxyloides)

     

    Up country Yorubas use it as (a peppery) chewing stick (Orin Ota) to prevent and treat gum and teeth problems. A few decades ago, scientists studied it as an anti-sickling agent in the treatment of sickle cell challenges when red blood cells gum together. This anti-sickling property recommend Fagara root for use against blood clot such as in heart attacks, strokes and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and to prevent these conditions as well as in the clearance of tiny blood vessels blocked by remnants of red blood cells destroyed in the attacks of P.Falciparum, the malaria parasite. Recently, I joined the club of Fagara root users for gum boils. I soaked some cuttings in 40 per cent spirit. One tort at a time was more than I could cope with because it more than doubled my sleep time day and night. Some people may better tolerate solarised Fagara root. In this case, the root is put in a clear glass bottle filled with water, kept in the sun and drunk as needed. The spirit extract may act gentler if taken as a tincture…..just a few drops at a time. Prof. Gill says of Fagara root:

    “It is extensively used in folkloric medicine for general body weakness, as anthelmintic, emmenagogue, stimulant, toothache, gonorrohea and for sickle cell anemia and obesity. In Igboland, aqueous extract of the bark is used to prepare yam porridge which is then served to the patient suffering from tuberculosis. The dose is a plateful of porridge twice a day. The root extract is also prescribed as urinary antiseptic and bark has antimicrobial properties”.

    “Local names: Hausa – Fasa kuwari, Fulani – fasokorini, Yoruba – ata, Bini – ughanghan, Etako – studio, Itsekiri – atako, Urhobo – ujo, Ijaw – korokuma, Igbo – akuku nkita”.

     

    Lemon Grass  (Cymbopogon  Citratus   )

     

    In many parts of rural Nigeria, Lemongrass is well known as an anti-snake and anti-malarial herb. Some decades ago, a United Kingdom tea company which was a member of a multinational company commissioned the Federal Institute for Industrial Research, Oshodi(FIIRO) Lagos to assess the antimalarial value of this folkloric herb. FIIRO reported that the hot water extracts killed P.Falciparium in the bloodstream. But the tea company developed cold feet about producing and pushing Lemongrass as a Nigerian antimalarial tea because, as its international head offices in the U.K. observed, this could threaten the market of a global brand of British origins which was the reason for the tea company being in Nigeria.

    An English man who would later read the stories in this column would come to Nigeria and, from Billings Way Factories at Ikeja Industrial Estate, Lagos, produce cuttings which is sold in Nigeria, through Rev Father Adodo’s Pax Herbal Centre. Beyond malaria, Lemongrass has been found to be useful in cancer therapy through one of its extracts called Citral. In several studies published in PUBMED, the extracts induced apoptosis(cell death) in cancer cells but not in normal cells. Prof. Gill says:

    “Decoction of the leaves along with onion and honey is believed to cure cough, malaria fever and chest pains. The dose is a wine glassful thrice daily. A decoction of the grass is used over rheumatic joints, lumbago and sprains. A tea made from the leaves is a stomachic tonic, diaphoretic, diuretic and refrigerant. A paste of the leaves made with butter milk Yogurt is applied to ringworm. Fresh or dried roots are chewed to stimulate the nervous system. The herb is an ingredient of many recipes of traditional healer”.

    “Local names: Urhobo – iti, Yoruba – waapa, Kooko – oba”.

     

    Pawpaw Leaf (Caricapapaya)

     

    This is one of the most dynamic plant leaves from my experience. While some people prefer the juice. I enjoy the raw leaf as salad in my meals.  I cannot say here for want of s “Carica papaya also simply known as papaya or pawpaw is a type of tropical, fruit-bearing tree native to Mexico and northern regions of South America. Today, papaya is one of the most widely cultivated crops in the world. Its fruit, seeds and leaves are frequently utilized in a variety of culinary and folk medicine practices. Papaya leaf contains unique plant compounds that have demonstrated broad pharmacological potential in test-tube and animal studies. Although human research is lacking, many papaya leaf preparations, such as teas, extracts, tablets and juices, are often used to treat illnesses and promote health in numerous ways. Here are emerging benefits and uses of papaya leaf….treats symptoms related to dengue fever, promotes balanced blood sugar, support digestive function, have anti-inflammatory effects, supports hair growth, promotes healthy skin, have anti-cancer properties, etc”.

     

    Prof. Gill says:

    “The fallen dry leaves are rich in phenolic constituents and are used in many traditional prescription. The fallen dry leaves along with leaves of Neem tree, Lemongrass, Guava and stem bark of cheese wood are boiled together, cooled and drunk one wine glass full thrice daily is a good remedy for malaria fever. The patient is also given bath with this decoction. The cold infusion of fallen dried leaves along with the leaves of serpent wood, African birch is used for bath to bring the body temperature down. The decoction of fallen dry leaves along with one teaspoonful of rock salt and Ethiopian pepper fruits is a good remedy for diabetic conditions. The dose is half a cup every morning and evening. In Northern Nigeria, herbalists recommend the use of fresh leaves for gonorrhoea and syphilis. Leaves are very efficacious for the treatment of amoebic dysentery. Slightly bruised roasted leaves are applied as a galactagogue to breasts of nursing mothers, a poultice of the leaves is applied for reducing elephantoid growths, the fresh leaves are a useful dressing for foul wounds.

    “The unripe fruit is a mild laxative and diuretic, the cooked unripe fruit is eaten as a galactagogue. The milky juice of the unripe fruit is a powerful anthelmintic for roundworms, a tablespoonful each of the fresh juice and honey mixed with three or four tablespoonfuls of hot water is prescribed for adult, this dose is followed two hours later by a dose of castor oil. The above treatment may be repeated if necessary. The milky juice is a remedy for stomach disorders and enlargement of the liver and spleen and it also serves as emmenagogue.  The ripe fruit is cooked as soup with melon seeds and other ingredients, it serves as a preventive medicament in antenatal cases against mild convulsions. Ripe fruits is given as laxative. Seeds contain glucocide-caricin, are mixed with honey and given for expelling roundworms. Seeds boiled with milk are believed to be a powerful remedy for diabetes.

    “Roots of male plants chewed with seven seed of Grains of Paradise during labour is supposed to cause an immediate delivery”. (The use as an abortifacients is excluded here for understandable reasons).

     

    “Local names: Yoruba – ibepe, sigun, gbegbere, seyinbo, Bini – uhoro, Hausa – gwanda, Igbo – Ojo, okwere, Efik – etihi-mbakara, Urhobo – eto-oyibo”.

     

    Utazi (Gongronema Latifolium)

    This herb is more popular among the Igbos of Southeastern Nigeria than it is in other regions. The Yoruba’s of the Southwest call it Arokeke, the Igbos Utazi. In Igboland, Utazi leaves are cooked in peppersoup sause for women who have just had babies, to help them drain off abdominal fluid accumulations. The men may use it as tea or peppersoup to tone down abdominal pouches. Beyond these uses, Utazi is also a good fighter against malaria. Although Prof. Gill does not mention this role in his book, Google says:

    “A herbal preparation made predominantly with garlic, ginger, onions, scent leaf, lemon grass, unripe pawpaw, lime/lemon, African pepper (Uda in Igbo), clove, Gongronema latifolium (Utazi in Igbo, arokeke in Yoruba) and West African Black pepper (Uziza in Igbo) has been effectively used to stop malaria and typhoid”.

     

    Prof.Gill cites other uses:

    “The decoction of the stem is prescribed for colic. The dose is one tea cup twice a day. The stem twigs are chewed for cleaning teeth and sore gums”.

    “Local names: Yoruba – auje-adiye, iteji, itaji”.

     

     Iseketu (SidaI Acuta)

    Goats love this plant. The Yorubas who named it Iseketu employ bunches of it to sweep their homes and other accomodation during disease epidemics, believing its radiations keep germs at bay. In the early days of HIV/AIDS ingress into Nigeria, it was recognised as a valuable antiviral and used as such. Of this plant, Prof.Gill says:

    “Fresh leaves are crushed with few drops of water, the extract is put into the eyes during fever. The decoction of leaves is prescribed during malaria fever. The dose is two wineglassful a day. A decoction made of the leaf juice is an anthelmintic for intestinal worms. Warm leaves coated with the palm oil are applied over abscesses to hasten suppuration. The leaves are also used as abortifacient. The infusion of leaves is given to women in labour. The leaves with lime juice is a remedy for ulcers.

    “The root is a bitter tonic, cooling, astringent and antipyretics. The decoction of the root with ginger and salt is given in nervous diseases, urinary diseases, chronic bowel complaints and mild cases of debility. The dose is two teacupful twice a day”.

    “Local names: Igbo – udo, Akoko-Edo – erumava-ibia, Yoruba – iseketu, esoketu, olosinkutu”.

     

    Egungun Eja

     

    I can take a bet that, even if you are a Yoruba, you would be wide off the mark on the English name of this antimalarial. In English language, Egungun eja translates as fishbone. But, oh no! We are not talking about fishbone. We are talking about a herb the leaves of which are as ragged at the edges as the spinal formations of a fish. Egungun eja is a bitter herb most lovers of bitter principles may find detestable.

     

     

    Conclusions

    Nigeria needs an industry to transform these antimalarial herbs into well reserved and well packaged proprietary blends, some of which are coming up in trickles. On the shelf, there is Donkak Ali sold by Dynapharm from Malaysia. From Nigeria, there is Jobelyn to replenish, within 48 hours, blood hematocrit lost in several conditions, including malaria. It comes from Health Forever Limited, makers of the alcohol based Benabiotics, which is anti-parasitic, and Albaleria, equally well researched for malaria. In http://m.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/Profiles/Yakubu-Omolara/Evaluation-of-antimalarial-and-biochemical-profiles-of-Abaleria-R-in-Plasmodium-berghei-infected-mice, a study on mice shows that Albaleria reduces Plasmodium blood levels as favorably as chloroquine diphosphate (CDP) while its favourably moderates blood fats as well. Ajadilopea didn’t go too far. Made by Dr. Ajadi of the English Department of the University of Ilorin, Ajadilopea caught the attention of U.S Army after publications about it in The Comet newspaper. Prof. Moris Iwu, before he became Chief Electoral Officer in Nigeria under the Obasanjo administration, researched AJADILOPEA for the Americans and found the shelf life too short for use by U.S soldiers in malaria prone regions abroad. There is also MALSOL from Pax Herbal Center which now runs an herbal medicines only hospital at Ikeja GRA, Lagos. MALSOL is both prophylatic and curative, says the center, if used every two months. This list is by no means exhaustive. Nor is the list of the healing plants mentioned in the series.

  • Gird your loins, all AA’s, malaria season has come (1)

    Gird your loins, all AA’s, malaria season has come (1)

    By Femi Kusa

    GIRD your loins, all GENOTYPE AA people. The season of Malaria is oncoming, the rain season haven comes with stagnant water here and there, and beckoning mosquitoes and their parasites to join the party. Even in Malaria parasites resistant GENOTYPE AS people, Plasmodium Falciparum, the parasite, may lurk around in the system for years and eventually cause cancer of the blood or of the organs. Girding the loins means stocking the herbal medicine chest with such anti-malarial’s and blood cleansers as Chanka piedra, Bitterleaf powder, Karela, Lemongrass powder, Brimstone powder, Neem powder, Papaya leaf powder, Stinging Nettle, Fagara, etc.

    Being a GENOTYPE AS person, I self-deluded for years that mosquitoes could suck as much blood as they liked from me if they spared my ears of their sleep-disturbing hum. I could not recall breaking down with Malaria fever in 25 years even when some people around me were in and out of the hospital every month, losing work and business hours, spending money for cures and losing money from business hour losses. But I changed my “I don’t care attitude” the day I discovered I was living in A FOOL’s PARADISE. That was when I discovered the studies which suggested that damage inflicted by P.Falciparium on the DNA of the human cell, the genetic code, could make the cell become cancerous. The code is a formula that guides the cell to continually reproduce normal cells. A change in the code means a new formula that will cause the reproduction of different cells, in this case, cancer cells. This may be why BURKITT’s LYMPHOMA, in a B cell, is found widespread in malaria-endemic areas.

    According to GOOGLE: “PREVALENCE IN NIGERIA. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 33,000 MALARIA CASES PER 100,000 PEOPLE, WITH 110, 000 OF THESE CASES RESULTING IN MORTALITY. A LARGER PROPORTION OF THE MALARIA CASES THAT RESULTED IN MORTALITY IS LIKELY OCCURRED AMONG CHILDREN LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD”.

    Many of us treat malaria with kids gloves, although it is a big-time killer in Nigeria and worldwide. I guess that is because our education, right from secondary school, is focussed on speaking grammar, not on the human environment, and not tailored to give man, a lord of the Universe, Dominion over everything external to him. The story of what happens from when the Female Anopheline mosquito bites its victim, to when the unlucky person develops malaria fever or dies of it, is an interesting one. It is the Female Anopheline mosquito that bites, not the male. The female bites for blood, which it needs for its eggs to become mature. When it bites for blood, some of its salivae is injected into the tissue of its victim. It is this saliva that causes the pain that makes us realise we have been bitten. Inside the saliva is a dangerous parasite known as the PLASMODIUM FALCIPARIUM. There are many species of P.falciparium. Each one causes a different type of infection. These species include P.falciparium, P.vivax, P.malariae, P.ovale and P.knowlesi. In patients with P.Falciparium, the liver and the kidneys may fail. Convulsions and coma may occur. While P.vivax and P.ovale may not be as life-threatening as P.falciparium, they may hide away, dormant in the liver, for months or years, stealing out once in a while to cause reinfections.

    P.FALCIPARIUM

    This is our focus. In the saliva of the Female Anopheline mosquito, P.falciparium exists as SPOROZOITES. Once the sporozoites are injected into the bloodstream, they travel into the liver, say in their hundreds, to grow their population.

    Once in the liver, a sporozoite steals a part of the membrane of a cell. In this location, sporozoites trick the liver cells to produce a protein called AQUAPORIN-3, which they normally do not produce. Rather, the liver cells depends on other forms of AQUAPORIN for water transport. As AQUAPORIN-3 helps the parasite to replicate itself, new anti-malaria drugs target it in the liver, not necessarily in the bloodstream, as P.falciparium had been developing resistance to old ones. Such new drugs have created new challenges, however. One of them is known to cause the dissolution of red blood cells in some persons, thus creating one of the problems it is meant to resolve. If undisturbed in the liver and if it has stolen a portion of the cell membrane and embedded themselves in pouches called the VACUOLES, stealing nutrients and growing the P.falciparium population, the stage is well set for a malaria mayhem. The parasite is soon dispatched into the bloodstream, where they get hold of red blood cells and begin to kill them.

    THE BLOOD

    From the infected liver, SPOROZOITES, now fully grown and called MEROZOITES, are dispatched into the bloodstream, to start the ERYTROCYTIC stage of the infection, which is an attack P.Falciparium launches on red blood cells. The attacks not only cause the death of these cells, but they also make the cellular membrane rigid, alter the discoid shape, make the membrane extremely permeable to all sorts of ionic substances. Perhaps worst of all is that damage to the membrane cells cause the mangled cell to stick or to gummed to endothelial cells, especially in small blood vessels. Endothelial cells line hollow tubes throughout the body. This gives the semblance of what happens in a Sickle cell crisis. Thus, without being a sickler in crisis, even a GENOTYPE AA person undergoing P.Falciparium infection in the red blood may suffer some of the symptoms of sickle cell crisis. This may include not only reduced oxygenation of cells and loss of some cells but the restriction of blood circulation as well. Even here, not only the pain of oxygen starvation may be evident…..some cells may die. The infected red blood cells are ingested by the parasites. The merozoites which destroy red blood cells may develop into GAMETOCYTES. These may be injected by a blood-sucking mosquito to start the life cycle of the P.Falciparium parasite all over. Meanwhile, the red blood cells destroyed by merozoites release toxins into the bloodstream. These toxins are the origins of periodic pains and fever experienced by malaria fever sufferers. Some species of P.Falciparium repeat this chill and fever cycle every 48hours, 72 hours while another can spike fewer pains every 24 hours.

    BLOOD CANCER

    About 50 years ago, researchers suggested that prolonged exposure to P.Falciparium may cause BURKITT’S LYMPHOMA, a type of non-HODGKIN’s LYMPHOMA. This is a fast growing human tumor in which the cancer starts in immune cells called B-cells. This should not be good news for Genotype AS people who treat the mosquito bite and Plasmodium parasite injection into their bodies with kid gloves because they hardly experience malaria fever. Long exposures to HEPATITIS-C virus and HELICOBACTER PYLORI bacteria found in peptic and other ulcers are thought to cause such genetic mutations as are linked to Plasmodium, and, therefore, seen as possible causes of lymphomas.

    CEREBRAL MALARIA

    If Plasmodium infection red blood cells block small blood vessels in the brain, the brain may swell (Cerebral Malaria) or become damaged. Breathing problems, seizures and coma may follow. In some cases, multiple organs are involved with headaches, body aches, low blood sugar and repeated seizures.

    OTHER ORGANS

    Plasmodium may affect many organs. Kidney damage is possible. Rupturing of the spleen can occur. The liver may be overwhelmed by a massive breakup of red blood cells and be unable to rapidly fix the yellow content of these breaking cells, Bilirubin, the result of which is Jaundice, yellowing of the eyes, skin and nails and, in extreme cases, brain damage. In the eyes, severe malaria may impact about four effects. These are whitening of the retina, discoloration of blood vessels, blood leakages and papilloedema(swelling of the optic nerve due to pressure build-up around the brain). In other studies, P.Falciparium has been associated with cancers such as Kaposi Sarcoma, cancer of the cervix, Prostate gland, Nasopharyngeal Cacinoma and cancer of the liver. Some of these studies took place among populations where malaria was endemic.

    IGNORANCE

    Many Nigerians are ignorant about malaria. We only appear to know mosquito bites can make us sick. I used to not bother about mosquitoes biting me because my Genotype AS tended to protect me. When I learned that the accumulation of P.Falciparium in the tissues may predispose any organ to cancer through genetic damage. Observe Nigerians shopping for malaria medicines in a pharmacy. They often come not with a doctor’s prescription which is based on blood tests. They simply ask for the “best medicines” and the pharmacist or storekeeper gives them anything to move the product lines. Unknown to many people, certain drug medicines were designed for specific stages of the P.Falciparium infection. Some anti-materials have been found to destroy the red blood cells of some people.

    To help the Genotype AA members of my family in the late 1980s, I resorted to well researched anti-malaria herbs, which have not failed us to this day. They stopped all those fearful boarding housemaster calls. I was with Mr ROGBA OKUNLADE at Babcock University graduation ceremony one day when the boarding housemaster at my son’s school, MODEL COLLEGE, KAKON, called me to say my son was critically ill and I should come for him “before it is too late”. I cannot recall here enough what Mr Okulade and I went through that day driving me from Ilishan through Sango-ota, through Ilaro, through Ado-Odo, through Badagry,…..to Kanko. We lost three tyres, bought dilapidated ones as replacements. I picked CHANKA PIEDRA anywhere I sighted it. I picked Pawpaw leaves as well. I bought bags of “pure water” and one bag of table salt to clean them up. I knew it must malaria I would be up against, and, sure enough, it was. He began to take these medicines right in the car on the way home.

    HEALING HERBS

    Treating or curing malaria involves multi-lateral efforts. These include killing off mosquitoes in the environment to minimise constant with many of them, preventing them from getting into homes, offices and other residences, clearing the parasite from the bloodstream, the liver, the infected red blood cells, minimising or evaluating their presence in the tissues and organs, reviving endangered or overworked organs such as liver, spleen and bone marrow, making more red blood cells, improving oxygenation and blood circulation, building the immune count and anti-oxidant potential to erase free radicals and rid the blood of toxins.

    Unfortunately, many of today’s pharmaceutical drugs have been overpowered by P.Falciparium. Accordingly, they are yearning for new and more potent drugs. Meanwhile, there has been a resort to the use of medicinal herbal plants and proprietary formulas derived from them with such success as had made them increasingly become the medicines of choice in many countries.

    Nigeria has several dozens of these plants with proven clinical records. Some of them went through hospital trials in Okeigbo area of Ondo state. Some of these are…..ORUWO(Morinda lucida), AWOPA(Enantia chlorantha), AHUN(Alstonia boonei) DONGOYARO(Azadirachta Indica) and OGUNWO(Khaya Grandifoliola), outside these groups, there are Lemongrass, Karela, Pawpaw Leaf, Chanka Piedra, etc.

    AWOPA

    The bark of a tree, one of whose popular names in South-western Nigeria is Dokitaigbo(Forest Doctor), it gained more popularity in COVID19 fever treatment(please see COVID19: LOOK ALIKE SYMPTOMS JOIN THE LEXICON in www.olufemikusa.com). According to Google:

    “Enantia chlorantha is reported to be used in folkloric medicine for the treatment of many diseases, such as malaria, aches, wounds, boils, vomiting, yellow bitter, fever, chills, sore, spleen in children, hepatitis, worms, intestinal spasms, sexual asthenia, jaundice, urinary tract infections, typhoid fever, leprosy”.

    ORUWO

    When I began to add the leaf powder of this brimstone tree to my son’s AloeLite protein milk formula, I stopped receiving phone calls from the boarding housemaster. Google says of Oruwo: “LEAF EXTRACTS HAVE SHOWN IN VITRO ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY AGAINST P.FALCIPARIUM WHILE IN SEVERAL OTHER TESTS, ANTI-DIABETIC PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED. THE PLANT IS ALSO EMPLOYED IN CASES OF DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, CEREBRAL CONGESTION, DYSENTERY, STOMACH-ACHE, ULCERS, LEPROSY AND GONORRHOEA. THE MANY BENEFITS DERIVED FROM MORINDA LUCIDA IS OWED TO THE HIGH CONTENTS OF VITAMINS A, K AND E, ALKALOIDS AND OTHER PHYTOCHEMICALS WHICH ARE POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT BIOACTIVE COMPONENTS LIKE FLAVONOIDS WHICH ARE EFFECTIVE AS FREE RADICAL SCAVENGERS, HAVE ANTI-ALLERGIC, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANTI-VIRAL, ANTI-PROLIFERATIVE AND ANTI-CARCINOGENIC PROPERTIES”.

    DONGORAYO(NEEM)

    In 2002, I was privileged to meet the wife of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade during a traditional medicine conference in Dakar. Mrs Viviane Wade, a French, told me she taught Senegalese mothers to make an anti-malarial syrup from the pods of Dongorayo(Neem) tree because Senegal did not have money to import chloroquine. I brought home Dongorayo anti-mosquito candle made in Kenya and leaf powder of the tree to spray as a pesticide at home against rats and cockroaches in my pig pen and farm. Google briefs us about Dongorayo:

    “Neem is a type of evergreen tree native to India. In Ayurvedic medicine, Neem extracts have long been used for a variety of health-related purposes including asthma, constipation, cough, diabetes, gastric ulcers, indigestion, periodontal disease, and urinary tract infection. Neem leaf is used for leprosy, eye disorders, bloody nose, intestinal worms, stomach upset, loss of appetite, skin ulcers, diseases of the heart and blood vessels(cardiovascular disease), fever, diabetes, gum disease(gingivitis), and liver problems. The leaf is also used for birth control and to cause abortions. Neem is a tree from South and Southeast Asia now planted across the tropics because of its properties as a natural medicine, pesticide, and fertilizer. Neem extracts can be used against hundreds of pests and fungal diseases that attack food crops”.

    OGUNWO(MAHOGANY)

    This is not a common plant medicine in herbal health food stores. But it is nevertheless popular among the rural African folks, as Google explains:

    “Khaya grandifoliola, also called African mahogany, Benin mahogany, large-leaved mahogany, or Senegal mahogany, is a species of plant in the family Meliaceae. It is found in Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda. It is threatened by habitat loss. In many malaria endemic countries, like the tropics, the extract of Khaya grandifoliola is used as an antimalarial herbal remedy. Recent studies show that 90% of malaria cases around the world come from sub-Saharan Africa. People in these areas resort to medicinal plants for treatment because alternative medical resources are often low or unavailable. The bark and seeds of Khaya grandifoliola are the most common parts used for treatment and are extracted by infusion or decoction. The extracts have proven to fight against the P.Falciparum parasite, one of the vectors of malaria in humans”.

    KARELA (MOMORDICA CHARANTIA)

    Momordica Charantia, as botanists call it, is useful in the treatment of kidney stones, malaria, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other infections. It lowers blood cholesterol, regulates blood sugar level, is good for breathing challenges, relieves the stress of alcoholism, aids digestion, supports weight management, beautifies the skins and hair….and does lots more.

    PAWPAW LEAF

    This is one of the most dynamic plant leaves from my experience. While some people prefer the juice. I enjoy the raw leaf as a salad in my meals. I cannot say here for want of space everything I’d like to say about it. Google summarises: “CARICA PAPAYA ALSO SIMPLY KNOWN AS PAPAYA OR PAWPAW IS A TYPE OF TROPICAL, FRUIT-BEARING TREE NATIVE TO MEXICO AND NORTHERN REGIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA. TODAY, PAPAYA IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY CULTIVATED CROPS IN THE WORLD. ITS FRUIT, SEEDS, AND LEAVES ARE FREQUENTLY UTILIZED IN A VARIETY OF CULINARY AND FOLK MEDICINE PRACTICES. PAPAYA LEAF CONTAINS UNIQUE PLANT COMPOUNDS THAT HAVE DEMONSTRATED BROAD PHARMACOLOGICAL POTENTIAL IN TEST-TUBE AND ANIMAL STUDIES. ALTHOUGH HUMAN RESEARCH IS LACKING, MANY PAPAYA LEAF PREPARATIONS, SUCH AS TEAS, EXTRACTS, TABLETS, AND JUICES, ARE OFTEN USED TO TREAT ILLNESSES AND PROMOTE HEALTH IN NUMEROUS WAYS. HERE ARE EMERGING BENEFITS AND USES OF PAPAYA LEAF….TREATS SYMPTOMS RELATED TO DENGUE FEVER, PROMOTES BALANCED BLOOD SUGAR, SUPPORT DIGESTIVE FUNCTION, HAVE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS, SUPPORTS HAIR GROWTH, PROMOTES HEALTHY SKIN, HAVE ANTI-CANCER PROPERTIES, ETC”.

    CONCLUSIONS

    Forgive me, please, for all the plant remedies I left out. Guiltier will I feel if I do not remember ORANGE PEEL. Being a herbalist means your gardens and flower beds will be filled with medicinal plants and of course, mosquitoes. To chase them away from the grounds, I burn orange peel for about one hour two times a week. I eat the raw peel or sprinkle the powder on meals. Indoor, I spray Lemongrass oil in the rooms. I leave out insecticide body creams and may bathe with Lemongrass oil-infused water. The orange peel incense can become a huge industry if it is made into cakes or billets.

    Finally, the insect catcher, gumming and fragrant and hung down from the ceiling in a spool, can trap mosquitoes, cockroaches, flies and other insects in all the rooms, thereby making the rooms more peaceful all day and night….. and safeguarding the family’s against P.Falciparium.

     

     

  • Plateau’s cholera cases rise to 1,004, deaths hit 17

    Plateau’s cholera cases rise to 1,004, deaths hit 17

    By Kolade Adeyemi, Jos.

    No fewer than 17 persons have died so far from cholera outbreak in Plateau, the State Government has announced.

    Commissioner for Health, Dr Nimkong Lar, gave the update to reporters in Jos.

    According to him, out of the 1,004 suspected cases recorded in the state, 980 patients have been discharged while seven others are receiving treatment in various hospitals.

    Read Also: Bauchi, Kano, Niger, three other register 1,786 suspected cholera cases

    The breakdown of the affected local government areas are Jos North, Jos South, Riyom, Kanam, Bokkos, Wase, Mangu, Bassa, Jos East, Barkin Ladi, Qua’anpan, Langtang North and Shendam.

    Lar, who expressed commitment of the government to stop spread of the disease, advised residents to imbibe hand washing to avoid the spread of the disease.

    “As a government, we are not relenting in our efforts to address the problem but we also want to appeal to the public to always maintain good sanitation and shun indiscriminate dumping of waste, which causes waste to be washed into various water sources and bodies, especially during this rainy season, because this also forms part of the solution when practised by the people,” the Commissioner noted.

  • TWITTER: live in the PRESENT, not past or FUTURE (2)

    TWITTER: live in the PRESENT, not past or FUTURE (2)

    By Femi Kusa

     

    There are three types of people. Some live in the past, some in the present and others in the future. Those who live in the past understand an events long after it has disappeared. They are losers because the train always leaves them behind. People who live in the present understand present events as they are unfolding and may tell where they may lead. They are gainers. People who live in the future exists in a Fool’s Paradise excepting from today what only tomorrow can bring. They are destroyers.

    Thinking and living in the past causes backwardness because its makes the thinker and actor a cave man in an advanced world of, say, housing estate, skygrapers and rockets. Equally dangerous is the person who expects from today what only tomorrow can bring. Such a person poisons the present. There is no doubt that homogeneous African peoples were fragmented or cannibalised into different nation states by Europeans at the Vienna Congress of 1884, and that recomposition of these fragments into composite political territories is a desirable goal when the time is ripe for it. Afterall, the two Germanist reunited and became more formidable as one. But is the time ripe for a new African political tempest, and is this the most urgent of Africa’s needs? Present tense person is a balancer and upbuilder of society because he experiences today and weaves it into tomorrow.

    Imagine an hotel waiter told by a reputable seer that he was a former King of England. Would he not spend too much time digging into past glory? Would he adequately “gather” himself in the present experiences bombarding him with new lessons of existence he must learn this present time? Unfortunately, many of us dwell in the past while the present is unfolding the future. We understand the past in the future only after it is gone. When many of us began to see more strange an un-Nigerian faces in our villages Nationwide about fifteen years ago, we didn’t understand that the land was being taken. We are only just realising that now. Despite our worries and futile, if not belitted agitations, hasn’t the presidency told us nothing would come out of the clamour for true federalism? Even now, may we not as a people who live in the past, not seeing the land under seige as a blessing of War Fear In Nature? We are blessed when we are under seige. We are roused against threat of extinction. We survive if we confront the challenger in the right direction. Jesus came to not lead the Jews in a physical war against the Romans but to make every Jew inwardly a changed person, not indolent in spirit but inwardly alive and active.

    I almost lost my balance in 1979 when Head of State General Olusegun Obasanjo, as he then was, bravenly told Nigerians the best candidate may not win an election and, then, literally gave the Presidential election to Alhaji Shehu Shagari. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the “better” candidate, with testimonials of public service achievements in Western Region of Nigeria, was the contender against Shagari whose only credential was probably that he was from Northern Nigeria. For about six months after the election, I could not sleep well and lost appetite. Besides, my nerves slowed down and I constantly experienced low grade fever that was neither a sign of fever nor of any health trouble. It was only after I accepted the reality that Shagari was President for reasons of what Nigerians must experience before they could get up on their feet that these symptoms began to clear and I regained my balance.

    It was in this light that I attended to the complaints of Bukky Oshin last week. Practically, everything is going well for Bukky. But she has been feeling like someone under the weather, without knowing why. I knew what could be happening to her and warned her she could sleep into depression. Nigeria’s atmosphere, weather and climate were becoming terribly oppressive to people who did not know how to Live in the present. We were in the heart of the Nigeria-Twitter bombshells which threw many people into swoons and wondering why we always tended to be groping in the dark of yesteryears instead of being swinging already in the future.

    Oshin admitted daily news nationwide killings, kidnapping, food insecurity, looming danger of anarchy and, now, the Twitter crackdown after the crypto currency crackdown where some of the Nigerian questions are tormenting her mind and impacting her health. The time in which we live must appear troublesome for those of us who are day dreamers who desire “paradise on earth” when “the beautiful ones are not yet born”. Sometimes, I, too feel and behave like those incorrigible optimists who, prematurely, wish to squeeze water out of stone. I do not twit. But in such occasions, I let out some steam on Facebook … and, then, move on. Moving on means living consciously in the torments of today and seeing these torments and thunder claps as no more than pains of a birthing process. As Christians or Moslems, we pray everyday for that day, in which the Creator’s Almighty Will will pervade a paradisal earth. But will the Future be born when all virtues that are “dead”, flickering or slumbering in all of us, have yet to be “woken up” and roused to full vigour to burn out misfitting habits and tendencies, and surrender their ash to building blocks of a cleaner and more sublime future? If we cry that the Foreign Fulani’s want to take our land, of what use have we placed the land to the glory of the Almighty Creator who owns it and lent it to us for our use? Have some Nigerian tribes also not tried to take over the land of other Nigerian tribes which they call “No Man’s Land”? I believe the following posts which I made on Facebook’s response to the Nigeria-Twitter question gave back to me some sense of balance.

     

    Nigeria and Twitter (2)

    Nigeria is not letting go in her unnecessary quarrel with Twitter. This isn’t surprising, because, in a dispute, the wrong party is not the mature party and, so, is unable to say “I am Sorry”, even when all the cards are showing red. So, all we keep hearing is “Territorial Intergrity of Nigeria”. We worship in the church and mosques. In the mosques, we say we “release” hands and legs to Him, the Almighty Creator and Ruler of All the worlds. In the church, we pray: Thy Will Be Done On Eearth As It Is In Heaven. But do we respect this Will? Do we even know It? Did the Almighty Creator choose a land mass in Africa and name it Nigeria? Anyone who wishes to discover the Will of the Creator about Nigeria should observe His Will in Nature as expressed in The Law of Attraction of Homogeneous Species. By this Law, only things of the same nature are brought together for peace, harmony and beauty. In the forests, do lions, hyenas and elephant live together? What of monkeys, buffalos, tigers or Eagles, bats and pigeons? Each tribe of animals lives alone.

    What of the sea? Do whales, sharks and crayfish live together?  What about Salmon, Titus and Halibut? Each specie of fish congregates in its own little corner of the world. Even on land, even land forms vary from one region to another. Thus, the type of banana we eat in Nigeria is not likely to be the type of banana eaten in Guyana. Everything is adapted to the species, and the human body fashioned out of the soil of a particular region is better maintained by the food stuff of that region.

    Away from all these, I would like to return to the heart of an article I wrote in The Guradian newspaper about 25 years ago which I gave the title Let’s Return To The Ants And Be Wise. In this article, I reffed to the congregation of the human body as a perfect example of how mankind should constitute itself into nations or states without all the rancour evident in today’s world by the attempt of one tribe of man trying to conquer, dominate, exploit and enslave the others. For any attempt to do any of these things is opposed to the Will of the Almighty Creator and shows the offending tribe as immature, crude and evil.

    The human body is formed in the Will of the Creator when the male cell fertilises the female cell. Both cells evolve into one cell, the zygote. This single cell begins to divide until a sufficient number is made to form a human body. In the adult human body, there are about 100 trillion cells. Each cell is independent of the other but peacefully co-exists with the whole. Homogeneous cells form homogeneous tissue and organs, while homogeneous organs form homogeneous systems. Thus, the cells of the skin are different from those of the bones, those of the bones are different from those of the eyes or of the brain. The reproductive system is different from the nervous system or the excretory system. Each cell serves the whole and is served by it. Each system gets from the whole what it cannot on its own make for itself and gives to the other systems what they cannot on their own produce for themselves.

    In the first part of this series, I said different tribes of mankind are led to different regions of the earth where, in the Wisdom of the Almighty Creature, is most condusive for their material and spiritual development and flowering. Ahead of their being guided there, the forces of Nature, obeying the Will of the Almighty Creator, had prepared for these peoples what they would need for their sustenance. Is there anyone who sends a child to the boarding house without giving him/her pocket money and other provision? Would it be right in the boarding house for the bullies to force other students to surrender their provision?  Would we not protect our children if they are bullied?

    We can observe this in the human body and make it the basis of governance in a multi-tribe or multi-ethnic nation state such as Nigeria. The usual system, for example, cannot provide for its nutrition. The digestive system helps out. The circulatory system brings digested food and removes waste products. The excretory system, too, relies on the respiratory system for oxygen and the digestive system for other nutrients. The body must move about. That’s the duty of the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems. Although the individual cell can protect itself against infections and damaging free radicals, the system does come to its aid. Beyond the system, there is an immune system which defends the entire body. This aspect is instructive for the unnecessary debate on whether the constitutents States of Nigeria shouldn’t have their own police forces as the various regions did in the First Republic. The human body which none of us created, but was created in the Will of our Maker, has given us the unequivocal answer. If we are not selfish and dangerous monopolists of power who need it to intimidate and submerge other people so that, like armed robbers, we can suck life out of them, we would not oppose the right of even the individual citizens to express and protect themselves. Coupled with the ideas the microscopic ant employ to govern its own nation, gathering food in dry weather so it would not be washed away in the wet months, that article was titled: Let’s Return To The Ants And Be Wise.

    This call is relevant today in the Nigeria Twitter Quarell. Nigeria talks agitatingly about the sacrosance of territorial integrity as if the present geographic configuration called Nigeria issued directly from the hands of the Almighty Creator and it must be defended with the blood of every citizen. In any case, who or where are those humans who can fight His battle? I am not saying Lord Lugard’s geographic expression called Nigeria cannot stand the test of time. If it will, it can only do so within the Will of the Almighty Creator that only things that are homogeneous be together, as I have explained with animal colonies and the human body. If that analogy doesn’t sink well, what about Endometriosis? It is a painful and abnormal bleeding disease of women when Endometrial Cells from the uterus detach from the inner lining, Endometrium, of this reproductive organ and lodge among cells of other organs which are not homogeneous with them. Today’s Nigeria is a conglomeration of about 252 ethnically differentiated peoples, some more mature than the others, and experience Life and existence from different perspectives. Even their languages are testimonials of their differences. For sounds and times which the spoken word expresses and which also give form to the spoken come from spiritual levels or heights each tribe has attained between the earth and the spiritual home of man. Those who have risen no more than a quarter of the journey cannot see or aspire to the existence of those who have gone half a step higher wish to live. Thus, if they all Must live in one country, each must be permitted a great deal of self determination. I do not at 70 do the music of Davido and Wizkid but I cannot stop my grandchild from “flowing” with them. In like manner, I cannot force my no-sugar, no white flour life on anyone who is yet to appreciate radiant health. The constitution of strange bed follows in the Nigerian state must, therefore, not be a grid-lock constitution in which there is a Federal Government waving the sword of Damocles over everyone, and one ethnic group or a combination of them trying to force everyone down or up to its level. A homogeneous Nigerian state would therefore be a Mirage for as long as it is not possible for all ethnic groups in the contraption to think, see, feel and speak alike. If the All-Wise Almighty Creator wanted uniformity, there would be only one tribe of human beings who speak one language and follow one religion. There would be only food crop for man and animals. But in His Wisdom, He permitted diversity. In His Infinite Goodness and Mercy, the All-Wise Almighty Creator and Ruler over all the worlds has premitted that everyone of us be born among people we are homogeneous with. I am not Igbo or Fulani for this reason. I was born among a people I am most likely to enjoy the best impetus for spiritual growth, which is why I am on earth. The Fulani or the Igbo is among the people who can best make him or her most rapidly and in peace and happiness enjoy this support as well.

    So, in resolving the Nigeria Twitter quarrel, there is no need to “carry shoulders” as we say. There is need to say “I am Sorry”, if there is an absolute need to do so. Sometimes, when I am off my intuitive guard, I intellectually make some wrong assumptions. Once I discover I am in the wrong, I do not embark on “make good behavious” that is try to makeup in other ways. I get myself to say those three words…..”I am Sorry”. Taxation of Twitter account is vendentta… Adie Da Mi Li Ogun Nu, Mo Fo Li Eyin(I broke the eggs of the hen which spilled my medicine)! A Twitter tax victory for president Buhari may be face saving for his government, but will be yet another Buhari era burden for Nigerians. For Twitter will transfer the burden and data costs will rise.

    President Muhammadu Buhari personalises National issues. When he was interviewed for Democracy Day 2021, about Twitter and Nigeria, President Buhari said he would keep to himself what he would do. These upsets millions of Nigerians whose lives have been disturbed by President Buhari’s proclamation on Twitter. He and his aides have coloured his personal interest as National interest as if to say L’etat c’est moi (I am the State). He would display this attitude on his explanation of why Nigeria is spending money to construct rail-lines to Niger Republic. He says African boundaries are artificial boundaries and that some of his cousins are in Niger Republic. In respect of cattle rampaging farm lands, President Buhari said he had asked the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to divert cattle from open grazing to grazing routes established in 1960. But frontline lawyers are saying this is extrajudicial. In other words, President Buhari is returning the country to 1960 in 2021, pulling everyone back when we should have moved far, far away from 1960. In other words, Nigeria may remain an Old School, Cave Age country until President Buhari vacates power.

     

  • ‘How pharmacist consultancy cadre will benefit sector’

    ‘How pharmacist consultancy cadre will benefit sector’

    By Adekunle Yusuf

     

    With the start of the implementation of pharmacist consultancy cadre in the health sector, Nigerians will soon begin to experience a positive revolution in the way healthcare is accessed and delivered in the country.

    The Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Elijah Mohammed, said this at a workshop on the implementation of consultancy cadre for pharmacists in Lagos.

    It  was organised in collaboration with the Nigeria chapter of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists.

    Mohammed, who said the recognition given to pharmacists would engender a new era in pharmaceutical practice, enthused that pharmacists were rearing to deploy their skills and competencies into use for the benefit of  healthcare seekers.

    According to him, Nigerians should expect improved healthcare delivery, as pharmacists’ consultancy competencies will boost proper counselling and dispensing of drugs to patients, which will ultimately improve health outcomes in the country.

    Before now, pharmaceutical practice in Nigeria has been product-focused, but the recognition for pharmacists will help them to embrace the new concept of pharmaceutical care, which is patient-focused, he said. The PCN boss added that the pharmacy consultancy cadre will also help in eradicating a lot of anomalies in the healthcare sector.

    “This will increase and ensuring public safety and improving health outcomes. That is why we are sensitising everyone so this implementation is well understood and appreciated for the betterment of the Nigeria healthcare system,” he said.

    Also,  Chairman, West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists, Nigeria Chapter, Chijioke Onyia, said the public was expecting consultant pharmacists to start churning out disruptive innovations that are capable of solving the country’s health problems as the coast is now clear to integrate the services of consultant pharmacists with those of other members of the healthcare professions.

    “The various employers of labour, both in the public and private sector, can now actually accept the fact that government has recognised these specialised skills and competencies that these fellows have, and therefore they are encouraged to tap into those skills in order to better the health care delivery of our country.

    “At the moment, we have more than 1500 consultants that have been trained. With the recognition by the federal government, Nigerians are going to see the unleashing of the skills and competencies that these fellows have acquired over the years from the college. They are going to bring them to their various specialised fields,” he said.

    On the implications of the implementation of the consultant cadre,  Chairman, Governing Council of PCN, Ahmed Tijjani Mora, described the recognition as a milestone achievement in the history of pharmaceutical practice in the country.

    According to Mora, the skills, expertise and competencies of the fellows would be of immense benefit to the patients in approved healthcare facilities. This, he added, means that the consultant pharmacist will now be able to share his knowledge with the physicians, nursing care personnel, medical laboratory scientists, radiographers and others in the provision of integrated healthcare delivery services.

    “We believe that we have to sensitise Nigerian pharmacists, and fellows, especially those who will be affected by this progression in their career. Pharmacy is a healthcare profession, and it is guided by certain code of conduct and ethics, with the patients, and also the healthcare system. There will be remuneration, and then it tends towards specialisation going towards patient care in the hospital, pharmaceutical care. With the consultant cadre more pharmacists will be motivated to want to become a fellow who will help to build their capacity,” he said.

  • Telco raises awareness on hypertension

    Telco raises awareness on hypertension

    By Adekunle Yusuf

     

    To refocus public attention and inspire action around individual health and wellbeing, 9Mobile,  a leading telecoms service providers, has held its second virtual health talk.

    The series, with the theme, “Responding to the rising challenge of hypertension in a pandemic depressed world,” warned that hypertension is a silent killer.

    Facilitated by a seasoned medical practitioner and health brand strategist, Dr. Juliet Offiah, the live session on Instablog9ja was packed with insights about the silent killer.

    According to Offiah, most people with hypertension are unaware of the problem because sometimes it has no warning signs or symptoms. Unfortunately, by the time they realiSe this, it may have caused significant damage. While there are no known causes of hypertension, she explained that there are identifiable risk factors closely associated with the disease, which she classified into two: modifiable and non-modifiable factors.

    According to her, the modifiable risk factors are behavioral patterns within the control of an individual such as excessive consumption of alcohol, abuse of drug and unhealthy lifestyle; while non-modifiable factors are beyond the control of an individual such as aging process, racial background, family history, etc.

    She explained that, the condition can be effectively managed with the right medication and a change in lifestyle.

    She identified some of the preventive measures as reduction in salt intake, consumption of more fruits and vegetables, avoiding the use of tobacco, reduction in alcohol consumption, limiting the intake of foods high in saturated fats and regular physical exercise. The facilitator also went on to highlight the importance of cutting down on stress level, checking blood pressure readings regularly and observing a disciplined regiment of prescribed medications as helpful measures in managing hypertension.

    Currently, about 1.5billion people suffer from hypertension globally, with 7.6million deaths attributed to the medical condition. Sadly, Africa is the worst hit due to poverty and a lack of awareness and poor access to quality healthcare. The global Coronavirus pandemic is said to have also impacted on the numbers of emerging cases of hypertension across continents, as people battle with stress and mental health, with global and local medical healthcare resources remaining largely focused disproportionately on containing COVID-19.

    In responding to the challenges highlighted, Offiah recommends the adoption of telemedicine, training and expansion of community health workers and exploring partnerships that will help patients to access information real-time.

    “Telemedicine has come to stay; people should be able to have access to health services virtually especially during this pandemic. Telemedicine will help healthcare systems around the world a great deal to keep health records of patients. This way, we are able to keep track and retrieve data easily,” she said.

    Executive Director, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, Abdulrahman Ado, said :  “We decided to put the spotlight on the subject of hypertension because of the worrying trend we are beginning to see. At 9mobile, we will continue to drive initiatives that improve the quality of life of Nigerians through sensitization and collaborations, which informed our partnership with award-winning telemedicine provider Mobihealth International to enable more Nigerians access care virtually from the safety and comfort of their homes.”

  • Rotary donates neonatal building to Lagos govt

    Rotary donates neonatal building to Lagos govt

    By Wale Otegbade

     

    To contribute to the reduction of deaths of newborn babies, Rotary Club of Omole Golden has built, equipped and donated a new neonatal building to the Lagos State Government.

    The building, located within the premises of Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital, is designed to cater for the neonatal period of the newborn, which is the first 28 days and most critical period for both pre-term and full-term babies that are sick.

    The new building will be equipped with incubators, phototherapy machines and other medical equipment strictly use in the care of preterm and full-term babies. During the commissioning of the facility, the club President, Hassan Alih Ogwu, said the effort is to reduce neonatal deaths as well as ensuring survival of babies born in the hospital and Lagos as a whole.

    “This project means so much to me, especially because it has to do with saving lives. I’m very passionate about children and this is specifically for them. The importance of what we’re doing here today is for infants not to lose their lives due to lack of infrastructure and facilities. We’re equipping this place with incubators and with the building I’m sure the issue of space has been put to rest.

    “Rotary is giving every child an opportunity to live. Rotary Club is to intervention is all about service to humanity.  The project is in two phases, the first is the completion of the building and the second phase is to equip the structure with State of the art equipment and to ensure that is functional.

    “We cannot quantify the building in naira and kobo but the number of lives it is going to save. The survival of newborns is important. We are starting with 20 incubators and phototherapy machines. As time goes on, we intend to increase it,” he said.

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, who described the day as a day of joy, said Rotary Club Omole deserves to be celebrated for always symbolizing issues that matter.  In Lagos, neonatal deaths are taken seriously and investigation into the deaths of babies to prevent future occurrence is always carried, he said.

    The hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Olusola Amure, said the new facility would be put to good use. “What Rotary has done will go a long way in reducing neonatal mortality in the hospital and the state at large. We do take every neonatal death seriously because we do review them to prevent future occurrence.  It is more work for health workers. Babies born less than 26 weeks have difficulty surviving outside the womb but an incubator will help with their breathing and treatment. The incubator will produce the best artificial condition that is similar to the womb of the mother,” Amure stated.

  • Fed Govt lauds Emzor, to support pharma industry

    Fed Govt lauds Emzor, to support pharma industry

    By Adekunle Yusuf

     

    The Federal Government has commended Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited for the opening of its ultra-modern factory in Sagamu, Ogun State.

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Alhaji Abdulaziz Mashi Abdullahi, gave the commendation when he led top officials of the ministry to Emzor’s World Haelth Organisation (WHO)-compliant pharmaceutical factory, also known as Emzor Campus.

    According to Abdullahi, the  government is willing to support the indigenous pharmaceutical sector because government recognises the indispensable role it is playing in the nation’ s economy.

    The new factory is sited on more than 60 hectares of land at the Sagamu interchange of the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, and is reputed to be the largest pharmaceutical facility in West Africa.

    The good manufacturing (GMP)-compliant factory is already manufacturing and supplying millions of medication doses, ranging from anti-malarials, paediatric care, vitamins and antiretrovirals to various international organisations through partnerships for public health intervention.

    Read Also: Emzor pledges commitment to Lagos Women Run

     

    “I have heard so much about what Emzor has been doing. I am indeed impressed with what I saw at the factory. What Emzor is doing is in line with the focus of President Buhari’s administration. With what I have seen in the factory, there is no government that will not be happy to support the local companies that are doing great things as this to succeed.

    “When I get back to Abuja, I will convey what I have seen at the factory to the appropriate authorities and we will continue to pursue the local content programme of this administration. I urge Emzor to continue with the good work,” Abdullahi said during the visit.

    Managing Director of Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Stella Chinyelu Okoli, said the company will continue to do what it knows best, which is to provide quality medicines to Nigerians and Africans.

    Executive Director, Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Uzoma Ezeoke pointed out that the vision of the organisation is not just to be a leader in Nigeria but to be a leader in all African countries. “Our vision is to lead the Nigeria pharmaceutical sector, which we are doing now but we want to extend the lead to all African nations. Nigeria contributes about 27 per cent of malaria cases recorded in Africa. Emzor is responding to this development by producing various products to fight the disease. Our whole idea is to keep doing new things. Everything we are doing hang on quality and that is why we have WHO-compliant certificate” he said.

    Founded about four decades ago, Emzor is the largest indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturer in the country with over 120 products approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC).

  • Why we support IVF, by Imam Abdul-Azeez, Adejumo

    Why we support IVF, by Imam Abdul-Azeez, Adejumo

    By Adeola Ogunlade

    “I waited for 17 years until we settled for In vitro fertilization (IVF) and today we have four children through IVF.

    “Islam is not against IVF but it’s come with a condition. IVF is not a sin but what I know is that there is no condition that is enforceable on a client in a fertility clinic.”

    These were the words of Rev Nike Bankole and Alhaji Lateef Kehinde Sanble at a Webinar Series organised recently by Nordical Fertility Centre.

    The programme tagged “Why you may need IVF” attracted religious leaders and medical experts.

    In vitro fertilization (IVF) is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) initially introduced by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards in the 1970s to treat female infertility caused by damaged or blocked fallopian tubes.

    Bankole said she waited for 17 years and it was a bit challenging.

    “I did five IVF before it’s clicked and today I have four babies through IVF,” she said.

    She lamented that a lot of waiting women were crying in silence. “I don’t have any objection to IVF and is not against the scriptures, adding that as a Christian, you need to pray and get leading from God before you do anything.

    “I started doing IVF in 2002 and in 2005, it’s clicked but l lost the pregnancy. When you are desperate to have something, you do all you can.

    “The 13th attempt was the one that I gave birth to my twin through IVF. God stamped it. God has blessed us with lovely children. I was 50 years old when I had my last child. Persistent is key,” she stressed.

    She noted that God has given the doctors the innovation to help families.

    “Don’t stress yourself, if you need help, see a fertility doctor faster. If you have eggs, store it.

    “IVF is a blessing to family, women and the world. This part of the world, having children is a must and when IVF started, people frown at it but today people talk about it because they have realised that this thing is helping to reduce divorce rate”.

    She noted when couples get married and don’t have children for three to five years, they go their separate ways.

    Alhaji Sanble said that IVF became an option when he and his wife went through series of checks and medical reports said nothing was wrong with them.

    He noted in a fertility clinic, consent of the couple is paramount. “Without this, nothing can be done. If one of the parties disagrees at any point. The process will stop,” he hinted.

    Chief Missioner at Nasrulahi l Fatihi society of Nigeria, Onike Morufu Abdul-Azeez, said Islam was set up to protect family, religion and wealth.

    “Islam protects family by encouraging marriage. Marry the woman you like, there is no celibacy in our religion and no religion promote celibacy.

    “Our brother in other religion said God said that go into the entire world and be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth. Our religion said that marry any women you like. Our religion also protects the family by prohibiting extramarital affairs and he does that.

    READ ALSO: ‘How Nigeria can lead IVF practice in Africa’

    “IVF comes as a succor and relief for infertile couples. There is nothing in our scriptures that states that it is prohibited even though, there are rules to a woman who have been confirmed by a competent physician that she is infertile.

    “Islam procreation helps humanity. If everyone wants celibacy: how do we have doctors, engineers, nurses and promote religion if procreation is not encouraged,” he asked.

    A televangelist and President of the Funke Felix-Adejumo Foundation, Funke Adejumo, said: “I believe as a person that medical science is a blessing and a gift of God.

    ‘’When God created us, He gave us brains and each of has 15 billion cells. I believe that God gave us the brains so we can work.”

    She asserted society labels what it does not understand.

    “IVF is a gift of God to humanity and has helped to wipe away tears from home.

    “I am a Christian and I have spiritual children. We also have destiny children. There is nothing wrong with you not having your own biological children.

    “Our society is parochial in nature and they have everywhere. They decide what society thinks is normal.

    “There are women who cannot conceive and there are some women who in the past has done something wrong that may have affected their conception, what should they do?”

    Medical Director of Nordical Fertility Centre, Dr Abayomi Ajayi- said that IVF is about putting sperms and egg together.

    He assured reputable clinics will not abuse the process and consent of couples is sacrosanct, which must be protected at all times.