Tag: screening
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Photo: Commissioner nominees at their screening
COMMISSIONER NOMINEES FOR ADAMAWA AT THEIR SCREENING IN YOLA ON THURSDAY -
Council begins free health screening
Executive Secretary of Ayob-Ipaja Local Council Development Area, Mr Ayinde Dele has flagged off a free health exercise campaign in the council.
Declaring the exercise open, Ayinde said the free health exercise is meant to bring improve healthy living of the people of the council.
The free health exercise which was carried out in conjunction with the Association of Community Pharmacist of Nigeria (ACPN), IDERA Zone witnessed large turnout of beneficiaries at the council secretariat.
Dele urged the people to avail themselves of the free health care exercise to check their health status and live a healthy life style.
“The greatest gift you can give yourself, family and people around you is healthy you; it is when you are healthy that you can go about with your business, make money and pay your tax to the government,” he said.
Assuring the citizens of the continuity of the free health exercise, Dele appealed to them to stop the use of un-prescribed drugs and to always patronise the primary health centre.
Also speaking on the occasion, ACPN Chairperson Mrs Nsese Mfon said they carried out the free health exercise because of report of serial unnecessary deaths in communities.
“We found out that there are serial deaths among our people because of self-medication and lack of regular medical check, we decided to go round the communities to start telling them on the need to take seriously checking of their health status regularly and stop the use of un-prescribed drugs,” she said.
IDERA Community Development Committee chairman, Comrade Abiodun Coker thanked the council and the ACPN for the free health service.
Coker said as a way of helping the council to achieve more success in the exercise, his association will keep up the work of enlightening the public on the need for them to go for regular medical check-up.
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Free HIV/AIDS screening for 1500 women
No fewer than 1,500 grassroots women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will benefit from free HIV Aids screening and medical services in the 2015 Medical Women Association of Nigeria summit, Chairperson, Local Organising Committee of the summit, Dr. Fatima Zara has said.
She said purpose of the summit was to converge women to improve their health care.
She spoke during MWAN Donor’s Parley Meeting held in Abuja.
Zara said maternal and infant mortality have continued to affect women development and their children.
She identified need for the private sector to continue to respond to empowering women in the country.
Among other thematic areas listed include immunization, Malaria, breast and cervical cancer screening and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The 2-day summit is scheduled to hold in July.
Secretary of the Association, Dr. Eno Usoroh disclosed that the association having about 30 chapters across the country has designed programmes to partner with private sectors and international organisations.
She said the association could give small grants, monitor and evaluate projects as well as enbark on humanitarian service.
She added that the association would also support community based organisations and women associations to showcase need of the women to relevant stakeholders.
In her remarks, President of MWAN, Dr. Valeris Okon said the 35 years old association was founded to cater for women helalth care delivery.
She said in order to meet medical needs of the women, the association had to extend offices to some of the north eastern states.
She said: “We saw our chibok girls taking away. That is the reason we have expanded MWAN to Yobe, Kano and we are extending to Mauduguri very soon.
“We realised that women are more interested in looking after their husband instead of their children”
“Women are mostly affected in Cancer and HIV, Coronary diseases. We made them know that they need to take care of themselves instead of looking for funds like the husband. If women care about their health, then we will be able to get better world we want,” she added.
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Blood in the Lagoon for private screening
Corporate titans in the country will get the chance to see a new movie titled Blood in the Lagoon.
The movie which will be screened to a private audience in Lagos in April, parades stars such as screen goddess, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Ufuoma Ejenebor, OkeyUzoeshi, Hakeem Rahman, Ben Nwosu, Cassandra Odita, Jim Roach (American), and Phil Simmons (American).Veteran actors like Eddie Ugboma and Akin Lewis also star in the movie.
Blood in the Lagoon, the result of a collaboration between Tropical Gem Studios, a U.S.-based movie production company and TFP Studios, a Nigerian film production company, follows the protagonist – an illiterate and indigent boy – who rises to a middle-class position through the grit of hard work and honesty, highlights the reflection of the socio-economic issues befallen the country.
The movie is produced by Jerry Padney who has worked on several Hollywood blockbuster movies and TV films in the United States and directed by Teco Benson. The Director of Photography is Abdullahi Yusuf while FataiIzebe is in charge of sound.
According to a release from the promoters of the movie, “given the professionalism and experience of the producers as well as the genius of the post-production team in the United States movie industry, we expect that ‘Blood in the Lagoon’ will be a cinematic masterpiece.”
The movie which is targeted at both Africans in Africa as well as Africans in the diaspora is scheduled for release later in the year.
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George, Lagos PDP elated at stall of Obanikoro’s screening
A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State has hailed the postponement of the screening of ministerial nominees.
Sources within the party said some Lagos PDP stalwarts were elated about this development as a nominee, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, a former high commissioner in Ghana and former minister of State for Defence, is perceived as “power drunk and disrespectful of higher party authorities”.
They said: “It was jubilation galore when we heard the news because most of us in Lagos do not want Musiliu Obanikoro to represent the state at the ministerial level.
“We believe that with him as a minister, he will want to lord it over us all and automatically want to unseat Chief Bode George as the party leader in Lagos.
“A direction that we are committed to resist vehemently, especially when you consider the rising popularity of PDP in Lagos.
“We all saw his behaviour when he was the Minister of State for Defence.
“He turned himself to a god, though he was a junior minister. If he is now made a senior minister, then nobody in PDP Lagos will mean anything to him.
“Look at the way Obanikoro handled his failure to clinch PDP’s governorship ticket, the decision to challenge the primaries result in court and the disdainful treatment of Lagos PDP strongman, Chief Bode George.
“He felt because he was just coming from the federal level the ticket will be automatic not imagining he might lose to Jimi Agbaje, a relatively new PDP member then. After he lost, all hell was let loose on us.
“You all witnessed the kind of treatment he meted out on the state leaders, Chief George and Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, calling them names.”
After losing the Lagos primaries, it was gathered that Obanikoro was promised a senior ministerial slot as compensation, following a reconciliation meeting led by Vice President Namadi Sambo and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi held in Lagos in December.
Prior to this meeting, Obanikoro had publicly lambasted his party’s conduct of the Lagos primaries describing it as a ‘sham’.
The former minister also engaged in a war of words with Agbaje and Chief George, consequently making attempts to seek redress in court.
Beside his penchant for vocal outbursts and power , the concerned members of Lagos PDP added that Obanikoro’s role in the ‘Ekitigate’ election rigging scandal has become an embarrassment to the party.
“With the ‘Ekitigate’ tape and video in the public domain, his alleged role and involvement is working against the party winning the election in the state.
“In fact, he can not be trusted as to his total loyalty to the party in Lagos State.”
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Screening begins at varsity
The Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE), Delta State has started screening for freshers admitted into the school. The exercise, which began on Monday, will include registration.
In a statement by the Acting Registrar, Amiso Iniowuari, the university urged the freshers to participate in the exercise and come with original copies of their credentials. The statement added that provision of accommodation to the students would be based on first-come-first-serve method.
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Ebola screening for Calabar fans
All ticket holders will be tested for the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) before being allowed into the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Cross River State, a top official has told NationSport.
The disease which has no cure was imported into the country by the late Liberian/American diplomat, Patrick Sawyer, and the Cross River State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Patrick Ugbe, told NationSport that all would-be spectators for the Eagles versus Red Devils tie on Saturday must surrender themselves for EVD testing otherwise they would be denied entry to the stadium.
Ugbe explained that although there is no recorded case of the disease in Cross River, the state is taking no chances, especially with the high influx of visitors expected in the city of Calabar for the encounter. The measure would thus help to identify and quarantine visitors who could have the disease so as to prevent its further spread.
“We are aware of the deadly effect of the Ebola virus and because of this, we have mapped out a strategy to ensure that all spectators that come to watch the Eagles are tested for Ebola before they are allowed into the stadium,” Ugbe told NationSport.
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Invasion 1897: Lancelot Imasuen delights at media unveiling, screening
Like a woman who was experiencing the proverbial seventh heaven after being safely delivered of her baby, ace filmmaker and director, Lancelot Imasuen, was in palpable joy last Thursday at the media unveiling and first screening of his much-anticipated epic movie, Invasion 1897, at the cinema room of Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos.
At the well-attended event anchored by ex-Big Brother Africa winner, model and TV presenter, Uti Nwachukwu, there was both spoken and unspoken agreement among the audience comprising media professionals and Nollywood stars that the historical movie is the end result of a great artistic work which had put the cast and crew through their paces while the production lasted.
Although Imasuen had been on a number of international TV stations to promote the breath-taking feature movie, the event, no doubt, literally marked a milestone in the life of the movie, as some promotional materials like post cards, posters as well as its trailer were unveiled, amidst enthusiastic responses by the audience.
Imasuen, who profusely expressed his gratitude to the sponsors of the movie, first took the audience on a voyage around the making of the film. He likened it to a food that had taken some efforts to cook. But confident that it would leave a good after-taste, he didn’t have any reservation inviting the critical media professionals and colleagues to first gorge themselves on it. “The food is ready and the snippet of it is what we have invited you to come and see,” he said with glee.
Giving some background details about the movie, he further said: “The research and scripting took about 10 months to one year and the production took one year and 10 months. We shot in Benin from April 9, 2012 to May 10, 2012 for the bits in Nigeria. Then, we had a break. Later, we started the post-production…and the scenes to be shot in London, which took about one year and eight months before we were able to actualise that. Then, we started the post-production from Benin to Lagos and from Lagos to the United Kingdom and then Hollywood, U.S., where the actual film was finalised.”
Indeed, it was not an empty boast, as the over 10-minute preview of the movie further accentuated his artistic ingenuity as well as the thematic preoccupation of the film. From the clips, Invasion 1897 is gripping. It evokes, in an engaging way, the evil visited on the Benin Kingdom, while celebrating the heroic struggles of the lead character played by Mike Omoriegbe. The visual effects, which were done by Nigerians, bear testimony to what the future holds for Nigerian, nay African films. The court room scene in London is spellbinding. The costumes, props et al are awesome. Above all, the film has a great appeal.
Soon after the preview, Imasuen, who disclosed that four of the characters died within four years of the movie production, further said: “Change has never been easy anywhere in the world. For years, I have been telling people that they are making a mistake judging us from what they have seen of Nollywood. The capacity is here and that is the point I wanted to prove with this film to the glory of God. The Association of Movie Producers (AMP), for the first time, gave an endorsement to a film; the Directors Guild of Nigeria ( DGN), Centre for Black and Africa Arts and Civilization( CBAAC), Society for Theatre Artistes, Association of International Theatre Critics, among others, have all sent their endorsements for this film. In fact, the Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF) has fully taken over the film, saying the President must see it since this is the first government that is coming out boldly to support Nollywood. For the outlook, because of the international acceptance, I went to Film Look Studios in Hollywood. But we have bought the machine. Nollywood, this is your product.”
The national president of the Association of Movie Producers, Zik Zulu Okafor, didn’t agree less with Imasuen. According to him, it is time Nigerian filmmakers began to write a new chapter in the history of Nollywood. “We have been able to tell the African story and showcase the African costumes, norms, values and the totality of our ways of life; but now, we are moving to the next level to tell the world that we can compete internationally and meet international benchmarks. But beyond the artistic excellence, it is important for the media to begin to appreciate the scholarship that this film challenges us to see. This is not a Nigerian film; it is an African film. We need to understand that if the Benin massacre didn’t happen, the African story would be different. This movie doesn’t only challenge us to raise the bar professionally, but it is asking us to do some research about the African story and the massacre of the Benin Kingdom. We have celebrated the Wole Soyinkas and I bow to them for their achievements, but it is time to look into the artistic minds of some younger people like Imasuen. We need to know what is driving him, the workings of his mind and his psyche.
Also, Uzoma Eshikire, who stood in for Senator Daisy Danjuma, the executive producer of the movie, described it as an excellent work, adding that “It is interesting that it is coming out of Nigeria by one of our own; we didn’t leave it for the oyinbos to come and get us together to do this.”
Another Nollywood great and newly appointed Director-General of the Abuja International Film Festival, Fred Amata, who lauded Imasuen’s artistic gift, said: “Even before we saw the film, we had decided that we needed to do something different at this year’s Abuja International Film Festival. We needed to seek some of the things we can proudly say are coming out of Nigeria. We agreed that we have a guy who can deliver what we need as our premiere movie for the Festival for this year and we thought of Lancelot’s Invasion 1897.”
Quoting the lead actor’s line during a court trial in London, he said the capacity obtainable in Nigeria to dominate the world in films had been showcased in Invasion 1897. “This is the capacity we want to show the President at the festival. When the lead actor asks the question: ‘So, it (the artifacts) has been there (London) for 100 years, but does it belong to you? It belongs to me!’ So, filmmaking belongs to us, Africans,” he said.
The movie is based on the invasion of the great Benin Kingdom by the British in 1897, who then carted off Benin arts and artifacts which, till date, still adorn some museums around the world. It stars both Nigerian and British actors like Segun Arinze, Charles Inojie, Nosa Ehimwen, Paul Obazele, Leo Mezie, Mike Omoriegbe( Oba Ovonrawmen), Idiata Otiagbe, the late Justus Esiri( in a cameo) Rudolph Walker, Charles “Chucky” Venn, Annika Álofti, Garett Mort, Hannah Raehse-Felstead, Tim Robinson, Rob Spackman, Patrick Thompson and Keith Davinson.
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Nigeria begins screening for Ebola virus at airports
Panic in Anambra over body
Bayelsa, Edo, Ondo ready to fight virus
World death toll 729
S/Leone, Liberia declare emergency
Nigeria has begun the screening of passengers entering the country through the airports.
The World Health organisation (WHO) announced yesterday that the death toll from Ebola has topped 700 worldwide.
In Anambra State, there was uproar following fears that a body brought in from Liberia is believed to be of a person who died from the virus.
The mortuary where the body was deposited has been sealed by the state government.
Twenty-five patients and the staff of the hospital have been quarantined while a specialist team from the Federal Ministry of Health were being awaited.
Apart from Anambra, Edo, Bayelsa and Ondo states have taken preventive measures.
Workers from various agencies operating at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja were yesterday sensitised by Port Health officials on the dangers posed by the virus and how to prevent its spread.
The awareness campaign was to complement other measures already put in place by Port Health at the international airports to prevent the presence and spread of the virus in the country.
Federal Ministry of Health’s Port Service Director Sani Gwarzo urged Aviation stakeholders to be abreast of the dangers posed by the virus.
Port Health officials have been deployed in Lagos and Abuja airports’ arrival halls to test passengers for symptoms of Ebola.
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said yesterday that it had started temperature screening passengers arriving from places at risk of Ebola. It has suspended pan-African airline ASky for bringing the first case to Lagos.
“Screening and monitoring is being done at all major international airports. It entails checking passengers’ temperature with a hand-held machine,” NCAA spokesman Sam Adurogboye said, adding this meant for any journey that passed through Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone. A compulsory blood test would follow if a passenger’s temperature gives cause for concern, he said.
International airlines association IATA said WHO was not recommending any travel restrictions or border closures due to the outbreak, and says there would be a low risk to other passengers if an Ebola patient flew.
A holding area has been provided at the tarmac for suspected cases while index cases are expected to be isolated in a designated area outside the airport for further examination and treatment.
The deaths of 57 more people from Ebola in West Africa have pushed the overall fatality toll from the epidemic to 729, the WHO said yesterday. The 57 deaths were recorded between Thursday and Sunday last week in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria where Patrick Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia’s Finance Ministry in his 40s, collapsed on arrival at the Lagos airport on July 20 on an ASky flight. He was put in isolation at the First Consultants Hospital in Obalende, but died early on July 25.
The UN health agency said in a statement that 122 new cases were detected over those four days, taking the total number of confirmed and likely infected cases from the outbreak so far to 1,323. WHO said the trend in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone “remains precarious with ongoing… transmission of infection”.
Guinea is suffering the worst from the disease, which causes often fatal bleeding and has no vaccine. The country’s authorities reported 20 more deaths, apparently from Ebola in the last four days of last week, taking its national fatility figure to 339.
Liberia saw 27 more deaths, for a total national death toll of 156. Sierra Leone reported nine more deaths for a total 233 dead.
“This is a major public health emergency. It’s fierce, deadly and many of our countrymen are dying and we need to act to stop the spread,” Lewis Brown, Liberia’s information minister, told Reuters. “We need the support of the international community now more than ever. We desperately need all the help we can get.”
Security forces in Liberia were ordered to enforce the action plan, which includes placing all non-essential government workers on 30-day compulsory leave.
The U.S. Peace Corps said on Wednesday it was temporarily withdrawing 340 volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and that two of its volunteers had been isolated and were under observation after coming in contact with a person who later died of the Ebola virus.
The Peace Corp has 102 volunteers in Guinea, 108 in Liberia and 130 in Sierra Leone working in education, health and agriculture.
The State Department has confirmed that one U.S. citizen died from Ebola in Nigeria after being infected in Liberia. Two other American aid workers infected with Ebola, Dr. Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol, are in serious condition, but they have shown slight improvement. They were part of a team in Liberia from North Carolina-based Christian relief groups Samaritan’s Purse and SIM.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters that President Barack Obama had been briefed on Tuesday by his homeland security adviser, Lisa Monaco, and that the White House was monitoring the deadly outbreak.
“The CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has said this is not a risk to the United States at this time,” Schultz told reporters traveling with the president back to Washington from Kansas City, Missouri. He said the U.S. government had increased assistance to countries battling Ebola.
Schultz said the White House would proceed with a planned U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington Aug. 4-6 that about 50 Africa leaders are expected to attend to discuss trade and investment between the United States and Africa.
Liberia’s President Surleaf said she would not be attending the summit but that Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and a few cabinet ministers “whose presence are absolutely necessary” would attend.
“We have no plans to change any elements of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit as we believe all air travel continues to be safe,” Schultz said.
The body from Liberia was deposited in one of the hospitals in Nkwelle Ezunaka, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The state government has directed security operatives to cordon off the mortuary where the body was deposited pending investigations by experts from the Federal Ministry of Health.
The information on the suspected Ebola disease body from Liberia was relayed to the state government by a member of the community.
Health Commissioner Dr. Josephat Akabuike said though it had not been confirmed that the man died of Ebola disease, there was need for precautionary measures.
Akabuike said: “We have already contacted the Federal Ministry of Health and we are expecting them to arrive the state any time from now. We have sealed the mortuary and the hospital and all the bodies and the people working there have been quarantined.
“We are also making efforts to locate the family of the deceased to know their level of contact with the body when it arrived the country and everybody who visited the mortuary will also be quarantined.
“We are surprised how the body came into Nigeria and Anambra State. It is shocking to us.
“We have directed the police to cordon off the area. Ebola is a very big threat and that is why we are taking all the measures,” Akabuike said.
Bayelsa State has established health lines as part of measures to check possible spread of the deadly virus.
Governor Seriake Dickson broke the news yesterday at the Peace Park, Yenagoa, during the commemoration of the 2014 World Hepatitis Day.
Dickson, who was represented by Commissioner for Health Dr. Ayibatonye Owei, said the health lines were set up to enable people report cases similar to Ebola.
He, however, assured people that there was no outbreak of Ebola in Nigeria, apart from an isolated case that occurred in Lagos.
“We only have one case and by the grace of God there will not be an outbreak. We are taking proactive measures to ensure that we don’t have an outbreak,” he said.
But he advised the people to maintain high level of hygiene and to observe hand washing as part of their daily routine.
“Operation wash your hands should start in Bayelsa. Whatever you are doing, wash your hands. Keep washing your hands because hand washing prevents many diseases”, he said.
He told the people that Hepatitis B is a silent killer because the disease only becomes manifest at its final stages.
Dickson, who inaugurated vaccination against Hepatitis B, however, said the diseases caused by hepatitis could be prevented by vaccination.
“This will go a long way to reduce huge funds that would have been spent in treating the victims. It is for this reason that government has agreed to support this vaccination”, he said.
Edo State Government said there was no trace of the deadly disease in the state. He, however, advised the people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious case to the nearest health facility.
Commissioner for Health, Dr Aihanuwa Eregie, at a news conference yesterday, said the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO and other health partners, carried out disease surveillance in all parts of the state to ensure early detection of any outbreak and the timely containment and control of same.
The commissioner said since a case of the Ebola Virus had been confirmed in Nigeria, there was need for everyone to be extra vigilant to prevent the virus in Edo State because of the highly contagious nature of the disease.
Ondo State Commissioner for Health Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, at a one-day
sensitisation meeting with public and private health practitioners, said the government would be proactive on the prevention of Ebola Virus.
According to him, the state has designated three hospitals with facilities to quarantine any suspected case.
The centres are Federal Medical Centre, Owo for the Northern Senatorial District, State Specialist Hospital, Akure for the Central Senatorial District and the State Specialist Hospital, Okitipupa to take care of the South.
Besides, the state will train 30 barrier nurses who will be at the designated centres.
According to Adeyanju, Public Health Care(PHC), Hospital Management
Board(HMB), Ministry of Health and private practitioners will collaborate to fight the disease.
“If we choose not to do anything, it may be more dangerous than Boko Haram. We must strengthen our surveillance; we should be on our toes to wage serious war against the disease in our state in particular and our country in general,” Adeyanju said.
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Lagos school eye screening records results
Many parents came out to testify of how the Lagos State government rescued their wards from sudden blindness at the kick-off of School Eye Health programme in Education District VII which chose Owoseni Primary School, one of the schools in the district as venue.
Mr Kehinde Adegbesan, whose daughter, Ireoluwa, developed visual impairment in Primary 5, said but for the alertness of her teacher, his daughter would have been dealing with “serious sight problem”, which he said, could lead to blindness.
This was one of the testimonies at the event graced by the Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris, Dr Tofunmilola Shokunbi, and his counterpart in Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, who was represented by Mr Kazeem Mohammed Muftau.
Also in attendance was the District Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary, Mrs Iyabo Osifeso and officials of the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area.
Adegbesan said: “My daughter developed a sight problem during the first term but she never told me and her mother. It was her teacher that discovered and sent for us. This almost stopped her education because she could not see properly again. But the teacher advised us not to panic and gave us a form for free treatment.
“We filled the form and took it to the General Hospital in Ikeja. The officials attended to us decorously. They told us the treatment was free. Although, Ireoluwa is yet to get the free glasses from the Lagos State government but we have been assured it would be ready soon.”
The Lagos School Eye Health Programme was established in 2006 under former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to prevent blindness and provide free treatment to pupils with eye defects.
The programme was scaled up by his successor Governor Babatunde Fashola with the training of teachers to carry out the eye screening tests every session to discover pupils with sight defects through the installed vision screening kits.
After the screening, pupils with eye disorders and defects would meet eye experts deployed by the government for free correction and treatment.
Over 92,000 pupils in Lagos school have benefited from this programmes, Dr Shokunbi said of the lot, she said, 2,882 pupils were discovered to have eye disorders and defects, adding that 549 pupils were given corrective eye glasses free.
Shokunbi advised pupils not to hesitate to inform their parents whenever they feel unusual sight. She also urged pupils to read with bright light and not to expose their eyes directly to sunlight, saying such might result into impaired vision.
Osifeso said the eye health programme had lowered the rate of school drop outs.
“Instead of straining their eyes for not seeing what teachers are writing on the board, this programme gives them the opportunity to have their sight corrected and remain in school. If their condition warrants giving them corrective glasses, it will be given to them. And if it is drug, it will be made available for them free,” she said.