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Tag: World Health Day

  • World Health Day: Dettol counsels Nigerians on good hygiene practices

    In its bid to achieve quality health inclusion and improved hygiene for all Nigerians, Dettol on Sunday, April 7th 2019 joined the rest of the world to celebrate the World Health Day.

    The World Health Day was first celebrated in 1950, and every year since then, the World Health Organization (WHO) has used the 7th of April as a day to campaign for raising awareness of the need to improve global health. The theme for this year’s celebration is Universal Health Coverage which ensures that people get the right healthcare, where and when they need it without any form of financial barrier.

    Commenting on the World Health Day celebration, General Manager, RB West Africa Dayanand Sriram stated, “Dettol is happy to join the rest of the world in celebrating the 2019 World Health Day. At RB, we see this as a good opportunity to renew our commitment to helping Nigerians live healthier lives through the adoption of good hygiene practices. We believe that simple activities such as regular washing of hands, go a long way in preventing the spread of diseases like diarrhoea amongst children and adults. We will continue to work together with our partners and stakeholders to educate Nigerians on the importance of good hygiene and healthy habits.”

    According to UNICEF, the prevalence rate of diarrhoea in Nigeria is 18.8%, accounting for an estimated 150,000 deaths yearly amongst children under five due to poor hygienic and sanitary practices.

    Recently, Dettol signed an MoU with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to launch the ‘Clean Naija Program’, a national hygiene initiative designed to create awareness and educate the public on the importance of handwashing in order to promote personal hygiene and achieve a cleaner and healthier Nigeria.

    RB Nigeria, through its Dettol brand, already has a number of programs committed to tackling some of these issues, but it aims to bring all of its activities into one initiative that will educate and create awareness that will lead to a behavioural change among Nigerians.

  • World Health Day: Dettol counsels Nigerians on good hygiene practices

    In its bid to achieve quality health inclusion and improved hygiene for all Nigerians, Dettol has joined the rest of the world to celebrate the World Health Day.

    Speaking on the theme for this year’s celebration, ‘Universal Health Coverage’, General Manager, RB West Africa, Dayanand Sriram, said there is a need to improve global health and ensure that people get the right healthcare, where and when they need it without any form of financial barrier.

    Sriram stated that “Dettol is happy to join the rest of the world in celebrating the 2019 World Health Day. At RB, we see this as a good opportunity to renew our commitment to helping Nigerians live healthier lives through the adoption of good hygiene practices. We believe that simple activities, such as regular washing of hands, go a long way in preventing the spread of diseases like diarrhoea amongst children and adults.

    Read also: Chamber seeks improved healthcare delivery through ICT

    He said that, according to UNICEF, the prevalence rate of diarrhoea in Nigeria is 18.8%, accounting for an estimated 150,000 deaths yearly amongst children under five due to poor hygienic and sanitary practices.

    Dayanand added that Dettol recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to launch the ‘Clean Naija Program’, a national hygiene initiative designed to create awareness and educate the public on the importance of handwashing in order to promote personal hygiene and achieve a cleaner and healthier Nigeria.

  • Vital stats on our health

    The World Health Day is celebrated annually in April. It brings to the fore aspects of our health that need our examining. Encouraging figures indicate that over the last 15 years up to 2013, there has been a reduction, nationally, in the rate of maternal and child mortality and morbidity.

    Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and one of every four Africans is a Nigerian. The demographic indicates a high proportion of people of reproductive age. Curiously, family planning FP funding is largely by foreign donors.

    The United States governments mainly through to United State Agency for International Development USAID is the largest donor for FP programs funding. In fact, the US is the largest donor on health.

    It is on record that the federal government made allocations to reproductive health in the 2016 as well as the 2017 budgets.

    In the case of the 2017 budget however, the amount allocated was only a fraction, about a third, of the $95 million that was required for both family commodities and services for the year. Nigeria is one of the most heavily funded countries by international donors.

    Prior to this time, as at 2015, the US was donating close to 50 per cent of the required funding ($638 million), with the UNFPA contributing 13 per cent. However, the current U.S. Policy (Since January 2017) places restrictions on funding to foreign NGO’s.

    It is yet to be seen how the drop in foreign funds would affect outcomes.

     

    Child marriage

    was shocked to discover that Nigeria has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates in the world. Nigeria ranks third globally for girl brides, in absolute numbers. In 2010, 2,814,000 women aged twenty to twenty four were either married or in union before the age of eighteen. If Nigeria continues this way, the projection is that by 2030, 4,615,000 girls who were born between 2005 and 2010 would be married before age 18.

    In comparative terms, that would just be like the whole of the nation of Ghana, as well as part of a neighbouring country, being made up wholly of child brides.

    This practice of early and forced marriage is a negation to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory. That declaration recognizes that “free and full” consent to marriage cannot be given if one of the parties involved is not sufficiently mature to make an informed decision about a marriage partner.

    The legal age of marriage in Nigeria is 18 years, as set out in the 1999 Constitution. This is also reinforced by Article 21 of the 2003 Child Rights Act.

    Still, out of 36 states in Nigeria, only 23 states have enacted this into law (as at June 2016). And as can be seen from the data, the menace is still wide spread, and the perpetrators go ahead with their acts unchecked (as well as the support of the girls’ parents).

    Meanwhile, Female Genital Mutilation still takes place in our country, it is set at 3 million girls annually. There should be ZERO TOLERANCE for Female Genital Mutilations now. It is a practice that needs be completely wiped out.

    Again, back to maternal mortality, upon closer scrutiny the need for greater intervention is being sounded out here. Even though lower than previous, with 576 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births, the figures are still too high. Nigeria is ranked among the nations constituting the most dangerous places to have a child.

    Currently, Nigeria contributes 14% of global maternal deaths.

    On a final note, the World Health Organization has a recommended a 13 per cent minimum budgetary allocation to health. But the federal government has fallen short of that benchmark over the years. The percentage of budgetary allocation to the health sector fell from 5.8per cent in 2015 to 4.6 per cent in 2016.

    Those percentages need to rise, and this could be achieved with greater structure and more private sector involvement.

     

    • 07055547031 sms/ whatsapp.

    Ref: UNFPA, Report June 2017. 

     

  • World Health Day: Saraki raises concern over withdrawal of international funding for HIV/AIDS

    The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Thursday called for increased global attention for HIV/AIDS funding in Nigeria.

    In a statement by Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Saraki said that the fate of over 3.4 million Nigerians living with the infection would be uncertain with poor funding.

    “Information at our disposal reveal that significant global support for HIV/AIDs in Nigeria has been withdrawn.

    “In order not to jeopardise the treatment of millions of Nigerians that are living with HIV and AIDS, government at all levels must continue to work with our international partners to identify alternative sources of funding.

    “The fire brigade approach will not work on this issue. Foresight, preparation and strategies must be put in place to tackle the potential threat to life.

    “Additionally, we must assemble a team of prominent medical professionals and eminent Nigerians at home and abroad to create a campaign.

    “This is to persuade the donor community to reconsider their decision,’’ he said.

    The senate president also stated that the Upper Chamber would work to ensure that there were no gaps in the HIV/AIDS funding regime.
    He expressed optimism that government’s external funding request would be granted.

    He said that the 2017 Budget contained provisions to fund initiatives aimed at rolling back the spread of polio and cholera, which had experienced gradual resurgence in the northern part of the country.

    “With the various challenges facing Nigerian’s health sector, now is not the time to retreat on HIV/AIDS.

    “The loss of funding will create immediate stress on an already overburdened system,’’ Saraki said, adding that Nigeria would overcome the challenge.

  • 422m adults live with diabetes – WHO

    422m adults live with diabetes – WHO

    The number of people living with diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1980 to 422 million adults, with most living in developing countries, a World Health Organisation (WHO) report said on Wednesday.

    The report was present by WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, ahead of World Health Day on Thursday, and it highlighted the need to step up prevention and treatment of diabetes.

    The report documented the number of people living with diabetes with its prevalence growing in all regions of the world.

    It said that in 2014, 422 million adults had diabetes, compared with 108 million in 1980.
    The epidemic of diabetes has major health and socio-economic impacts, especially in developing countries. Diabetes caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012.

    According to the report, higher-than-optimal blood glucose caused an additional 2.2 million deaths by increasing the risks of cardiovascular and other diseases.

    “If we are to make any headway in halting the rise in diabetes, we need to rethink our daily lives, to eat healthily, be physically active, and avoid excessive weight gain.

    “Even in the poorest settings, governments must ensure that people are able to make these healthy choices and that health systems are able to diagnose and treat people with diabetes,’’ Chan said.

    The organisation called for expanding health-promoting environments to reduce diabetes risk factors, like physical inactivity and unhealthy diets, and strengthening national capacities to help people with diabetes receive treatment.

  • WHO calls for global action to stop rise in diabetes

    WHO calls for global action to stop rise in diabetes

    The World Health Organisation (WHO), on Wednesday called for global action to halt rise in and improve care for people with diabetes.
    This is contained in a report on diabetes launched for the first time by the WHO, ahead of the World Health Day, which will be observed on Thursday.
    The organisation called for measures including expanding health-promoting environments to reduce diabetes risk factors, and physical inactivity and unhealthy diets.
    It also called member states to strengthen national capacities to help people with diabetes receive the treatment and care that they would need to manage their conditions.
    WHO added that the number of people living with diabetes had almost quadrupled since 1980 to 422 million adults, with most living in developing countries.
    It said that factors driving this dramatic rise include overweight and obesity.
    Key findings from the “Global report on diabetes” are that number of people living with diabetes and its prevalence are growing in all regions of the world.
    It showed that in 2014, 422 million adults or 8.5 per cent of the population had diabetes, compared with 108 million or 4.7 per cent in 1980.
    It further showed that the epidemic of diabetes had major health and socio-economic impacts, especially in developing countries.
    It said in 2014, more than one in three adults age over 18 years, were overweight and more than one in 10 were obese.
    It warned that the complications of diabetes could lead to heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and lower limb amputation.
    For example, it added that rates of lower limb amputation were 10 to 20 times higher for people with diabetes.
    WHO added that diabetes caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012.

     

    It said that higher-than-optimal blood glucose caused an additional 2.2 million deaths by increasing the risks of cardiovascular and other diseases.
    The report also showed that many of these deaths occur prematurely.
    The deaths are mostly before the age of 70 and are largely preventable through adoption of policies to create supportive environments for healthy lifestyles and better detection and treatment of the disease.

     

    It called for good management including use of a small set of generic medicines; interventions to promote healthy lifestyles; patient education to facilitate self-care.

     

    It also called for regular screening for early detection and treatment of complications.

     

    It further added that global efforts were underway to make medicines, including for Non

    Communicable Diseases (NCDs) readily available and affordable.

     

    Reacting to the report in a statement, Dr Margaret Chan, the WHO Director-General said :”if we are to make any headway in halting the rise in diabetes, we need to rethink our daily lives.

     

    “To eat healthily, be physically active, and avoid excessive weight gain.
    “Even in the poorest settings, governments must ensure that people are able to make these healthy choices and that health systems are able to diagnose and treat people with diabetes.”
    Also, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) and Mental Health, Dr Oleg Chestnov, said that many cases of diabetes could be prevented.

     

    Chestnov said that measures existed to detect and manage the condition, improving the odds that people with diabetes live long and healthy lives.

     

    She said that change greatly depended on governments doing more by implementing global commitments to address diabetes and other NCDs.

     

    Among the measures she mentioned are meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), target three and four, which calls for reducing premature death from NCDs, including diabetes by 30 per cent by 2030.

     

    Also, Dr Etienne Krug, the Director of WHO’s Department for Management of NCDs, said that around 100 years after the insulin hormone was discovered, the report shows the availability of essential diabetes medicines and technologies.

     

    Krug said that it included insulin, needed for treatment and are generally available in only one in three of the world’s poorest countries.

     

    “Access to insulin is a matter of life or death for many people with diabetes. Improving access to insulin and NCD medicines in general should be a priority,” Krug said.

     

    The WHO added that commitment from world leaders, including the SDGs, the 2011 “UN Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases.

     

    It said that it was aimed at improving affordability and availability of essential drugs for people living with diabetes.

     

    The UN organisation said that there were three main forms of diabetes: Type one and Type two and gestational diabetes.

     

    The cause of Type One diabetes, it added, “is unknown and people living with it require daily insulin administration for survival.’’
    “While Type two accounts for the vast majority of people living with diabetes globally, and is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity.’’
    It said that once seen only in adults, type two diabetes “is now increasingly occurring in children and young people.’’

     

    While Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition that occurs in pregnancy and carries long-term risk of type two diabetes.
    Gestational diabetes, it says is present when blood glucose values are above normal but still below those diagnostic of diabetes.