Nigeria News

Abuja 20 October, 2014 - The World Health Organization, today, 20th October, 2014 officially declared Nigeria Ebola-Free, having passed the mandatory period with no new cases;  42 days after  the  last confirmed case of the virus was discharged from the hospital, giving sufficient confidence to declare the outbreak over.

Abuja, Nigeria, 12 November 2014 - Since the World Health Assembly at its sixty-fifth session of May 2012 declared Polio Eradication as a Public Health emergency of global significance, Nigeria continues to respond with equal degree of urgency to stop transmission by end 2014 through churning out streams of innovations / approaches to reach persistently missed children. The national polio eradication initiative oversight bodies in Nigeria have for some time requested for systematic engagement of the youth in the polio programme.

Abuja, Nigeria, 12 November, 2014- The National Council of Health (NCH) for Nigeria has approved both the National Health Workforce Registry(NHWR) Operation Guidelines & Policy Amendment for adoption by all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the NCH held on 30th October 2014 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Abuja, Nigeria, 17 November 2014-The World Health Organization/African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (WHO/APOC) has donated three (3) 4WD vehicles to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) Abuja on Friday, 14th November, for onward delivery to the benefitting states of Kwara, Taraba and the FMOH Zonal office in Akure, Ondo State.

Abuja, Nigeria, 18 November, 2014 - The Federal Government has conferred an Award on WHO for its meritorious service, outstanding technical assistance and unflinching efforts in resource mobilization for tuberculosis (TB) management in Nigeria at the launching of the National TB Prevalence Survey Report and the National Strategic Plan for TB control 2015-2020, in Abuja on 18th November 2014. The Award was presented by the Honorable Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan.

Abuja, Nigeria 20 November 2014 - By the end of October 2014 Nigeria had recorded tremendous progress with 87% reduction in wild polio virus (WPV1) burden and 78% reduction in geographic spread of the virus. Indigenous transmission of WPV3 has not been reported in the country  for 23 months. Also, the genetic clusters circulating in Nigeria have declined from 8 in 2013 to only 1 in 2014 representing 88% reduction.

Abuja, Nigeria 26 November 2014- The Federal Ministry of Health  (FMOH) on Tuesday, 25th November 2014 inaugurated the WHO-Canada/DFATD Project Steering Committee (PSC) in Abuja to provide general oversight  and  articulate the implementation of the  15m CND$ Canadian Government-supported Human Resource for Health (HRH) Project.

Abuja, Nigeria, 19 December, 2014 - The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) has organized the National Human Resource for Health Stakeholders meeting on the December 15, 2014 at the Chelsea Hotel, Abuja, with  support from the World Health organization.

The meeting which was predicated on building consensus to fast-track the implementation of strategies for the electronic web-based National health workforce Registry (NHWR), agree on way forward with the review of the Human Resource for Health policy, strategic plan and the effect of health worker migration in Nigeria.

On 22nd December 2014 the Government of Nigeria joined other African countries to launch a new vaccine - Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV10) as part of its Routine Immunization schedule. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 10 (PCV10), is a vaccine that prevents diseases caused by the pneumococcal bacteria.

Abuja, Nigeria 23 January 2015 - The 29th Expert Review Committee (ERC) is convinced that Nigeria can get out of  WHO’s list of endemic countries with active wild polio virus (WPV) transmission if no WPV is detected for a period of 12 months with  adequate surveillance, since the last case was reported on 24th July, 2014.

Dr. Hamid Jafari, the Director of  Polio in WHO, who presented the committee’s preliminary feedback  at the end of the 2-day periodic meeting held in Abuja from 21-22 January, 2015 , stated that “Progress in Nigeria has opened the door for a polio free Africa”.