Nigeria News

Sokoto, 11 March 2016 -- Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has urged delegates to the 58th session of the National Council on Health (NCH) with the theme, ‘Universal Health Coverage (UCH): An Agenda for Change’ to embrace the country’s obligation towards fruition of UCH as key health sector goal of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Sokoto, 11 March 2016- With low routine immunization coverage survey data at less than 40% and about 94% of deliveries at home; contributing to high infant and maternal mortality rates, Sokoto State which shares international borders with Niger Republic, is a priority state for provision of World Health Organization (WHO) technical support and partnership in implementing targeted health interventions to protect lives and save children from vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs).

Abuja, 22 March 2016 -  In a bid to stem the resurgence of polio virus and stop importation of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs), Nigeria is coordinating a comprehensive strategy with stakeholders in Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republics during the on-going National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) to provide services in border communities. The second round of the 2016 NIPDs is being implemented in 34 states from 19 to 22 March, 2016. The campaign was postponed in the Federal Capital Territory, Nassarawa, Adamawa and Rivers States to late March and early April.

Abuja, 24 March 2016 - Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate the World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March 2016. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Unite to End TB” in consonance with the global focus to sensitize governments and stakeholders on the huge gap of undetected tuberculosis (TB) cases globally. The overriding objective aims to encourage programmes to implement active case finding activities “to find and treat” missing cases of the disease.

Maiduguri, 23 March 2016 - The Governors of the three (3) security compromised states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe in the north east zone have reaffirmed their commitment to building resilience towards certification of  polio eradication in 2017 and beyond, through conscious efforts of strengthening routine immunization (RI) and investing more resources towards  the delivery of primary healthcare.

Abuja, 07 April 2016 - Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir David Lawal 2016 has set in motion, the machinery for extensive mass media campaign during a Press conference to create awareness on the rising cases of the diabetes in line with 2016 World Health Day (WHD) focus “to beat diabetes” on 07 April, 2016.

This is the first time a serving SGF is playing host to the WHD which underscores the importance and special commitment that the government attaches to the event.

Abuja, 20 April 2016 - Indications are rife that the immunity gaps identified in 70 local government areas (LGAs) located in 11 southern states of Nigeria will soon be reduced. The optimism follows the implementation of Short Interval Additional Doses (SIAD) strategy in the affected states which culminated in the vaccination of over six (6) million children with the last batch of trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) on the eve of the global switch to bivalent OPV.

Abuja, 22 April 2016 - Nigeria has successfully conducted the ‘switch’ from using trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) to bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) in the routine immunization programme. The switch is pursuant to the end game strategy following the global certification of eradication of Type 2 polio virus in 2015.

Abuja, 25 April 2016 - Given the dire need for quality and sustainable health care in the IDP camps and hosting communities for children under five years, the Federal and State Ministries of Health, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA) and partners including the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed to build capacity of community resource persons living in the IDPs camps and host communities, with the support from USAID/Nigeria grant.