Thursday, September 19, 2024

Nigeria's flood-hit residents lament expensive canoe rides

 When floods swept through Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri last week, canoe owners volunteered to help move residents to safety. But residents say they are now being ripped off by the canoe owners charging steep fees to move their belongings.

Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, is reeling from the worst flooding in three decades after a dam wall burst following heavy rains that also hit several parts of West and Central Africa.

With vehicles unable to move in many parts of Maiduguri, residents are relying on canoes.

Falmata Muhammed, a 48-year-old mother of three said she decided to move some furniture this week but was shocked when a canoe owner charged her 80,000 naira ($49.56) for a short trip, more than the monthly minimum wage.

After losing almost everything to floods, she was upset that "some are making it a big business, using the disaster to make a huge amount of money."

Fisherman and canoe owner Mohammed Yusuf said he still moved residents for free but that some residents offered money to use his canoe.

By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters

Related story: Video - Humanitarian crisis looms in Nigeria’s flood-hit Borno State

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Video - Nigeria to establish blood collection centers nationwide to tackle the shortage



The government hopes the action addresses the shortfall of 73 percent of blood that's needed for medical emergencies.

CGTN

Video - Humanitarian crisis looms in Nigeria’s flood-hit Borno State



Aid agencies warned of a humanitarian crisis and an outbreak of waterborne diseases. The United Nations World Food Programme said it needs 148 million U.S. dollars to support flood victims for the next six months.

CGTN 

Related story: UN agencies assist families affected by floods

 

Breaking the cycle of Malaria misdiagnosis in Nigeria

What is the available data on malaria telling us? According to the Primary Healthcare Performance Initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, diagnostic accuracy in Nigeria is as low as 36.4%. This means that less than 4 out of 10 patients who seek healthcare are accurately diagnosed. Since 70% of diagnostic decisions depend on laboratory tests, the statistics also suggest that most patients are treated without objective evidence from medical tests, also referred to as in-vitro diagnostics.

Of all the diseases wrongly diagnosed in Nigeria, malaria remains the most frequently treated disease in community-based healthcare settings like pharmacies, clinics, and primary health centres. However, it is largely treated without evidence from testing, resulting in poor outcomes like preventable deaths and complications.

Consequently, it is imperative to build capacity for accurate and consistent testing of malaria at the point of care where health workers like community health practitioners, community pharmacists, nurses, and primary care physicians directly provide treatments for patients.

For context, Point of Care Testing for malaria refers to the use of Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test for screening or diagnosis of malaria. Malaria RDT is the most accessible, affordable, and easiest-to-perform method of diagnosis. However, it is still not accessible or utilised efficiently and widely by health workers due to several addressable factors. This includes concerns over the validity and accuracy of the results, logistic challenges, food poverty, etc.

Crucially, there is a need to rethink the malaria strategy. The fact that Nigeria alone still accounts for approximately 30% of global malaria cases, which amount to 68 million cases, and 23% of malaria mortality, valued at 194,000 deaths, despite 70 years of implementing various outlandish strategies, highlights the critical need for us to rethink our strategy and execute homegrown solutions for malaria control and elimination rather than over-relying on international funding bodies.

Applying homegrown solutions that address the nuances and peculiarities of Nigerian communities and economy is what will put us on track to achieve malaria control and elimination targets. The World Health Organisation’s goals for malaria control and elimination by 2030 include reducing malaria incidence and mortality rates by at least 90% compared to 2015 levels, achieving malaria elimination in at least 35 countries, and preventing the re-establishment of malaria in countries that are currently malaria-free.

Thankfully, the Honourable Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Ali Pate has called for a rethink of malaria elimination strategies in Nigeria in his address to stakeholders in Abuja at an event organised by the National Malaria Elimination Programme in May 2024. The minister noted that 60% of all hospital attendance in Nigeria, including at tertiary hospitals, is due to malaria. This means that there are serious loopholes and issues at the community and primary care level where uncomplicated malaria ought to have been fully managed.

I conducted a survey-based research among community-based healthcare professionals in Nigeria across cadres and found out many of them had abandoned the MRDT altogether for various reasons despite policy support from the government.

These are community pharmacists, community health and extension workers, nurses, and community physicians who are the first port of call for malaria case management. Now, when we have a situation where those who treat over 70% of malaria cases are not running diagnostic tests, then we should not be surprised that malaria-related deaths and complications continue to remain high and our teaching hospitals are inundated by malaria cases.

As sub-Saharan Africa grapples with a disproportionate burden of malaria, accounting for 95% of the cases and 96% of global malaria deaths, the African Leadership and Management Training for Impact in Malaria-Eradication, an NGO, is striving to provide a homegrown solution to situation. ALAMIME, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is coordinated by the Ugandan Makerere University’s School of Public Health, and runs in 9 African countries; Nigeria, Uganda, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Benin. The programme has produced over 500 alumni in the last 3 years. According to the Programme Lead in Nigeria, Prof. Olufunmilayo Fawole, it was designed to build leadership and management competencies among people working in malaria programs in Africa.

Amidst concerns about fake drugs in Nigeria, we need to put the issue of the efficacy of malaria drugs into context because even authentic anti-malaria medications may still fail to work for various reasons not previously given deserving attention.

Food poverty is a critical issue that must be addressed by the government, as it significantly affects malaria treatment and overall health outcomes. Malnutrition increases vulnerability to malaria, particularly among immunocompromised infants and adults, leading to severe cases or even death. Additionally, food poverty is linked to malaria treatment failure. For example, when a mother can only afford to feed her baby a low-nutrition diet, such as pap, while administering an artemether/lumefantrine anti-malarial drug, the treatment is likely to fail due to the lack of a fatty meal, which is essential for proper drug absorption. Many mistakenly believe the treatment failed due to fake drugs or misdiagnosed typhoid, when in fact, poor nutrition is the culprit.

Another significant issue is the suboptimal dosage of anti-malarial drugs. In many cases, children, especially, are prescribed inadequate doses, either due to insufficient knowledge of proper dosing by health workers or because of financial constraints. Proper dosage is critical, as inadequate treatment can lead to severe complications or death, especially among children and pregnant women. The National Malaria Elimination Programme should increase the standard tablet pack size from six to twelve to ensure better treatment outcomes, as the cost difference is minimal.

Moreover, there is widespread scepticism among health workers regarding Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests, leading to inaccurate diagnoses and poor access to testing. One cause is the misuse of antibiotics, which can mask the presence of malaria parasites, leading to false-negative test results. This issue calls for stricter control over public access to antibiotics. Furthermore, many MRDT kits in the market lack the sensitivity to detect low levels of parasitaemia, contributing to the mistrust of these tests. Health workers often cite this as a reason to bypass testing altogether.

To address these issues, a multi-pronged approach is needed, including improved education on proper dosing and nutrition, stricter antibiotic control, and enhanced MRDT sensitivity. The newly inaugurated Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance should prioritize these challenges to improve malaria diagnosis and treatment across Nigeria. 

By Akindele Opeyemi, Punch

Nigeria Police arrest 2,740 suspected murderers, kidnappers

The Nigeria Police Force says its operatives have arrested no fewer than 2,740 suspects for various crimes across the country in the past one month.

Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi said in a statement on Tuesday night that the arrests followed the commitment by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, who vowed to ensure that the perpetrators of heinous crimes in Nigeria were brought to book.

According to the statement, between August and September, operatives of the NPF arrested 295-armed robbery suspects, 186 kidnappers, 271 Murder/Homicide suspects, and 71 suspects for the unlawful possession of firearms.

Olumuyiwa also stated that 199 suspects were nabbed for sexual-related offences, 143 suspects for cultism, and 1575 suspects arrested for other crimes.

He said the Force also recovered 185 firearms, 4087 ammunition of various calibres and 111 vehicles, stating that about 129 kidnapped victims were also rescued.

The statement added that in more recent events, the operatives also dismantled and arrested a gunrunning syndicate operating in the Bauchi-Plateau region.

“The suspects, identified as Taimako Mato, John Danladi, Mohammed Munkail, Manasseh William, and Muhammadu Haddi were arrested with 1 PKT Machine Gun, 40 rounds of 37.2mm and 95rounds of 62mm cartridge ammunition.

“The Leader of the syndicate, Taimako Mato, was a weapon handling instructor at a Boko Haram Camp, who procures these prohibited weapons and passes them on to the other members of the syndicate to sell to various buyers”, Olumuyiwa said. 

By Ochogwu Sunday, Daily Post

Related story: Government of Nigeria secures release of over 1,000 kidnapped people