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Tag: Deaths

  • Gombe declares cholera outbreak, records 10 deaths

    Gombe declares cholera outbreak, records 10 deaths

    Gombe State has declared an outbreak of cholera with no fewer than ten deaths already recorded across the state.

    The Gombe commissioner for health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, stated this on Thursday in Gombe while addressing newsmen on the outbreak of the disease in the state.

    Dahiru, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Abdulrahman Shuaibu, said as of Sept. 20, the number of cases increased to 236.

    He said in 2021, the state recorded a total of 2, 373 cases of the disease in three outbreaks within the year.

    “This year, from June, we had sporadic cases of cholera in Balanga Local Government Area, and because of the preparedness and prompt response; it has been largely subdued without escalation.

    “We are witnessing an increased downpour of rain and flooding in many parts of the state and this has resulted in cholera outbreaks.

    “These outbreaks are recorded in eight wards across Balanga, Yamaltu-Deba, Nafada, Funakaye and Gombe Local Government Areas of the state.

    “The State Ministry of health has promptly initiated public health actions for prevention and control of the disease.

    “As at Sept. 20, there was an increase in the number of cases in Gombe State as 236 cases have been listed so far,” he said.

    The commissioner said the ministry of health had activated an incident management system for control of cholera at the Primary Health Emergency Centre in the state.

    He added that the Ministry had established 13 cholera treatment units across the five affected local government areas for management of the cases free of charge.

    Dahiru also stated that decontamination of wells and boreholes in affected communities would be carried out.

    He added that sensitisation and distribution of water treatment tablets in all affected communities would be conducted.

    He advised residents of the state to use clean water as well as prioritise the consumption of hygienically prepared meals.

    “Personal and environmental hygiene are proven preventive measures against the disease, so let’s prioritise hygiene in that regard,” said Dahiru.

  • Yellow Fever: NCDC reports 14 deaths in 10 states

    Yellow Fever: NCDC reports 14 deaths in 10 states

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has recorded 14 deaths in 10 states from suspected cases of yellow fever from January to July 2022.

    The NCDC made this known via its official website on Sunday.

    It listed the affected states as Abia -one, Bayelsa -one, Benue- one, Imo- one, Kaduna- one, Katsina – two, Kebbi -two, Taraba -two, Yobe -one and Zamfara -three.

    Newsmen reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) described yellow fever as an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

    The “yellow” in the name refers to jaundice that affects some patients.

    The symptoms of yellow fever include headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

    A small proportion of patients who contract the virus, however, develop severe symptoms, and approximately half of those die within seven to 10 days.

    The Nigerian Public Health Institute said that cumulatively a total of 1,179 suspected cases of yellow fever were reported from 416 local government areas between January 1 and July 31.

    It said that one case each was confirmed from Sokoto, Osun, Ondo, Anambra and Imo states.

    The NCDC said that male to female ratio for suspected cases was 1:1.7 with males recording 637 cases (54 per cent) and females, 542 cases (46 per cent).

    It stated that 74 per cent of cases were aged 30 years and below.

    “One hundred and twenty-six (10.7 per cent) of 1,179 suspected cases has had at least one dose of the yellow fever vaccine,” it said.

    The centre said that it was coordinating response activities through the National Multi-Agency Yellow Fever Technical Working Group.

    Newsmen reports that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt across several other areas including the increase in the risk of measles and yellow fever outbreaks due to delayed planned vaccination campaigns.

    Meanwhile, yellow fever is preventable with an extremely effective vaccine that is safe and affordable.

    A single dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to grant sustained immunity and life-long protection against yellow fever disease.

    A booster dose of the vaccine is not needed.

    The NCDC revealed efforts to support Nigeria in preventive mass vaccination campaigns (PMVCs), through its Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy.

    It said it would be reaching out to states like Ogun, Gombe, Kano, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno and Enugu before the end of 2022.

    “Further yellow fever vaccination campaigns are planned in Nigeria in the states of Ogun and Gombe States in June 2022,” it said.

    It added that these campaigns targeted 8.8 million people for protection, while additional PMVCs will be implemented in the latter part of 2022 in Kano, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno and Enugu state.

  • Monkeypox: NCDC confirms 157 cases, records four deaths

    Monkeypox: NCDC confirms 157 cases, records four deaths

    In the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) latest report for week 30, the agency has confirmed 157 cases of monkeypox across 26 states in the country with four deaths recorded.

    According to the agency from January 1 to July 31, 2022, four deaths were recorded from 4 states – Delta (1), Lagos (1), Ondo (1) and Akwa Ibom (1).

    The report also showed that there were at least 413 suspected cases of the disease in the country.

    The report read in part, “There were fifty-six (56) new suspected cases reported in Epi week 30, 2022 (25th to 31st July 2022) from nineteen (19) states – Ondo (13), Plateau (8), Lagos (6), Adamawa (4), Abia (3), Borno (3), Delta (2), Kano (3), Anambra (2), Bayelsa (2) , Kwara (2), Akwa Ibom (1), Gombe (1), Imo (1), Nasarawa (1), Osun (1), Oyo (1), Rivers (1) and Taraba (1)

    “Of fifty-six (56)suspected cases, there were twenty-four(24) new confirmed positive cases in Epi week 30, 2022 from twelve (12) states – Ondo (5), Kano (3), Lagos (3), Abia (2), Adamawa (2), Bayelsa (2), Kwara (2), Delta (1), Anambra (1), Gombe (1), Rivers (1) and Nasarawa (1).

    “From 1st January to 31st July 2022, there have now been 413 suspected cases and 157 confirmed cases (105 male, 52 female) from twenty-six (26) states – Lagos (20), Ondo (14), Adamawa (13), Delta (12), Bayelsa (12), Rivers (11), Edo (8), Nasarawa (8), Plateau (6), Anambra (6), FCT (5), Taraba (5), Kwara (5), Kano (5), Imo (4), Cross River (3), Borno (3), Oyo (3), Abia (3), Gombe (3), Katsina (2), Kogi (2), Niger (1), Ogun (1), Bauchi (1) and Akwa Ibom (1).

    “Four deaths were recorded from 4 states – Delta (1), Lagos (1), Ondo (1) and Akwa Ibom (1).

    “Overall, since the re-emergence of monkeypox in September 2017 and to 31st July 2022, a total of 925 suspected cases have been reported from 35 states in the country.”

  • U.S. surpasses 1m COVID-19 deaths

    U.S. surpasses 1m COVID-19 deaths

    The U.S. on Wednesday surpassed one million COVID-19 deaths, according to data compiled by American broadcast television network, NBC News.

    The number – equivalent to the population of San Jose, California, the 10th largest city in the U.S. – was reached at stunning speed, 27 months after the country confirmed its first case of the virus.

    “Each of those people touched hundreds of other people.

    “It’s an exponential number of other people that are walking around with a small hole in their heart,” said Diana Ordonez, whose husband, Juan Ordonez, died in April 2020 at age 40.

    While deaths from COVID-19 have slowed in recent weeks, about 360 people have still been dying every day.

    According to World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to decline but omicron sub-variants are driving an increase in the Americas and Africa.

    Meanwhile, the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday recommended travellers continue to wear masks in airplanes, trains and airports despite a judge’s April 18 order declaring the 14-month-old transportation mask mandate unlawful.

    The CDC said it based its recommendation on current COVID-19 conditions and spread as well as the protective value of masks.

    The Justice Department in April filed a notice it would appeal the ruling and it had until May 31 to do so.

    But the government has made no effort to seek immediate court action to reinstate the mandate.

    The mask mandate had been due to expire on Tuesday just before midnight unless the CDC sought an extension of a Transportation Security Administration directive.

    A CDC spokeswoman said, “As a result of a court order, the mask order is no longer in effect and is not being enforced.”

    At a Senate hearing Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, cast doubt on the idea that the administration wanted to reimpose the mask mandate.

    “The appeal concerns whether the CDC has the authority to (require masks) in this pandemic or in any pandemic, which is completely distinct from whether a mask mandate ought to be applied any given day,” Buttigieg said.

    Buttigieg said he agreed that based on conditions on April 13, when the mandate was extended for 15 days, that it should have been allowed to expire but said it was a CDC decision.

    Hours after the April 18 ruling, the Biden administration said it would no longer enforce the mask mandate, which prompted airlines to let passengers end wearing masks mid-flight.

  • Deaths from 2021 building collapse in Nigeria tripled COVID-19 figures – BCPG

    Deaths from 2021 building collapse in Nigeria tripled COVID-19 figures – BCPG

    The National President, Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Mr Eddy Atumonyogo, on Saturday said building collapse claimed more lives in 2021 than COVID-19 in three years in Nigeria.

    Atumonyogo said this at Falomo, Lagos, during a walk against building collapse organised by BCPG as part of activities to mark the 2022 Builders’ Day weeklong activities, organised by the Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) in collaboration with the BCPG as an annual event to sensitise governments, construction stakeholders and the public against collapse.

    BCPG has membership drawn from the seven built environment professionals which include builders, town planners, surveyors, architects, engineers, estate surveyors and valuers and quantity surveyors.

    The BCPG members marched from Falomo Bridge in Ikoyi to Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge Roundabout distributing fliers on building collapse prevention.

    The same rally held simultaneously from Medical Road in Ikeja to the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa.

    Atumonyogo said the rally was not a time to trade blames on actions or inactions but a time for all stakeholders and government to collaborate towards taming the menace in cities.

    Quoting a newspaper data, he said in Nov. 2021, at least 305 people died from building collapse in Nigeria.

    “This is about a quarter of those who died from Coronavirus in Nigeria from 2019 till date. Not even one per cent of the attention paid to the virus is being paid to this menace that is a mass murderer.

    “During the same period, it was reported that no fewer than 449 people got injured in 83 cases. These are only cases reported by the media. Lagos remains the epicenter of this ugly menace in Nigeria.

    “Amongst those who died within the same period were 42 innocent children who died when a building serving as their school on Massey Street, Lagos Island, collapsed while they were in session, crushing their tender lives and leaving their families in grief and inconsolable till date,’’ he said.

    He listed the causes of building collapse as man-made but required courageous actions of government, professionals, developers and all other stakeholders to correct.

    The BCPG President lamented the unfortunate Ikoyi 21-storey building collapse of Nov. 1, 2021.

    He advised built environment stakeholders to embrace best practices in the sector while appealing to the Lagos State Government to increase housing stock to absorb its growing population.

    He commended Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s announcement that buildings above six floors will now be reviewed by external consultants before approvals are granted.

    Atumonyogo urged the state government to collaborate with BCPG which has a network of professionals across the 37 Local Government Areas and Local Development Authorities for effective monitoring of construction sites.

    The President of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Prof. Yohana Izam, insisted that a shift in focus to integrity in construction was the only remedy to end embarrassment of building collapse in the nation.

    Izam, represented at the rally in Ikeja by Mr Adelaja Adekanbi, a former chairman, Lagos Chapter of NIOB, said building collapse had become a national embarrassment that could be corrected through upholding integrity.

    He commended the Lagos State Government’s Building Regulation which mandated that construction sites should be managed by professional/registered Builders.

    “This integrity driven building regulation of Lagos State is indeed highly recommended. I am also pleased to note that a good number of states are now towing the path of integrity,” he said.

    NAN

  • No new COVID-19 death in Nigeria – NCDC

    No new COVID-19 death in Nigeria – NCDC

    Nigeria did not record a single COVID-19 death on Saturday.

    The country’s death toll to the pandemic still stands at 2,980.

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) stated on Sunday, however, that the country recorded 54 new infections in seven states and the FCT on Saturday.

    The 54 new infections recorded on Saturday indicate a decrease of 143 from the 197 cases recorded on Friday.

    The new infections were recorded in Lagos State (25), Oyo State (11), FCT (6), Kwara (3), Rivers (3), Bauchi (2), Delta (2), Kano State (1) and Ogun State (1).

    Ekiti, Gombe, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, and Sokoto States did not report any new infection.

    Total national infections now stand at 214,567.
    Out of the 214,567 total national infections, 207,427 cases have been treated and discharged from hospitals.

    The NCDC also stated that 3.6 million blood samples had been tested since the pandemic began.

  • No reported case of deaths arising from Omicron variant yet – WHO

    No reported case of deaths arising from Omicron variant yet – WHO

    The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said it had not seen any reports of deaths relating to the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.

    The WHO said it was collecting evidence about the variant of concern (VOC), as countries around the world scramble to stop it from spreading.

    But despite a growing number of countries registering infections with the new variant, no deaths have yet been reported to the UN health agency.

    “I have not seen reports of Omicron-related deaths yet,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.

    “We’re collecting all the evidence and we will find much more evidence as we go along.

    “The more countries… keep testing people, and looking specifically into the Omicron variant, we will also find more cases, more information, and, hopefully not, but also possibly deaths.”

    While Omicron has rattled the world, Lindmeier also urged people to be mindful of the Delta variant, which accounts for 99.8 percent of sequences uploaded to the GISAID global science initiative with specimens collected in the last 60 days.

    “Omicron may be on the rise, and we may come to a point where it takes over to be the dominant variant, but at this point, the very dominant variant remains Delta,” he stressed.

    Lindmeier added: “The restrictions that were put into place in many countries just two weeks ago — economical closures again, lockdowns in some areas, closures of Christmas markets in parts of Europe — this was done before Omicron because of a rise of Delta cases. Let’s not lose sight of this.”

    The spokesman urged people to use proven measures to protect themselves against Delta — and thereby against Omicron.

    The WHO has said it will take several weeks to get a full picture of the transmissibility and disease severity of Omicron and to assess how vaccines, tests, and treatments hold up against the new variant.

    As Omicron spreads, pieces of information are emerging from various countries.

    “What we need to do is we need to take all these observations, assessments and tests and get this information together and then have the experts look at it, carefully weigh it and come up with the assessment. That will still take some time,” said Lindmeier.

    “Preliminary data show that there is higher transmissibility. But that’s basically all we have so far.”

  • COVID-19: NCDC reports 120 additional infections, 3 deaths, as of Oct. 29, 2021

    COVID-19: NCDC reports 120 additional infections, 3 deaths, as of Oct. 29, 2021

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has reported 120 additional infections of COVID-19 from 10 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with three related deaths as of Oct. 29, 2021.

    The NCDC disclosed this in its daily COVID-19 report on Saturday morning .

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 120 additional cases reported on Friday, indicate a decrease from the 182 cases reported the previous day.

    The Public Health Agency stated that the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country has reached 211,798 with 202,962 cases discharged and a total number of 2,895 deaths recorded in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

    According to it, 120 new cases are reported from 11 States – FCT (26), Imo (25), Lagos (23), Rivers (17), Osun (15), Kano (5), Gombe (3), Edo (2), Ekiti (2), Bayelsa (1) and Delta (1).

    It noted that the latest report includes 21 discharged cases reported from Imo state for Oct. 29, 2021, (community discharges).

    The agency added that three states with zero cases were; Ogun, Ondo and Sokoto.

    The NCDC noted that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continues to coordinate the national response activities.

    It added that there were currently 5,814 active coronavirus cases in the country while a total of 3,298,966 blood samples have been tested since the pandemic began across the country.

    Meanwhile, about 2.7 per cent of eligible population have been vaccinated in the country as of Oct. 28. 2021, and only 2.7 per cent of the 110 million eligible Nigerian population have been vaccinated while about 5 per cent of the population have received their first dose.

    NAN recalls that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) plans to vaccinate all eligible 111,776,503 Nigerians (18 years and above) with safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines over the next two years across the country.

    Nigeria commenced a nationwide phase 1 COVID-19 vaccination campaign on March 5, 2021, in all the 36 States and the FCT, targeting health and other front-line workers with potent COVID-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and certified by NAFDAC.

  • COVID-19: NCDC reports 2 deaths, 290 additional infections Thursday

    COVID-19: NCDC reports 2 deaths, 290 additional infections Thursday

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recorded two COVID-19 related deaths on Thursday, bringing the country’s fatality toll to 2,742.

    The NCDC made this known via its verified website on Friday, morning.

    The centre also reported 290 additional infections were recorded in 14 states and the FCT.

    The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports that the 290 fresh cases reported on Thursday , indicate a decline from the 297 cases posted on Tuesday in the country.

    The NCDC stated that the FCT ranked first on the log with 127 cases, followed by Lagos, the epicentre of the disease, with 45 cases while Kaduna in the North-west ranked third on the log with 28 cases.

    While South-southern states of Delta, Rivers, Edo and Akwa Ibom States recorded 18 cases, 10 cases, three cases and one case respectively, North-Central states of Kwara, Plateau and Nasarawa recorded 17 cases, 13 cases and four cases respectively.

    It added that Zamfara in the North-West recorded 10 cases; Imo in the South-East recorded six cases while Ekiti, Ondo and Oyo States in the South-West recorded five cases , three cases and one case respectively.

    The NCDC also noted that Sokoto reported that it recorded no fresh case.

    The agency added that the additional confirmed infections brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 207,210.

    It further added that 194,796 patients have been discharged, while 9,629 patients were the country’s active cases.

    The agency also noted that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre, activated at Level II, continued to coordinate the national response activities.

    The NCDC said that 3,043,321 million people have been tested from the nation’s roughly 200 million population have been tested.

    It advised Nigerians to take prevention measures seriously because all the four COVID-19 variants of concern were circulating in Africa.

    “To stop the spread: washing hands, wearing a mask, avoid crowded places, keep a safe distance and keep space well ventilated,” it advised.

  • COVID-19: Nigeria records three new deaths, 477 cases in 24 hours

    COVID-19: Nigeria records three new deaths, 477 cases in 24 hours

    Nigeria has recorded three more deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic with 477 fresh cases in the last 24 hours.

    In its latest update on Friday night, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said the cases were reported in Lagos, 16 other states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The data indicates that Nigeria’s total infection from the pandemic currently stands at 203,991 while the fatality toll increased to 2,671

    It also noted that four states- Nasarawa, Ondo, Osun and Sokoto – recorded no fresh cases.

    The breakdown shows that Lagos remains the nation’s epicentre of the virus with 113 more cases on the log on Friday, followed by Rivers with 79 new infections and the FCT coming third with 68 cases.

    In Nigeria’s South-south region, Delta had (37), Akwa Ibom (9), Cross River (7), Edo (6), and Bayelsa (2) respectively.

    Other states with fresh cases include Kaduna – 68, Abia – 36, Oyo – 16, Benue – 12, Plateau – 9, Ekiti – 6, Katsina – 4, Jigawa – 3, Ogun – 1 and Yobe – 1.