State officials in India’s western state of Gujarat say the toll has risen to 38 after at least 10 more people were confirmed to have died following the consumption of toxic liquor.

“Some of the hospitalized persons who were in critical condition passed away overnight.

 “They had consumed methyl alcohol which was almost undiluted, believing it to be liquor.” police official Ashok Kumar Yadav said.

Police launched an investigation and made six arrests after 51 people affected in Monday’s incident in the state’s adjoining districts of Ahmedabad and Botad were admitted to hospital, in addition to the deaths.

Sales and consumption of alcohol are prohibited in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, except by those holding a government permit.

Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, popularly called hooch or country liquor, are common in India, where few drinkers can afford branded spirits.

Methyl alcohol, also known as wood alcohol, is unsafe for human consumption and finds use in products from paint thinners to fuel, pesticides, and anti-freeze, among others.

The Kwara State Government, North Central Nigeria, has flagged off this year’s State wide Anti Rabies Mass Vaccination Campaign Exercise in Ilorin, the State Capital.

The State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has equally approved the release of funds to kick start the exercise. The exercise is part of the present Administration’s efforts to eradicate incidence of Rabies through dogs and cats bites in the State.

Flagging off the exercise at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Headquarters, the State Deputy Governor, Mr Kayode Alabi, expressed government’s commitment to the well being of the people and animals in the State.

According to him, the State Government is investing heavily on both human and animal health in order to have a safe and healthy society.

Mr Alabi who was represented by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Raji Razaq noted that, if the society can tackle the issue of virus in dogs and cats, less will be done in taking care of humans with regards to rabies virus.

The Deputy Governor appealed for a strong collaborative effort from the stakeholders, with a view to ending transmission of rabies through regular vaccination, have a safe environment and a balance ecosystem in the State.

In their goodwill messages, the stakeholders at the event lauded the State Government’s strides in public health sector and called for more stronger ties to have a disease free society.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Director, Veterinary Services of the Ministry, Dr. Abdulateef Salman Olugbon, appreciated the State Government for the approval and release of funds for the exercise, noting that the gesture has shown that the Governor is committed to the peoples’ wellbeing at all costs.

Dr Olugbon called the general public especially both dogs and cats owners, to make their animals available for vaccination at the State’s Veterinary Offices across the 16 Local Government Areas of the State.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Mission for Health Financing to Nigeria, led by its Technical Officer, Fahdi Dkhimi, declared Support for National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act2022.

This was made known when a delegate of WHO and NHIA paid a courtesy call to the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the gesture was a welcome development. He revealed some of the constraints faced by the scheme to include infrastructural development, human resource and investment patterns.

The visiting team and other relevant stakeholders who interacted with the Minister of Health on the recently signed NHIA Act 2022, discussed among others possible ways to effectively operationalize the NHIA Act for the benefits of Nigerians.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Mahmuda Mamman, stated that the Act promulgated few years ago, has recently been signed into Law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The Act provided for National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), to implement schemes for relevant groups including Federal Civil Servant and establishes a vulnerable Group Fund, part of which can be invested by the NHIA.”

The Technical Officer, World Health Organisation, Fahdi Dkhimi, stated that W.H.O is committed towards supporting the implementation process of the Scheme.

Nigerian youth Corpers Sensitizes over 10.000 students annually against Tobacco smoking and other substance at private and public schools.

The Three extraordinary volunteer corpers working with a non governmental organization in northern Nigeria (The eye opener foundation) has trained over 10,000 students both at the pubic and private secondary school.

The aims is to raise more awareness to boys and girls on the dangers associated with cigarettes smoking. While stressing that Tobacco kills up to half of its users world wide.

All the corpers that embarked on this year campaign are all Passionate about educating the young once on harmful effects of tobacco smoking and other substance in the communities.

Mabia Uchechukwu Christian from university of Portharcourt who was posted to kaduna for his NYSC last year, told journalists that paid him visit at the center, how his biological father died of lungs disease in 2008 as a result of smoking Tobacco cigarettes.

Mabia said, he has desire to work and provide selfless services to humanity and to educate boys and girls on the dangers of cigarettes smoking among teenagers ,adult and Women groups.

Umoh Esther Efemena, another Youth Corper pointed that she has visited many schools, where most of them have been trained on the harmful effects of cigarettes smoking and drug abuse.

According to her, my target is to take the campaigns to 500 schools annually and create clubs that would enlightened hundreds of students on preventive measures against tobacco smoking in the society.

She explained that Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, of which More than 7 million of them was as a result of direct tobacco intakes, while 1.2 million are the non-smokers, but are been exposed to second-hand smoking.

Umoh stressed that all forms of tobacco are harmful, include waterpipe tobacco, various smokeless tobacco products, pipe tobacco, marijuana among other.

Responding, the national president of the foundation Mrs Margaret Julius expressed satisfaction over the various contributions been made by the volunteer corpers that came from various states.

She said, these corpers deserved national award for been dedicated to service to humanity

Adding by saying that the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, that kills more than 8 million people a year, including 1.2 million deaths from exposure to second-hand smoke.

She then appealed to state and federal government to support organizations and volunteers that are taking cigarette and tobacco campaigns in other to strengthening their activities at communities, market places, mosque and Churches, so as to raise more awareness.

Prof. Babatunde Salako, Director General, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) said it had discovered a new malaria vector called anopheles stephensi in northern Nigeria.

Salako who spoke with newsmen in Lagos during a birthday ceremony organised by his members of staff, said that it was the most recent research discovery.

He said that it was a rugged vector, very difficult to eradicate and had not been found anywhere near West Africa.

He said that this was a discovery by NIMR researchers and that had implication to malaria control in Nigeria. Salako said the idea was to ensure that Nigerian researchers were able to take it from the beginning to the end in the development of vaccines.

Earlier, Samuel Amao, a Senior Researcher, said that the event was unprecedented.

Amao said that the institute was dealing with somebody that was a game changer, so competent that you don’t need to voice it.

He said that NIMR was a place where aspiring researchers were supposed to be.