The Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has urged Nigerians to consume only safe and wholesome food, noting that doing so will help boost their immunity against diseases.
Pro. Adeyeye, made this admonition in Abuja at the NAFDAC celebration of the 4th World Food Safety Day 2022, with the theme – Safer Food, Better Health, where she opined that, where food is unsafe, our nutritional goals cannot be achieved.
“Nigerians do not need medicines if they eat right, eating right means making healthy food choices.
“Safe food is an essential component of sustainable development and contributes to the improvement of public health, poverty reduction, and increased food security.
“The occasion of World Food Safety Day, is an added opportunity for us to create and generate awareness around food safety and situate it as a very significant issue of public health concern, especially in the light of safe, wholesome food important for boosting immunity and improving the body’s natural defence in fighting diseases.”
She noted that, their activities concern safe food practices or lack of it. She said, some food are frequently exposed to less hygienic and sanitary conditions, resulting in contamination and leading to incidences and outbreaks of foodborne diseases, situations that are steadily becoming significant food safety concerns.
“Unsafe foods are the cause of many diseases and contribute to other poor health conditions, such as impaired growth and development.
She said her Call to Action on this occasion of World Food Safety Day, goes out to four groups of stakeholders, namely – policy makers and food regulators, food businesses, educational institutions and workplaces as well as the consumers.
She also admonished consumers to practice safe food handling at home and follow the Five Keys to Safer Food – keep clean, separate raw and cooked, cook thoroughly, keep food at safe temperatures and use safe water and raw materials.
A child health specialist, Dr. Rasheedat Ibraheem, has asked parents in the habit of giving their under-five children cough and cold medicines to stop the act, noting that the medication could harm the children.
According to the paediatrician, cough medicines are not suitable for treating cough in under-five children because they often come with adverse effects in children.
Dr. Ibraheem who is a Consultant Paediatrician with the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Kwara State, spoke in an interview with Newsmen.
He stressed that under-five children cannot cough or spit out phlegm from the throat, adding that they should not be given cough medicines because they do not produce sputum when they cough. Sputum is the mucus that is coughed up from the lower airways.
According to the recommendation of the US Food and Drug Administration, children under the age of two should never be given over-the-counter cough or cold medications.
The FDA noted that many OTC cough and cold products contain multiple ingredients which can lead to accidental overdosing.
Speaking further, Dr. Ibraheem stated that cough is one of the protective reflex mechanisms of the body that is used to get rid of things in the airways.
She explained, “For children under five years of age when they cough, they cannot expel sputum. They do not have adequate force to expel sputum.
Cough Syrup
“Even if they cough and bring something up, most of the time the under-five children end up swallowing it because they cannot expectorate. They do not produce sputum.
“When a mother comes and tells me that ‘my child is three years old and she is bringing out sputum’, and I will tell her no, your child cannot bring out sputum.
“That is why no doctor can tell a mother to go and run a sputum test on a four-year-old child because he/she knows that the child does not produce sputum.”
The child care expert stated further that giving a child expectorant and suppressant cough syrups will not stop the cough, instead, it will weaken the child and worsen his health condition.
Giving further details on why parents should avoid giving their under-five children cough syrups, the child health specialist said, “Cough reflex is a natural protective mechanism of the body.
“There are two types of cough syrups mainly in the market.
“The first one is what we referred to as expectorant. That means, when you cough, you are going to bring out sputum.
“The other one is antitussive, a cough suppressant. So, we have cough suppressant syrup that will suppress cough and the expectorant that will expel sputum.
“Now, giving children expectorants because you want to stop cough when they cannot produce sputum, is going to weaken them. It is going to have an adverse effect on them.
“So, when a child has a cough, the best thing is to find out what is causing that cough and treat the cause of that cough.”
Dr. Ibraheem noted that coughing in children could be a sign of chest infection, urging parents to avoid self-medication and always find out the cause whenever their children are coughing.
“Another disadvantage of giving children cough syrup is that when a child is coughing, it could be as a result of chest infection, maybe pneumonia.
“And then if the parents give the child cough suppressants, that means the parents will end up getting a false impression that the child’s condition has improved but that child’s condition has not improved because the infection is still there.
“Now, they will not treat the infection and for the infection to be treated, what the child needs is antibiotics.
“So, by giving cough suppressants, you are not taking care of the underlying condition; you are worsening that child’s condition,” she said.
Mothers treating children with colds, she said, should concentrate on clearing the nostrils of the children to make the airways free.
According to her, mothers can use the mouth-to-nose method and suck out mucus blocking the nostrils.
She also enjoined mothers to breastfeed their babies more whenever they have a cold, adding that they should also have a thermometer at home to monitor the temperature of the children regularly.
According to a California Childcare Health Programme, cough and cold products do not work in children.
CCHP says that is the reason most physicians are against giving over-the-counter cough and cold medication to young children.
“Studies suggest that there is no evidence that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are effective in making children well sooner.
“These products only treat the symptoms of the common cold. Cold symptoms include runny nose, sore throat, coughing or sneezing, watery eyes, chills, and fever,” CCHP added.
California Childcare Health Programme is a community-based programme of the University of California, USA.
In a 2021 article published in the American College of Emergency Physicians titled, ‘Use of antitussive medications in acute cough in young children’, the authors said OTC antitussive medications should not be routinely used in children under two years of age.
The authors said, “As a protective reflex, cough facilitates mucociliary function, helping to clear excessive secretions and debris from the airways”.
The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) says Nigeria will begin local production of uniforms for its military and paramilitary personnel from January 2023.
The commission said in a statement signed by its Acting Head, Media and Publicity, Manji Yarling, on Monday in Abuja, that the production of the uniforms would be a joint venture project.
The commission said that the Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and Sur Corporate Wear, would lead to the creation of Sur Corporate Wear Nig. Ltd.
“The DICON Sur collaboration which will span a concession period of 20 years, will be responsible for producing uniforms for the Army, Navy, Air force, Police, Civil Defence and other military and paramilitary organisations,” it said.
The Acting Director-General of ICRC, Micheal Ohiani, in a meeting, charged all stakeholders in the project to resolve all issues hindering the completion of the factory and report to the commission in one week.
Also, Dr Jobson Ewalefoh, Director, Contract Compliance Department, ICRC, during the rescheduled meeting, urged all stakeholders to ensure that the project was completed within the stipulated time frame.
Ewalefoh said that the project was important to the nation as it would curb capital flight and create no fewer than 920 jobs.
He said that the project would also be a thing of pride for the nation to produce its uniforms.
The director said that as the project progressed, the DICON Sur joint venture woud be expected to begin to source all its raw materials from within Nigeria.
“The fact that we produce our military and paramilitary uniforms locally is a pride to all of us. It is a pride that we all must uphold.
“Sudan is producing their own military kits and I know DICON can do it if they have the right support,” he said.
Ewalefoh assured all stakeholders that ICRC would liaise with all the relevant government agencies to fast-track the ongoing process of securing approval for off-takers when production would begin in January.
He said that going forward, ICRC through its Contract Compliance Department, would make the DICON Sur project a priority and monitor its progress until completed.
The director pledged that the commission would continue to intervene to make PPP projects operate smoothly.
The Managing Director, Sur Corporate Wear Nig. Ltd., Burhan Karabulut commended the management of ICRC for intervening and ensuring that the project was hitch-free.
Karabulut also commended the investors for agreeing to release funds for the completion of the project, following the intervention of ICRC and the meeting of stakeholders that ensued.
He said that the company had so far taken the project to 68 per cent completion, adding that the remaining funds for the project would be released soon to meet the completion goal.
“If the work resumes in July, it is assumed that we can start commissioning as of January 2023; but this January, the commissioning will not be 100 per cent production,” he said.
Karabulut, however, said that the designs for the uniforms had yet to be approved, adding that the company could not source its raw materials for production.
He said that without the approval, the production could not begin.
A London court began hearing the first of two last-minute legal challenges to block the British government’s policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda before the first removal flight scheduled to leave on Tuesday.
Britain has agreed to a deal with Rwanda to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda in return for an initial payment of 120 million pounds (48 million U.S. dollars) and additional payments based on the number of people deported.
The government says the deportation strategy is aimed at undermining people-smuggling networks and stemming the flow of migrants risking their lives by crossing the English Channel in small boats from Europe.
Initially, some 37 individuals were scheduled to be removed on the first flight to Rwanda, but the number has dwindled in the face of legal challenges. But a lawyer for human rights groups said there may now only be 11 people on board.
The government has not provided details of those selected for deportation, but charities say they include people fleeing Afghanistan and Syria.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is determined to press ahead with the policy despite the legal challenges and opposition, reportedly including from Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne.
“It’s very important that the criminal gangs who are putting people’s lives at risk in the Channel understand that their business model is going to be broken and is being broken by this government,” Johnson told LBC radio.
Human rights groups say the policy is inhumane and will put migrants at risk. The UNHCR has said Rwanda, whose own human rights record is under scrutiny, does not have the capacity to process the claims.
The Court of Appeal began hearing arguments from two human rights groups and a trade union on Monday after a judge refused their request for an injunction blocking the flight from taking off.
The judge said on Friday there was a “material public interest” in allowing the government to pursue the policy”.
Raza Hussain, the lawyer for some of the claimants, said the judge had not given enough weight to the concerns of the UNHCR, which had warned that some asylum seekers could be sent back to a country where they would be at risk of persecution.
The High Court will separately later hear arguments from Asylum Aid, a refugee charity, which launched a second legal challenge to stop the government from flying refugees to Rwanda.
A former chairman of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, Dr. Tunji Akintade, has call for better education of Nigerians on how they can help save the life before medical personnel attends to them.
According to the physician, there are things first responders can do that can help ensure gunshot victims are kept stable and alive until they can receive proper treatment.
“people should be educated on how to know and arrest the source of bleeding, stressing that this is crucial to preventing the patient from going into hypovolemic shock.”
Hypovolemic shock is an emergency condition in which severe blood or other fluid loss makes the heart unable to pump enough blood to the body. This type of shock can cause many organs to stop working.
Dr. Akintade said, “First responders must ensure that the bleeding is arrested to avoid the patient going into hypovolemic shock because whatever the case may be, there is needs to keep the patient alive until he can be properly treated by a doctor.”
Akintade’s call for better education of first responders was as a result of the attack on worshippers by gunmen at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, in Owo Town, during which many people were killed.
Several people also sustained gunshot injuries and were first attended to by first responders before the arrival of medical personnel.
According to him, once a gunshot victim is stable, the first line of call is to report the case to the police, this is to avoid being tagged and identified as a co-conspirator.
The Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health in Nigeria has restated its commitment to help address the issue of infertility in the country.
The AFRH stated that, its members are committed to helping couples battling infertility to have children, pledging to continue supporting efforts aimed at expanding access to assisted reproductive technology for Nigerians.
The President of AFRH, Dr. Ibrahim Wada, stated this in a statement at a briefing held in Abuja, in commemoration of 2022 World Infertility Awareness Month.
World Infertility Awareness Month, is celebrated every June to increase awareness of infertility issues around the world.
During the awareness month, stakeholders in fertility health across the globe are expected to educate couples on infertility, as well as provide information on the latest treatment options that can help couples battling infertility to have children.
Dr. Wada said, the AFRH is also committed to ensuring that its members adhere to the highest ethical standard in proffering solutions to infertility issues.
The association, he said, will continue to self regulate, to ensure couples in need of assisted reproductive technology are not exploited.
He also stated that the AFRH is ready to work with the executive and legislative arms of government and its patients to ensure best practices in the field of assisted reproductive technology practice.
He assured Nigerians that, its members are offering quality care in assisted reproduction, noting that many people are now coming to the country to access fertility treatment.
“People are coming willingly from abroad to Nigeria to undertake fertility treatment. It shows that what we are doing is good and I am pleased with the advanced technology we are offering.”
The AFRH will continue to educate Nigerians on infertility and also ensure its members adhere to standards set in its guideline for self regulation.
A past president of the British Association of Pediatric Surgeons, Prof. Mark Davenport, has appealed to the Nigerian government to invest more in the Children’s Health Centres, across the country.
Davenport made the call on in Ilorin, at a workshop co-organised by the Divisions of Paediatric Surgery of the University of Ilorin and the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
The workshop was organised in collaboration with the National Hospital, Abuja, and the King’s Hospital, London.
Speaking at the workshop with the theme: “Paediatric Hepato-pancreato biliary Surgical Workshop,” Davenport also urged the government to develop more expertise in the field of liver diseases in children.
He explained that Hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB), surgery consists of the general surgical treatment for benign and malignant diseases of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts.
According to him, such investment will save the country from total collapse, saying that the workshop aims to help the participants to improve their skills in the area of child surgery.
He decried the general lack of intensive care for children in the country’s hospitals, adding, steps are now being taken to improve it in some quarters.
In his presentation, Prof. Lukman Abdur-Rahman, a Lecturer at the Department of Surgery of the University observed, many children have jaundice and many more with surgical jaundice turn out late for treatment.
“One of the aims of the workshop is to create awareness for the people on how to detect the ailment early and treat it promptly.”
Abdur-Rahman, also a Consultant Pediatrics Surgeon at UITH decried the lack of sufficient facilities and pediatric intensive care in the units.
“More than 70 per cent of the cases of jaundice can medically be treated, however, if the medical causes are not addressed properly, jaundice can cause neurological incapacitation and liver failure,” he added.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday urged citizens in Turkey to leave “as soon as possible” over threats that Iranian operatives are actively planning attacks on Israelis in Istanbul.
“It’s a real and immediate danger,” Lapid told a meeting of lawmakers from his Yesh Atid party, citing “several Iranian attempts at carrying out terror attacks against Israelis on holiday in Istanbul”.
“If you are already in Istanbul, return to Israel as soon as possible,” Lapid said. “If you have planned a flight to Istanbul — cancel. No vacation is worth your life,” he added.
“Do not fly to Turkey at all,” unless such travel is “essential,” the foreign minister added.
Iran and Israel are arch rivals and Tehran has accused the Jewish state of carrying out a series of assassinations targeting senior Iranian nuclear and military personnel.
Most recently, Iran claimed that Israel was responsible for the killing of Revolutionary Guards Colonel Sayyad Khodai, who was shot dead outside his Tehran home on May 22.
Lapid made no reference to any alleged Israeli operations inside Iran.
But he said that some Israelis who recently travelled to Turkey had returned “without knowing their lives were saved”.
The alleged attackers were targeting Israeli citizens “in order to kidnap them or kill them,” Lapid said.
Earlier Monday, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported on a Iranian plans to kidnap Israelis in Turkey a month ago, which was thwarted after Israel alerted Ankara about the threat.
Lapid thanked the Turkish government “for the effort they’re putting into protecting the lives of Israeli citizens”, without providing details.
Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi at the weekend showered prizes at outstanding athletes that emerged from the maiden edition of the Back2Base talent hunt programme held at the University of Lagos Sports Centre.
Mikel who was present all through the three-day talent hunt programme on the final day on Saturday said he was very impressed with the level of skills exhibited by the youngsters who participated across the three sports; Football, Basketball and Tennis.
Equally impressed was the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare who attended the closing stanza of the programme.
While the former Chelsea star promptly fulfilled the cash rewards to the outstanding athletes across the three sports, he also promised to do his best to ensure they are given more platforms to actualize their dreams of becoming superstars in their chosen fields.
He said: “I am very happy with the success of this first edition, for me all the children are winners because they are all talented one way or the other and they have shown they all have a bright future ahead of them”
“I hope to see them get good clubs here in Nigeria and also abroad so they can continue to improve on their skills and keep getting better.”
Having seen the large turnout that greeted the first edition, Mikel who was last year appointed as Youth Ambassador by the Federal Government assured he will make bigger plans to accommodate more youngsters in subsequent editions of his new project.
Emma Jebutu and Toyin Asogba emerged as the most outstanding boys and girls in the tennis category.
While the duo expressed profound gratitude to Mikel and the other brains behind the Back2Base talent hunt programme, they said they hope to be playing in the Grand Slams very soon.
Mathew Abamu and Destiny Okhinye were the runners up in the Tennis event
In the Basketball event, Ayomide Lasisi, Chika Okafor and Kunle Adesuyi were selected as the top three performers
On their part, the trio of Abebayo Mubarak, Monday Pius and Samuel Adefeso were the top three players selected from the football event.
The CEO and Founder of Avianna & Harvey Entertainments, Ahmed Fadekemi who midwifed the Back2Base talent hunt programme said that aside from the Six Million Naira shared across the outstanding athletes, the youngsters will also have a dinner date and mentorship session with Mikel.
“We are glad with the impact we have been able to make these few days and it has encouraged us to do even more going forward. While we thank all our partners, especially Mikel, we hope to have more people on board on our next project” she stated.
Andy Murray says he does not know the extent of his abdominal injury but hopes the setback does not derail his grass-court season.
The British former world number one struggled with the problem in the third set of his defeat by Matteo Berrettini in Sunday’s Stuttgart Open final
Murray, due to play at Queen’s this week before Wimbledon in a fortnight, received medical treatment twice and was in visible discomfort when serving.
“Hopefully it’s all right,” he said.
“Obviously I’ve played a lot of matches. This is the most matches I’ve played in two weeks since probably 2016. That’s a really long time.
“It’s probably normal that I would feel some stuff in my body but I don’t really know the severity of it.
“I won’t know anything until I get it checked out. It’s tough to say anything about the next weeks.”
Two-time Wimbledon champion Murray, 35, had been bidding for a first grass-court singles title in six years but was beaten 6-4 5-7 6-3 by Italian world number 10 Berrettini.
Before the five matches he played in Germany this week, the 35-year-old Scot had played four times in Surbiton the previous week on his way to the semi-finals of the Challenger event there.
Murray, whose career was nearly ended when he needed a hip resurfacing operation three and a half years ago, had been moving freely in Sunday’s final before having to call for the physio after he was broken in the opening game of the deciding set.
He then had more treatment while serving at 30-0 at 2-4 and while he managed to hold serve in that game, he seemed to be in discomfort for the rest of the match and was broken in the final game.
“I got some pain in my ab when I was serving. Not something I’ve had before,” the three-time Grand Slam champion said.
It was a disappointing end to what had been one of the best tournaments he has had since his comeback from hip surgery.
His run will lift him back into the world’s top 50 for the first time since 2018 when the new rankings are published on Monday.
“Sorry I couldn’t get over the line today, but there’s been a lot of progress the last few weeks. I’m looking forward to what the future has to hold,” he said in his on-court interview.
“I’m feeling a lot better about my game. Hopefully my body can hold up a little while longer so I can keep playing matches like this.”
The Cinch Championships at Queen’s Club in London start on Monday, with Wimbledon beginning on 27 June.
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