NaijaHealth

CALLING ON DOCTORS

2010-06-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

WE ARE BUILDING AN ONLINE CONSULTATION WEBSITE WHERE PATIENTS CAN CONSULT DOCTORS EITHER BY EMAIL OR VIA A FORUM. IF YOU ARE A DOCTOR AND YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS DEVELOPMENT PLEASE GO TO NAIJAHEALTH.COM, REGISTER AND UPDATE YOUR PROFILE. PLS INCLUDE YOUR RECENT 'UNEDITED' PROFILE PICTURE AS PATIENTS WOULD LOVE TO SEE A HUMAN FACE, THIS BOOSTS THEIR CONFIDENCE IN YOU.

Hello, within the past few days, NaijaHealth.com has been passing through major rehabilitation and restructuring but today we are happy to announce to you that we have successfully completed the upgrade with addition of new features. Nowever, certain parts of the website has been removed due to observable redundance.

New features added include:

1. A dynamic toolbar which shows at the bottom of the website; this allows you to connect with your facebook, myspace and twitter profile, do well to connect as soon as you get back to the website.

2. A brand new online connect component which will allow you to connect with other users of the website. Did you invite your friends to NaijaHealth.com, you can as well stay in touch with them on NaijaHealth.com

3. We just upgraded our member registration procedure which now entells addition of your personal detail like profile pictures and contact details. We recomend that you visit NaijaHealth.com to update your status.

4. ForumConnect, a forum has also been added; to the website which seeks to connect people from diverse hospitals and clinces in Ngeria.

5. A simple notifcation request form has been added. Our visitors who want to get notifications/newsletters can just simply drop their email addersses.

6. Our friend inviter macine on NaijaHealth.com has been eratic lately, but that has been fixed. You can now invite your contacts from your email providers and social networks like facebook to join NaijaHealth.com.

7. NaijaHealth.com shall soon wear a brand new look. Please look out!

As we deem fit to update/upgrade the site, we shall do this; Thanks to concerned users who have made calls and sent emails to pass across their suggestions.

NaijaHealth Admin

Study Pathology online

2009-12-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hi friends, NaijaHealth.com has added a new feature, you can now study Robbins Pathology Online at http://robbinspathology.naijahealth.com

Free Online Library

2009-03-07T15:39:00.001-08:00

Hi friends, i am glad to introduce to you a website with free online educational maetrials.
NaijaHealth.com Online Library
Anatomy:
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Physiology:
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Biochemistry:
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Medicine:
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Surgery:
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Public Health:
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Anesthsiology:
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Paediatrics:
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Obstetrics:
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Gynecology:
http://naijahealth.com/library/gynecology.htm
Radiology:
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Pathology:
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Opthalmology:
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Dermatology:
http://naijahealth.com/library/dermatology.htm
Patient Simulations:
http://naijahealth.com/library/p_simulations.htm
Health Reference:
http://naijahealth.com/library/h_ref.htm
International Medical Organisations:
http://naijahealth.com/library/med_org.htm
Good Luck.

Need to raise health awareness in the population

2009-02-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

Starting off, I would like to emphasize at the grass root level of problems faced in the healthcare field. Whether it is a question of Universal coverage or the shortage of health care workers, the main aspect which I understand in the present day is that of HEALTH AWARENESS in the population. This awareness level is quite low particularly in the developing countries, like India. This unawareness is perhaps the first hurdle in implementation or improvement of any healthcare program.

A thirsty person would search for a well no matter how difficult it may be. Similarly applying the same logic, if the population is thoroughly aware, they would definitely search out a healthcare center or personnel in case of illness and health problems. These hidden cases are the biggest obstruction faced by the concerned authorities in any developing country.

Secondly, health awareness reduces the percentage of ailing and unhealthy persons in a particular community or region. Indirectly, this is the first step in tackling the problem of shortage of health care members. This aspect can be understood by the persistent cases of polio being detected in India, particularly in the cities of Uttar Pradesh. The cases are generally among the under developed areas and also in orthodox communities, who are still not aware of the campaign being put up by the Government for eradication of polio and moreover cases where the people are unaware to an extent that due to their own beliefs, do not want to avail the benefits of the campaign.

Coming to the solution part, I completely agree with the opinion of Dr. Maaike Flinkenflogel that 'the curriculum of undergraduates needs to focus more on health inequities and social determinants of health'. Here I would like to add that the undergraduate students of Medical, Pharmacy and nursing courses should be made to understand the health scenario they may have to face in the future and thereafter this huge young force of the 'would be' healthcare members can be utilized in improving the first step of healthcare, that is, awareness in the population. Much can be discussed and implemented on what has been mentioned above, thereafter we can proceed towards tackling the healthcare issues at higher levels. Suggestions are welcome.

Good health to all.

Prof. Alok Gupta
Director, Sherwood College of Pharmacy
Lucknow-Faizabad Road, Barabakni (U.P.), INDIA

Email: alo@sancharnet. in

Key components of Health Promotion (HP) strategies in fostering PHC

2009-02-06T08:15:00.000-08:00

I have been reading with great interest, contributions from different regions of the world in relation to placing PHC high on the health agenda. The countries in the Caribbean region are developing with resource-constraine d health sectors and the health promotion approach has been identified as the vehicle to drive PHC. Health promotion is being recognized as an essential element of development since it focuses on the determinants of health. The strategies of the Caribbean Charter for Health Promotion, (an adaptation of the WHO Charter for Health Promotion) have been operationalized in some health regions in Trinidad and Tobago since 1995. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you, some examples of the operationalization of the HP strategies in fostering PHC:
1. Formulating healthy public policy - while policies emanating from the public health sector such as the National Breastfeeding Policy and National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy are commendable, policies from other sectors also have a PHC focus such as the National Policy on Health and Family Life Education and the School Policy on Drugs and Prevention, both formulated by the Education sector. The lesson here is that the determinants of health do not all fall within the ambit of the health sector. Therefore they cannot be addressed by the health sector alone. The key is to work closely with the other sectors that can contribute to achieving the goals of PHC.
2. Empower communities to achieve wellbeing - the Healthy Communities approach (PAHO/WHO) has been successfully used to improve the nutritional status of urban, depressed communities through container-gardening and rural communities through fish-farming. These communities were also able to improve their socio-economic status by transforming these activities into income-generation activities. This required close collaboration with the Agricultural and Community development sectors and started with community consultations where the communities identified their needs. The lesson here is that the PHC under-girding principles of inter-sectoral collaboration and community participation are still relevant today.

3. Develop and increase personal health skills - some of the programs that have been implemented are the Healthy Lifestyle Empowerment Program for Teachers so that they in turn can share the information with students and parents; Diabetes Peer Support Group where diabetics support each other in maintaining well-being; Project Lifestyle which is a school-based program focusing on eating right, weighing right and regular physical exercise. The lesson here is that individuals can assume some responsibility for their health and well being when they have the required knowledge and skills and are thereby less dependent on the PHC services. In this way services can then be extended to other individuals and communities in need.

4. Re-orient health services - some of the PHC initiatives that have been developed in response to the changing diseases patterns and limited health service resources are the Program to Improve the Non-Pharmacological Management of Chronic Diseases at Health Centers, in which medical and nursing personnel are exposed to training in nutritional management of obesity, diabetes and hypertension; Exercise-by- Prescription Program in which Health Center chronic diseases clients are referred to a physical fitness center for supervised sessions in physical exercise. The physical fitness center is owned by a Regional Health Authority and managed by Nursing Assistants, some of whom have been specially trained as fitness instructors. The lesson here is maximizing the available human resources through multi-skilling and multi-tasking within the PHC Team.

These are just a few of the many examples of the operationalization of some of the strategies of the Health Promotion Charter in fostering the PHC approach in a developing country. In Trinidad and Tobago, Health Education Specialists have been the focal point for Health Promotion and give direction to the process.

"Team" approach

The overall lesson is that PHC requires a team approach - doctors, various levels of nursing and dental health professionals, dietitians/nutritio nists, environmental health officers, health education specialists, social workers, pharmacists and other support staff. In some Caribbean countries, nurse practitioners function at the PHC level, reducing the workload of the doctor. In other countries, lower level healthcare workers such as Community Health Aides or Patient Care Assistants relieve nurses of lower level functions.

Many of the contributions so far have focused on the role of the PHC doctor. However, we need to place more emphasis on the functioning of the PHC Team. Remuneration packages must also be attractive and workers should be placed as close as possible to areas where they reside. No effort should be spared in strengthening the PHC Team.

Bernice Dyer-Regis

Health Promotion/Health Education Specialist

Former Lecturer in Community Health

The University of the West Indies

St Augustine, Trinidad

The Scourge of Carbon Monoxide in Nigeria

2009-02-03T10:04:00.001-08:00

Considering the issue of carbon monoxide in a country that boasts of over 130 million inhabitants is indeed a challenge that deserves all attention. Really, Carbon Monoxide pollution is a global headache, but this time around, Nigeria will be my case study.

Nigeria is a poor nation, though rich in natural resources. Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world, although, not the most developed country economically in Africa. Nigeria is the sixth largest producer of petroleum in the world, yet, occasionally runs short of the product. Nigeria accounts for about one fourth of the entire African human population, though, not the largest country in Africa. As you can see, Nigeria is a peculiar nation in Africa and even in the world. Since Nigeria forms the largest market for most imported goods in the sub-Saharan region, it is pertinent at this juncture to consider critically the upsurge of carbon monoxide induced power generators in the country. Being a country that hardly enjoys full electric supply, an alternative in the name of power generators is now considered a fad. You hardly pass by houses in Nigeria without hearing the rattling noise and emission of the colourless, non-irritant carbon monoxide from these generators which goes on unabated. Carbon Monoxide, a colourless, odourless, very poisonous gas which burns with a blue flame to form carbon dioxide is indeed a disaster, and going by the startling population of Nigeria, alongside the rate at which these generators are bought, I think a holistic approach to right this wrong is necessary.
gor more information visit African Conservation

Carbon Monoxide, The Silent Killer

2009-01-02T11:36:00.001-08:00

At least 17 people died at a prayer meeting in
rural Nigeria after apparently breathing noxious
fumes from their power generator while asleep,
police and witnesses said on Wednesday.

The deaths highlight the worsening power crisis in
Africa's top oil producer, where the near collapse
of the national grid is forcing homes and
businesses to turn to portable generators. Much
of Nigeria has no mains power for weeks at a
time. The capacity of the world's eighth biggest oil
exporter has plunged to less than 1,000
megawatts from 3,000 a year ago. The victims fell
asleep on Saturday in a locked room with the
generator still running, police said. Their bodies
were discovered and the indicent reported on
Tuesday.

"We are still investigating the cause of the deaths.
But a power generating set was found in the hall
where they slept, so we are not ruling out
suffocation through carbon monoxide
inhalation," police spokesman Ali Okechukwu said.

The family had gathered in a village in the Isiala-
Ngwa district of Abia to pray for one of their own
whom they said was being haunted by evil spirits.

Though Nigerians are very religious, many are
highly superstitious and hold strong beliefs in
voodoo, ghosts and witchcraft. One survivor, Linus
Abba, said the victims were attacked by the evil
spirits they were trying to exorcise.

"I heard strange noises and noticed that the room
where we slept was filled with smoke, that is all I
can remember because I fainted," Abba told
Reuters. "It was a terrible attack by the forces of
darkness that we came to fight."

Generator fumes kill scores of people in Africa's
most populous country of 140 million every year.

In akwa ibom state,
Already, not fewer than 10 people have been
confirmed death in two cases (five in each case)
of carbon monoxide intoxication in the state,
within two weeks. The first case which occurred in
Ekiebong Enwang, Mbo Local Government Area,
on Saturday, 22nd November, 2008, involved a
family of seven of which four died on the spot
while the fifth one gave up few days later. Those
who died include the head of the family, Mr.
Sunday Antai, his two wives, Esther and Elizabeth,
and two daughters, Rose and Victoria. The two
survivors include a baby boy, little favour and his
sister, Idongesit Antai. They had since been
discharged from the Accident and Emergency
Unit of the Uinversity of Uyo Teching Hospital,
UUTH, Uyo.

Polio is still a major problem in Nigeria

2008-12-19T17:33:00.000-08:00

Polio could be wiped out in Nigeria - one of
the world's last blackspots of the disease -
thanks to an improved vaccine, research
suggests.

An Imperial College London team found a
recently introduced polio vaccine is four times
more effective at protecting children than
previous vaccines.

They say it could eradicate type 1 polio - the most
common form - in Nigeria if it reaches enough
children.

The study appears in the New England Journal of
Medicine.

Last pockets of unvaccinated children now
need to be reached to achieve elimination in
Nigeria
Helen Jenkins
Imperial College London

Nigeria is one of only four countries in the world
where polio has yet to be eliminated, and 82% of
global cases reported so far this year have been in
the country.

Polio is highly infectious and it primarily affects
children under five years of age. A small minority
of infected people develop permanent paralysis,
which can be fatal.

The monovalent oral poliovirus vaccine, known as
mOPV1, has been used in Nigeria since February
2006 and the number of reported cases of polio
in the country fell by 75% between 2006 and 2007.

The latest study shows that just one dose of
mOPV1 gives a child in Nigeria a 67% chance of
being protected, compared with a 16% chance
after receiving the standard trivalent vaccine.

However, the researchers warn that although the
monovalent vaccine is proving very effective,
many more children need to be immunised if the
polio virus is to be eliminated in Nigeria.

In the north west zone of the country, where the
majority of new cases are found, 21% of children
report never having received a single dose of the
vaccine and a further 55% have received fewer
than the recommended four doses.

Concern raised

Earlier this year the World Health Assembly
expressed alarm over a dramatic increase in type 1
cases in Nigeria because of poor immunisation in
the north of the country.

The Nigerian government subsequently
established a presidential taskforce to identify
barriers to immunisation, and potential solutions.

Researcher Helen Jenkins, based at Imperial's MRC
Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling, said:
"Nigeria and India are responsible for the vast
majority of new global polio cases.

"In Nigeria, we now have an effective vaccine to
use and we've seen the start of improvements in
vaccine uptake.

Source BBC.co.uk

World Health Organization's ranking of world health systems continued...

2008-12-13T06:26:00.001-08:00

Others are...
176 Guinea-Bissau 177 Swaziland
178 Chad 179 Somalia 180 Ethiopia 181 Angola
182 Zambia 183 Lesotho 184 Mozambique 185
Malawi 186 Liberia 187 Nigeria 188 Democratic
Republic of the Congo 189 Central African
Republic 190

Nigeria ranks 187 in the world
According to the WHO,
http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.htm
l

The World Health Organization (WHO) ranking of the world health systems

2008-12-13T06:01:00.001-08:00

Rank Country

1 France 2 Italy 3 San Marino 4 Andorra 5
Malta 6 Singapore 7 Spain 8 Oman 9 Austria
10 Japan 11 Norway 12 Portugal 13 Monaco 14
Greece 15 Iceland 16 Luxembourg 17
Netherlands 18 United Kingdom 19 Ireland 20
Switzerland 21 Belgium 22 Colombia 23 Sweden
24 Cyprus 25 Germany 26 Saudi Arabia 27
United Arab Emirates 28 Israel 29 Morocco 30
Canada 31 Finland 32 Australia 33 Chile 34
Denmark 35 Dominica 36 Costa Rica 37 United
States of America 38 Slovenia 39 Cuba 40
Brunei 41 New Zealand 42 Bahrain 43 Croatia 44
Qatar 45 Kuwait 46 Barbados 47 Thailand 48
Czech Republic 49 Malaysia 50 Poland 51
Dominican Republic 52 Tunisia 53 Jamaica 54
Venezuela 55 Albania 56 Seychelles 57 Paraguay
58 South Korea 59 Senegal 60 Philippines 61
Mexico 62 Slovakia 63 Egypt 64 Kazakhstan 65
Uruguay 66 Hungary 67 Trinidad and Tobago 68
Saint Lucia 69 Belize 70 Turkey 71 Nicaragua 72
Belarus 73 Lithuania 74 Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 75 Argentina 76 Sri Lanka 77 Estonia
78 Guatemala 79 Ukraine 80 Solomon Islands
81 Algeria 82 Palau 83 Jordan 84 Mauritius 85
Grenada 86 Antigua and Barbuda 87 Libya 88
Bangladesh 89 Macedonia 90 Bosnia-
Herzegovina 91 Lebanon 92 Indonesia 93 Iran 94
Bahamas 95 Panama 96 Fiji 97 Benin 98 Nauru
99 Romania 100 Saint Kitts and Nevis 101
Moldova 102 Bulgaria 103 Iraq 104 Armenia 105
Latvia 106 Yugoslavia 107 Cook Islands 108 Syria
109 Azerbaijan 110 Suriname 111 Ecuador 112
India 113 Cape Verde 114 Georgia 115 El
Salvador 116 Tonga 117 Uzbekistan 118
Comoros 119 Samoa 120 Yemen 121 Niue 122
Pakistan 123 Micronesia 124 Bhutan 125 Brazil
126 Bolivia 127 Vanuatu 128 Guyana 129 Peru
130 Russia 131 Honduras 132 Burkina Faso 133
Sao Tome and Principe 134 Sudan 135 Ghana 136
Tuvalu 137 Ivory Coast 138 Haiti 139 Gabon 140
Kenya 141 Marshall Islands 142 Kiribati 143
Burundi 144 China 145 Mongolia 146 Gambia
147 Maldives 148 Papua New Guinea 149
Uganda 150 Nepal 151 Kyrgystan 152 Togo 153
Turkmenistan 154 Tajikistan 155 Zimbabwe 156
Tanzania 157 Djibouti 158 Eritrea 159
Madagascar 160 Vietnam 161 Guinea 162
Mauritania 163 Mali 164 Cameroon 165 Laos 166
Congo 167 North Korea 168 Namibia 169
Botswana 170 Niger 171 Equatorial Guinea 172
Rwanda 173 Afghanistan 174 Cambodia 175
South Africa

The 'National conference on adequate infant nutrition in Nigeria', Sheraton Abuja, 16 December 2008

2008-12-10T05:24:00.000-08:00

The 'National conference on adequate infant nutrition in Nigeria',
Sheraton Abuja, 16 December 2008

BACKGROUND

In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) in its report on the
performance of health systems, ranked the Nigerian health system 187th out
of 191 Members States. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the
health status of Nigeria's population is relatively poor with an Infant
Mortality Rate of 103/1000 live births, under-5 Mortality Rate of
197/1000, Maternal Mortality Rate of 800/100000, Crude Birth Rate of
43/1000 live births and Crude Death Rate of 14/1000. The country's Life
Expectancy at Birth is 45.5 years, malaria prevalence of 1858/100000,
diarrhoea prevalence of 896/100000, pneumonia prevalence of 208/100000 and
measles prevalence of 141/100000. The prevalence of children under-5
stunted for age is 38.3%, children under-5 underweight for age is 28.7%
and children under-5 overweight for age is 3.6%.

For many years, the Nigerian health system failed to even provide the
very basic of health services to its citizens. Full immunization coverage
of children dropped from over 50% in 1990 to 13% by 2003. The maternal
mortality rate was amongst the highest in the world; there were more than
1,500 deaths per 100,000 deliveries in areas of the North. Many clinics
and hospitals were only serving 5 to 10% of their estimated coverage
population – an average of one visit per person every 10 to 20 years.
High prices, lack of drugs, poor standards of care, de-motivated staff and
deteriorated equipment and facilities leading to very few people used
government facilities. Meanwhile private health care services although
largely unregulated were growing, but remained too expensive for most
people, especially the poor, to use regularly.

Over the years, poverty, a poor policy environment, low productivity,
conflict, and a host of other factors, have transformed Nigeria into a
low-income, food deficit country. Much of the population is chronically
malnourished and mired in poverty, with the country ranked 12th (worst) in
the world's under-5 mortality rate in 2006.

THE CHALLENGE

According to the 'The State of the World's Children 2008', Unicef says
that "more needs to be done to…address the devastating (impact) of
inability to diversify diets (which) leads to chronic malnutrition for
children, increasing their vulnerability to ill health and, ultimately,
death". In its Nigeria Country Strategic Plan 2004-2009, the USAID reports
that "Poverty in Nigeria was first measured in 1980, when 27.2 percent of
the population, or 18 million people, were classified as poor. This rate
surged to 66 percent in a 1996 survey and the total number of poor nearly
quadrupled, to 67 million. Estimates put the poverty rate today at close
to 70 percent, or 90 million people. Perhaps 40 percent of these people
are the 'core' poor, so impoverished that they cannot meet their basic
food needs, and indeed the stunting rate for young Nigerian children, a
measure of chronic nutritional deprivation and food insecurity, stands at
42 percent".

The Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON) - an indigenous
independent membership non-governmental foundation committed to working
for better health outcomes, especially for the poor and vulnerable, in
Nigeria through health advocacy, research, policy analysis, capacity
enhancement and leadership development activities; working on its own as
well as in partnerships - believes that Nigeria cannot achieve the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially MDGs 4&5, if child
malnutrition is not frontally addressed within the context of Nigeria's
Health Sector Reform Programme (HSRP).

A RESPONSE

As part of the effort to address the aforementioned problems, the
Foundation, in conjunction in association with the Federal Ministry of
Health (FMoH), National Council of Women's Society (NCWS), Unicef,
Association of Infant Food Marketers, NAFDAC, and other
stakeholders/ partners, is organizing a national 'conference on 'PROSPECTS
AND CHALLENGES OF ADEQUATE INFANT NUTRITION IN NIGERIA'; as an
all-embracing fast-tracking effort to focus on Infant and Child Health in
the country. The goal of the conference is 'Adequate infant nutrition to
achieve MDG4 in Nigeria'.

The following topics will be addressed during the conference:
I. Achieving Adequate Infant Nutrition in Nigeria: policies, practices
and Challenges
II. Feeding of infants and children with special needs and new
challenges
III. Nutrition education, communication and supports
IV. Supplementary feeding
V. Policies, laws and regulations that guide the nutrition of children
VI. Lifestyle and quick meals
VII. Current trend in breastfeeding to guide campaigns/complemen tary
feeding

CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS/ AUDIENCE
Policy makers and implementers, Heads and leaders of Federal, States and
Local governments health ministries/departme nts and parastatals,
Development Partners, Business and Professional organization, multilateral
and bilateral agencies, NGOs, child health care providers and advocates,
women groups, and faith-based/ civil society groups.

CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES
The conference activities shall include presentations and discussions at
plenary and breakout sessions, special group meetings and exhibitions. A
communiqué shall be produced and used for advocacy to ensure that the
recommendations of the conference are implemented.

The Conference will hold as follow:

Date: 16 December 2008
Venue: Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja, Nigeria
Time: 8.30 am

Contact the Conference Secretariat:
Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON)
10 Sakono Street, Wuse II, Abuja
Tel: 234(0)4618496, 234(0)8033581695, 234(0)8034725905
Email: uaadirieje@yahoo. com, uadirieje@herfon. org
Conference website: http://www.herfon.org/infantnutrconf.html

Nigeria to Immunize 30 Million Children Against Polio, Measles

2008-12-09T03:26:00.001-08:00

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
25 November 2008

Some 30 million children in Nigeria are to be vaccinated against polio and measles during an integrated immunization campaign set to
begin in the northern states on Wednesday.
The drive is led by the country's health ministry, with financial and technical support
from UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other partners. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa filed this report from Abuja.
For five days 200,000 health workers will be stationed at 33,000 schools throughout northern Nigeria to administer oral polio drops and measles vaccines to millions of children under the age of five in a new drive to eradicate the two
diseases.
Polio cases have more than doubled this year in
Nigeria as health officials struggle to fight various
natural strains of the virus as well as outbreaks set off by the polio vaccine itself three years ago.Kano, in northern Nigeria, has been the epicenter for the transmission of the crippling polio virus to other parts of the world since 2003 when the
authorities suspended polio immunization for 13
months.
The suspension followed claims by radical Muslim clerics and some medical doctors that the vaccine was laced with substances that could render girls
infertile as part of a U.S.-led Western plot to
depopulate Africa.
Dr. Lola Mabogunje, regional field activity director for non-governmental Community Participation for Action in the Social Sector polio project in
Kano, says immunization is now
gaining strong support in the region.
"There is an upsurge by WHO [World Health
Organization], people are asking why the upsurge? But I can tell you the communities are now renewed. Every mosque now, on Friday they
announce the importance of immunization, which
is quite impressive. At every naming ceremony they do the announcement and actually pray foreradication of polio. If prayers are offered that polio eradication should succeed that is a new vigor," she said.
In addition to polio and measles vaccines, the
children will be given a dose of vitamin A and insecticide treated bed nets. The Nigerian
government paid for the vaccines as well as half of the operational cost of about $20 million. A measles outbreak in the north has killed
hundreds of children in the past few months.
Health experts blame the outbreak on parents' failure to take their children for routine
immunization. The second phase of the nationwide campaign is scheduled for this December.

Our experience and Interests

2008-11-29T01:35:00.001-08:00

NaijaHealth is owned and managed by DrugHouse International which is a Non Governmental Organisation based in Nigeria. We mobilize all resources at our disposal both through partnerships with foreign news agencies like CNN and BBC to provide up-to-date health news and report to all visitors to our website, in addition, we work in partnership with U.S based companies such as Allegro Medical, Amazon.com, Medisave.net to provide nigerians with easy access to cheap medical books and equipments that can be bought online from the comfort of their homes. We are we are having talks in view of partnering with:
NiMSA (Nigerian Medical Students Association
NCCMDS (Nigerian Conference of Christian Medical Students) and IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students Associations) in order to mobilize volunteers for the task ahead.

MALARIA UPDATE

2008-11-19T15:32:00.001-08:00

The economic burden of malaria illness in Nigeria and other African countries is enormous, almost $12 billion annually or according to Onwujekwe and others 2000, 50% of household budget. The African continent shows the greatest effects of this disease, accounting for more than 90% of DALYs (Disability adjusted life Years). Although the sequencing of the genomes of Homo sapiens Plasmodium falciparum and Anopheles gambiense raises some hope on elucidating the complex molecular mechanism of the disease, the malaria picture remains bleak at the moment How do people get malaria?
Malaria is due to blood infection by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which are transmitted from one human to another by female Anopheles mosquitoes. Four species of malaria parasite infect humans. "Benign tertian" fevers were so named because they were not associated with the severe and often fatal manifestations of the "subtertian, malignant" periodic fevers (P. falciparum). "Tertian" and "quartan" refers to their characteristic feature of an acute febrile episode, or paroxysm, that returns respectively every third (P. vivax) or fourth (P. malariae) Today,P. vivax and P. falciparum are the most commonly encountered malaria parasites. P. vivax is still found sporadically in some temperate regions, where in the past it was widely prevalent. It remains, however, very common throughout much of the tropics and subtropics. Because of the temperature limitations on its transmission by its mosquitoe vectors, P. falciparum is normally present only in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions. In the tropics today, P. falciparum remains widely prevalent. The fourth human malaria parasite is Plasmodium ovale, which, like P. vivax, is the agent of a tertian malaria and which, also like P. vivax malaria today, carries a very low risk of fatal outcome. P. ovale has the most limited distribution of all the malaria parasites of humans. While it is prevalent throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, it is otherwise known to be endemic only in New Guinea and the Philippines (Lysenko A. J. and A. E. Beljiev e 1969) The malaria parasites enter and leave the body through mosquito bites, When a mosquito bites a person it sucks up blood.
Check back for more updates. Courtsy Nigerian Medical Association.

A NATION WITH AILING HOSPITALS

2008-11-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Nigerian Ministry of Health is arguably one of the biggest ministries in the
Federal bureaucracy, only competing with the Ministry of Education, another important sector in the economy. Apart from other health agencies like the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); National Health Insurance Scheme among others, the ministry manages over 50 hospitals across the country.
It is therefore surprising that occasionally one hears of well-to-do
Nigerians including political office holders heading overseas for medical treatment for illnesses ranging from minor irritation to major ones like cancer and kidney problems.
Millions of dollars are spent by Nigerians annually on Medical check-up
abroad. Everyday people die in Nigerian public hospitals for other reasons other than their ailment. There have been reports of death due to negligence on the part of health workers, poor management of time and lack of equipment.
Factors like poor staff attitude, lack of commitment and lack of equipment have contributed to the abandonment of public hospitals for the private but expensive hospitals by the rich. However, the poor who do not have the wherewithal have continued to groan under the excruciating conditions of the public hospitals.
No wonder then that a former Head of State had described our hospitals as 'mere consulting clinics'. Over the years the health workers have lost a sense of service delivery. Patients who come with minor ailments often leave the hospitals with major ones after walking up and down trying to locate wards, doctor's rooms and waiting endlessly to be seen by the doctor. In some situations, emergency cases have been mishandled leading to death as a result ofdelay in giving medical attention. Why are services in our hospitals poor and what could be done to change the situation. Is our government thinking of anything in that direction and what is the level of service delivery in Nigerian hospitals?
The verdict has been passed and scientifically too. SERVICOM (Service ompact with all Nigerians), the Federal Government service delivery nitiative has evaluated all Federal Hospitals in the country and come out with the verdict that no hospital was delivering a praiseworthy service. For more, visit http://servenigeria.com

Conferences, Congresses, Symposia, Workshops, Events, Volunteer Opps

2008-11-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

Congress: Research in Medical Education, Heidelberg, Germany, 20-22 May 2009
Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Voßstraße 4,
D- 69115 Heidelberg
Call for Abstracts: Scientific contributions may be submitted online:
Entry Deadline: January, 31st 2009
http//www.research-medical-education.unitt.de
*******
Internship Opportunities with National AMSA in Washington D.C. seeks
interns interested in working on the following projects: Patient Safety,
Professional Development. Video Editing Galore, Improving the Clinical
Experience, Medical Education. If you have any questions, please don't
hesitate to email me at dsp@amsa.org
*******
17th annual Medicine Meets Virtual Reality conference, January 19 - 22, 2009
Hyatt Regency Long Beach, Long Beach, California
http://www.nextmed.com/
********
Enterpreneaural Volunteering: How You Can Become Involved With Unite
For Sight Abroad* /Unite For Sight: Recruiting and Training New Leaders
in Global Health/
http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroad
*******
6th Annual Global Health Conference "Achieving Global Goals Through
Innovation" Saturday, April 18 - Sunday, April 19, 2009 Yale University,
New Haven, Connecticut, USA
http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference
*******
ASTHO-HHS/ASPR WEBCAST: Public Health Emergencies: When Mother Nature
Rages: November 18, 2008; 2pm-3pm Eastern
http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=7290.
*******
New Investigators in Global Health Call for Abstracts May 26-30, 2009,
Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C., USA, Abstract Submission Deadline
December 1, 2008:
http://www.globalhealth.org/conference_2009/view_top.php3?id=888
*******
www.MalariaNoMore.org
*******
Europe-Africa Frontier Research Conference Series
INFECTIOUS DISEASES: FROM BASIC TO TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH: 4 - 9 April
2009, NH The Lord Charles Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa:
http://www.esf.org/index.php?id=5123
*******
June 14-16, 2009 Beijing, China
*******
World AIDS Day on Dec 1st, See below for a list of ideas and check out
our World AIDS Day Toolkit for a more comprehensive planning guide at
http://www.amsa.org/global/ aids/wad.cfm
*******

THE RELEVANCE OF THE INTERNET TO NIGERIAN MEDICAL PRACTICE

2008-11-13T08:07:00.001-08:00

Patients self-selecting information is nothing new; it happens during the majority of face to face consultations. There are cases where some patients reject prescriptions either out of confusion or some kind of "preset knowledge", in fact studies have shown that Every General Practitioner in the US has experienced the overweight patient refusing to listen to the lifestyle advice, preferring to blame symptoms on diabetes or some other 'treatable' problem. ~~~~~~However, the extraordinary power and omnipresence of the Internet is making this problem far, far worse, reinforcing existing trends in patient behavior. On the one hand, many of the 60-70% of patients using the Internet for information actually requires additional consultations to allay their fears, discuss alternative treatments and need referral for a specialist opinion. ~~~~~~Many patients are being actively encouraged to purchase prescription drugs online that, at best, are far more expensive than the prescription cost and, at worst, could result is significant damage. ~~~~~~Take the young, overweight patient who had decided to purchase any anti-obesity drug online. Not only was she not overweight enough to take the drug she had chosen (she was happily prepared to lie and there was obviously no way of verifying her weight online) but the drug demands constant monitoring of patient blood pressure and pulse rate when first prescribed. That simply cannot be done remotely. ~~~~~~Furthermore, the alternative drug she was considering purchasing from the internet cannot be taken with anti-depressants - which she was also taking. Without a complete medical history, prescribing any drug is high risk, and yet it is becoming commonplace to make such prescriptions online. ~~~~~~The proliferation of medical information is, in many ways, a good thing. Any information that can help patients to make the right decisions about their health and enable them to take control over their welfare is to be applauded. But as the inexorable increase in patient's reliance upon the Internet grows in Nigeria, doctors - especially General Practitioners have got to reassume control and find a way to direct patients towards accurate, trusted information.~~~~~~It certainly should not be thought that the internet is solely a danger or a hindrance to the medical profession. ~~~~~~There have been occasions where use of the internet has been actively
encouraged by doctors due to the substantial amounts of information
available. In situations where there are longer waiting lists than
can be comfortably dealt with by the primary care system, an initial
referral simply to a reliable and authoritative website can filter
out those that simply need information from those who actually
require a consultation or even treatment.

This procedure has been employed in the area of depression and
anxiety, two of the most common conditions seen by the medical
community. A self-help programme includes a variety of websites that
offer advice, support and treatment strategies, designed for patients
with all ranges of prior knowledge. As such, the internet has been of
great help to primary care givers in the US. The internet is not an
absolute disaster area.
Furthermore, as is being seen in a handful of surgeries, personal
email-based consultations are being performed. The crucial aspect
here is that the doctor already knows the patient, has access to his/
her notes and is aware of the patient's background. As a result, time
is saved as 'routine' enquiries such as prescription renewal or
general drug enquiries for example, can be dealt with whenever is
convenient for the General Practitioner, allowing surgery times to
remain devoted to occasions that do require time face-to-face.

Nonetheless, this may be the future of General Practitioners'
surgeries. Individual timings for surgeries may as a result be
increased as fewer timeslots are necessary. Time has always been a
factor for General Practitioners, and until now, there has been a
remarkable reluctance or even suspicion of using technology to help.
However, this new approach is only effective if a General
Practitioner can guarantee fast access to relevant information.
There's no point offering a fast, reactive service if it cannot be
supported by similarly timely access to information.

Taking this approach General Practitioners can empower the patient,
ensure confidence in the diagnosis and information provided and,
critically, cut down on unnecessary repeat visits by helping each
patient to successfully manage their health decisions.

As patients increasingly gain confidence in their own medical
knowledge - and use the language of the Internet to demonstrate that
independently gained knowledge, there will be a growing challenge to
the doctors' diagnosis. Indeed, the dynamics of the consultation is
being changed as a result of patient's growing medical knowledge base.

The internet is dangerous, and has the potential to be fatal, if used
improperly. Patients having access to information is not the same as
being able to use it correctly. General Practitioners need to be
aware of the dangers the internet can pose, whilst also embracing the
ways in which it can streamline processes, and deliver safe
information to patients.

It is however a two-stage process. General Practitioners need to be
shown that the internet can be trusted as a source of information.
Using a search engine that rapidly delivers accurate, relevant
information during a consultation provides the patient with the
required online information, whilst ensuring the trust and confidence
in the General Practitioner is sustained. Only once this behaviour is
engrained and faith in the internet's abilities is engendered, will
use of the internet become more widespread in the health sector, and
the benefits be seen.

For comments, visit
http://naijahealth.com
http://naijahealth.lefora.com (forum)
http://naija-health.blogspot.com (blogsite)
http://ng-medicalstudents.blogspot.com (blogsite)

Countdown to polio eradication in Nigeria

2008-11-12T02:33:00.000-08:00

A whole range of activities have been or are being implemented to tackle the current polio outbreak in Nigeria and to finally eradicate the disease. This fortnightly e-newsletter is being produced to provide access to concise information about recent activities undertaken in the fight against polio, upcoming events and the statistics of Wild Polio Virus count in Nigeria.

WHO Country Office Nigeria Annual Report
The year 2007 was another successful one for the health sector in general and for the work of WHO with Government and partners in improving the health of Nigerians. The 51st National Council of Health, held in November 2007 was rightly christened ‘Creating wealth through health’ and Government and partners continue to make efforts to actualize this slogan within the year. This report chronicles some of the efforts and achievements of WHO in supporting the country in 2007 in this regard.
for more information about polio in Nigeria click here>>

How to buy medical equipment and medical supplies without stress!

2008-11-09T13:02:00.001-08:00

Many people ask, isnt it possible to order medical equipments and hospital supplies from America while at the same attending to patients in your clinic or hospital? Indeed its possible, all you need is a credit card, be it mastercard or visa, otherwise you can patronise middle-men. A middle-man is someone who owns a credit card and is willing to make the online payment on your behalf for a commission, they abound in Nigeria these days.
Hospital supplies like:
Snoring - Products to help people with sleep apnea or snoring issues (Products: chin straps, anti-snoring pillows)
Daily Living Aids - Products to help people achieve more independence (Products: folding shopping carts, reachers, dressing sticks)
Wheelchairs - Standard wheelchairs and transport wheelchairs (Products: drive wheelchairs, quickie wheelchairs, lightweight wheelchairs)
Power Scooters - Power scooters to aid in mobility. (Products: 3- wheel scooters, scooter accessories, scooter batteries)
Wound Care Products - Products to help treat wounds (Products: silver based dressings, gauze, sports tape) Ostomy Products - Products to help patients with an Ostomy. (Products: pouches, pastes, deodorizers) Urologicals - Products to help with catheterization. (External catheters, intermittent catheters, foley catheters, lubricants) can be acquired directly from our overseas partner, Just click on the following link:

Then watch your equipment arrive your doorstep. Its that easy.

CLICK HERE!

2008-11-02T05:41:00.001-08:00

Health News from BBC

2008-10-30T16:57:00.001-07:00

Medical Textbooks Review

2008-10-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

How to get Medical Textbooks Online

2008-10-28T16:10:00.001-07:00

How to get medical books online

About NaijaHealth.com

2008-10-28T15:01:00.001-07:00

NaijaHealth.com is owned and Managed by DrugHouse International. NaijaHealth provides online health resources for Nigerians all over the world. It serves as an achive of medical and health materials and makes available information and resources to Medical Professionals, this is achieved by wide partnerships with reputable news agencies, online merchants and promoters for reliable service delivery.
NaijaHealth.com uses all available media to reach out to all medical personnel inclusive of General Practitioners, Family Physicians, Surgeons, Denists, Pharmacists, Nurses, Medical Laboratory Scientists, Medical Students, Marketers of Medical Consumables and Equipments and Point-to-Point Distributors of same.

NaijaHealth partners with amazon.com to provide Medical Textbooks, Laptops and other educational materials

2008-10-28T14:44:00.001-07:00

NaijaHealth.com partners with Amazon.com to provide medical textbooks and equipments to Nigerians who still think that these items are far-fetched. Simply click on the following link to enter buy yor books: http://astore.amazon.com/naijheal-20
Its simple! All you need is internet access and a mastercard or visa card which you can obtain from either EcoBank or Inercontinental Bank, the smart individuals who own a paypal account can as well make use of the online store.
Just click Here http://astore.amazon.com/naijheal-20