Malaria Has Been One Of The Most Fearsome Killing Diseases In Modern Society, Where Africa Is Mostly Under Attack, Due To Its Climate, Sanitary Conditions And Constant Development Of Malaria Vectors – Mosquitoes. However, Recent Scientific News Have Seen Two Important And New Developments Presented In This Long-Lasting Battle Against This Parasite.
First one is a vaccine trial in humans, conducted for the first time ever, offering a potential protection against the most present malaria parasite, Plasmodium vivax. The results are so far modest, but promising, as the trial still has to show its efficiency in the time to come. The second important discovery is related to the control methods which are the most effective thus far. The recent evidence has shown that it might be used for much longer, than it was first expected. The scientific study conducted at the Walter Reed Institute of Research announced that the 30 volunteers had received three trial vaccine doses and were then bitten by the mosquitos which carry P. vivax, 14 days after the received final dose. The results presented in the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases journal suggest none of the volunteers suffered serious side effects from the vaccine, although fatigue and headaches were quite common, and all developed a significant immune response. Unfortunately, the inoculation didn’t prevent the volunteers from catching the malaria, even though the development of the disease was significantly delayed when compared to the six other unvaccinated controls. These results particularly apply to the ten volunteers who were given the highest dosage. P. vivax used for the first human trial is not considered to be the most killing malaria parasite, unlike its relative Plasmodium falciparum, for which the vaccine development is currently more advanced.However, P. vivax can make the untreated individuals very sick and the symptoms may relapse. The mentioned Plasmodium species were responsible for the loss of more than 400 000 lives in the previous year, where mostly children suffered from this parasite.Such trial has been a challenge for both volunteers and the researchers. Research team had to arrange the feeding process of mosquitos where their diet would be the blood of the P. vivax infected Thai patient. Unlike P. falciparum, P. vivax cannot be grown in the laboratory conditions but has to be transferred from a diseased patients to mosquitos, and then to the volunteers.The first author of the study, Lt. Col. Jason stated that the study represented the very first vaccine study which tested the P. vivax vaccine effectiveness in the human candidates, by using the controlled malaria infection. The only drug used for the treatment of P. vivax dormant stages thus far is primaquine, which successfully prevents relapses.The fear doesn’t only come from the malaria parasites, but also from their vectors, the mosquitos. Mosquitos are known to be one of the fastest resistance-developing creatures, by becoming immune to various insecticides. This additional problems supports the development malaria in Africa, but thanks to the recent human trials, we may develop a new, efficient treatment for this fearsome killing disease.
By Gabriel Olawale
In its bid to support prevention of un-der five deaths due to diarrhea in Nigeria, Reckitt Benkisser, RB, is investing N1.2 billion in a nationwide hygiene programme. Speaking in Lagos during the RB Charity Ball for Save the Children Initiative, the General Manager, RB West Africa, Rahul Murgai, said it’s sad to note that diarrhea still kills more than 194, 000 children under five annually in Nigeria when it can be prevented with simple hygiene practice. Murgai said: “To address these challenges, RB and save the children has entered into a global strategic partnership to invest close to N7.2 billion in Nigeria, India and Pakistan, from which Nigeria will be a recipient of close to N1.2 billion.” Murgai explained that statistics have shown that “about N455 billion is lost, which is almost 1.3 per cent of the GDP, due to poor health and hygiene conditions in the country.
What this means from a human index perspective is that there are nearly 96,000 lives, nearly 100,000 small children under the age of five who die due to diarrhea. This translates into a startling figure of one child dying every minute due to the lack of preventable diseases, getting support in terms of curing children in terms of diarrhea.” On his part, the Marketing Director, RB West Africa, Oguzhan Silivrili said the company was running a pilot scheme in Shomolu LGA, Lagos State and all these seven points as prescribed by the WHO are being implemented. Before the test and scheme commenced, the prevalence of diarrhea in Shomolu was 7.3 per cent, “all these initiatives will bring it down by about 50 per cent and bring down the mortality factor by 80 per cent. If this is done, then we have a model in which companies and more NGOs can work with the Federal Government and make it a pan-Nigeria initiative. “Our objective is to promote the culture of health and good hygiene and by doing so, we believe we can build a healthier and more prosperous Nigeria. The children of tomorrow will see a far stronger nation, which is both healthy and wealthy,” he noted.Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/rb-commits-n1-2b-to-stop-diarrhoea-in-children/
The problem of counterfeit and substandard medicines in Africa is huge. It is estimated that up to one-third of medicines in some parts of the continent are counterfeit and even more are substandard – meaning they are either ineffective, of subpar quality or, worst of all, harmful to patients. Every year, 122,000 African children under the age of five die because of counterfeit antimalarials alone. Beyond deaths, poor-quality medicines place an enormous economic strain on families and health systems and are also contributing to the rise of drug resistant strains of various diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis and other common infections. •Dr. Patrick Lukulay The Centre for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training (CePAT) in Accra, Ghana, is an incredible example of an Africa-led solution to this major public health challenge in Africa. It aims to help build a cadre of well-trained regulatory and pharmaceutical professionals that can help detect counterfeit and substandard medicines in Africa and advocate for their removal from the market. In this piece, Dr. Patrick Lukulay, USP’s Vice President for Global Health Impact Programmes in Africa, highlights the importance of improving quality of medicines in Africa through expansion of this Centre. When we are unwell and visit our local pharmacies or dispensaries, we expect to get safe and effective medicines that make us feel better. That is, after all, what medicines are supposed to do. However, for far too many people living in Africa, this is not the reality. Fake and substandard medicines are flooding our markets. In fact, it is estimated that up to one-third of medicines used in some parts of Africa are counterfeit and even more are of poor quality. In effect, this means many Africans have more than a 30 percent chance of getting medicines that are partially effective, completely ineffective, or downright harmful to their health. Growing up in Sierra Leone, I saw this reality all too often. The effects of poor-quality medicines are many and massive. It is estimated that at least 122,000 African children under the age of five lose their lives every year as a result of counterfeit antimalarials alone. Poor quality medicines also place an enormous economic strain on families who must pay additional money for more (hopefully) effective medicines or pay for hospitalizations as a result of ineffective or harmful medicines. At a broader level, counterfeit and substandard medicines are contributing to the rise of drug-resistant strains of deadly diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and common infections. When medicines contain too little of an active ingredient, they do not fully kill the disease-causing bacteria or parasite, leaving the most resistant to multiply within the infected individual – and likely infect others. The development of drug resistance will ultimately make even high-quality medicines ineffective over time, posing a major threat to global public health. Counterfeit and substandard medicines are so pervasive because, unfortunately, they are difficult to detect, particularly in low-resource settings in Africa. Many governments have quality standards in place but are ultimately unable to enforce them. Customs procedures are often quite lax, and most regulatory agencies and laboratories simply do not have the equipment or the technical skills required to conduct rigorous quality control tests. That is why, in 2013, the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) launched the Centre for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training (CePAT) in Accra, Ghana. Our aim is to build a well-trained cadre of regulatory professionals across the African continent that can assess compliance with and enforce quality standards to ensure that effective, beneficial medicines reach the people who need them most. Over the past three years, we have trained 190 professionals from 32 countries, including 31 from Nigeria. Many of our trainees have in turn helped train additional scientists and regulators back home. In addition to training, CePAT has also screened pharmaceuticals from Ghana and across Africa with the goal of identifying poor-quality medicines before they are on the market and advocating for higher standards at the policy level. In 2013, USP and the Ghanaian Food and Drugs Authority (GFDA) conducted testing in Ghana and found that around 90% of oxytocin — used to prevent massive bleeding in mothers, post-delivery — was substandard. We then successfully worked with the Ministry of Health to ensure that all oxytocin must now be vetted and registered by the GFDA before reaching Ghanaian women. This week, CePAT is further expanding its offerings by opening a microbiology lab, which will enable us to train regulatory professionals across Africa to identify medicines that have been contaminated by micro-organisms such as bacteria. This type of testing has historically been extremely difficult in Africa due to its complexity and the resources needed to conduct the tests. However, this particular pre-assembled microbiology laboratory was designed specifically for use in low-resource settings, making it a potential model for other countries across the continent to replicate. Our success with training and medicines quality screening in Ghana has shown us what is possible when the right resources are in place. What we need – and urgently – is for stakeholders across the continent to make quality assurance a priority. At the national level, we need governments to put strict policies around medicine quality in place and ensure these policies are stringently enforced. Governments also need to equip their laboratories with suitable laboratory equipment and invest in training their regulatory personnel on how to properly detect counterfeit and substandard medicines. In some countries, donor support will be needed to help fund the modernization of regulatory laboratories and build local capacity. At CePAT, we are ready and willing to accept more trainees at our facilities. We are currently sponsoring 12 trainees from six countries every two months, but we could do much more with additional resources for scholarships. It is also important for communities to get involved because ultimately every day, people in Africa are bearing the brunt of the counterfeit and substandard medicine situation. Communities must hold their governments accountable for ensuring quality and keeping poor-quality medicines out of pharmacies and out of homes. Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/improving-the-quality-of-medicines-in-africa/
By Sola Ogundipe
Towards contributing to the economic growth, social and gender equity and democratic governance in the country, the Federal government has been urged to declare maternal, neonatal and under-5s deaths a national priority emergency and to urgently design an action plan to address the maladies. Making the call, representatives of public and private sector stakeholders in health and development who gathered in Abuja for an inaugural Summit on accountability for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, RMNCAH, said that unless there is political will and priority among the local, state, and Federal governments, implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, will remain unachievable. Pregnant-mother The Summit titled: “Accountability Now: Advancing RMNCAH, was organised by the Federal Ministry of Health, and co-sponsored by Champions for Change based at the Public Health Institute; the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria, HERFON, and Women Friendly Initiative. Communique: In a jointly signed communiqué, participants noted that the national maternal mortality ratio of 576 deaths per 100,000 live births constitutes a national emergency. Reproductive health needs They lamented that one out of every five Nigerian children dying before their fifth birthday is unacceptable and called on government at all levels to prioritise the reproductive health needs of women, children and the youths of Nigeria in her health agenda for 2016-2019. The Summit participants recommended, as deliberate government policy, domestication of the National Health Act nationwide, while allocating more fund to health, education and other social services. “We leave with a renewed sense of commitment and joint accountability to achieve our goals of ensuring access to the full range of health services and supplies for sexual, reproductive maternal and adolescent youth health in Nigeria. “We further commit to collaborate with the government and each other to share lessons on what works and what doesn’t to share our shared goals.” Presenting the keynote address while launching the global mobile “Da Subject Matter”, Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who was represented by the Director, Department of Family Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Balami Wapada, admitted that the present maternal mortality indices provided by the 2013 National Demographic Health Survey, NDHS, was a far cry from the global target of 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. “We need to reduce this ratio by a minimum of 88 per cent in the next 15 years. Newborn mortality rate needs to be reduced by at least 68 percent and under-5 mortality rate needs to be reduced by at least 80 percent. “Although we were able to quickly contain the Ebola outbreak, our health system still needs more strengthening and we shall continue to strengthen the system. Adewole said government would integrate health services delivery/monitoring and evaluate health services for availability, accessibility and quality in every setting.Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/declare-maternal-newborn-and-under-5-deaths-national-emergencies-fg-told/
LAGOS State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode will be in attendance as the Lagos State government in collaboration with UNICEF launches the Lagos State Violence Against Children, VAC, campaign tomorrow February 24, 2016. The event which holds at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos is in direct response to the Presidential Launch of the Year of Action to End Violence Against Children in September 2015. Lagos is the first state to launch its own VAC priority response.
President Muhammed Buhari had called upon all states to launch their own priority actions to respond to the shocking findings from the Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey. Lagos State Priority Actions sets out the short-term and long-term strategies to be implemented by Lagos state in response to the findings of the VAC survey. Also to grace the occasion is the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) on Violence Against Children, Ms. Marta Santos Pais. Others include UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Ms. Jean Gough; US Mission in Nigeria Dehab Ghebreab , among others.Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/lagos-unicef-launch-vac-campaign-feb24/
