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Fauci Wants to Make Vaccines for the Next Pandemic Before It Hits

Fauci Wants to Make Vaccines for the Next Pandemic Before It Hits

In one sense, the world got lucky with the new coronavirus. By sheer chance, scientists just happened to have spent years studying coronaviruses, developing exactly the tools needed to make COVID vaccines as soon as the virus’ genetic sequence was published. But what will happen if the next pandemic comes from a virus that causes Lassa fever, or from the Sudan strain of Ebola, or from a Nipah…

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Factbox: Countries Weigh 'Mix and Match' COVID-19 Vaccines

Factbox: Countries Weigh ‘Mix and Match’ COVID-19 Vaccines

  A growing number of countries are looking at switching to different COVID-19 vaccines for second doses or booster shots amid supply delays and safety concerns that have slowed their vaccination campaigns. However, the World Health Organization warned on July 12 against the practice, calling it a “dangerous trend” since there was little data available about the health impact, while Europe’s drug…

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FCT Becomes Epicentre as Cholera Takes Toll on Nigeria

FCT Becomes Epicentre as Cholera Takes Toll on Nigeria

  As another wave of Cholera outbreak again sweeps through Nigeria with casualty figures fast rising especially in the nation’s seat of power, Abuja residents are in panic. The situation, has led many to raise questions as to the preparedness and state of government’s responsiveness to tackle and provide basic amenities such as potable water, sanitation and access to basic health facilities for…

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Breastfeeding Lowers Blood Pressure in Toddlers, Study Reveals

Breastfeeding Lowers Blood Pressure in Toddlers, Study Reveals

A new study has again reiterated the importance of breastfeeding, revealing that toddlers who were breastfed for any amount of time had lower blood pressure than those who were not breastfed at all.  According to the research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, can start in childhood. Studies have also…

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COVID-19: Experts Worry as 221 Inbound Passengers Test Positive in Three Weeks

COVID-19: Experts Worry as 221 Inbound Passengers Test Positive in Three Weeks

No fewer than 221 out of the 11, 671 international inbound passengers tested positive for COVID-19 in three weeks. Also, the rate of recovery among those infected with the virus dropped by 69.77 per cent within one week. Virologists, who spoke to The PUNCH on Sunday, described the figures as disturbing. They particularly expressed concern about the sharp increase in the rate of COVID-19 positive…

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Mixed AstraZeneca-Pfizer Shot Boosts COVID Antibody Level - Study

Mixed AstraZeneca-Pfizer Shot Boosts COVID Antibody Level – Study

A mixed vaccination of first AstraZeneca and then a Pfizer COVID-19 shot boosted neutralizing antibody levels by six times compared with two AstraZeneca doses, a study from South Korea showed. The study involved 499 medical workers – 100 receiving mixed doses, 200 taking two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech shot and the remainder getting two AstraZeneca shots. All showed neutralizing antibodies,…

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COVID-19: NCD Alliance Gets $15,000 Grant to Combat Non-Communicable Diseases

  he Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Alliance, Nigeria, says it has been awarded 15,000 dollars (about N7.5 million) grant through the first Civil Society Solidarity Fund on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and COVID-19. The Communication Advisor, Mr Abiola Awe, in a statement on Thursday in Lagos said the grant was from the 2021 Solidarity Fund totaling 335,000 dollars. According to him, 19…

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Julu 2021 Edition

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The WHO Chief Said it was 'Premature' to Dismiss the COVID-19 Lab Leak Theory because 'Lab Accidents Happen'

The WHO Chief Said it was ‘Premature’ to Dismiss the COVID-19 Lab Leak Theory because ‘Lab Accidents Happen’

  The WHO chief appear to shift his stance on the likelihood that COVID-19 came from a lab. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted on Thursday: “Lab accidents happen. It’s common.” The WHO previously said it was “extremely unlikely” that COVID-19 escaped from a Chinese laboratory.   The head of the World Health Organization said there was a “premature push” to dismiss the theory that COVID-19…

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Cancer kills More People Than COVID-19, Says Commissioner

Cancer kills More People Than COVID-19, Says Commissioner

  The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says cancer takes the lives of more people than COVID-19 and yet it does not get the same attention as the latter. Prof. Abayomi stated this in a post on his Instagram handle @profakinabayomi on Thursday. He said cervical cancer is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus similar to COVID-19 and has many variants, thus presenting a…

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Africa Records Over 40% Increase in COVID-19 Deaths –WHO

Africa Records Over 40% Increase in COVID-19 Deaths –WHO

  Africa has recorded a 43 per cent increase in COVID-19 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation. The who also said that hospital admissions have increased rapidly in the past weeks with many countries in the continent facing shortages of oxygen and intensive care beds. According to the global health body, COVID-19 fatalities increased to 6,273 in the week ending on 11 July 2021 from…

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Despite Denial, FG Earmarks N20bn for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Despite Denial, FG Earmarks N20bn for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

The Federal Government has set aside N20bn for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines three months after denying a report by The PUNCH that N10.6bn had been set aside for the distribution of vaccines across the country. Citing a proposal presented to governors by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, this newspaper had reported on March 6, 2021, that N10.6bn would be spent on…

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Medical Directors Seek Reduction of Import Taxes on Health Equipment

Medical Directors Seek Reduction of Import Taxes on Health Equipment

Guild of Medical Directors, FCT chapter, on Wednesday, called on the Federal Government to support local healthcare services and hospitals through reduction of import taxes on health equipment. The guild made the call in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Dr Biodun Ogungbo, in preparation for an upcoming education and advocacy programme titled: “What’s New in Abuja?.” The…

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UN Warns About Possible Resurgence of Polio, Other Diseases

UN Warns About Possible Resurgence of Polio, Other Diseases

The UN warned Thursday that a “perfect storm” was brewing, with a raging pandemic disrupting access to routine vaccinations, leaving millions of children at risk from measles and other deadly diseases. A full 23 million children missed out on basic childhood vaccines last year, as routine health services were hit worldwide by restrictions aimed at controlling Covid-19 and many parents shunned the…

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Nasal Swab Diagnosis Often Return False Negative for Delta Variant of COVID-19, Says Physician

Nasal Swab Diagnosis Often Return False Negative for Delta Variant of COVID-19, Says Physician

A Public Health Physician, Dr. Taiwo Obembe has cautioned against depending on nasopharyngeal swab tests when testing for the Delta variant of COVID-19, noting that it often gives false-negative results. Obembe, who is a public health specialist at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, says there have been more false-negative results from COVID-19 nasopharyngeal tests in recent time. The…

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Lack of COVID-19 aVccines for Africa Unacceptable, Says World Bank

Lack of COVID-19 aVccines for Africa Unacceptable, Says World Bank

  The lack of access to vaccines in Africa is “unacceptable”, World Bank number two Axel van Trotsenburg said on Wednesday ahead of a meeting in Abidjan on the institution’s financial support for the world’s poorest continent.  “This is a huge issue, we say this is unacceptable that African populations have been only vaccinated to the extent of one per cent,” he told AFP. “It has to change and we…

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Mixed-ancestry Genetic Research Shows a Bit of Native American DNA Could Reduce Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Mixed-ancestry Genetic Research Shows a Bit of Native American DNA Could Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

Since the human genome was first mapped, scientists have discovered hundreds of genes influencing illnesses like breast cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, Black people, Indigenous people and other people of color are underrepresented in most genetic studies. This has resulted in a skewed and incomplete understanding of the genetics of many diseases. We are two…

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