EDITORIAL: Taking COVID-19 vaccination seriously amidst 2023 election campaigns

EDITORIAL: Taking COVID-19 vaccination seriously amidst 2023 election campaigns

The build-up to the 2023 general elections will witness a sea change as from 28 September, when campaigns will officially begin. Nigerians have so far demonstrated considerable interest in the political transition, with massive turnouts for fresh voters’ registration and polemical exchanges by political parties and interest groups that are eager to beat the gun. More than 12 million voters have…

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By • Olalekan Fagbade Stakeholders, Media meet on Diphtheria Outbreak, spread and Response in Nigeria The Coordinating Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), convened a Media Orientation Meeting on Diphtheria Outbreak Response in the country. The one-day workshop, supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and held on Friday in Abuja, drew journalists and communication personnel from across the country. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was aimed at improving the media’s knowledge of Diphtheria, helping them understand their roles and responsibilities, and identifying key areas to support the ongoing Outbreak Response in the country. In his opening remarks, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, of the NPHCDA, commended and appreciated the efforts of both National and State Media Stations in promoting health programmes, especially the ongoing Diphtheria Outbreak Response in their respective states. Shuaib, who was represented by the Acting Director of Advocacy and Communication at the Agency, Mrs. Aisha Tukur, emphasized that the Federal Government and Development Partners recognized the media’s vital role in nation-building. He underscored government’s reliance on the media to create awareness and sensitize Nigerians on Diphtheria and other Primary Health Care services in the country. Shuaib also commended NCDC and Development Partners for co-facilitating the Media Orientation Meeting with NPHCDA and expressed the hope that the partnership would continue beyond the Diphtheria Outbreak Response. In her goodwill message, Margaret Soyemi, Head of Social and Behavioral Change Communication at UNICEF, who spoke on behalf of partners, praised the efforts of NPHCDA and NCDC for facilitating the workshop. Soyemi thanked the media stakeholders for their continuous support and commitment to creating awareness and sensitizing the public on health programmes, especially Diphtheria, at national and subnational levels. NAN recalled that participants from NPHCDA, NCDC, FMoH, Federal Ministry of Information (FMol), National Orientation Agency (NOA), and NAN attended the meeting. Additionally, representatives from national and state media (broadcast and print) from the seven priority states (Bauchi, Borno, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, and Yobe) were present, as were Development Partners, including UNICEF, BA-N, Red Cross, WHO, ICAP, and others. (NAN) #StakeholdersmeetonOutbreakspreadandResponseofDiphtheriainNigeria

Diphtheria: 20 died, 156 cases recorded in Kaduna

National Primary Health Care Department Agency, NPHCDA, has said 20 persons have died of diphtheria in Kaduna State, even as the agency also confirmed 156 cases of the disease in the state. The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency and Co-Chairman of the Federal Task Team on Diphtheria, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, told journalists, after he visited the Kaduna Diphtheria Treatment…

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Diphtheria: 20 died, 156 cases recorded in Kaduna

National Primary Health Care Department Agency, NPHCDA, has said 20 persons have died of diphtheria in Kaduna State, even as the agency also confirmed 156 cases of the disease in the state. The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency and Co-Chairman of the Federal Task Team on Diphtheria, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, told journalists, after he visited the Kaduna Diphtheria Treatment…

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Nigeria administered 93.5m doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 65.5m eligible Nigerians

Nigeria administered 93.5m doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 65.5m eligible Nigerians

By Aluta News Nov. 13, 2022 The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), has said that 93.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 65.5 million eligible Nigerians from March 2021 till date. The Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, that this was based on the 2022 population estimates, indicating…

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Nigeria Govt. partners India for local production of Covid-19 vaccine

Nigeria Govt. partners India for local production of Covid-19 vaccine

The Federal Government and the Serum Institute of India have announced a partnership in producing vaccines locally to advance vaccine equity in Nigeria. This was disclosed by Dr. Faisal Shuaib, ED/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency on Tuesday. He stated that talks would be a launchpad towards vaccine self-sufficiency in Nigeria. What the NPHCDA is saying Dr Shuaib noted that…

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15 States Bag FG Award on COVID-19 Vaccination

15 States Bag FG Award on COVID-19 Vaccination

The Federal Government has awarded 15 state government for best performance in Routine immunization and COVID-19 vaccination. The Secretary to the government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha presented the award to the recipients in Abuja. The Executive Director National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NPHCDA Dr Faisal Shuaib explained that the states were selected based on their…

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Breaking: Ogun Governor to receive FG’s Immunization Performance Award

Breaking: Ogun Governor to receive FG’s Immunization Performance Award

The Federal Government through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has named Ogun State as the best performing state in the South West of Nigeria in Routine Immunization and COVID-19 Vaccination. In a letter dated 15th of August, 2022, addressed to the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, and signed by the Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Governor…

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Government unveils convenient vaccination module for workers, others

Government unveils convenient vaccination module for workers, others

The Federal Government has introduced a corporate vaccination module that allows eligible workers, dependants and retirees of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as the private sector get vaccinated in their office premises. This is in recognition of the fact that some workers might find it difficult to leave their duty posts for designated centres. Consequently, the government…

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Federal Government willing to Enforce Vaccination

Federal Government willing to Enforce Vaccination

The Federal Government has said it may sanction eligible Nigerians who refuse to take the coronavirus vaccination. This was made known by the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, at a news briefing in Abuja on Tuesday. Shuaib said the government may “apply the basic rule of law” against such people because their actions will be…

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By • Olalekan Fagbade Government may re-introduce face mask as Diphtheria disease spread to 18 States FCT The Federal Government has called on governors of the 19 states with confirmed cases of diphtheria to reintroduce face mask-wearing at public gatherings. It said the advice was necessary because the confirmed cases had soared to 8,406. The cases were recorded in 114 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 18 of 36 states and Abuja. Diphtheria is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium. It causes difficulty in breathing, heart rhythm problems and death. Like Coronavirus(COVID-19), which led to worldwide mandatory use of facemasks, diphtheria spreads among people mainly by direct contact or through the air via respiratory droplets. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had about three months ago said the FCT recorded the first case that resulted in the death of a four-year-old. At a news conference yesterday, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, and NCDC Director-General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, said out of the 8,406 confirmed cases, 6,202 (73.7 per cent) were of victims aged between one year and 14 years. The news conference was also attended by World Health Organisation (WHO) Deputy Country Representative, Alexander Chimbaru and Country Director of the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC), Mary Boyd. Adetifa, who gave the breakdown of the cases, described Kano as the epicentre of the disease. According to him, Kano State has reported 7,188 cases, representing 86 per cent of the total infection. Yobe State ranks second with 775 cases, Katsina, 232; Borno, 118; Jigawa, 23; Bauchi, 20; Kaduna, 17; Lagos, eight and FCT, six; Gombe, five; Osun, three; Sokoto, three and Niger, two. Cross River Enugu, Imo, Nasarawa, Kebbi and Zamfara states have one each. Adetifa said: “As of today (yesterday), there have been 13,204 reported suspected cases out of which 8,406 were confirmed cases from 114 local government areas in 19 states and the FCT. “Of the 8,406 confirmed cases, 6,202 (73.7 per cent) were aged one to 14 years. Infants: less than one per cent; one to four years: 14.40 per cent; five to nine years: 32.2 per cent; 10 to 14 years: 27.1 per cent; adults above 20 years: 15 per cent. “Our records have shown that most of the confirmed cases of diphtheria in the country were unvaccinated against diphtheria. “Of the 8,406 confirmed cases, 5,371 (64 per cent) are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, 966 (11 per cent) with unknown vaccination status, while 2,069 (25 per cent) are fully vaccinated against diphtheria. “The recently-deployed National Rapid Response Teams (NRRTs) are offering on-site surveillance and response support in affected states.’’ He added that the NCDC had activated diphtheria surveillance and public health measures in the affected states and FCT. Adetifa explained that through laboratory networking, the NCDC had continued to conduct preliminary and confirmatory testing at sub-national and national levels. He added: “Currently, NCDC has 14 laboratories in the Diphtheria Laboratory Network with capacity to support diphtheria testing. “Optimisation of five additional laboratories at the subnational level is currently ongoing. “NCDC has conducted training for laboratory personnel at the sub-national level on diagnostic processes, quality assurance, biosafety, biosecurity procedures, and data management.” Adetifa also said the installation of laboratory equipment (biosafety cabinets, autoclaves, and incubators) were ongoing in Kaduna, Katsina and Bauchi states to assist in the optimisation of laboratories there. He said security challenges were limiting accessibility for some NRRTs in some local government areas. Shuaib, who is also the co-chair of the National Emergency Task Force and Coordination

for Diphtheria in Nigeria, called on “governors of the affected states to institute face-covering requirements, such as facemasks in public gatherings.” He said: “Diphtheria is an airborne disease. Like COVID-19, we can reduce air contact with the bacteria by adopting non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as the use of facemasks, hand-washing and physical distancing from affected persons. However, this should be done in a way that does not stigmatise or discriminate against sick people. “Accordingly, I would like to call on governors of the affected states to institute face-covering requirements, such as facemasks in public gatherings. By so doing, we can add another intervention to slow the progress of the outbreak.” Shuaib added that the government believes that vaccination remained the most potent weapon against diphtheria. He explained that Nigeria has two vaccines — Pentavalent which is administered to children aged six weeks to four years, and the Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) for children aged between four years and 14 years. According to him, in recent months, the government has launched rapid and comprehensive vaccination campaigns across the affected states. Shuaib said: “Kano, as the epicentre of this outbreak, has been at the forefront of our vaccination efforts. Working with the state governments, we implemented Rounds One and Two of the vaccination campaign in five high-burden local government areas (LGAs) in February and April 2023 respectively.” “Subsequently, Round Three was integrated with routine immunisation intensification, further bolstering our response. An additional eight LGAs in Kano underwent reactive vaccination exercises in the last week of August. “Beyond Kano, we expanded our response to include Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi, and Yobe in our Phase One response. These states engaged, trained, and executed vaccination campaigns in 25 high-burden LGAs within their borders with the commencement of reactive vaccination in August 2023. “Borno State also conducted reactive vaccination exercises in four LGAs during the same period. WHO’s Deputy Country Representative Chimbaru called for the involvement of traditional, religious and community leaders in the vaccination of children. He said: “It is very critical to bring traditional, religious and community leaders to support vaccination of children. Diphtheria is a highly infectious disease and a cause for concern. The vaccines being used now are safe and effective. “Nigeria has the Pentavalent vaccine. We applaud the government for providing the vaccines free of charge. We will support in surveillance and coordination of activities in terms of communication and community engagement. We need to have the communities coming on board to tackle the disease.” USCDC Country Director Boyd commended the Federal Government for setting up the task force on diphtheria. She said: “In Nigeria, we are seeing quite a number of deaths, up to 14 years. We are not just addressing the specific outbreak but also building systems that will help the country to better respond to future outbreaks.” #Governmentmayreintroducefacemaskasdiphtheriadiseasespread

Faisal Shuaib Biography, Age, Career and Net Worth

Faisal Shuaib Biography, Age, Career and Net Worth

Faisal Shuaib Biography, Age, Career and Net Worth Faisal Shuaib is a Nigerian Medical Doctor and public health specialist. He was appointed the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) by President Buhari in 2017. Faisal Shuaib was born on 14th August. Educational Background Faisal Shuaib obtained a medical degree from the…

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News: Buhari, Osinbajo, others to take COVID-19 vaccine on live TV

President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha and other prominent Nigerians will be among the first people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on live television to help drive awareness. Continue reading

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Arrival Date for next Batch of COVID-19 Vaccine Uncertain, says NPHCDA

Arrival Date for next Batch of COVID-19 Vaccine Uncertain, says NPHCDA

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, on Tuesday, said it was not clear yet when the Federal Government will take delivery of the next batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses. Shuaib said this in Abuja during a press conference organised to update the public on the status of the COVID-19 vaccination. He said, “As most people here know by now,…

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Polio Vaccine: 50,000 Northeast Children Yet To Benefit - NPHCDA

Polio Vaccine: 50,000 Northeast Children Yet To Benefit – NPHCDA

National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has revealed that security challenges in some parts of north-east is making it difficult for 50,000 children to be reached with wild polio vaccine

The agency’s executive director Faisal Shuaib says this was the reason chief of army staff Yusuf Buratai reactivated `the Buratai initiative’ in Borno last month.

He explained that the `Theatre…

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