The federal government has said that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a one-dose effective vaccination, with the 177,600 doses targeted at people living in hard-to-reach locations (riverine areas, desert areas, hilly areas, and security-compromised areas) and the elderly.

This is because they may find it difficult to leave their houses to go to the health institution for a second dose immunization.

Dr. Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said the flag-off is required to raise awareness about what would be done differently to achieve a more successful immunization campaign.

He stated this at the National Flag-off of Phase 2 COVID-19 Vaccination in Nigeria, which took place on Monday, August 16th, 2021 in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.

He also mentioned that they will be receiving 698,880 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine today through the COVAX facility, thanks to a contribution from the UK government.

These doses will be given to people who are scheduled for their second AstraZeneca vaccination dosage.

We expect up to 3.9 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines in the coming weeks to supplement what we now have and guarantee that we cover not only those who will be receiving their second AstraZeneca vaccine, but also those who will be receiving their first dose of this vaccine.

These are his words;”In order to prepare for the start of Phase 2 vaccination, we have trained 40,739 state level individuals, including our health professionals and partners, on our phase 2 strategic vaccine roll out strategy.

We understand that since Nigeria began receiving different brands of COVID-19 vaccine, there have been many questions and concerns about what brand differences mean for the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.

We’re also aware that saboteurs are still lurking around the corner, ready to produce fake information to mislead people about vaccinations.

I want to reassure Nigerians that NAFDAC has validated all brands of COVID-19 vaccination used in Nigeria as safe and effective, particularly against the Delta variety.

“We believe that overcoming misinformation and disinformation will not only help us overcome vaccine apprehension, but will also help the country recover from the economic downturn brought on by COVID-19.

As a result, our Crisis Communication Centre has been strengthened to provide rapid data analysis in support of aggressive public information management on COVID-19 immunization in the country “.

Meanwhile, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Country Representative, stated that the introduction of these vaccinations comes with a significant logistical preparation for the storage of Moderna vaccine.

The Federal Government’s large investment in the procurement and installation of Ultra Cold Chain equipment at the national strategic store and state cold stores has pleased partners.

He believes that this is a good sign of national and state government leadership that is committed to having its citizens immunized against the disease.

These are his remarks; “Based on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 Phase 1 implementation, we are confident that the Nigerian government will be able to overcome all obstacles for a successful Phase 2 rollout.

“The integration of Primary Health Care (PHC) services with COVID-19 immunization at fixed points (also known as the “Whole of Family” strategy) is being proposed.

If correctly implemented, this intervention will ensure that customers do not miss out on routine PHC services during COVID-19 immunization, boosting the country’s health indicators.

“Vaccines are a vital instrument in the fight against COVID-19, as I’ve often stated in several forums.

These vaccines are safe and effective, and they will change the game; however, for the time being, we must continue to wear masks, keep a safe distance, and avoid crowds.

“We’d want to remind everyone that the majority of nations, including Nigeria, are currently witnessing COVID-19 epidemics in their third waves,” he added.

Prof Moji Adeyeye, Director General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDA), has warned that a youth who grows up in stressful circumstances may acquire psychological disorders and may become dangerous as an adult.

She noted with dismay that conditions related to Covid-19 are known to have increased economic deprivation and feelings of social isolation, which are factors that can contribute to increased drug use.

She made this known while speaking at the maiden Annual National Security Summit in Abuja with the theme “Covid-19, Drug Abuse, Mental Health: Implications to National Security.”

Dr Musa Umar, NAFDAC’s Director of Narcotics and Controlled Substances, who represented the director General , who said the theme, “Drug Abuse, Mental Health: Implications to National Security,” was appropriate and in keeping with current national and international realities.

In a statement issued by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, on Sunday in Abuja, Adeyeye avers that any society seeking to achieve adequate military security against the backdrop of acute food shortages, population explosion, low productivity and per capita income, high rate of illiteracy, and a fragile infrastructure/technical infrastructure will fail.

Drug addiction is both a health and a social problem, she says, adding that combating the threat necessitates a balanced approach that addresses all parts of the complicated interaction between lack of opportunity, drug misuse, mental health, and national security.

‘’Today, security encompasses all the interconnected domains of economic self-reliance, social cohesiveness, and political stability, in addition to the physical safety and survival of a state from internal or foreign threats.

It touches on how people might live long and healthy lives,” she explained.

‘’Human development entails expanding people’s options for living a long and healthy life, acquiring knowledge, and having access to the resources necessary for a reasonable standard of living” (UNDP, 1990:10).

Many additional opportunities remain inaccessible on a long-term basis in the absence of these critical options.”

The head of NAFDAC noted that human growth has always been linked to the protection of lives and property, which is why people who framed our constitution deemed security the most important responsibility the government has to its inhabitants.

She went on to say that a lack of opportunities, inequality, poverty, and mental health issues are all established reasons that encourage people to take drugs, emphasizing that the illicit drug economy in poor and marginalized metropolitan areas is typically driven by poverty.

According to Prof. Adeyeye, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development plainly states that there can be no sustainable development without peace, and there can be no sustainable development without peace.

Despite the fact that drug abuse is not specifically mentioned in the Goals and Targets, she pointed out that it obviously overlaps with aim 3.5 – Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance misuse, particularly narcotic drug addiction and hazardous alcohol use.

“The goal is good health and well-being,” she said.

She went on to say that the effects of poverty may be devastating, especially because the poor have little access to healthcare, and that the global picture of drug use is complicated by the fact that many people who use drugs, whether occasionally or on a regular basis, are polydrug users (using more than one substance concurrently or sequentially, usually with the intention of enhancing or countering the effects of another drug).

The non-medical use of prescription drugs (e.g., opioids and benzodiazepines), as well as the use of amphetamines or new psychoactive substances in place of or in combination with drugs like cocaine or heroin, blurs the line between users of a particular substance and paints a picture of interconnected epidemics of drug use and related health consequences, according to the NAFDAC DG.

Prof Adeyeye stated in the 2018 Drug Use in Nigeria Survey that 14.4% of the population, or 14.3 million persons, took drugs in Nigeria, compared to a global yearly prevalence of any drug use of 5.6 percent among the population in 2016.

She went on to say that the survey also found that the highest-level drug was among individuals aged 25 to 39 years, which is a cause for concern because this is the most productive age range in Nigeria’s young population.

She cautioned, “The youths have a lot of energy and are easily misled, and their lives are wasted along religious and ethnic lines by ignorant priests and mischievous individuals.”

She did warn, however, that drug abuse is threatening a significant portion of Nigeria’s population, with the potential to negatively affect state capacity and contribute to poverty, state failure, and national destabilisation, and that co-morbidities such as HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and tuberculosis are a real threat to the economy in terms of lost productivity and declining quality of life, she added.

The NAFDAC chief stated that cannabis is the most commonly used substance, followed by opioids (such as tramadol and codeine), and that 25% of drug users are female (about 3.4 million), with 20% of drug users being dependent (approximately 2.9m).

‘’Around 376,000 people (0.4% of the population aged 15 to 64) were projected to be high-risk drug users in January 2018, defined as people who had used opioids, crack/cocaine, or amphetamines in the previous 12 months and had used those drugs at least 5 times in the previous thirty days.

Persons who inject drugs account for 21% of high-risk drug users, or about 80,000 people (PWID).

The bulk (78%) were men, but one in every five people who inject narcotics is a woman,” she laments.

Prof. Adeyeye stated that injecting drug users are among the most marginalized and disadvantaged drug users, citing poor health outcomes, including a higher risk of premature death, high rates of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis, and a higher risk of both fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses.

Despite the fact that around 40% of high-risk drug users requested treatment, she said that getting help was difficult and expensive.

She went on to say that the stigma connected with drug use is another deterrent to getting treatment, as people who need help are labeled as unfit.

‘’This thinking must shift, and society must regard the drug addict as a sick person who requires therapy rather than a criminal who must be punished.”

She also cautions that by 2030, the world would have seen a 40% increase in drug users, with the increase likely to be more pronounced in Africa because the population is younger and drug use is higher among young people than among elderly people.

The head of NAFDAC also noted that Africa’s population is expected to rise faster than that of other regions.

Nigerians, according to the NAFDAC DG, are largely self-sufficient and prefer to treat themselves, particularly as professional medical treatment is increasingly becoming out of reach for the majority of the population.

“We are encouraged to self-diagnose and self-medicate because of persuasive television advertisements and the availability of information on the internet, which outline symptoms and assure us that such and such can be easily remedied by simply taking such a brand of medication,” she said, adding that the public is thus reassured into complacency by thinking that the legality of these medications ensues their use.

According to Prof. Adeyeye, having a mental disease does not imply being violent or dangerous, but persons who are suffering from untreated or inadequately managed mental health disorders may self-medicate with illicit or prescribed drugs and may be willing participants in criminal activity.

“That is why early and effective treatment of mental health illnesses is so important for society’s health and well-being,” she continued.

She went on to say that internationally, only one out of every six individuals who require treatment receives it, with Africa having a ratio of one out of every 18 people.

Prof Adeyeye believes that a country’s healthcare spending reflects its commitment to improving its health indicators, and that any country that does not invest in its people’s healthcare will face issues such as diminishing productive capacity, poor maternal health, and high child mortality.

She stated that NAFDAC’s experience reveals that corruption and unethical practices impede success in combating the diversion of restricted pharmaceuticals to illicit channels and abuse, resulting in laws not being implemented and offenders not being prosecuted and convicted for their crimes.

In most cases, she bemoaned the slowness of justice and the ineffectiveness of penalty in deterring repeat offenses.

‘’However, in Nigeria, drug treatment treatments are primarily accessible in tertiary hospitals.

Eleven hospitals in the country’s six geopolitical zones have already been refurbished to function as Model Drug Treatment Centers.

Furthermore, certain non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and faith-based organizations provide limited services,” she added with a ray of optimism.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa has hinted that, the Ministry of Health of Cote d’Ivoire today confirmed the country’s first Ebola case since 1994.

While pushing governments to concentrate on the COVID-19 response, they should also improve their preparedness for possible Ebola cases.

The Ebola Virus Disease was confirmed in samples taken from a patient who was hospitalized in the commercial metropolis of Abidjan after coming from Guinea, according to the Institut Pasteur in Cote d’Ivoire.

The patient had traveled to Cote d’Ivoire by vehicle and arrived in Abidjan on August 12th, according to preliminary findings.

After developing a fever, the patient was admitted to the hospital and is currently undergoing treatment.

Guinea was hit by an Ebola outbreak that lasted four months and was declared over on June 19, 2021.

There is no evidence that the recent case in Cote d’Ivoire is connected to the Guinea outbreak.

Further investigation and genome sequencing will be used to identify the strain and determine if the two outbreaks are linked.

This year, Ebola outbreaks have been proclaimed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea, but it is the first time since the 2014–2016 West Ebola outbreak that an outbreak has occurred in a large capital city like Abidjan.

“It is of enormous concern that an outbreak has been declared in Abidjan, a metropolis of more than 4 million people,” Moeti said.

“However, most of the world’s expertise in combating Ebola is right here on the continent, and Cote d’Ivoire may draw on this knowledge to speed up the response.

The country is one of six that WHO has recently aided in improving their Ebola preparedness, and this early diagnosis demonstrates that preparation is paying off.”

She went on to say that WHO is assisting in the coordination of cross-border Ebola response activities, and that 5000 Ebola vaccine doses that the organization helped secure to combat the outbreak in Guinea are now being transferred to Cote d’Ivoire, thanks to an agreement between the health ministries of the two countries.

A plane is leaving Abidjan soon to gather vaccines that will be used to vaccinate those who are at high risk, including as health workers, first responders, and people who have been in contact with proven cases.

“WHO staff in Cote d’Ivoire are assisting with the case inquiry.”
A multidisciplinary team of WHO experts will also be quickly sent to the field, covering all key response areas.

They will assist with increasing infection prevention and control at health institutions, diagnostics, contact tracing, treatment, and outreach to communities to ensure that they play an important role in the response.

Cote d’Ivoire disclosed the epidemic in accordance with international health regulations, and the World Health Organization does not recommend any limitations on travel to or from the country.

“While governments focus on COVID-19, they should strengthen their preparedness for any Ebola cases,” she said.

While Cote d’Ivoire borders Guinea and Liberia, both of which were hit severely by the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014–2016, the country has had no confirmed cases since 1994, when a chimp outbreak infected a scientist.

Ebola is a deadly disease that affects humans and other primates.
In previous outbreaks, case mortality rates have ranged from 25% to 90%.

There is now good treatment available, and patients’ chances of survival improve dramatically if they receive treatment and supportive care early.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu on Friday inaugurated the FCTA/USAID Steering Committee as part of measures towards the revitalization of the FCT healthcare systems to deliver quality, affordable and sustainable preventive healthcare services to residents of the territory,

The minister,at the inauguration, stated that the steering committee was a follow up to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on December 17, 2020, to support the revitalization of FCT healthcare systems.

Aliyu noted that the MoU seeks to address weak healthcare system especially the Primary Health Care (PHC) performances and the root causes of poorly functioning health systems in the Federal Capital Territory.

She stressed that through this partnership, the FCT Administration would improve the capacity of the FCTA to plan, allocate and manage resources as demonstrated by increased budgetary allocation for PHC, and increased expenditure for Primary Health Care.

Other milestones that could be achieved through this partnership include increase the coverage of FCT’s minimum benefit package for PHC to 20 percent of the residents of the FCT in 2020, 30 percent in 2021, 40 percent in 2022, 50 percent in 2023, 60 percent in 2024.

To drive the operationalization of the signed MoU, the minister charged the committee to serve as an avenue to promote transparency, the use of data for decision-making and problem solving, adding that the committee would engage other stakeholders such as members of the Senate and House of Representatives as required.

Also , the Mission Director USAID, Anne Peterson, who joined the inauguration virtually identified the primary healthcare services as the foundation of strengthening universal health coverage.

She noted that USAID recognized the important roles healthcare system play in guaranteeing universal access to health services and improving the health outcome, while expressing the hope that this new steering committee would provide a road map in guiding primary healthcare partnership.

“USAID is committed to partner with FCT Administration to improve primary healthcare services by creating and strengthening systems that will improve and assist our primary healthcare in equitable distribution of resources”, she stated.

Members of the committee include, the FCT Minister of State, as chairman, Mission Director, USAID, co-chairperson, FCTA Permanent Secretary, Secretary Health and Human Services Secretariat, Executive Secretary, FCT PHCB, Director, HPRS, Director, FCT Health Insurance, Director, Treasury, and Deputy Director Health Financing Equity and Investment as Secretary of the Committee.