TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

Dr. Osagie Ehanire , the Minister of Health has revealed that about 20 million people in Nigeria are chronically infected with Hepatitis.

He also hinted that , government has committed a $3billion Nigeria Strategy on Immunization and PHC Systems Strengthening (NSIPSS) .This is our plan for transitioning to financial ownership of the immunization and primary health care system over a ten-year period, from 2018-2028.

He made this known in his message to commemorate the 2020 World Hepatitis Day and the launch of the of the guidelines for prevention of mother to child transmission of Hepatitis -B.

He stated that; “Nigeria is endemic for both viral hepatitis B and C. In 2018 Nigeria conducted a National AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey which showed a prevalence of 8.1% for Hepatitis B (HBV) and 1.1% for Hepatitis C (HCV). We could estimate that about 20 million people are chronically infected.

“We recognize the importance of vaccination as a critical intervention in our determination to eliminate HBV infection by 2030. In the light of this, Nigeria was one of the first African countries to introduce a birth dose of HBV vaccine in 2004. Furthermore, we established the National Viral Hepatitis Control programme in 2013, to coordinate all national efforts and through this, developed National documents, including policies, a strategic plan, guidelines, training materials and a treatment center directory, which are in use today. An important next step is establishing a routine surveillance system to improve on our reporting on the Global Hepatitis Surveillance systems (GHSS) platform.

“We are working in alignment with the Regional Resolution to reduce Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection to less than 2% in children under five years by the end of this year”, he explained.

The Minister added that, one of the major challenges of Hepatitis B birth dose vaccination was the inadequate domestic contribution to finance vaccines and expand access to services. In recent times, Nigeria has made important progress in this area.

Saying, we are committed to a $3billion Nigeria Strategy on Immunization and PHC Systems Strengthening (NSIPSS). This is our plan for transitioning to financial ownership of the immunization and primary health care system over a ten-year period, from 2018-2028.

All in all, the plan aims to address inequities in the uptake of routine vaccines and includes improvement of coverage for HBV Birth Dose. In 2019, HBV birth dose coverage was 59%. We hope to continue to increase coverage as we work towards elimination. It is important to note that Nigeria has not defaulted in its co-financing obligations of routine immunization implementation for the past 3 years, he stated.

He continued; “We have also worked on strengthening routine immunization through the establishment of a National Emergency Routine Immunization Coordination Centre (NERICC) in 2017, and there have been several gains through the creation of this platform. For example, its heavy focus on supply chain management has helped to improve availability of vaccines at district and facility levels.

“We acknowledge the significant work that is required to address prevention of mother to child transmission of viral hepatitis. The robust policy on Reproductive Health, Maternal, New-born, and Child Health (RMNCH) to screen all pregnant mothers for HIV, syphilis and viral hepatitis presents a great opportunity that can be strengthened to improve prevention of mother to child transmission of viral hepatitis.”

The Minister , however, acknowledged the need to continue to build capacities of health care providers and expand social mobilization efforts especially during this pandemic. Together we can achieve a Hepatitis Free Future.

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

Dr. Osagie Ehanire , the Minister of Health has said that, 60 PCR Public Health laboratories are now active in Nigeria.

While adding that, this will address testing capacity challenges and ramp up utilization if only the logistics could be improved. This, along with sheer community spread, be responsible for the rising trajectory of the epidemic curve in the population tested so far.

The Minister made this known at the Presidential Task Force briefing on Covid-19 where he added that with 262,579 persons that have been tested, we have crossed the quarter million mark when the epidemic curve will begin to flatten is still a matter of conjecture, given the relatively small fraction of our population that has been tested so far.

According to him, “The 70 to 30 male to female gender ratio and the case fatality rate of 2.1% have not changed significantly. Two thirds of all fatalities remain in the over 50 year age group, while comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, etc, are common among all fatalities. They underscore the need to protect senior citizens and the vulnerable from infection, by giving special attention to risk communication and priority for admission for observation and treatment. Of utmost concern are still the asymptomatic cases, with the potential to spread the disease, of whom the young and able bodied can be difficult to manage.

“We continue to strive to improve the quality of services in our hospitals as more persons are admitted to treatment, not only for Covid-19 infection, but also for routine and essential care. It is also our desire to reduce the fatality rates, and expand our treatment capacity such that our Health System is not overwhelmed. In this regard, the FMoH expects to take delivery of the newly completed Isolation Center at UATH Gwagwalada, as other centers are under construction nationwide.”

He further stated that, the UN System in Nigeria informed us of the arrival of another consignment of essential COVID-19 related commodities yesterday, to be officially handed over to us. We remain appreciative of the UN System for this gesture and their consistent support, which greatly increases our reserves and recognizes our needs, especially of oxygen concentrators and PPEs, but also reassures our frontline health workers that we are well stocked and can ensure availability of essential items and consumables at point of use. I use this opportunity to formally introduce the Country Representative of the World Health Organization Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, who assumed duty here with us in Abuja some days ago, and wish him successful tenure, despite the challenging times.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria crossed the 40,000 mark to 40,534 over the weekend, with 555 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, of which 17,374 have been successfully treated and discharged. We have regrettably lost 858 persons, most of them with co-morbidities.

He also used the opportunity to salute our frontline health workers, whose service helps reduce fatality. I urge them to continue their work in line with global best practices in case management and to keep themselves safe and take no risks. Coronavirus does not respect doctors or nurses.

As Salah approaches, I again wish all our Muslim brethren a happy celebration and enjoin all persons not to forget prescribed precautions and to reduce risk of transmission even as we celebrate. Wear your face mask at all times, especially when out of your homes; wash hands regularly; use sanitizers, practice distancing, I again remind everyone that controlling the spread of covid19 is not the responsibility of government alone, but of us all, individually and collectively.

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti has hinted that of the 71 million Africans with chronic viral hepatitis, 300 people sadly lose their lives daily from liver cancer and other complications related to hepatitis B and C infections.

She gave this hint in her message to commemorate this year World Hepatitis Day and to increase awareness of this public health threat.

She noted that, this year’s theme is “Hep Free Future” highlighting the importance of preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B and scaling-up prevention, testing and treatment to control hepatitis B and cure hepatitis C.

According to her; “Hepatitis B comprises 85% of the hepatitis burden in the WHO African Region. The most vulnerable time for infection is in the first month of life, and this can be prevented with hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination in the first 24 hours of life. Achieving at least 90% coverage in the Region, would prevent over 1.5 million new infections and 1.2 million deaths from liver cancer by 2035.

“Hepatitis B can go undetected for years and have devastating consequences. For example, Ansah, a 25-year old Ghanaian woman, was diagnosed with hepatitis B and liver cancer during antenatal care. Her baby was protected with hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination administered within 24 hours of birth, but Ansah’s future is uncertain. Her family said: “We did not know that the infection could be so silent and the consequences so grave”.

She further stated that, despite the low cost of the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine, only 13 African countries have introduced it, far short of the target of 25 countries by 2020. So far, 15 countries have launched national hepatitis plans, and Rwanda and Uganda have national testing and treatment programmes for hepatitis.

While adding that, WHO is working with countries and partners to accelerate action towards a 90% reduction of new hepatitis B and C infections and a 65% reduction of deaths by 2030. Achieving these goals requires urgent introduction and scaling-up of hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination and leveraging the HIV and syphilis infrastructure to prevent mother-to-child transmission and ensure mothers have access to testing and treatment. I commend the Organization of African First Ladies, in this regard for advocating triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B.

Moeti added that, as we battle COVID-19, the threat of further delays to scaling-up hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination and other essential hepatitis services looms large. People with hepatitis-related complications are at a higher risk of developing severe cases of COVID-19 and must continue to receive essential hepatitis prevention and treatment services during the pandemic and beyond.

She added that, with political commitment from governments and partners, backed by financing and integrated using a health system strengthening approach, and with informed and empowered communities, we can achieve a #HepFreeFuture.

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

The Federal Government has received $890 million as grants from the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Receiving the grant on behalf of the country, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the fund would be used to implement programmes aimed at eradicating the diseases over a three year period, from 2021 to 2023.

Saying, the Global Fund also approved a grant of US$21.9 million to support Nigeria’s COVID-19 response.

According to him; “The purpose of the media briefing is to announce the receipt of a grant, made to the Federal Republic of Nigeria by The Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, amounting to $890 million, over an implementation period of three years, beginning from 2021 to 2023.”

Ehanire noted that the grant, which is the largest given to any country in this funding cycle, is sequel to a successful funding request made by the Nigeria Country Coordination Mechanism (CCM).

The Global Fund for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GF) is an innovative international financing mechanism that was established by the United Nations in 2002, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The fund is made up of global partnership of governments, civil societies and private donors and established for the purpose of attracting, leveraging and investing resources to fund public health interventions that would accelerate the eradication of HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in affected high burden countries to further goals of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Global Fund has committed the sum of USD$2.586 billion since 2002 to operations in Nigeria, which are split into four program areas: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and the Resilient Systems Strengthening for Health, (RSSH).

Nigeria has accessed $2.436 billion, which represented 94 percent of the committed amount.

The minister further said the grant would complement the investment of the government of Nigeria and of other Development Partners in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programmes, including the Resilient and Sustainable System for Health, over the period 2021-2023.

He said the approval of the grant came following the review of the proposal that the CCM Nigeria submitted on March 23, 2020, which was adjudged to be technically sound and strategically focused by the independent Technical Review Panel of the Global Fund.

Ehanire said; “This grant will support access to malaria prevention, diagnostic and treatment services in 13 states. The States include Adamawa, Delta, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Taraba and Yobe States.

“Access to HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis services across all the 36 states and the FCT; Improvements in our health system, particularly, provision of infrastructure for warehousing and distribution of health commodities, laboratory services, data management and capacity building for our healthcare providers, including support to community system.”

The minister said the implementation of the grant would specially target the poor, the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, and those at higher risk of the target diseases, to promote equity in access to health care services.

He further said; “With regard to Nigeria’s COVID-19 response effort, The Global Fund gave approval to repurpose the sum of US$6.2 million out of our on-going grants for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria to support the implementation of our initial Incident Action Plan (IAP) for COVID-19.

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

Samsung and MTN have donated 500 units of Samsung Galaxy A2 Core Smartphone to the federal government for data capturing and case reporting of COVID-19.

The items were presented to the government through the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire by Adetunji Taiwo, the Head of Mobile Samsung West Africa when he led a delegation on a visit to the minister in his office on Abuja.

Ehanire, made this known in a press statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by Olujimi Oyetomi, Director, Information, Media & Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Health, used the opportunity to express appreciation for the contributions made by individuals and organizations in form of donations of Medicines, Personal Protective Equipment’s (PPEs), which include masks, test kits among others to the Federal Ministry of Health for the containment of COVID-19.

Ehanire said; “he sat with his team to receive situation reports from states, local governments, treatment centers to see how to review treatments of COVID-19 patients, explaining that part of the challenges they face in doing so, “is the challenge of communication, dta reporting, etc,” according to the statement.

He, therefore, revealed that the donation by Samsung and MTN of the sets, SIM Cards and data “comes in useful.”

He expressed appreciation and desired this appreciation to be sent to the headship of Samsung and MTN wherever they are that “Nigeria is very grateful” pledging that “we shall make the best use” of the items and integrating them into whatever that we have to improve service delivery.

Ehanire told his visitors and donors that his team is “trying to reduce the rate of infection and improve service delivery so that “we can keep our fatality rate lower than what we have in other countries.”