Nigerian Newspapers
Cancer deadly…but heart diseases are deadlier
To many Nigerians, cancer is a deadly disease, which has killed the poor and the rich. But, doctors say many heart diseases are deadlier, with many sudden deaths recorded daily, reports JOKE KUJENYA
he result was shocking. Not to the doctors, but to the civil servants, many of whom had assumed they were in perfect health. The doctors, who belong to the Plateau State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), on Monday, conducted free blood pressure, body mass index and weight screening for civil servants.
In all, 106 were screened. The results show that more than half, specifically 59, are hypertensive; 42 are overweight and 23 are obese.
If you think that is scary, then what about this: A recent research shows that about 41 per cent of Nigerians are hypertensive.
“Based on current research, 41 per cent of Nigerians are hypertensive. The scary aspect is that that figure is expected to increase over time,’’ said the Permanent Secretary in the Plateau State Ministry of Health, Dr Elias Pede.
He described hypertension as “a major public health concern’’, explaining that the prevalence was higher among the low income segment of the population.
Globally, hypertension is estimated to cause 7.5 million deaths annually, representing 12 per cent of all deaths. Many are down now, with swollen hearts and legs, writhing in pains. The World Health Day, which is always observed on April 7, had “High Blood Pressure” as its theme for this year.
Ask Jude Okwe, the Cross River State Correspondent of ThisDay. Okwe has been unable to do his job for months. He is tied down by a heart condition, which has made his heart’s size to double. Doctors have told him to raise N8 million to enable him treat the life-threatening heart disease.
Speaking in low tones when some of his colleagues visited him on Wednesday, Okwe said: “The doctors said I need more than eight million naira for treatment abroad. This revelation came after series of tests at Echo-Scan Heart Centre and Heartland Cardiovascular Consultants in Abuja.
“The doctors said I am having an enlarged heart. I was referred to these places for tests by Primus Inter Specialty Hospital, Karu, Abuja, where I was admitted for almost a month before discharge last week.’’
Medical reports from Heartland Hospital, signed by the Medical Director, Dr Onye Achilihu, gave an insight into Okwe’s heart: “Mr Okwe has severe heart failure, due to cardiomyopathy. He will urgently need proper treatment which will include optimal medical therapy, CardiacCatheterisation and Angiogram to exclude a reversible cause. In addition, he will need internal defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac death.”
Okwe said the doctors told him he risked losing his life, if something was not done urgently.
He said: “The heart is still there but it has been brought under control. If the money can be raised quickly, it will be better because the doctor said too much delay might lead to sudden death. The doctor said my heart has enlarged like twice the size of a normal heart and for it to normalise again I need heart transplant.
“My heart has become flat and the blood circulation is very poor. The problem has been there since 2010 when I discovered that I had difficulty in breathing and went to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.
“The doctors there tested my BP and other minor things and then prescribed some drugs for me. I took those drugs but no relief came.
“If I had known that my heart was enlarging, I could have gotten alternative treatment and I think it would not have gotten to this. It is affecting my family already. I have four children in the university and for a man who is down it is not easy.
“My brother who is a teacher has done the little he could within the limit of his resources. My younger ones are not financially strong. Please, I need help.’’
The pains that little Praise Lascot go through daily are seemingly unimaginable. Her mother, Mrs. Omobola Lascot, told The Nation that after two boys, she passionately wanted a female child. Thus, her joy knew no bounds when the nurses told her that the baby she had just been delivered of was a girl.
Said Mrs. Lascot: “I was so happy. I shed tears of joy and then informed my husband. He too was ecstatic. The doctor then discharged us to go home on the third day.
“Things seemed normal for the first few months till about the sixth when Praise would switch from one sickness to the other.
“About the sixth month, our visit to the hospital became more frequent. It was so bad and we were quite fidgety. Sleep eluded us and everything became perplexing. It wasn’t long when we were referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). And there, the bombshell was dropped. ‘Praise has a hole in her heart,’ the doctor announced. My heart skipped. Then, he added: ‘I’m also sorry to announce that we can’t operate on her because her brain is not fully developed.’ By this time, Praise was 11 months old. Since that time, we have seen cardiologists home and abroad, Praise’s story is the same. Now, I’m left to God to give us a miracle or, sadly, nurture and patiently wait till my dream daughter, Praise, breathes her last.”
Thirteen years after his retirement, 76-year-old Pa Atanda’s health suddenly nose-dived. At first, he applied home remedies, thinking it was the usual malaria. But after a few weeks, his children decided he should seek medical attention. It was after a series of examinations that the old man was told his heart was failing him. He said: “I shouted, ‘my heart? I don’t have money o, doctor’. And everybody laughed. At the same time, my heart skipped and I looked at my children; how would they cope with this burden both financially and stress-wise? So, I decided that since something will kill me anyway, I better learn to manage the condition. And since that day, I have been taking things easy till God will call my number.”
The chairman of NMA in Plateau State, Dr. Christopher Yilgwan, said most people appear to have no time for the screening on their own.
“People don’t seem to have time for any kind of screening and that is why we have rising cases of cardiac arrest, stroke, and even death,’’ Yilgwan said on Monday.
Dr. Caleb Chundunsu, a consultant cardiologist, noted that hypertension was a worldwide problem with a lot of complications.
He said the disease has no symptoms and most of the time, inherited. Chundunsu called for periodic checks to keep hypertension in check.
“The management of hypertension is for life as it cannot be cured; so we try to educate people against stress, alcoholism, high intake of salt, sedentary life style and other factors that could increase an individual’s blood pressure.’’
He also advised against processed food and called for regular exercises.
Heart disease is a generic term for a wide variety of diseases, which is generally viral -influenza of the heart and which can result in severe inflammation at any age, often with zero symptoms. Of all killer diseases, heart disease is described as the number one killer of both men and women. It is said to kill more women than all types of cancer combined. A medical journal on ‘Ten Silent Killer Diseases the Rich Should Watch’ notes that on average, men get heart disease about 10 years earlier than women. And while women have the hormonal protection of estrogen, which is produced until menopause, the death rate of women to heart disease equals that of men, after menopause. The article further notes that while it could be more difficult to identify heart disease in women, the typical symptom in men is chest discomfort. Neck or abdominal discomfort may be more prevalent in women.
At a United Nations high-level meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in New York, Minister of Health Onyebuchi Chukwu said NCDs would cost the nation an accumulated $ 7.6billion by 2015. He added that NCDs, such as heart diseases, stroke and diabetes cost Nigeria losses of about $ 800million (about N122.8 billion) annually.
Also speaking at a recent health awareness programme to mark the World Heart Day, the Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Chukwudi Obiukwu, noted that while poverty has remained a major problem in heart health, awareness on heart problems is still very low in Nigeria. “And it is so sad that many people go about their businesses without knowledge of the state of their hearts.”
In a new study by the Danish Cancer Society published in PLoS ONE, a medical journal, researchers noted that beyond being prone to frequent insomnia, people who are exposed to louder sounds of traffic near their homes have a higher risk of heart attack. They found that for every 10-decibel increase in traffic noise, there was 12 per cent higher risk of heart attack.
Lead author Mette Sorensen and her fellow researchers monitored, over a 10-year period, the health of 50,000 men and women between ages 50 and 64, comparing the geographic location of their homes with the level of traffic noise each person had been exposed to by analysing traffic patterns around the participants’ homes; each of the participants also recorded his or her lifestyle behaviours, like diet and physical activity. In the final analysis, about 1,600 people had their first attack as a result of louder traffic noise near their homes.
Sorensen said: “The link between noise and heart attacks held even after we accounted for other factors, like air pollution exposure, diet, gender and weight.”
The researcher also noted that people who live in hectic urban centres tend to have more stress than those in quieter locales, and stress is a well-known trigger of heart attack.
He added: “The noise itself probably does increase stress and the levels of stress hormones like adrenaline.”
An assistant professor of Public Health Sciences at Washington University, St. Louis, Christine Hoehner, said long commutes really get under the skin in terms of affecting people’s health. In her submission, “people with longer commutes tend to be less physically active, even after the researchers took into account extenuating factors, such as age, race, educational levels and family size. Seventy-six per cent of people who worked within five miles from their homes averaged at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per day, compared to just 70 per cent of those whose commute exceeded 30 miles round-trip. In addition, people in the 30-mile-and-up group were more likely to be obese and to have an unhealthy waist size of 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women.” She noted that excess belly fat is a known risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, strokes and other serious health problems. This is in addition to the fact that blood pressure appeared to be even more sensitive to commuting distance. Even people whose commute is just 20 miles round-trip had an increased risk of elevated blood pressure, which the researchers defined as the so-called pre-hypertension stage.
Treatment of heart diseases has become a major source of concern in the country. This has led to a situation where health tourism has come to the rescue.
According to the President, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Godswill Okara, Nigerians constitute over 20 per cent of foreign patients seeking medical treatment abroad, particularly in India. Besides wealthy individuals, the vast majority of those patronising foreign hospitals are top government officials and their relations.
Besides influential Nigerians, most of the affluent citizens also demonstrate lack of faith in health care systems— whether public or privately owned.
According to the President, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele, over 5,000 Nigerians travel to India and other countries monthly for medical treatment. The consequent of that is that the country loses over $ 500m annually and about $ 260m going to India, alone.
His words: “Years of systemic decay, lack of political commitment, cancerous levels of corruption and mismanagement of our collective wealth have adversely affected the health sector even such that today, our political leaders seem not to have confidence in health care facilities established by them.”
It is important, observed stakeholders, for the country to put all in place to ensure that this silent killer does not continue to take away its active work force. Until this is done, the victims’ list may remain long.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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