At least 19 people have died this month of suspected alcohol poisoning in Russia’s western Leningrad region, local officials said Friday.

Incidents of mass deaths from drinking cheap home-made alcohol substitutes are not uncommon in Russia, which has been blighted by high levels of alcoholism for years.

The regional government’s press service said in a statement that “19 deaths after alcohol consumption were recorded in the Slantsy District in September.”

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It added that eight cases had so far been “laboratory-confirmed as methanol poisoning.”

Investigators said they had detained a man and a woman after prosecutors opened a criminal case to probe “the poisoning of several residents of the Slantsy District with counterfeit alcohol.”

Earlier this week, prosecutors sentenced two people to almost a decade in prison for manufacturing and selling a counterfeit cider drink that killed 50 people in 2023.

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And in 2016, more than 60 people died in Irkutsk in Siberia after drinking contraband bath oil that contained methanol.

Russia toughened its legislation after that incident, but cheap home-made spirits using alcohol substitutes remain widely available, particularly in rural areas with low standards of living and where the price of vodka is prohibitively high.

AFP

Club captain Marquinhos has joined the growing list of big-name absentees for Paris Saint-Germain after suffering a thigh issue, the European champions announced on Friday.

The 31-year-old Brazilian defender “will undergo treatment on a left thigh injury over the next few weeks”, PSG announced on their website.

The latest injury blow for Luis Enrique’s side comes in the wake of injuries to stars Joao Neves and Desire Doue, as well as recent Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.

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PSG did not specify when Marquinhos picked up the injury, with the centre-half playing the full 90 minutes of his side’s last outing — a 1-0 defeat at arch-rivals Marseille on Monday in which Marquinhos scored an own goal.

When contacted by AFP, PSG did not immediately respond.

Bradley Barcola was, however, present at Friday’s training session ahead of PSG’s league meeting with Auxerre this weekend, after having missed the Marseille defeat due to muscle fatigue in his thigh.

PSG then next face Barcelona at home in the Champions League on Wednesday, before travelling to Lille in Ligue 1 action on October 5.

AFP

The Federal Government has rolled out a new policy framework aimed at standardising the procurement of medicines and health products across the country.

Also, it declared a renewed commitment to combat rabies, aiming to eliminate the disease by 2030, in accordance with global health targets.

Meanwhile, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) called for urgent support to countries battling cholera, monkey pox (mpox) and Ebola.

Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mamman Ahmadu, disclosed the new policy, yesterday, at the Celebration of Success ceremony for graduates of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Level 4 Qualification Programme in Abuja.

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The CIPS Level 4 Diploma in Procurement and Supply equips procurement professionals with globally recognised skills and ethical standards, preparing them to deliver transparent, efficient and impactful procurement services.

The BPP boss said the move was designed to guarantee quality, affordability and value for money in Nigeria’s healthcare system. He said the reform was part of the strategy to professionalise procurement and close long-standing loopholes that enable waste, fake drugs and inflated contracts.

Ahmadu urged the newly certified professionals to register on the National Procurement Officers Management System, a database designed to strengthen oversight, promote transparency and enhance accountability.

Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, stated, at a Joint Ministerial Press Briefing held on World Rabies Day 2025, themed ‘Act Now: You, Me, Community’, yesterday in Abuja, emphasised the urgency of addressing rabies, which, he said, remains one of the deadliest zoonotic diseases affecting Nigerians.” He assured of government’s determination to eradicate it through a ‘One Health Approach’.

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The minister pointed out: “Government alone cannot win this battle. It requires you, me, and our communities working hand-in-hand. Together, we can make Nigeria rabies-free.”

He further highlighted ongoing nationwide vaccination campaigns for dogs and cats and reiterated efforts to strengthen veterinary services in underserved communities.

“Our approach is deliberate: to ensure that no family suffers the needless pain of losing a loved one to rabies,” he added. In his remarks, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammed Pate, pledged continued support to efforts at eliminating the disease.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Chinyere Akujobi, represented by Stephen Ohaeri, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, noted that “rabies is nearly 100 per cent fatal once symptoms appear” but is completely preventable through vaccination and responsible pet ownership.

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In another forum, Africa CDC said climate change-driven flooding is worsening outbreaks and limiting humanitarian access. Deputy Incident Manager for the Incident Management Support Team, Africa CDC, Yap Boum, said this during a virtual press briefing yesterday.

During a regional update, Mr Boum said while some countries were reporting declines in cholera cases, others remain of “critical concern,” particularly Chad, where the epidemic that began in a refugee camp in mid-July has now spread to additional health zones. He said present hotspots include Wadai and Sila districts.

Boum highlighted the need to scale up surveillance, cholera treatment centres and rehabilitation efforts, warning that climate change is intensifying health risks across the continent.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Africa CDC teams are deploying additional support in affected areas. Meanwhile, Mr Boum said Ebola remains a concern in the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting progress in contact tracing, targeted vaccination and preparedness in neighbouring Angola.

He welcomed fresh commitments made on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where Gavi pledged to support 10 million doses of vaccine for mpox, and UNICEF promised to back key pillars of the continental response plan.