Health

Illicit Drugs: NAFDAC, Lagos Destroy 5,000 Litres Seized Expired Codeine

Published

4 years ago

December 21, 2021

As Lagos calls for concerted efforts to combat menace.

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in collaboration with Lagos State Government, on Tuesday, destroyed at least 5,000 litres of expired codeine cough syrup seized during various operations.

This came as Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, stressed the need for collaboration from both the private and public sector in the war against illicit drugs in Lagos, in particular, and Nigeria in general.

Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mijisola Adeyeye and Hamzat, represented by Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello witnessed the destruction of the expired cough syrups seized by the agency, at the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, headquarters, Alausa, Ikeja, during the official inspection and demonstration of the agency Mini- Effluent Treatment Plant, ETP, used in the destruction of expired Codeine.

Adeyeye, who commended Lagos State Government for putting up a standard ETP, to mitigate against pollution of the environment, said the 250,000 litres was just part of over 2 million litres of Codeine syrups seized from various operations by the agency.

According to her: “I wish we all recall that about three and a half years (31/2) years ago that Nigeria suddenly, found herself faced with scourge of abuse of codeine containing syrups by some of our youths. This abuse was as a result of consumption of codeine containing syrup against off the label use of the syrups.

“The effects of this abuse became alarming as presented in the BBC documentary in April 2018. The Federal Government, through the directives of the Minister of Health, NAFDAC banned the codeine country syrup from the supply chain of the manufacturer warehouses, distributors, pharmacy outlets and drug stores.

“NAFDAC, as a responsible called for recall of the syrup and the exercise resulted in mopping up over two and a half million bottles of codeine containing syrup from all over Nigeria by the Agency’s Pharmacovigilance and Post-Marketing Surveillance Directorate.

“These were kept on hold at the respective pharmaceutical companies. After some settlement with the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMGMAN), the codeine containing syrups were moved to the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate Warehouse our secured warehouse at Oshodi Lagos.

“The next big task is taking a decision on how best to destroy this product. Three Directors of NAFDAC were put on this assignment.

“After a lot of deliberations by the Agency’s Management, NAFDAC rationally decided that LASEPA waste disposal facility will be used to destroy the product.

“We arrived at this decision because we wanted the product to be safely destroyed without constituting hazard to the environment.

“Also, we chose LASEPA because it has technical competence and capacity to undertake the destruction. More importantly The entire process will be transparent and we are aware that LASEPA will issue certificate of safe destruction at the end of the exercise.

“After series of meetings between the two agencies and scientific considerations, the procedures for safe and efficient destruction of the product were arrived at and agreed upon. This included first deactivation of the collected syrup using caustic soda before transporting to LASEPA.

“The Agency worked out the logistic of transporting over two hundred and sixty thousand litres of syrup to LASEPA facilities in batches to cope with the capacity of the LASEPA plant.

“Today I am delighted that we chose wisely by asking LASEPA to undertake the destruction exercise as the exercise progressed very well as planned and it is almost completed.

“I congratulate Lagos State Government for setting up this modern plant for safe treatment of liquid waste in Lagos.

I wish to express my profound appreciation to Lagos Government for making the facility available for NAFDAC to use for this critical national assignment.”

“Finally, I wish to thank the Managing Director, Dr. Fasawe, and the entire staff of LASEPA for the good work done and for its contribution to be part of our effort at safeguarding the health of the nation.”

Speaking, Sanwo-Olu, stressed the need for more collaboration with Federal Goverment and private organizations if the menace of drug abuse must be eradicated or be brought to barest minimum.

According to the governor: “This is all about the issue of state and federal governments’ collaboration.

“We need more of it. We must collaborate to sanitize the society because many of our youths are gradually been destroyed through drug abuse. We (Lagos) are ready to have more collaborations with relevant agencies and organizations to combat this menace.”

Earlier, Director General, LASEPA, Dr Dolapo Fasawe, also,expressed readiness of the state government to collaborate with agencies and organisations in stemming the tide of drug abuse in the country.

Fasawe, while stressing on sanitization of the environment, said: “What we are advocating in Lagos is that any effluent being discharged into the environment by any company must be treated.

“However, LASEPA discovered a worrisome development where most companies were discharging effluent to our environment without proper treatments due to lack of plants. Lagos State Goverment is committed and will not condone this hazardous act to her residents.

Health

LASG FLags Off Polio Outbreak Response Campaign

Published

6 months ago

January 20, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, has launched the 2025 Polio Outbreak Response Campaign, reaffirming its commitment to eradicating polio and safeguarding the health of its children.

The ceremony, held at the Simpson Primary Healthcare Centre, was led by the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, represented by Mrs. Widad Jumoke Mustafa, a member of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO).

In her address, the First Lady emphasised the state government’s proactive measures to keep Lagos polio-free, highlighting the critical importance of the campaign in preventing the debilitating effects of poliomyelitis, which can result in paralysis or death.

The First Lady also called on parents, community leaders, and stakeholders to support the campaign by ensuring eligible children are vaccinated.

Targeting children aged 0-59 months, vaccination teams will administer the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) to prevent virus transmission.

Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, the Special Adviser on Health, expressed gratitude to Lagosians for their continued cooperation in the fight against polio. While appreciating all healthcare workers and partners for their services, Mrs. Ogunyemi encouraged parents to present their children and wards for the exercise.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Lagos Mainland Local Government, Mrs. Omolola Rashidat Essien opined that Immunization is key in ensuring that children are kept safe from polio and other vaccine preventable diseases.

Dr. Abimbola Bowale, the Supervising Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, who also spoke at the event, underscored the life-saving importance of immunization.

“All children aged 0-59 months need multiple doses of the polio vaccine to ensure full protection. Any child missed represents a potential risk for the poliovirus to spread. The vaccine is safe, effective, and crucial in keeping our communities polio-free,” he stated.

Dr. Bowale also outlined several strategies to ensure the success of the campaign, including fixed post teams stationed at primary healthcare centres and public health facilities, house-to-house visits, and a transit strategy to reach special locations such as places of worship, schools, motor parks, and other public venues.

The event concluded with Dr. (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu officially launched the campaign, marking a renewed effort to maintain Lagos State’s polio-free status.

Headline

Lagos Cholera Cases Rise To 421

Published

1 year ago

June 22, 2024

Editor

The Lagos state suspected cholera cases have risen to 421.

The Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi disclosed this on his Instagram handle @profakinabayomi on Saturday.

“As of June 20, 2024, an additional four suspected cholera cases have been reported, as illustrated in the accompanying graph,” he wrote.

He noted that the Emergency Operations Centre in collaboration with all relevant partners is actively engaged in contact tracing, community-based surveillance, awareness campaigns, sample testing, and ensuring that confirmed cholera cases receive appropriate medical treatment.

On Friday, the commissioner confirmed 35 cases out of the 417 suspected cases and 24 deaths across 20 Local Government Areas in the state.

The cases were reported from Agege, Badagry, Ikeja, Mushin, Ajeromi-Ifelofun, Epe, Ikorodu, Ojo, Alimosho, and Eti-Osa.

Others were Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Amuwo-Odofin, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos Island, Shomolu, Apapa, Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos mainland, and Surulere.

Cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by ingesting the bacteria— Vibrio cholerae — in contaminated water and food. Cholera can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea, and the severe forms of the disease can kill within hours if left untreated.

In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more frequently in areas with poor sanitation.

The World Health Organisation on Thursday announced a spike in cholera in several regions of the world, with almost 195,000 cases and over 1,900 deaths reported in 24 countries since the start of 2024.

WHO said the Eastern Mediterranean Region reported the highest number of cases, followed by the African Region, the Region of the Americas, the Southeast Asia Region, and the European Region.

The global health body, however, noted that there are no reported cases in the Western Region, according to its bulletin released on Wednesday.

It said it exhausted its global stockpile of Oral Cholera Vaccines by March but was able to exceed “the emergency target of five million doses in early June for the first time in 2024.”

Health

AUTISM: What You Need To Know

Published

1 year ago

April 6, 2024

Editor

By Silver Yeibake

Autism, commonly known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication, social interaction, and behavior. Autism is referred to as a spectrum condition since it can manifest in a variety of symptoms and abilities. While the actual cause of autism is unknown, evidence suggests that genetic and environmental factors interact to influence its development.

The risk factors include a sibling with autism, advanced age of parents, exposure to certain air pollutants and pesticides before birth, extreme prematurity, mothers with diabetes, immune system disorders or obesity, any difficulty with delivery leading to deprivation of oxygen to the baby’s brain, fever during pregnancy, lack of certain vitamins minerals during pregnancy, and certain genetic conditions, such as Down, fragile X, and Rett syndromes.

“Risk factors can not on their own cause a disease. However, they can increase the likelihood of that disease in a person.”

It is important to know that contrary to trending claims online, there is no scientific or medical evidence that vaccines or consumption of sugar are risk factors for autism.

Autism is defined by difficulties in social interaction and communication. Individuals with autism may struggle to grasp social cues, maintain eye contact, and engage in typical back-and-forth conversations. Some people may also engage in meaningless, repetitive actions, such as hand-flapping or rocking, and have strong interests in specific areas.

It is essential to remember that autism is a lifelong diagnosis, but with early intervention and adequate care, people with autism can live fulfilling lives.
Autism treatment frequently includes behavioral therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and social skills training. Each individual with autism is unique, thus interventions should be tailored to meet their personal needs and strengths.

In spite of the difficulties that autism can cause, many people with autism possess unique talents and abilities. Some people may succeed in fields such as music, art, mathematics, or programming, thus it is important for society to acknowledge and honor the qualities and achievements of people with autism.

In summary, autism is a complicated and diverse disorder that affects individuals in various ways. By raising autism knowledge, understanding, and acceptance, we can build a more inclusive society in which people with autism can thrive and attain their full potential.

Dr. Yeibake, Weriwoyingipre Silver.
Senior Registrar,
Faculty Of Pediatrics,
WACP