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36 per cent pregnant women suffer anaemia in Adamawa – UNICEF

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Thirty-six per cent of pregnant women in Adamawa State, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, suffer from anaemia, a condition that poses serious risks to both the mothers and their babies.

Nuzhat Rafique, the Chief of Field Office at UNICEF Bauchi, made the disclosure in Yola, explaining, “Adamawa State’s malnutrition crisis is further worsened by alarming child nutrition statistics: 48.6% of children are stunted, 7% are wasted, and over 80% experience child food poverty.”

She said to combat this crisis, UNICEF has provided 4,290 cartons of Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) to the Adamawa State government, assuring that the supplements will benefit approximately 85,000 children, helping to prevent malnutrition and improve child survival, growth, and development.

Addressing issues such as stunting, wasting, and anaemia, procured through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) mechanism, SQ-LNS contains 23 essential vitamins and minerals, as well as protein and energy.

According to her, Adamawa was among the first states in Nigeria to adopt the CNF, contributing N100 million in 2023, which was matched by UNICEF.

Felix Tangwami, Adamawa State’s Commissioner for Health and Human Resources, attributed the high malnutrition rates to insecurity, which has limited farmers’ access to their lands and reduced food availability.

He lauded Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for prioritizing the social services sector, particularly healthcare, and highlighted the state’s investment of N100 million in 2023 for food supplements, which has been increased to N300 million this year.

Dr. Bashir Sulaiman, the Executive Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, expressed optimism that the N300 million matching fund would significantly improve child health in the state.

With UNICEF’s contribution, this will translate into N600 million worth of supplements, ensuring better nutrition and well-being for thousands of children.

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Health

ESUT inducts 70 graduates into nursing profession

The induction ceremony was conducted by the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Alhaji Alhassan Ndagi, formally ushering the graduates into the noble healthcare profession.

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The Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), yesterday, inducted 70 pioneer graduates of its Department of Nursing Sciences into the nursing profession.

The induction ceremony was conducted by the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Alhaji Alhassan Ndagi, formally ushering the graduates into the noble healthcare profession.

This was even as the elated inductees, who began their academic journey in 2018 without accreditation for the programme, heaped praises on the Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, for the decisive action and strategic intervention, acknowledging that without the governor’s timely support and provision of the facilities necessary for accreditation, their dreams might have ended in frustration.

The Chairman of the occasion and Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Yomi Jaye, described the event as a celebration of vision, resilience, and political will.

He recounted how the students had been plunged into despair following years of delay due to the lack of accreditation until Mbah assumed office and swiftly ensured the programme met the standards required by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the NMCN.

He said: “At the beginning of this administration, we were saddled with the task of strengthening our nursing and medical education.

We carried out a baseline assessment of all the institutions and discovered there was no accreditation for 19 years. We approached the NUC and the Nursing Council.

The governor backed us with all the necessary resources, and we worked alongside the university day and night. They didn’t just accredit them, they also indexed the backlog.”

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Health

Six million donkeys slaughtered yearly for Chinese medicine – Report

It is driven by an increase in China’s production of ejiao – a product marketed as a health supplement that uses collagen from donkey skins – which is a $6.8-billion industry, according to China-based research firm Qianzhan.

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(AFP): Almost six million donkeys are slaughtered annually for Chinese medicine, with severe knock-on effects for African villagers who rely on the animals, a UK-based charity said on Thursday.

It is driven by an increase in China’s production of ejiao – a product marketed as a health supplement that uses collagen from donkey skins – which is a $6.8-billion industry, according to China-based research firm Qianzhan.

China, whose donkey population has plummeted from 11 million in 1992 to 1.5 million in 2023, has turned to Africa to meet its demand.

With donkey populations falling, the African Union issued a 15-year moratorium on donkey slaughter last year.

UK-based charity The Donkey Sanctuary said, “the ejiao industry drives a massive global trade in donkey skins, much of it illegal”.

It said around 5.9 million donkeys were killed worldwide last year.

The ejiao trade is expected to require at least 6.8 million donkey skins by 2027. The rising value of donkeys means they have increasingly become targets for criminals.

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Business

Lagos State Enforcement Team Busts Illegal Abattoir in Agege, Arrests Operators

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The Lagos State enforcement squad of the MOE&WR led by KAI operatives on Wednesday burst an illegal abbatoir which was being operated at a private residence at Succo road directly opposite the RRS Barracks and LASTMA Yard in Oko Oba, Agege, arresting some of those found slaughtering animals for public consumption in the location.

The operation followed a tip-off from a whistle blower.

“The enforcement team said, the contaminated meat from cows and goats have been confiscated to prevent it from entering the food chain”.

“This action of the operators of the abbatoir is in defiance of the closure of the Oko Oba Abbatoir and poses great health dangers and environmental risks to the law abiding residents of the area”.

“We need to make it clear that such disregard for public health and sanitation will not be tolerated in Lagos State” .

“Every Government’s primary responsibility is the protection of lives and properties and we will not shirk that responsbbility.”

“We will continue to ensure that only safe and approved public facilities are allowed to operate within our communities.”the statement reads.

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