Health
MPOX: Nigeria, Others To Benefit As WHO Plans $135m Fund

Nigeria and several other countries that have been recently hit by the Monkey Pox (MPOX) outbreak, stand to benefit from a $135m funding plan by the World Health Organization (WHO).
A statement by the organisation on Monday said the fund was necessary as it has launched a global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of mpox through coordinated global, regional, and national efforts.
This follows the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO Director-General on 14 August.
Although the current plan is subject to inputs by WHO’s member states, who were briefed on the plan on 23 August, the plan covers the six-month period of September 2024-February 2025.
During the period, a $135m funding need is envisioned for the response by WHO, member states, and partners, including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) which Nigeria is a member, communities, and researchers, among others.
The plan, which builds on the temporary recommendations and standing recommendations issued by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance, prevention, readiness and response strategies; advancing research and equitable access to medical countermeasures like diagnostic tests and vaccines; minimising animal-to-human transmission; and empowering communities to actively participate in outbreak prevention and control.
Strategic vaccination efforts will focus on individuals at the highest risk, including close contacts of recent cases and healthcare workers, to interrupt transmission chains.At the global level, the emphasis will be on strategic leadership, timely evidence-based guidance, and access to medical countermeasures for the most at-risk groups in affected countries.
WHO said it is working with a broad range of international, regional, national and local partners and networks to enhance coordination across key areas of preparedness, readiness and response.
This includes engagement with the ACT-Accelerator Principals group; the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response; the R&D Blueprint for Epidemics; and the interim Medical Counter Measures Network (i-MCM Net).
“The mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries can be controlled and can be stopped.
“Doing so requires a comprehensive and coordinated plan of action between international agencies and national and local partners, civil society, researchers and manufacturers, and our Member States.
This SPRP provides that plan, based on the principles of equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights, and coordination across sectors,” said Dr Ghebreyesus.
Nigeria Intensifies Surveillance As Mpox Cases Hit 39The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said a total of 39 confirmed cases and zero deaths from mpox have been recorded across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Director General of the NCDC, Jide Idris, made the revelation at a press briefing on the declaration of mpox as a public health emergency of international concern earlier in the month.
He said the NCDC is intensifying surveillance across Nigeria to swiftly detect and respond to new cases.
According to Idris, the NCDC all port health services across all five international airports, 10 seaports, and 51 land/foot crossing borders are on high alert.
He added that some states have also been put on high alert including Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Rivers, Cross-River, Akwa-Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
WHO recently declared the mpox surge in Africa a global public health emergency, worried by the rise in cases in DRC and the spread to nearby countries.
The WHO called a meeting of experts to study the outbreak and make a recommendation to Dr Ghebreyesus.
“Today, the emergency committee met and advised me that in its view, the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice,” Tedros told a press conference.
“This is something that should concern us all. WHO is committed in the days and weeks ahead to coordinate the global response, working closely with each of the affected countries, and leveraging our on-the-ground presence, to prevent transmission, treat those infected, and save lives.
”The decision comes after the African Union’s health watchdog declared its public health emergency over the growing outbreak.
Mpox has swept through the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the virus formerly called monkeypox was first discovered in humans in 1970, and spread to other countries.
Tedros said the more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths reported so far this year in DR Congo have already exceeded last year’s total.
Health
JUST IN: Ogun confirms Lassa fever outbreak as NYSC member dies

A 25-year-old member of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), has reportedly died of Lassa fever at a secondary health facility in ljebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
It wwas learnt that the female corp member who fell sick while in Ondo State, was brought to the health facility last Tuesday and later died same day.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, on Wednesday.
Coker also confirmed the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.
The statement reads, “Ogun State has confirmed a case of Lassa Fever and as such declared Lassa fever outbreak.
“The index case is a 25-year-old female National Youth Corp member who fell sick while in Ondo State and was brought to on of our secondary health facility in ljebu North LGA on 18th March 2025 and later died same day.
“ Lassa fever is a viral Haemorrhagic disease that presents with High grade fever, Headache, General body weakness, Sore throat, Muscle pain, Cough, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhoea, Chest pain and Unexplained bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose, mouth and other body openings.
”Coker urged members of the community to report to the hospital if any of the listed symptoms is noticed.
“We implore members of the community to promptly report to the hospital if they notice any of these symptoms.
Any case of febrile illness that has not responded to 48 hours use of anti-malaria or antibiotics should raise an index of suspicion for Lassa fever!
“We implore all Health facilities in Ogun State, public and private, to step up Infection Prevention and Control measures and to encourage compliance by all health facility staff.“
Healthcare worker that suspects Lassa fever in a patient, are advised to call their local government disease surveillance and notification officer (LGA DSNO) whose numbers are placed in our health facilities or call State Disease surveillance and Notification Officer (0703-421-4893) or State Epidemiologist (0808-425-0881),” she added.
The commissioner, however reiterated the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration’s dedication to protecting the health of the citizens through continuous surveillance and prompt response to infectious diseases.
She added that the ministry in collaboration with the Rapid Response Team at ljebu North East is keeping the situation under control with enhanced surveillance and community engagement and mobilization for effective response.
Health
JUST IN: NAFDAC goes digital in fight against fake pharmaceutical products

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has gone digital in its efforts to rid the country of substandard and falsified pharmaceutical products.
During a two-day workshop and training session in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Wednesday, NAFDAC introduced an app, Greenbook, an online platform for identifying the source of a product.
The Greenbook allows consumers to enter the product name, brand name, or registration number to search for information about its registration status.
If the product is listed in the Greenbook, it signifies that it has been registered by NAFDAC and is considered authentic.
The app serves as a tool to help consumers identify and avoid potentially fake or substandard products.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, speaking at the workshop in Port Harcourt, stated that these fake products are “produced by our greedy businessmen and their international collaborators to get rich or make money,” describing it as the worst form of inhumanity of man to his fellow men.
Prof. Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of the Post-Marketing Surveillance Directorate, NAFDAC, Fraden Bitrus, noted that the agency has, over the years, deployed various measures to combat falsified products.
She expressed concern that counterfeiters have adopted increasingly sophisticated methods to advance their trade but assured that NAFDAC “is poised to use technologies and modern means to mitigate the activities of counterfeiters, hence the need for stakeholder sensitisation.”
She added that the workshop aims to educate stakeholders and provide hands-on training on the NAFDAC Greenbook, the Traceability Regulation 2024, and the Paediatric Regulation 2024, ensuring that both the regulator and the regulated are aligned in the fight against substandard and falsified medical products.
Prof. Adeyeye revealed that the project is being implemented in phases, initially used for COVID-19 vaccine distribution as a pilot project, which yielded highly effective results.
She noted, “Within 24 hours, batches of substandard or defective vaccines distributed in the country were traced and recalled.”
She further stated, “We have implemented it for commodities in public health, such as antimalarial and narcotic products.
Over time, we will extend it to other products. Please note that with this technology, stakeholders can detect and reject SF products before they enter the supply chain.”
She called on all stakeholders in the healthcare sector to support these initiatives to combat fake products and ensure the availability of quality, safe, and efficacious medical products for the people of Nigeria.
Health
IPOB to NAFDAC: Return seized goods from Onitsha drug market

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to return goods seized from traders at Ogbo Ogwu Drug Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.
In a statement issued by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, the group alleged that NAFDAC officials conducted a midnight raid on the market, blocking CCTV cameras, breaking into shops, and confiscating goods under the claim of targeting fake drugs.
IPOB criticized the method of the operation, questioning the agency’s approach and transparency.
While IPOB reaffirmed its stance against the sale of counterfeit drugs, it raised concerns over the alleged seizure of traders’ goods in their absence, the blocking of surveillance cameras, and the lack of evidence proving that all confiscated products were counterfeit.
The group posed several questions to NAFDAC, including: Why was the operation conducted at midnight? Why were CCTV cameras blocked?
Where is the evidence that the confiscated drugs were fake? Why was the entire market sealed, affecting both innocent and guilty traders?
IPOB urged NAFDAC to adopt a more professional and transparent approach to combating fake drugs, suggesting that the agency establish permanent offices in drug markets to ensure proper regulation rather than conducting surprise raids.
The statement also called for collaboration between NAFDAC and the Anambra State Government to relocate the drug market to the new Oba Drug Market, ensuring that only licensed and certified dealers are allowed to operate.
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