Laboratory
NDLEA seizes 200kg of hard drugs at Lagos, Abuja, Kano airports
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) simultaneously seized 200 kilograms of illicit substances at the Lagos, Kano and Abuja airports last week. Its Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja. He stated that a 41-year-old Adewuyi Olayinka was arrested while trying to export 650 grams of cocaine to the United Kingdom. The drugs were wrapped in two parcels arranged to be taken through the Skyway Aviation Handling Company export shed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. “The drugs were concealed in dry pepper and in herbal concoction. “In the same vein, 107kg of hard drug suspected to be Khat was seized at the cargo shed of the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, while being exported to Canada. “The ...
PTF: Nigeria has over 100 molecular laboratories
Nigeria can now boast of over 100 molecular laboratories for the testing of COVID-19 in the country, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), Boss Mustapha, has said. This is just as the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, flayed the non challant attitude of people in his home state, Kwara, to the pandemic. The SGF who spoke Tuesday at the commissioning of State House Clinic Special Care Centre (COVID-19 Isolation Centre) stated that the number of molecular laboratories grew from two last year to more than 100 as at today and are spread across the 36 states of the federation. His words: ‘‘From just two molecular laboratories for the testing of COVID-19 in Nigeria, we now have over 100 molecular laboratories, public and private, across the 36 States of the Feder...
Nigeria fines UK, South African airlines for breach of coronavirus protocol
The Nigerian government has rolled out punitive measures against foreign airline operators flying into Nigeria, particularly those from the United Kingdom and South Africa whose passengers allegedly violated the reviewed travel protocols announced by Nigeria’s regulatory body for aviation NCAA. The agency, in a circular issued on December 26 by its director-general Musa Nuhu, disclosed that airlines from the affected countries shall be fined $3,500 for each passenger that flouts the guidelines, which were reviewed to prevent an outbreak of the new variant of the coronavirus recently reported in the UK and South Africa. The circular stated that repeated non-compliance by any carrier would result in the suspension of the airline’s permit to fly into Nigeria, as defaulting passengers are boun...
NCDC: Many health workers still doubt existence of coronavirus
Oladipo Ogunbode, assistant director, department of prevention programmes and management, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says it is surprising that health workers still doubt the existence of COVID-19. According to newsmen, Ogunbode stated this on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at a conference to mark the 2020 health week, themed: “Outbreak of Disease in Nigeria: Are We Ready?” Ogunbode said it is hard to understand how health workers who had come in contact with victims of COVID-19 in the line of duty, still doubted the existence of the virus. “Health workers should create awareness on COVID-19, but many of them still doubt its existence. We must work hard to remove such doubt,” he said. “It’s amazing and inexplicable for medics to doubt the fact that the pandemic was a real...
Nigerian government approves new test kit for HIV
In its effort to ensure that the spread of the HIV virus is drastically reduced, the Federal Government has approved the inclusion of ”Wondfo HIV I and II rapid test kits” for use in the country. The National Coordinator, National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NASCP) Dr Akudo Ikpeazu, made the this known while presenting the evaluation report on the kit, on Tuesday in Abuja. “The Wondfo rapid test kit, could be used as a confirmatory test because of its high specification of 99.4 per cent,” she said. The coordinator said that in 2019, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) approved the conduct of the laboratory performance evaluation of Wondfo HIV I and II rapid test kit. “The result of the evaluation which was conducted at the reference testing laboratory Public Health in Vitro Diagnostic La...
NCDC certifies molecular laboratory in Bayelsa
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has activated the newly inaugurated Bayelsa State Molecular Laboratory, Research and Diagnostic Centre for COVID-19 testing. The facility, which was inaugurated by Gov. Douye Diri, brought the number of NCDC accredited laboratories in the country to 66 in 34 states. The Acting Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Daniel Alabrah, announced this in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday in Yenagoa. He said that the NCDC in a letter by the Laboratory Network Advisor, Celestina Obiekea, to the Bayelsa Commissioner for Health, stated that the laboratory had fulfilled the necessary requirements to test for COVID-19. He quoted the NCDC as saying that the state would be responsible for procurement of consumables, equipment and other mater...
20 OOUTH staff, family of four test positive for coronavirus
Tension has enveloped the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, in Ogun State as no fewer than 20 medical laboratory staff of the hospital and another family of four have contracted coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The family of four was said to have contracted the viral disease from their father who happened to be one of the staff working in the hospital’s main laboratory. A dependable source in the hospital said that the staff of the laboratory started going for the COVID-19 test last week Friday, August 13 following the death of staff from the department while some were already ill and manifesting symptoms associated with Covid-19. The results of the test were said to have started trickling in from last week Saturday to yesterday, Tuesday confirming that 20 out o...
House of Reps order release of Benue coronavirus index case
The House of Representatives has resolved to come to the rescue of Benue State’s coronavirus index case, Susan Idoko, who has accused the government of refusing to release her from isolation despite “not” being infected with the disease. The action of the House followed the unanimous adoption of a motion moved by a member, Blessing Onuh, at plenary on Tuesday. It was entitled, ‘Urgent Need to Look into the Release of Mrs Susan Idoko Okpe, Nee Lawani, Who was Quarantined by the Government Following Misinformation and Diagnosis.’ Adopting the motion, the House resolved to “mandate the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, through the Federal Ministry of Health, to critically evaluate her as a matter of urgency and if proved otherwise, should be allowed to go home.” The parliament also tasked t...
Medical experts decry non-compliance to NCDC guidelines
As COVID-19 confirmed cases continue to soar, health professionals have decried noncompliance with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, relaxation guidelines, expressing fears that the development may further worsen the spread of the infection across the country. In a separate interview with Vanguard, the experts described activities in the states as disastrous. In his submission, a Molecular Laboratory expert, Dr Casmier Ifeanyi, lamented that Nigerians have thrown caution to the wind with the turnout of people in the streets, plazas, and banking halls with no regard or respect for NCDC guidelines. Recalling that members of PTF had lamented the disregard for the guidelines, he expressed worry that despite the contagious nature of the disease, Nigerians still packed themselves in...
Rivers inaugurates three coronavirus testing machines at state university teaching hospital
In its determination to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the state, the Rivers State Government Friday evening inaugurated three PCR machines at its Covid-19 testing centre at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt. The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Teaching Hospital, Dr. Friday Aaron, said Shell Petroleum Development Company donated two of the PCR machines to the state government while the third came from Total E and P. He said: “This evening we are here to celebrate, because it has been our goal to get a testing centre in Rivers State. Today, I am happy to announce that we can now do Covid-19 tests at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital courtesy of the Rivers State Government ably led by our own Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. “We also tha...
