Coronavirus variants: FG raises alarm over continuous spreading
,,,Places Lagos, FCT, Rivers, 4 others on red alert
THE Federal Government has put six States and the Federal Capital Territory FCT, on red alert as part of its preventive measures against the now virulent wave of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Aside the FCT, the six states are Lagos, Oyo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kano and Plateau.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Coronavirus, Mr Boss Mustapha disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja recently.
He said government's action followed the continuous ravaging of the pandemic, in various form such as Delta Variant, Omicron etc, and the rising number of infections and hospitalization in the country.
The PSC, however, warned all states of the federation to heighten their state of preparedness and continue to enforce all protocols put in place.
"These steps are critical as we begin to see worrisome early signs of increasing cases in Nigeria", he stated.
'The PSC shall continue to minimize the risk of importation of Variants of Concern into the country by strengthening Surveillance at all Points of Entry (POE), enforcing extant quarantine protocols and sustaining the current restrictive measures against travelers arriving from India, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.
"Nigerians and all Residents are reminded to stay safe, always", the statement added.
In a related development, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, urged Nigerians to take heed of the red alert.
“Despite significant efforts, there is still ongoing transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, in Nigeria and across the world. This means that until we control virus transmission, we will experience periods where there is a surge in cases, associated with various factors.
“This surge in cases can be as a result of the spread of variants of concern, especially where the variant is highly transmissible. Additionally, as the virus spreads when people are in contact with others, the resumption of social gatherings with poor adherence to public health and social measures will contribute to an increase in cases”, Ihekweazu, stated, stressing that, Nigeria, like other countries across the world, is at risk of a surge in COVID-19 cases given the detection of the Delta variant.
“The risk of a surge in cases is higher as more people disregard the public health and social measures in place. We still have a window of opportunity to prevent this surge, but this requires personal and collective responsibility.
“It is important that Nigerians recognise this risk and adhere to the known preventive measures by avoiding large gatherings, wearing a face mask properly in public settings, washing their hands regularly and adhering to interventions such as the international travel protocol. Now that we have a COVID-19 vaccine, it is important to get vaccinated to protect yourself and loved ones.”
US health officials investigate monkeypox on traveller from Nigeria
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, and health officials in Dallas, Texas are investigating a case of monkeypox in a traveller who arrived from Nigeria.
“We have been working closely with the CDC and the Texas Department of State Health Services, and have conducted interviews with the patient and close contacts that were exposed. We have determined that there is very little risk to the general public," Huang said.
"Travellers on flights were required to wear masks as well as in the U.S. airports due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it's believed the risk of spread of monkey pox via respiratory droplets to others on the planes and in the airports is low. “Working with airline and state and local health partners, CDC is assessing potential risks to those who may have had close contact with the traveller on the plane and specific settings."
The CDC said that in Africa, monkeypox has been shown to cause death in as many as 1 in 10 persons who contract the disease.
Monkeypox outbreak only declared when large cluster of cases is emergency — NCDC
In a response to the development, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, said that Nigeria had recorded cases of monkeypox this year, but noted that an outbreak is only declared when a large cluster of cases constitutes an emergency.
The Director General/CEO of the NCDC, NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu,said that: “Since 2017, sporadic cases of monkeypox have been recorded in Nigeria throughout the year. The data on monkeypox is published every week in the National Weekly Epidemiological report available via www.ncdc.gov.ng
“This year, we have recorded 52 suspected cases and 13 confirmed cases with no death so far. We have continued to support states in strengthening their preparedness and response capacity.
“We continue to detect and respond to monkeypox cases in Nigeria as with other epidemic prone diseases. This means that when there is a large cluster of cases that constitute an emergency, an outbreak is declared,” he remarked.
In 2017, Nigeria experienced its largest documented monkeypox outbreak 40 years after the last confirmed case, according to the World Health Organisation, WHO.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease that is indigenous to Central and West Africa. In humans, the disease is similar to smallpox, though milder.
Rodents, including animals kept as pets, are the main suspected reservoir hosts of the monkeypox virus, with monkeys and humans as secondary, spill-over hosts.
People at risk for monkeypox are those who get bitten by an infected animal or have contact with the animal's rash, blood or body fluids. It can also be transmitted person to person through respiratory or direct contact and contact with contaminated bedding or clothing.
There is no specific treatment for monkeypox, but a new third generation of the vaccinia vaccine used during the smallpox eradication programme has been developed and approved for prevention of smallpox and monkeypox.
According to the CDC, the symptoms of monkeypox appear about 12 days after infection. It begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion. The main difference between symptoms of smallpox and monkeypox is that monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell while smallpox does not and like smallpox.
One to three days (or longer) after the fever starts, patients will get a rash that develop into raised bumps filled with fluid and often starts on the face and spreads, but it can start on other parts of the body too. The bumps go through several stages before they get crusty, scab over, and fall off. The illness typically lasts for 2-4 weeks.
Desist from parading unverified medicinal products without approval, NAFDAC warns
The Director-General of he National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye on has explained the rationale behind the Agency's delay in approving locally produced herbal medicine for the treatment of COVID – 19 in Nigeria, warning Nigerian researchers and other herbal medicine practitioners to desist from parading unverified medicinal products as suitable for the cure of COVID without approval.
She warned that such an act was a violation of the national regulatory authority’s regulation and protocols.
Adeyeye stated that medicinal products available now can only help ease symptoms and up the odds of survival.
She admitted that onions or garlic or any of the natural fruits that we take have antioxidant and nutrients that can help us feel better.
According to Adeyeye: "People might have been using it and they get better. But if it is not documented, it cannot be recognised by NAFDAC for COVID-19. They work on our cells to keep people healthier. But not to cure COVID-19. They help our body to function better."
Warning to UniJos
She said the University of Jos said that there was a herbal medicine, whether it’s tea or whatever, that can cure COVID-19.
“They linked it with treatment of COVID -19. They did the packaging. We did a letter to warn them that they cannot claim something unless it has gone through our listing process. They were trying to sell it to their staff. That is violation of our own regulatory policies. Nobody should say that this one can cure this or that without going through NAFDAC listing process.’’
According to her, the research into herbal medicine by the academia is normal.
She however, added: ‘’It is now for the academia to also recognise the national regulatory authority established to safeguard the safety of the Nigerian populace by ensuring that the product that they are working on has to go through NAFDAC if they want to make it available for human consumption’’.
Adeyeye insisted that NAFDAC has to approve the clinical trial protocol, saying: "If they don’t go through NHREC, if it is a new product; and if they don’t go through NAFDAC before they start doing their clinical trial, that is a violation of regulatory procedures.
"Without clinical trial authorised by NAFDAC, nobody can claim that a product can cure COVID-19. Of course, some people might have been using it and they got better, but without being approved scientifically and documented, we may not be able to guarantee that it’s safe for human consumption’’
Approval for listing
Adeyeye recalled that NAFDAC set up a herbal medicine product committee in March 2019 before the pandemic broke out: to advance research in herbal medicine.
"The goal for that was to make sure that the herbalist and the researcher are collaborating so that whatever the herbalist knows from ancestral history that does not have research to back it up, collaboration with researchers will enable that herbal medicine to be advanced; to be listed by NAFDAC if it’s deemed safe.
"There is no single medicine that has been identified today to cure COVID -19. But there are herbal medicines that could alleviate symptoms of COVID -19.
“However, NAFDAC has not granted registration approval for any medicine for that. NAFDAC approves such medicines for listing. It means that it’s been tested and is deemed safe to use. NAFDAC cannot say herbal medicine can treat COVID -19 until clinical trial is done.
‘Right now, there is no single herbal medicine that has gone through full clinical trial the way clinical trial is supposed to be done’’.
Protocol
To do official clinical trial, she said: "You must write a protocol, you must pass it through the National Health Research Ethical Committee, NHREC you have to pass it through NAFDAC. We have not received any like that,’’ she said,
Nonetheless, she said the Agency has approved some herbal medicines that they claim can alleviate some of the symptoms of COVID -19, stressing that some of them are immune boosters that can increase the immune level of people.
When the immune level improves, Prof. Adeyeye pointed out that it may prevent one from getting the disease, adding that ‘’but as far as NAFDAC is concerned, we have not approved any medicine to treat COVID -19. We have approved medicines that they said can alleviate symptoms and relieve people of some symptoms of COVID – 19.’’
"When the product is listed then clinical trial may start. I used may because it’s expensive; it takes a lot of money to do clinical trial’’, she said. She further disclosed that University of Jos has been given approval for its product, Silymarin to commence clinical trial. She however, disclosed that this is yet to commence.
The NAFDAC DG, further disclosed that many herbal products have been submitted for federal government grants because most of the herbal practitioners lack the required wherewithal to do clinical trial.
"As we speak many of these herbal products are being subjected to review by different agencies of government in the country. In terms of going through clinical trial official protocols, none has come through yet. That doesn’t mean they will not because the process is still on’, she said.
Before a herbal product can be used to investigate whether it could be effective for COVID -19, she insists that that herbal medicine must be listed first.
According to her, listing involves submission of information about the herbal medicine, the toxicology study of it, the microbial limit test of it. Prof Adeyeye added that ‘’when they submit all these to us, we will confirm in our laboratory whether the product is safe to use; meaning it’s not toxic, whether it has tendency for microbial growth, we will test that in our lab’
”We will also do some physical testing, some piezochemical testing. We will find out whether it has other components that may be used to alleviate some symptoms. We will also go to the manufacturing site to establish its level of Good Manufacturing Practice GMP compliance. If it does, then we take samples’’.
She disclosed that the product is approved as listed If everything goes well, adding that ‘Listed’ means temporary approval for two years and renewable as a prelude to the clinical trial process.
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