Health

Man who put on fat suit disguise to throw acid on ex-girlfriend jailed

A medical student who threw acid over his ex-girlfriend while disguised in a fat suit has been jailed for 15 years.

Milad Rouf put on the disguise, which also included makeup and sunglasses, before throwing sulphuric acid over Rym Alaoui, his ex-girlfriend and a former colleague, when she came to the door of her home in May.

Alaoui suffered life-changing injuries as a result, Lewes crown court heard. She has been left unable to close her eyes or move her neck and is blind in her right eye.

A search of Rouf’s flat after the incident revealed a “shopping list” detailing his disguise, which included a “fat suit” and “black morph suit”.

The 25-year-old from Cardiff travelled to his family’s home in Eltham in south-east London and on to Brighton, where he carried out the attack. The acid was so concentrated it scorched the paintwork off Alaoui’s front door.

Prosecutor Flora Page told the court: “Using padded clothing and makeup, he made himself appear to be a black woman of large build. By the time of the attack at 4.15pm, he was dressed all in black and he was wearing a face mask, sunglasses and a face visor.”

His disguise proved effective, and Alaoui did not recognise him as she opened the door.

Judge Christine Laing QC told Rouf she had no doubt he was a danger to women before sending him to prison on an extended sentence of 15 years. Rouf knew better than most the effect sulphuric acid would have on the body, the judge said, adding that the attack was beyond understanding.

Rouf and Alaoui, who is in her 20s and is a junior doctor, studied medicine together at Cardiff University where they had a brief relationship before Alaoui ended it and moved to Brighton in April.

“You thought about what you wanted to do and how you were going to do it and planned it over weeks before carrying it out,” Laing said.

“You knew full well what you were doing was wrong and you tried to evade responsibility for it to continue to pursue your medical career.”

Laing described the motives for the attack as inexplicable other than simple jealousy and anger at being rejected.

In a statement, Alaoui said she fears for her future after Rouf robbed her of her career and young adult life.

She wrote: “When I came to answer the door that day, a substance I now know to be sulphuric acid was thrown into my face.

“Since the day I was subject to this horrific attack, my life has changed. I live in pain and fear of my future wellbeing and financial hardship.

“The impact of the attack includes severe damage to my right eye which I am still unable to see out of. Damage to eyelids and damage to skin on face, neck and arm.

“I am unable to move my neck and close my eyelids. I have had five surgeries. I’m still trying to come to terms with more procedures and operations.

“I am unable to attend work or live my life. I have been robbed of years of my career and young adult life. The psychological effect had been colossal on me, my family and loved ones.

“I cannot begin to imagine why somebody would commit such a premeditated and horrible attack. I cannot understand what was in his mind.”

Rouf showed his ex-girlfriend a note and threw the acid in her face as she looked down to read it. He dumped his disguise in bins across the city before buying new clothes and fleeing back to Wales.

Health

NCDC records 832 Lassa fever, Mpox cases, 135 deaths

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed the country has recorded 832 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and Mpox.

Speaking during a press briefing on Friday in Abuja, the agency’s Director General, Dr. Jide Idris, revealed that 132 fatalities were recorded from Lassa fever and three from Mpox.

While acknowledging a recent decline in Lassa fever infections during epidemiological week 16 (ending April 20, 2025), he warned that the overall risk remains high, particularly in endemic regions.

“Cumulatively, as of week 16, Nigeria has reported 4,253 suspected cases of Lassa fever, 696 confirmed cases, and 132 deaths, resulting in a case fatality rate of 19.0 percent,” he stated.

Dr. Idris attributed recent improvements to intensified surveillance, treatment efforts, and enhanced community engagement. He emphasized, however, the continued need for vigilance and collaboration to sustain progress.

Regarding Mpox, the NCDC boss disclosed that three deaths have been recorded in 2025—two in Abia and Ebonyi States in week 10, and one recently in Rivers State involving a patient co-infected with HIV and tuberculosis. As of week 16, 723 suspected cases and 136 laboratory-confirmed cases of Mpox have been reported across 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The national case fatality rate currently stands at 2.2 per cent.

“The epidemic curve reveals multiple peaks in Mpox cases, indicating ongoing transmission. While most states have reported suspected cases, confirmed infections are heavily concentrated in Nigeria’s southern and central regions,” Dr. Idris noted.

To address these outbreaks, the NCDC has activated its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), deployed National Rapid Response Teams to affected states, and prepositioned essential medical supplies, including personal protective equipment and laboratory consumables. Five additional Mpox diagnostic laboratories have also been optimized in Bauchi, Kano, Cross River, Rivers, and Enugu States.

“Healthcare workers are undergoing specialized training in infection prevention, case management, and cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) care. Community outreach is being reinforced through public awareness campaigns, media engagement, and targeted health communication strategies,” he added.

On cerebrospinal meningitis, Dr. Idris reported a consistent decline in new cases and fatalities over the last three weeks.

He attributed the improvement to effective vaccination, early treatment, and adaptive surveillance strategies tailored to real-time data.

“Although the situation remains serious, strong national and state-level coordination is showing positive results. The response will continue until full containment is achieved and states take full ownership of the CSM Incident Action Plan,” he said.

Dr. Idris also expressed concern about the rising Mpox trend since its reemergence in 2017, with significant spikes recorded between 2022 and 2024, positioning Nigeria among the most affected countries globally. He warned that underreporting and delayed data entry remain challenges that need urgent resolution to ensure accurate and timely outbreak response.

A national mortality review for the recent Mpox deaths is being planned to further assess response effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.

The NCDC reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding public health through timely surveillance, transparent reporting, and coordinated national response mechanisms aimed at reducing disease burden and preventing future outbreaks.

Health

Only 89 doctors left in Kwara Govt hospitals amid ‘Japa’ crisis – Health Board

The Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Hospital Management Board, Abdulrahman Malik, disclosed that there is an acute shortage of medical doctors in the state-owned hospitals.

Speaking at the state interministerial press briefing for the first quarter of 2025 on Tuesday, April 29, Malik said that due to the ‘Japa’ syndrome, doctors do not want to take up appointments with the state government, even when the government is ready to recruit them.

He lamented that while between 180 and 200 doctors are required in the government service, only 89 of them are available in the service.

He said the number of available doctors only recently became 89 from 86 when three who had left the service returned after the government introduced a new and improved salary for the doctors’ services.

The hospital board’s boss said the government had been trying to attract doctors to the state service with improved salaries and facilities that could encourage them to stay, especially in the rural areas where many of them do not want to go.

He also disclosed that the government has introduced an intern nurses programme for the training of nurses who would replace many nurses who had left the service for abroad.

“The mass exodus of health professionals is severely affecting our capacity to provide adequate care,” the official said.

“Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has approved an upgrade in the salaries of our doctors to match federal pay in a bid to retain the few we have left.

“The revised salary structure has led to the return of three doctors who had previously resigned, bringing the total number on the state’s payroll to 89.

“However, the figure still falls short of the estimated 180 to 200 physicians needed to serve the state’s population effectively.

“Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio is currently estimated at one doctor to over 5,000 patients, far below the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended one doctor to 600 patients.”

Health

Wike approves recruitment of 34 resident doctors for FCT hospitals

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has approved the recruitment of 34 resident doctors for a seven-year residency training to enhance health-care delivery in FCT.

Mr Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Public Communications and Social Media, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

Olayinka explained that the 34 doctors would be the first batch of 60 medical doctors approved for residency training in eight specialities in FCT Administration hospitals.

He said that five out of the 34 doctors would work in the psychiatric department, four in internal medicine and one in general surgery.

Others, he said would comprise one in anesthesiology, eight in family medicine, six in ophthalmology and nine in obstetrics and gynaecology.

“This is the first time this is being done outside employees of the Health Management Board, thereby, giving doctors more opportunity and bringing more competent hands into healthcare delivery in the FCT,” he said.

The spokesman added that the remaining 26 doctors would be recruited in due course by the FCTA Civil Service Commission.

He said that the 26 doctors would comprise one for psychiatry department, four for internal medicine, eight for general surgery, five in anesthesiology, and eight paediatrics.