Health

No 10 appears to confirm Nimco Ali’s Christmas lockdown stay with Johnsons

A close friend of Boris and Carrie Johnson did stay with the couple during the peak of the coronavirus lockdown last Christmas, Downing Street has in effect confirmed, while insisting that no Covid rules were broken.

It is understood that Nimco Ali, a campaigner and Home Office adviser who is godmother to the Johnsons’ son, Wilfred, was at Downing Street over the Christmas period as part of their childcare support bubble.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson declined to formally confirm that Ali was there. “As you might expect, I’m not going to get into speaking about individuals that the prime minister has seen over Christmas,” he said. “What I can say is that the prime minister and Mrs Johnson have followed the coronavirus rules at all times.”

However, the spokesperson did say that neither Boris Johnson’s mother – who died last month aged 79 – or Carrie Johnson’s mother were with the family over Christmas. Asked to confirm whether or not Ali was there, he did not respond.

“It is entirely accurate to say that they followed coronavirus rules at all times,” the spokesperson said, rejecting the argument that it was legitimate to seek clear answers on the arrangements given lockdown breaches by senior government figures such as Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings and the ex-health secretary Matt Hancock.

“I don’t accept that,” he said. “We have been very clear that throughout this pandemic the prime minister has expected all ministers to adhere to the guidelines. That is what the prime minister and Mrs Johnson have done, both at this time and throughout, and I’m happy to make that clear.”

Downing Street had also insisted that Cummings had not broken any lockdown rules, and when photographs emerged of Hancock kissing an aide in breach of regulations at the time, No 10 initially said the matter was “closed”.

Nonetheless, questions remain about which rules covered the presence of Ali, a prominent campaigner against female genital mutilation who has a two-days-a-month role advising the Home Office, which was seemingly not advertised.

An article in the magazine Harper’s, written by a senior editor of the Spectator, the magazine Johnson used to edit, which first reported Ali’s presence at Downing Street over Christmas, said she was there “despite pandemic restrictions on holiday gatherings”.

While the government did introduce a “Christmas bubble” allowing people to mix on Christmas Day, this was not in place in areas in the highest tier of restrictions, which included London at the time.

The rules said it was possible for people to use a childcare bubble on 25 December, even in areas under the highest tier, “but only if reasonably necessary for the purposes of childcare and where there are no reasonable alternatives”.

Johnson’s spokesman refused to say if or why such a childcare arrangement was necessary at the time.

Carrie Johnson’s mother, Josephine McAffee, was reportedly part of a support bubble with her daughter, an arrangement that was allowed if one member lived alone or if a household had a child aged under one, which Wilfred was last Christmas.

It was possible for households to have both a support bubble and childcare bubble, but the latter had strict rules and must be used only for childcare, not as a reason for people from different households to mix socially.

It is not clear whether the childcare bubble arrangement for Ali was longer-term or only in place for Christmas. Under the rules, childcare bubbles could change, but only if there was a reason connected to childcare logistics. If this happened, the family with the child had to stop using any childcare for at least 10 days before the bubble changed.

Ali has not commented beyond tweeting that she had received “two days of racist and disgusting tweets” after it was reported that she had breached lockdown rules when she had not.

Health

Bayelsa records 98% immunisation coverage

Bayelsa has recorded a 98 per cent coverage in the first round of the 2025 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs) programme conducted from the May 3 to May 6.

Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, deputy governor of the state, disclosed this during a meeting of the state’s taskforce on immunisation in Yenagoa on Wednesday.

He said that the government’s ultimate target was to achieve 100 per cent coverage in subsequent immunisation campaigns.

Ewhrudjakpo lauded the WHO, UNICEF, the Ministry of Health and other critical stakeholders for the feat achieved so far.

He, however, urged the partners not to rest on their oars as much still have to be done to achieve its target of 100 per cent immunization coverage.

He underscored the need for early preparations ahead of the second round of 2025 NIPDs scheduled for July.

The deputy governor assured the partners that funds for the programme would be released not later than two weeks to its commencement.

He directed all council chairmen to flag-off the second round of the 2025 NIPDs programme at any community other than their respective local government headquarters.

The deputy governor urged the chairmen to meet with the traditional rulers, school proprietors, and religious leaders in their areas to sensitise them on the importance of immunisation.

He also called parents, schools and churches to allow children to participate in the immunisation programme.

”The state government is serious about enforcing its public health law and executive order on compulsory immunisation.

“We have taken our immunisation coverage up to 98 per cent. But we want to take it to 100 per cent this time around, and that is why we have convened this meeting.

“We are also going to make an upward review of the logistics to reflect the present economic realities in the country,” he said.

Presentations by Dr Marcus Oluwadare of the WHO, and Dr Gbanaibulou Orukari, Director of Disease Control, Bayelsa State Primary Healthcare Board, revealed that area councils scored high percentage in the coverage.

They, however, identified poor workload rationalisation, data falsification and lack of commitment on the part of some personnel.

According to Oluwadare, we commend the Deputy Governor of the state for flagging off the NIPDs and chairing all the state ERMs in spite of his tight schedule.

“Bayelsa State was the only state to have full complements of her stakeholders in attendance during the April NIPDs in the whole of Nigeria,” he said.

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.”