Health

Rich nations warned hogging Covid jabs will lead to huge global death toll

Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide will die needlessly from Covid this autumn as wealthy nations prioritise booster shots for their own “highly protected” people instead of sharing doses, the head of the Oxford vaccine group has warned.

Prof Sir Andrew Pollard said that while it was “possible” a third dose might help protect some people, the “potential benefit” for the vast majority was “small” because most double jabbed people were already “highly protected” against Covid-19.

Pollard said the “failure” of wealthier nations to share more vaccines this summer – coupled with their decisions to embark on large-scale booster programmes – meant large numbers of avoidable deaths were now inevitable.

Supply of vaccines to poorer countries is improving and likely to “get better”, he said. “But for many hundreds of thousands of people, it won’t be soon enough.”

Pollard said it was “truly amazing” that within the next month, 50% of the world’s population will have had at least one dose to protect them against Covid-19. But he cautioned that the “remarkable progress” the world had made against coronavirus was “tempered by an uncomfortable moral and ethical predicament”. “Simply put,” he added, “the doses still aren’t shared fairly.

“That global 50% vaccinated figure hides gross inequity. More than 95% of people in low-income countries are yet to receive even their first dose, while over 60% have been vaccinated in high-income countries. We are protected, but they are not.

“To effect change in global mortality this year, it isn’t enough to promise to share doses – 1bn doses in total pledged in June by the G7 – we have to actually give the doses to those at risk of dying, and stick the needles in before they meet the virus.”

Pollard said the case for boosters was not yet agreed by all scientists. “Most double-jabbed people are so highly protected against severe disease that a booster dose won’t improve protection much,” he said.

“But there is a much stronger case, and there is no doubt among scientists, that first doses are lifesaving for the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated people should be prioritised wherever they live.”

But as he called on wealthier nations to urgently share more doses with poorer countries, Pollard also pleaded with individuals thinking of taking a stand on the issue not to refuse booster shots if offered them.

“The ‘to boost or not to boost’ moral dilemma is not in the purview of individual citizens who ponder whether to roll up their sleeve when offered a booster by a vaccine clinic this week,” he said.

“A dose that is in the vaccine clinic fridge (or freezer) cannot be redirected to someone else in another country, because the regulatory hurdles and shelf-life simply make redistribution of this dose not practical. A protest against vaccination at individual level will be misdirected and risks wasting these precious doses. If you are asked to roll up your sleeve, then you should do so.”

Pollard added: “There is clear evidence of a failure by governments to serve the world’s poor. But, for now, individuals must make the most of the vaccines that their healthcare systems make available to them.”

Health

JOHESU gives FG 15-day deadline to embark on strike

Health care workers under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address all lingering issues with the union or risks another round of industrial action.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the national chairman and national secretary of the union, noted that the Federal Government has not been able to address their demands since June last year when they suspended their strike, owing to promises from President Bola Tinubu to intervene.

The statement highlighted the union’s demands to include non-payment of covid-19 hazard allowance to members, the demand for tax waiver on health care workers’ allowances, and call for the immediate suspension of the plans to establish an agency that regulates the activities in national health facilities.

JOHESU embarked on strike between May 19, 2023 and June 6, 2023 last year, a two-week period that almost crippled health care services in public hospitals. The strike was called off following Tinubu’s promise to intervene.

Health

Yobe confirms 4 new polio cases

The Yobe Government has confirmed four new cases of polio in three Local Government Areas three years after the state was declared polio-free.

The Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Babagana Kundi-Machina, made this disclosure while launching a campaign against the disease in Machina, a border LGA with Niger Republic, on Saturday.

He said that the State Government, in collaboration with its partners, had launched a state-wide outbreak response and vaccination exercise to address the situation.

“It is unfortunate that after three years of being certified polio-free, we have recorded a circulating polio virus outbreak in Bursari, Machina, and Yusufari LGAs,” Kundi-Machina said.

The State Coordinator of the World Health Organisation, WHO, Dr Hamisu Alhassan, pledged the organisation’s support to the state toward curbing the outbreak.

He called on the public to adopt preventive measures, including personal and environmental hygiene, hand washing, and immunisation to boost immunity and promote good health, especially among women and children.

On his part, the Emir of Machina, Alhaji Bashir Machinama, urged his people to cooperate with the government by accepting the vaccine.

Machinama thanked the State Government for its prompt response and pledged to sensitise his community to take relevant steps to contain the disease.

Health

Cholera kills 11 in Ebonyi

A cholera outbreak in Ndibokote village, located in the Ezza Inyimagu area of Izzi Local Government, has claimed the lives of 10 people, including a nursing mother who leaves behind a nine-month-old baby.

The outbreak, confirmed by Ebonyi State Health Commissioner Dr. Moses Ekuma through a statement issued by ministry spokesperson Lucy Anyim, has affected approximately 20 others who are currently receiving treatment. Health officials are working diligently to contain the disease and prevent further spread in the community.

Dr. Ekuma noted that Governor Francis Nwifuru has approved the procurement of essential medical supplies to manage the crisis.

Additionally, three treatment centers have been established in the affected area, including Iziogo Health Centre, Sudan Mission Onuenyim, and a facility in Ndibokote village.

Open defecation and poor hygiene practices, along with reliance on stream water for drinking, are believed to be contributing factors to the outbreak.

Residents have been urged to follow precautionary measures to reduce the risk of further infections. Health authorities are on high alert to ensure the situation remains under control.