Health
NAFDAC urges rational use of medicines, stronger pharmacovigilance for patients safety
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has emphasised the need for the rational use of medicines and strengthened pharmacovigilance systems to enhance patients safety.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known at a sensitisation programme organised for community stakeholders in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The programme, themed “Rational Use of Medicines: Strengthening Pharmacovigilance for Patient Safety Public Health,” was organised by NAFDAC in partnership with the Immunisation Plus and Malaria by Accelerating Coverage and Transmission (IMPACT).
Mrs Adeyeye, represented by Uchenna Elemuwa, NAFDAC Director of Pharmacovigilance, said the programme was critical in promoting and protecting public health.
She noted that the rational use of medicines remained a fundamental pillar of effective healthcare delivery while warning that inappropriate use of medications could result in serious health consequences.
“Rational use of medicine is when a patient uses a medication appropriately in line with their clinical needs, in the correct doses, for an adequate duration, and at the lowest possible cost to both the patient and the community,” she said.
“Self-medication, misuse of antibiotics, polypharmacy, incorrect dosing, failure to adhere to prescribed treatments, use of counterfeit medicines and sharing medicines among family members pose dangers to public health.
“Rational use of medication is critical and that is why we are strongly against unhealthy practices that contribute significantly to treatment failure, adverse drug reactions, prolonged illness, and preventable deaths,” she said.
Antimicrobial resistance
Mrs Adeyeye added that the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which was one of the greatest threats to global health, emanated from the misuse and overuse of antibiotics.
According to her, pharmacovigilance plays a critical role in addressing these challenges through the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse effects and other medicine-related problems.
“No medicine is completely free from side effects,” Mrs Adeyeye said, adding that effective pharmacovigilance systems enabled healthcare professionals and patients to identify harmful reactions early and report them for appropriate regulatory actions.
She said the agency had continued to strengthen post-marketing surveillance, safety monitoring systems, adverse drug reaction reporting mechanisms, risk communication strategies and public sensitisation among others.
Mrs Adeyeye urged the participants, healthcare professionals and members of the public to actively report adverse drug reactions, stressing that “a single adverse drug reaction report can save thousands of lives.”
The NAFDAC boss also called for more collaborative effort to strengthen rational medicine use and pharmacovigilance through continuous education for healthcare workers, public awareness against self-medication and antibiotic misuse among others.
Adverse drug reaction
Adekunle Oreagba, a Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, College of Medicine University of Lagos, emphasised the need for Nigerians to be more aware of adverse drug reaction (ADR).
Mr Oreagba, who is the South-West Coordinator of ADR in the country, spoke on the “Introduction to ADR and Pharmacovigilance, What Every Community Members Should Know”.
He explained that adverse drug reactions were harmful effects that occurred after taking medicines correctly and as prescribed.
The coordinator noted that many people experience unusual symptoms after using medications but often failed to report them, making it difficult for health authorities and regulatory agency to monitor medicine safety.
He added that pharmacovigilance was crucial in understanding, and preventing adverse effects of prescribed medicine, hence the need for people to report any unusual reaction from the use of prescribed drug to health professionals.
READ ALSO: NAFDAC warns Nigerians as US recalls children’s ibuprofen over contamination concerns
“Reporting adverse drug reactions is essential for protecting public health,” he said.
“The information provided by patients and healthcare professionals helps regulatory authorities to identify medicines with potential safety concerns.
“If adverse drug reactions are not reported, health authorities cannot accurately determine their frequency or impact within the community.”
Mr Oreagba identified the use of multiple medications at once, known as Polypharmacy, as one of the major risk factors of ADR in humans.
He also added that children and older adults were also at risks of ADR because of their vulnerability. He said individuals with kidney and liver health issues are also at risk.
“Little children process medicines differently because their organs are still developing, while older adults, with multiple health conditions, may be taking several medications that increase their susceptibility to adverse reactions,” he said.
The professor advised members of the public to seek medical attention and report symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, skin rashes, stomach pain, or other unusual discomforts that develop after medication use.
The Chairman of Mushin LGA, Tunbosun Aruwe, commended NAFDAC for educating stakeholders on the various critical health issues that affected the common man.
(NAN)
Women in northern Nigeria continue to bear a disproportionate burden of maternal deaths, with the Northwest and Northeast geopolitical zones accounting for about three-quarters of reported fatalities in health facilities, according to the 2026 Joint Annual Review (JAR) Statistical Book.
The report also highlights significant disparities in maternal health outcomes between rural and urban areas, with rural women recording a maternal mortality ratio of 656 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with 444 deaths per 100,000 live births in urban areas.
Produced by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the report reviews the third year of implementation of the Health Sector Strategic Blueprint. It was presented at the third Nigeria Health Sector Joint Annual Review in Abuja on 10 November.
The findings highlight persistent inequalities in maternal healthcare access and outcomes, despite a reported decline in maternal deaths across health facilities nationally.
According to the report, Nigeria recorded thousands of maternal deaths in health facilities between January and September 2026, although the figures represent only deaths captured by the facility reporting system.
The ministry acknowledged that the figures could be underreported or overreported but described the data as reliable for monitoring trends in the health sector.
Maternal mortality remains high
Maternal mortality refers to the death of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days of the termination of pregnancy from causes related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management.
Most maternal deaths are preventable through timely access to quality antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric services and appropriate postnatal care.
Despite the reported improvements, Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio remains a major public health concern.
The JAR Statistical Book puts the country’s maternal mortality ratio at 572 deaths per 100,000 live births, significantly above the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
The burden is particularly concerning given Nigeria’s contribution to global maternal deaths.
In its 2023 report, titled “Improving Maternal and Newborn Health and Survival and Reducing Stillbirths: Progress Report 2023”, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that Nigeria recorded 82,000 maternal deaths, 181,000 stillbirths and 277,000 neonatal deaths in 2020.
The combined 540,000 deaths accounted for 12 per cent of global maternal, stillbirth and neonatal deaths, despite Nigeria contributing only six per cent of global live births.
The report ranked Nigeria second after India among countries with the highest combined burden of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
Reported maternal deaths decline
The JAR data indicate a downward trend in facility-reported maternal deaths over the review period.
The country recorded 5,391 maternal deaths in health facilities in 2024, compared with 4,455 in 2025.
The figure declined further in 2026, although the exact total requires confirmation against the final statistical table. The quarterly data also indicate improvements.
Following a peak in the second quarter of 2024, maternal deaths and the maternal mortality ratio generally declined. By the third quarter of 2026, the maternal mortality ratio had fallen to 128 deaths per 100,000 live births, representing a reduction of about 46 per cent from the earlier peak.
Maternal deaths during the same period also declined by approximately 40 per cent to 947.
However, these improvements have not been evenly distributed across the country.
Northern states bear the burden
According to the report, maternal deaths over the past three years were heavily concentrated in the Northwest and Northeast geopolitical zones.
By 2026, the two zones together accounted for approximately three-quarters of all documented maternal deaths in health facilities.
The five northern states with the highest maternal mortality burden were Kano, Borno, Jigawa, Yobe and Katsina.
While the national figures showed a downward trend, maternal deaths reportedly increased across the two northern zones, contrasting with reductions recorded in southern parts of the country.
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In most southern states, fewer than 50 maternal deaths were reported. The states with the lowest recorded numbers included Osun (four deaths), Abia (five), Enugu (eight), Ekiti (nine), and Bayelsa (nine).
Maternal morbidity
Beyond deaths, the report also highlights the burden of maternal morbidity, including complications that can have lasting effects on women’s health, wellbeing and livelihoods. In 2026, approximately 3,060 women were diagnosed with vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), compared with 4,350 in 2025.
VVF is an abnormal opening between the bladder and vagina that can result in continuous, involuntary leakage of urine, often following prolonged or obstructed labour.
Of the women diagnosed in 2026, 1,737 underwent surgical repair, representing 56.8 per cent of those diagnosed. This was lower than in 2025, when 2,564 women (59 per cent) underwent repairs.
The Northwest and Northeast again recorded the highest burden, with 1,420 and 982 cases, respectively, in 2026. The figures underscore the need to strengthen access to emergency obstetric care, timely referrals and surgical treatment, particularly in underserved communities.
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The woman who tested positive for Ebola in Nigeria and was evacuated to Switzerland for treatment has been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery.
She was discharged from Geneva University Hospitals on Wednesday, after medical personnel confirmed her recovery, Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting a statement from the hospital.
“After the medical team confirmed her full recovery, the cantonal physician authorised the patient being treated for Ebola virus disease to leave the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) on 11 November 2026,” the hospital said.
The Uganda-born woman and her husband, a Swiss diplomat, were evacuated from Nigeria to Switzerland on 26 October. Her evacuation was confirmed by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate.
The patient had returned to Abuja from Uganda on 3 October. She developed symptoms days later and was admitted to a private health facility before the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) was notified. Laboratory tests confirmed the infection on 20 October.
Nigeria continues Ebola surveillance
The NCDC’s latest Ebola situation dashboard, updated on 12 November with data as of 11 November, lists one confirmed case, no deaths and seven negative cases.
It also shows that 62 contacts linked to the confirmed case have been identified. Of these, 52 have completed their mandatory 21-day follow-up, while 10 remain under monitoring.
The NCDC said its response includes contact tracing, investigation of reported alerts, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control measures, and surveillance at the country’s points of entry.
On 11 November, NCDC disclosed that Nigeria recorded no additional confirmed Ebola cases since the imported infection was confirmed.
The agency has urged healthcare workers to remain vigilant, ask patients about their travel and exposure histories, and promptly report suspected cases to public health authorities.
READ ALSO: Ebola: Nigeria records no new cases 21 days after imported infection – NCDC
Regional outbreak continues
The situation in Nigeria is part of a wider outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease affecting parts of Africa.
In its latest situation update published on 6 November, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the DRC had recorded 10,668 confirmed cases and 5,198 deaths as of 3 November, across 67 health zones in eight provinces.
Kenya had recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Nigeria had reported one imported case. WHO said there had been no new confirmed cases in Kenya or Nigeria since its previous update.
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