Health
Niger investigates suspected infectious disease after child’s death
The Niger State government has launched an investigation into a suspected infectious disease following the death of a child and reports that other members of the same family have fallen ill.
The state Director of Public Health, Ibrahim Idris, disclosed this in a statement issued in Minna on Thursday by the Ministry of Information and Orientation.
Mr Idris said the Ministry of Health responded after a father shared videos on social media alleging that a strange illness had affected members of his household.
He said the swift response demonstrated the state’s commitment to protecting residents through prompt public health action.
He said the prompt intervention reflected the commitment of the Governor Umaru Bago-led administration to safeguarding the health and well-being of residents across the state through timely public health responses.
According to him, every unexplained death deserves a thorough investigation, while every suspected outbreak must be treated with urgency to prevent possible transmission and protect public health.
The director said the affected children had been evacuated to a health facility for comprehensive medical evaluation and treatment as health authorities intensified efforts to determine the cause.
He said preliminary clinical findings suggested that the illness might not be a strange disease but one familiar to medical experts, with diphtheria among the conditions being considered.
“At this stage, no definitive conclusion can be made until laboratory investigations are completed,” he said.
“The samples collected will help determine the exact cause of the illness and guide the response.”
Mr Idris said public health officials had commenced contact tracing in the affected community and in the schools attended by the children to identify similar cases and contain any possible transmission.
He advised parents and caregivers to ensure their children completed all recommended routine immunisation schedules, noting that many life-threatening illnesses could be prevented through vaccination.
The director urged residents to seek prompt medical attention whenever unusual symptoms were observed, stressing that early detection and treatment remained critical to disease control efforts.
Also, Junaidu Inuwa, executive director of the Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency (NSPHCDA), said preliminary findings showed the deceased child had received only partial immunisation.
He said some of the surviving children were either partially immunised or had not completed their vaccination schedules, exposing them to vaccine-preventable diseases and associated health complications.
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According to him, the development underscores the critical importance of routine immunisation in protecting children against vaccine-preventable diseases and reducing childhood mortality across communities.
Mr Inuwa said health officials also visited the isolation centre at the General Hospital, where affected family members had been placed on appropriate antibiotic treatment and were receiving care.
He said health authorities would continue to provide timely updates as investigations progressed and would intensify surveillance, contact tracing, and other interventions if the illness was confirmed to be infectious.
He reiterated that complete immunisation remained the safest and most effective protection against vaccine-preventable diseases and urged parents to utilise vaccination services available across the state. (NAN)
The federal government has launched development programmes valued at more than $1.07 billion to strengthen primary healthcare, improve governance and education, and accelerate poverty reduction as part of its economic recovery agenda.
The programmes include the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity Governance (HOPE GOV) programme, backed by $500 million, and the Primary Healthcare Provision Strengthening Programme (HOPE PHC), financed with $570 million.
The government also launched the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus Additional Financing (NG CARES AF), the broader HOPE programme comprising HOPE GOV, HOPE PHC and HOPE EDU, and the Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons and Host Communities (SOLID) programme.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu said the initiatives were designed to ensure that the gains from the country’s economic reforms translate into improved living standards for Nigerians.
Mr Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the programmes form part of a coordinated strategy to strengthen human capital development, improve public service delivery and build resilience in communities across the country.
He said the government had recorded improvements in key economic indicators, including GDP growth, foreign reserves and inflation.
He added that about 15 million vulnerable households had benefited from the expanded social transfer programme.
According to him, the HOPE GOV programme will improve governance by strengthening budget planning and supporting the recruitment of teachers and healthcare workers, particularly in underserved communities, while the HOPE PHC programme will improve service delivery at primary healthcare facilities through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
Health reforms
Also speaking, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said the programmes would support the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), the government’s flagship reform agenda for the health sector.
Mr Pate said the initiative was anchored on four pillars: strengthening governance and accountability, improving equitable access to quality healthcare, developing the healthcare value chain, and enhancing health security and resilience.
Highlighting progress made under the reforms, he said the federal government had revitalised 3,026 primary healthcare centres nationwide and supplied maternal and newborn care equipment to 231 secondary hospitals.
He added that 43,417 women and newborns had been transported through rural emergency and maternal transport services, while 42,970 comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services were provided between October 2024 and March 2026.
Mr Pate said the reforms had also led to increased use of healthcare services, with more women opting to deliver in health facilities.
“The reforms are increasing service utilisation, with more women choosing to give birth in health facilities, reflecting renewed confidence in the health system. They are increasing uptake of essential health services, with more families choosing modern family planning and more children receiving life-saving vaccines,” he said.
READ ALSO: In Adamawa, rural PHCs rely on volunteers due to staffing shortages
World Bank backs programme
The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Matthew Verghis, said the country’s efforts to expand access to quality healthcare had been strengthened through collaboration among the federal, state and local governments, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector.
Mr Verghis said the HOPE PHC programme and the investments supporting it provide an opportunity for Nigeria to improve health outcomes, particularly for mothers, children and vulnerable populations, while strengthening accountability in the health sector.
Uganda has commenced a 42-day countdown towards being declared Ebola-free following the discharge of its final patient from an isolation unit. According to a Reuters report, the patient’s release from Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala on Thursday morning triggered the mandatory waiting period required by the World Health Organisation (WHO) before an outbreak can be officially declared over.
Under WHO guidelines, a country may only be declared free of an Ebola outbreak if no new confirmed cases are recorded within 42 consecutive days following the recovery or death of the last patient.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health reported 20 confirmed Ebola cases during the outbreak, comprising five locally acquired infections and 15 imported cases. The ministry’s online dashboard further indicates that 17 patients recovered, while two people died.
Speaking on the progress, Ugandan government spokesperson Alan Kasujja confirmed that the discharge of the final patient initiated the WHO-mandated countdown. “When that happens, Uganda starts counting down. If 42 days pass without a single new case, WHO guidelines stipulate that we will be declared Ebola-free,” Mr Kasujja explained.
Meanwhile, the outbreak continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May. According to Reuters, data released by the Congolese government on Wednesday showed the country has recorded 2,011 confirmed Ebola cases and 754 confirmed deaths.
Bundibugyo strain
The Bundibugyo strain causes the current outbreak; it is a rare species first identified in Uganda in 2007. Unlike the Zaire strain, there is currently no widely licensed vaccine specifically approved for the Bundibugyo strain. Consequently, surveillance, early detection, contact tracing, and infection prevention remain critical to containing the disease.
Preparedness
Following the WHO’s declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May, Nigerian authorities stepped up measures to prevent the virus from entering the country.
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats to coordinate the nation’s response. The President also authorised the release of ₦10 billion to strengthen the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s (NCDC) preparedness and emergency response.
The NCDC has since intensified surveillance at the country’s borders and points of entry, enhanced laboratory capacity, activated rapid response teams, and urged health workers to report any suspected Ebola cases promptly.
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