Nigeria’s response to the diphtheria outbreak is taking different directions across the country, with Zamfara reopening schools after an improvement in its situation while Plateau State intensifies its response after 31 deaths. The developments highlight the challenge facing health authorities: controlling outbreaks locally while building stronger systems to detect and respond to future public health…
The Lagos State Police Command has sealed a suspected fake alcohol factory in Badagry and arrested a 48-year-old man as concerns over unsafe and unregulated alcoholic drinks grow across Nigeria. Police operatives raided the facility in Yafin, Badagry, after receiving information from members of the public. They recovered suspected adulterated alcoholic drinks, empty bottles, wine…
The Ondo methanol poisoning deaths have reached 48 after laboratory tests linked the outbreak to dangerously high levels of methanol in locally prepared alcoholic and herbal drinks. The development has shifted the focus from the initial mystery surrounding the deaths to a wider question about how unregulated drinks are produced, sold and consumed in Nigerian…
Zamfara State has extended the resumption of public and private schools by two weeks as health authorities respond to a growing diphtheria outbreak. The state has recorded 367 clinically suspected diphtheria cases, with more than 320 patients treated and discharged, while 44 deaths have also been reported. Why Zamfara Is Keeping Schools Closed The decision…
Nigeria’s healthcare market is becoming too large for investors to ignore, with Nigerians projected to spend about $34 billion on healthcare in 2026, according to recent industry reports. The rising spending is attracting greater interest in private hospitals, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and other medical infrastructure. But the opportunity comes with a major weakness: Nigeria still imports…
For millions of people living with sickle cell disease, the biggest challenge is not only the illness itself. It is getting regular access to medicines that can reduce painful crises and hospital visits. That is why Senegal’s sickle cell treatment, Drepaf, could be bigger than a new drug on the market. Produced by Senegalese pharmaceutical…
A Kano diphtheria outbreak has raised fresh concerns about childhood vaccination and access to early treatment after lawmakers said more than 50 children had died in parts of Rano Local Government Area. The outbreak is particularly troubling because diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease. Health officials are now asking for more vaccines and urging families to…
Nigeria may be moving away from treating suicide attempts as a crime and towards treating them as a mental health emergency. The Federal Executive Council has approved an amendment to the National Mental Health Act that would remove attempted suicide as a criminal offence. The proposed amendment will now be sent to the National Assembly…
A viral discussion on X comparing maternal deaths in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and Norway has reignited concerns over the country’s maternal healthcare crisis. While some posts claimed Nigeria recorded 90,000 maternal deaths in 2023, the latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank Group and the United Nations Population…
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has raised fresh concerns over the spread of Lassa fever after the disease claimed 221 lives across the country within the first six months of 2026. The latest figures indicate a continuing rise in fatalities despite ongoing surveillance and response efforts. According to recent outbreak reports,…
