Health
Proposed GMO Mosquitoes: Africans Advised To Be Wary Of WHO
By Chinasa Obidi
Kenyan Dr Wahome Ngare, the founding Director of Mercy Health Services, Nairobi, Kenya, has advised Africans to be wary of the World Health Organisation, WHO’s proposed introduction of GMO mosquitoes into Africa to eradicate malaria, as well as the malaria vaccine which he says will be made compulsory.”
But malaria is a treatable disease which we have been using our herbal teas to treat, plus we are unaware of the risks such GMO mosquitoes would bring,” he said, calling on Africans to exercise caution in this regard.
He said that while the WHO has done a lot of good things for the continent, it has equally done things that have affected Africa and Africans negatively making him advice African countries to exercise caution.He expressed this warning while addressing Ugandan President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in a trending video.
He gave his reasons for sounding the warning this: “In 2014/2015, WHO brought tetanus eradication campaign in our country; a campaign to eradicate neonatal tetanus.
“The vaccine that was used is a different type of tetanus vaccine that is fertility regulating, where they take tetanus and a hormone called Human Chorionic Conadotropin, and when you inject a woman with that vaccine, she produces antibodies against that hormone and is therefore rendered sterile.
“So we are now seeing an increase in infertility cases amongst young couples who are certified okay when examined, but cannot get children, or couples who are losing three to five pregnancies before they are able to cary any pregnancy to term.
“We were able to expose this through a paper we published, and fortunately in 2017, WHO said Kenya is now free of neonatal tetanus and they left our country.”But they developed this vaccine in an over twenty year period of research from 1972 to 1992 and used that vaccine in South America and possibly many other African countries.
“Responding to this call, Benjamin Amodu, a professor of Phytho-medicine from the Triune Biblical University, USA, who has been at the forefront of advocating for the use of herbal medicine, said Nigerians and Indeed Africans should also evaluate and verify any treatment or vaccine that is given to them before going ahead to use them.
“I think this is a very common view all around . I think we can cooperate with the WHO in most of the things and we can also evaluate to see that is in line with our own aspiration as a country just like the Ugandan and Kenyan doctors did to their president.
“It is a welcome development. We should ensure that whatever is being brought upon us should be well evaluated to see and if there are needs for modification, they should be modified to the interest of who they are introducing the the programme to.
” Even their comment on malaria, I think the WHO should be more open. Irrespective of where whatever treatment or vaccine is coming from, so long as it meets the requirements should be accepted and adopted so we move forward.
“I therefore call on African leaders and people to exercise faith in our God given natural herbs , carry out extensive research and promote it because even diseases for which the cures have eluded modern medicine for decades are being effectively cured with the use of Traditional, Complimentary and Herbal Medicines, TCAM, without any side effects.”
It would be recalled that Prof Amodu’s malaria cure was evaluated by the United Nations and found to be more effective than chloroquine and palaudrine.
Health
Pate advocates healthcare investment for UHC in Nigeria
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Ali Pate,, has emphasised that investing in healthcare was crucial for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
He made this statement on Thursday in Abuja at the commemoration of UHC Day 2024, themed “Health on the House Government.”
Pate underscored that healthcare investment was not solely the responsibility of the federal government, but a collective effort that included states and non-state actors.
“It is not only the Federal Government’s responsibility; states and global partners can do more.
“Non-state actors can also encourage others to prioritise greater investment, as good health is not achieved cheaply.
“Quality healthcare is not inexpensive, and for every investment made in health, the returns are far greater,” he said.
He highlighted that investments in healthcare would bring considerable dividends.
“For instance, a one dollar investment in combating Tuberculosis yields 43 dollars in return, while one dollar spent on immunisation generates multiple returns.
“By preventing pneumonia, we save both money and lives, which significantly impacts the economy,” he said.
Regarding the federal government’s efforts toward UHC, Pate noted that the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (HSRII) had already made a positive impact.
However, he acknowledged that the country still had a long way to go in terms of healthcare delivery.
According to him, over the past year, 238 facilities have been upgraded to functional level two, with an additional 320 facilities currently undergoing upgrades.
He said that states have also taken the initiative to upgrade 2,600 facilities using impact funds, and the Project Hope programme was providing incentives to upgrade another 2,000 facilities.
“More than 8,000 facilities are receiving direct funding through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) across all 36 states.
“Additionally, two million people have been enrolled in health insurance in the past year.”
The Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, encouraged health workers to continue advancing the health system and called for greater public education on the importance of saving for healthcare.
He emphasised that saving for health was essential, just as one would save for car repairs.
Dr Walter Mulombo, the World Health Organisation’s Country Representative to Nigeria, stated that UHC was fundamentally a political choice.
He commended President Bola Tinubu’s leadership in UHC reforms, particularly his focus on sustainable and innovative financing.
“If Nigeria delivers on UHC, it will have a domino effect on Africa and the world,” he said.
Mr Dave Conalogue, Co-Chair of Health Development Partners in Nigeria, highlighted the positive changes brought about by development partners.
He emphasised their increasing support for government systems, including pooling resources and providing on-budget support to strengthen healthcare delivery.
NAN
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