The Spanish government has donated 4.4 million Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria.

A statement from the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria explained that the handover ceremony the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines took place at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in Abuja.

The Embassy added that this donation was in line with its unconditional defense of fair, equitable, and universal access to vaccines against COVID-19.

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In attendance at the event was the Executive Director of the Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, the Ambassadors of Spain, Greece, Sweden, and Austria; UNICEF Director of Health, Eduardo Celades; WHO Deputy Country Representative, Alexander Chimbaru, and the European Union envoy, Ambassador Samuela Isopi.

Spain stands out as the third donor of COVID vaccines to Nigeria. It is the largest donation Spain has done to a single country in Africa so far. Furthermore, these figures place Spain as the seventh-largest donor of vaccines in the world, with 70 million doses already delivered. Altogether, the EU and EU countries had donated 30m vaccines to Nigeria so far.

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The Federal Government has mandated all employers and employees in public, private, and informal sectors to have access to health insurance.

This development came when the Federal Government noted that only states with established health insurance schemes and contributory schemes would benefit from the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund.

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Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had signed the National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2021 last week. The newly signed law by the President repeals the National Health Insurance Scheme -NHIS Act 2004. Under the previous Act, states were required to pay a 50 percent counterpart fund to access the total fund for the BHCPF.

Reports say that Buhari’s signing of the new Act is part of the moves by the Federal Government to ensure that Nigeria achieves Universal Health Coverage, a Sustainable Development Goal by 2030.

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The World Health Organization -WHO has authorised the use of Chinese manufacturer CanSinoBIO’s single-shot Covid-19 vaccine, the ninth jab to get the WHO green light.

The WHO granted emergency use listing -EUL to the Tianjin-based firm’s Convidecia vaccine as China battles a resurgence of the virus triggered by the Omicron variant. It is the third Chinese-made vaccine to be approved by the WHO, after Sinovac and Sinopharm.

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WHO reports that Convidecia was found to have 64 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease and 92 percent efficacy against severe Covid-19. The vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against Covid-19 and the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh risks

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This is according to a statement released by presidential aide Garba Shehu. He said the bill repeals “the National Health Insurance Scheme Act, Cap N42, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004”.

Garba Shehu quoted his principal as saying during the signing of the law that a Fund will be set up “to ensure coverage of 83 million poor Nigerians who cannot afford to pay premiums as recommended by the Lancet Nigeria Commission”.

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Buhari noted that the Authority will liaise with state government Health Insurance Schemes to accredit primary and secondary health facilities and enroll Nigerians into the scheme.

This is part of moves to ensure the delivery of quality health care. The new Act also enables the Authority and state governments to develop information management systems and digital records to enhance data collection, monitoring, and quality assurance.

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As International Hypertension Day is celebrated around the Globe today with the Theme; “Measure your blood pressure accurately, control it, live longer” aimed at raising awareness and promoting hypertension prevention, detection and control. People have been advised to get proper medical checkup regularly to  beat high blood pressure.

Speaking with Planet News, some residents of Uyo while narrating their experiences, described hypertension as a disease of the heart that is usually caused by stress and lack of a disciplinary life, over thinking, adding that it can lead to disorders such as stroke, heart diseases, kidney diseases and dementia. They noted that the symptoms of hypertension can be severe headache, weakness, tiredness amongst others.   

Further speaking with our correspondent, Isaiah Udoh, others said that though the sickness has no cure but they listed most possible ways it can be managed, adding that treating the  symptoms and staying on proper medication can help hypertensive patients stay healthy. 

The World Health Organization-WHO reports that More than one billion people around the world live with hypertension, which is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide.

What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal.
IT is a serious medical condition that significantly increases the risks of heart, brain, kidney and other diseases.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

The cause of hypertension is often not known ,but several things may play a role.

High blood pressure that is not due to another condition or disease is known as primary or essential hypertension. Medical scientists says primary hypertension can result from many factors some of which includes: obesity, insulin resistance, high salt intake, excessive alcohol intake, smoking etc.

Secondary hypertension on the other hand comes with an underlying condition and it tends to appear suddenly.

Factors such as pregnancy, kidney disease, birth control pills, Medications and supplements, Obstructive sleep apnea ,and adrenal disease  are attributed as causes of secondary hypertension. 

How Can High Blood Pressure Be Prevented?

There are so many ways high blood pressure can be prevented and these includes :Exercising regularly, Monitoring your blood pressure, limited intake of alcohol, Maintaining a healthy weight as well as Eating a balanced diet.