Malaria is a life-threatening disease. It’s typically transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. Infected mosquitoes carry the Plasmodium parasite. Malaria is typically found in tropical and subtropical climates where the parasites can live. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) latest World malaria report, released in November 2018, there were 219 million cases of malaria in 2017, […]
Adolescence is the phase of life stretching between childhood and adulthood, and its definition has long posed a conundrum. Adolescence encompasses elements of biological growth and major social role transitions, both of which have changed in the past century. Earlier puberty has accelerated the onset of adolescence in nearly all populations, while understanding of continued […]
Dr. Virginia Apgar, (June 7, 1909 – August 7, 1974) was an American obstetrical anesthesiologist best known as the inventor of the Apgar Score, a way to quickly assess the health of a newborn child immediately after birth. She was a leader in the fields of anesthesiology and teratology, and introduced obstetrical considerations to the […]
Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías was a pediatrician, educator and women’s rights activist. She was the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association, a founding member of the Women’s Caucus of the APHA, and a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal. In 1948, she began her academic education at the University of Puerto Rico […]
Hygiene has long-established links with public health, but was not included in any MDG targets or indicators. The explicit reference to hygiene in the text of SDG target 6.2 represents increasing recognition of the importance of hygiene and its close links with sanitation. Of the range of hygiene behaviours considered important for health, hand washing […]
Hepatitis B is an infection of your liver. It can cause scarring of the organ, liver failure, and cancer. It can be fatal if it isn’t treated. It’s spread when people come in contact with the blood, open sores, or body fluids of someone who has the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B is the only […]
HIV-related stigma and discrimination refer to prejudice, negative attitudes, and abuse directed at people living with HIV and AIDS. In 35% of countries with available data including Nigeria, over 50% of people report having discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV. Many people who are HIV-positive can now live much longer, healthier lives when regularly […]
Since 2006, the Nigerian government has provided free antiretroviral treatment at designated facilities in the country, which has an estimated 3.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS. But this has not been enough to eliminate the high and sometimes inequitable economic burden of HIV/AIDS on households. Nigeria has the second-largest HIV epidemic in the world and […]
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the use of HIV medicines to treat HIV infection. People on ART take a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV treatment regimen) every day. ART is recommended for everyone who has HIV. ART can’t cure HIV, but HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. You can get […]
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding your brain and spinal cord. The swelling from meningitis typically triggers symptoms such as headache, fever, and a stiff neck. Over 10,000 cases of meningitis occur annually in Nigeria; in 2017 alone, 14,766 cases were reported with 1,207 deaths. Vaccines are however available for the prevention […]
