The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Women’s Health, Dr Adanna Steinacker, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to prioritize and improve the health and well-being of women across the country.

Steinacker said this on Saturday in Lagos during the Banking on Women’s Health Conference organised by Healthtracka, a digital health platform.

She assured Nigerian women that their health would no longer be a footnote but a front-page priority, emphasising her commitment to championing the advocacy through her office.

According to her, conversations that are critical to moving women’s health agenda forward are often silenced, stressing the need to share the stories openly to educate, support, and connect with other women.

“The absence of intentional storytelling has left too many women isolated in their pain.

“They followed us into adulthood, through illnesses, through birth stories, miscarriages, fertility challenges, postpartum complications, and now for some of us, into menopause.

“That discomfort has now become my purpose, to break the silence and to build a new culture, one where women’s health is spoken about loudly, boldly, and backed by action,” she said.

Steinacker highlighted the Women’s Health Media Hub, a digital-first platform designed to bridge the gender health information gap for Nigerian women as an initiative of her office.

“This platform will provide accessible, culturally attuned, evidence-based content so women across Nigeria can make informed decisions about their health,” she said.

She also highlighted the Healthy Women, Healthy Nations National Advocacy Campaign, a mobilisation platform comprising a series of sub-campaigns in all six geopolitical zones.

According to her, the initiative highlights specific health needs, elevates community-driven solutions, and sparks vital policy conversations from the grassroots to national impact, powered by the people.

She stressed the need for collaboration to amplify the work being done on women’s health, stressing that the boldest policy means nothing if it does not meet real people in real-time.

“So, to our investors and donors, the time to fund women’s health innovation is now. Not as charity, but as the smartest investment in our nation’s prosperity.

“When women are healthy, communities thrive, families prosper, and our nation blooms,” she said.

Steinacker commended the Founder of Healthtracka, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, for innovations that promoted women’s health and well-being from at-home HPV kits to low-light AI and AI-powered menstrual health chatbots.

She said the innovative products are reaching thousands of Nigerian girls and changing healthcare delivery care and access.

“Dare-Johnson is proof that tech-powered, user-centred innovation is not just the future, it is already saving lives today. And it’s even more powerful when combined with community engagement,” she said.

Similarly, Rodio Diallo, Deputy-Director, Family Health, Gates Foundation, reaffirmed the foundation’s unwavering commitment to advancing women’s health in Nigeria.

Diallo said every day, preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth claim the lives of women who are the backbone of their families and communities.

According to her, this reality underscores the imperative to act swiftly, decisively, and collaboratively.

She noted that the foundation is supporting the federal government through strategic lifesaving interventions and partnerships in strengthening primary health centres, family planning, improving maternal and newborn health outcomes, among others.

“By partnering with government agencies, local organisations, and community leaders, we aim to create a unified front against the challenges facing women’s health.

“Together, we can amplify our impact and drive systemic change.

“Our vision is clear. A Nigeria where every woman has access to the health care she needs, where maternal deaths are a rarity, and where women can thrive and contribute fully to their community.

“Achieving this vision demands our collective commitment, innovation, and resilience,” Diallo said.

Also, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, said women constituted over 50 per cent of the country’s population.

Abayomi, represented by Dr Victoria Egunjobi, Director, Disease Control, at the ministry of health, said Lagos was committed to improving the health and well-being of women in the state.

The Founder of Healthtracka and Convener of the conference, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, said that women’s health has been underdiagnosed and underfunded for long.

Dare-Johnson stressed that women’s health is not a personal issue but a national and economic issue.

She emphasised that the event represented a defining moment in the movement to centre women’s health in investment, innovation and policy conversations across Africa.

The event featured the inauguration of the “State of Women’s Health in Nigeria Report.”

It is a first-of-its-kind, data-rich report that provides critical insights into the challenges and opportunities within Nigeria’s healthcare system for women.

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Federal Government,(FG) said it recorded 132 deaths, 696 confirmed Lassa fever cases in Nigeria.Olajide Idris, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), stated this in Abuja.He said Nigeria has recorded a steady decline in confirmed Lassa fever cases from 41 cases down to 10 in epidemiological week 16 (ending 20th April 2025).

He added the number of deaths and the case fatality rate (CFR) have also decreased, with only three deaths reported. He noted that the above improvement is as result of the the positive impact of ongoing surveillance, treatment, and community engagement efforts.He however, lamented that Nigeria risk remains high, especially in endemic areas.Meanwhile, on Mpox, the NCDC boss said, since the beginning of 2025, there was 3 deaths, 723 suspected cases of Mpox were reported across 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Of these, 136 cases were laboratory-confirmed, spanning 27 states and the FCT.He said, “Since the beginning of 2025, Nigeria has continued to monitor and respond to Mpox outbreaks across the country through coordinated national surveillance efforts.”From Week 1 to Week 16 of 2025, a total of 723 suspected cases of Mpox were reported across 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Of these, 136 cases were laboratory-confirmed, spanning 27 states and the FCT.”Unfortunately three (3) Mpox-related deaths recorded during this period: two (2) in Week 10 from Abia and Ebonyi states, and one (1) more recently in Rivers State, involving a young male with advanced HIV and tuberculosis (TB). This brings the national case fatality rate (CFR) for 2025 to 2.2%”.He lamented, Mpox has shown a steady increase in Nigeria since its reemergence in 2017, with sharp spikes from 2022 to 2024, making the country one of the most affected globally..

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

As Nigeria approaches the peak of the raining season, the Federal Government (FG) at the weekend, cautioned Nigerians on bad sanitation and contaminated water, which are the major sources of cholera disease.Olajide Idris, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), revealed this in Abuja.

He Said the epidemiological week 16 (ending 20 April 2025), there were 1,307 suspected cases of cholera, across 30 states and 98 Local Government Areas (LGAs), with 34 associated deaths, resulting in a case fatality rate (CFR) of 2. 6%. This rate is well above the target of less than 1%.The NCDC boss lamented that Cholera remains endemic in Nigeria, particularly in communities with limited access to clean water and sanitation. It is a highly contagious infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and can be fatal without prompt and adequate treatment.He said, “As we approach the peak of the rainy season, a concerning trend in cholera transmission is emerging. During the presentation of the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook, the Federal Government issued a warning to 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory about imminent flood risks. Notably, this year’s outlook introduced a community-based forecasting approach designed to enhance preparedness and early response efforts across vulnerable regions.”According to the forecast, over 1,200 communities in 176 Local Government Areas (LGAs) have been identified as high-risk flood zones, and an additional 2,187 communities in 293 LGAs are classified as being at moderate risk of flooding.”This proactive dissemination of localized flood risk data is expected to drive coordinated action at the federal, state, and community levels, ensuring timely interventions that can help prevent waterborne disease outbreaks like cholera. NCDC is actively tracking these occurrences”.He said, Cholera is a food and water-borne disease, caused by the ingestion of the organism Vibrio Cholerae in contaminated water and food. Water is usually contaminated by the feces of infected individuals. Contamination of drinking water can occur at the source, during transportation, or during storage at home. Food may be contaminated by soiled hands, either during preparation or while eating.Beverages prepared with contaminated water and sold by street vendors, ice, and even commercial bottled water have been implicated as vehicles of transmission, as have cooked vegetables and fruits freshened with untreated waste water. The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms (incubation period) is 2 hours to 5 days. It has a higher risk of transmission in areas that lack adequate sanitation facilities and/or a regular supply of clean water. Unsafe practices such as improper disposal of refuse and open defecation endanger the safety of water used for drinking and personal use. He noted that people that is mostly at risk include, people of all ages living in places with limited access to clean water, People living in areas with poor sanitation and poor hygiene, People living in slum areas where basic water or sanitation infrastructure is missing, People living in rural areas who depend on surface water or unsafe piped or borehole well water sources for drinking and People who consume potentially contaminated food or fruits without washing and cooking properly etc.Some of the symptoms of Cholera,include acute profuse, painless watery diarrhea (characteristic rice water stools) of sudden onset, with or without vomiting. It may be associated with nausea, profuse vomiting and fever. Severe cases can lead to death within hours due to dehydration (massive body fluid loss). However, most infected people (about 80%) may only show mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all.Idris, therefore advised state government to prioritize action for solutions that ensure access to and use of safe water, basic sanitation, and proper hygiene practices in communities.