Mrs Roseline Akinlabi, Adolescent and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health Desk Officer, Osun Primary Healthcare Board, says contraceptive pills cannot cause cancer of the cervix in women.

Akinlabi, a certified family planning trainer, said this on Monday in Osogbo during a virtual engagement programme organised by the State Public Health media team in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation, The Challenge Initiative (TCI).

She spoke on “The impacts of Family Planning Myths And Misconceptions on Spacing, Unplanned Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion”.

The expert, also a registered public health nurse, said that the popular belief that contraceptive pills could encourage infidelity and cause permanent infertility in women was inaccurate.

According to her, contraceptive pills cannot cause cancer of the ovary and the lining of the uterus in women, as being speculated.

“Myths and misconceptions are the major challenge to uptake of family planning in the state and the country at large.

“Various myths and misconceptions about family planning methods have led to high prevalence of teenage pregnancy, high maternal, mortality and morbidity rate, among others.

“These myths and misconceptions often surround family planning methods, creating confusion and hindering access to essential care.

“They negatively impact child spacing and abortion rates by preventing the use of contraceptives, leading to unwanted pregnancies, and subsequently, more abortions.

“These false beliefs create barriers to access and utilisation of family planning methods, increasing the risks of unwanted pregnancies and risky sexual behaviour.

“There is urgent need to dispel these myths and equip individuals with accurate facts to make informed decisions about their reproductive health”, she said.

Akinlabi called for collective responsibilities to dispel rumours about contraceptives, raise awareness about the benefits of family planning, and create safer space for girls and women in the society.

According to her, family planning empowers individuals to choose the number, spacing and timing of their children, leading to improved health outcomes for the mother and the child.(NAN)

The University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), has successfully performed its second living-donor kidney transplant, 15 years after its first living-donor kidney transplant

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the UMTH, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, made this known at a news conference on Wednesday in Maiduguri.

“This is not the first time UMTH is doing the transplant.

The first time UMTH conducted a kidney transplant was in August 2010 and now the hospital has come back with full force to resume the excercise,” he said.

Ahidjo also announced that the already 20 patients were admitted awaiting surgery on the same kidney transplant.

He appealed to donors to contribute funds to support the have not patients who needed the surgery so dearly.

The CMD said that though, the hospital provided free services being a federal government facility, adding that the patient’s dialysis had been subsidised by the government by reducing everything to N12,000 which was less than eight dollars compared with 1,000 dollars charged for same dialysis elsewhere.

Ahidjo said that the target was to make transplant one of the cheapest in West Africa, saying their facility was largest in the country with a capacity to accommodate up to 85 patients at once.

“UMTH has four fully equipped theatre rooms. All for kidney transplant which were fully equipped with modern equipment,” the CMD said.

He, however, commended TETFUND for its support to the hospital in terms of equipment and other infrastructure.

Ahidjo also commended Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno for donating N50 million to the hospital to carry out research on causes of kidney related diseases in the North-east.

The CMD said that some of the research findings revealed that diabetics, hypertension and dehydration were linked with the kidney related diseases in the region.

“The causes of kidney issues for now are diabetics, highpertension and exact causes are not yet known but many samples were taken to laboratories and the result is awaited,” Ahidjo said. (NAN) 

 The World Health Organisation (WHO), says  said  the Mpox upsurge has continued to meet the criteria of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) set forth in the International Health Regulations (IHR).

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said this in a statement.

Ghebreyesus said  the announcement followed the fourth meeting of the IHR emergency committee regarding the upsurge of mpox, held on June 5.

According to him, the committee, recognising progress in the capacity to respond in certain countries, advised the WHO boss that the event continues to constitute a PHEIC.

He said that it was based on the continuing rise in number of cases, including a recent increase in West Africa, and likely ongoing undetected transmission in some countries beyond the African continent

“Ongoing operational challenges in responding to the event, including concerning surveillance and diagnostics, as well as a lack of funding, make prioritising response interventions challenging and require continued international support,” he said.

Ghebreyesus concurred with the committee’s advice and issued the committee’s revised temporary recommendations to Member States experiencing mpox outbreaks.

He said  the recommendations will guide countries’ efforts to prevent and control spread of the disease.

According to him, the full report of the fourth meeting will be issued in the third week of June.

“The upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its spread to neighbouring countries was first determined to be PHEIC by Ghebreyesus on Aug. 14, 2024.

“Since then, the  committee has met on three additional occasions, each time, advising the director general that the event continues to constitute a PHEIC,” he said (NAN)