President of the Nigerian Hypertension Society (NHS), Prof. Simeon Isezuo, has called for collective action to combat hypertension and other non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.

Isezuo made the call in a statement to mark the 2026 World Hypertension Day on Sunday in Sokoto.

He said the society was joining the global community to commemorate the day on May 17, as a reminder that hypertension remains the leading preventable cause of death and disability in Nigeria and worldwide.

“This year’s theme: ‘Controlling Hypertension Together: Check your blood pressure regularly and defeat the silent killer,’ signals that no single group can win the fight against hypertension alone.

“Controlling hypertension requires coordinated action by government, health workers, civil society, the private sector, spiritual and traditional leaders, and families, especially in Nigeria.

“The burden of hypertension in Nigeria is enormous, with 1 in 3 adults affected. Yet fewer than 1 in 5 people living with hypertension achieve target blood pressure,” Isezuo said.

He described the situation as unacceptably low, adding: “Hypertension remains a “silent killer” because it rarely causes symptoms until it leads to complications such as stroke, kidney failure, heart failure, heart attack, and premature death.

“Yet hypertension is largely preventable and treatable if detected early. The silent killer can be defeated.”

According to Isezuo, efforts to defeat hypertension in Nigeria are hampered by low awareness, late diagnosis, poverty, poor adherence to medication, a weak primary healthcare system, and unhealthy lifestyles, including high salt intake, physical inactivity, and stress.

He noted that current economic pressures had worsened the situation by driving up the cost of medicines, transport to health facilities, and healthy foods.

“These have forced many people with hypertension to skip doses, take under-dosages, or abandon treatment entirely,” he said.

“The Nigerian Hypertension Society is committed to working with government, professional bodies, patient groups, and all stakeholders to scale up screening and push for policies that promote hypertension control.

“As part of World Hypertension Day, society members nationwide will conduct free blood pressure screenings and public awareness campaigns through print and electronic media.”

Isezuo commended the Nigerian government’s efforts in hypertension control and called for subsidised essential medicines and expanded health insurance coverage.

He urged health workers to screen every adult at every opportunity, counsel on lifestyle changes, and follow evidence-based guidelines for treatment.

He also expressed concern over low awareness among people with hypertension, noting that many remain undiagnosed or untreated. He urged the media to use their platforms to spread accurate information.

“Families should support relatives to adhere to medication, attend follow-up clinics regularly, and adopt healthy diets.

“Every individual should know their ‘numbers’—blood pressure, weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Together, hypertension control is achievable, and we can defeat this silent killer,” he said.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has stepped up surveillance and emergency response following an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a confirmed imported case in Uganda.

Although Nigeria has recorded no confirmed case of Ebola, NCDC emphasised that they were maintaining heightened vigilance due to increasing regional mobility and the risk of cross-border transmission.

In a public health advisory signed by NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, the agency said it was closely monitoring developments in affected countries and coordinating preparedness efforts with the Port Health Services and other stakeholders.

“Response activities are ongoing in affected areas, and we are ensuring continued vigilance within Nigeria’s public health system,” Idris said.

Highlighting preparedness measures activated, Idris said NCDC had strengthened nationwide surveillance systems for Ebola and other epidemic-prone diseases, while intensifying event-based monitoring and coordination with state health authorities.

Other measures include enhancing laboratory and diagnostic readiness, strengthening infection prevention and control awareness in healthcare settings, and expanding community engagement and public risk communication.

He further said the agency was closely tracking global and regional developments to ensure a rapid response if the situation changed.

Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often fatal viral infection transmitted through direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids or contaminated materials of infected persons or animals.

According to the NCDC, the disease has an incubation period ranging from two to 21 days.

It typically begins with symptoms such as fever, weakness, headache, muscle pain and sore throat before progressing to vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, unexplained bleeding.

The director-general warned that early detection and isolation are critical in preventing outbreaks from escalating.

Idris advised healthcare workers across the country to maintain a high index of suspicion for Ebola in patients presenting symptoms consistent with the disease, particularly those with recent travel or exposure history linked to affected areas.

He urged medical personnel to strictly adhere to infection prevention protocols, including hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, early isolation of suspected cases and prompt reporting through established surveillance channels.

Idris appealed to Nigerians against panicking or spreading misinformation, stressing that there was currently no confirmed Ebola case in the country.

“Residents are advised to maintain regular hand hygiene, avoid contact with bodily fluids of sick persons and refrain from handling dead animals or bushmeat from unknown sources.”

He also encouraged members of the public to promptly report unusual illnesses to health facilities and rely only on verified information from official public health authorities.

The latest alert has renewed concerns about the possibility of regional spread, particularly in countries with high levels of movement and trade across borders.

Nigeria’s extensive travel connections and large population make preparedness essential, especially given the country’s previous experience managing Ebola outbreaks.

Nigeria was internationally praised for containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak after swift tracing and isolation measures prevented widespread transmission following the arrival of an infected traveller from Liberia.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo virus in the DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), warning of significant regional and global risks.

The decision, announced on May 16 by the WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus under the International Health Regulations (2005), follows rising infections and deaths, alongside evidence of cross-border transmission.

However, the organisation clarified that the situation did not yet meet the threshold for a pandemic emergency.

Data from WHO showed that as of May 16, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected infections, and 80 suspected deaths have been recorded in Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo.

The affected areas include Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu, where clusters of unexplained community deaths have raised alarm.

In Uganda, two confirmed cases including one fatality were reported in the capital, Kampala, within 24 hours of each other.

Both individuals had recently travelled from DR Congo, marking confirmed international spread of the virus.

Unlike other strains of Ebola, there are currently no approved vaccines or targeted treatments for the Bundibugyo variant, raising concerns among global health authorities.

A Consultant Psychiatrist, Prof. Taiwo Obindo has decried the cost of care and drugs for individuals undergoing treatment for various mental health conditions, calling for interventions to reverse the trend.

Obindo, also the immediate past President, Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN), made the call in an interview at the weekend in Lagos.

He said that those accessing care, especially mental healthcare services, were finding it difficult to keep up with the cost of treatment.

The psychiatrist frowned that the cost of healthcare in Nigeria generally had gone up, attributing the development to inflation, economic downturn and closure of some pharmaceutical companies.

He lamented that most of the pharmaceutical companies that produced some of the drugs had either downsized or relocated to other countries, leading to high cost of drugs/medications.

“The cost of healthcare in Nigeria generally has become so high, making it difficult for an average person to access the needed care.

“Most of the company’s manufacturing the drugs are not in the country and some of those here have either downsized or relocated to other countries – this has resulted in a quadruple of the price of drugs compared to the price before.

“Similarly, the rise in the prices of goods and services caused by the fuel subsidy removal and economic downturn in the country has continually resulted in an astronomical rise in the prices of drugs and hospital care.

“Individuals undergoing treatment for various mental health conditions, particularly those with substance use disorder are finding it difficult to keep up with the cost of treatment.

“This to a great extent affects the treatment outcomes, because many of the patients hardly adhere to medication and prescriptions due to financial incapability,” he said.

Speaking on the implications of the high cost of medication, particularly for mental health conditions, Obindo decried that the situation was taking a toll on the average patient.

He said that most of the patients, after seeing a doctor, end up not buying the prescribed drugs or buy what they could afford, leading to under-dose of the medication.

He explained that the situation could not only lead to relapse, but could make the patient come down with more complicated symptoms.

“Failure to adhere to prescriptions or under-dosing medication can have a lot of implications on the patient, his family and the economy at large.

“Apart from resulting in relapse, it can make the patient perpetually ill or even come down with more severe symptoms.

“Family relationships may be affected and productivity of the individuals may drop, affecting economic growth and development,” he said.

On measures to salvage the situation and ensure citizens had easy access to the needed healthcare, Obindo called for restructuring and expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to at least cover 80 per cent of the population.

He added that the scheme’s formularies should be reviewed and expanded to accommodate most mental healthcare medications, so that patients could access drugs when prescribed.

The psychiatrist also underscored the need for the government to not only subsidise importation of the drugs, but also support the pharmaceutical companies with incentives to aid their operations.

“It is the sole responsibility of the government to ensure that the citizens are in good health.

“Considering the cost of transportation, the fact that people in the rural areas will have to travel to urban cities to access mental healthcare adds to their cost of treatment. Some may resort to alternative medicine.

“This is where integrating mental healthcare fully into Primary Health Care becomes necessary, so that people can have access to care anywhere they are,” Obindo said.