THE need for affirmative action and essential support in educating Nigerians about the HIV and AIDS epidemic while ensuring greater protection for pregnant women and children from HIV transmission, coupled with enablement of greater financial resources for Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) and improved access to HIV treatment remain key issues in Nigeria even as the country joins the rest of the world to mark the 11th World AIDS Day (WAD) today.

In every country, women and girls are in most cases vulnerable to violence with its attendant suffering. Such violence undermines development, creates instability and makes peace much harder to achieve. It was in recognition of this that November 25 was set aside as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

As part of efforts aimed at further reducing the high rate of maternal and child mortality, in the country, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), has so far committed a total of N1.2 billion in the second year of implementation of the NHIS/Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) maternal and child health project.

…Power ministry bandies excuses By Hector Igbikiowubo THE Federal Government has failed to deliver on its planned target to generate 6000 Megawatts (MW) of electricity for the national grid by December 2009, even as the Ministry of Power bandies excuses over this failing, pleading gas supply inadequacy, sabotage, the Niger delta crises, etc. At the […]

President Umar Yar’Adua is worried by increasing incidents of food poisoning in the country, hence the creation of the Association of Drinks Food Operators of Nigeria (ADFON) to instil proper hygienic conditions in public eating outlets.

MANAGING Director of Delta Mega Trend, Mr. Sam Ogrih, has commended Delta State governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, for initiating and citing the ongoing construc-tion of mega estate in Warri.

THE protracted crisis rocking the University of Benin (UNIBEN) over the choice of a substantive vice-chancellor was laid to rest yesterday, as the Governing Council of the University announced the appointment of Professor Osayuki Godwin Oshodin, the immediate past Dean of Education, as the new Vice-Chancellor of the institution.

IT is a fact that at least 50 per cent of Nigerians live on less than one dollar a day – a development emphasised by the quite poor critical health indicators such as maternal and infant mortality.

THE reluctance of herbal medicine practitioners and inadequate coordination of their activities have been identified as being largely responsible for non-integration of herbal medicine into the nation’s health care system. Director General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Dr. Paul Orhii, who disclosed this in a paper presention at a symposium by Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories in Enugu opined that even though use of traditional and herbal medicines is widespread in the country,its integration into the national healthcare system had remained problematic.

General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) Prof. John Idoko says the wide gaps in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) need to be addressed, particularly the issue of breast feeding by women living with HIV.