Tag Archives: Act

Study raises red alert on spread of untreatable malaria with choice drug

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There is a red alert that malaria is becoming untreatable with the drug of choice, Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT), and the vector, mosquitoes, is becoming resistant to the recommended insecticide, pyrethroids, in more parts of the world.

According to a study published yesterday in the journal, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, a lineage of multidrug resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites (superbugs), has widely spread and is now established in parts of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, causing high treatment failure rates for the main falciparum malaria medicines, ACTs.

Also, United Kingdom (UK) doctors reported last week Thursday that a key malaria treatment has failed for the first time in patients being treated in the region.

A team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said it was too early to panic. But it warned things could suddenly get worse and demanded an urgent appraisal of drug-resistance levels in Africa.

However, according to the report, most of the patients were treated with the combination drug: artemether-lumefantrine.In Nigeria, although there are reported cases of treatment failures with ACTs, the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) insisted that the country has not confirmed any case of malaria resistant to the drug-of-choice, ACTs.

According to The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the emergence and spread of artemisinin drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum lineage represents a serious threat to global malaria control and eradication efforts.

The authors warned that malaria parasites resistant to both artemisinin and its widely used partner drug, Piperaquine, are now spreading quickly throughout Cambodia, with fitter multidrug resistant parasites spreading throughout western Cambodia, southern Laos and northeastern Thailand.

Worried that the further spread of these multidrug resistant parasites through India to sub-Saharan Africa would be a global public health disaster, the study authors called for accelerated efforts in the Greater Mekong Sub-region and closer collaboration to monitor any further spread in neighbouring regions.

Also, a genetic analysis of mosquito populations in Africa showed that recent successes in controlling malaria through treated bednets has led to widespread insecticide resistance in mosquitoes.

Data Price Hike An Act Of National Interest- Senate

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has acted in national interest on the issue of data price increase, the Senate Committee on Communications has said.

The Committee, which visited the NCC headquarters in Abuja yesterday as part of it oversight functions, said Nigerians should see the commission as being on their side on the issue of data price increase.

Senator Solomon Olamilekan (Lagos West) who spoke on behalf of the Committee members said the NCC had taken some commendable steps to sanitize the telecom industry and the data price hike was one of them.

He said “Each time we invited the leadership of the agency to the National Assembly, they honoured our invitation and responded to our inquiries, particularly during the MTN issue, and of recent the data price floor. They have acted in national interests and Nigerians see NCC as being on their side.”

While receiving members of the Committee, the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Professor Danbatta, said unless the issues regarding the data price floor are resolved, it remains a whirlwind that would not do anybody any good.

He said it is imperative that all stakeholders agreed on appropriate price floor on data for the good of the industry, noting that a proper cost-based study would be carried out shortly to determine price floor.

Credit: dailytrust

Senate Suspends Moves To Amend CCB/CCT Act

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The Senate on Wednesday suspended further deliberation on the amendment of Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Tribunals Act as well as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, announced the suspension following a two-hour closed door session.

The close-door session was informed by a Point of Order raised by Sen. Hope Uzodinma (PDP-Imo West) on the need for the senate to discuss some issues affecting the integrity of the upper house.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Bill to amend the Acts, sponsored by Sen. Peter Nwoboshi (PDP-Delta North), passed through the first and second readings on April 12 and April 14.

The senate, while declaring support for the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, in view of his trial, also suspended discussions on the petition of inflammatory statements on the Senate against Sen. Kabiru Marafa (APC-Zamfara Central).

“The senate in a closed-door session discussed a number of issues affecting the smooth working of the senate.

“And I am happy to announce to our colleagues and the entire nation that after exhaustive deliberations and being sincere to ourselves, we decided to put behind us all things that have divided us since the inception of the 8 Senate and work as a united senate in the best interest of our country.

“We also agreed in the closed-session to suspend the discussion of the committee on Ethics report on Senator Marafa.

“We agreed to suspend further deliberation on the amendment on the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal’s Act and the Criminal and Administration of Justice Act the amendment thereto.

“We agreed that this senate should stand and we do stand by the senate president in his trial until proven guilty by the court in accordance with our constitution and democratic practices all over the world including South Africa, Brazil and Russia.”

The deputy president of the senate further announced that the upper house had set up committees to reconcile the warring factions in the senate and other pertinent issues.

“We also agreed to set up a committee two from each geo-political zone to address all the remaining issues and as part of the reconciliation those in court should consider withdrawing the cases.

“Further to the agreement to set up the committees, the geo-political zones have sent names of their representatives.

“For South South, we have Sen. Akpabio and Sen. James Manager; for North West, we have Sen. Sani Yerima and Suleiman Hunkuyi; for the North East, we have Sen. Bukar Abba and Joshua Lidani.

“For the South East, we have Sam Egwu and Hope Uzodinma; for the North Central, we have Gemade and Abdullahi Adamu; and for the South West, we have Monsurat Sumonu and Sen. Gbenga Ashafa.”

Credit: ngrguardian