News

WHO To Double Cholera Vaccine Supply In Nigeria, Others

Published

10 years ago

January 12, 2016

By Oluwaseun OLUWAROTIMI, Abuja

World Health Organization (WHO) has said that it is making efforts to double the global supply of oral cholera vaccines in order to ease global shortage.
This scheme will be applicable to Nigeria and some affected countries, according to the agency in a press statement exclusively made available to National TRAIL’s reporter at the weekend.
According to the statement, the initiative is coming just as the United Nations Health agency has approved a third producer, helping to address global shortages and expand access in more countries.
“Globally, Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV) production is low, with demands currently exceeding supply. Sudan and Haiti last year made requests to WHO for supplies of vaccines to conduct pre-emptive vaccination campaigns that could not be filled because of the global shortage” the statement reads.
Furthermore, the agency said the vaccine producer, a South Korean company, is the latest oral cholera vaccine (OCV) manufacturer to be approved under the WHO’s pre-qualification programme, which ensures that drugs and vaccines bought by countries and international procurement agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) meet acceptable standards of quality, safety and efficacy.
It added that the addition of an additional pre-qualified vaccine producer is expected to double global supply to 6 million doses for 2016, with the potential for further increased production in the future, stressing that this additional capacity will contribute to reversing a vicious cycle of low demand, low production, high price and inequitable distribution, to a virtuous cycle of increased demand, increased production, reduced price and greater equity of access.
Cholera is an acute diarrhea disease that can kill within hours if left untreated. There are between 1.4 million and 4.3 million cases a year, and as many as 142 000 deaths. Cholera is endemic in more than 50 countries, but usually only garners international attention during humanitarian emergencies, such as the outbreak among refugees in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 1994 that killed tens of thousands. Climate change and El Niño may also be contributing to more frequent cholera outbreaks.

Oral cholera vaccines have been used in mass vaccination campaigns in response to humanitarian emergencies since 1997. But because the disease disproportionately affects poor communities who are often unaware that the vaccines exist, there has historically been little demand for the products.
In 2013 the WHO created the world’s first OCV stockpile, undertaking to buy and use 2 million doses a year in order to stabilize and create demand for the vaccines.

News

Zimbabwe considers controversial presidential term-extension bill

Published

22 hours ago

June 2, 2026

milcah

Zimbabwe’s justice minister introduced to parliament Tuesday a controversial constitutional amendment bill that would extend the term of the president, but faces fierce opposition and court challenges.

Parliament has to vote on sweeping changes to the constitution approved by the cabinet in February that include a provision that would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term until 2030.

The measures would also do away with general presidential elections, giving parliament the power to appoint the president, and extend the terms of lawmakers from five to seven years.

The amendment has become one of the most contentious political issues in Zimbabwe, where Mnangagwa’s Zanu-PF party enjoys an overwhelming majority in parliament.

After introducing the proposal, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told journalists the government was determined to push the measure through a parliamentary debate.

He said a 90-day public consultation process was successful and widely supported.Related News

Opponents say the consultations were marred by intimidation and violence, with anti-amendment activists assaulted by suspected state agents or arrested.

Several legal challenges seeking to stop or invalidate the amendment process are before Zimbabwe’s courts.

Critics say the bill would entrench the Zanu-PF, which has governed the resource-rich country since independence in 1980, overseeing crippling economic crises and accused of corruption and repression.

Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 in a military-backed coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, president for 30 years.

He was elected for two five-year terms, in 2018 and 2023, which is the constitutional limit for a president.

AFP

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News

National Governance Index Showcases Best-Performing States

Published

2 days ago

June 1, 2026

milcah

Top 10 Performers:

Kaduna State 73%
Delta State 70%
Anambra State 65.5%
Niger state 65.1%
Ekiti State 64.5%
Akwa Ibom State 64%
Lagos State 64%
Oyo State 61%
Enugu State 56.5%
Borno state 54%

Middle 10 Performers:

Kwara State 53.5%
Abia State 52%
Ondo State 51%
Nasarawa State 50.5%
Osun State 49.5%
Ogun State 48.5%
Kano 48.5%
Kogi State 48%
Edo State 47%
Jigawa State 46.8%

Worst 10 Performers:

Bauchi State 44%
Ebonyi State 42%
Katsina State 41.5%
Gombe State 40%
Kebbi State 34%
Plateau 33.5%
Rivers State 30%
Benue State 25%
Yobe State 22%
Taraba State 20%

These rankings are based on the CIAPS Governance Performance Index (CGPI) report, which evaluates states’ performance in areas like e-governance, transparency, and accountability.

The CIAPS Governance Performance Index (CGPI) is an initiative of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies, CIAPS. CGPI was conceived as a catalyst for benchmarking, documenting, measuring and encouraging good governance in Nigeria.

News

RUN Set to Mobilize Millions of Youth for Tinubu/Akpabio Ahead of 2027

Published

3 days ago

May 31, 2026

milcah

Following the conclusion of party primaries, Rising Up for a United Nigeria (RUN) as a civil society group championing the cause of all youths and middle age citizens has congratulated His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his landslide victory in the presidential primaries recently held.

RUN also congratulated Senator Godswill Akpabio for emerging unopposed and the wild jubilation that greeted his victory as the Senator representing his constituency, the good people of Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria at large.

In a press release signed by Amb. Solomon Adodo and made available to journalists, a copy of which was sighted by our correspondent, the group described the win of the duo as beam of hope for Nigeria beyond 2027.

According to him, “the win of Asiwaju and Akpabio signals a beam of hope for Nigeria that beyond 2027, we shall be consolidating on the gains of synergetic partnership between the legislature and the executive as a precursor for rapid development.

“The support extended to Mr. President by the Senate President has yielded significant strides in fasttracking development across all parameters that affect national productivity”

The group therefore called on all Nigerians to come out in their numbers to support the president while outlining series programs with potentials to foster national unity across regional and religious lines.

“As a group representing the interests of Nigeria youths, we are determined to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President towards improving the skill set of Nigeria youths towards increased productivity and an end to unemployment”, the release stated.

The group expressed confidence in the possibility of a new Nigeria of our dreams with the victories of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Godswill Akpabio who will definitely be handed a second term as the Senate President “to continue synergizing with Mr. President for a better Nigeria”.