Health
Immunization Cheapest Way to Prevent Diseases—Consultant Paediatrician
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A Consultant Paediatrician with interest in Respiratory and Paediatrics, Dr Bamigboye Olatomi, has disclosed that the best and cheapest way to prevent diseases especially among children is simply by immunisation.
In an interview with the media, including Business Post in Lagos last week, Dr Olatomi, who is also the Medical Director of Lagoon Hospital in Lagos, listed the benefits of getting children vaccinated against diseases.
Speaking on an infection of the lungs, Pneumonia, the medical expert said when a child is vaccinated, the immune system is strengthened to fight against any disease or infection.
“When we give a vaccine, what we want the body to do is to produce antibodies, which are of two types, antigens and antibodies.
“What the antibodies do is to mop up those antigens in your system so that they cannot cause an infection.
“So what vaccines actually do is to strengthen the immune system by giving antibodies the power to fight infections,” she said.
Dr Olatomi defined vaccination as a process in which a substance is injected into the body of an individual to resist an infection.
She said this substance usually contains proteins from some of the bacteria that causes this infection or are engineered bio-medically.
According to her, when these vaccines are given to an individual, they are expected to create a solitude of that infection in the individual, making the taker unable to have an active infection such that the body can respond by producing antibodies against such substances.
Speaking on who is more prone to pneumonia between children and adults, Dr Olatomi said, “Pneumonia is caused by a lot of organisms and not just the pneumococcal bacteria that is the strand.
“Both the young and old are prone to pneumonia. Also, people with sickle cell, asthma, those with renal issues or anyone with a chronic illness are prone to the disease.
In addition, she said those who have reason to remove the spleen, an organ in the abdomen, which helps to fight that infection, are prone to pneumonia and must take pneumococcal shots.
On the vaccines for pneumonia, Dr Olatomi said one is not vaccinated against the disease once in a lifetime and that the doses depend on the age of the receiver.
“For now, we have the national programme on immunization in the country and the pneumococcal vaccine has already been added to the routine vaccines given to children and they have the number of doses they are expected to take.
“Children have three doses and a shot might be enough for adults, but those with other chronic illnesses might need an extra shot to build immunity. So, the number of doses is age dependent and it also depends on some medical condition.
On the risk of not being vaccinated against pneumonia, the medical expert said, failure to be immunised is associated with increased morbidity, which she said is one of the contributors to the under-five mortality.
“When a child is not vaccinated against the disease, he would be exposed to the infection then you will not be able to mount an immune response to fight the infection.
“If you don’t have the vaccine, it usually predisposes you to invasive pneumococcal disease such that you have a very severe form of the disease, which can lead to a lot of things like increased hospitalisation of the child, loss of school days for adults, loss of economic man hours. Also, it has an effect on the economy, school attendance, increased spending on health.
Dr Olatomi then advised government to improve pneumococcal vaccination rates in Nigeria, saying when “you give the immunization, you have less children coming down with the invasive pneumococcal disease and so our spending on health will be reduced.
“The under-five mortality will drop and absenteeism in schools will reduce because when a child is admitted, a parent has to stay with the child in the hospital. The parent has to also run around, making such parent unable to be involved in economic activities.
“Immunization is the cheapest form of intervention you can make to avert preventable diseases in general. It is the cheapest form, the cost of immunization is far lower than the cost of having to treat a child or an individual suffering from vaccine preventable diseases.
Dr Olatomi, who spoke on this year’s World Pneumonia Day celebrated globally on the November 12, of every year, stated that in the national programme, “We give the BCG, which is for tuberculosis. We have what we call the pentavalent vaccine, the vaccine has for dysteria, has for whooping cough, it has the one for tetanus, it has the one for hepatitis and it has the one for influenza bacteria and we have the pneumococcal vaccines, which have three shots.
“The BCG is given at birth and we have the oral polio and we also have the injectable polio vaccines and then those are taken at birth.
“The BCG, the oral polio and the hepatitis B are mainly to prevent the transmission of disease from the mother to the child.
“When the child is 9 months old, we give measles and yellow fever vaccines; that is the immunization for the National Programme.
“However, there are a lot of other vaccines that are available, which we can avail ourselves, including the rotavirus, which is not yet in the programme. It is available to be taken.
“We have the meningitis vaccine, and a host of others for the adult. There is also the chicken pox vaccine.
“We mostly emphasise that these vaccines are given from childhood and this is because when you give a child a healthy start in life, it helps them later in life.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, on Tuesday said the organisation regretted the decision of the United States to withdraw from it.
After his inauguration on Monday, the new US President, Mr Donald Trump, signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the global health body.
“The World Health Organisation regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization.
“The organisation hopes that Washington will change its decision.
“We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe,” the health group stated in the statement.
This marks the second time Mr Trump has ordered the US to be pulled out of the world health body charged with global health welfare and monitoring.
Mr Trump was critical of how the international body handled COVID-19 and began the process of pulling out from the Geneva-based institution during the pandemic.
However, after Mr Trump lost to President Joe Biden in 2020, the erstwhile American president, who later reversed that decision.
With his return to office, Mr Trump, through the executive action on day one, makes it more likely the US will formally leave the global agency.
The executive order also said the withdrawal was the result of “unfairly onerous payments” the US made to the WHO, which is part of the United Nations (UN).
President Trump was critical of the organisation for being too “China-centric” in its tackling of the COVID-19 pandemic and accused the WHO of being biased towards the Asian nation in how it issued guidance during the outbreak.
Under the Biden administration, the US continued to be the largest funder of the WHO (around 14 per cent) and in 2023, it contributed almost one-fifth of the agency’s budget.
The organisation’s annual budget is $6.8 billion.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A healthcare technology platform, DoorSpace, has announced its exit from all Meta platforms, citing value differences and company culture as reasons for the action.
Ahead of the inauguration of Mr Donald Trump as the President of the United States of America (USA) for a second term on tomorrow, Monday, January 20, 2025, Mr Mark Zuckerberg announced changes to his platforms’ fact-checking system.
“The only way that we can push back on this global trend is with the support of the US government, and that’s why it’s been so difficult over the past four years, when even the US government has pushed for censorship,” Mr Zuckerberg said in a video.
He said Meta was welcoming political discourse back on Facebook, Instagram and Threads with the new Community Notes system, which will enable users to write and rate notes that can be added onto posts.
Mr Zuckerberg explained that Meta would be working closely with Mr Trump’s upcoming administration by showing users more content that is politically charged and not checked by third-party fact checkers.
This decision of Meta did not go down well with DoorSpace, which said it has ceased any activity and would no longer spend marketing dollars to advertise on Meta platforms.
“Zuckerberg’s business decisions to rollback its fact checking system and to open up the platform to allow for misinformation, hate and bullying, especially against vulnerable minority groups, shows his lack of understanding on the importance of diversity and common decency.
“Incel culture will continue to grow and fester in that curated environment, leading to more violence against these groups in the real world,” the chief executive of DoorSpace, Ms Sarah M. Worthy, said.
“”I need to stand by my values and use my position as a healthcare tech leader to advocate for the individuals who are directly harmed in both their professional and personal lives by the hate and misinformation being spread on Zuckerberg’s platforms.
“The Meta that Zuckerberg has created has become a cesspool that sells its users’ data to the highest bidder while utilizing manipulative and dangerous tactics to keep people on the app as long as possible,” Ms Worthy added.
“Your data is not secure on their platforms, their algorithmic feed is designed to sow division and misinformation, and the company has announced that it does not view every American equally.
“There is no need for our business to spend money advertising there or any reason for our brand to maintain an active presence there anymore,” she said further.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A transformative webinar to raise awareness on postpartum depression (PPD) by nursing mothers has been organised by MSc Media and Communication students from the School of Media and Communications of the Pan-Atlantic University.
The programme titled Beyond Baby Blues: Understanding and Overcoming Postpartum Depression was held on January 7, 2025.
It was put together by the students under the Mums Feel Warmth initiative, with experts in the field invited to speak on the matter aimed at empowering mothers and fostering a sense of reassurance.
The webinar was to highlight the journey through postpartum depression, offering a message of hope, resilience, and the importance of mental health support for mothers everywhere.
One of the speakers, Dr Laja Odunuga, who is the Care Coordinator for AVON HMO, explained the difference between the common “baby blues” and the more severe, long-lasting PPD.
The discussion highlighted how PPD can manifest not just as sadness but through severe fatigue, disconnection from the newborn, and loss of interest in activities, which can last well beyond the typical two-week period associated with baby blues.
Another expert, Ms Otomfon Ibanga, the Assistant Lead Nurse for Q-Life Family Clinic, emphasised the role of support systems, urging families and friends to be vigilant for signs of PPD and to provide a nurturing environment.
She also discussed prevention strategies, including prenatal planning for support structures and post-delivery management through therapy or medication.
On his part, Dr Chimaraoke Obialo, who is the Medical Director of Life Amada Health Consultancy, addressed the stigma surrounding PPD, advocating for education to transform societal perceptions from judgement to support.
The webinar underscored the need for community involvement, not just in recognising symptoms but in actively participating in the healing process by offering emotional and practical support.
The Mums Feel Warmth webinar was more than just an educational session; it was a call to action for society to embrace and support new mothers dealing with PPD.
By fostering open conversations and providing platforms for sharing experiences, Mums Feel Warmth continues to lead the charge against the stigma of PPD.
The commitment shown by the panellists and attendees alike promises a future where every mother has access to the understanding and care needed to navigate through the complexities of postpartum depression, ensuring that the joy of motherhood is not overshadowed by mental health challenges.
Mums Feel Warmth, with its core values of empathy, compassion, hope, community, and education, speaks to the Sustainable Development Goal 3, advocating for good health and well-being.
The initiative is breaking the silence around PPD, a condition that can significantly impact new mothers in the critical period following childbirth.
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