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Buhari Expresses Grief Over Killing Of Soldiers In Borno Boko Haram Ambush

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed “grief and sorrow’’ over loss of soldiers ambushed by Boko Haram terrorists in Gorgi Village, Borno State.

According to a statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Buhari while commiserating with families of the slain soldiers, said, “Sacrifices of our gallant patriots cannot be quantified, and their sacrifices cannot go in vain.’’

The President said the death of every soldier causes deep pains because he knows what it means to be a soldier, and fully understands the extreme risks associated with the profession.

According to the statement, Buhari appealed to the military “not to allow the incident to affect their morale’’.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has dispatched a team to assess the situation and report back to the government.

More than 50 military personnel including top commanders were killed during the ambush, which took place on Saturday.

Boko Haram

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March 25, 2020
Do not take RTK test for Covid-19 without doctor’s advice: MOH

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry (MOH) has called on the people not to undergo rapid test kit (RTK) tests arbitrarily without seeking the advice of medical practitioners.

Health director-general, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (pix) said it has the potential to a give wrong interpretation from the result obtained.

“The test via RTK technique which is now available in the market is to detect antibodies produced by the body as a result of an infection. The antibodies will appear in the body in five to eight days after infection.

“The RTK test which detects antibodies, cannot detect virus and it is administered for quick confirmation. As such it cannot help in the detection of initial Covid-19 cases. Therefore, RTK test is not recommended for diagnosing Covid-19,” he said in a statement today.

Elaborating further, Dr Noor Hisham said MOH is using the Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) technique at government health laboratories to detect the presence of Covid-19 virus found in the body of patients.

If the rRT-PCR COVID19 test is found positive, it means the individual has been infected by Covid-19 virus.

“The result of the rRT-PCR technique is very important in managing Covid-19 patients effectively,” he said.

In this regard, Dr Noor Hisham advised the people not to discriminate members of the tabligh congregation following the spread of Covid-19 from the cluster and should in fact assist MOH in tracing close contacts among them.

“We should not blame tabligh members, do not discriminate them, we should not stigmatise the tabligh congregation. What is important is for us to assist, trace and treat Covid-19 infection among tabligh members, their families and their contacts,” he said.

Apart from that. Dr Noor Hisham said KKM is cooperating with MERCY Malaysia to provide psychosocial support to the people especially frontliners and individuals emotionally affected by Covid-19.

They can obtain the service by contacting 011-63996482 / 011-63994236 / 03-29359935 from 8am to 5pm daily.

Members of the public can also contact the virtual health advisory team for a webinar session daily from 9am onwards at http://www.doctoroncall.com.my/coronavirus. – Bernama

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March 24, 2020
New WHO recommendations to prevent tuberculosis aim to save millions of lives
Geneva – New World Health Organization (WHO) guidance will help countries accelerate efforts to stop people with tuberculosis (TB) infection becoming sick with TB by giving them preventive treatment.

A quarter of the world‘s population is estimated to be infected with TB bacteria. These people are neither sick nor contagious. However, they are at greater risk of developing TB disease, especially those with weakened immunity. Offering them TB
preventive treatment will not only protect them from becoming sick but also cut down on the risk of transmission in the community.

As we mark World TB Day 2020, the disease remains the world’s top infectious killer. In 2018, 10 million people fell ill with TB worldwide and 1.5 million people lost their lives to this disease.

“COVID-19 is highlighting just how vulnerable people with lung diseases and weakened immune systems can be,“ said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The world committed to end TB by 2030; improving prevention is key
to making this happen. Millions of people need to be able to take TB preventive treatment to stop the onset of disease, avert suffering and save lives”.

Dr Tedros highlighted the importance to continue efforts to tackle longstanding health problems, including TB during global outbreaks such as COVID-19. At the same time, programmes already in place to combat TB and other major infectious diseases
can be leveraged to make the response to COVID-19 more effective and rapid.

Although some progress has been made towards targets set at the UN high-level Meeting on TB in 2018, TB preventive treatment has been largely neglected. Global leaders committed to ensuring access to TB preventive treatment to at least 24 million contacts
of people with active TB and 6 million people living with HIV by 2022. To date only a fraction of that target has been reached, with countries putting less than 430,000 contacts and 1.8 million people on TB preventive treatment in 2018.

TB remains the top cause of death among people with HIV. TB preventive treatment works synergistically with antiretroviral therapy to prevent TB and save lives. Reinvigorated efforts by governments, health services, partners, donors and civil society
will be needed to increase access to TB preventive treatment to the levels targeted.

The new consolidated guidelines recommend a range of innovative approaches to scale up access to TB preventive treatment:
- WHO recommends a scale-up of TB preventive treatment among populations at highest risk including household contacts of TB patients, people living with HIV and other people at risk with lowered” immunity or living in crowded settings.
- WHO recommends an integration of TB preventive treatment services into ongoing case finding efforts for active TB. All household contacts of TB patients and people living with HIV are recommended to be screened
  for active TB. If active TB is ruled out, they should be initiated on TB preventive treatment.
- WHO recommends that either a tuberculin skin test or interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) be used to test for TB infection. Both tests are helpful to find people more likely to benefit from TB preventive treatment
  but should not become a barrier to scale-up access. Testing for TB infection is not required before starting TB preventive treatment in people living with HIV, and children under 5 years who are contacts of people with active TB.
- WHO recommends new shorter options for preventive treatment in addition to the widely used 6 months of daily isoniazid. The shorter options that are now recommended range from a 1 month daily regimen of rifapentine plus isoniazid
  to 3 months weekly rifapentine plus isoniazid, 3 months daily rifampicin plus isoniazid, or 4 months of daily rifampicin alone.
“As people around the globe come together to commemorate World TB Day, WHO is calling on governments, affected communities, civil society organizations, health-care providers, donors, partners and the industry to unite forces and step up
the TB response – notably for TB preventive treatment – to ensure no one is left behind,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme. “The new WHO guidance shows the way forward for millions to rapidly
access new tools and shorter, safer options for preventive treatment. The time for action is now.”

TB preventive treatment is an affordable intervention that can prevent families from sliding into poverty and preserve the health and economy of whole communities. WHO anticipates that as new and safer drugs come onto the markets, and as prices
fall, it will become a highly-cost effective way to save millions of lives.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

WORK BY WHO AND PARTNERS

WHO works closely with Member States including the US Government and technical and funding partners such as UNITAID to enhance access to shorter TB preventive treatment regimens. UNITAID-supported projects such as IMPAACT4TB and Cap-TB projects
enabled by WHO with partners in Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and
Zimbabwe are leading the way. The new treatment options are also now more affordable, thanks to the significant price drop of rifapentine – a key drug – facilitated recently by UNITAID, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
and global biopharmaceutical company Sanofi, along with forthcoming arrangements underway with generic manufacturers.

MORE ABOUT THE GUIDELINES

The new consolidated WHO guidelines come with an operational handbook to help guide countries step-by-step as they take TB preventive treatment to scale. This includes guidance on how to prioritize and invest from demand creation for TB prevention
to supervision and monitoring of the programme.

The guidelines and operational handbook are also accompanied by an innovative mobile application – Prevent TB –to help health-care workers manage TB preventive treatment in their communities. Its online dashboard allows programme
managers to visualize and monitor data in real time. The application can be customized by countries to suit their specific settings and is currently being adopted in India and Philippines.

WORLD TB DAY

The new guidelines and tools are being released ahead of World TB Day. World TB Day is observed on March 24 each year to raise public awareness and understanding about the world’s deadliest infectious killer – TB and its devastating
health, social and economic impact on people around the world. Under the theme “It’s Time”, the spotlight this year is on urgently accelerating the TB response to save lives and end suffering.

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March 24, 2020
COVID19: Restrictions On Peaceful Assembly And Movement Without A Law Or State Of Emergency Is Unconstitutional By Inibehe Effiong

A follower on Twitter asked me on Saturday whether it is “constitutional” for the government to restrict religious and social gatherings because of Coronavirus?

By virtue of Section 45 of the 1999 constitution, the rights to peaceful assembly and free movement can be interfered with in the interest of public health and public safety. Is Coronavirus a threat to public health and public safety? The answer is obviously in the affirmative.

Section 14 (2)(b) of the constitution states that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

However, I urge President Buhari to declare a state of emergency throughout the federation in line with Section 305 of the constitution.

Section 305 (3)(d) of the constitution, allows for a state of emergency when “there is clear & present danger of breakdown of public order and public safety in the federation or any part thereof requiring extraordinary measures to avert such danger.” COVID-19 is a clear and present danger to public safety.

Unlike in the United States, States in Nigeria cannot declare emergency. A governor supported by 2/3 members of the House of Assembly can only request the president to do so for them as stated in Section 305 (4) of the constitution. This is an example of the fraudulent nature of our federalism.

Since there is no special law to my knowledge, apart from laws establishing national and States emergency management agencies, to address public health crisis, it is necessary for the President to declare a state of emergency in Nigeria to address the outbreak of Coronavirus.

In the absence of a law enabling these restrictions to social and religious gatherings, the legality of these measures is questionable. This is because fundamental rights cannot be derogated from except as prescribed in a law that is “reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.”

It is either a law is urgently enacted across the volatile states or the President invokes the state of emergency clause. As at today, there is no strong legal basis for restricting gatherings. None of the governors or the President has issued even an ordinary ‘Executive Order’.

In the United States for example where we copied our presidential system, President Trump declared a national emergency, and at least 48 States in the US have also declared emergency due to COVID-19. The American Congress also passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

In Nigeria, we are resorting to our usual militaristic way of doing things by relying on arbitrary executive fiat to tackle COVID-19. Nations do not become great just by the “good intentions” of politicians. Nations become great principally by adhering to the rule of law.

In the light of the foregoing, I strongly urge the federal and state governments to urgently take steps to address the apparent legal loopholes in their efforts to tackle Coronavirus. It is obvious that Nigeria is not prepared for an outbreak. We are doing trial and error.

We need a legal framework; not only to give legal backing to the restrictions on the fundamental rights of Nigerians to religion, association, assembly, movement, etc., but to also provide for reliefs for families and victims of COVID-19.

We should not wait for the worst to happen.

I wish to draw the attention of the government to the decision of the Court of Appeal in the celebrated case of Okafor v. Lagos State Government (2017) 4 NWLR (Pt. 1556) 404 where it was held that disobeying the “order” or “directive” of a governor is not a criminal offence.

In that case, Lagos State issued an order restricting movement during environmental sanitation, Okafor was arrested for disobeying the order. The court declared the arrest illegal and unconstitutional since there was no law that criminalized violation of the governor’s order.

Without a law or a state of emergency, it is illegal to arrest anyone for violating a mere executive order. Emotions cannot change the law. If religious leaders whose places of worship have been closed decide to challenge the closure in court, the government will likely lose.

I hope the government at all levels will listen to the voice of reason and initiate appropriate legal frameworks to support the containment of COVID-19. It is either we are a country of laws or a banana republic.

We should not yield to authoritarian rule because of expediency.

Inibehe Effiong is a Lagos-based legal practitioner and human rights activist

Opinion

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March 23, 2020
Home internet jammed up? Try these steps before upgrading

With so much of the U.S. workforce—and their families—now cooped up at home to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, it’s not a huge surprise that home internet is showing the strain.

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March 20, 2020
(Video) Time for tough action against those flouting MCO

PETALING JAYA: Faced with the deadly Covid-19 virus, the government implemented the movement control order (MCO) as a lesser measure to contain the pandemic.

The MCO was favoured to a full lockdown as the latter might cause deep inconvenience to the people.

While the move, as a preliminary measure to counter the spread of the disease, was welcomed by the majority, it is not the case with a segment of obstinate Malaysians who are not adhering to the MCO and are going about their daily lives as usual, totally unperturbed by the pandemic.

Members of the police force are at their wits end.

Since the MCO came into force on Wednesday, it has been a gruelling task for personnel nationwide who are “chasing” those who continue to treat the order lightly. These selfish and stubborn individuals are taking to the outdoors without any concern for their own safety, that of their families and others who come in contact with them.

Should they become infected with the feared virus from their careless behaviour, these irresponsible individuals are a threat to the health of other Malaysians including those who abide by the MCO.

Law-abiding Malaysians viewed with utter disgust several videos which went viral since yesterday, showing a number of people who are turning the MCO into an outdoor leisure-seeking break.

One video taken in Johor Baru showed more than 50 adults and children passing their time at a playground in a residential area, playing basketball or idling away.

A police car arrives at the scene with its sirens blaring and beacons switched on but the crowd does not budge.

When a personnel makes an announcement with a hailer urging the people to return indoors in accordance with the MCO, it falls on deaf ears.

It was not until an exasperated policeman steps out of the patrol car and walks towards the people does the crowd decide to disperse.

Another video showed a group of men who were playing checkers in the open at an unnamed location in Selangor being advised to head indoors by police.

In Alor Star, police cars arrived at a house to advise its dwellers to call off a large kenduri they were holding.

Dozens of other videos of people enjoying meals, gathering, loitering and setting up food stalls, all outdoors, are making the rounds.

With the reckless behaviour of such Malaysians, perhaps it is time they face the full brunt of the law.

Laws of the Penal Code and Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 should be invoked and police be given consent by the higher-ups to arrest and prosecute those who fail to adhere to the MCO.

This will not simply serve as a lesson to those who flout the law but also a deterrent to the rest.

This should be done at the soonest to further counter the pandemic and in honour of the sacrifices our frontliners who put their lives on the line – the hundreds of medical personnel caring for over 900 infected patients battling the disease and the thousands of police personnel upholding the MCO.

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March 19, 2020
Talian Kasih 15999 operating as usual

PUTRAJAYA: The Talian Kasih 15999, coordinated by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) will operate as usual during the movement control order, according to minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun (pix).

In a statement today, she said the line was reactivated after taking into consideration the needs of women, children, the disabled and senior citizens.

“Talian Kasih will continue to entertain to complaints from women, families and the community particularly in attending to emergency incidents involving welfare and the community,” she said.

Former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who was also KPWKM minister, was reported to have urged the ministry to reactivate Talian Kasih, which was stopped following the movement control order effective today until March 31.

Rina said the Talian Kasih hotline 15999 and WhatsApp service at 019-2615999 will be operating at all times. – Bernama

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March 18, 2020
King decrees all Malaysians to obey movement control order

KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah (pix) today decreed all Malaysians to obey the movement control order announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday and to give full cooperation in containing the spread of Covid-19 infections in the country.

The order will take effect from tomorrow until March 31.

Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said His Majesty, nevertheless, said that the people should face the situation calmly to help the government and the relevant authorities tackle the situation effectively.

“His Majesty urges the people not to take the movement control lightly. The people were also asked to follow the guidelines and preventive measures issued by the Ministry of Health because this is our mutual responsibility to ensure safety and wellbeing of our families, our communities and our beloved country,” he said in a statement issued by Istana Negara today.

He said Al-Sultan Abdullah also viewed seriously the rising number of positive Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, which was recorded at 553 yesterday and had placed his full trust in the government and the authorities to discharge their duties in containing the spread of the disease.

Ahmad Fadil said His Majesty was well aware that the people might feel that the action taken by the Perikatan Nasional government had made it difficult for them to go about their daily activities.

“However, we must try to understand and be patient because the government cannot wait for the situation to become more critical to take drastic action.

“As the Head of State, His Majesty also called on all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion, to stay united and play their parts to help the government in containing the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

“His Majesty believes that with the strong spirit, concern and cooperation from the people, we will be able to contain the spread of the disease quickly and effectively,” he said.

Ahmad Fadil said Al-Sultan Abdullah also decreed all Malaysians to refer to the Online Health Advisory Service or the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) via the Ministry of Health’s website to find the answers to all their doubts and questions so as to prevent the spread of fake news and false information that may cause panic and confusion among themselves.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong also expressed appreciation and thanks to the government under the leadership of Muhyiddin, government agencies and most of all to the unsung heroes, the medical staff and healthcare personnel, the civil servants and all the others who have sacrificed their time and energy in ensuring that all preventive measures and control of the infectious disease were being implemented efficiently.

“His Majesty also called on all Muslims to join him to pray to Allah SWT so that all our efforts be blessed and so that the COVID-19 situation can be tackled and put to end as soon as possible. InsyaAllah,” he said. – Bernama

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March 17, 2020
COVID-19: IFRC, UNICEF and WHO issue guidance to protect children and support safe school operations
GENEVA/NEW YORK – The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) today issued new guidance to help protect children and schools from transmission of the COVID-19 virus. The guidance provides critical considerations and practical checklists to keep schools safe. It also advises national and local authorities on how to adapt and implement emergency plans for educational facilities.

In the event of school closures, the guidance includes recommendations to mitigate against the possible negative impacts on children’s learning and wellbeing. This means having solid plans in place to ensure the continuity of learning, including remote learning options such as online education strategies and radio broadcasts of academic content, and access to essential services for all children. These plans should also include necessary steps for the eventual safe reopening of schools.

Where schools remain open, and to make sure that children and their families remain protected and informed, the guidance calls for:
- Providing children with information about how to protect themselves;
- Promoting best handwashing and hygiene practices and providing hygiene supplies;
- Cleaning and disinfecting school buildings, especially water and sanitation facilities; and
- Increasing airflow and ventilation.
The guidance, while specific to countries that have already confirmed the transmission of COVID-19, is still relevant in all other contexts. Education can encourage students to become advocates for disease prevention and control at home, in school, and in their community by talking to others about how to prevent the spread of viruses. Maintaining safe school operations or reopening schools after a closure, requires many considerations, but if done well, can promote public health.

For example, safe school guidelines implemented in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone during the outbreak of Ebola virus disease from 2014 to 2016 helped prevent school-based transmissions of the virus.

UNICEF is urging schools – whether open or helping students through remote learning – to provide students with holistic support. Schools should provide children with vital information on handwashing and other measures to protect themselves and their families; facilitate mental health support; and help to prevent stigma and discrimination by encouraging students to be kind to each other and avoid stereotypes when talking about the virus.

The new guidance also offers helpful tips and checklists for parents and caregivers, as well as children and students themselves. These actions include:
- Monitoring children’s health and keeping them home from school if they are ill;
- Encouraging children to ask questions and express their concerns; and
- Coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your elbow and avoid touching your face, eyes, mouth and nose.
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March 11, 2020
The unmet need for social context in family planning

New evidence on the relationship between sexual health and social context finds a strong association between gender equality, education and family planning

Twenty-five years ago, two global events – the International Conference on Population and Development and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing – formally recognized that women’s health and reproductive choices cannot be separated from the social context of their lives.

Now, researchers have created a dataset which brings together national surveys from 74 countries, representing 3 million women. For the first time, it allows them to describe trends in demand/use of modern contraceptives alongside social and economic indicators.

The data is published in The Lancet Global Health and is authored by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the World Health Organization.

It shows that, over time, women are more likely to have their demand for modern contraception met in countries where gender equality and their educational opportunities improve.

Gender equality and education increases access to modern contraception

Trends in sexual activity and demand for use and use of modern contraceptive methods in 74 countries: a retrospective analysis of nationally representative surveys finds that met need for modern contraception is strongly correlated with positive shifts in social structures.
For every 0.1-point increase in a country’s gender development index, it found a 6.7% rise in women who were sexually active and did not want to conceive. Of those women, an additional 13.5% used modern methods to prevent a pregnancy.

Expectations of every girl’s right to education also made a difference. Each extra year in schooling is linked to an increase of 2.3% in demand, and a 4.7% increase in use of modern contraceptive methods.

“This study shows how every woman must negotiate her reproductive autonomy within the social framework in which she lives, responding to barriers and opportunities as they emerge,” says Dr Lale Say, one of the authors of the study and Unit Head at WHO and HRP.

“Gender equality is both a precondition and a driving force for securing women’s reproductive health and rights – as well as the sustainable development targets, which are our best chance for delivering health and well-being for all.”

Global trends reveal new challenges in family planning

Overall, the data reinforce global trends: more time spent sexually-active and single, postponement of parenthood, and the near-universal desire for smaller families.

The study also highlights where action is needed at country-level to avoid family planning services falling behind demand.

Out of the 74 countries analyzed, 42 showed an increase in demand for contraception. Only 37 countries show an increase in use of a modern method to prevent pregnancy.

Although unmet need for contraception declined in 34 countries, it increased in 14 countries. Significantly more progress is needed, and faster, to ensure each girl and woman is able to access the sexual and reproductive health services she needs.

Barriers and solutions to reproductive health and rights

Gender equality can affect contraceptive use in many ways. From the personal and political degree to which women are free to choose their sexual activity, to accessing family planning services it can also shape any power imbalances within personal relationships. This study supports recent efforts by WHO to adopt a broader, integrated concept of sexual and reproductive health – and to translate it into a framework for policy and practice.

The authors argue that family planning targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will not be met without a profound shift: from focus on ‘access to contraception’, to broader aspects of sexual health and social context.

Since reproductive health and women’s empowerment are intertwined, trends in contraceptive use can also reveal progress towards another global target: progress towards gender equality.

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March 11, 2020