24 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020
— Dr Taiwo Sheikh Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 , 2020 — 25 Suicide: Nigeria needs to set up national prevention strategy — Dr Taiwo Sheikh By Sola Ogundipe THE absence of a National suicide prevention plan has continued to fuel death by suicide in Nigeria. A Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, said the implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive, sustainable multi-sectoral national suicide prevention strategy is fundamental for elevating suicide prevention on the political agenda as recommended by the World Health Organisation, WHO. Sheikh, who is the President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, APN, lamented the incidences of suicide in Nigeria, even as he called on the Federal government to take the lead in developing a comprehensive strategy for Nigerians as a whole and vulnerable persons in particular. Such national strategy and associated action plan, he said, are necessary to push forward the implementation of suicide prevention, without which efforts are likely to abate and suicide prevention will remain neglected. . “The target is to reduce premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by one third by 2030 through prevention and treatment and the promotion of mental health and well-being. “These targets are unlikely to be achieved except the government actively engage in efforts to prevent suicide,” he said. Lamenting the incidences of suicide in Nigeria, Sheikh, described suicidality as a major societal and health care problem and should should be given a high priority. He said the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria in partnership with the Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative, SURPIN, found that about one-fifth of suicide cases seen at its affiliated institution involve persons aged 13-19 years, and that the majority of the callers were aged 20- 39 years, with 63.5 percent of them having thoughts of suicide at the time of calling. He said there is always tendency to trivialise suicide and attempted suicide, the temptation of being judgmental, stereotypical, hostile and negative criticism is very high and this leads stigma. According to Sheikh: "Prevention means community awareness programmes. These usually imbed helplines and public education at workplaces and schools to increase knowledge and reduce stigma. “Programmes draw on lay gatekeepers such as clergy, teachers, and firstline responders who receive special training. Along these lines, involving and training laypersons or nonspecialised health By Chioma Obinna THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has debunked a purported online recruitment exercise by the Agency, describing “it as fake news”. Meanwhile, the Agency has expressed worry over Nigeria’s drug selfsufficiency level following the outbreak of novel Coronavirus in China where most of the drugs in the country are imported from. The Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye who spoke in Lagos advised Nigerian job seekers to be wary of professionals is an important means of suicide prevention, assessment, and management.” Sheikh said professionals in primary care should be trained. "It has been shown in high income countries that most A national strategy and associated action plan are necessary to push forward the implementation of suicide prevention individuals who demand money to offer them jobs in NAFDAC. “Are we employing right now? The answer is no. We are not employing anybody right now and we are not recruiting and it is also on our website that we are not recruiting; whoever is doing that is playing pranks, possibly exploiting people.” We don’t collect money for recruitment. We are still in February we have to get approval from Federal Character, Budget office before we can think of recruiting. The report is just fake news. She said some unscrupulous individuals individuals who later completed suicide had seen a physician of mental health professional during the 12 months prior to their deaths. He said a special aspect of primary prevention refers to the internet and especially social media, which provide a multitude of information. Helpseekers will find abundant information and addresses of lay and professional support, which is certainly sensible. On secondary prevention, he said the health care system is of utmost importance. “Every health worker or gatekeeper should be aware of the fact and be trained to react adequately. No ongoing recruitment at NAFDAC, says Adeyeye •Worries over Nigeria’s drug insecurity as COVID-19 outbreak rages are even collecting money, explaining that NAFDAC does not collect money from anybody for employment. “We hope to recruit this year but we have to get approval from Head of Service, federal character and the budget office before we can even think of recruiting.” Speaking on the need for drug sufficiency in the country, Adeyeye said selfsufficiency in drugs would reduce fake and adulterated medicines in circulation. She disclosed that Nigeria still imports about 70 percent of its drug making the nation Scientists breakthrough in cerebral malaria SCIENTISTS have identified a key molecule involved in the development of cerebral malaria, a deadly form of the tropical disease. The study identifies a potential drug target and way forward toward alleviating this condition for which few targeted treatments are available. In studies with mice, investigators discovered that the EphA2 protein is important for onset of leaky brain, a hallmark symptom of cerebral malaria. The team also demonstrated that blocking EphA2 with different drugs prevented this dangerous symptom from occurring. According to the researchers, the findings indicate that a similar therapeutic strategy could potentially prevent the disease in humans. "The advance is really significant," says Tracey Lamb, senior author of the study and associate professor in Pathology at University of Utah Health. "New targets to block a leaky brain in malaria are urgently needed to prevent mortality from cerebral malaria." The research, led by scientists at University of Utah Health in collaboration with Centre Pasteur du Cameroun in Cameroon, is published in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Cerebral malaria strikes more than 575,000 each year, disproportionately affecting young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers took note of EphA2 when they saw that the molecule became activated at the site of the blood brain barrier just prior to its breakdown. Further investigation showed that EphA2 disrupts the blood brain barrier by loosening the tight junctions between cells, removing the glue that keeps these cells bound to each other. With a key player identified, the scientists wondered whether blocking EphA2 would protect the blood brain barrier during infection. Treating infected mice with two different agents showed this seems to be the case. One agent was a repurposed cancer drug, Nilotinib, that inhibits several molecules including EphA2. The second was an engineered protein that specifically blocked molecules called ephrin ligands that will interact with EphA2 and prevent its activation. "Usually children are not brought in to the clinic until they're already experiencing symptoms of malaria," says Thayer Darling, who carried out the research as a graduate student with Lamb. "We're hopeful that therapeutics that target EphA2 may be able to prevent cerebral malaria in children after the onset of those initial symptoms." vulnerable to emergencies or outbreaks. She said the coronavirus would send a clear message about drug security to Nigeria. “At the height of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) more than 33 million Africans died because there were no drugs. We do not want that to happen, right now we ship about 70 percent of drugs from China and India. So what is going to happen, God forbid if it becomes bigger than what it is right now? It means we will not be able to get materials from China aside for us working to get medicines that are effective to some extent ready, we have to think of sustainability “It should not get bigger than this. We have to think of sustainability, what could happen to us as a country because we import about 70 percent and make about 30 percent. It is time for us to think and apply the necessary measures to achieve drug security,” she stated. Adeyeye disclosed that NAFDAC would be issuing a statement of fact on the coronavirus and what the Agency is doing about it."
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