Prof. Christianah Adeyeye, who happens to be the  Director-General for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), says vaccines help promote health, save lives and cost. She disclosed this at the virtual 11th Annual Symposium of Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN).

NAFDAC boss states, Vaccine promote health.

The theme of the Symposium was: “Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines”, and the sub-theme: “Addressing COVID-19 Hesitancy -The Role of the Media”.  Prof Christianah Adeyeye, who was represented by Dr Monica Eimunjeze, Director, Drug Registration and Regulatory Affairs, NAFDAC, said, vaccines are biological preparations produced from living organisms to enhance immunity against diseases.

She further stressed that, vaccines could eradicate diseases as immunization eradicated smallpox and reduced wild polio by more than 99 per cent. According to her, global vaccine coverage is positioned at 86%.

Vaccines promote health, extensive reach, rapid impact, and save lives and money.”

Vaccines prevent more than 2.5 million child deaths worldwide each year; vaccination is one of the greatest public health achievements in human history,” she said.

Prof. Christianah Adeyeye, assured Nigerians of COVID-19 safety and efficacy, she also insisted the agency would continue to monitor the exercise as a regulatory body.

“The issue of safety and efficacy is critical to vaccine production; it also necessitates the involvement of experts, and vaccines are not deployed without NAFDAC approval.”

“The agency has regulatory control over vaccines because it oversees and approves clinical trials, facility inspections, licensing, testing, and post-marketing surveillance.”

“As a result, the COVID-19 vaccines are safe,” Adeyeye added.

Prof. Akin Osibogun, former Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, also stated, that it was the responsibility of health writers to raise awareness and dispel myths about COVID-19 vaccines.

“We conducted research across the country to look for side effects of the vaccination, and we followed them up for about three to four months.”

“I am pleased to report that none of them died or were hospitalized.”

“The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and the media must report on this in order to reduce vaccination apathy in the country,” he charged.

Dr. David Ikudayisi, a physician, also urged Nigerians to embrace regenerative medicine for better health and a reduction in medical tourism in his presentation titled “Regenerative Medicine, Benefits of Adult Stem Cell Therapy.”

“Regenerative Medicine is a game-changing field of medicine that has the potential to completely heal damaged tissues and organs in the body.”

“Adult Stem Cell Therapy, a component of regenerative medicine, can effectively treat Autism, Diabetes, Hypertension, Stroke, Cerebral Palsy, Erectile Dysfunction, Female Infertility, Osteoarthritis, and Chronic Joint Pain, among other conditions.”

“I urged Nigerians, particularly the elite, who spend millions of dollars on overseas treatment each year, to embrace regenerative medicine for better health and a reduction in medical tourism,” he added.

“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is a federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and packaged water in Nigeria.

The agent is headed by Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye. She was appointed on the 3rd of November 2017 by the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria as the Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The organization was established to checkmate illicit and counterfeit products in Nigeria in 1993 under the country’s health and safety law. Adulterated and counterfeit drugs are a problem in Nigeria. In one 1989 incident, over 150 children died as a result of paracetamol syrup containing diethylene glycol.

The problem of fake drugs was so severe that neighboring countries such as Ghana and Sierra Leone officially banned the sale of drugs, foods and beverages products made in Nigeria. Such problems led to the establishment of NAFDAC, with the goal of eliminating counterfeit pharmaceuticals, foods and beverages products that are not manufactured in Nigeria and ensuring that available medications are safe and effective”. This section is culled from WIKIPEDIA.