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WHO grants first-ever approval for a tuberculosis diagnostic test

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The World Health Organization has announced that it granted prequalification to the molecular diagnostic test for tuberculosis, called Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra.

It is the first test for TB diagnosis and antibiotic susceptibility testing that meets WHO’s prequalification standards, the UN agency said in a statement on Thursday.

Tuberculosis is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, causing over a million deaths annually and imposing immense socioeconomic burdens, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

According to Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products, accurate and early detection of TB, especially drug-resistant strains, remains a critical and challenging global health priority.

“This first prequalification of a diagnostic test for tuberculosis marks a critical milestone in WHO’s efforts to support countries in scaling up and accelerating access to high-quality TB assays that meet both WHO recommendations and its stringent quality, safety and performance standards.

“It underscores the importance of such groundbreaking diagnostic tools in addressing one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases,” Nakatani added. 

  • Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra is manufactured by US-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid Inc, WHO’s assessment for prequalification is based on information submitted and the review by Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
  • Designed for use on the GeneXpert® Instrument System, this nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra detects the genetic material of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB, in sputum samples, and provides accurate results within hours, WHO explains.
  • The test also identifies mutations associated with rifampicin resistance, a key indicator of multidrug-resistant TB.

“It is intended for patients who screen positive for pulmonary TB and who have either not started anti-tuberculosis treatment or received less than three days of therapy in the past six months,” the agency emphasized.  

Dr Rogerio Gaspar, WHO Director for Regulation and Prequalification said that high-quality diagnostic tests are the cornerstone of effective TB care and prevention.

“Prequalification paves the way for equitable access to cutting-edge technologies, empowering countries to address the dual burden of TB and drug-resistant TB.”

However, in a joint effort by WHO Global TB Programme and the Department of Regulation and Prequalification to improve access to quality-assured TB tests and expand diagnostic options for countries, WHO is currently assessing seven additional TB tests.

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Brazil’s president Lula undergoes brain surgery, stable in ICU

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Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has undergone surgery following a brain haemorrhage caused by a recent fall, the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in São Paulo announced on Tuesday.

“The operation was completed without complications” on Monday night, and Lula is “doing well and under monitoring” in an intensive care unit, the hospital stated in a release shared on the president’s Instagram account.

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UK granted 300k new visas to Nigerians in the last couple of years, says Envoy

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Richard Montgomery, the British high commissioner to Nigeria, says the United Kingdom’s visa policies are favourable towards Nigerians.

Montgomery said the evidence of the positive relationship is evident in the “large” numbers of approved visas to Nigerians.

According to the high commissioner, around 300,000 new visas were granted to Nigerians in the last few years.

The British envoy who did not specify the time frame spoke on Monday during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

Responding to a question on the restrictions placed on certain UK visas, a development many have described as harsh, the high commissioner said the trends for Nigeria have been positive.

“I have to contest this picture because the UK in the last couple of years has granted around 300,000 new visas to Nigerians which far exceeds any other visa relationship which Nigeria has with any other country,” Montgomery said.

“The trends have been really positive. Nigeria has been a major beneficiary of the post-Brexit migration visa rules.

“And if you look at, say, the number of people getting work visas in the UK, these people play an incredibly important role in certain sectors, particularly our social care sector, the number of people getting work visas to go to the UK has gone from something like 10(thousand) to 20,000, six, seven years ago, to 80 (thousand), 90,000 a year in the last two years, last year and this year.

“Now, we have 145,000 visit visas already approved this year, similar to last year. Student numbers are down. We had around over 100,000 last academic year. The initial figures suggest they’re around 70,000 this year.

“So student numbers, I admit, are down, but I think everybody agrees that it’s a huge relationship. There’s a lot of positivity in it.

“If you apply with the right documentation and the right evidence, the approval rate is very high. Student visas, it’s 75 percent I think, sorry, 97 percent. Work visas, if you’ve got the right documentation and the job lined up again, very high.

“So I would like to emphasize how huge the relationship is, it outstrips any other visa relationship that Nigeria has with any other single country in my understanding.”

Montgomery who is also the UK permanent representative to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) added that Nigeria accounts for about 10 percent of visas granted by the UK in the last two years.

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South Korea’s justice ministry imposes travel ban on president over martial law attempt

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The justice ministry in South Korea has imposed an overseas travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol following his botched attempt to impose martial law.

Prosecutors are now weighing possible insurrection charges against the president.

On Monday, the defence ministry said Yeol was still legally commander-in-chief, but growing dissent among senior military officers has led to questions on the scope of his powers.

Asked what actions have been taken against the president, Oh Dong-woon, head of the Corruption Investigation Office for high-ranking officials, said the president has been banned from leaving the country.

Yeol barely survived an impeachment vote, in an opposition-led parliament, during the weekend.

Amid strident calls for his resignation, his political survival hangs by a thread.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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