THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), says COVID-19 vaccines are safe, promotes health and saves life as they had gone through complex production process.

Director-General, NAFDAC, Professor Christianah Adeyeye speaking at the 11th Annual Symposium of Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN), said vaccines are biological preparations produced from living organisms and aimed at enhance immunity against diseases.

Adeyeye who was represented by Dr Monica Eimunjeze, Director, Drug Registration and Regulatory Affairs, NAFDAC, said that vaccines had eradicated smallpox, and reduced wild polio by more than 99 per cent, putting global vaccine coverage at 86 per cent.

At the symposium with the theme: “Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines, and the sub-theme: Addressing COVID-19 Hesitancy -The Role of the Media., Adeyeye said Vaccines promote health, had expansive reach, rapid impact and can save lives and costs.

She noted that vaccines prevent more than 2.5 million child deaths globally annually, adding that vaccination is one of the great public health achievements of human history.

Adeyeye however assured Nigerians of the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, saying that the agency will continue to monitor the exercise as a RegulatoryAgency.

Professor Akin Oshibogun, former Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, at the event said health writers had the responsibility of creating awareness and changing the misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines.

“Osibogun said research was carried out to look for side effects of the Vaccination across the country, and according to him this was followed up for about three to four months which showed positive results and proved the safety of the vaccine.

According to the former Medical Director, the Covid-19 vaccines are safe and the media need to report these facts to reduce vaccination apathy in the country.

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

According to him Regenerative Medicine is a game-changing area of medicine with the potential to fully heal damaged tissues and organs in the body.

He added that the adult Stem Cell therapy, which was a part of regenerative medicine, could effectively treat Autism, Diabetes, Hypertension, Stroke, Cerebral Palsy, Erectile Dysfunction, Female Infertility, Osteoarthritis, Chronic Joint Pain, among others.

Ikudayisi urged Nigerians especially the elite who spend millions of dollars annually on overseas treatment to embrace regenerative medicine for better health and reduction in medical tourism.

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the Government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the State.