Health

Pope Francis health update: Questions raised over future of his papacy

Published

3 months ago

March 10, 2025

Pope Francis‘s recovery from double pneumonia in hospital is entering its fourth week, with questions being raised about what the future of his papacy might look like.

The pontiff followed the opening of a spiritual retreat by videoconference yesterday, but could not be seen or heard by priests, bishops and cardinals in the Vatican auditorium.

The Pope remains in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he was admitted on February 14, ahead of the 12th anniversary of his election on Thursday.

In its early update Monday, the Vatican said Francis was resting after a quiet night.

At the time of his hospitalization last month, the 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, had what was then just a bad case of bronchitis.

The infection progressed into a complex respiratory tract infection and double pneumonia that has sidelined Francis for the longest period of his papacy and prompted questions about the future.

He has remained in stable condition for over a week, with no fever, respiratory crises and good oxygen levels in his blood for several days, doctors reported.

The doctors said that such stability was in itself a positive thing and showed he was responding well to therapy.

But they kept his prognosis as ‘guarded,’ meaning that he’s not out of danger. Doctors were expected to provide a medical update later Monday.

The pontiff followed the opening of a spiritual retreat by videoconference yesterday, but could not be seen or heard (file image)

Faithful attend a Rosary prayer for the health of Pope Francis who is hospitalized with pneumonia, in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, March 9

A statement on the Pope’s X account yesterday read: ‘I think of the many people who find various ways to be close to the sick, becoming a sign of the Lord’s presence for them.

‘We need this ‘miracle of tenderness’ to accompany those who face adversity, in order to bring a little light into the night of pain.’

The Vatican will mark the pontiff’s election anniversary in his absence, making it the first anniversary celebration with him out of sight.

Francis was elected the 266th pope, the first Jesuit pope and first from Latin America, on March 13, 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

On Sunday, Francis met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the chief of staff, Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, for the third time at the hospital.

Such meetings are the routine way the pope governs, and shows Francis is still keeping up with essential business.

While Francis has previously praised Benedict for his courage and humility in resigning, he has indicated more recently that he believes the job of pope is for life and said as recently as last year that he had no plans of stepping down.

The Pope remains in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he was admitted on February 14. Pictured: Faithful, priests and nuns pray outside yesterday

Francis has been using high flows of supplemental oxygen to help him breathe during the day and a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.

The Vatican is currently observing a weeklong spiritual retreat, with the Pope listening to the opening by the Rev. Roberto Pasolini from his hospital room yesterday.

Pasolini delivered a meditation on ‘The hope of eternal life,’ a theme that was chosen well before Francis was admitted.

The retreat, which is an annual gathering that kicks off the Catholic Church’s solemn Lenten season leading to Easter, continues through the week.

The Vatican has said Francis would participate ‘in spiritual communion’ with the rest of the hierarchy, from afar.

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Health

Nigerian govt supplies two million polio vaccines to Kebbi

Published

2 days ago

June 14, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

The Nigerian government has delivered two million doses of polio vaccines to Kebbi State as part of a nationwide immunisation campaign targeting children under the age of five.

The vaccine supply, facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Health through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, is part of efforts to halt the circulation of polio variants and strengthen immunity among vulnerable children.

Yusuf Umar Sauwa, spokesperson for the Kebbi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, confirmed the development, describing the vaccines as potent booster doses capable of interrupting transmission.

“These vaccines will strengthen immunity among children and ensure the virus does not resurface,” he said.

Sauwa added that Kebbi currently has zero reported cases of polio, attributing this to the state’s strong surveillance and routine immunisation systems.

To address issues of non-compliance and vaccine rejection, particularly in areas such as Jega, Koko, and Birnin Kebbi, religious and traditional leaders have been actively engaged to help dispel misinformation and promote vaccine acceptance.

Health

Adamawa commences polio vaccination targeting 1.3m children

Published

2 days ago

June 14, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Adamawa State on Saturday commenced the June 2025 oral polio vaccination targeting over 1.3 million children aged 0–59 months.

The state government explained at a press briefing, forming part of the four-day vaccination exercise lasting June 14 to June 17, that it had received a total of 1,572,300 doses of the vaccines for the targeted 1,379,814 children across the 21 LGAs of the state.

The State Director of Disease Control and Immunization, Dr. James Vasumu, who gave the figures, said necessary sensitization had been carried out for all parents across the 226 wards of the state to present their under-five children for the vital oral polio vaccination.

The Executive Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Suleiman Bashir, appealed for media coverage of the oral polio vaccination campaign that will achieve 100 percent acceptance by the people.

Making the point that some families in certain places still view the oral vaccines with skepticism, Bashir told the newsmen at the briefing, “We need behavioural change among households. We need them to believe that the vaccine is safe and to access this vaccination which government spends much money to make available for free.”

The Oral Polio Vaccination Campaign is a joint venture by the Federal Government, the various state governments, as well as NGOs that include UNICEF, WHO, and other partners.

A national official from the Emergency Operation Centre, Professor Georgina Odaibo, who bears the responsibility of improving information sharing regarding the polio vaccination campaign, said she has enough expertise as a virologist to attest to the safety of the polio vaccine.

She explained that though Nigeria is free of wild polio, the vaccination is necessary to reinforce the country’s status and ensure that no Nigerian falls victim should any infected foreigner get into the country.

Health

Sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates, processed meats, major causes of cancer – Varsity Don

Published

1 week ago

June 7, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

A professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Ibadan, Victor Ifeolu Akinmoladun has declared that pro-inflammatory diets such as sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates, processed meats, fried foods including persistent inflammation are the major causes of oral cancer.

Akinmoladun made the assertion while delivering the 582nd inaugural lecture of the University of Ibadan.

The don while delivering the lecture titled, “The Scalpel and the Laboratory: Collaboration Against the Lawless”, maintained that cancer is a major societal, public health, and socioeconomic problem in the 21st century.

He added that cancer causes 3 in 10 global premature deaths from non-communicable diseases, NCDs, in those aged 30 to 69 years.

Akinmoladun while addressing the gathering said cancer is responsible for almost one in six of all deaths and one in four deaths from NCDs worldwide, adding that head and neck cancer (HNC) is ranked at between 6th to 10th most common cancers in the world.

He described the relationship between inflammation and cancer as an agreement between two individuals or groups of persons to achieve an unlawful or illegal and harmful goal, often with fatal consequences.

The don affirmed that higher vegetable and fruit consumption have protective effects on cancers of the stomach, oesophagus, lung, oral cavity, pharynx, and colon.

He maintained that micronutrients such as zinc, copper and selenium along with antioxidants as well as vitamins are required for the production of various enzymes that help prevent DNS damage caused by free radicals and also maintain the integrity of mucosal surfaces.

He added that cancer is not exactly the direct consequence of a failed immune system or a compromised system but they can significantly contribute to cancer development, while the understanding of the compromises forms the basis for immune therapy against cancers.

He also recommended supplements rich in antioxidants and single-carbon metabolism, vitamins, in addition to lifestyle changes, particularly the avoidance of alcohol and tobacco use.

He said that “Many cancers are known to be induced by chronic inflammation, while many more are sustained by it.

“Soluble and cellular inflammatory mediators such as cytokines are responsible for tumour initiation and associated with progression in some cancer cases including head and neck cancers.

“Figures on the burden of the disease are difficult to obtain in Nigeria, data on survival in oral cancer is also hardly available’.