Major Health Stories Across Nigeria in September

Add us on Google

From maternal deaths due to poorly equipped and non-functional primary health centres, to the stigma of infertility, warnings about hypertension, and global debates on vaccines, September was packed with significant health stories in Nigeria and beyond.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

PREMIUM TIMES brings you a roundup of the top developments that shaped health conversations this month.

In Akwa Ibom, pregnant women, babies die due to poorly equipped PHCs, while govt wastes billions

The report opens with Queen Purple, 25, who was keenly looking forward to the arrival of her first child. She, however, lost the child due to the absence of a functional PHC in her community.

“It was one of the worst days of my life. The pregnancy stress I went through for nine months was without a reward. If the health centre functions day and night, my baby would not have died because I would have given birth there.”

Beyond the Wound: Nigerian women bearing weight of infertility stigma

Another PREMIUM TIMES investigation spotlighted how infertility remains heavily stigmatised in Nigeria, where women like Fatima Audu, 36, endure gossip, insults, and even rejection from family and society.

In a culture where marriage is often expected to produce children within months, infertility is not only a medical challenge but also a social wound. Experts stress the need for broader awareness and access to fertility care.

Bill Gates warns vaccine scepticism, misinformation fuelling child deaths

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has warned that growing vaccine scepticism and misinformation are fuelling preventable child deaths globally, particularly in poor countries.

Speaking during a panel at the 2025 Goalkeepers event in New York, Mr Gates raised concerns about the impact of misinformation surrounding vaccines.

“It is tragic that we see this vaccine scepticism because when poor countries hear that, it spreads there as well,” he said.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Follow us on Google News and never miss breaking stories, investigations, and in-depth reporting.

Add as a preferred source on Google

World Heart Day: Why undiagnosed hypertension is driving Nigeria’s heart disease crisis – Expert

As the world marks World Heart Day 2025 under the theme “Don’t Miss a Beat”, experts are raising fresh concerns over the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria, where millions of people are living with high blood pressure without knowing it.

Marked every 29 September, the day is dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular diseases- the world’s leading killer. In Nigeria, the occasion brought renewed attention to hypertension, the biggest driver of heart attacks and strokes.

The Nigerian Cardiac Society (NCS) estimates that between 30 and 40 per cent of Nigerian adults have high blood pressure, but fewer than one in five are aware of their condition.

Trump claims paracetamol use in pregnancy raises autism risk in children

The United States President Donald Trump has claimed that pregnant women’s use of paracetamol, a common painkiller also known by the brand name Tylenol, carries an increased risk of autism in children. Medical experts, however, say the claim is false.

The comments were captured in a video shared on the Facebook page of an Australian media outlet, news.com.au.

In the footage, Mr Trump said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was preparing new guidance on the use of paracetamol in pregnancy.

PT Health Watch: What to know about Endometriosis, pain beyond menstruation

Many women experience pain during their monthly period. But when the pain begins days before menstruation, continues after it ends, and becomes so severe that it affects normal activities, it may not be ordinary cramps.
Health experts say this kind of pain could be a sign of endometriosis.

Speaking with PT Health Watch, Qudus Lawal, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist (Oncology) at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, said many people still believe all menstrual pain is normal.

Uncontrolled hypertension threatens millions of lives, economies- WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) raised concerns over the global burden of hypertension, warning that despite being both preventable and treatable, the condition continues to kill millions each year.

The global health body, in a report, noted that hypertension also poses a serious threat to health systems and economies.

Gates Foundation pledges $912 million to global disease fight

In September, the Gates Foundation announced a $912 million pledge to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

The Foundation Chair, Bill Gates, said the funds aim to shore up lifesaving health initiatives at a time when global health funding has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years.

Mr Gates said low global funding is threatening decades of progress in reducing child mortality.

He described the situation as a crossroads for the world and urged renewed commitment to saving children’s lives and eradicating preventable diseases.

Frequent ejaculation may lower prostate cancer risk- Expert

The National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Programme at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Uche Nwokwu, has explained that frequent ejaculation may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men.

Mr Nwokwu made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in response to viral social media claims suggesting that men needed to ejaculate 21 times a month to prevent prostate cancer.

Nigeria records 15,000 suicide deaths annually as stigma, criminalisation deepen the crisis

As the world marks the 2025 World Suicide Prevention Day, Nigeria confronts a suicide crisis that remains largely hidden behind stigma and silence.

Despite an estimated 15,000 deaths annually, attempted suicide in the country is still criminalised, worsening fear and discouraging people in distress from seeking help.

These laws, dating back to the colonial era, criminalise what is often a desperate cry for help.