During an event to assess the impact of malaria programmes in Nigeria held by the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Federal Ministry of Health, The Head, Case Management Branch, National Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr Godwin Ntadom, who represented Dr. Bala Mohammed Audu the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) National Coordinator,  adviced Expectant mothers to register at any Primary Health Centre (PHC) close to them and get free sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) provided by the government to be malaria free, saying that “Malaria during pregnancy increases neonatal mortality by lowering birth weight, whereas fever in the week before birth has a further independent effect in addition to inducing premature birth. The prevention of malaria in pregnancy and, thus, of malaria-attributable low birth weight should increase the survival of young babies. A number of randomised controlled trials of preventive antimalarial measures during pregnancy have confirmed this causal effect by showing that preventing malaria increases birth weight, urging ’ expectant mothers to treat malaria with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and sleeping under Long Lasting Treated Insecticide Net (LLTIN).

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Diabetes: Pepsi Co to cut sugar in drinks PepsiCo Inc has announced today that by 2025 at least two thirds of its drinks will have 100 calories or fewer from added sugar per 12 oz serving, up from about 40 percent now.The move, which it plans to achieve by introducing more zero and low-calorie drinks and reformulating existing drinks, comes as PepsiCo and rival Coca-Cola come under increasing pressure from health experts and governments who blame them for fuelling epidemics of obesity and diabetes. The New York based PepsiCo also said that the new global target is more ambitious than its previous goal of reducing sugar by 25 percent in certain drinks in certain markets by 2020. Mehmood Khan, PepsiCo’s chief scientific officer of research and development, told Reuters that science has evolved giving examples of new flavor ingredients that require less sweetening, saying: “It’s not just about sweeteners, it’s about understanding the flavor ingredients and having proprietary knowledge and access to them. The World Health Organization this month recommended taxes on sugary drinks, as France and Mexico have done, to curb consumption and improve health. The soft drinks industry opposes such taxes. Despite its name, PepsiCo generates only 12 percent of its $63 billion in annual revenue from its famous cola brand. It makes 25 percent from carbonated soft drinks such as Mountain Dew, with the rest coming from waters and juices including the Tropicana brand, plus snacks and dips such as hummus and guacamole. Its 2025 goals also include targets for lowering sodium and saturated fat. “Mindy Lubber, President of Non-profit Organization Ceres has said that these are good steps. But when we have an obesity crisis, I think there is more that we can be doing,” said Mindy Lubber, president of non-profit organization Ceres, which pushes companies and investors to take action on sustainability. “If a food and beverage company is not looking at nutrition, they are not looking at the direction the world is going in.” Coke has said that by 2020 it would offer low-calorie or no-calorie options in every market as part of its sustainability goals.

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