Utibe Effiong

Dr. Utibe Effiong is a practicing board-certified Internal Medicine specialist physician and Public Health scientist passionate about health policy, health systems administration, drug addiction management, infectious diseases, the influence of the environment on human health, global health, and development. He is an international public speaker and prolific writer on issues of global health importance. Also …

Meet the Fellow

Why Is Meningitis Still Causing Deaths on U.S. College Campuses?

Last year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approved a vaccine for meningococcal disease, or meningitis, yet many of this year’s 20.5 million college students are not vaccinated, leaving them vulnerable to contracting the disease. According to the CDC, meningococcal disease refers to any illness that is caused by the type of bacteria called Neisseria meningitides and …

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Why new-fangled mosquito controls should not replace tried and tested methods

In the last 40 years of mosquito-borne viruses such as malaria, yellow fever and dengue, scientists have introduced myriad interventions to control the population of mosquitoes. This is because controlling mosquitoes has a large effect on controlling the diseases since the mosquito is the vector that carries them. Novel mosquito-control approaches have included everything from …

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What’s behind children being cast as witches in Nigeria

The rescue of a two-year-old Nigerian child has attracted extensive social and online media coverage  across the world. Abandoned by his family after being accused of being a witch, the boy was saved by an aid worker who found him in Uyo, southeast Nigeria. The boy, known as Hope, is said to have been riddled with worms and had to have …

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Skin color and health: it’s not about race?

In a recent publication, Science magazine quoted biological anthropologist Nina Jablonski as saying “Skin color is not about race”. She made this statement during a face-off with comedian Stephen Colbert. Her comment is built on over three decades of studying the evolution of the human skin. Dr. Jablonski’s observations have added important ideas to our understanding of how skin …

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