By Adeola Badru
IBADAN— THE Nigerian Orthopaedic Association, yesterday, sounded the alarm over the rising threat of musculoskeletal infections, which affect the body’s bones, joints, muscles, and surrounding soft tissues.
The infections are usually caused by germs like bacteria, viruses, or fungi that get into the parts of the body through an injury, surgery, or through the bloodstream.
The warning was issued in Ibadan at the Association’s 48th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference, where leading surgeons and policymakers stated that trauma-related injuries from road crashes, industrial accidents, and security incidents are fueling a crisis of the condition that is increasingly difficult to diagnose and treat.
In his keynote address, former Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital, UCH, Professor Temitope Alonge, said injuries from high-impact accidents, gunshot wounds, and assaults now introduce bacteria that behave differently from those previously encountered.
He explained that many organisms no longer respond to older diagnostic methods, with some becoming resistant to multiple antibiotics or hiding within biofilms.
Professor Alonge highlighted the shift toward molecular imaging, noting that tools such as ubiquicidin combined with Technetium-99 MDP tracers help detect infections that conventional cultures miss.
Representing the Minister of State for Health, Dr Isiaq Adekunle, the current UCH Chief Medical Director, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, said Nigeria faces rising trauma cases, limited diagnostic capacity and increasing antimicrobial resistance.
He warned that these infections significantly affect hospital stay durations, family expenses and patient recovery outcomes.
Professor Otegbayo said: “The Federal Ministry of Health is strengthening the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System, expanding infection-control capacity in surgical centres and upgrading trauma units with essential consumables and modern imaging equipment.
“Treating hip problems in patients with sickle cell disease remains challenging. Nigeria has the highest global burden of avascular necrosis of the femoral head.”
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