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Post by Interloper on Jan 12, 2016 10:42:38 GMT
Shymmex, Interloper, iyalode, Moffy, OmoOba, Iya Niyen!, Omoluabi, dansoye1, Belmot, osoronga, Omo Oba of the Source, Her Highness, IrekeOnibudo, ioannes, laudate, oduabachanal, stblack, zaynie, Honorebu, ilaje2015, omohayek, AgbongboAkala, Ogbeni Ogunnaike, aparo, black, colonial pikin, skylar, cocoafarmer, missy89, ibk, Merchantt, lontoro, isalegangan, yorumigrant, ajanaku, sholeybanty, ayodejilara, oloyesaso, sakur, ritchiee, mignone, honeychild, Short_Biscuit, amorere, donphilosophy, governor, irewande, isholapecham, ola, olugbenga86, taiwo, loadofs, ijeshaboy, tomtoxic, imodoye, camronaija, ayekooto, dehinde, fado, scully95, tunde, ayo, BE CAREFUL The name of the rat that harbours the virus that causes lassa fever is called multimammate rat( bcos it has many nipples like all these local street dogs after delivery). While the botanical name is mastomys natalensis. There is also an upsurge of the disease everywhere. So we should all practice hand washing hygiene. Also all apple lovers should wash them with salt and warm water before refrigerating them to eat. Our wives should avoid testing of dry garri by chewing them for starch in the market. All garri soakers should let go for now. The problem is that most of our garri sellers in the market buy their garri from bush markets. These garri are often fried half dry and are subsequently dried on polythene sheets on the tarred roads or compounds in the villages. These rat dive in at will, to feed their hungry bellies and in the process defecate and urinate on the garri, which dry up with it. If used for Eba, the virus may die bcos of the hot water used. But if soaked, the virus is directly ushered in. Please no one should joke with this precaution, except you process your cassava yourself.
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Post by Shymmex on Jan 12, 2016 11:14:06 GMT
Why do I keep thinking this virus is another biological weapon manufactured in the lab?
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Post by Merchantt on Jan 12, 2016 12:35:13 GMT
Why always Africa nah? It has killed many and it's still killing esp in Northern part of Nigeria.
Sad.
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Post by Omoluabi on Jan 12, 2016 16:57:57 GMT
Thanks for the info @interloper. We really need to take caution
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Post by Her Highness on Jan 12, 2016 18:43:27 GMT
Why always Africa nah? It has killed many and it's still killing esp in Northern part of Nigeria. Sad. Because Africa has a huge hygienic problem. |
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Post by Belmot on Jan 25, 2016 16:24:22 GMT
Nigeria: Bird Flu Kills 3.3 Million Birds in 24 States Kano — Katsina, Adamawa Bayelsa and Ebonyi are the latest states affected by bird flu, bringing the total number of states affected since last year to 24. According to the latest data obtained from the Department of Veterinary and Disease Control of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 96 local government areas have recorded the outbreak while estimated 2.5 million birds have been depopulated and buried. Director-General, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Mr Onallo Akpa told Daily Trust yesterday that the nation has recorded 556 positive cases noting that 12 live-bird markets across the country are also affected by the current outbreaks. He stated that as at January 16, the total number of birds that tested positive to the virus is over 2.3 million, adding that 2 million birds have already been depopulated and field activities by veterinary officers across the country was ongoing. Akpa said PAN has sent out updates on the current state of bird flu to all the states to enable farmers step up bio-security measures in their farms. Daily Trust gathered that in Kano over 80,000 chickens infected with Avian Influenza have been killed as disease spread to 22 additional farms. allafrica.com/stories/201601190649.html |
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Post by colonial pikin on Jan 25, 2016 16:33:36 GMT
Belmot can you post in on the agriculture news thread....thought it would be best to have a thread to post all the news there since this section is not really active and the forum don't have much folks.
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Post by Belmot on Jan 25, 2016 16:37:53 GMT
Belmot can you post in on the agriculture news thread....thought it would be best to have a thread to post all the news there since this section is not really active and the forum don't have much folks. Noted |
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Post by dansoye1 on Jan 25, 2016 18:14:14 GMT
Rat Poison Sales Boom in Nigeria Over Lassa Fever Fears KANO Sales of rat poison have taken off in Nigeria following an outbreak of Lassa fever that has left at least 76 people dead and sparked fears of contagion across the country. In the northern city of Kano, the capital of one of 17 states where the haemorrhagic virus has been recorded, there have been "unprecedented" purchases of the pest control product. The head of the city's chemicals traders, Shehu Idris Bichi, said sales have have increased four-fold since the outbreak was first announced earlier this month. "Traders are doing brisk business because people are making unprecedented purchases of the product to rid their homes of rats that cause the disease," he told AFP. Abubakar Ja'afar, who works in Kano's largest market, said he had never seen sales so high in his 20 years in the trade, with traders in other cities reporting similar increases in sales. "I used to get between five and 10 clients a day but now I get at least 30 customers... people you don't expect because of their social status," he said. "Lassa doesn't discriminate between the rich and the poor," he said. Vendors using megaphones and hawking their wares on carts have become commonplace. "I was making up to 500 naira ($2.5, 2.3 euros) a day but now I make between 2,000 naira and 4,000 naira every day," said one, Awwalu Aminu, 40, in Kano. DEATHS Nigeria's health minister Isaac Adewole said earlier this week 212 suspected cases have been recorded of Lassa, which is endemic in rats in west Africa. Outbreaks are not uncommon and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are between 100,000 to 300,000 infections in west Africa every year, with about 5,000 deaths. In 2012, there were 1,723 cases and 112 deaths in Nigeria. Last year, 12 people died out of 375 infected, according to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control. The virus is spread through contact with food or household items contaminated with rats' urine or faeces. Africa's most populous country was praised for its containment of Ebola in 2014, despite initial fears it could spread rapidly in densely populated urban areas after the first case in Lagos. But while the government maintains it has the spread of Lassa under control, specialists have voiced concern about under-reporting and Nigeria's capacity to deal with the outbreak. The first case dates back to last August in the northwestern state of Niger but was not detected until late last year. Public awareness campaigns have since been mounted and surveillance ramped up of primary and secondary contacts of those with the disease. The government has also blasted a "culture of silence" and vowed sanctions against medical professionals who fail to inform the authorities of suspected cases. REFUSE COLLECTION Lawan Bello used to ignore rats in his home, bothering more about the damage the rodents could cause to personal effects such as clothing, furniture and food. But the latest outbreak — and the wider publicity about its spread — has changed his attitude. "Every few days I buy rat poison and use it in my home to kill rats and I will continue until my house is free of them," he said. "I'm scared of Lassa and that has made me hate rats the most." Killing rats may be one solution to the problem but effective waste disposal has long been a major problem in Nigeria's big cities. "Everywhere you turn you see heaps of refuse which provides a breeding ground for rats," said Idris Musa, a community health worker in Kano. "Rats breed fast and it is very difficult to beat rats' breeding rate with rodenticide". In 2007, Kano was producing 2,000 tonnes of garbage every day but refuse collectors could only clear 800 tonnes, according to the city's refuse disposal agency. mobile.nation.co.ke/news/Rat-poison-Nigeria-Lassa-fever/-/1950946/3047870/-/format/xhtml/item/1/-/i4qjbw/-/index.html
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Post by Honorebu on Jan 25, 2016 18:37:16 GMT
Hahaha! Naija 
All man must make money.Survival of the fittest
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Post by OmoOba on Feb 7, 2016 10:34:11 GMT
Redeemer's varsity produces test kits for Lassa fever
The authorities of the Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun State, say they have made some major breakthroughs on Lassa fever with the development of rapid diagnostic kits and drugs for the deadly virus.
The institution's Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Debo Adeyewa, announced this at a briefing on Thursday at Ede.
According to Adeyewa, the team is also making progress in the development of Lassa fever vaccine with the identification of a gene called LARGE.
A research team led by the Director, World Bank Funded African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, at the university, Prof. Christian Happi, the VC added, produced the tools and the drugs.
Happi also regretted that despite the yearly outbreak of the virus, there was no laboratory confirmation due to lack of technical capacity to perform diagnosis in the country.
He stated that the first Lassa fever PCR-based diagnosis was made in Nigeria in 2008 which was 39 years after and this led to the establishment of the foremost centre of excellence of Lassa fever diagnosis and treatment in Nigeria and West Africa at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State.
Happi said, "Because PCR is highly skilled and expensive technology for diagnosis, we went on to develop a less complex and cheaper Lassa fever diagnostics. In 2014, we developed and tested the first generation of Lassa fever rapid diagnostic test.
"Now, we have successfully developed a pan-Lassa fever test that is highly sensitive and specific. A prototype has been produced."
Happi stated that Ribavirin, currently in use to treat Lassa fever was only effective when given in the early phase of the infection.
This, he said, prompted him and his team to carry out further research.
"Furthermore, studying B-cell repertoire (immune response) from Lassa fever survivors, we have identified four neutralising antibodies that significantly inhibit the Lassa fever virus. This provides the first scientific evidence of immunotherapeutics ticker Lassa fever. These findings have been reviewed for publication in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Immunology," he said.
Happi added that the research team was carrying out a research in the development of Lassa fever vaccine.
He added, "Using next generation sequencing approach, we have identified a signal of natural selection in human gene called LARGE in the Yoruba populations of the South-West of Nigeria that may be associated with protection to Lassa fever virus. We have hypothesised the potential mechanisms of protection and believe that this could be the key to the future Lassa fever vaccine."
Meanwhile, the VC has urged the Tertiary Education Fund to provide funding for such a medical research.
According to him, this way the agency can truly assist in solving the challenges confronting the country.
Meanwhile, a 28-year-old lady has died of Lassa fever in Ogun State.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, said that the young lady was the first to have died of the disease in the state.
Ipaye, who said this during a press conference held at Oke Mosan in Abeokuta on Thursday, said the victim had travelled to Ebonyi for a burial programme and returned to Ogun on January 15, and later started manifesting the symptoms of the viral disease.
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