Ify's EpiCorner

“Sustain Gains, Save Lives” was the theme for this year’s World Malaria Day which was on the 25 th of April. Global efforts to combat malaria have saved over one million lives worldwide and reduced malaria deaths in Africa by over 33% in 10 years according to the World Health Organisation. Despite this reported success there is a need to sustain this progress in the global campaign against malaria, and this can be done through increased investment and smarter inventions. Tony Blair, the former UK Prime Minister, does not see any reason why malaria – an utterly preventable disease – cannot be eradicated in Africa and elsewhere.  Prevention and treatment of malaria is cheap. One insecticide-treated net plus distribution costs less than $10 while anti-malaria drug is less than $2 per person. Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) help in the diagnosis of malaria by detecting evidence of malaria parasites in human blood. They allow the testing of people who cannot access dia...

At the beginning of 2012, the Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria notified the World Health Organisation of an outbreak of Lassa Fever in the country. As of 22 nd March 2012, 623 suspected cases have been recorded and this includes 70 deaths from 19 out of the 36 States since the beginning of the year.  Among the fatalities are 3 doctors and 4 nurses.  The presence of the Lassa virus has been confirmed in 108 patients by laboratory analysis at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State.   (It must be noted that this information is provisional and subject to change as more laboratory results of suspected cases becomes available.) The Federal and State government have responded to the outbreak by setting up an emergency response team for the purpose of enhancing the disease surveillance to enable early detection, reinforce treatment of patients and conduct awareness campaigns among the affected population. WHO does not advise or recommend any res...

Shigellosis, also called bacillary dysentery, is caused by four species namely: Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri, Shigella boydii and Shigella sonnei. Shigella was discovered over 100 years ago by the Japanese microbiologist, Kiyosi Shiga for whom the genus is named. Bacillary dysentery is primarily a human disease often transmitted by the consumption of food or drinking water contaminated with human faeces. Shigellosis can also be transmitted sexually. Sexual transmission of Shigella was first described in the United States during the 1970s. Since then, several outbreaks of sexually transmitted Shigella , predominantly in Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), have been reported. In 2006, an outbreak of Shigella among MSM in London coincided with a similar outbreak in Berlin suggesting that travel plays a role in introducing Shigella species to populations at risk. Man is the only significant reservoir of Shigella infection. Other enteric illnesses, such as those caused ...

Doctor die of Lassa fever in Abakaliki Source : The Nation A Doctor has reportedly died of the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever, otherwise known as Lassa fever, in Ebonyi State. Some other doctors are being treated for the disease at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Abakaliki. Though no official confirmation has been made by the Ministry of Health, doctors have raised the alarm over the outbreak of the disease. Some doctors at the FTH, who spoke to our reporter, regretted the outbreak of the disease, adding that doctors are prone to it since they are exposed to infected patients. The doctors called for the quick intervention of the Federal Ministry of Health to forestall the spread of the disease. The outbreak of Lassa fever was first reported in the state in 2008. Several people died. They included two doctors and other health workers.  Last year, four persons said to be residing at the Military cantonment, Nkwoagu, near Abakaliki also died of the disease....

Bush meat trade poses virus threat Source: PLoS One: Zoonotic Viruses Associated with Illegally Imported Wildlife Products Nearly 75% of emerging infectious diseases in humans are of zoonotic origin, with majority of them originating from contact with wildlife. These infectious diseases acquired via the wildlife trade are increasingly becoming a concern to global public health. SARS, avian flu, swine flu and Ebola all began in animals before somehow mutating and spreading to humans. SARS emerged as a respiratory and gastrointestinal disease in southwest China and within months had spread to 29 other countries, eventually leading the 8098 cases and 714 deaths. Masked palm civets traded in the markets of Guangdong were found to be infected and a large proportion of the early cases were restaurant workers who butchered wildlife from these markets. In a new study conducted by Smith K. M. and colleagues published in the PLoS One journal, they reported potentially dange...

Polio in Nigeria Source: Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation . Map: Global Polio Eradication Initiative Nigeria’s thirty-six Executive Governors and the Federal Capital Territory have signed up for the Nigeria Immunization Challenge. The Nigeria Immunization Challenge is an initiative launched October last year by the Bill and Melinda gates Foundation. The challenge was launched in conjunction with the Nigeria Governor’s Forum and calls on Governors and Local Government Area Chairmen to be proactive in their campaign against polio eradication, release funds in a timely manner for immunization and to work closely with traditional leaders to ensure that all children are vaccinated.  The performance of each state will be assessed on a monthly and quarterly basis. The state that meets all the necessary threshold criteria by the end of 2012 will be awarded a $500,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support their top health priorities. This could inc...