Ify's EpiCorner

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...

Food-borne Trematodiasis Trematodes or flukes are flatworms belonging to the Phylum Platyheminthes. They are small parasitic flatworms that use vertebrates as their definitive host and mollusc as their intermediate host. Trematode infections such as schistosomiasis have emerged as important tropical infections. An estimated 200 million people in the tropical belts of the world may have schistosomal infection. This makes Schistosoma infection the second most prevalent tropical infectious disease in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa after malaria. Depending on the habitat in the infected host, flukes can be classified as blood flukes, liver flukes, lung flukes or intestinal flukes.   Blood flukes include Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma mekongi, and Schistosoma intercalatum. Liver flukes include Fasciola hepatica, Fasciola gigantica, C sinensis, Opisthorchis felineus, O viverrini, Dicrocoelium dendriticum, and Dicr...