Ebola Virus Disease Fact Sheet

What is Ebola Virus Disease?

Ebola Virus Disease is a highly infectious and deadly disease affecting humans and animals such as monkeys, gorillas, Chimpanzees, bats, birds, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods. The disease is caused by Ebola virus and it occurs in sporadic outbreak.

Where is Ebola Virus Disease found?
Though the natural habitat of the Ebola virus is unknown, Ebola virus is normally found in an animal host that is native to the African continent.
 

Where do cases of Ebola Virus Disease occur?
Outbreaks of Ebola VD have been mainly restricted to Africa. Confirmed cases of Ebola VD have been reported in Africa such as Liberia, Sierrea leone, Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Sudan, the Ivory Coast, Uganda etc. Ebola VD is usually spread within a health care setting. However, sporadic isolated cases may occur unnoticed.
 

Officers in California now required to wear video camera while on duty

Rialto, CA-The Rialto Police Department, over the past year, has been experimenting with equipping body cameras to the 70 officers on its force. The initial results show a promising solution to the excessive use of force by officers.

The police chief in Rialto, Tony Farrar, is on record as stating, “ I think we’ve opened some eyes in the law enforcement world. We’ve shown the potential.”

This potential he speaks of is due to the scientific data that this experiment has yielded over the course of the last year. The body cameras were introduced on officers in February 2012, over the next twelve months total complaints filed against them dropped by a staggering 88%, with use of force by officers dropping by 60%.

APC condemns Kaduna bombings

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed its shock and revulsion at Wednesday’s bomb attacks in Kaduna that targeted one of its leaders, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as well as prominent cleric Dahiru Bauchi and left hordes of innocent civilians dead or injured.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party sent its condolences to the families of the victims and pray that God will give them the much-needed strength at times like this, while also wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

It said the attempted assassination of Gen. Buhari has changed the narrative about the insurgent group and knocked the bottom off the sinister, irresponsible and partisan colouration given to the insurgency by the Federal Government.

APC said while no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the mere fact that it occurred at all is a lose-lose situation for the Jonathan Administration.

"Whether it is Boko Haram or not, one thing remains: This government has failed woefully in its core constitutional duty of protecting the security and welfare of the citizenry. And we mean all the citizens, not just the leaders!"

"And contrary to the simplistic and clearly selfish portrayal of the Boko Haram insurgency as a sinister plot to bring down the government of Jonathan, it should now be clear to the FG that has engaged in ceaseless finger-pointing instead of tackling the insurgency headlong that Boko Haram is an enemy of Nigeria and of all of humanity."

"It is a real problem that is capable of consuming this country if immediate and urgent steps are not made now by the FG to move away from its politicization of the crisis, its decision to use it as a trump card for President Jonathan’s re-election and exploit it as a ticket to international relevance for the President. If anything untoward had happened to Gen. Buhari on Wednesday, the consequences are only better imagined than witnessed!"

"If indeed the APC is behind Boko Haram and Gen. Buhari is a sympathizer of the evil group, as the FG wants the world to believe, could it be that the insurgents do not know their leaders or sympathizers, assuming they are behind the attack?" If they are not responsible for the attack, doesn’t that support the theory in some circles that Boko Haram has become a franchise, hence there is the Boko Haram of Abubakar Shekau and the political Boko Haram?

"Whatever happens now, the satanic and repulsive theory of the PDP-led FG that the opposition APC is using Boko Haram to truncate the Administration of Jonathan is up in flames. Therefore, it is time for them to change the narrative, see Boko Haram for what it is – an enemy of Nigeria – and rally the citizenry, irrespective of their political, ethnic or religious affiliation, behind the government’s efforts to tackle it decisively,” the party said.

Heavy Metals Acting as Endocrine Disrupters

Endocrine disrupters are defined as chemical substances with either agonist or antagonist endocrine effects in human and animals. These effects may be achieved by interferences with the biosynthesis or activity of several endogenous hormones. Recently, it was demonstrated that heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), arsen (As), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) may exhibit endocrine-disrupting activity in animal experiments. Emerging evidence of the intimate mechanisms of action of these heavy metals is accumulating. It was revealed, for example, that the Zn atom from the Zn fingers of the estrogen receptor can be replaced by several heavy metal molecules such as copper, cobalt, Ni and Cd. By replacing the Zn atom with Ni or copper, binding of the estrogen receptor to the DNA hormone responsive elements in the cell nucleus is prevented.

Insight:

For soft electrophiles such as mercury, the mechanism appears to primarily involve its highly specific irreversible inhibition of selenium dependent enzymes. Brain and endocrine tissues are very dependent on the uninterrupted availability of selenium for de novo synthesis of selenocysteine, the catalytic component at the active site of these enzymes. They have a multitude of functions including preventing and reversing oxidative damage, regulating thyroid hormone and calcium status, and various cell signalling pathways. The significance of selenium physiology in these tissues is not widely known, primarily because it is so well protected by homeostatic regulation that these tissues are invulnerable to almost all environmental insults. Currently, we know of only one exception. Mercury is uniquely able to prevent maternal selenium from being redistributed through the maternal/placental/fetal tissue pools. Meanwhile, since it readily transits both the placental and blood brain barriers, its ability to enter the fetal brain and irreversibly inhibit selenoenzyme activities and permanently sequester brain Se in the insoluble HgSe form is unmatched by other soft electrophiles. However, some of the other electrophiles may be just as capable as mercury at penetrating endocrine tissues and impairing selenoenzyme activities that are otherwise invulnerable to environmental insults. Selenium physiologists will soon be using soft electrophiles as a complementary way of evaluating the activities of various selenoenzymes in tissues since this approach is more readily titrated than doing genetic knockouts and can be applied in cases where genetic knockouts are lethal.

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Ebola death confirmed in Lagos

Federal Government today, Friday 25/07/2014, confirmed the Ebola Virus death that claimed one Mr. Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian man suspected to have imported the deadly Ebola virus into Lagos.

Announcing this in Abuja, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the patient was subjected to thorough medical evaluation where laboratory investigations were also carried out and his blood sample taken to the advanced laboratory at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, WHO reference laboratory in Darkar Senegal and CDC laboratory in Atlanta, USA, which confirmed the diagnosis of Ebola Virus Disease. 

It will be recalled that the confirmation of the outbreak of the virus in Lagos on Thursday, July 24 by the Lagos State Ministry of health caused panic across the country. 

This was after Nigerians were alerted on 22^nd July, 2014, on a suspected case of Ebola Virus Disease, in Lagos involving a 40 year old man traveling from Monrovia, Liberia to Nigeria on Asky Airline via Lome to Lagos.

The passenger was said to have  fever, and vomiting with  diarrhea on arrival at the airport and was handed over by the airline to the Port health Services of the Federal ministry of Health, who quickly isolated him and transported him straight to the hospital to avoid contact with the general public.

But after the confirmation of the results by other laboratories outside Nigeria and despite the urgent specialized barrier nursing care provided for the patient in a Lagos Hospital, the patient unfortunately passed away in the early hours of Friday.

As part of effort to contain the spread of the virus, the health Minister said certain measures had already been taken by the Ministry, which include: tracing and investigating all the passengers the patient came with; placing all ports of entry under red alert in line with WHO regulations; equipped all government tertiary health institutions in Nigeria to handle any emergency that may arise from the disease and providing supportive drugs and medical consumables  at all entry points and stepping up collaboration with all the States of the federation.

‘‘I want to assure the general public that the FMOH is presently working with other ministries, agencies and international organizations as well as the Lagos State Government to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

‘‘Emergency operation centres had been established and coordinated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC of the federal Ministry of health in collaboration with an inter ministerial committee set up by the President,’’ he added.

The committee according to him, is headed by the Minister of Information, Mr. Maku was set up to stimulate sensitization of the Nigerian public on the danger and preventive measures on Ebola Virus disease.

For any enquiry and complain concerning Ebola Virus cases and outbreak, the Minister said the following numbers had been opened to reach the centre: 08023210923, 08097979595 and 07067352220 with an email: ebolainfo@health.gov.ng.

Drogba lured back by Jose Mourinho

Chelsea have completed the signing of Didier Drogba on a one-year contract.

The 36-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge having left in 2012 after winning the Champions League.

Drogba, who featured for Cote d'Ivoire at the World Cup earlier this summer, has scored 157 goals in 341 appearances for Chelsea and has also won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups with the club.

"It was an easy decision,” the striker told the club’s official website.

"I couldn't turn down the opportunity to work with Jose again. Everyone knows the special relationship I have with this club and it has always felt like home to me.

"My desire to win is still the same and I look forward to the opportunity to help this team. I am excited for this next chapter of my career."

Bomb blast in Kaduna-Nigeria

Remains of a car after the explosion

Persons were killed yesterday, and several others injured in two bomb blasts in Kaduna, targeted at former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi. Both men, however, escaped unhurt.

 

In a statement he issued immediately after the incident, General Buhari declared that it was an assassination attempt and narrated how the suicide bomber tried to carry out the deadly assignment.

Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, in response imposed a 24-hour curfew on Kaduna town after the blasts.

In his reaction, President Goodluck Jonathan thanked God for sparing the lives of General Buhari and Sheikh Bauchi, and extended condolences to families of the dead, while commiserating with the injured.

The first bomb attack took place on Isa Kaita Road, off Ali Akilu road around 12:30pm, yesterday, when the convoy of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi was returning home after he gave a Ramadan Tafsir sermon to thousands of Muslims of the Tijaniyya sect. The Police said 25 people were killed, but those who spoke to newsmen at the scene said about 40 died in the blasts.

Bauchi had escaped a bomb attack about three weeks ago near his home in Eskolia quarters of Kaduna.

The second blast  took place around 2:30pm, about two kilometres away from the scene of the first blast at the busy over-head bridge at Kawo part of Kaduna town as Buhari was making his way out of town, leaving not less than 50 people dead.

Speaking to newsmen at the scene of the first attack, Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Umar Shehu said: “All I can say is that the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and Road Safety Corps have told me that they recovered 25 corpses from this place. But you can see that we still have some human remains here. I cannot tell you the number of those injured at this point. That is all I can say”.

But that differed from what some eyewitnesses said. One Isa Saidu, 23, gave his account thus: “I was at the Murtala Mohammed Square where Sheikh Dahiru preached to us. I was also in the convoy conveying him back home. It was a long convoy. Suddenly, I saw a man on a motorcycle carrying a sack or bag. He was driving very recklessly and defied the instructions of our security guard, who attempted to make him slow down. He then tried to come close to the car conveying the Sheikh but the security did not allow him.

 

“As he persisted, they pushed him off the road and he fell into a ditch, while the bomb device he was carrying exploded. I don’t want to say what happened. Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s body was covered with blood, but it was the blood of those who were protecting him. I can swear by Allah that I personally counted 41 bodies. It is the most terrible thing of my life,” he said.

Others who spoke gave similar accounts. As news of the first attack spread through the state, another explosion took place two hours later.

According to eye witnesses, a man in a Sienna car had trailed the convoy of General Buhari from where it took off. An aide to Buhari, who asked not to be mentioned, told reporters that “the car overtook other cars and came very close to the SUV in which the general was. His security details tried to get in-between, then the Sienna car exploded.

“The security men’s car was destroyed and the three men were severely injured. The general’s car was damaged badly, but because it was bullet-proof, he came out unhurt, and was transferred to another car and taken away,” he said.

The explosion led to the killing of not less than 50 persons, according to those who came to the scene shortly after it happened.

Some cars were burnt and several people injured.

“There was no way more than 50 people could not have been killed”, a reporter with a local radio station whose office was near the scene told some reporters.

“By the time we reached the place, there was so much blood and many corpses all over the place. I am too shaken to speak on this matter,” he said.

But CP Umar Shehu said after visiting the scene that, “I am told that 14 people were killed and four were injured. I am told that a VIP car was affected, but I am yet to confirm to you. I shall update you in time”.
 

I escaped  assassination — Buhari

Python swallows ANTELOPE then spews out its dead body

This mind bugling images show the moment a python swallows a baby antelope.

Wildlife expert Nitish Bambhaniya dashed 25 miles to the tiny village of Billa in the Indian state of Gujarat to photograph the huge snake's astonishing digestive feat.

After being tipped off about the spectacle, he hopped on a motorcycle and sped to the scene, accompanied by a member of his team.

On arrival, he found the giant snake - an Indian rock python - was well on its way to devouring a nilgai, also known as a blue bull.

Nitish, who runs the Red Headed Vulture Nature Club, said: "I got a call in the morning for an Indian rock python.

"When we reached the spot, we saw this massive python. The python had hunted a baby blue bull and had already eaten 80% of the bull's body.

"It is on the edge of an open field, so lots of locals start gathering there."

Fearing the python would be a risk to children in the neighbouring villages if they let it go, a number of locals wanted to kill the snake.

However, as the crowd drew closer, the slithery reptile stopped swallowing the antelope and let go of its lifeless prey.

Mr Bambhaniya said: "Pythons do it so that they can shed body weight and escape faster.

Python taking in last portion of the animal

"Meanwhile, we convinced the villagers not to kill the python and they agreed. Later we caught the python and handed it over to the forest department officials."

The python was released by the officials in a nearby forest, before slithering away to freedom.

 

Corpse of animal after the exercise

FirstBank, PayPal partner to encourage online shopping in Nigeria

FirstBank Limited and global payments provider, PayPal, have announced a   partnership to encourage Nigerians shop online across the world.

PayPal is global payments provider with 148 million active accounts in 203 markets.

The partnership with FirstBank will allow customers of the bank to register for a PayPal account from their FirstOnline, Internet-banking account.

“By linking FirstBank-issued debit, prepaid or credit cards to their new PayPal account, FirstBank customers can shop and pay on millions of websites around the world from their PCs, tablets or smartphones, without having to share their financial information with the seller”, explained Chuma Ezirim, Head of E-Buisness, FirstBank.

“Through this partnership, FirstBank customers gain a unique advantage as their PayPal account will receive automatic verification and increased transaction limits, making it even easier to start making online or mobile payments”, he added.

Commenting on the partnership, Efi Dahan, PayPal’s Regional Director for Africa and Israel, said; “Millions of Nigerians already shop on websites in the US, UK or China, but many find that their cards are rejected or have concerns about entering their credit card details on the website of a seller based overseas. PayPal is used by hundreds of millions of people around the world to make international payments because PayPal payments are trusted by international retailers and we don’t share your financial details with anyone”.

“This exclusive partnership with FirstBank is a major milestone in PayPal’s Africa growth story and we hope to make more announcements together in the future as our partnership develops.”Dahan stated.

According to FirstBank spokesperson, Folake Ani-Mumuney, “The acceptance of FirstBank Cards for making PayPal payments is a significant boost to our continuous initiative to drive innovation in banking services and our promise to always put customers at the heart of our business. This partnership will provide convenience for our customers planning their summer shopping. FirstBank cards are accepted in over 200 countries and on millions of PoS terminals and ATMs around the world.

This partnership with PayPal provides further unique benefits to FirstBank customers,” she added.

FirstBank Limited and global payments provider, PayPal, have announced a   partnership to encourage Nigerians shop online across the world.
PayPal is global payments provider with 148 million active accounts in 203 markets.
The partnership with FirstBank will allow customers of the bank to register for a PayPal account from their FirstOnline, Internet-banking account.
“By linking FirstBank-issued debit, prepaid or credit cards to their new PayPal account, FirstBank customers can shop and pay on millions of websites around the world from their PCs, tablets or smartphones, without having to share their financial information with the seller”, explained Chuma Ezirim, Head of E-Buisness, FirstBank.
“Through this partnership, FirstBank customers gain a unique advantage as their PayPal account will receive automatic verification and increased transaction limits, making it even easier to start making online or mobile payments”, he added.
Commenting on the partnership, Efi Dahan, PayPal’s Regional Director for Africa and Israel, said; “Millions of Nigerians already shop on websites in the US, UK or China, but many find that their cards are rejected or have concerns about entering their credit card details on the website of a seller based overseas. PayPal is used by hundreds of millions of people around the world to make international payments because PayPal payments are trusted by international retailers and we don’t share your financial details with anyone”.
“This exclusive partnership with FirstBank is a major milestone in PayPal’s Africa growth story and we hope to make more announcements together in the future as our partnership develops.”Dahan stated.
According to FirstBank spokesperson, Folake Ani-Mumuney, “The acceptance of FirstBank Cards for making PayPal payments is a significant boost to our continuous initiative to drive innovation in banking services and our promise to always put customers at the heart of our business. This partnership will provide convenience for our customers planning their summer shopping. FirstBank cards are accepted in over 200 countries and on millions of PoS terminals and ATMs around the world.
This partnership with PayPal provides further unique benefits to FirstBank customers,” she added.
“We are delighted to be able to bring PayPal to all our customers in Nigeria in a partnership that is consistent with our drive to support the push towards a cashless society in Nigeria and lead innovation in development of secure online payment systems. For all FirstBank customers, opening a Paypal account using our FirstOnline platform will only take a few minutes, as the cus
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/firstbank-paypal-partner-encourage-online-shopping-nigeria/#sthash.Ht4aEeJI.dpuf

Flight MH17 disaster: Victims finally given some dignity as up to 200 are flown to Netherlands

Victims of last Thursday's Malaysia Airlines plane crash have finally been given some dignity as they make their final journey.

Coffins containing the remains of passengers where they were met with a military guard as they were loaded onto a cargo plane, ready to be repatriated from the Ukraine.

Today has been declared a national day of mourning as they are flown to Eindhoven so that they can be identified.

However, that process could take months and the relatives of up to 100 people may have an even longer wait because their bodies may still be at the crash site.

Five refrigerated wagons containing 200 body bags reached Kharkiv yesterday while the black boxes today arrived at Farnborough Airport, Hampshire, where they will be analysed by British experts.

Tony Abbott, Australia's Prime Minister, said that based on an initial inspection of the remains in the train carriages, that it was unclear how many bodies may still be left behind in rebel-held territory.

"Based on early inspection of the trains in Kharkiv, we just don't know how many bodies we have.

"It's quite possible that many bodies are still out there in the open, in the European summer, subject to interference and subject to the ravages of heat and animals. That is the predicament in which we find ourselves."

The king and queen of the Netherlands will lead mourners as the first victims of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 disaster are repatriated from the Ukraine today.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will be in Eindhoven with relatives of the 298 people - including 10 Britons - killed when the Boeing 777-200 was apparently shot down by Russia-backed separatists over eastern Ukraine on Thursday.

The Dutch government had declared today a national day of mourning.

Innoson to roll out N1.5m cars

Low and middle class Nigerians desiring to own brand new cars will soon realise their dreams as indigenous automobile manufacturing firm, Innoson Group of Companies, is set to launch its new products.

The firm, which manufactures cars, buses, tankers and other products, would from August 8  introduce brand new cars into the Nigerian automobile market at the cost of N1.5 million.

Chairman and Chief Executive of the company, Mr. Innocent Chukwuma, who announced this in Enugu yesterday, said the cars which would be fully air conditioned and come with other gadgets were made for Nigerians to have access to brand new cars.

The costliest of the coming cars, according to him, would be bought at N3.5 million.

Chukwuma, who spoke at the road show organised  by Empower Nigeria at the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, told the students of the university how he started venturing into diversified enterprise.

He said: “I will launch my own cars in about two weeks time. And the cars will cost between N1.5 million and N3.5 million, depending on the cadre.”

The Innoson Group Chairman told the audience that his company was not into car assembly but actual car manufacturing.

Chukwuma said: “Some people think that my factory is an assembly plant, but they are wrong. We do not assemble, we manufacture.

“Eighty percent of Nigerians do not believe that we manufacture vehicles in my company. But we do manufacture.

“The raw materials are bought from different countries and some in Nigeria.”

Chukwuma said his workforce has hit over 7,500, expressing happiness that he had contributed immensely to the nation’s economy.

The founder of Empower Nigeria and President of Anabel Group, Nicholas Okoye expressed delight that such a successful entrepreneur like Chukwuma was able to honour the invitation to speak to the youths, regarded as the leaders of tomorrow.

Low and middle class Nigerians desiring to own brand new cars will soon realise their dreams as indigenous automobile manufacturing firm, Innoson Group of Companies, is set to launch its new products.
The firm, which manufactures cars, buses, tankers and other products, would from August 8  introduce brand new cars into the Nigerian automobile market at the cost of N1.5 million.
Chairman and Chief Executive of the company, Mr. Innocent Chukwuma, who announced this in Enugu yesterday, said the cars which would be fully air conditioned and come with other gadgets were made for Nigerians to have access to brand new cars.
The costliest of the coming cars, according to him, would be bought at N3.5 million.
Chukwuma, who spoke at the road show organised  by Empower Nigeria at the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, told the students of the university how he started venturing into diversified enterprise.
He said: “I will launch my own cars in about two weeks time. And the cars will cost between N1.5 million and N3.5 million, depending on the cadre.”
The Innoson Group Chairman told the audience that his company was not into car assembly but actual car manufacturing.
Chukwuma said: “Some people think that my factory is an assembly plant, but they are wrong. We do not assemble, we manufacture.
“Eighty percent of Nigerians do not believe that we manufacture vehicles in my company. But we do manufacture.
“The raw materials are bought from different countries and some in Nigeria.”
Chukwuma said his workforce has hit over 7,500, expressing happiness that he had contributed immensely to the nation’s economy.
The founder of Empower Nigeria and President of Anabel Group, Nicholas Okoye expressed delight that such a successful entrepreneur like Chukwuma was able to honour the invitation to speak to the youths, regarded as the leaders of tomorrow.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/innoson-roll-n1-5m-cars/#sthash.EHligpy2.dpuf