Random Musing of a Doctor: November 2013

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Early Detection Saved Me From Breast Cancer --- Dame Abimbola Fashola

Wife of Lagos State Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola, has said early detection saved her from killer breast cancer, urging women to take advantage of the ongoing cancer screening in the state to know their status.

Fashola said this at a ceremony to flag off the first round of the Integrated Statewide Wellness Health Week, at Rauf Aregbesola Hospital in Mosan Okunola Local Council Development Area, Alimosho of the state.

She said consistent screening and early detection saved her from the killer disease.

According to her, “Early detection made me survive breast cancer. I was able to survive it through early detection and screening. This year alone, I know about six people that have died of breast cancer and it did not warn them.All of them died in the spate of one month. Only God knows what would have happened if I had not detected mine on time.”

She explained that the importance of the free health programme in all the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas cannot be under estimated, given the fact that the diseases which she referred to as silent killers can be treated or managed successfully, if detected early.

“For years, we have witnessed on a regular basis and separate times awareness and screening programmes specifically for hypertension, diabetes, breast, cervical and prostate cancers.

The Lagos First Lady called on both men and women to take advantage of the unique opportunity the week-long integrated health screening offered.

She urged residents to cultivate the habit of visiting primary health centres for their health needs.

What Causes Asthma?

According to recent estimates, asthma affects 300 million people in the world and more than 22 million in the United States. Although people of all ages suffer from the disease, it most often starts in childhood, currently affecting 6 million children in the US. Asthma kills about 255,000 people worldwide every year.

Children at Risk

Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children - especially children who have low birth weight, are exposed to tobacco smoke, are black, and are raised in a low-income environment. Most children first present symptoms around 5 years of age, generally beginning as frequent episodes of wheezing with respiratory infections. Additional risk factors for children include having allergies, the allergic skin condition eczema, or parents with asthma.

Young boys are more likely to develop asthma than young girls, but this trend reverses during adulthood. Researchers hypothesize that this is due to the smaller size of a young male's airway compared to a young female's airway, leading to a higher risk of wheezing after a viral infection.

If APGA + CPC + ANPP + ACN = APC
EFCC + ICPC + NPF + GEJ + JEGA PDP

Find
(a) Using Pythagoras theorem prove that: PDP < APC.

(b) Using Almighty Formula where JEGA is constant what is the value of PDP

(c) If Tinubu and Buhari remains constant and Okorocha varies, what is the coefficient value of Okorocha in APC

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), has disclosed that one of its priorities is to double the number of people living with HIV on drugs from 600,000 to 1.2 million by 2014.

The director general of NACA, Professor John Idoko, who revealed this in Abuja at the commemoration of the 2013 World AIDS Day, with the theme: “take charge: get a HIV test”, said the plan would be achieved when the agency adapts the new World Health Organisation (WHO) ART guidelines.

“3.5 million persons live with HIV, out of which 1.5 million are in need of treatment. This number will go up with the adaption of the new WHO guidelines on ART,” he explained.

Dr Idoko said the agency was also aiming at testing at least 40 million people annually as well as providing intervention for 224,000 pregnant women who are HIV positive in PMTCT programme, saying the target was to achieve 90 per cent reduction in mother to child transmission by 2014.

He said that there was a decline in infections in both children and adults globally. He noted that it will be impossible to lay the foundation for the pandemic’s end without progress in reducing new infections among adults and children.

“Nigeria has an ANC prevalence of 4.1% (ANC survey, 2010) and population prevalence of 3.4% (NARHS, 2012). Current NARHS data indicates reduction of HIV prevalence in many of the 12+1 states,” he stated while calling on all Nigerians to get tested and know their HIV status.

Professor Idoko also encouraged all pregnant women to access ANC services and PMTCT interventions while calling for support for those living with HIV.

Endometriosis: A Health Challange

Strong women, says Harriet Morgan, wear their pain like stilettos. No matter how much it hurts, all you see is the beauty of it, she further points out.

The above, no doubt, can be said to be true of the 49-year old former Miss Nigeria, Nike Oshinowo, who has had endometriosis almost all her life, yet has borne her pain silently until recently and is still radiating her beauty as ever.

The former beauty queen has taken it upon herself to create awareness about this health condition that affects women of reproductive age (15-44 years) worldwide. Through her, many Nigerians are getting to know about this health condition for the very first time. A lot of women too are getting to know the health challenge that has been the cause of their worry and agony. She has been sharing her experience and educating women who may be victims on how to carry on with their lives despite the pains they go through.

AMHiN Asks Nigerian Government to Honor Health Commitments

AMHiN is a national coalition of civil society organizations, media and professional bodies.

The Accountability for Maternal and Newborn Child Health in Nigeria (AMHiN) on Wednesday at a media briefing in Abuja said that health system in Nigeria would be better; if half of the money collected by the ‘cabal’ that duped Nigeria of billions of Naira in petrol subsidy payment is channeled into health commitments made by the country.

Nigeria is estimated to have lost several billions of naira to subsidy fraudsters, with some of them currently being prosecuted.

AMHiN is a national coalition of Civil Society Organizations, Media and Professional Bodies committed to promoting accountability and transparency in the health sector through regular media engagement, generating evidence and using such to advocate to government for better accountability that will reduce the maternal and child deaths in Nigeria.

Moderating, Bilikisu Yusuf said the event was a call to action for the Nigerian government to fulfill pledges and commitment made so far on Family Planning and improving Maternal, Newborn and child Health (MNCH).

A kidney infection is a painful and unpleasant illness that usually happens when bacteria travel up from your bladder into one or both of your kidneys.

The medical name for a kidney infection is pyelonephritis. It's more serious and different from cystitis, which is a common infection of the bladder that makes urinating painful.

If treated promptly, a kidney infection doesn't cause serious harm but it will make you feel very unwell. If a kidney infection isn't treated, it can get worse and cause permanent kidney damage.

Often the symptoms of a kidney infection come on quickly within a few hours. You can feel feverish, shivery, sick and have a pain in your back or side.

Asthma is a disease affecting the airways that carry air to and from your lungs. People who suffer from this chronic condition (long-lasting or recurrent) are said to be asthmatic.

The inside walls of an asthmatic's airways are swollen or inflamed. This swelling or inflammation makes the airways extremely sensitive to irritations and increases your susceptibility to an allergic reaction.

As inflammation causes the airways to become narrower, less air can pass through them, both to and from the lungs. Symptoms of the narrowing include wheezing (a hissing sound while breathing), chest tightness, breathing problems, and coughing. Asthmatics usually experience these symptoms most frequently during the night and the early morning.

AIDS Control Agency, The Story So Far

The Chief Executive Officer of the Enugu State Agency for Control of AIDS(ENSACA) in Nigeria, Dr Edith Okolo on Wednesday has called for the establishment of HIV treatment sites in all the 774 local government areas in the country.

According to her, lack of HIV treatment sites in some areas have been a problem in the rural areas as people do not have places to check their status and receive treatment.

She said the prevalence of HIV in Enugu State was reducing and added that the state was rated 16thin the country and third in the South East zone according to the 2010 survey.

She urged Nigerians to know their status as it was the only way to address the scourge in the country.

She said that the awareness campaign embarked in the state had encouraged a lot of people to go for tests and know their status.

Okolo, who is also the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, appealed to pregnant women to go for HIV tests with a view to saving their unborn babies.

She also appealed to churches to preach against immorality and its consequences rather than miracles and prosperity.

"Nigeria Needs a Revolution" --- Minister of health

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, declared that revolution was the only way forward for the country.

The Minister stated this during the inauguration of councils and boards of health professionals regulatory bodies in Abuja yesterday.

According to him, the health sector was fast losing its respect due to incessant industrial actions.

Chukwu was reacting to recent threats by some unions in the health sector to embark on another strike.

He said, “If you see the kind of letters I receive from people who should be respected health professionals, you will weep for this country. The health sector is losing its respect. I repeat, the health sector has lost its respect; it is not only losing it.

“Right now, I have on my table three threats (among groups in the health sector) to proceed on strike. One threat is to proceed on November 28. Another one is to start on December 13. For me, they can go ahead. If you are talking, people should stop sending these threats to me for goodness sake.

Laughter is The Best Medicine S3

The Medical Director, Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, Dr Femi Olaleye, on Friday said breast cancer killed one in every 25 Nigerian women.

He made this known on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

“The incidence of breast cancer is one in 25, but because we don’t screen our population, it’s actually a death sentence.

“In other parts of the world, once you’re a woman, that one in 25 is picked up early, procedures are done to quickly stop that cancer from killing her.

“So, it doesn’t kill as much as it is killing here.”

Stop Stigmatization (Story)

A True life Story.

Stop Stigmatization.

Tired from work one afternoon i needed new hands to do little chores while i played my own role of super small Doctor everyday, Jenny (not real name) knocked on my door, she was referred to me by a friend on account of boils in her private region and some associated fever. These symptoms were not new to me so after a general and specific examination we were able to rule out a few things and Diagnosis and treatment were taken care of.

A Wake-up Call ---- Yemi Adamolekun (A Must Read)

Farewell ceremonies ended last Thursday for another one of us. Deji Falae was the son of a former Minister of Finance, Secretary to the Federal Government and Presidential Aspirant. He got actively involved in Ondo State politics in 2009 and his final role was as the state’s Commissioner for Culture & Tourism. He was happily married with three children.

Deji died on October 3 on the Associated Airlines flight that crashed shortly after take-off in Lagos. A lot has been said about the state of the airline and the aircraft, but what is clear is that Deji’s death was probably needless; unnecessary; avoidable. He didn’t like to fly domestically and travelled by road commuting between Akure and Lagos. He went by road to his meetings in Abuja. This time, he was on official duty to accompany the body of the late Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Agagu, to Akure for his funeral.

Why Women Cry : My Boyfriend's Bestfriend

I was a freshman in my second term of college, 18 years young and loving life. I was soaking up everything college had to offer, and enjoying every minute of it. Going to classes and making Dean’s List my first term…check. Walking on to my university’s basketball team…check. Going to a real Thanksgiving dinner in the continental U.S….check. Getting attention from guys who I thought were extremely attractive…check.

A British teenager said she was in "total shock" to learn that she had been born without a vagina.

During a routine visit to the doctor, Jacqui Beck, 17, mentioned that she hadn't started getting her periods. Tests soon showed that she had MRKH syndrome, a genetic condition that meant she had been born without a vagina, womb or cervix.

"I left the doctor's [office] in tears. I would never know what it was like to give birth, be pregnant, have a period. All the things I had imagined doing suddenly got erased from my future," Beck told the Daily Mail. "I was really angry and felt like I wasn’t a real woman any more."

This is a report brought by a woman concerning how she was raped by a family friend, who drugged her and slept with her without her consent . It is an advice to mothers to be careful the kind of relationship they have outside of marriage. This story will drop tears from every woman eyes and it is good that they learn so as not to fall a victim to it.

Click HERE to Listen and please share your thoughts on the matter.

Source: Reporters TV

Friday, November 15, 2013

Kerosene Explosion Did This !!!!!!

Warning: This story contains a graphic photo

TWENTY seven-year-old Promise Aboyowa is in dire straits. The unemployed first school leaving certificiate holder, and father of one, hails who from Abigborodo in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, is a victim of kerosene explosion.

Promise plight is worsened by absence of his wife, Alero, who fled home since the unfortunate incident.

*A sewage drain pipe channeled into the open drain opposite Adeola Johnson Street, beside block 233, Jakande Estate, Mile 2, Amuwo-Odofin LGA,Lagos

EVEN as residents of Lagos State and environs are recovering from the recent cholera epidemic, another possible outbreak of communicable disease epidemic is silently brewing within the Mile 2 Estate in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of the State.

This is the current situation no thanks to poor handling and careless disposal of human waste, otherwise known as sewage in parts of the densely populated Estate.

The practice of channeling raw sewage from septic tanks into gutters and open drains has become a common development even as residents appear oblivious of the attendant health hazards.

Health & Living investigations around Adeola Johnson Street, reveals that sewage pipes from septic tanks situated behind Blocks 233, 293 and 296, empty directly into the gutters and open drains on the street.

"Nigeria's Immunisation Strategy is Slow" Bill Gates

Founder of Microsoft and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates Monday decried Nigeria's immunisation strategy, describing it as slow.

Gates who launched the National Routine Immunisation Strategic Plan, (NRISP). yesterday in Abuja, said, "nothing is more important in health in Nigeria than giving immunisation to children and persons in order to prevent diseases."

Gates explained that the manner at which immunisation programmes have been implemented had been very slow, stating that, "vaccination has not operated the way it should be."

The Referees’ Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said that it would henceforth specify hospitals where referees would undergo their medical tests.
The committee’s Chairman, Suleiman Mu’azu said that the decision was meant to check the issuance of fake medical certificates.
Mu’azu was speaking against the backdrop of the death of a Lagos-based referee, Osita Nwadiashi, during the 2013 fitness test held in Abuja from November 4 to November 8.
``What we are going to do now is to designate at least one hospital in each state.
``For instance, here in Abuja, the National Hospital; in Kaduna, you say the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Teaching Hospital, so that everyone that is going to have his medical test will do it in that hospital.

Over the years, it has been contended that there is a drop in the quality of education offered in Nigeria. This situation cuts across all facets of education in the country. Some experts want to believe that the hue and cry over poor education delivery is misplaced but the truth is that the standard of measurement of quality delivery in education cannot only be left for Nigerian assessors to determine but international input in this respect has also gained a measure of ascendancy that is so reputed to be casting aspersions on Nigerian trained students who go overseas for graduate programmes or to find jobs.

For instance, a recent report from the United Kingdom in the Daily Mail notes that some Nigerians have been delisted from medical practice in that country for incompetence. According to the report three- quarters of the doctors struck off the General Medical Council (GMC) register in the past years are foreign trained and that those trained in Nigeria rank second on the list of those removed from the professional register.

A SCIENTIFIC probe instituted two years by Nigerian experts under the aegis of Ignite is making significant progress in clarifying negative perceptions about coffee and one its main ingredients, caffeine in the country.
The medical scientists at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Yaba, Lagos say regular intake of not more than three cups of coffee daily can improve life expectancy and reduce the risk of developing non- communicable diseases (NCDs), chronic or degenerative diseases such as cancers and diabetes.

Rape!!!

The Osun State Police Command has arrested a 35-year-old vulcaniser, Ademola Simiyu, of Ile Olode in Ikoyi for allegedly defiling his 11-year-old daughter.

Simiyu, a father of three, allegedly committed the act on Wednesday, October 23, when he woke up the girl at about 12 midnight while she was sleeping with her siblings and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.

The suspect was said to have stifled the cries of his daughter by covering her mouth with his palm. The girl reportedly started bleeding heavily but the father refused to take her to the hospital, out of fear of questions that could be raised concerning the bleeding.

But his deeds came out in the open on October 24 when the girl reportedly told her mother what her father did to her during the former’s visit to the girl who had by then fallen sick.

Crime Reports gathered that when the case was reported to the police, detectives immediately took her to the hospital for medical examination and treatment.

When interrogated by the police, Simiyu was said to have confessed to the deeds, saying that he did not know what came over him. He also revealed that he married the girl’s mother in 2000 and they had three children between them but that they had lived apart in the last two years because of a misunderstanding they had, saying that he had been the one taking care of the children.

It was gathered that the medical report indicated that the girl had coital bleeding while vaginal examination revealed laceration in her vaginal wall, with foul smell and discharged altered blood coming from it. The report also indicated that her hymen had been torn and there was tenderness around her vulva and pelvis.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Folasade Odoro, a Deputy Superintendent of Police said that the Commissioner of Police, Dorothy Gimba, had directed that a diligent investigation should be conducted into the case, decrying the high number of defilement and r*pe cases within the society.

Meanwhile, Crime Reports learnt that the suspect had been charged to Court 4, Osogbo Magistrates’ Court on a three-count charge. Though he pleaded not guilty to the charges, the magistrate ordered that he should be remanded in Ilesa prison. The case was adjourned to November 28.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Implantable Sensors to Monitor Diabetes and Cancer

New research details how a sensor that can be implanted under the skin for over 1 year is able to monitor inflammation and detect nitric oxide – a molecule that has been found to show disturbed levels in the presence of some cancers. This is according to a study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say the sensors, made of carbon nanotubes, may also be modified to detect other molecules, such as glucose, which could help monitor diabetic patients.

According to the researchers, nitric oxide (NO) is a significant signaling molecule within living cells. It carries messages between the brain and immune system functions.

In some cancerous cells, levels of NO are disturbed. But the researchers note that mechanisms behind this have been unclear.

Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate World Immunisation Day today. In this interview with MOTUNRAYO JOEL, a Senior Registrar and Chief Resident, Department of Community Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, and member of the West African College of Physicians, Dr. Olujide Arije, speaks about the importance of immunisation and the consequences of shunning it

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized two bags of tetanus vaccines worth N2.5 million at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

The head of the NAFDAC office in the airport, Mr John Okwori, told newsmen on Friday that the vaccines were seized on Oct. 25 during the teams’ physical inspection of the items at the airport after they arrived aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight.

Okwori said the action of the airliner’s members of staff toward the black boxes put the NAFDAC officers on the alert.

On Oct. 25, we noticed two strange boxes and found out that the boxes were unattended to and besides there were no passengers around.

Closure of Substandard Hospitals in Lagos

In the discharge of its regulatory functions, the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) has shut down 22 medical facilities found to be operating below required standards in different parts of the state. The clampdown on the substandard hospitals is the outcome of rigorous monitoring of private hospitals in the state since the beginning of this year. Three hospitals were closed down in the Orile Coker area of Lagos in the latest round of closures.

Available data show that the agency has monitored a total of 979 health facilities in the state in the last 12 months (October 2012-September 2013), out of which 37 were closed while 178 were discovered to be unregistered. A total of 154 health facilities were also registered within the period under review.

Source: The Sun

"Being a Black Person increases your Risk of Prostate Cancer"

Dr Femi Olaleye, the Medical Director, Optimal Cancer Care Foundation, on Friday said higher levels of testosterone in black men exposed them to higher risks of prostate cancer.

He said , "Being a black person increases your risk of prostate cancer, not only black communities in Africa, even in UK and the U.S".

“So, there is something about being African that increases our risk of prostate cancer; there is higher incidence of prostate cancer in black men compared to white men.

“Prostate affects only men; it is the commonest type of cancer that kills men.

“The common risk factor is genetics; if your father had prostate cancer there is a five per cent to 10 per cent risk that you could have it.

“Smoking is a risk factor; if you are a smoker your risk is almost 1.5 per cent increased.

Laughter is The Best Medicine S2E210

There is so much myth concerning epilepsy such that seeking timely and appropriate medical attention may be delayed, which invariably contributes to psychiatric complications.

Some folks hold the belief that when there is a seizure; the saliva coming out of such patients could actually infect anyone that comes into contact with it.

Caregivers often keep such patients at home without seeking medical help or patronise alternative care that could invariably worsen the clinical condition especially when the seizure is not effectively controlled, resulting in brain damage.

An epileptic seizure is a clinical manifestation presumed to result from an abnormal and excessive discharge of a set of neurons in the brain; usually after two or more discrete and unprovoked seizures.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure, commonly known as hypertension, has been said to kill in at least eight different ways.

They include stroke, diabetes, kidney failure, heart attack, aneurysms, end-stage liver failure, coronary heart diseases and sudden death.

Emeritus Prof. of medicine, Oladipo Akinkugbe, describes high blood pressure as a condition that occurs when there is excessive pressure on the walls of the artery and adds that this causes damage to the blood vessels, as well as vital organs in the body when it is not controlled.

Hypertension is also a major health concern for Africans.

In Nigeria, about 57 million people are estimated to be hypertensive with many still undiagnosed.Akinkugbe says this high incidence of hypertension is a major reason why many die suddenly from heart attack and stroke.

Trade and investment relationship - Nigeria and Singapore have sealed a fresh deal to open up direct air links between both countries and to leverage each other's competitive and comparative advantage for an enhanced, mutually beneficial trade and investment relationship.

The two nations agreed to collaborate in the areas of medical tourism, capacity development, skills acquisition and enterprise development, among others, while taking steps towards investment guarantee and a fair taxation regime. The agreements were reached at a meeting between the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, and the Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr. S. Iswaran, on the sidelines of the Nigeria-Singapore Business and Investment Forum in Singapore.

You may associate grief with the death of a loved one, but any loss can cause grief, including the loss of a relationship, your health, your job, or a cherished dream. After a significant loss, you may experience all kinds of difficult and surprising emotions, such as shock, anger, and guilt. Sometimes it may feel like the sadness will never let up.

While these emotions can feel very painful, accepting them as part of the grieving process and allowing yourself to feel what you feel is necessary for healing.

As you deal with your loss, remember that there is no order or timetable for grief. Everyone grieves differently, but there are healthy ways to cope and heal from the pain.

By Sheriff Balogun, Abeokuta

The Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON) has expressed concern that drug addiction among Nigerian youth is in the increase and called for urgent steps to be taken to check the trend.

The Institute made the call in Abeokuta at a two-day sensitisation seminar it organised on ‘Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and Drug Demand Reduction (DDR)’.

Laughter is The Best Medicine S2E209

The Yobe State Government on Wednesday said it had declared a state of emergency in the health sector to improve health care delivery and reduce medical tourism outside the state.

The state Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Kaigama Umar, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Damaturu.

Kaigama, who is supervising the state Ministry of Health, said government had begun structural rehabilitation of hospitals across the state.

He said government would provide additional equipment and working materials to health institutions across the state.

“We are also employing more doctors and medical staff to boost the manpower in the hospitals. Currently, we have 57 doctors, comprising 29 indigenous doctors,” he said.

He said government would also provide automatic employment, with good welfare package, to doctors taking appointments in the state.

“The emergency is targeted at improving the health sector because government spends so much on payment of referral cases. Just last week, we paid N18m for cases referred to Kano, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, among others,” he said.

Punch

Random Musing of a Doctor Headline Animator

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Friday, November 29, 2013

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Friday, November 22, 2013

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Friday, November 15, 2013

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

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