Random Musing of a Doctor

Friday, February 6, 2015

Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is a viral disease, found in tropical regions of Africa and the Americas. It principally affects humans and monkeys, and is transmitted via the bite of Aedes mosquitoes. It can produce devastating outbreaks, which can be prevented and controlled by mass vaccination campaigns.

The first symptoms of the disease usually appear 3–6 days after infection. The first, or “acute”, phase is characterized by fever, muscle pain, headache, shivers, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. After 3–4 days, most patients improve and symptoms disappear. However, in a few cases, the disease enters a “toxic” phase: fever reappears, and the patient develops jaundice and sometimes bleeding, with blood appearing in the vomit (the typical "vomito negro"). About 50% of patients who enter the toxic phase die within 10–14 days.

There is no specific treatment for yellow fever. Vaccination is highly recommended as a preventive measure for travellers to, and people living in, endemic countries.

Signs and symptoms

Once contracted, the virus incubates in the body for 3 to 6 days, followed by infection that can occur in one or two phases. The first, "acute", phase usually causes fever, muscle pain with prominent backache, headache,

Viola Onwuliri

By Chidi Nkwopara

MINISTER of State for foreign affairs, Professor Viola Onwuliri, has called on the management of the nation’s universities to incorporate the National Health Act 2014 in medical training.

Professor Onwuliri made the appeal while delivering a lecture entitled Nigerian National Health Act 2014: Implications and Applications, at the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the National

Ever try to explain to your doctors exactly what that weird symptom you are experiencing feels like, and sense they aren’t quite catching your drift? Those little misunderstandings might have some unintended side effects, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Medicine.

Researchers from the University of Southampton and University of Exeter Medical School monitored five women’s doctor-patient consultations at a pain-management clinic. Each was there to discuss her chronic, widespread pain. The healthcare providers often used,

Anyone born before 1978, but especially those born prior to 1958, may want to get a vaccination. Since unvaccinated children spreading measles seem to constitute most of the buzz on the recent outbreak of the virus, there’s a fact that’s getting lost in the shuffle: The majority of those infected are actually adults.According to new numbers from California, of the 92 confirmed measles cases in the state, 62 percent are adults over age 20.

To us adults who think that, when it comes to measles, we’re totally homefree, those stats are scary. But there are several fascinating reasons for this — harking back to the mid-20th century when the measles vaccine was first released. Fact: If you were born before 1957, you’re probably not vaccinated. When docs started administering measles vaccinations in 1963, they recommended that only those who were born after 1957 get shots. Before that date, measles was so common and so contagious, it was extremely

I don’t get into New Year’s Resolutions; I have always been a firm believer that if you’re serious about any type of change then you should start taking those steps the day you realize shit needs changing. However, I recognize that this idea of starting over at the beginning of the year gives people motivation to actually step their game up and that’s a good thing. We all have things we need to work on, but I’m going to focus on a few things that I’ve talked about in this blog over the past year that I think needs to be highlighted one last time.

For The Fellas: Make Money Don’t Hate Money:

If a female’s Achilles heel is her heart, the male’s is his wallet. There is so much energy spent on being upset on how the next man is getting money and success when the focus should be on why aren’t you in that position. Growling about “he’s lucky, he knows somebody, he ain’t as talented as me” makes my stomach turn. Stop asking what’s in his wallet you Capital One ass nigga and worry about your situation. You would think seeing people winning all around you would make dudes step their game up, instead they try and fake like they live in Rack city knowing damn well they’re a resident of Short On The Rent City . Every nigga wants to take pride in being a hustler, what kind of hustler sits in front of the TV smoking weed or playing video games all day? What kind of hustler has his girlfriend taking care of him? If you didn’t double your income from last year to this year you’re not hustling, you’re coasting. If you spent more time chasing pussy than chasing your goals then you’re not a hustler, you’re a trick. Hustle is the most misused word of 2011, I don’t see a generation of hustlers I see a generation of lazy people who wait around for opportunity to knock. Steve Jobs and Woz didn’t sit in the fucking garage talking about how smart they were, they got off their ass, hit the streets, and sold blue boxes. You create your own luck! A lot of guys think they don’t have to work hard because they’ve already made it. Basic ass niggas buy a car, get an apartment, and kick their Air Jordans up because they’re doing better than their homies. Your loser ass homies aren’t who you should be trying to out earn.

Ebola Survivors Complain Of New Syndrome.

By Emma Farge and James Harding Giahyue

Romeo Doe, a 29-year-old tailor who survived Ebola in Liberia, is struggling to cope with the impact of a disease that killed seven members of his family and now threatens his livelihood.

Since he was released from an Ebola centre in the capital Monrovia in November, pressure is rising in his eyes and affecting his vision - a complaint some doctors say is common among survivors of the West African outbreak.

There are a growing number of survivors of the disease in the region, between 5,000 and 10,000 according to the United Nations, and some complain of side effects months after their recovery - a condition some doctors are calling "post-Ebola Syndrome" (PES).

"Since I was discharged I have felt this pain in my eyes," said Doe. "They, as you can see, are red; they are hurting me. I want the government to help me get back on my feet."

Ebola, which has killed almost 9,000 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, initially causes fever and vomiting, then attacks the immune system and vital organs, often causing internal and external bleeding.

About 60 percent of Ebola patients have died in the current outbreak, typically from shock or organ failure.

Some of those who have survived the disease report a mixture of symptoms after their

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews

The Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, has dismissed as baseless and borne out of ignorance, the the allegation recently raised by the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, that the lives of its members were being threatened by its members.

This was disclosed by the chairman of JOHESU, Federal Capital Territory Chapter, Maduka Maduabuchi, at a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.

The FCT JOHESU boss warned the NMA to desist from making what he described as grave

Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges, the covering of the brain and spinal cord. It is most often caused by infection (bacterial, viral, or fungal), but can also be produced by chemical irritation, subarachnoid haemorrhage, cancer and other conditions.

Several different bacteria can cause meningitis. Neisseria meningitidis is the one with the potential to cause large epidemics. There are 12 serogroups of N. meningitidisthat have been identified, 6 of which (A, B, C, W, X and Y) can cause epidemics. Geographic distribution and epidemic potential differ according to serogroup.

Transmission

The bacteria are transmitted from person-to-person through droplets of respiratory or throat secretions from carriers. Close and prolonged contact – such as kissing, sneezing or coughing on someone, or living in close quarters (such as a dormitory, sharing eating

Grenadine is a commonly used bar syrup, characterised by a flavour that is both tart and sweet, and a deep red colour. It is popular as an ingredient in cocktails, both for its flavour and to give a reddish/pink tint to mixed drinks.The name grenadine originated from the French word grenade which means p omegranate, with pomme meaning apple and granate derived from the Italian word for seeds. Grenadine was originally prepared from pomegranate juice, sugar and water.

As grenadine is subject to minimal regulation, its basic flavour profile can alternatively be obtained from a mixture of blackcurrant juice and other fruit juices with the blackcurrant

The skeletal image of the human hand

1.The five digits of the finger are referred to as:

Thumb
Index Finger
Middle Finger
Ring Finger and
Little finger or pinky

2. The fingers do not contain muscles (other than erector pili).

Good morning readers, its a lovely Thursday morning, the weekend is slowly creeping creeping in, and work is gradually loosening its grip on us. Make the best you can of the rest of the week... here's

Why is it so difficult for a woman to get a man to commit? Are men really that picky, that indecisive, that complex that we can’t be locked down? Hell no. The problem is that some women have become so accommodating and submissive to the guys they’re in lust with that they give them the girlfriend experience for free. It’s ironic, females hold all power and will turn down ten niggas in a row who aren’t their type, but when a guy is her type, she gives up her power and melts in his hand. It’s not difficult to get commitment if you show these men that you aren’t going to lay down, praise his dick, thirst for his love, and cry for his attention. In short, if you want a man to commit, you have to prove you’re not the same as other girls. It sounds simple, but most women can’t show guys they’re above average because they aren’t. There are women who toot their own horn about how better they are than the average chick. Come nightfall she’s sitting in her bed alone, desperate for a text to come through… just like the average chick. How dare you brag about “shitting on hoes” when you can’t even get the nigga you play house with to give up those hoes you claim to shit on? How can you be the “baddest bitch in here” if your phone is filled with goons and losers who duck your calls as soon as you ask for gas money? If you’re such a five star lotus flower Harajuku boss bitch, then where is your man? Not the dude you fuck, but your actual man?

Any woman can find a penis, few can find a man who actually cares. There are single women who made a choice to be single because they are focused on themselves, then there are the pretenders who say its a choice in order to explain why the legendary box she brags about can’t find anyone to claim it. Let’s keep it real, the majority of these women who

Is your Drinking Water Safe?

The safety and accessibility of drinking-water are major concerns throughout the world. Health risks may arise from consumption of water contaminated with infectious agents, toxic chemicals, and radiological hazards. Improving access to safe drinking-water can result in tangible improvements to health.
The quality of drinking-water is a powerful environmental determinant of health. Assurance

A plate of bitter leaf soup

Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) is a vegetable used for preparing the popular Bitter leaf soup. It is also known as Onugbu, by the igbos, Shiwaka by the Hausas and Ewuro by the Yorubas in Nigeria.

Although this plant has been around for hundreds of years, only a few people know of its medicinal and healing properties.

The ebola virus

By Tulip Mazumdar

Scientists tracking the Ebola outbreak in Guinea say the virus has mutated.

Researchers at the Institute Pasteur in France, which first identified the outbreak last March, are investigating whether it could have become more contagious.

More than 22,000 people have been infected with Ebola and 8,795 have died in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Scientists are starting to analyse hundreds of blood samples from Ebola patients in Guinea.

They are tracking how the virus is changing and trying to establish whether it's able to jump more easily from person to person

"We know the virus is changing quite a lot," said human geneticist Dr Anavaj Sakuntabhai.

"That's important for diagnosing (new cases) and for treatment. We need to know how the

Baby Taking Polio vaccine

Nigeria has been awarded $8.1 million in funding for a final push to eradicate polio, as it has gone six months without a case of the disease.

Rotary International, which is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to wipe out the virus, said the money would go towards vaccination, research and surveillance programmes.

Nigeria is one of three countries worldwide where polio is considered endemic. The two others are Pakistan and Afghanistan.

But there is concern about reinfections in war-torn countries such as Somalia and Syria

Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, which vary in severity and frequency from person to person. During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swells, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs.

The causes of asthma are not completely understood. However, risk factors for developing asthma include inhaling asthma “triggers”, such as allergens, tobacco smoke and chemical irritants. Asthma cannot be cured, but appropriate management can control the disorder and enable people to enjoy a good quality of life.

During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swell, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs. Recurrent asthma symptoms frequently cause sleeplessness, daytime fatigue, reduced activity levels and

By Solaade Ayo-Aderele

In general, the mouth houses the teeth and the gums. Whatever goes into your mouth – whether food or, heavens forbid, bacteria — affects your overall health. And that is why experts advise that you take great care of this gateway.

Experts say the best way to remain in health is to understand how your mouth works, and how to keep it in perfect shape.

A Professor of Dentistry at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Adeyemi Olusile, speaking at the scientific introduction of Pepsodent toothpaste by the Unilever Nigeria Plc, notes that the mouth, just like many areas of the body, teems with bacteria.

Olusile says though normally, the body’s natural defences and good oral health care, such as daily brushing and flossing, can keep these bacteria under control, without deliberate and proper oral hygiene, bacteria can reach levels that might lead to oral infections, such as tooth decay and gum disease.

Many people may not know what the saliva in our mouth is capable of achieving when it comes to oral health, but experts say saliva washes away food and neutralises the acids

Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and forest fires are common sources of air pollution. Pollutants of major public health concern include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Outdoor and indoor air pollution cause respiratory and other diseases, which can be fatal.

Around 3 billion people still cook and heat their homes using solid fuels (i.e. wood, crop wastes, charcoal, coal and dung) in open fires and leaky stoves. Most are poor, and live in low- and middle-income countries.

Such inefficient cooking fuels and technologies produce high levels of household air pollution with a range of health-damaging pollutants, including small soot particles that penetrate deep into the lungs. In poorly ventilated dwellings, indoor smoke can be 100

The Joint Sector Union, JOHESU has issued the Federal Government one week ultimatum to resolve all issues in their current nationwide strike or the union will be forced to drag health practitioners in the private sector into the ongoing strike action.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the President, Pharmaceutical Society Of Nigeria, PSN, Olumide Akintayo, on behalf of the Association Of Medical Laboratory Scientists Of Nigeria, AMLSN and Nigeria Society For Physiotherapists, NSP.

The group said it has resolved to invite their respective members in the private sector to join the on-going strike.

It said JOHESU, in the next few days, would carry out the threat if the Federal Government fails to

Olikoye - Short Story By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (A Must Read)

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

How softly the rain fell that Monday morning when my water broke. Because I was used to the raging downpours of Lagos, this quiet patter calmed me, filled me with peace. My husband Omoregie was at work and so our neighbor took me to the hospital, my dress slightly damp, my heart full of expectation. My firstborn child. The nurse on duty was Sister Chioma, a woman with an unsmiling face who liked to crack sharp-tongued jokes. During my last check up, when I complained about the backache brought on by my pregnancy, her retort was, "Did you think about backache when you were enjoying it?"
She checked my cervix and told me it was early. She encouraged me to walk up and down the ward.
"You must be happy that your first is a boy," she said.
I shrugged. "As long as the baby is healthy."
"I know you are supposed to wait until he is born to decide on a name but I'm sure you already have something in mind," she said.
"I will name him Olikoye."
"Oh." She paused. "I didn't know your husband was Yoruba."
"He's not. We're both Bini."
"But Olikoye is a Yoruba name."
"Yes it is."
"Why?" she asked.
My contractions were slow. I told Sister Chioma to sit down and I would tell her the story.

My father's first child was a girl. He said she was a loud squalling baby who grasped his finger with surprising strength, and he knew it meant she would be tough. But she died at the age of four months. The second, a boy, was not yet four months old before he died. Some people from my father's family said my mother was a witch, eating her children, trading their innocent hearts in exchange for her own long life. But, at that time, other babies in our village in Edo were dying too. They got sick with watery shit and weak eyes. Some people said the diarrhea was punishment from God. The Christians prayed in church. The Muslims prayed at the mosque. The old people performed sacrifices. Still, babies died, and their tiny still bodies were wrapped in cloth and buried, and it seemed senseless that they had even been born at all. It was 1985. My father was working as a driver at the Ministry of Health. He was in the general pool, a lowly position. One day, he picked up a visiting dignitary from the airport, dropped him at his hotel, and then discovered, lodged in the back seat of the car, a thick envelope of cash that had slid out of the man's bag. He returned it immediately. The man was so pleased – and surprised – that he told the new Minister of Health about it. Two days later, the new Minister asked for my father. "I want you to be my driver," The Minister said. "I value honesty."

NEWS; Ebola Vaccine

By Edwin G. Genoway, Jr & Ethel A. Tweh

The Partnership for research on Ebola vaccine in Liberia or PREVIAL for short, and the Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP) in collaboration with the Liberia United States Joint Research Partnership has launched a new Ebola vaccine trial at the Redemption Hospital in the Borough of New Kru Town, outskirt of Monrovia.

Speaking at the ceremony on Sunday February 01, 2015, the head of the Incident Management System of Liberia, Tolbert Nyenswah, said Ebola was declared in Liberia in March 2014 by Health Minister Dr. Walter Gwenigale.

He said the outbreak became worst in Liberia and during that period medical workers or patients could hold on about just anything in the name of Ebola medicine, because Liberians were really in need of solution.

Liberia Has No Health Minister !!!!!! Alarming !!!!

By Wade C. L. Williams

Monrovia — Liberia's longest serving Health Minister under the regime of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Dr. Walter Gwenigale is said to have exited the Ministry of Health and is no longer holding on, after being asked to do so by the President last year.

Dr. Gwenigale is said to have submitted his letter of resignation to President Sirleaf months ago, but the search for his replacement yielded no fruit as the appointed Minister, civil service Director George Werner was rejected by the Senate and health workers nationwide have also expressed some reservations because he does not have a background in medicine.

Dr. Gwenigale was told to hold on until a new Minister is found, so as not to create a void within the Ministry of Health, especially during the fight against Ebola. The Health Minister, who came under criticism over his handling of the Ebola Outbreak from the public, has told President Sirleaf that he can no longer hold on as head of the Ministry according to highly placed Ministry of health sources.

With Dr. Gwenigale's exit from the Ministry of health this month (February) and the Ministry still without a Minister, because the President has found no one to replace him, some say the consequences for Liberia's fragile health system without a head is massive.

"How can you have a Ministry without a head; especially in these critical times of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease?" Asked a staff at the Health Ministry who prefers not to be named. At the launch of the trial vaccines at the Redemption Hospital, Dr. Gwenigale was represented by a proxy, which is growing signs of his exit from the limelight as the lone voice of authority in the health sector.

FBN Insurance Limited and Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (Lagos Sector) at the weekend signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Lagos to provide group life assurance scheme and professional indemnity cover for their members.

The Assistant General Manager (Business Development), Supo Sogelola, who signed the document for the company, said starting today the agreement is to provide group life scheme and professional indemnity cover for their members and this involved the entire members of the society.

According to him, the group life cover provides for N1.5 million cover per medical practitioner and also a professional indemnity cover of N1 million per practitioner.

Updates; Health Workers Strike, The Story So Far......

By Paul Adunwoke

A VISIT by The Guardian to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, and Gbagada General Hospital Lagos, last week revealed that patients who came for treatment were stranded as nobody attended to them.

A relative of a patient in Gbagada General Hospital, Ahmed Lukman said the family had decided to move their sick brother to another hospital because he had not enjoy proper care because of the strike.

Another patient at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, Daudu Aina said his relations had concluded plans to take him to a traditional bonesetter in Agege area of Lagos, where they had been reassured of uninterrupted 'medical' service with cheap price.

Dr Akinwunmi Adesina

The outbreak of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, in Kano State and its spread to Lagos and nine other states call for pragmatic action to contain the disease. Ogun, Delta, Rivers, Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Imo, Oyo and Jigawa States have been named among states that have recorded cases of the contagious poultry disease.

Giving an update on the flu on Wednesday, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, told a meeting of commissioners of agriculture from the 36 states of the federation that the total number of birds exposed to the disease had risen to 232,385. Out of this figure, about 51,444 mortalities had been recorded, with Kano State accounting for the highest exposure rate, put at 136,905 with 17,987 of the chickens dead. Lagos State had 38,845 birds exposed to the avian flu with 4,732 mortalities. Adesina also disclosed that the Federal Government has announced a compensation package of N145.14 million to all the 39 farmers in the affected 11 states where the de-population of the birds had been carried out by the government.

A cataract is clouding of the lens of the eye, which impedes the passage of light. Most cataracts are related to ageing, although occasionally children may be born with the condition, or cataract may develop after an injury, inflammation or disease.

Breastfeeding is the normal way of providing young infants with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. Virtually all mothers can breastfeed, provided they have accurate information, and the support of their family, the health care system and society at large.

Colostrum, the yellowish, sticky breast milk produced at the end of pregnancy, is

Just before work puts a pile on your head, i think you could use a good laugh to calm your nerves. Works like magic...

A male teenager, Samuel Ogundeyi, suspected to be a stowaway, was on Sunday arrested in the tyre compartment of an aircraft at a private general aviation terminal, Execujet, within the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

Nigeria Tribune reports that the teenager was said to have been discovered at about 12 noon, when

In almost every country, the proportion of people aged over 60 years is growing faster than any other age group, as a result of both longer life expectancy and declining fertility rates.

This population ageing can be seen as a success story for public health policies and for socioeconomic development, but it also challenges society to adapt, in order to maximize the health and functional capacity of

Good morning good people of Nigeria!! Hope you're having a great start already? Here's to wishing you a beautiful work day. Cheers.

9 Tips For Building a Loving Relationship

Here are 9 easy tips to build a loving relationship:

1. Create a safe environment where you can trust and share openly without being afraid.

Don’t interrupt, even if you need to put your hand over your mouth to stop yourself. Learn to fight fairly. No name calling. Don’t make threats. Apologize when you know you should. If

On Thursday, Shakira and soccer pro Gerard Pique welcome Sasha Piqué Mebarak. Their son, also their second, was born at 9:54 p.m. in Barcelona and both mother and child are in good health according to a story posted to her official website.The couple's son's

Good morning! Here are 10 things you need to know this morning:

1. No fewer than 47 persons reportedly lost their lives in fresh attacks in both Benue and Taraba states. Report says while 27 were killed at Nwonko village in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba state, 20 were killed in Benue State. Both attacks were

You’ve been professionally measured and spent a fortune on new bras – but they still don’t fit. Now, experts believe they know the reason why.

Surprising as it may seem, the sizing system used by the lingerie industry dates back a hundred years – and is based on men’s measurements.

Sue McDonald, a bra fitting specialist who has researched the system’s origins, said bra

Here's a work-out routine by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer and Author of best-selling program, that could totally help you catch-up with fitness either in the office or at home.

Warning: this style of workout is way different than anything you’ve ever tried before and may result in a dramatically leaner, stronger body so that your friends no longer recognize you in a matter of weeks!

Alright, I exaggerated about your friends not recognizing you, but this workout is still great for busy people that always use the excuse that they don’t have time to go to the gym, or

An estimated 20,000 breast cancer cases are recorded in Nigeria annually. Only annual screening guarantees prevention of untimely death. Today, more Nigerian women are aware of their breast health and breast cancer; however, some damaging myths exist that misinform on the benefits of early detection and seeking prompt care. In commemoration of the World Cancer Day, Sebbeccly Cancer Care is dispelling common myths around the

Four Dies As Gas Explodes In Mexico Children Hospital

A gas tank truck blew up outside a children’s hospital in Mexico City on Thursday, killing at least four people and injuring dozens, including 22 children, as the building partly collapsed.

Rescuers with dogs searched the rubbles of the Maternity and Children’s Hospital in the Cuajimalpa borough for

Virgin Bloody Mary tomato drink,often referred to as simply Virgin Mary, or BloodyMary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice and combinations of other spices and flavourings including Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, pier piri sauce, beef consommé or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olives, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt. It has been called "the world's most complex cocktail".