10 FACTS ABOUT DIABETES

1) About 347 million people worldwide have diabetes

There is an emerging global epidemic of diabetes that can be traced back to rapid increases in overweight, including obesity and physical inactivity.

2)Diabetes is predicted to become the 7th leading cause of death in the world by the year 2030

Total deaths from diabetes are projected to rise by more than 50% in the next 10 years.

3)There are two major forms of diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is characterized by a lack of insulin production and type 2 diabetes results from the body's ineffective 

use of insulin.

4)A third type of diabetes is gestational diabetes

This type is characterized by hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, with values above normal but below those diagnostic of diabetes, occurring during pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and at delivery. They are also at increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the future.

5)Type 2 diabetes is much more common than type 1 diabetes

Type 2 accounts for around 90% of all diabetes worldwide. Reports of type 2 diabetes in children – previously rare – have increased worldwide. In some countries, it accounts for almost half of newly diagnosed cases in children and adolescents.

6)Cardiovascular disease is responsible for between 50% and 80% of deaths in people with diabetes

Diabetes has become one of the major causes of premature illness and death in most countries, mainly through the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

7)In 2012 diabetes was the direct cause of 1.5 million deaths

8)80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries

In developed countries most people with diabetes are above the age of retirement, whereas in developing countries those most frequently affected are aged between 35 and 64.

9)Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, amputation and kidney failure

Lack of awareness about diabetes, combined with insufficient access to health services and essential medicines, can lead to complications such as blindness, amputation and kidney failure.

10)Type 2 diabetes can be prevented

Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days and a healthy diet can drastically reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented.

Source;WHO

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Panic in Ogun state as first Lassa fever victim dies

The Ogun State Commissioner of Health, Babatunde Ipaye, disclosed this at a press conference in Abeokuta. He said the government did its best to save the victim, who died on Sunday, and has contacted the deceased family for approval to bury the victim based on WHO protocol.

Mr. Ipaye said the 28-year-old victim was admitted into the isolation unit of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, which was specifically equipped, staffed and funded by the state government to manage confirmed cases of Lassa fever.

“The patient received a nine-day course of Ribavirin, potent antibiotics, appropriate blood transfusions and necessary psychosocial support.

“We were only waiting to celebrate the completion of medication today and take a blood sample to confirm cure when unexpected complication set in yesterday, Saturday the 13th February, 2016,” she said.

Mr. Ipaye advised Ogun residents not to panic because of the death. He said none of the 121 primary contacts with the deceased have shown any signs of the deadly fever.

“The first 10 days of active surveillance on these contacts have been free of any suspected case and we hope to keep daily communication and visits with these contact in the next 11 days to make up the longest incubation period of 21 days,” he said.

The commissioner said the second person diagnosed with lassa fever in the state was still under care. He said the 12 weeks pregnant victim had recovered from initial fatigue, body weakness and depression.

“Like the first case, she also travelled into Abeokuta from Kogi State. As a responsible government we have taken full responsibility for her care and she has been on medication with ribavirin for three days now.

“We have been in contact with her family members and presently have mounted active surveillance on the 60 primary contacts of this patient,” he said.

The commissioner implored care providers to alert the Department of Public Health of the State Ministry of Health or the Local Government Area Health Departments closest to them of any suspected case.

Source ; Premium Times

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The man that loved me is not the same man that I Iive with now

The next patient that entered the consulting room was a light skinned, tall woman, well dressed but didn't look happy. She just managed to give me a smile as she sat down .
I had the following conversations with 3 patients;

PATIENT 1

Doctor ; Good day ma, how are you?
Patient 1; Am not fine doc
Doctor ; What happened?
Patient 1: Doctor what can be done about my face my husband hit my head on the wall after our discussion resulted into a fight.I want everything written in that folder. I will surely take up the matter. My whole body aches. I can't even lift this hand. He was just punching me like a sack of rice.
Doctor ; Sorry ma, I will prescribe some analgesics for you.
Patient; I am light skinned and I will need some thing to take away the black eye.

PATIENT  2

Nurse ; Doctor there is an emergency. A patient is bleeding from a laceration on the face.
Doctor ; Madame what happened?
Patient; Is it not my husband, he hit my head against the wall  in the bathroom.
Doctor; Where is he?
Patient; He didnt come,it was my neighbour that brought me here.
Doctor; Ok, just be calm while I suture the cut, is quite deep.
Patient;I feel much better now. The pain was so much . That man is very heartless. My daughter ran to him and told him that mum was bleeding from the face and lying on the floor. He never came to help me.
Doctor ; Really sorry for what happened. Take your drugs as prescribed. You will be fine.

PATIENT 3

Patient; Please I need help.
Doctor; What happened ma?
Patient ; My husband beat me. Look at my mouth is swollen , my back aches.
Doctor; What happened? Lie down on the couch so that I can examine you. I will give you some analgesics.
Patient; It all started during the last Christmas season.We were ...............

And the story goes on and on. All the above patients suffered from violence against women. I had to counsel all 3 patients and also show empathy. Surprisingly , all 3 women were well educated and I just couldn't figure out were they went wrong.

According to WHO;

• Violence against women - particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence - are major public health problems and violations of women's human rights.
• Recent global prevalence figures indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
• Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner.
• Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
• Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health, and may increase vulnerability to HIV.

• Factors associated with increased risk of perpetration of violence include low education, child maltreatment or exposure to violence in the family, harmful use of alcohol, attitudes accepting of violence and gender inequality.
• Factors associated with increased risk of experiencing intimate partner and sexual violence include low education, exposure to violence between parents, abuse during childhood, attitudes accepting violence and gender inequality.
• There is evidence from high-income settings that school-based programmes may be effective in preventing relationship violence (or dating violence) among young people.
• In low-income settings, primary prevention strategies, such as microfinance combined with gender equality training and community-based initiatives that address gender inequality and relationship skills, hold promise.
• Situations of conflict, post conflict and displacement may exacerbate existing violence, such as by intimate partners, and present additional forms of violence against women.

The United Nations defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."

Factors specifically associated with intimate partner violence include:

• past history of violence;
• marital discord and dissatisfaction;
• difficulties in communicating between partners.

All these have health consequences like; Homicide or suicide, injuries, unintended pregnancies, depression, post traumatic stress disorder,emotional stress , negative impact on the children etc

Legislations that protect women , empowers women and promotes gender equality should be put in place.
If there is a crack or friction in your marriage always seek a marriage counsellor early before it deteriorates.

Remember that problem shared is problem half solved. Please do share your experiences with us.
Thanks for visiting.  

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Northern States Sign Agreement With Bill Gates, Dangote On Immunisation

Some northern state governments in Nigeria have signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bill Gates and Dangote Foundations, to strengthen routine immunisation in the region.

The partnership is aimed at eradicating polio cases and other child killer diseases in Northern Nigeria and other States.

Speaking during the signing of the agreement in Kaduna on Wednesday, Mr Bill Gates said his foundation was determined to eradicate polio and other related diseases in Nigeria, Africa and globally through partnership with various states and countries.

He commended the various state governments for allocating a substantial sum of their annual budget to the health sector.

On his part, President of Dangote Foundation, Mr Aliko Dangote, commended the state governments for their efforts in routine immunisation coverage and assured them of his foundation’s continuous support to the various state governments in Nigeria in the fight against child killer diseases as well as boosting the health sector.

He also announced the extension of additional one year partnership on routine immunisation with Kano State.The agreement was signed with the governments of Kaduna, Borno, Sokoto and Bauchi States.

Technical And Financial Assistance

State governors, the Minister of Health, traditional rulers, diplomats, representatives of development partners and other relevant stakeholders in the health sector witnessed the signing of the agreement.

Under the agreement, the two foundations will offer both technical and financial assistance in support of the exercise in the respective states.

In his presentation, the Secretary of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Ado Mohammed, explained to the gathering what the Federal Government was doing to sustain routine immunisation.

He said Nigeria had successfully reduced childhood mortality, as at 2015, a feat he attributed to the use of vaccines.

Some development partners at the ceremony also lauded the agreement.

UNICEF Country Representative, Jean Gough, said the MoU would offer the model platform to capitalise on the prospects of evidence-based approaches towards sustainable routine immunisation.

The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima and the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Bala Bantex, unanimously agreed that the routine immunisation in their respective states had started yielding results, as the region in the past 13 months recorded no case of polio.

The public/private partnership, also seeks to improve routine immunisation and primary health care in the north with a goal of reaching 80 per cent coverage with basic vaccines by 2020.

For proper sustenance of the MoU, stakeholders expect that the state governments involved in the partnership will meet up with their own responsibilities and ensure transparent implementation of the programme.

Over two million deaths are delayed through immunisation each year globally.

Despite this fact, vaccine-preventable diseases remain the most common cause of child mortality in Nigeria, with an estimated three million deaths each year.

In Nigeria, immunisation against childhood diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio and measles remains a difficult task in the health sector.

In spite of the challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO), in September last 2015, removed Nigeria from the list of polio endemic nations in the world.

This is the first time that Nigeria has interrupted transmission of wild poliovirus, bringing the country and the African region closer than ever to being certified polio-free.

Source Channels tv

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New Ebola case in Sierra Leone; WHO continues to stress risk of more flare-ups

A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in Sierra Leone, reflecting the ongoing risk of new flare-ups of the virus in affected countries.

The Sierra Leone government acted rapidly to respond to this new case. Through the country’s new emergency operations centre, a joint team of local authorities, WHO and partners are investigating the origin of the case, identifying contacts and initiating control measures to prevent further transmission.

WHO stressed in a statement yesterday (14 January), that Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone remain at high risk of additional small outbreaks of Ebola in the coming months due to the virus persisting in survivors after recovery.

"We are now at a critical period in the Ebola epidemic as we move from managing cases and patients to managing the residual risk of new infections,” said Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO’s Special Representative for the Ebola Response, yesterday. “We still anticipate more flare-ups and must be prepared for them.”

Sierra Leone is still in a 90-day period of enhanced surveillance following the declaration on 7 November 2015 of the end of Ebola transmission in the country. This period is designed to ensure no hidden chains of transmission have been missed and to detect any new flare-ups of the disease.

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Latest Ebola outbreak over in Liberia; West Africa is at zero, but new flare-ups are likely to occur

WHO declares the end of the most recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia and says all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa. But the Organization says the job is not over, more flare-ups are expected and that strong surveillance and response systems will be critical in the months to come.

Liberia was first declared free of Ebola transmission in May 2015, but the virus was re-introduced twice since then, with the latest flare-up in November. Today’s announcement comes 42 days (two 21-day incubation cycles of the virus) after the last confirmed patient in Liberia tested negative for the disease 2 times.

All 3 countries at zero

“WHO commends Liberia’s government and people on their effective response to this recent re-emergence of Ebola,” says Dr Alex Gasasira, WHO Representative in Liberia. “The rapid cessation of the flare-up is a concrete demonstration of the government’s strengthened capacity to manage disease outbreaks. WHO will continue to support Liberia in its effort to prevent, detect and respond to suspected cases.”

This date marks the first time since the start of the epidemic 2 years ago that all 3 of the hardest-hit countries—Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone—have reported 0 cases for at least 42 days. Sierra Leone was declared free of Ebola transmission on 7 November 2015 and Guinea on 29 December.

“Detecting and breaking every chain of transmission has been a monumental achievement,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “So much was needed and so much was accomplished by national authorities, heroic health workers, civil society, local and international organizations and generous partners. But our work is not done and vigilance is necessary to prevent new outbreaks.”

Vigilence needs to be maintained

WHO cautions that the 3 countries remain at high risk of additional small outbreaks of Ebola, like the most recent one in Liberia. To date, 10 such flare-ups have been identified that were not part of the original outbreak, and are likely the result of the virus persisting in survivors even after recovery. Evidence shows that the virus disappears relatively quickly from survivors, but can remain in the semen of a small number of male survivors for as long as 1 year, and in rare instances, be transmitted to intimate partners.

“We are now at a critical period in the Ebola epidemic as we move from managing cases and patients to managing the residual risk of new infections,” says Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO’s Special Representative for the Ebola Response. “The risk of re-introduction of infection is diminishing as the virus gradually clears from the survivor population, but we still anticipate more flare-ups and must be prepared for them. A massive effort is underway to ensure robust prevention, surveillance and response capacity across all three countries by the end of March.”

WHO and partners are working with the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to help ensure that survivors have access to medical and psychosocial care and screening for persistent virus, as well as counselling and education to help them reintegrate into family and community life, reduce stigma and minimize the risk of Ebola virus transmission.

The Ebola epidemic claimed the lives of more than 11 300 people and infected over 28 500. The disease wrought devastation to families, communities and the health and economic systems of all 3 countries.

WHO

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