Hope on the Deadly 'Ebola' virus: 'Ebola unlikely to trigger a world epidemic'

The scientist who helped discover the Ebola virus said the outbreak in West Africa was unlikely to trigger a major epidemic outside the region, adding he would happily sit next to an infected person on a train. But Professor Peter Piot told AFP that a "really bad" sense of panic and lack of trust in the authorities in west Africa had contributed to the world's largest-ever outbreak. The Belgian scientist, now based in Britain, urged officials to test experimental vaccines on people with the virus so that when it inevitably returns, the world is prepared. Since March, there have been 1 201 cases of Ebola and 672 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that the crisis is set to get worse and that there is no overarching strategy to handle the crisis. Piot co-discovered the Ebola virus as a 27-year-old researcher in 1976. He is now director of the prestigious London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and was previously executive director of the United Nations' HIV/AIDS programme UNAIDS. Even if someone carrying Ebola were to fly to Europe, the United States or another part of Africa, "I don't think that will give rise to a major epidemic", he told AFP in an interview on Wednesday. "Spreading in the population here, I'm not that worried about it", he said. "I wouldn't be worried to sit next to someone with Ebola virus on the Tube as long as they don't vomit on you or something. This is an infection that requires very close contact." 'I was scared' His insights are born of deep experience in the field, highlighted by his impressive CV and the mementos from around the world that dot his office in London. Piot helped identify Ebola when the laboratory where he was working in Antwerp was sent a blood sample from a Catholic nun who had died in what was then Zaire and is now DR Congo. From the blood, they isolated a new virus which was later confirmed to be Ebola. He later went to Yambuku, a village in Zaire's Equateur province, where an epidemic had taken hold. "People were devastated because in some villages, one in 10, one in eight people could die from Ebola", he said. "I was scared but I was 27 so you think you are invincible." Researchers noticed most of the infections were among women aged between 20 and 30 and clustered around a clinic where they went for pre-natal consultations. It turned out that the virus was being transmitted through a handful of needles which were being reused to give injections to pregnant women. There were also a string of outbreaks linked to funerals. "Like in any culture, someone who dies is washed, the body is laid out but you do this with bare hands, without gloves. Someone who died from Ebola, that person is covered with virus because of vomitus, diarrhoea, blood", he said. "That's how then you get new outbreaks and the same thing is happening now in west Africa." 'Fear a driving force' He said recent history in Liberia and Sierra Leone was complicating efforts to tackle the deadly virus, which kills as many as nine-tenths of the people it infects. "Let's not forget that these countries are coming out of decades of civil war", he said. "Liberia and Sierra Leone are now trying to reconstruct themselves so there is a total lack of trust in authorities, and that combined with poverty and very poor health services I think is the explanation why we have this extensive outbreak now." Staff are also often poorly equipped with no protective gear or gloves, he added. While there are a couple of experimental Ebola vaccines and treatments which have shown promising results in animals, these need to be tested on people, he added. "I think that the time is now, at least in capitals, to offer this kind of treatment for compassionate use but also to find out if it works so that for the next epidemic, we are ready", he said. "It is quite clear that new viruses will emerge all the time and Ebola will come again, hopefully not to this extent."

We did not receive N100m from Presidency - Chibok community says

Speaking with journalists today at the daily sit out of the Abuja #bringbackourgirls campaign, a leader of the Kibaku Area Development Association of the Chibok community, Dauda Iliya said contrary to media reports, they didn't receive N100m from the presidency. He said only N200,000 was handed to some of the parents. "On July 22nd at aboutmidnight, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special duties who has been coordinating the visit from the side of the presidency visited the hotel and told the 51 escaped girls who came that the Presidency sent them a token of a N100, 000 each and accordingly gave them the said money without even a prior knowledge or discussion of any other person in the community that was around the vicinity of the hotel. The Senior special assistant equally gave the sum of N200,000 each to 61 parents out of the 122 that came on the visit. 61 parents were given N100,000 each on the basis that the money given to them was not enough to go round at the agreed amount of N200,000 each. The remaining parents were not given any money at all" he said

Oh! Not Again! 10 year old girl found wearing explosive device apparatus in Katsina

A 10 year old girl strapped with an explosive belt was yesterday July 29th discovered by security forces in company of two other people, a man and an 18 year old girl, while traveling along a road in Katsina state. The DG of the National Information Center, Mr Mike Omeri said this while briefing news men at the National Information Center; "Security forces on Tuesday, July 29, at about10pmalong Zaria Road, Tudun Wada of Funtua Metropolis, arrested three suspects believed to be members of the Boko Haram sect. The three suspects consisted a male named Iliya Haliru, and two females – Zainab Musa, 18, and Hadiza Musa, 10. The three suspects were arrested in a Honda CRV. When they were directed to disembark for security check, 10-year-old Hadiza was discovered to have been strapped with an explosive belt. And immediately, Iliya and Zainab made attempt to escape with the car but were later blocked by other concerned Nigerians and subsequently arrested. The police successfully unstrapped the explosive.”He appealed to parents to monitor their wards so they do not get initiated into such evil acts. Hmmm. May God heal our land. Can I get an 'amen'?

Funny but Truely Sad: Penis Amputated instead of Circumcision

Now, this is quite funny but disasterous o. Eheheh. I'm sorry but I can't help laughing. Here is the story... An Alabama man who went in to a hospital last month for a circumcision awoke after surgery to find his penis had been amputated, his lawyer said on Thursday. Johnny Lee Banks Jr., 56, said in a lawsuit filed in state court earlier this week that no one at the Princeton Baptist Medical Centre in Birmingham, Alabama, had told him why it had been necessary to remove his penis. "My client is devastated," said Banks' attorney John Graves. Banks, who is married and does not work due to a disability, did not recall the precise date of the incident but believed it occurred in June, his attorney said. A spokeswoman for the hospital's parent company said in a statement that Banks' allegations were without merit. "We intend to defend all counts aggressively," Kate DeWitt Darden, spokeswoman for Baptist Health System, said in a statement. The lawsuit does not specify a monetary value of the damages. Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the hospital, the Simon-Williamson Clinic, Urology Centres of Alabama and two doctors, Graves said. Representatives for the Simon-Williamson Clinic and the Urology Centers of Alabama did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Family Die After Inhaling Fumes from Generator

A family of four has perished in an apartment at Igere area of Ogun State after reportedly inhaling toxic fumes from a generating set. According to a police report obtained by this publication, the police in the state received a report that a family a father (30), mother (25) and their two sons aged seven and ten were discovered dead in their apartment at OPIC Estate, Extension, Igere. “Police detectives moved to the scene, no sign of violence on corpses. Deaths suspected to have been caused by fumes from the generator kept in an enclosed corridor of their apartment,” police reported. The report added that the corpses had been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy while the Criminal Investigation Department continued investigations. The police subsequently advised the general public to desist from placing their generating set close to the room. “Please never place your generator no matter how small in your room/house, close to your windows. Generators in use must be placed in an open space and in such a way that the smoke will not fill your room.”

Many feared killed as female suicide bomber attacks college in Kano

Another female suicide bomber blew herself up at Aminu Kano College of Islamic Studies this afternoon July 30th around 2.45 as students were checking their results in the school. Kano State Police Command confirmed the blast but didn't state the number of casualties.

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) condemns Zaria killings, condoles Islamic cleric.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has expressed sadness over the clashes in Zaria, Kaduna State, which claimed some lives, including the son of a renowned Islamic scholar, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky. The President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, said in a statement on Monday in Abuja that the association was particularly saddened by the aftermath of the incident. Oritsejafor urged the people of area to remain law-abiding and allow the relevant authorities to take charge of the situation. He also urged them to exercise restraint and live peacefully with one another. “I particularly commiserate with the scholar over the loss of his son, and appeal to him to take solace in God who knows all things.” “The demise of the scholar's son is most unfortunate and regrettable particularly at a time when the energy and wise counsel of all in the society is needed to tame insecurity,” Oritsejafor said. He also appealed to Nigerians to live peacefully with one another, irrespective of their religious, ethnic and political differences. The CAN president reiterated his earlier call for Nigerians to give useful information to security agents as they try their best to tackle insurgency. Oritsejafor also condemned Sunday’s bomb blast that killed worshippers in a Catholic Church in Kano, and described the attack as barbaric and inhuman. He commiserated with families of the deceased, and called on Nigerians to be security- conscious and cooperate with security agencies in their efforts to curtail the situation.

Political Ambition, Unemployment Blamed for Terror in Nigeria.

Nigerians consider that political interest and unemployment as the major cause of terrorism in the country. This is according to a special edition of security snap poll results released by NOIPolls, the leading country-specific polling services firm in the West African region. According to a statement release by NOIPolls in Abuja, 26 percent of their respondents consider political interest as the major cause of terrorism in the country while 21 percent perceived unemployment as major cause of terrorism in Nigeria. The poll result shows that only 10 percent believe bad government and leadership are the major cause of terrorism in Nigeria and 8 percent believe it is poverty. The statement added that 99 percent of the respondents are aware of the recent activities of terrorist groups and 98 percent of the respondents are aware of the abduction of more than 200 school girls from Chibokin Borno State. It said 46 percent of the respondents are of the opinion that government and security agencies are not doing enough to rescue the abducted girls while 54 percent believe the agencies are doing their best. The poll result also revealed that 66 percent of the respondents believe that the abduction of the girls could potentially hinder girl-child education especially in the North-East region. Terror, largely blamed on the Boko Haram sect, has characterized the country in recent years. This year, more than 2 500 people have been killed.

'Female Oppression Crippling Parts of Africa' says President Barrack Obama.

President Barack Obama spoke out on Monday against gender oppression in Africa that he said is "crippling" parts of the continent, urging young leaders there to empower women and eliminate traditions like female genital mutilation and violence against women. Obama held up an inaugural class of young African fellows who are getting six weeks of leadership training in the United States as inspiring examples of what the continent can achieve. He drew cheers as he announced their program is being expanded and renamed after former South African President Nelson Mandela. Obama said the world's security and prosperity depends on "a strong, prosperous and self-reliant Africa" and he repeatedly spoke out on the important role that women must play in Africa's future. "One of the things we've got to teach Africa is how strong the women are and to empower women," Obama said. Obama said female empowerment will be a topic of discussion at the inaugural US-Africa Leaders Summit, being held in August in Washington. About 50 African leaders are expected to attend what the White House says will be the largest gathering any US president has held with African heads of state and government. "The most successful countries are the ones who treat their women well," Obama said. "If you are not empowering your women you are crippling your country." 'Barbaric' tradition Obama told the young Africans participating in the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, now the Mandela Washington Fellowship, that they shouldn't hold on to old traditions like removing some or all of a girl's genitals, which practitioners often link to Islamic requirements. The World Health Organization says more than 125 million girls and women alive today have been cut in 29 African and Middle Eastern countries, with complications including cysts, infection and infertility as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. "I'm sorry, I don't consider that a tradition worth hanging on to," Obama said. "I think that's a tradition that's barbaric and should be eliminated." Obama announced the fellowship during a stop in South Africa last summer to connect young African leaders to leadership training opportunities at top US universities. Reflection of Mandela He said four regional leadership centres will be created in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa for more training programs on the continent. He also said the program will include more online tools like mentoring and courses and more public-private partnerships to support young entrepreneurs that want to start businesses or non-profits. He also said a Global Entrepreneurship Summit, held in Morocco this year, will be held in sub-Saharan Africa next year. Fellows Obama singled out in his comments included a Nigerian woman who distributes sterile kits for delivering babies after a friend died in childbirth, and a woman from Senegal who started an academy to fight trafficking of young girls Obama said the spirit of the group reflects the optimism and idealism of Mandela, who died last December at age 95.