Health

Cat owners in Kenya’s capital Nairobi have been cautioned by pathologists at Lancet Laboratories to be vigilant after a cat was diagnosed with a virus similar to HIV.

Blood tests conducted by the pathologists indicated that the cat had Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), which according to Citizen Digital caused degradation of the immune system.

The cat was said to have exhibited gradual weight loss and lethargy when its owner took it to the vet.

According to Kenyans.co.ke, Dr Dhaval Shah, who examined the pet, said, however, that the virus could not be transmitted to humans.

“The virus spreads between cats through bites during fights, hence cat owners should be vigilant against aggressive or free-roaming cats,” he was quoted as saying.

Health sources say prolonged infection could lead to poor coat condition and persistent fever, inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) and mouth (stomatitis).

Other complications included chronic or recurrent infections of the skin, urinary bladder, and upper respiratory tract are often present, persistent diarrhoea, various kinds of cancer and blood diseases, abortion of kittens and other reproductive failures.

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Rita Akana

03.Jun.2016

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GENEVA, SWITZERLAND—

The World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Africa says West Africa is better prepared to tackle future outbreaks of Ebola. In an exclusive interview with VOA, Matshidiso Moeti says Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are now able to respond more quickly to emergencies because of upgrades to their surveillance, laboratory and health care systems.

Moeti became head of WHO’s regional office for Africa in February 2015, at the height of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. As the World Health Organization’s chief troubleshooter in the region, she told VOA she knew she had to do whatever was necessary to stop the spread of this fatal disease.

Ebola had killed more than 11,000 people in the three most heavily affected West African countries by the time WHO declared the transmission of the Ebola virus virtually over at the end of last year.

Warning of flare-ups

Although it acknowledged that the epidemic was no longer out of control, the WHO warned the countries to remain vigilant as flare-ups of the disease were likely to continue for some time.

”We have had a very prolonged last leg of getting to zero in this outbreak and we are not there yet,” said Moeti. But, she added Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea have greatly improved their ability to respond to Ebola and have proved this in their skillful management of the occasional flare-ups of the disease.

“They have been able when they get an unexpected case in these last few months to be able to respond and detect it relatively early, follow-up the contacts and contain the spread. So, for me that is one of the best outcomes of this tragic situation in West Africa,” said Moeti.

But, she cautioned that all the improvements made in infrastructure, in response systems, and in skills training must be sustained. This, she said required the continued support of the International community. 

Moeti stressed that the funding and expertise that had poured into West Africa during the Ebola epidemic must hold. “I am very hopeful that some of the commitments that were made by the donors during the time when these countries were talking about their recovery actually do materialize,” she said.

She called this essential “to ensuring that the healthcare workers, the infrastructure, the laboratories, the commodities that are needed to be available on an ongoing basis are sustained.”

Heath emergency reforms

The World Health Assembly, which has just wrapped up its annual meeting, has approved reforms of the emergency health system.

Moeti praised the underlying agreement by member States to provide the money needed to implement this system. She said WHO will be in a better position now to head-off crises before they become full blown. This, she said would prove to be a boon to African countries.

This year’s World Health Assembly had a particularly packed agenda of 76 health issues to consider. The 3,500 delegates who attended the week-long meeting approved 10 new resolutions including the program on health emergencies.

In her closing statement to the Assembly, WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan said the members’ support of this program “sends a powerful political signal” that they wanted WHO to remain “the single agency with universal legitimacy in matters of international health, to lead and coordinate the response to emergencies.”

She also welcomed a resolution on the Sustainable Development Goals that “agreed to prioritize universal health coverage. Of all targets under the new agenda, this is the one that most decisively leaves no one behind. It is inclusive, feasible and measurable.”

Other resolutions adopted by the Assembly include tobacco control; road traffic deaths and injuries; nutrition; HIV, hepatitis, STIs (sexually transmitted infections); access to medicines and integrated health services.

Who will head WHO?

Margaret Chan steps down as WHO chief next year. The race is on to find a new candidate for this position. Among those eager for the job is Ethiopia’s foreign minister and previous health minister, Tedros Adhanom. He is Africa’s first and only candidate for this position.

Matshidiso Moeti called him a “credible candidate,” who has a proven track record in reforming his country’s health system. “I think that he is uniquely placed to understand the needs of the poorest countries,” she said.

Moeti told VOA that she did not believe that previous leaders of the World Health Organization have short-changed Africa. She said they all recognized that Africa was the region with “the highest disease burden, with the largest number of Least Developed Countries, with the weakest health systems in the world.”

She noted that Margaret Chan was very explicit in prioritizing Africa as part of her agenda.

”Of course, I agree that an African person, who has grown up in the system has a unique understanding of the situation, the context, the culture in the region and the types of responses that might or might not work,” she said. “I think that is an added plus without at all thinking that the others have underplayed the needs of the region.”

VOA

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Rita Akana

30.May.2016

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A group of Nigerian scientists have come up with a new simple method for diagnosing malaria. This marks the first time urine, not blood, is used to test for malaria. Sam Olukoya reports from Lagos.

It's a typical scene for a pediatric clinic in Lagos. Children crying in pain after health workers pierced their thumbs with medical needles to extract blood samples for malaria tests. But a new malaria test could soon put an end to the pain and tears of these children.

With a urine test kit, one can diagnose malaria by merely putting a strip in a small container of urine. A line shows on the strip if one has the malaria parasite.

Unlike the old method which requires health personnel to carry out malaria tests, people can now test themselves for the disease at home. "This is a major milestone," said Eddy Agbo, founder of Fyodor, the biotechnology firm that developed the urine test kit.

"It is a one step [process]. You just dip [a thread] in the sample, leave it there for 25 minutes and read the result. It is very similar to a pregnancy test that uses urine," added.

Self-diagnosis versus medical diagnosis

The innovation gained international and local recognition after winning the inaugural 2015 Health Innovation Challenge awards in Nigeria. It was also nominated for the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) award in collaboration with the Government of Botswana.

Each year, millions die of malaria in sub-Sahara Africa because of the inability to quickly diagnose and commence treatment. Many in Nigeria are reluctant to go to hospital and be tested for malaria.

"When you have malaria you just go on self-medication because most times you may not have what it takes to go for a lab test before treating yourself for malaria," Vivian Adebola told DW.

"When you go to health centers, you have to wait from morning until afternoon because they have so many people on the queue for that test. So the alternative is to go for self-medication," she added.

Adebola assumes that most fevers are caused by malaria. Medical practitioners hope that now that urine test can be done at home, it will encourage people to test and confirm it is malaria before taking drugs for the ailment.

Targeting African and Asian markets

But the Nigerian Healthcare Providers Association (NHPA) said self-medication has a potential to lead to the abuse of malaria drugs. "Without a positive test for malaria, you don't treat for malaria," said Dr. Umar Oluwole Sanda, president of NHPA.

"This is what happened to Chloroquine. Chroroquine was over abused, it became resistant we could not use it again. But with the introduction of this new product using urine to test for malaria parasite, it will go a long way to help many practitioners," Sanda added.

In collaboration with Nigeria's ministry of health, the new method has been introduced into the local market and there are plans to sell it across Africa and Asia. Both continents account for many of the 425 million malaria cases worldwide and the more than 400,000 deaths resulting from the ailment annually.

DW

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Rita Akana

20.May.2016

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Taking paracetamol makes us less empathetic towards others, according to a study carried out at Ohio State University. The results were published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

During trials involving 80 college students, it was discovered that when participants who had taken paracetamol learned about the misfortunes of others, they thought these individuals experienced less pain and suffering, compared with those who had taken a placebo.

In the experiment, participants received four two-second blasts of white noise ranging from 75 to 105 decibels. They then rated the noise blasts on a scale of one (not unpleasant) to ten (extremely unpleasant). 

They were asked to imagine how much pain the same noise blasts would cause in other study participants. The results showed that, compared to those who took the placebo, those on paracetamol rated the noise blasts as less unpleasant for themselves — and also for others.

‘Acetaminophen [the US brand name for paracetamol] reduced the pain they felt, but it also reduced their empathy for others who were experiencing the same noise blasts,’ the study’s co-author, Dominik Mischkowski, said.

A previous study by the same academics found that paracetamol also blunts positive emotions like joy. They say that, taken together, the research suggests that we need to learn more about one of the most common over-the-counter painkillers.

Baldwin Way, the study’s lead author, said: ‘We don’t know why acetaminophen is having these effects, but it is concerning.

‘Empathy is important. If you are having an argument with your spouse and you just took acetaminophen, this research suggests you might be less understanding of what you did to hurt your spouse’s feelings.’

Health News

 

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Elangwe Pauline

13.May.2016

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Australian scientists have made a discovery that could lead to a simple and quick “breath test” for malaria. Researchers in the United States are developing a breath test for malaria, an innovation that could offer a cost effective alternative to blood tests. The breathalyzer test, still in its developmental phase, would be less expensive than current diagnostic tools such as a Malaria Rapid Diagnosis Test and wouldn't require blood samples or trained personnel to use it.

The CSIRO announced on Wednesday that a one million U.S dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will fast-track the testing, which will take place in a variety of climates and conditions around the world.

Over the next 18 months, a research team from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) will undertake the field tests in a number of malaria-affected regions, including Malawi and Sudan in Africa, as well as in Bangladesh and the Malaysian province of Sabah. 

Wednesday's news follows the discovery last year that distinctive chemicals can be detected in the breath of malaria-infected patients, making it quicker and easier to diagnose the disease.

On Wednesday, research group leader Dr Stephen Trowell said the funding generously given to the CSIRO by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation could eventually result in an 'over the counter' malaria test, which would allow for cheaper diagnoses and, in turn, cheaper treatments.

 

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Elangwe Pauline

11.May.2016

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Elangwe Pauline

10.May.2016

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