Outbreak Of Meningitis Kills 282 Nigerians Within Weeks

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has confirmed the outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis in five states with 282 deaths.
The Chief Executive Officer of the centre, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, yesterday
 in Abuja said that 1,966 suspected cases have been recorded while 109 have been confirmed since the outbreak of the disease in February in the country.
He said that the centre had deployed a response team to the affected states to vaccinate the residents and control further spread of CSM.
According to him, Zamfara has the highest number of confirmed cases of 44, followed by Katsina with 32, Sokoto 19, Kebbi 10 and Niger 4 confirmed cases.
He also said that there is an inter-agency response supporting the states to contain the outbreak through the primary mode of vaccination.
However, Ihekweazu explained that a new strand of meningitis called “stereotype C” has emerged in place of the previous known type “stereotype A”, which has disappeared.
He regretted that there was not yet a commercially available vaccine for this new stereotype “C” meningitis.
“There is a vaccine available but it is not commercially available for the stereotype involved in this specific outbreak and we have to make application to the World Health Organisation for the vaccines.
“Thankfully the vaccines have arrived and we have started vaccination campaign in Zamfara. We are in the process of starting in Sokoto and Kebbi states.
“We continue to advocate for scientists and for the global community to really try and push to develop a vaccine for meningitis `C’, on the other hand, all we can do is prevention,” he said.
Ihekweazu said that prevention and early detection was key to combating the disease, if detected early, it could be treated easily.
He said that the centre was working with the states by supporting and ensuring they have the supplies to combat the disease.
“Meningitis is a tough disease especially during this period and it is associated with over-crowding, understanding the living conditions in the country, people must keep their building ventilated,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to avoid sleeping in overcrowded condition and if a lot of people must sleep together in the same room, the windows and doors must be open to allow enough ventilation.
The chief executive officer assured that the centre would work with state governments in the North West and North Central, where most cases were recorded, to ensure better preparation and avert similar outbreak next year.

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Deaths By Heat Waves To Rise - Experts Warn

A new study has reported that deaths related to extreme heat are expected to keep rising, even if most nations are able to contain global warming at agreed-upon levels. The new study was published March 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This has made experts in the country to warn that Nigerians should prepare for more deadly heat from climate change, which could lead to rise in cases of illness and death. Already, meningitis which is heat-related has killed 211 persons and affected 1,407 others within three months.
The researchers warned that by 2050, more than 350 million people living in ‘megacities’ would be hit with deadly heat waves every year – regardless if nations reach climate change targets.

The new study has found that even if countries limit global warming to below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2C), which is required by the Paris Agreement, 44 of the most populated cities in the world will still experience the lethal events.The analysis showed that not only has the number of megacities experiencing heat waves doubled,it has occurred with only 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5C) of warming. Lead researcher and an applied climatologist at Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom, Tom Matthews, said: “As the climate warms, the number and intensity of heat waves increases. Research has shown this to be the case for the global warming experienced to date, and our research is the latest to show that we can expect even larger increases as the climate continues to warm.”
Even if global warming is halted at Paris goals, the megacities of Karachi (Pakistan) and Kolkata (India) could face annual conditions similar to the deadly heat waves that gripped those regions in 2015.During the 2015 heat waves in those areas, about 1,200 people died in Pakistan and more than 2,000 died in India.
To examine the impact of global warming on human heat stress, the researchers used climate models and looked at how global temperature change could affect heat stress projections in the world’s largest cities.
The investigators concluded that it is likely there will be more land surface area exposed to dangerous heat stress. They also noted that areas already experiencing heat stress would have more frequent and longer heat waves.
The researchers at Climate Central explain that when temperatures reach those experienced on ‘danger days’ – when the ‘feels like temperature exceeds 104 °F (40 °C) – it becomes difficult for the body to cool itself. This can lead to dehydration, exhaustion, dizziness, and other problems in the body – and often, even death.
During danger days, people are at risk of sunstroke and heat exhaustion, and physical activity or extended time outdoors could even lead to heat stroke. The combination of high heat and humidity poses serious risks to many people, especially infants and young children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
The Paris Agreement was passed with no objections in 2015 by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, bringing to an end four years of discussions and debates.
Nearly 200 nations adopted the global pact, calling on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution – but imposing no sanctions on countries that don’t.
Countries that signed the 31-page document will be expected to work towards limiting global warming to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2C) above pre-industrial levels.

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Breast Milk Does Not Have Long Term Cognitive Effect - New Research

It has long been thought that breastfeeding improves a baby’s mental capacity; a newly released study has found it has no long-term cognitive benefits.
According to the findings of the study published in the journal ‘Pediatrics,’ after following breastfed childrens from the time they were nine months old to age five, researchers found that children who were breastfed for at least six months had reduced hyperactivity and showed better problem-solving skills when they were three years old. When the children were evaluated again at age five the differences were insignificant. Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the feeding of babies and young child with milk from a woman’s breast.
Health professionals recommend that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a baby’s life and continue as often and as much as the baby wants.
The Newsweek published that the scientists followed 7,478 Irish babies and tested their vocabulary and problem-solving abilities when they were three years old and again when they turned five.
The report said although, children who came from more educated families or better financial circumstances, reported higher problem-solving skills and vocabulary during the study, when those variables were removed and the data was randomised, breastfeeding had no real impact on a child’s development, said study author, Lisa-Christine Girard. Although, intelligence may not be affected by breastfeeding, breast milk has been proven to be beneficial in preventing a variety of health risks – while formula feeding has been linked to increased childhood infections, inflammation, weakened immune function and higher chances of respiratory infections. In the United States, 81.1 per cent of infants born in 2013 were breastfeeding at six months while 30.7 per cent of babies were breastfeeding at 12 months, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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Anxiety As Poisonous Beans Circulate Lagos Market

There is a growing anxiety among consumers of beans in Lagos, Nigeria, as the Lagos State police command has arrested three brothers at Alagbado area of Lagos for applying insecticide on bags of beans meant to be sold to the public. The suspects, who were paraded on Wednesday, said they learnt the practice from their suppliers in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Faith Ogbonna, who is the owner of the shop, said he had seen beans sellers in Maiduguri using chemicals as preservative for beans.
Although he claimed he was not the one who instructed his younger brother, Chijoke to apply insecticide on the beans, he, however, claimed that it helped to prevent stored beans from being infested by ants.

Policemen attached to Alakuko Division following a tip-off arrested Faith, 28, Sunday, 23 and Chijoke Ogbonna.

On his part, the suspect caught in the act, Chijoke, admitted to have applied the chemical and insecticide. “I only added a little amount. It is to preserve beans. Several persons do it. It does not kill because any beans sprayed are not immediately displayed for sale.
“People who buy several bags of beans, particularly when it is cheap, use chemicals to preserve them till the price goes up, thereby making much profit”.
 Insecticides and pesticides, according to health authorities, are dangerous to health. Not only are they dangerous to the environment, but they are also hazardous to a person's health. Pesticides are stored in your colon, where they slowly but surely poison the body. You may not realize this, but when you are eating a non-organic apple or food items like beans, corn and peanuts that has been contaminated with insecticides, you are also eating over 30 different pesticides that have been sprayed on them. Even if you wash a piece of fruit, such as an apple, there are still many insecticides lingering on it and they could have seeped into the fruit or vegetable. Strawberries, apples, carrots, celery, spinach, grapes, apples, cucumbers are just a few types of food that you should not eat if they are not organic because the insecticide level is the highest on them.
After countless studies, insecticides have been linked to cancer, Alzheimer's Disease, ADHD, and even birth defects. insecticides also have the potential to harm the nervous system, the reproductive system, and the endocrine system. insecticides can even be very harmful to fetuses because the chemicals can pass from the mother during pregnancy or if a woman nurses her child. Although one piece of fruit with insecticides won't kill you, if they build up in your body, they can be potentially detrimental to your health and should be avoided as much as possible.

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Breast Implants Can Cause Blood Cancer - New Studty

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday affirmed that breast implants can cause a rare and hard-to-treat blood cancer. According to landmark guidelines issued by the FDA, there was enough evidence for United States regulators to acknowledge a clear link between silicone implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a blood cancer.
The federal agency issued the guidelines after it received reports from 359 women claiming a link between their implants and their diagnosis of ALCL, a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphoma except Hodgkin’s lymphomas. As of February 1, 2017, nine of those women had died.
Silicone gel-filled breast implants have a silicone outer shell that is filled with silicone gel. They come in different sizes and have either smooth or textured shells.
Silicone gel-filled breast implants are approved for breast augmentation in women aged 22 or older and for breast reconstruction in women of any age.
A breast implant is a prosthesis used to change the size, shape, and contour of a woman’s breast, for reconstructive plastic surgery, post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, congenital defects, among others.
The ‘mailonline’ reports that the FDA update marks something of a triumph for US medical researchers, six years after the World Health Organisation (WHO) first warned of the potential link. Last year, French regulators became the first to acknowledge the ‘clearly established link,’ ordering manufacturers to prove the safety of their products or take them off the shelf.
The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency was still analysing the French and American reports and was yet to acknowledge the ‘clearly established link.’
“All of the information to date suggests that women with breast implants have a very low but increased risk of developing ALCL compared to women who do not have breast implants,” the FDA said yesterday.
“Most cases of breast implant-associated ALCL are treated by removal of the implant and the capsule surrounding the implant and some cases have been treated by chemotherapy and radiation,” it said. Breast implants approved in the US can be filled with either saline or with silicone gel. They come in different sizes and shapes and have either smooth or textured surfaces (shells).

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Red Alert As Rabies Kills Two In Lagos

RESIDENTS of Igbogbo and Ajara, in Lagos State, now live in fear of rabies (a fatal disease caused by dog bite) after it killed two within the last two weeks.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who confirmed the incident, yesterday, said two persons have died at the Lagos State University,
(LASUTH), Ikeja and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, Lagos.
A 49-year old-man, from Igbogbo, Ikorodu area of the state, whose name he de- clined to mention, died at the LASUTH penultimate Wednesday after admission.
The second victim, a 33-year-old man, who died last Monday, lived in Ajara, Badagry, was said to have been bitten by a dog, six months earlier.
Rabies is a severe viral dis- ease of the central nervous system. It is chiefly a disease of wild mammals, but, it can occasionally affect humans. Animals with rabies shed the virus in their saliva. If a saliva from an infected ani- mal gets into a break in a per- son’s skin, most commonly through a bite or on mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, nose), that person might become infected.

Its vaccine, administered after possible exposure, is highly effective at prevent- ing progression to rabies. However, once an infected person develops symptoms of rabies, there is no effective treatment and the infected person will likely die within a few days.
Most cases of rabies occur in bats. It is also occasionally detected in other wild animals such as skunks and foxes. The disease is rarely identified in domestic animals such as dogs and cats, but can occur if they are bit ten by a rabid wild animal.
The disease can be preaq3vented by avoiding contact with unfamiliar animals. If a person is bitten by an animal, he should report the bite to the local health department or animal control agency. Wash the bite wound thoroughly with soap and water as soon as possible. If someone is concerned that he may have been exposed to rabies, he should contact the health care provider.
It is important to protect pets from rabies. Pets should not be allowed to have contact with wild or unfamiliar animals. They should be confined inside owner’s property or under control when off the property. Veterinarian should be seen regularly to ensure that pets remain in good health and is uptodate on rabies vaccination. All dogs are required to be vaccinated against rabies.

Meanwhile, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has reportedly directed that Queens College, Yaba, which was shut after two girls died after alleged cholera out- break, not to resume until appropriate measures are put in place for students’ safety.
Dr. Idris said after the inci- dent, a joint team of experts from the Lagos State Minis- try of Health and LUTH in- vestigated the incident.
“Available health records from the sick bay indicated that the date of onset of illness was January 16, 2017. The total number of students presented at the clinic on account of abdominal pain, fe- ver, vomiting and diarrhoea was 1,222 from the date of presentation to the last date.
“There were four different peak periods of infection, the highest peak was January 31, 2017. 16 ill cases were admit- ted in various hospitals. nine have been discharged, two died while one is still on admission at the Intensive Care Unit of LASUTH and three in LUTH.”

He disclosed that water samples from six sources in the school premises were collected and analysed at the Drug Quality Control Labo- ratory of Lagos State Min- istry of Health at LASUTH, Ikeja.
Another set of water sam- ples from 10 sources were also collected and analysed at the Microbiology Depart- ment of LUTH, Idi-Araba.
“Results from the two laboratories showed high bacteria content in the water samples from the kitchen, behind the Dinning Hall and Queen’s Delight, the school water factory.”
He also revealed that the stool specimens collected from 40 kitchen staff and findings from the investiga- tion were consistent with enteric fever, the infection was most likely spread through contaminated water sources and infection by food handlers.
He implored Lagosians to follow the general health promotion and disease prevention measures, he also urged them to report unusual disease occurrence to the nearest public health facility.

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Fanta, Sprite And Vitamin C: NBC Counters Poisonous Allegation

Is it safe to take fanta or sprite with Vitamin C? this is the one question on the lips of health conscious Nigerians ever since the news broke out yesterday that it is poisonous to mix Vitamin C with any of those two soft drinks. The Nigerian Bottling Company, NBC, has appealed a court order directing the company to include a warning on the bottles of its Fanta and Sprite that its contents cannot be taken with Vitamin C.
A Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere, Lagos State, had compelled the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to give the Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC) 90 days, to include on all bottles of Fanta and Sprite that the content cannot be taken with Vitamin C.
The judgment was sequel to a suit filed by a Lagos-based businessman, Emmanuel Adebo, and his company, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited, against NBC Plc and NAFDAC.
In his suit, Mr Adebo urged the court to declare that NBC was negligent to its consumers by bottling Fanta and Sprite with excessive levels of benzoic acid and sunset additives.
Benzoic acid is a white, crystalline powder with a faint, non-offensive odour.
Though it serves as preservative, if used excessively, it causes cancer and has been linked to asthma problems and increased levels of hyperactivity in children.
Benzoic acid is also used to manufacture a wide variety of products such as perfumes, dyes, topical medications and insect repellents.
Sunset yellow is a dye that can be found in foods like orange juice, ice cream, canned fish, cheese, jellies, soft drinks and many medicines.
It can also be dangerous for human health as it can cause urticaria, rhinitis, allergies, hyperactivity, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting in some individuals.
The NBC however said the judgement was inaccurate and its products were safe.
“Both Fanta and Sprite have benzoic levels of 200 mg/kg which is lower than the Nigerian regulatory limit of 250 mg/kg when combined with ascorbic acid and 300 mg/kg without ascorbic acid and also lower than the 600 mg/kg international limit set by CODEX,” the company said.
Read NBC’s full statement below:
“Our attention has been drawn to media reports which contain misleading information on the safety of benzoic and ascorbic acids as ingredients in soft drinks, citing a Lagos High Court order.
“In the judgement delivered on February 15, 2017 in a suit involving Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited & Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo v. Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) & National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Lagos High Court dismissed all claims against NBC and held that the company had not breached its duty of care to consumers and that there was no proven case of negligence against it.
“In the same judgement, the court directed NAFDAC to mandate NBC to include a warning on its bottles of Fanta and Sprite that its contents cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same become poisonous if taken with Vitamin C. This order was premised on the fact that the products contain the preservative, benzoic acid. NBC has since appealed this order.
“Whilst we do not wish to delve into the details of the case or the merits of the court order by this medium, we find it imperative in the interest of consumers and members of the public to make the following clarifications:
“In the subject case which dates back to 2007, the UK authorities confiscated a consignment of our products shipped to that country by the plaintiff because their benzoic acid levels were not within the UK national level, although well within the levels approved by both the national regulators for Nigeria and the international levels set by CODEX, the joint intergovernmental body responsible for harmonizing food standards globally.
“The UK standards limit benzoic acid in soft drinks to a maximum of 150 mg/kg. Both Fanta and Sprite have benzoic levels of 200 mg/kg which is lower than the Nigerian regulatory limit of 250 mg/kg when combined with ascorbic acid and 300 mg/kg without ascorbic acid and also lower than the 600 mg/kg international limit set by CODEX.
“Both benzoic acid and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) are ingredients approved by international food safety regulators and used in many food and beverage products around the world.
“These two ingredients are also used in combination in some of these products within levels which may differ from one country to another as approved by the respective national food and drug regulators and in line with the range prescribed by CODEX,”
“The permissible ingredient levels set by countries for their food and beverage products are influenced by a number of factors such as climate, an example being the UK, a temperate region, requiring lower preservative levels unlike tropical countries.
“Given the fact that the benzoic and ascorbic acid levels in Fanta as well as the benzoic acid level in Sprite produced and sold by NBC in Nigeria are in compliance with the levels approved by all relevant national regulators and the international level set by CODEX, there is no truth in the report that these products would become poisonous if consumed alongside Vitamin C.

“The wrong perception emanating from the media reports that our Fanta and Sprite beverages which are fully compliant with all national and international food quality and safety standards are unsafe, simply because their levels of Benzoic acid were not within the UK standards, is not only unfounded but also undermines the entire food and beverage industry in Nigeria which is regulated by the same ingredient levels approved by NAFDAC and other regulatory bodies for the country.“NBC hereby assures our consumers and members of the public of our unwavering commitment to product quality, safety and customer satisfaction.”

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Drinking Fanta, Sprite With Vitamin C Is Poisonous To The Body - New Revelation

Consumers of soda drinks, specially fanta and sprite, have been warned not to mix them with vitamin C has the effect is deadly to the body. A Nigerian Court has ordered the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control to direct the Nigeria Bottling Company Plc., manufacturers of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks, to include a warning on the bottles of the product, that its content cannot be taken with Vitamin C.
Justice Adedayo Oyebanji of the Lagos High Court, Igbosere, gave the order following a suit filed by a businessman, Fijabi Adebo, and his firm, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Ltd.
The legal action, which was instituted in 2008, had NBC and NAFDAC as defendants.
Mr. Fijabi’s lawyer, Abiodun Onidare, told the court that his client bought large quantities of different products from NBC for export to the UK but when they arrived at their destination, Fanta and Sprite failed UK Health Authorities’ (Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council’s Trading Standards Department of Environment and Economy Directorate) sample test for human consumption, as they became poisonous when mixed with Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C).
The claimants demanded N15.1 million as special damages and N1.6 million being the money the NBC admitted it received from the claimants.
In its defense, the NBC, through its lawyer, T. O. Busari, said it was not negligent as claimed by the plaintiff, saying it has stringent quality control procedures to ensure that its products are safe for end-user consumption.
The NBC argued that the levels of the chemical components in its soft drinks are safe for consumption in Nigeria and that the claimants are not entitled to the recovery of damages arising from their illegal exportation of products meant for local distribution.
NAFDAC did not file any defense in the case.

Justice Oyebanji ruled that the knowledge of the Nigeria Bottling Company that the products were to be exported was immaterial to its being fit for human consumption.“The court is in absolute agreement with the learned counsel for the claimants that soft drinks manufactured by Nigeria Bottling Company ought to be fit for human consumption irrespective of colour or creed,” he said.

“It is manifest that NAFDAC has been grossly irresponsible in its regulatory duties to the consumers of Fanta and Sprite manufactured by Nigeria Bottling Company.” The judge said NAFDAC had failed Nigerians by its certification as satisfactory for human consumption, products which in the United Kingdom failed sample test for human consumption and which become poisonous in the presence of Ascorbic Acid ordinarily known as Vitamin C, which can be freely taken by the unsuspecting public with the company’s Fanta or Sprite.
“The court, in the light of the damning evidence before it showing that NAFDAC has failed to live up to expectations, cannot close its eyes to the grievous implication of allowing the status quo to continue as it is,” the judge said.
He ruled that, “That NAFDAC shall forthwith mandate Nigeria Bottling Company to, within 90 days hereof, include on all the bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks manufactured by the company, a written warning that the content of the said bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same becomes poisonous if taken with Vitamin C.

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Hair Dye, Contraseptives Can Cause Breast Cancer - New Research

Women, who have dyed their hair or use hormonal contraception are at risk of breast cancer. According to findings of a new study published in the journal ‘Materials’, changing the colour of the hair has previously been linked to the disease, but the new study backs up the evidence. Being exposed to carcinogenics in the dyes was linked to a 23 per cent chance of getting breast cancer.
Similarly, users of birth control methods such as the combined Pill and IUS coils could also face the same plight. Post-menopausal women fitted with the latter have a 52 per cent greater chance of developing breast cancer. And there is a 32 per cent increased risk for those who use the former hormonal-based contraceptive, Finnish researchers claimed.
The findings add to the growing body of evidence that progesterone-based birth control methods are a risk factor of breast cancer. They are listed by Cancer Research UK alongside alcohol and being fat in the causes with ‘sufficient’ evidence to the disease. Having high levels of the body’s own natural hormones also increases the risk of ovarian cancer and blood clots.
Hair dyeing is the practice of changing the hair colour. The main reasons for this are cosmetic: to cover gray hair, to change to a colour regarded as more fashionable or desirable, to restore the original hair colour after it has been discoloured by hairdressing processes or sun bleaching.
On its part, hormonal contraception refers to birth control methods that act on the endocrine system. Almost all methods are composed of steroid hormones, although in some places, one selective estrogen receptor modulator is marketed as a contraceptive.
However, research has shown that certain ones such as oestrogen cause DNA mutations, leaving cells prone to turning cancerous. Progesterone is also known to fuel the growth of tumours. Both can be found in the combined Pill, but only a synthetic version of the latter exists in IUS coils.
Cancer is an increasingly important public health problem in developing countries, including Africa [1]. As public and professional awareness of the cancer problem has grown, so has interest in the pattern of disease presentation, its epidemiology and treatment outcome. To date, however, there has been limited research about breast cancer in Africa. In the absence of systematic population-based cancer registration, most information has come from small clinical and pathology case series and the bias inherent in these types of studies has influenced current understanding of the pattern and characteristics of breast cancer in Africa.

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Smulgglers Flood Nigerian Market With Harmful Frozen Fish - Federal Government

Smugglers are beginning to flood Nigerian markets with harmful frozen fish illegally brought into the country through land borders, the Federal Government has said.

According to the government, the smugglers bring in all sorts of frozen fish such as tilapia, red pacus, river bream, pangassius, horse mackerel, sardine, and croaker through the country’s land borders.

                                                                                      It, however, vowed to clamp down on the perpetrators and declared that anyone found importing frozen fish without licence from the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development risked a five-year jail term or a fine of $250,000, or both.

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, stated that those involved in the act were sabotaging the efforts of government despite the extant fish importation policy and prohibition of frozen farmed fish importation into the country.

Lokpobiri, who spoke at the Abuja headquarters of the FMARD yesterday, said the circulation of unhealthy fish and fishery products in Nigerian market had resulted in grave health implications such as kidney disease and cancer.

He said, “It has become necessary for the Federal Government through the FMARD to address the Nigerian public on the sale of smuggled unhealthy frozen fish, especially farmed tilapia, in Nigeria. These smuggled frozen fish are very harmful to the health of Nigerians.

“The ministry is using this medium to warn all those involved, colluding, aiding and abetting these nefarious activities to stop or face the full wrath of the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Importation of fish without licence attracts five-year imprisonment or a fine of $250,000, or both, in addition to forfeiture and destruction of the vessel and its products.”

Lokpobiri added, “For the avoidance of doubt, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has put in place measures to arrest, detain and prosecute offenders as provided in the Sea Fisheries Act Cap S4 laws of the Federation 2004. Such persons will be dealt with as criminals and economic saboteurs”

To check the illegal activities, the minister said the government had been collaborating with countries in the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria Customs Service, maritime police, Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Agriculture Quarantine Service.

Lokpobiri said, “If we are unable to get these people before smuggling the products into the country again, we will deploy our officers to begin inspection of the cold rooms and by next week, I personally will go to some of these cold rooms to inspect.”

The National President, Association of Nigeria Seafood, Mr. Lamina Rasheed, said licensed importers were made to pay 14 per cent of their total cargo to the Federal Government, but smugglers paid nothing.

This, he said, had made it difficult for licensed operators to favourably compete with the smugglers.

He lamented that frozen fish imported by licensed operators were wallowing in various cold rooms across the country because smugglers had flooded the market with cheap but dangerous products.

                                                                                     

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Over Weight Expectant Mothers Could Have Cereberal Pasly - New Study

It is widely known that being obese in pregnancy could have devastating effects on children. According to the findings of a new study published in the journal ‘JAMA’, obesity in pregnancy also increases the risk of having a child with cerebral palsy, CP.
The researchers from the University of Michigan in the United States, U.S, stated that carrying extra pounds around the waist is linked to a range of conditions that can harm an infant’s brain.
In turn, these heightened the likelihood of giving birth to a sufferer of the incurable disorder, the new study suggested. Cerebral palsy is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood.
Signs and symptoms vary among people. Often, symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may also be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, swallowing, and speaking. Often babies with CP do not roll over, sit, crawl, or walk as early as other children of their age. Difficulty with the ability to think or reason and seizures each occurs in about one third of people with CP.
The ‘mailonline’ reported that despite advances in neonatal care, the rate of CP has increased in recent years for children born at full term. Before now, majority of children with CP arose from kids that experienced obstetric complications during delivery.
However, the report shows that few preventable factors are known to affect the risk of CP. Researcher looked at children born in Sweden from between 1997 and 2011.
Of the slightly more than 1.4 million who entered the world, 3,029 were diagnosed with CP. A further analysis of the data indicated a clear link between obese and rates of the disorder, which is estimated to affect one in every 400 births in the United States, U.S, and the United Kingdom, UK.
Being obese or overweight is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Overweight is common especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary.
Excess weight has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults being either overweight or obese as at 2003. In his reaction, the study author, Professor Eduardo Villamor, said the results were ‘statistically significant’ for those born at a healthy weight. The same link couldn’t be determined in premature babies.
Nearly half of the causes of CP could be put down to asphyxia-related neonatal complications. The researchers noted that the effect of maternal obesity on CP may seem small compared with other risk factors.

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How Pollution Kills 1.7 Million Children Each Year - WHO

Polluted environments take the lives of 1.7 million children under the age of five, according to two new reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Director-General of WHO, Dr Margaret Chan, while presenting the reports, said unhealthy environments were responsible for one-quarter of children deaths.

The reports reviewed the threats from pollutants such as second-hand smoke, ultraviolet radiation, unsafe water and e-waste. “A polluted environment is a deadly one – particularly for young children. “Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water,” Chan said.

In one of the two reports, ‘Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children’s Health and the Environment’, WHO announced that many of the common causes of death among children aged between one month and five years of age are preventable with safe water and clear cooking fuels. These common causes of infant death include diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia, according to the UN health agency. “The main pollutant is in the air, resulting in 570,000 deaths each year among children under five years old. “Air pollution can stunt brain development and reduce lung function and trigger asthma. “In the longer-term, exposure to air pollution can increase the child’s risk of contracting heart disease, a stroke or cancer,” the report stated. Among other actions described in the other report: ‘Don’t pollute my future!’ WHO recommended measures to counter the impact of the environment on children’s health. The UN health agency recommended reducing air pollution, improving safe water and sanitation, and protecting pregnant women and building safer environments. Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, called for measures to protect children from the impacts of exposure to polluted environments. “Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health, such as improving water quality or using cleaner fuels, will result in massive health benefits,” Neira said. One of the emerging environmental threats to children is electronic and electrical waste, according to the second WHO report. Appliances such as old mobile phones that are improperly recycled “expose children to toxins which can lead to reduced intelligence, attention deficit, lung damage, and cancer,” the UN agency reported. At the current rate, the amount of such waste is expected to increase by 19 per cent between 2014 and 2018, up to 50 million metric tonnes. The reports also pointed out harmful chemicals that work themselves through the food chain. These include fluoride, lead and mercury, as well as the impact that climate change and ultraviolet rays have on children’s development.

Polluted environments take the lives of 1.7 million children under the age of five, according to two new reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Director-General of WHO, Dr Margaret Chan, while presenting the reports, said unhealthy environments were responsible for one-quarter of children deaths. The reports reviewed the threats from pollutants such as second-hand smoke, ultraviolet radiation, unsafe water and e-waste. “A polluted environment is a deadly one – particularly for young children. “Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water,” Chan said. In one of the two reports, ‘Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children’s Health and the Environment’, WHO announced that many of the common causes of death among children aged between one month and five years of age are preventable with safe water and clear cooking fuels. These common causes of infant death include diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia, according to the UN health agency. “The main pollutant is in the air, resulting in 570,000 deaths each year among children under five years old. “Air pollution can stunt brain development and reduce lung function and trigger asthma. “In the longer-term, exposure to air pollution can increase the child’s risk of contracting heart disease, a stroke or cancer,” the report stated. Among other actions described in the other report: ‘Don’t pollute my future!’ WHO recommended measures to counter the impact of the environment on children’s health. The UN health agency recommended reducing air pollution, improving safe water and sanitation, and protecting pregnant women and building safer environments. Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, called for measures to protect children from the impacts of exposure to polluted environments. “Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health, such as improving water quality or using cleaner fuels, will result in massive health benefits,” Neira said. One of the emerging environmental threats to children is electronic and electrical waste, according to the second WHO report. Appliances such as old mobile phones that are improperly recycled “expose children to toxins which can lead to reduced intelligence, attention deficit, lung damage, and cancer,” the UN agency reported. At the current rate, the amount of such waste is expected to increase by 19 per cent between 2014 and 2018, up to 50 million metric tonnes. The reports also pointed out harmful chemicals that work themselves through the food chain. These include fluoride, lead and mercury, as well as the impact that climate change and ultraviolet rays have on children’s development.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/03/polluted-environments-kill-1-7-million-children-yearly/

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Low Carb, High Fat Diet Could Cure Epilepsy - Research

Scientists have alerted that a diet high in fruit and steak could cure a deadly form of epilepsy. According to the findings of a new study published in the journal ‘Neurology’, a ketogenic diet could be used in the future as a life-saving treatment for epileptic patients.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children.
The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, the carbohydrates contained in food are converted into glucose, which is then transported around the body and is particularly important in fueling brain-function. However, if there is very little carbohydrate in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies.
The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source. An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood, a state known as ketosis, leads to a reduction in the frequency of epileptic seizures. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, the hallmark of which is recurrent, unprovoked seizures.
Many people with epilepsy have more than one type of seizure and may have other symptoms of neurological problems as well. Although, it is estimated that super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE), which is the most severe classification of the brain condition, kills 60 per cent of sufferers, the new research shows that the ketogenic diet could alleviate symptoms in patients.
High in fats and low in carbohydrates, the diet alters the activity of brain cells to prevent deadly fits, the scientists claim. According to a report in the ‘mailonline’, in general, after a patient has experienced 24 hours in a seizure and they will be placed in a coma if drugs aren’t working. “They are then awakened after another day to see if the seizures return. If so, they are then considered to have SRSE.
“The patient will then return to a coma and continue on other medications to try find a treatment method.” The researchers from Johns Hopkins University recruited 15 patients between the ages of 18 and 82 who were hospitalised with SRSE.

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Obesity Causes 11 Different Cancers

Scientists have alerted that obesity strongly increases the risk of developing 11 types of cancer. These are the result of a major study published in the ‘British Medical Journal’.

Obesity is a condition where a person has accumulated so much body fat that it might have a negative effect on their health. If a person’s bodyweight is at least 20 per cent higher than it should be, he or she is considered obese.
If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered overweight. Being overweight is probably linked to many other forms of the illness but so far, there is not enough evidence, researchers said.
The types of cancers linked to obesity include breast, oesophagus, stomach, bowel, rectum, biliary tract system, pancreas, womb, ovary, kidney and the blood cancer myeloma. Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.
Although, it is not all tumours that are cancerous; benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body. Over 100 types of cancers affect humans. Concerning the new study, researchers from Imperial College London calculated that men’s risk of developing biliary tract cancer increases by up to 56 per cent for every 11lb gained in weight.
For women, the risk of womb cancer rises by 21 per cent for every 0.1 point increase in hip to waist ratio. The findings are particularly concerning as a quarter of adults and a fifth of 11-year-olds are classed as obese. Reacting to the development, Dr. Panagiota Mitrou, of the World Cancer Research Fund, which funded the study, said: “This further emphasises the huge role that obesity plays in increasing cancer risk.”
The research highlighted previous figures showing that some cancers could be prevented each year if everyone has a healthy weight. It looked at 204 existing studies which examined the link between obesity and cancer.

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Cocaine Causes Disablities In Unborn Children - Research

Scientists have raised the alarm over the impact of hard drugs on unborn children, saying sons of men who take cocaine years before pregnancy suffer memory damage in the womb. According to findings of the new study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, U.S, cocaine use in men could lead to learning disabilities in their sons.
Similarly, the researchers showed that the drug’s damaging impacts on DNA can be passed on through sperm, hampering the foetus’ brain development. Intriguingly, the effects were far more common in the sons of male cocaine users than their daughters, or than any child of a female cocaine user. Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant, native to South America.
Although healthcare providers can use it for valid medical purposes, such as local anesthesia for some surgeries, cocaine is an illegal drug. As a street drug, cocaine looks like a fine, white, crystal powder. Street dealers often mix it with things like cornstarch, talcum powder, or flour to increase profits. They may also mix it with other drugs such as the stimulant amphetamine.
The ‘mailonline’ reports that while scientists are still trying to determine the timeline, this research builds on previous studies that show cocaine has a lingering effect on DNA, which can last for years after use. 16 male rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine daily through drinking water for 60 days. Another 16 drank saline solution.
They then mated with females, who had not taken drugs. Paternal cocaine-taking had no effect on the litter size, sex ratio, or growth development. However, out of the 46 total litters, the male babies, which had been exposed to cocaine experienced significant issues with memory formation.
Taking a closer look, they saw the expression of genes which are important for memory formation had been altered. Male rats, whose fathers took cocaine, had far lower levels of D-serine, a molecule essential for memory.
Once the researchers replenished the levels of D-serine in the sons’ hippocampus, they saw improved learning in these animals. Senior author, Dr. R. Christopher Pierce, a professor of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, worked with a team to test the theory on mice

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