Queens College Diarrhea Tragedy: Victims Speak Out

Revelations have started coming out with regards to the tragic incident that happened at Queen’s College, Lagos, in which two students died while several others were hospitalized on the wake of an outbreak of diarrhea in the school. 

Aside the two pupils, no fewer than 50 others will not be in school as they are either recuperating at home or on admission in different hospitals in Lagos State, including Apapa General Hospital, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Harvey Road Hospital and Safe City Clinic.
It was gathered that problem started after the pupils, who were boarding students, ate spaghetti and drank suspected polluted water served in the refectory two weeks ago.
An epidemic of diarrhea was said to have broken out, as the pupils started vomiting and stooling.
News men, who spoke with parents, pupils, a teacher and a nurse in the school, gathered that the sickbay overflowed with sick pupils as panic spread in the school.
Some parents were said to have been called to take their children home for treatment.
It was learnt that Osuiniyi, a Junior Secondary School two pupil, died on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, while Itulua, a JSS 3 pupil, died on Wednesday, February 22, 2017.
The mother of Itualua, when contacted, declined comment, saying she was mourning the death of her daughter and did not want to discuss the incident.
Osuiniyi’s parents could not be reached for comment.
However, parents and pupils, who spoke with the media, begged not to be identified as the school management had vowed to deal with anyone who exposed the incident.
A pupil, who spoke from her hospital bed, explained that the school’s water system had been polluted for some time.
She said, “I don’t know the number of boarders affected, but one of my friends is also in the hospital.
“The one that died is Vivian (Osuiniyi). She was in JSS 2. Those affected in my dormitory are not less than 10.
“The problem started after we took spaghetti and drank the contaminated water in the hostel. When I woke up, I started feeling pains in my stomach. I was given some drugs and asked to return to my dormitory, but the pain didn’t stop.
“We complained to the school about the water that we drink, but nothing was done.”
Another pupil, who was receiving treatment at home, said more than 50 senior pupils in her class were affected.
She said, “About 50 pupils in my dormitory were stooling and vomiting after they ate the spaghetti and took the water. There are seven dormitories for SSS3 pupils and we are over 500.
“I went to the sickbay on Monday and complained that I ate spaghetti. A nurse said it was indigestion. When I ate it the next day, I vomited. When I went to report the second time, I was asked to stop eating the spaghetti. Aside the spaghetti, the water is brownish.”
She said the school later distributed bags of sachet water to the pupils.
A parent, whose daughter was among those on admission, told the media that when she called a teacher in the school, she was assured that her daughter was okay.
She said she later got a call that her daughter had started stooling and vomiting as well.
She said, “She was taken to the hospital from the school and has been on admission since Wednesday.”
Another parent, who said she was still treating her sick daughter, said she had first observed rashes on her body.
She said the victim later complained of the water in the school.
She said, “I gathered that the water had been contaminated. It was the same water they were using to cook their food.
“My daughter called and said one of their teachers said a pupil died. She said the girl was among those that ate the spaghetti.
“On Tuesday, I was called to come and take my daughter. I went there and took her to a hospital. When I got to the hospital, the doctors saw the uniform of my daughter and they screamed, ‘QC again!’ I was told that other pupils of the school had been brought to the hospital.”
The mother of one of the affected pupils said she subjected her daughter to several tests, including pregnancy and HIV tests, adding that the result showed food poisoning.
She said, “On Wednesday, I was called that my daughter was not feeling fine. I went on Thursday and took her to a hospital in Yaba. They conducted tests on her and the results showed food poisoning.”
The parent said the Parent-Teacher Association did not want the issue exposed to the public.
It was gathered that there had been threats that no parent should disclose any information regarding the school.
The threat followed an earlier scandal which rocked the school in 2016 after a teacher was alleged to have molested a female pupil.

A statement by the ministry said Adewole’s investigative team comprised members of staff of the Department of Medicine at the University of Lagos and the Epidemiology Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
“The minister has directed the officials of the ministry of health, community health and LUTH to ascertain the cause of death of the pupils, inspect of the school environment, examine the source of water supply and test its suitability for human consumption and also visit the bereaved families,” a statement by the school  said.

Read More

Hope Rises As New HIV Vaccine Cures Five Patients

Three weeks after Prof. Maduike Ezeibe of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Abia State claimed to have discovered a cure for Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), Spanish scientists over the weekend said five patients living with the disease are virus-free seven months after taking a new vaccine.
According to a study published in New Scientist but first reported by DailyMailUK Online, the treatment, developed by researchers in Spain, allowed the patients to stop taking regular antiretroviral (ARV) drugs – the current method of suppressing HIV.
Scientists have yet to test the results in a large-scale clinical trial, but they say the vaccine may be a “functional cure.”

It is the first step towards success in a field that has failed to find a vaccine in the last 30 years. Dr. Beatriz Mothe, from the IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, said: “It’s the proof of  the concept that through therapeutic vaccination, we can really re-educate our T cells to control the virus. This is the first time that we see this is possible in humans.”
Mothe and her colleagues used an HIV vaccine made by Professor Tomáš Hanke from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom (UK).
The study included 13 participants, who had taken ARVs for a little over three years on average – all within six months of being infected.
After four weeks, eight of the patients saw the virus rebound. But the other five patients have gone six to 28 weeks without having to restart the treatment.
The virus became temporarily undetectable, but it has never gone above 2,000 copies per milliliter, which is the criterion to restart treatment.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, told The media yesterday that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS as claimed by Ezeibe. “No, there is no cure for HIV. It is important that we do not deceive our people. There is no cure for HIV. However, treatment is available that allows those infected to live healthy and productive lives. We encourage everyone to get tested, know their HIV status and if positive, get treatment in one of many centres in Nigeria. Treatment is free,” he said.
Ihekweazu said NCDC wants to avoid giving false hope to patients who may now abandon their Anti Retro Viral (ARVs) drugs thus leading to an increase in prevalence and mortality from the disease. He said the agency also does not want a situation where the trust of partners and donors in the country’s health system is lost.

Read More

'' At Ola Herbs and Greens, Nature is Our Best Option'' - Mrs.Opeoluwa Aremu Okulaja, MD/CEO

In the Nigerian natural health industry, Ola Herbs and Greens Resources Limited occupies a front roll seat. This is not just becouse of the unique natural food product in its kitty – such as coconut bread, coconut cake, energy bar and so many others – but also becouse of its foray into other related  fields like health and wellness consultation, awearness programmes, teachings and treanings on healthy lifestyles amongst others. One can therefore refer to Ola Herbs as a 360 degrees natural health and wellness organizatoin.

In ths interview with Nigeria Natural Health Online’s editor, Dumbiri Frank Eboh, the managing director and chief executive officer of Ola Herbs and Greens Resources Limited Mrs. Opeoluwa Aremu Okulaja, speaks on the phylosohpy and idea behind the organization in its drive to promote a culture of natural healthy living and wellness  in Nigeria. Excerpts.

Who is a Healthy person?

A Healthy person is one that takes action everyday to ensure that his body is alright. This is through exercise, drinking enough water, eating the right diet, and engaging in other healthy lifestyles. Maintaining a healthy life is a conscious step that must be taken on a daily basis. How do you cook your food, what kind of snacks and drinks are you taking? These are all questions to ask in maintaining a healthy well being; and you have to discipline yourself in taking those steps. For instance, I don’t just go out there to buy whatever is available. I watch out for what I eat, am conscious of what I put into my body, I eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. I drink enough water and herbal teas to keep my body going. In our organization, our by- line is ‘‘Health, Your Best Optoin’’  because nature is our best friend, we try to produce everything from nature. We don’t believe in refined food, we don’t believe in processed foods. A lot of processed foods you see around do more damage and harm to the body than good and it is advisable to run from them.

What i s Ola Herbs all about?

We are into healthy living and well being. We believe in the power of nature. What we do is promote the use of natural product, herbs, seeds and every other component of nature. We help people to promote their diet with natural, green product.

What is your range of  products?

We produce health and beauty products. We have a line called Fedora Organic, product made of powder, facial scrubs, body polish all of which are made of natural product. Our facial powder, for instance, is made from cocoa powder, so it’s basically like the food  you eat. And so also is our facial masks wich is  made from natural product like green tea,  Aloe Vera etc. For our body polish, we make use of shear butter, coconut oil and things like that.

We also make smoodies from vegetables as well as salad for our customers and clients. When we bake, we don’t use  your regular flour, we use plantain flour and coconut flour to bake natural foods that are nutritious and healthy for the body. Ola Herbs also makes drinks, especially coconut milk and tiger nut milk all of which are 100% natural with no addictives. Our baking product includes coconut flour bread, cakes from coconut flour, plantain flour and other cookies made from vegetables and little fruits.We also have the energy bar made from nuts. And in all our products we do not use sugar, we use honey where necessary.

At Ola Herbs and Greens, we offer consultation services. There are health and livestyles programmes, weight loss programmes and also do recreational therapy in which people come with their health challenges and based on what they tell us, we try to turn things around for them.

For instance, we can add or remove something from their diet to make them achieve a healthier well being. If you want to do a detox programme, we use a lot of vegetables as detoxification agent. These are things that really detoxify the body in a healthy way.

Ola Herbs is also engaged in teachings and trainings on healthy living.

What percentage of your beauty products are natural?

They are 100% natural. We do not add preservatives nor do we add any form of addictives.

How are you positioned in the market?

We are positioned for all income bracket. Whether you belong to the lower, middle or upper income class, we have products that you can easily access and that can benefit health wise. It depends on what you in particular want. People come here and ask of local foods while others ask for foreign foods which ever category you belong to, we have natural products that can fit your needs. We are expanding our market to make available a wide range of products made from herbs and vegetables that can be easily be afforded by the common man.

In our present elitist culture where people’s social status are defined by big fast foods centres, how do we intend to make people return to natural foods?

That is why we engage in trainings and teachings on healthy living. That you are rich does not mean that you have to kill yourself with junk foods. Natural food has been and still remains the healthiest form of food anywhere in the world. And that also explains why these in the village, where people eat mainly natural foods,they live longer than their counterparts in the cities, that eat junks. So it shouldn’t be about the money: it should be about what it does to the body. Our focus is on the health, the father of modern medicines, Hippocrates said “let food be they  medicine and medicine they food”. And that is where our focus lie, making people understand the importance of what they eat to the body while also giving them natural healthy alternatives to all the junks that are flying around. I also write articles and feature on T.V. shows on matters relating to wellness and healthy living.

How can people access your products?

We are making arrangements to be on Konga, Jumia. But for now, people who are outside of Lagos and want our products, can make a direct order and we will  deliver it to them through courier services. People call us from Abuja, Port-Harcourt and several other cities in Nigeria and we deliver to them based on their orders. The only difference is that they pay for the delivery costs. In the near feature we will put our products in shops and outlet across the country where they can easily be reached. For those who want to retail our products, we will give them incentives in form of lower prices. This also is subject to the quantity that they are buying. The bigger the quantity, the bigger the incentive.

What are we expecting in the near future?

In the near future, we are expecting to have a lot of farm products in the markets. We want to have a wider reach where people can go and get natural product easily. We want to be able to consult to more people and direct them on the part of healthy living. We want to have our own farm so that we can produce our raw materials ourselves in order to serve both the local and international markets.  

Read More

Imported Indian Gari: NAFDAC Warns Nigerians

A note of warning has come out from the national Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control concerning the imported Indian gari currently circulating in Nigerian markets. this is coming on the heels 0f several questions being thrown up about the nutritional value of the gari brand as well as the health implications of its consumers. , NAFDAC said contrary to reports, it did not register the ‘Indian garri’ that was reportedly being sold in the Nigerian market.
The agency’s Director, Special Duties and Media, Abubakar Jimoh, said this in an interview with the media,  noting that there had been false reports that the agency registered the brand.
Nigerians had expressed concerns over the weekend when it was reported that ‘Indian’-packaged garri was being sold in the country. The garri was packed in a 500g bag, which had the picture of a lady and an inscription, ‘TRS’, on it. It also had a price tag of N450, according to reports.
NAFDAC said it immediately commenced investigations into‎ the alleged importation of the “Indian garri”. The agency also cautioned Nigerians against consumption of the product.
Similarly, the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, spoke on the development in a statement on his verified twitter handle, noting that 26 packets of the product were seized for analysis by NAFDAC after regulatory officials visited the supermarket in Ikoyi on Monday.
While speaking with the media, Mr. Jimoh said that preliminary investigations revealed that the product was produced in UK, shipped to Ghana and now being sold in Nigeria.
He, however, said that the agency did not register the product as being insinuated.
“Let me make it clear again that NAFDAC did not register any garri,” he said.

On its own part, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development says it will liaise with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to investigate the alleged importation of garri from India.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who made this known, yesterday  in Abuja, said that it is “strange and ridiculous” that garri would be imported when there is enough supply of cassava and garri in the country.
He said that the country produces more cassava than  India, adding that Nigerians must change their attitude towards imported goods.He said, “Whoever buys that kind of garri should be  blamed.
“I have heard of it. I will find out by tomorrow if NAFDAC indeed did certify any garri from India; unless it is some Indian companies packaging the garri here.
“Nigerians are too ready to buy anything imported. They will bring in apples and some of them have been preserved with ethanol which is not healthy for our consumption.
“Whoever is importing garri from India, something must be wrong with them. Why import garri when you do not know the conditions through which the garri was produced over there.
“I have no powers to stop imports, but I can recommend to the Nigerian Customs that this is unreasonable. I produce and encourage Nigerians to eat what they produce because it is safer for them.”

Read More

Slow Down Your Aging Process With Coconut

Coconut is a mature fruit of the cocos nucifera palm. It is one of very versatile and indispensable food item for millions of inhabitants in South and South-East Asia, and Pacific islands as well as Africa. It is one of the most sought-after ingredients in the kitchen since it is employed in almost each and every recipe prepared in almost every parts of the world. Cocos nucifera belongs to the large Palmaceae family of palm trees. Coco palm grows well under tropical climates.
Coconut is a very versatile and indispensable food item for most people under the tropical belt. It is a complete food rich in calories, vitamins, and minerals. A medium-size nut carrying 400 g edible meat and some 30-150 ml of water may provide almost all the daily-required essential minerals, vitamins, and energy of an average-sized individual. 100 g kernel consists of 354 calories. Much of this comes from the fats and protein. Although, its meat is disproportionately high in saturated fats in comparison to other common edible nuts, coconut has many bioactive compounds that are essential for better health. The important saturated fatty acid in the coconut is lauric acid (1:12 carbon fatty acid). Lauric acid increases good-HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. HDL is a high-density lipoprotein, which has beneficial effects on the coronary arteries by preventing vessel blockade (atherosclerosis). Physicians recommend high HDL to total cholesterol levels in the blood for the same reason.
Coconut water is a very refreshing drink to beat tropical summer thirst. The juice is packed with simple sugar, electrolytes, minerals, and bioactive compounds such as cytokinin, and enzymes such as acid phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase, peroxidase, polymerases, etc. Altogether, these enzymes aid in digestion and metabolism. Coconut oil extracted from dry kernel (copra) is an excellent emollient agent. It is used in cooking, applied over scalp as hair nourishment, employed in pharmacy and in medicines.
Research studies suggest that cytokinins (e.g., kinetin and trans-zeatin) in coconut water showed significant anti-ageing, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-thrombotic effects. The kernel is an excellent source of minerals such as copper, calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc. It is also a very good source of B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and pyridoxine. These vitamins are essential in the sense that the body requires them from external sources to replenish.

Read More

Sugary Drinks May Cause Liver Disease In Children - New Study

Fructose, otherwise known as sugary drinks, a form of sugar that’s added to sodas cookies, and other sweets, is contributing to the increase of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adolescents and children.
This is contained in  a study published in the ‘Journal of Herpetology’. In its pure form, fructose has been used as a sweetener dingsince the mid-1850s and has advantages for certain groups, including people with diabetes and those trying to control their weight. Of course, fructose has been consumed for centuries in foods.
It is known as a simple sugar because it is a single sweetening molecule. Major sources of dietary fructose among children and adolescents are soda and other sweetened beverages.
Nearly 90 per cent reported drinking sodas and soft drinks one or more times a week. Almost 95 per cent of patients regularly consumed morning and afternoon snacks consisting of crackers, pizza and salty food, biscuits, yogurt, or other snacks.
High amounts of fructose in modern diets have been associated with a wide range of ailments, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Recent research suggests that dietary fructose intake may increase the amount of uric acid in the blood — which is associated with painful gout — and that both uric acid and fructose consumption may be elevated in individuals with NAFLD.
NAFLD, the accumulation of extra fat in liver cells in people who drink little or no alcohol, is recognised as the fastest growing cause of liver disease in both Western and developing countries.
It is estimated to affect up to 30 per cent of the general population in Western countries and up to 9.6 per cent of all children and 38 per cent of obese children.
NAFLD is related to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome and may respond to treatments originally developed for other insulin-resistant states (e.g. diabetes mellitus type 2) such as weight loss, metformin, and thiazolidinediones. Up to 80 per cent of obese people have the disease.
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most extreme form of NAFLD, and is regarded as a major cause of cirrhosis of the liver of unknown cause.
Most people have a good outcome if the condition is caught in its early stages ‘NewmaxHealth’ reported that a team of Italian and British researchers studied obese children and adolescents with NAFLD.
All underwent liver biopsy and all completed a food frequency questionnaire, indicating when specific foods were consumed (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, etc.), how often (every day of the week, sometimes, or never), and portion size.

Share this:

Read More