BO, SIERRA LEONE—

Yatta Lahai and Fatama Alieu — two 30-year-old women in Sierra Leone — are waiting to have surgery that will restore their self-respect.

Both women have fistula, a condition caused by prolonged obstructed labor that leaves a woman unable to control her urine, feces or both.

Lahai says she lost her husband and the rest of her family because of the condition. Alieu says she avoids going out in public because of the embarrassment.

The Njaluahun Development Organization (NJADO) on Friday 27th May 2016 awarded scholarships to 54 Ebola orphans in Segbwema Town, Njaluahun Chiefdom Kailahun District. The ceremony was held at the Segbwema Community Center. The scholarships which is estimated around two thousand United States Dollars is offered to improve the educational standards of the pupils whose parents/guardians died during the course of the Ebola scourge. Donation of special text books to 18 schools in Segbwema also formed part of the scholarship award.

In his opening statement, the Chairman of Ceremony, John Jauna who doubles as Lecturer of Njala University College, Bo Campus said the Ebola situation was rather unfortunate and therefore NJADO is in solidarity with the prevailing circumstances that led to the demise of many compatriots. He said one way anybody can help now is to give support to the victims. According to him, Njaluahun has many prominent people, but just few of them, including those in Diaspora decided to establish NJADO with the aim of give their unreserved support to Njaluahun.  

wilsoncenter.org - May 24, 2016

On May 24, representatives from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Google joined a conversation with NPR Global Health and Development Correspondent Jason Beaubien to give an update on how the United States is managing Zika virus disease.

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MERS, H1N1, swine flu, chikungunya, Zika: Another virus with a peculiar name always seems to be right around the corner, threatening to become a pandemic.

As summer vacation nears, thousands of central Ohioans are planning a trip to an exotic locale -- perhaps to Brazil for the Summer Olympics.

Some doctors warn, however, there are more than sandy beaches, crystal blue waters and margaritas waiting for you: Dangerous parasites, viruses and bacteria can ruin your vacation -- or worse.

Image: The Hiroshima Memorial.

inhabitat.com - May 30th 2016 - Lacy Cooke

About 71 years after the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, President Obama visited the site and placed a wreath before the cenotaph at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. It is the first visit by a “sitting U.S. President.” Both Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Obama delivered speeches, and Obama spoke out against nuclear weapons.

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inhabitat.com - May 27th 2016 - Lacy Cooke

Danish architectural firm EFFEKT envisioned a future where self-sustaining communities could grow their own food and produce their own energy. They incorporated that vision into the ReGen Village, a planned off-grid community that addresses issues ranging from climate change to food security through sustainable design. They plan to start building these utopian communities this summer.

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Many of us will be firing up our grills this weekend for some well-deserved barbecue time. After all, barbecuing is one of America’s greatest pastimes, but it certainly isn’t one of our most environmentally friendly. Whether you prefer charcoal, wood chips or propane, grilling releases emissions and contributes to poor air quality.

Infectious diseases are one of the biggest killers in the world. Almost 5 million children under age 5 die each year from infectious diseases worldwide, yet many infections are treatable if the pathogen culprit can be quickly and accurately identified.

ISE-SHIMA (Japan), (Sputnik) – The recent Ebola outbreak claimed the lives of over 11,000 people, according to WHO estimates.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned that Ebola virus flare-ups would happen in 2016 despite the fact that all known chains of Ebola transmission had been stopped in West Africa.

Humans have been “acquiring” infectious diseases from animals (zoonotic diseases) since we first started hunting wild game on the African savannahs. Indeed, nearly 60% of bugs that infect humans originated in animals.

When I told her that I wanted to major in microbiology, my best friend from childhood responded, “Are you sure you want to look in a microscope all day?”

But, as it turned out, a lot of microbiologists don’t use microscopes very often. I was one of them. The reason is because a substantial proportion of modern microbiology research uses the tools of molecular biology, for which microscopes are not needed.

GENEVA—

The World Health Assembly has approved reforms that will increase the U.N. health agency's ability to respond rapidly and more effectively to health emergencies. In Geneva, a panel of experts discussed how new measures will help countries tackle emergencies, such as Ebola, Zika, and yellow fever.

Material to prevent Zika infection by mosquitoes are displayed at the 69th World Health Assembly at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, May 23, 2016

The mcr-1 plasmid-borne colistin resistance gene has been found primarily in Escherichia coli, pictured.  REUTERS/COURTESY CDC

CLICK HERE - STUDY - Escherichia coli Harboring mcr-1 and blaCTX-M on a Novel IncF Plasmid: First report of mcr-1 in the USA

CLICK HERE - Emergence of plasmid-mediated mcr-1 gene in colistin-resistant Enterobacter aerogenes and Enterobacter cloacae

U.S. health officials on Thursday reported the first case in the country of a patient with an infection resistant to all known antibiotics, and expressed grave concern that the superbug could pose serious danger for routine infections if it spreads.

"We risk being in a post-antibiotic world," said Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, referring to the urinary tract infection of a 49-year-old Pennsylvania woman who had not traveled within the prior five months.

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation will soon embark on a mass drug administration to reduce Lymphatic Filariasis in the country.
During a media brief at the conference room of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, the Programme Manager for Neglected Tropical Diseases in Sierra Leone, Dr Yakuba Bah called on members of the public to improve in sanitation in their various communities.