Issues Archives - Page 52 of 64

February 11, 2011February 14, 2011

Do Not Tax Anti-Malaria Medicines and Products

Malaria advocacy group, Malaria Taxes and Tariffs Advocacy Project (M-TAP), is insisting that governments drop all taxes and tariffs on medicines, mosquito nets and other anti-malaria tools in order to bring down the costs of the products and facilitate their delivery to the people who need it.

M-TAP says only six countries worldwide have completely removed tariffs on products used to fight the disease, despite a promise 10 years ago from African leaders to do so.

Campaigners say dropping taxes and tariffs can play a key role in cutting costs because the vast majority of drugs and other products used to fight malaria are imported from overseas.

To date, M-TAP says, only the African countries of Guinea, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania and Uganda and the Asian nation of Papua New Guinea have done away with tariffs on commodities recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as essential to effective malaria control.

These include long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets, malaria drugs known as artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), rapid diagnostic tests, insecticides for indoor spraying, and insecticide spray pumps.

M-TAP, which has been gathering evidence from nearly 80 malaria-hit countries over the past two years, said it found that taxes and tariffs on anti-malaria products provide only minimal revenues, and these gains are often offset by health costs and lost productivity from preventable malaria illnesses.

Taxes and tariffs may also prevent the poor from gaining access to malaria treatment, the group said.

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February 10, 2011January 3, 2013

Malaria: What is it and Why I Believe Our Generation Can Defeat it

By Kwabena Amponsah-Manager

What is Malaria?

Malaria is a tropical disease that is caused by the bite from the female Anopheles mosquito. The parasite is known as Plasmodium. Globally about 22 countries are plagued by malaria, most of them in the tropical regions and a few sub-tropical countries.

Symptoms of Malaria:

The symptoms of malaria include fever, anemia, chills, lost of appetite, general body weakness, nausea, convulsions and headache. The most characteristic symptom of malaria is the cycle of sudden chills followed by fever and sweating.

Occurrence:

There are more than 400 million cases of malaria annually. If not treated, the infection can be fatal, especially in infants, pregnant mothers and seniors. Malaria kills between one and three million people, the majority of whom are young children in sub-Saharan Africa, where 90% of malaria-related deaths occur.

The most serious form of the disease is caused by Plasmodium falciparum which is one of several species of the parasite that cause the disease. A milder form of the disease results from the species Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae.

Prevention and Treatment of Malaria:

The most effective means of preventing the disease is to prevent the bite from the mosquito. Insecticide treated mosquito nets and insect repellents are first line preventive measures. Mass preventive measures such as spraying insecticides inside houses and draining standing water where mosquitoes lay their eggs are also employed by governments and institutions.

Currently there is no effective vaccine against malaria though a few are in development (GSK is a leader in this aspect). A variety of antimalarial medications are available. In the last 5 years, treatment of P. falciparum infections in endemic countries has been altered by the use of combinations of drugs containing an artemisinin derivative. Severe malaria is treated with intravenous or intramuscular quinine or, increasingly, the artemisinin derivative artesunate. Several drugs are also available to prevent malaria in travelers to malaria-endemic countries (prophylaxis). An example of prophylactic malaria drug is Malarone. Chloroquine used to be most commonly prescribed medicine against malaria but the parasite developed resistance to the drug. It is still being used to treat and prevent malaria though not as effective as it used to be. In places where drug resistance parasites have not yet been confirmed, such as Central America and parts of the Middle East, Chloroquine is still the drug of choice prevent and treat P. falciparum and P. vivax infections.

For reasons not fully understood, a number of diseases appear to provide some resistance to malaria. Notable ones include sickle cell disease, thalassaemias, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, Duffy antigens. Some people have red blood cells that lack proteins called Duffy antigens on their surface. Duffy antigens act as receptors for Plasmodium vivax merozoites, so people without Duffy antigens are resistant to infection from this parasite. Again, individuals who live in malaria-endemic regions acquire immunity to malaria through natural exposure to malaria parasites. In fact, naturally acquired immunity to falciparum malaria protects millions of people routinely exposed to Plasmodium falciparum infection from the disease.

Even though malaria has not received the global attention required for a killer of such profile, wealthy foundations, some private companies, and smart governments across the world are beginning to wake and make malaria a priority. However, there are still skeptics who doubt humans’ ability to eradicate malaria. Early November of 2010 a series of papers published in a respected scientific journal, the Lancet cast a gloomy cloud over any hope of dealing with malaria, at least in our lifetime. The papers concluded by urging governments, donor agencies and foundations to focus more on minimizing the prevalence of malaria and not on eradicating the killer.

Generally speaking, and not necessarily referring to the Lancet papers, considering mankind’s quest to conquer the universe, occupy Space, and pursue every kind of technology to make life easier and better, it would be intellectuality dishonest and morally criminal for humans to accept the theory that malaria is ineradicable.

A few decades ago, significant portion of North America was plagued with malaria in the same fashion as African countries are going through. In fact, it was not until the late 1890′s that scientists even learnt that the disease is caused by a parasite and that it is a mosquito that transmits the parasite from person to person. The assumption in those days was that malaria was caused by some environmental factors. The word malaria actually comes from the Italian “mala aria”, meaning “bad air” because it was generally believed that malaria was caused by breathing in bad or foul air and vapors emanating from swamps, marshy lands and latrines.

It is important to remember that 70 to 80 years ago, Americans traveling to the Eastern Tennessee Valleys had the same fear they now have when traveling to Togo or Ivory Coast because of malaria. With the creation of the U.S. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 which established an organized malaria control program, the doubts began to fade. At the time, malaria affected 30 percent of the population in the region where the TVA was incorporated. After implementing aggressive research and control operations, the disease was essentially eradicated in the TVA region by 1947.

The US did not win the battle over malaria overnight. Efforts to control malaria became national focus as far back as the early 20th century during the occupation of American military in Cuba and the construction of the Panama Canal. It is recorded that malaria (and yellow fever) caused significant number of deaths among the workers of the canal. This triggered an aggressive program of malaria control which in 10 years had already made remarkable progress.

Malaria can be defeated, albeit, not overnight. The funding available for anti-malaria campaigns, and research and development is tiny compared to the challenges.

In the long run, I believe that prevention of malaria is the cost-effective route to take rather than treatment of the disease. However, for preventive measures to make the required impact, funding would have to be ramped up.

Current statistics show that in many of the malaria endemic countries, funding is less than US$1 per capita, and in fact it is less than US$0.5 in 16 malaria endemic countries, making up about 710 million people.

Much as I wanted this to be educational rather than political, I cannot help but state that malaria could be eradicated from the earth at negligible percentage of the cost of the Iraq war. It has been estimated by Economist Jeffrey Sachs that malaria can be controlled for US$3 billion in aid per year. (The cost of the Iraq war stands at $774 billion at the time of writing this article)

Our generation must stand trial for genocide for inaction on a problem that kills a child every 30-40 seconds. It is every 30-40 seconds!

How to Reach Higher Altitude With Positive Attitude

In a world characterized by upheavals, crisis, disappointments, depression and dejection, there is a need for every individual that wants to live, have fun and ultimately take the rightful place in destiny to be self-motivated and self-encouraged. This is because I have come to realize that to cross over from “mourning” to “morning”, it takes “U”, letter that distinguishes the two homophonic words in the English language. Whenever you are faced with any challenges in life, buck ultimately stops with you. The decision you take at any time determines where you will be the next moment and what happens to you subsequently. It is therefore important to make informed decisions in life. In all these, a positive attitude in life is vital for higher altitude.

In order for you to make decisions in life, you may need to learn either from the mistakes of others or their stories. It is usually very costly to learn from one’s own mistakes. The mistakes or the stories of others help tremendously in determining the attitudes you will put forth when confronted with similar challenges. Attitude, yes attitude!

When exposed to situations others are confronting, in most cases, our first reaction is “If I were the person, I would have responded this way or that way? More often than not we tend to blame such people, especially if what befalls them is a misfortune. We blame those in power for not performing; we criticize those performing for not doing enough and, disturbingly, we attribute the causes of our misfortunes in life to what others did or did not do. This is the tragedy of the today’s world.

I have, however, discovered that we are where we are not only because of bad leadership, poverty, lack of education, lack of parents, lack of love from others, among other reasons we may want to adduce, but because of what we do when we are faced with challenges in life. Do we react to situations or respond to them? If you have been reactive, then there is the need for a change. It is vital that you be responsive to situations; you be positive-minded and see the inherent best even in the worst of situations. This is because even thorns have roses. Where others see difficulties, you must begin to see opportunities. All you need to do is to look within and think beyond. Remember, the future you cannot picture, you cannot capture. And to capture your desired future you must be conscious of the fact that attitude is not just everything, but the ONLY thing. It is your attitude that determines your altitude in life. A positive attitude equals higher altitude.

Check for Part 2 shortly.

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February 10, 2011May 31, 2011

Do Not Risk Your Life on The Health Black Market: Your Butt is Fine The Way It Looks

It appears common sense expired before the turn of the 20^th century but it’s not too late to revive it. The title ‘Doctor’ does not necessarily refer to someone who performs an open heart surgery. I am a doctor too, at least that what the wall hanger in my computer room says, even though unfortunately, no one calls me so, and I want to acknowledge that I’ve never given an injection.

It is time for all of us to apply some common sense to our health and lives. Black market health delivery is a big business and a grave killer of our time. Whenever a ‘so-called surgeon or doctor’ asks you to meet him or her in a hotel room or restaurant to obtain your procedure, you should be worried, very worried.

On Wednesday, it was reported that a 20-year old student from London, Ms Claudia Adusei died in a Philadelphia Hotel after receiving a silicone injection in her butts, presumably to enhance her curves from behind. Other news sources say that Claudia and friends traveled to the US in November 2010 to obtain a similar injection.

This time, things did not go as planned. According to the reports, 12 hours after the procedure, Ms. Adusei began complaining of chest pains and was rushed to the hospital where she later died.

A preliminary medical examination indicated that silicone from the injection had entered Adusei’s vascular system and ultimately stopped her heart.

It is sad to say that Ms. Adusei’s death should not have happened. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits the injection of liquid silicone for cosmetic purposes. Silicones, more precisely called polymerized siloxanes or polysiloxanes, have been approved for cosmetic use, such as breast augmentation, but its use as performed on Claudia Adusei is prohibited.

I know there is somebody reading this article who is thinking of following a similar procedure to look good for the summer beach party or the next classmate’s re-union. If you don’t like the way you look, there are certified practitioners who can assist you look the way you want to you if you have your money. The difference is that none of these professionals will ask to meet you in a hotel or shopping mall to receive the procedure. They belong to trade associations which control and monitor their practices and may have insurance coverage should something get out of hand.

It is important to know that these Black Market MDs are not certified healthcare professionals in the countries they operate. Some are Medical Students from other countries who have immigrated to the US, UK or other countries and are finding it difficult to get the required accreditation papers to practice. Again some of these doctors may have to repeat part of their medical school in the West, and pass a series of difficult and expensive exams which could take years.

They therefore take the short cut by offering services under the table. They resort to using a mishmash of professional and homemade equipments. In fact there are dentist in the black market using your normal dressing room mirrors and hand-held tools to explore the mouths of patients.

Do not risk your life on the health black market. By the way, your butt is fine the way it looks.

February 9, 2011

West ‘Facilitates Corruption in Africa’ Says Top Economist

CNN) — Industrialized countries have been enabling corruption in Africa by providing crooked officials with a haven for their money, according to Nobel economics laureate Joseph Stiglitz.

The former World Bank chief economist, one of the few economists to foresee the global financial crisis, was among the speakers at this year’s Global Poverty Summit, held in Johannesburg.

Speaking to CNN’s Robyn Curnow, Stiglitz expressed optimism about Africa’s economic prospects, but he said there should be more discussion about undisclosed bank accounts in the West that are used to facilitate high-level fraud in Africa.

“The advanced industrial countries have some responsibility,” said Stiglitz. “One of the things that’s on a standard form is for corrupt dictators to steal money and put it in a bank account in an advanced industrial country.

“There’s been a lot of discussion in the G-20 about secret bank accounts as tax agents — there hasn’t been enough discussion of secret bank accounts as corruption facilitators.”

Stiglitz said corruption could be reduced by increasing scrutiny of corrupt governments, using mechanisms such as freedom of information acts and a free press.

But he added that the West also had a role to play.

“One of the countries that hosted the G-20 and talked all the time about tax corruption, that same country is a haven for corrupt money and refuses to repatriate money that has been stolen from Africa,” he said.

“Now, this seems to me something that ought to be on the agenda. There’s a relationship, there are people making money off of it, and we ought to stop that.

“We shouldn’t enable that corruption and we’re doing that in the West when we allow them to have their secret bank accounts.”

Stiglitz added that there was reason for optimism about economic growth in Africa, with changes to economic policies in recent years starting to bear fruit.

“There is an enormous amount of dynamism in Africa, so I think it’s a moment of real opportunity,” he said.

But he stressed the need for Africa to reverse what he called its “process of de-industrialization over the last 25 years.”

“One of the things that Africa has to do is realize it cannot just be a source of natural resources, that it has to start industrializing, producing agriculture services — it’s not just the old industry,” he said. “I think it’s actually a very good time. Wages are rising in Asia and people are asking, ‘Where can we start producing in a competitive way?’ I think Africa provides an example of one of the important areas.”

February 9, 2011May 31, 2011

A Woman, Adusei, Dead After Silicone Butt Injection

US police are investigating the death of a woman, believed to be British, who had a silicone injection in her buttocks at a hotel in Philadelphia.

Detectives said the woman, named in reports as UK student Claudia Adusei, 20, and three companions travelled from London and were staying at the Hampton Inn near Philadelphia airport.

Detective Joseph Murray said a 20-year-old woman who had received a buttocks injection later complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing. Paramedics were called, and she was taken to Mercy Fitzgerald hospital where she died.

US news channel NBC named the dead woman as Adusei. Two of her group had previously travelled to Philadelphia in November to have their buttocks enlarged the report said, and on Monday, one received another buttocks injection; the other had a hip augmentation costing $1,800.

It is not known how much Adusei paid for the cosmetic procedure.

Police are seeking two people involved in the cosmetic procedures, which they believe were arranged over the internet.

“We’re not quite sure right now if the person performing that procedure is licensed,” Lieutenant John Walker said. “We’re still working on that information.” He said detectives were awaiting test results to determine the substance used in the procedure.

(The woman has not yet been completely identified, but the name Adusei is a classic name from the West African country Ghana, where big bottom craze is a growing phenomenon. Big bottom fashion trend is common in some African countries, notable among them are Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria. TalkAfrique)

February 8, 2011February 11, 2011

February is Black History Month, We Look at Black First

Roselyn Payne Epps: First African-American elected national president of the American Medical Women’s Association in 1991

February is designated as Black History month. It is for the remembrance of the events in the history of the _{African Diaspora}. I therefore wanted to use this post to highlight the achievements of Blacks in the areas of Science & Medicine and Sports, dubbed Black First

1) Black First in Science and Medicine:

Roselyn Payne Epps was the first African-American elected national president of the American Medical Women’s Association in 1991.

Charles Henry Turner (1867-1931) became the first person to prove that insects can hear and distinguish pitch. He was a Zoologist and held a doctorate from the University of Chicago.

Joycelyn Elders became the first African-American and first woman US Surgeon General in 1993.

Frederick D. Gregory was the first African-American to pilot a spacecraft. In 1985 STS-51B/Spacelab-3 launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 29th with Colonel Frederick D. Gregory as pilot.

2) Black First in Sports:

Althea Gibson – was the first African American to play in and win Wimbledon and the United States national tennis championship. She won both tournaments twice, in 1957 and 1958. In all, Gibson won 56 tournaments, including five Grand Slam singles events.
Don Barksdale – a basketball star at UCLA became the first African-American named consensus All-American in 1947.
Fritz Pollard — was the first African American to play in the NFL. Later in his career he became a coach and also continued to play running back. In 2005 he was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
National Basketball Association (NBA) – In the 1950-51 NBA season Chuck Cooper became the first black player to be drafted when he was chosen by Boston; Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton became the first to sign an NBA contract when he signed with New York, and Earl Lloyd became the first to play in an NBA regular-season game because the schedule had his Washington team opening one day before the others.
Willie O’Ree — was the first African American to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). He had a short career that was started in 1958 with the Boston Bruins. His career ended in 1961 and the next year that an African American played in the league was 1974 when Mike Marson was drafted by the Washington Capitals.

During this month, I will be presenting “Blacks First” in other areas.

February 7, 2011July 8, 2012

When the Mugabes Become a Sexual Joke in Zimbabwe

Alice Chimora

Frustrated Zimbabweans seem to have discovered a new hobby as they ridicule their aging president, Robert Mugabe and his young wife, Grace.

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Two men from the border town of Plumtree, a gateway to Botswana, had the audacity of drawing caricatures of Zimbabwe’s extravagant first lady, Grace Mugabe cuddling his long suspected lover’s private parts, Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono.

The pair – Blessed Gay Phiri, a former police officer, and Mxolisi Tshabalala were arrested for possessing subversive material which court records reveal they had received in the form of bank notes from an unknown suspect.

Several bank notes depicted the aging Mugabe standing with his young wife, Grace, and Gono, Mugabe’s personal banker, while Grace was depicted in the cartoon holding Gono’s private parts with a wide smile.

Surprisingly, Phiri, who was nabbed on 18 January while showing off the notes to a group of friends was not formally charged with undermining the authority or insulting president or his immediate family when he appeared in court last Friday (February 4).

The two men are currently out on a $50 bail each and scheduled to appear on March 2.

A controversial history

A number of Zimbabweans have been arrested over the past few years for insulting Mugabe whom they blame for ruining what was once one of Africa’s success stories with common insults ranging from idiot, goblin, moron to crazy old man.

Nonetheless it is an offence under Zimbabwe’s tough security laws to undermine or insult Mugabe, the only ruler Zimbabweans have ever known since the country’s independence from Britain 30 years ago.

Grace Mugabe who is Robert Mugabe’s second official wife and who is 41 years his junior, has since 2005 been romantically linked with controversial Reserve Bank chief, Gono and is also believed to have had a string of lovers in the past, some of who have died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Two of the most known names include, Peter Pamire, a budding young businessman died in a bizarre car accident some years back, and James Makamba, one of Zimbabwe’s richest businessmen and a top-ranking Zanu-PF official who is believed to have been forced into exile when the cover was blown over his affair with Grace.

But Mugabe’s current union with Grace was founded on an adulterous relationship which shocked many Zimbabweans at the time.

Grace, who used to be a junior secretary in the typing pool in Mugabe’s office, was married to an air force officer when she began having an affair with the president.

Robert Mugabe had two children with Grace while Mugabe’s first wife, Sally, a Ghanaian national, was alive.

After Sally Mugabe’s death in 1996, Robert Mugabe officially married Grace.[ad#Adsense-200by200sq]