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African Rats Can Smell Presence of TB Bacteria

African rat

An overweight African rat! This is not a phrase that normally evokes feelings of gratitude, but just waits a minute. African Scientists have reported that rats can save lives by sniffing out tuberculosis with accuracy greater than that of a microscope.

The rat in question is the Gambian pouched rats, which are found in most places in Africa.  Researchers are training the rats to be able to smell Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause TB.

The New York times reports a study conducted in which rats were able to smell the difference between TB bacteria and the other germs found in human sputum sample or phlegm.  The rats’ ability to detect TB was as high as 86.6 percent, and their ability to rule it out was over 93 percent!

Most TB tests involve staining a sample of phlegm with a special compound and examining it under a microscope. This 100-year-old method is notoriously unreliable, however — as many as 60 to 80 percent of positive TB cases are undiagnosed, partly because the bacteria are hard to spot unless there are a lot of them in the sample. But the rats were able to sniff them out, detecting 44 percent more positive cases in a head-to-head competition.

Last month, the World Health Organization endorsed a new machine that can provide accurate results within two hours, but it costs $17,000, and each test requires a $17 cartridge. Rats, needless to, come cheap and what a treasure.

Worldwide, TB killed an estimated 1.7 million people in 2009, and 9.4 million people developed active.

The data is still preliminary but encouraging. Eventually, the rats could be used as a first line of detection for the disease

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A dead Whale in Lagos Seen as Prophetic

A dead sea pork washed ashore in Lagos, Nigeria is seen as prophetic by the local people. Some explain it as a sign of what God has for Nigerians in the forthcoming elections

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Update

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Flashing in East Africa

Sally Thorner

This post has nothing to do with taking your clothes off. But it is very revealing. Confirmation that the world is flat (to quote Thomas Friedman) can be found in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. East Africa has been transported from the 10th century to the 21st thanks to the cell phone. Hundreds of millions of them in fact. They’re ubiquitous here in the Serengeti (see photo taken with my cell phone!)

Our Maasai guides, who live in dung covered huts and whose tribe measures wealth by the number of cattle, carry their phones (along with their machetes) under their shukas. With the help of mobile devices and information shared by researchers, Maasai can now find where to bring their herd instead of roaming for hundreds of miles in search of water and pasture.

They also now know what the going price of cows is… not to mention what their wives expect them to bring home tonight. Although these warriors and other Africans can easily purchase the phones (the price of a goat,) seconds (let alone minutes) are less affordable. So they’ve learned a third language. First Swahili. Then English. Now Flashing.

Flash language gets around tariffs quite effectively. Mobile phone users ring (or flash) once to say “I am on the way.” Flashing twice means “I’m waiting for you;” and thrice translates to “I am home!” These definitions were provided by two Peace Corps workers we met in Rwanda. They’re learning the lingo as part of their un-official orientation.

This is really no different than the signaling that went on between my parents and me when I was in college… decades before cell phones. I’d call collect from the dorm phone; my parents wouldn’t accept the charges. They’d then call me back without an operator as a less expensive option. As telecommunications evolve so do the ‘short cuts.’

Our time in Tanzania provided other examples of our increasingly flat world. 5 years ago when my family and I were in South Africa and Botswana our safaris were lengthy adventures with no guarantees of animal sightings. Now, guides can ensure customer satisfaction by texting each other the coordinates of a cheetah kill or a pride of lions. There still has to be one tracker who hits pay dirt, but chances are, by the time your jeep arrives on the scene you’ll have company.
Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat” focused on commerce and globalization. But the ‘flatness’ resulting from technology has huge implications for Africa.

One Kenyan we spoke with said he believes that increasing connectivity de-mystifies the inter-tribal relations within his own country and across the continent as a whole. He told us that while these relations have historically led to xenophobia and even violent conflict (as was the case in Rwanda), the prevalence of cell phones has fostered a new, larger sense of community that is glossing over tribal differences.

Perhaps that’s wishful thinking, but technology is playing a more direct role in combating violence. A new human rights project, initiated by George Clooney, combines satellite imagery analysis and field reports with Google’s Map Maker technology to deter the resumption of war between North and South Sudan and the world’s next genocide.

With the cameras’ unblinking eyes it will certainly be harder for countries like ours to feign ignorance, but perhaps the ‘flattening’ of our world will one day render these precautions unnecessary.

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Unusual luggage: Weed (Cannabis) in Adebayor’s Paintings

Cannabis with a street value of £2,850 was found concealed within a painting of Adebayor
Koti Amudu

Drug smugglers tried to hide cannabis worth almost £3,000 in a painting of footballer Emmanuel Adebayor.

The wooden framed picture from Togo was seized as it passed through a postal sorting office in Coventry.

The painting of Manchester City’s former Arsenal star was addressed to a property in Tottenham.

The UK Border Agency revealed details of the find and others to highlight the ploys of drug traffickers.

Sniffer dogs

Officials have also intercepted stashes of drugs hidden in bottles of Baileys, woven baskets, packets of peanuts and yams that had been opened and glued back together.

Brodie Clark, head of Border Force, said the concealed drugs were all found during searches at ports, airports and postal sorting depots last year.

He said: “Criminals are prepared to invest large sums of money to come up with ever better concealment methods because they know the potential profits from the awful trade in harmful drugs are considerable.

“However, the smugglers are no match for the skill of our officers and the state-of-the-art technology at their disposal.”

Unusual luggage

Other parcels included glass ornaments in which air pockets had been stuffed with cocaine and a Belfast-bound birthday card holding cocaine worth £40,000.

Border staff use a range of methods and specialist equipment to detect drugs being smuggled into Britain.

Sniffer dogs are trained to identify certain drugs and cash while x-ray machines can reveal unusual luggage or parcels.

A low-dose radiation body-scanner can be used to detect whether mules have swallowed or stashed packets of drugs and officials also act on tip-offs.

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Ghana: Award List Dominated by Football Players

Black Stars of Ghana
Ghana Black Stars

Two members of the Black Stars are in the running for the Personality of the Year 2010 award, the highest honour by the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG).

Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan and Richard Kingson face competition from national bantamweight boxing champion, Joseph Agbeko for the award to be decided later in May. The public will contribute to deciding the overall winner via a mobile text poll.

Just like recent times, football again dominates the 2010 nominations.

Both Gyan and Kingson are again nominated for the Footballer of the Year prize with Andre Ayew as the third nominee.

Ex-Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac and coach of the local Black Stars side Herbert Addo have been put up for the Coach of the Year award.

President of the Ghana Football Association Kwesi Nyantakyi would be honoured with the Chairman of the Year prize.

A successful run of results in 2010 has seen the Black Stars selected for the Team of the Year while ex-Ghana captain Stephen Appiah would be presented with the Dedication and Valour award.

Kevin-Prince Boateng and headline sponsor of the Black Stars, Gold Fields Ghana would be presented with Special Awards.

The sports media group today announced the nominees for the various sporting disciplines in the country during the year under review.

According to SWAG, the performance of the sportsmen both at the national and international levels served the criteria for settling on the nominees.

Award Nominees

Personality of the Year – Asamoah Gyan, Richard Kingson, Joseph Agbeko

Footballer of the Year – Andre Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, Richard Kingson.

Coach of the Year – Milovan Rajevac, Herbert Addo

Chairman of the Year – Kwesi Nyantakyi

Team of the Year – Black Stars

Dedication and Valour – Stephen Appiah

Special Awards – Kevin Prince Boateng, Gold Fields Ghana Limited

Source: Ghanafa.org

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Ghana Is Not Moved by Nigeria, Coach

Ghana Black Satellites (bottom) and Nigerian Flying Eagles (top)
Ghana Black Satellites (bottom) and Nigerian Flying Eagles (top)
Seth Appiah

THE coach of the Ghana Black Satellites, Orlando Wellington has told Goal.com he is aware of the pressure that comes with it to lead the defending champion to the upcoming African U-20 Championship in Libya.

“It’s not going to be easy but we’re ready for it. We have been there before and we know how it feels to get to the top and we’re ready to repeat history,” he said.

Ghana is in Group B described as the ‘Group of Death’ that comprise Nigeria, Cameroun, and Gambia while host Libya has been paired in Group A alongside Mali, Egypt and Lesotho.

Wellington noted he is aware of the capabilities of his opponents but the challenge spurs his side on to go for laurels.

“We’re in a tough group but with deter-mi-nation we can scale over them. I have confidence in my boys and they are ready for the task,” he assured.

The semi-finalists will represent the continent at the FIFA U-20 World Cup slated for Colombia later in the year.

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Broke But Beautiful: Making the Best of it When on Budget

Chantelle Bester, Contributor from the Ghanaian Journal

There can’t be anything worse than realising that you’ll have to drop your beauty standards a few notches in order to be able to live through the month. Being on a budget is sadly, a rather common occurrence but there are ways not to let it affect your grooming too much.

I was recently reminded of this when I stood in a cosmetic department and could not, for the life of me, find a cleanser for under 300 bucks — and I don’t know about you, but in the last week of most months, 300 bucks means a lot in my wallet.

Here are some of my tips on how you can make the most of your budget, which products are essential, which can be skipped altogether and which can be left until “next month”….

Keep it clean

Cleansing is an essential step, and should never be skipped or skimped on. Free Radicals (from pollution, UV radiation, smoke, dirt and dust to name a few) accumulate on your skin during the course of every day, and need to be removed since it’s the main cause of skin ageing.

Fortunately you do not need an expensive product to do the job, and many trusty pharmacy cleansers are kind to your skin and your bank balance. A cleanser need not have fancy ingredients, but look for terms like “pH balanced” and “soap free”.

The term “dermatologically tested” means nothing to me — all products have to be tested before they are allowed to be sold. If you want the extra benefit of exfoliation (removal of dead skin cells), look for a cleanser with fruit enzymes, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) or salycilic acid — this eliminates the need for an additional exfoliating product thus saving you some more bucks.

Not Particularly Useful

I’m probably at risk of being publicly stoned, but I do not see any need for a toner with the technology used in skincare nowadays. Cleansing twice will benefit you much more than a toner if it’s the squeaky-clean feeling you’re after, or if you feel that a toner does the last bit of cleaning for you. It certainly does no harm, but gone are the days of astringent toners that claim to “tighten” or “close” the pores after cleansing. Why would you want to “close” your pores if your next step is to apply cream?

Scrub-a-dub-dub

Exfoliation is another important step. If you do not exfoliate, dead skin builds up which causes blockages like black- and white-heads, and prevents your skincare products from penetrating properly.

Imagine the blackened layer on a burnt slice of toast – no butter will get through to the rest of the bread, meaning you might as well be pouring your moisturizers and serums down the drain. Not being a fan of abrasive granules in exfoliators (they are, after all, abrasive and damaging to more sensitive skins), I prefer an exfoliator with enzymes and/or AHAs that gently but very effectively loosens and dissolve dead skin cells without being too harsh.

If you prefer an exfoliator with granules (or a scrub, as it’s commonly known), I would advise going for something that contains artificial beads that are mechanically made to be perfect spheres that will not scratch or injure the skin surface, unlike natural ingredients like ground pumice. You can also, as mentioned earlier, use a cleanser with exfoliating properties.

The next step

Serums and treatment creams are an important step in correcting any skin conditions (think pigmentation, acne, sun damage, ageing skin). This is a product worth spending a little more money on, since it should play a large part in the results you achieve from your skincare regime, provided your skin is well exfoliated of course. You can change or switch serums once or twice a year, or as your skin develops different needs.

Hydrate your skin

Many professionals, especially dermatologists, believe a moisturiser, no matter how prettily packaged, is still merely a moisturiser and its function is to deliver moisture to the most superficial layers of the skin.

If you have no skin problems, or if you are using a good serum or treatment cream, a basic pharmacy moisturiser will do the trick. If, however, your skin is exceptionally dry or dehydrated, be on the lookout for a moisturiser containing Hyaluronic acid, or ask for products that contain humectants — ingredients that are specifically designed to attract and transport moisture to where it is needed.

Get protection

Another boring-sounding but vitally important step in your skincare regime is sun protection. A sunscreen with a SPF of 20 to 30 is ideal for everyday use. Come rain or shine, your sunscreen protects your skin against various forms of UV radiation, and can greatly slow down the ageing process and maintain an even complexion. A sunscreen can be used over a moisturiser, or you can use a moisturiser that contains an SPF of 20 or higher.

Not an iron mask

Masks have always been the last products I would recommend as it may be a nice extra to have, but not an essential at all. If you need or want something extra, you will benefit much more from a serum, since it can penetrate more effectively, and is not rinsed off the skin.

Putting on your face

The rule is stick to a good foundation (mineral foundations have added skin care benefits) that is non-comedogenic (does not block pores and cause blackheads), non-acnegenic, and oil-free.

Unfortunately, the more smudge-proof/long lasting/waterproof/magical it claims to be, the more chemicals have to be added to it. This is something you have to weigh up as the confidence you might gain from “flawless skin” makes up for this in most cases.

And the rest

Looking at the other stuff in your cosmetic bag, I like having decent mascara, eyeliner and bronzer, and for the rest I shop during the seasonal sales in the cosmetic departments. For example, you’re probably not going to use an eye shadow in a high fashion colour very often, so a cheapie will do just fine. And I have honestly bought some R30 lipglosses that are way better than a R300 version I have owned.

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How Stereotypes Devour The Good News From Africa

African Stereotypes
The unfair African stereotypes

It is said that if you do not define yourself, others will define you. You can let others define you, which is the easier way or forge ahead and make your own path. I make a call for us to redefine Africa in our own terms.

Africa is depicted in the western media as a continent synonymous with genocide, disease, corruption, poverty, ignorance, deprivation, banditry, brigandage, slaughter fields, child soldiers, gang-raped girls, harassed mothers and wasted children. The continent is even at times referred to as the ‘dark’ continent.  Surely, we are plagued by some of these challenges but those should not define the continent and its people.

Today, such one-size-fit-all portrayal of Africa is irresponsible. Some countries and sub-regions have made significant strides in every facet of life. Despite a few aberrations, democracy is strengthening in several countries, while some economies are projected to see the fastest growth among economies in the years ahead. We may just cross our hands and complain about the unfair African stereotypes or each of us can decide to embark on his or her own mission to shape the ending of the story, the beginning of which is beyond our control.

I do not think it is going to be easy to expunge the current Western mindset on the African continent and people. I however believe that it is worth trying. Every African has a role to play in reversing this mindset. There has to be a gracious but aggressive challenge when people are caught on the wrong side of the facts. My goal is to arm our readers with the facts and figures to confront people who intentionally or out of honest ignorance get it wrong on Africa.

Very often, we hear Africa being portrayed as a country that is in a civil war. I personally feel upset when I hear people depict Africa as a jungle with women walking on streets with naked chest, every child starving, and scattered villages with schools held under trees. Perception becomes a reality, at least in the mind, if it is not confronted. It is for this reason that I call upon all readers to fight this unfair stereotyping. We are generally meek people, but our meekness should not be mistaken for a weakness.

I have listed below some facts about Africa that are easily missed and sometimes dishonestly covered up.

  • Africans are not the sad, hungry looking folks normally depicted in the media. In fact a new survey by conducted by BVA Gallup in 53 countries and reported by French daily Le Parisien showed that Nigerians and Ghanaians are the second and third most optimistic people, respectively, beaten only by Vietnam.
  • Africa is a continent of 54 independent countries with nearly 1 billion people (about 3 times population of the US)
  • That the size of the African continent (30,3 million km²) is larger than the combination of China (9,6 million km²), the US (9,4 million km²), Western Europe (4,9 million km²), India (3,2 million km²) and Argentina (2,8 million km
  • That Africans abroad remit back home about $40 billion annually and still manage to pay their mortgage and credit cards.
  • That English, French, Arabic, Portuguese are used as medium of instructions right from kindergarten in most countries.
  • That like Brazil, Peru, and Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo has one of the richest ecosystems in the world (have you ever heard something good about the DRC?)
  • That Africa is not a parasite on the western economy but rather make significant contributions to the global economic system, with an estimated combined purchasing power of more than $2.5 trillion [source: United Nations Development Program (UNDP)].
  • That Africa has the only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace prize winners. It is Vilakazi Street, Soweto, South Africa. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have houses on the street (that’s significant, I think).
  • That Africa is not all slums. From Johannesburg to Dakar, Dares Salaam to Nairobi, and Accra to Cairo many African cities boast of towering skyscrapers, complex infrastructures, 21st Universities and a sizzling nightlife that will amaze any first time uninformed tourist.
  • That the continent can boast of some of the most talented athletes on the planet.

Knowledge is power. These are the weapons that I use to fight the stereotypes. You are welcome to add them to your arsenal.  It is time to uncover the Africa they do not report.

Thanks for reading.