Lagos(LSACA) to conduct household AIDS Survey

Isidi Monica

A cross section of participants at the event

The Lagos State Agency for the Control of AIDS (LSACA) has combarked on her plan of conducting the first Lagos AIDS Survey (LAGAIS) so as to provide database on the prevalence of AIDS and lighten up the burden of the disease on individuals and communities in the State.

The survey will be private household study which includes children.

Healthcare workers and LSACA staff would be visiting participants to collect blood samples to test for HIV/AIDS in various communities.

Mrs Olubunmi Ilawole, Health Educator, Lagos State Ministry of Health, disclosed this at an interactive session organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs for the Community Development Committee (CDC), Community Development Associations (CDAs) and other stakeholders across the State held at the Lagos State Government Secretariat, Alausain Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

She said with rapid population of Lagos, the survey was to create more awareness and knowledge about HIV/AIDS and provide opportunity for participant to know the status so that appropriate measures could be taken to live a healthy and productive life in the society.

Ilawole, however, called on community and traditional leaders to inform and encourage every households and individuals to cooperate and participate during the survey and collection of blood samples in communities.

“Doing so will establish their knowledge about HIV and provide them with the opportunity to know their status, so that appropriate measures can be taken to take good care of them and their families’’ she said.

The representative of Lagos State Commissioner of Police, SP Bangajiya Charles said that the police were doing their best in fighting crimes and criminal activities in the various communities in the State, but appealed to the residents to help the law enforcement agents to tackle and fight hoodlums so as to have a safety society.

“We will continue to serve you, we will continue to do our best and ensure that Lagos State is the best and safest State and if you see something, say something’’.

He, however, implored everyone to collaborate with the police by giving vital information that would help the operation of the police in their respective communities, adding that “working together with us will help us track down all forms of criminalities because the people know the hoodlums more.”

Special Adviser to the Governor on Communities and Communications, Mr.Kehinde Bamigbetan, said the interactive session with the CDAs and CDCs was provide avenue for stakeholders to know that the present administration was prompt in planning, committed and proactive, saying that the reason was to energized the community leaders to be more aware of every of State`s programmes.

Lagos(LSACA) to conduct household AIDS Survey

Isidi Monica

A cross section of participants at the event

The Lagos State Agency for the Control of AIDS (LSACA) has combarked on her plan of conducting the first Lagos AIDS Survey (LAGAIS) so as to provide database on the prevalence of AIDS and lighten up the burden of the disease on individuals and communities in the State.

The survey will be private household study which includes children.

Healthcare workers and LSACA staff would be visiting participants to collect blood samples to test for HIV/AIDS in various communities.

Mrs Olubunmi Ilawole, Health Educator, Lagos State Ministry of Health, disclosed this at an interactive session organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs for the Community Development Committee (CDC), Community Development Associations (CDAs) and other stakeholders across the State held at the Lagos State Government Secretariat, Alausain Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

She said with rapid population of Lagos, the survey was to create more awareness and knowledge about HIV/AIDS and provide opportunity for participant to know the status so that appropriate measures could be taken to live a healthy and productive life in the society.

Ilawole, however, called on community and traditional leaders to inform and encourage every households and individuals to cooperate and participate during the survey and collection of blood samples in communities.

“Doing so will establish their knowledge about HIV and provide them with the opportunity to know their status, so that appropriate measures can be taken to take good care of them and their families’’ she said.

The representative of Lagos State Commissioner of Police, SP Bangajiya Charles said that the police were doing their best in fighting crimes and criminal activities in the various communities in the State, but appealed to the residents to help the law enforcement agents to tackle and fight hoodlums so as to have a safety society.

“We will continue to serve you, we will continue to do our best and ensure that Lagos State is the best and safest State and if you see something, say something’’.

He, however, implored everyone to collaborate with the police by giving vital information that would help the operation of the police in their respective communities, adding that “working together with us will help us track down all forms of criminalities because the people know the hoodlums more.”

Special Adviser to the Governor on Communities and Communications, Mr.Kehinde Bamigbetan, said the interactive session with the CDAs and CDCs was provide avenue for stakeholders to know that the present administration was prompt in planning, committed and proactive, saying that the reason was to energized the community leaders to be more aware of every of State`s programmes.

My wife hates my mother with a passion

Morning Teaser: ''

Isaac Dachen / 2 hours ago

"Dear Pulse,

My name is Emdy, a 38-year-old man. I got married two years ago due to pressure from my family, especially my mother who wanted her only son to settle down and become a responsible man.

I had dated Joan for over three years at that time and seemed the perfect choice for me, going by the fact that my mother and two sisters loved her and had started calling her their wife right from the first day I introduced her to them.

I lost my father when I was in my first year at the university and being the only male child, my mother transferred the affection she had for my father to me and did everything possible to make me comfortable.

My mother went out of her way to provide for me, even selling her things to pay my school fees. She denied herself so many good things of life just to see me through life.

After my sisters got married and let the house, my mother put the pressure on me and said I must get married so that my wife would take care of her in her old age. She kept at it, even went for deliverance services on my behalf.

I kept assuring her that I would get married at the right time when I found the right woman. I always prayed for God to give me a woman who would love my mother and take very good care of her, so when Joan showed the signs fo such a woman, I did not hesitate in asking her to marry.

But how was I to know that she was just doing all those things to impress me and get me to marry her? Joan changed immediately after we got married. My mother had been living with me when we got married but suddenly, Joan changed towards her, often starving her and maltreating her in my absence.

Whenever mom told me about what Joan was doing, the way she spoke and insulted her, I would calm her down, telling her to give my wife time to adjust to the fact that she is now a married woman.

I would talk to my wife in private, telling her to accord my mother the respect she deserved. But the thing got to a point when my wife would refuse to cook and whenever I queried her, she would say my mother should also ook since she is my first wife.

I thought she was joking initially but when she insisted that my mother must leave my house and go back to her husband's home, I had to take another look at the whole situation.

Since I did not want any quarrel between them, I spoke to my older sisters as we all agreed that mom should interchange visits and rotate among all, something we thought would not cause any friction.

But since my mother left, my wife has refused to allow her to come to our house. Even when we had our baby, Joan refused to allow my mother to come and visit us. The most annoying thing is that her mother and other family members have unfettered access to our house.

When I insisted that my mother must come and stay with us for a while, my wife had the guts to tell me that she was told by a prophet that my mother is a witch and would cause a lot of distress in our lives.

That was when I decided that I had had enough and I told her so. I have given her an ultimatum: it is either she accepts my mother or the marriage would be over. No woman can ever take the place of my mother as long as she is still alive.

Emdy."

Dear readers, on Morning Teaser today, do you think Emdy has taken the right step? Should he back his wife or support his mother?

Visit website

Eight accused of being ‘ vampires ‘

Agency Reporter / 1 hour ago

Police on Friday confirmed that eight people accused of being vampires were killed by angry mob in Malawi.

Police Spokesperson Ramsey Mushani told dpa on Friday that the killings, which took place in Malawi’s south, are based on the belief that vampires dressed in black enter the homes of sleeping residents to suck their blood.

Mushani said the latest killing occurred on Thursday in the southern city of Blantyre when a group of angry residents accused an epileptic man of being a vampire and then killed him,

The spokesperson said thirty-one people have been arrested on charges of murder, assault and arson due to the mob killings.

UN and the U.S. embassy in Malawi issued warnings to foreigners visiting southern Malawi.

Myths and superstitions are deeply entrenched in the nation of 17 million people where almost 40 per cent of adults are illiterate, according to the UN.

NAN reports that no fewer tan 100 riot officers were drafted into the region in response to the killings, but terrified armed mobs continued hunting for ‘vampires’ on the streets and set-up road blocks.

Nigeria to receive $22 billion in foreign remittances in 2017 – World Bank

Isidi Monica 

As reflected by the World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief, Nigeria is expected to receive $22 billion via foreign remittances.

This was revealed on Tuesday through a statement on the bank’s website.

Remittances to low and middle-income countries are on course to recovery in 2017 after two consecutive years of decline, the bank has said.

According to the statement, “the Bank estimates that officially recorded remittances to developing countries are expected to grow by 4.8 per cent to $450 billion for 2017. Global remittances, which include flows to high-income countries, are projected to grow by 3.9 per cent to $596 billion.

“Among major remittance recipients, India retains its top spot, with remittances expected to total $65 billion this year, followed by China – $63 billion, the Philippines – $33 billion, Mexico – a record $31 billion, and Nigeria – $22 billion.”

The bank projected remittances to Sub-Saharan countries to grow by 10 per cent in 2017.

“Buoyed by improved economic activity in high-income OECD countries, remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa are projected to grow by a robust 10 per cent to $38 billion this year.

“The region’s major remittance receiving countries, Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana, are all set for growth. The region is also host to a number of countries where remittances account for a significant share of GDP, including Liberia (26 per cent), Comoros (21 per cent), and the Gambia (20 per cent). Remittances will grow by a moderate 3.8 per cent to $39 billion in 2018.

“In keeping with an improving global economy, remittances to low- and middle-income countries are expected to grow modestly by 3.5 per cent in 2018, to $466 billion. Global remittances will grow by 3.4 per cent to $616 billion in 2018,” the statement said.

It further showed that the global average cost of sending cash at $200 remained stagnant at 7.2 per cent in the third quarter of 2017

“This was significantly higher than the Sustainable Development Goal, SDG target of 3 per cent. Sub-Saharan Africa, with an average cost of 9.1 per cent, remains the highest-cost region,” the brief showed.

Source: Visit website 

Farmers to crash rice price to N6,000/bag

Isidi Monica

Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja 

Rice farmers, millers and processors on Wednesday announced that the price of a 50kg bag of rice will fall to as low as N6,000 in the next few months.

According to them, the current market price of rice, which is about N15,000 per 50kg bag, will drop to between N6,000 and N7,000 in a couple of months, going by the bumper wet season harvest by rice farmers.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting between rice farmers/processors and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, at the ministry’s headquarters, in Abuja, the National President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Aminu Goronyo, told journalists that operators had resolved to currently reduce price of rice to N13,000 per 50kg, but stressed that the price would further drop to N6,000 in a few months.

He said, “This is just the beginning, the actual price of rice will come down because we are expecting a bumper harvest this year. We have sat down with the millers and have agreed that we are going to work together for the interest of Nigerians. I think you have been buying a bag of rice at the cost of N18,000, but today the price is between N13,000 to N15,000, meaning that the price is coming down.”

Asked whether the price would crash further to about N7,000 per 50kg bag, as was the case some years back, Goronyo replied, “Of course! Not even N7,000, it will crash to N6,000. Just give us some time; in fact, in the next few months and it will be for 50kg.”

Monkeypox hits Bayelsa, medical doctor, 10 others quarantined

Sola / 40 minutes ago

Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

Fear has gripped the residents of Bayelsa State as a deadly viral epidemic known as “monkeypox” has broken out in the state.

According to the World Health Organisation, monkeypox is a rare disease that occurs primarily in remote parts of Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.

“The monkeypox virus can cause a fatal illness in humans and, although it is similar to human smallpox which has been eradicated, it is much milder,” WHO says.

It was authoritatively learnt that a medical doctor and 10 persons who came down with the monkeypox had been quarantined in an isolation centre at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.

The isolation centre was reportedly created by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and the epidemiological team of the state’s Ministry of Health to control the spread of the virus.

The NCDC and the epidemiological team were said to be tracking 49 other persons who were said to have come in contact with persons who were already infected.

The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, confirmed the development, saying that samples of the virus had been sent to the World Health Organisation laboratory in Dakar, Senegal, for confirmation.

He described monkeypox as a viral illness caused by a group of viruses that include chicken pox and smallpox, adding that the first case was noticed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and subsequent outbreaks in West African region.

The commissioner explained that the virus has the Central African and the West African types, saying that the the West African type is milder and has no records of mortality.

Etebu stated, “Recently in Bayelsa State, we noticed a suspected outbreak of monkeypox. It has not been confirmed. We have sent samples to the World Health Organisation’s reference laboratory in Dakar, Senegal.

”When that comes out, we will be sure that it is confirmed. But from all indications, it points towards it.

”As the name implies, the virus was first seen in monkey, but can also be found in all bush animals such as rats, squirrels and antelopes.

”The source is usually all animals. It was first seen in monkeys and that is why it is called monkeypox. But every bush animals such as rats, squirrels, and antelopes are involved.

“So, the secretions from particularly dead animals are highly contagious.”

He listed the symptoms of monkeypox as severe headache, fever, back pains, etc., noting that most worrisome of all the signs are rashes bigger than those caused by chicken pox.

The commissioner said the rashes are usually frightening and usually spread to the entire body of infected persons.

Speaking on the Bayelsa case, Etebu stated, “We noticed the first index case from Agbura, where somebody was purported to have killed and eaten a monkey and after that, the people who are neighbours and families started developing the rashes.

“We have seen cases from as far as Biseni. We invited the NCDC together with our own epidemiological team from the Bayelsa Ministry of Health.

“We have been able to trace most of the people who have come in contact with the patients.

“So far, we have 10 patients and we have created an isolation centre at the NDUTH and most of them are on admission and we are following up the 49 cases that we are suspecting might come down with the illness.

“As a state, we are taking care of all the expenses of all the isolated cases.

“The disease has an incubation period and it is also self-limiting in the sense that within two to four weeks, you get healed and it confers you with immunity for life.

“We have mobilised virtually every arsenal at our disposal in terms of sensitising the general public and making them aware by radio programmes, jingles and fliers. So, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has mobilised fully to Bayelsa State. We are on top of the situation.

“The only thing I will tell the general public is to observe hand hygiene and ensure they don’t come in contact with dead animals and their secretions. The disease is air-borne too. So when you come down with it, it is very infectious.

“People should wash their hands whenever they go in or come out of their houses. If they come in touch with animals, they should ensure that they wash their hands.

“They should be very vigilant. People should report any similar cases to the relevant authorities.

“A lot of people have come down with the symptoms, but they are hiding in their houses. If they hide, there is the propensity for the infection to spread.

“It is better to quarantine them and treat them so that we can interrupt the spread of the disease.

“People should be calm and they shouldn’t get frightened. The state has distributed personal protective equipment to workers and they are using them.”

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