Apology

Apologies everyone for going off without any notice 

HEALTH PERSONNEL'S WARNED AGAINST DEMANDING MONEY FROM PREGNANT WOMEN BEFORE RENDERING HEALTH CARE SERVICES

The Upper East Regional Health Director, Dr. Winfred Ofosu, has warned health facilities and medical staff against demanding monies from pregnant women before rendering health care services.

According to Dr. Ofosu, the Regional Health Directorate has sanctioned two medical officers of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital for demanding monies from pregnant women.

Dr. Ofosu, who declined to disclose the identities of the medical officers warned that anyone caught demanding money from pregnant women would be dealt with drastically.

He said that the government was already taking care of the medical bills of pregnant women, sending a stern warning to those engaged in the illgeality to stop.

In an interview with Citi News in Bolgatanga, Dr. Ofosu said mechanisms were being put in place to check the illegality

“We know that in some healthcare facilities they collect some monies which we are stopping. Actually, we have put measures in place to sanction any staff who collects illegal monies because delivery is free in this country so pregnant women who go to facilities to deliver are not to pay any money because government is paying for it.

“Two medical staff of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital who have been demanding monies from pregnant women have been sanctioned. They have been queried and in their response, they promised to stop the practice and if they continue they may get stiffer punishment including dismissal from the service”.

Dr. Ofosu added that at no point should pregnant women or those in labour be asked to pay money whether at the laboratory, anaesthetics, maternity, scan unit among others.

He further entreated pregnant women and their relatives to call him anytime they are asked to pay monies at health facilities in the region.

Although the region made strides with 70 percent in skilled delivery, they recorded 44 maternal deaths in 2017, compared to 33 deaths in 2016.

Dr. Ofosu said there were cases of septic abortions, and that some women who developed complications did not receive care at the right time leading to the deaths.

Source: citinewsroom.com

WHO and UNICEF issue new guidance to promote breastfeeding in health facilities globally

WHO and UNICEF issued new ten-step guidance to increase support for breastfeeding in health facilities that provide maternity and newborn services at Geneva on April 11, 2018. Breastfeeding all babies for the first 2 years would save the lives of more than 820 000 children under age 5 annually.

The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding underpin the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, which both organizations launched in 1991. The practical guidance encourages new mothers to breastfeed and informs health workers how best to support breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is vital to a child’s lifelong health, and reduces costs for health facilities, families, and governments. Breastfeeding within the first hour of birth protects newborn babies from infections and saves lives. Infants are at greater risk of death due to diarrhoea and other infections when they are only partially breastfed or not breastfed at all. Breastfeeding also improves IQ, school readiness and attendance, and is associated with higher income in adult life. It also reduces the risk of breast cancer in the mother.

"Breastfeeding saves lives. Its benefits help keep babies healthy in their first days and last will into adulthood," says UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore. "But breastfeeding requires support, encouragement and guidance. With these basic steps, implemented properly, we can significantly improve breastfeeding rates around the world and give children the best possible start in life."

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that in many hospitals and communities around the world, whether a child can be breastfed or not can make the difference between life and death, and whether a child will develop to reach his or her full potential.

"Hospitals are not there just to cure the ill. They are there to promote life and ensure people can thrive and live their lives to their full potential," says Dr Tedros. "As part of every country’s drive to achieve universal health coverage, there is no better or more crucial place to start than by ensuring the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are the standard for care of mothers and their babies."

The new guidance describes practical steps countries should take to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in facilities providing maternity and newborn services. They provide the immediate health system platform to help mothers initiate breastfeeding within the first hour and breastfeed exclusively for six months.

It describes how hospitals should have a written breastfeeding policy in place, staff competencies, and antenatal and post-birth care, including breastfeeding support for mothers. It also recommends limited use of breastmilk substitutes, rooming-in, responsive feeding, educating parents on the use of bottles and pacifiers, and support when mothers and babies are discharged from hospital.

Note:
Early initiation of breastfeeding, within one hour of birth, protects the newborn from acquiring infections and reduces newborn mortality. Starting breastfeeding early increases the chances of a successful continuation of breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding for six months has many benefits for the infant and mother. Chief among these is protection against gastrointestinal infections and malnutrition, which are observed not only in developing but also industrialized countries.

Breast-milk is also an important source of energy and nutrients in children aged 6–23 months. It can provide half or more of a child’s energy needs between 6-12 months, and one-third of energy needs between 12-24 months. Breast-milk is also a critical source of energy and nutrients during illness, and reduces mortality among children who are malnourished.

Children and adolescents who were breastfed as babies are less likely to be overweight or obese.

A nine-week baby dies as doctor cuts oxygen supply over nonpayment of bills

A nine-week-old baby boy has died at the St Gregory Hospital at Kasoa in the Central Region because his parents could not afford the cost of aiding his breathing with an oxygen machine.

Little Prosper's parents tell Joy News a medical doctor on duty pulled the plug from the oxygen machine because they could not pay GHS533 to keep their son alive.

Hospital authorities are tight-lipped on the issue explaining they are investigating the circumstances that led to the death of the baby. 

Prosper was born on January 19, 2018, fell sick and was taken to the hospital on March 5 and died three weeks later.

The baby's mother, Sefakor, told Joy News Joojo Cobbinah, that a few weeks after the baby was born she realised he not breathing well.

According to Sefakor, after preliminary tests, the St Gregory Hospital admitted them with the intention of transferring the case to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital subsequently.

The baby was given blood and kept on the oxygen machine because he could not breathe well.

However, when it became clear the family could not pay for the cost of treatment before the intended transfer to Korle Bu, the doctor decided to take a drastic decision.

"That Saturday, the Doctor came, he ask me that I hear from my husband [about the bills] I say I didn't hear. Then he removed the oxygen...it is too late," Sefakor managed in the little English she could speak.

The baby's father, Kennedy Kwao, said he chose the name 'Prosper' because he was hopeful that the boy will grow up to become a prosperous man.

That hope, however, has been curtailed.

Source: myjoyonline.com

TWO HEALTH PRACTISIONORS ARRESTED OVER DEATHS FROM INJECTION

Two health personnel have been detained by the Senchi-Adome Police and are being interrogated over the deaths of three patients at the New Senchi Health Centre in the Asuogyaman District.

The District Director of Health, Abdul Aziz Abdulai, confirmed to Citi News that the two; James Yeboah and Simon Takeramah were believed to have administered the injections and are now assisting the police and the regional medical team to unravel the circumstances that led to the deaths.

“The persons who are said to have given those injections have been handed over to the police. We looked at the criminal aspect of it for which then I needed to make a formal complaint to the police… statements were taken from them and they have been detained for further investigations,” he said.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has said its preliminary investigations indicated that deaths, which occurred after the administering of some injections, may have been caused by contaminated medication.

The deceased persons suffered adverse reactions described as injection site abscess, skin necrosis and ulcers leading to the deaths, the FDA said.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that these reactions may be due to contaminated 0.9% Normal Saline, the solution which was used to reconstitute (mix) the Benzathine Penicillin Powder for Injection. The 0.9% Normal Saline Solution was reported to have been opened and used repeatedly for several days which might have resulted in the contamination,” a statement from the FDA explained.

Since then, the District Health Directorate has ordered the centre to “stop all injections at that facility until further notice and the place is being prepared for fumigation and other things,” according to Mr. Abdulai.

He also said, “samples have been collected from the ulcers of the [deceased] patients for investigation at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical research.”

Source: citifmonline.com

Donors pledge over US$ 15 million to WHO’s Contingency Fund for Emergencies

GENEVA - Donors have pledged an additional US$15.3 million to support quick action by the World Health Organization to tackle disease outbreaks and humanitarian health crises through its emergency response fund in 2018, the Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE).

Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland announced contributions ranging from US$20,000 to US$5.6 million at a conference hosted at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday (March 26) – increasing CFE funding levels to US$23 million.

This will enable the rapid financing of health response operations in the coming months – filling that critical gap between the moment the need for an emergency response is identified and the point at which funds from other sources can be released. WHO will seek to secure further donor commitments to achieve its US$100 million funding target for the 2018/2019 biennium.

First-time pledges were made by Denmark, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malta and Norway. The UK has increased its overall commitment to the fund from US$10.5 million to US$16 million, making it the second largest donor after Germany.

“For the UK, the CFE is an extraordinarily good investment. We are convinced it has a vital and unique role to play in the global effort to prevent and mitigate health emergencies. Today we pledge an additional £4 million (US$5.6 million) for the Contingency Fund and pledge to work with WHO to better profile to a wider audience the huge value it brings. The G7 and the G20 share the UK’s desire for an adequately funded CFE. We urge our fellow Member States and donors to heed WHO’s call and to step forward to provide financial support for the Contingency Fund for Emergencies,” said Alistair Burt, UK Minister of State for International Development.

The CFE’s ability to release funds within 24 hours sets it apart from complementary financing mechanisms that have different funding criteria and slower disbursement cycles. While other funding mechanisms allow for the scale up of response operations, none are designed to deliver an immediate and early response. The CFE has demonstrated that a small investment can save lives and dramatically reduce the direct costs of controlling outbreaks and responding to emergencies.

“Without the CFE, recent outbreaks of Ebola in DRC, Marburg virus Disease in Uganda and pneumonic plague in Madagascar could have gotten out of control. By acting decisively and quickly, we can stop disease outbreaks and save thousands of lives for a fraction of the cost of a late response. The CFE has proven its value as a global public good that should be underwritten by long term investment,” said Dr Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director General for Emergency Preparedness and Response.

Since 2015, the CFE has enabled WHO, national authorities and health partners to get quick starts on more than 50 disease outbreaks, humanitarian crises and natural disasters, allocating more than US$46 million. It has supported the rapid deployment of experts; better disease detection and reporting; the delivery of essential medicines, supplies and personal protective equipment; the strengthening of surveillance and vaccination; improved access to water, sanitation and health services; community engagement; and more.

Madagascar’s health minister Dr Lalatiana Andriamanarivo called for increased support for the CFE, saying it was instrumental to containing an unprecedented outbreak of pneumonic plague that rapidly spread across the island nation in 2017.

“We call on our international partners to support the Contingency Fund for Emergencies to enable WHO to respond to outbreaks everywhere across the world, and to reinforce national capacities to manage health emergencies in the future,” said Dr Andriamanarivo.

In 2017, the CFE provided nearly US$21 million for operations in 23 countries, with most allocations released within 24 hours. Over half (56%) of allocations funded responses in the WHO Africa region, with 28% going to responses in countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and 11% to the South East Asia Region.

Source: who.int

Government to recruit 27, 000 nurses

Government has, this year, budgeted to recruit 32,000 health personnel, 27,000 of whom will consist of various categories of nurses, the Minister for Information, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has stated.

Mr Abdul-Hamid, who was addressing a news conference in Accra, yesterday, in response to the concerns of unemployed nurses over their posting issues, gave the assurance that the 2018 budget had made provision to cater for their recruitment.

Since 2017, the Minister indicated, government had employed 16,000 nurses who had completed between 2012 and 2015. “It is important to state that, when we came into office in 2017, there was a backlog of graduates from 2012 to 2015 to be absorbed,” he explained.

Nurses, numbering over 200 hundred, have, since Monday, been picketing at the premises of the Health Ministry demanding immediate employment in the various health facilities in the country.
 
The Information Minister urged the nurses to end their picketing and go back home as the Ministry of Health works to secure their posting clearance from the Finance Ministry.

Source: ghana.gov.gh

EASTERN REGION RECORDED 108 MATERNAL DEATHS IN 2017

In spite of the several strategies, put in place to prevent maternal mortality in the Eastern Region, the region still recorded 108 maternal deaths in 2017 as against 102 and 104 in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

This means that approximately nine women and girls die from pregnancy related causes and childbirth in the region every month.

The issue of pregnant related deaths have been of concern to health professionals in the region for some time.

During the half year review of the year 2017, it was the major topic for discussion as it was revealed that some of such deaths could have been prevented by health facilities and patients alike.

Dr Charity Sarpong, Regional Director of Health Services, who disclosed this at the Regional Annual Performance Review meeting in Koforidua, said it was unfortunate that “our efforts to prevent maternal mortality in the region have not achieved the desired results”.

She said in order to reduce pregnancy related deaths, her outfit instituted interventions such as the PICCAM strategy, zoning the region into five, with each zone being assigned an obstetrician/Gynaecologist specialist to increase access to quality health care.

Dr Sarpong who described the situation as unfortunate, said in furtherance of their resolve to reduce maternal deaths, staff capacities were built on safe motherhood protocols and a maternal and neonatal audit implementation and tracking committee instituted.

According to the Regional Director, most of the deaths were avoidable, citing religion, cultural practices, bad roads that delayed referrals and lack of ambulances as some of the challenges, and indicated that strengthening of the sub district health teams would be key to their strategies.

She said despite the unfortunate maternal deaths, the region however performed well generally, in especially in the area of Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) centres.

The Meeting was attended by medical doctors, medical directors, nurses, midwives and other health staffs from across the region to take stock of the 2017 performance.

It was on the theme: “Improving Maternal Healthcare Delivery in the Region -The Critical Role of Health Professionals.”

Source: GNA

WANTED: LEADERS FOR A TB FREE WORLD

This World TB Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop TB Partnership, joined hands to rally their forces behind the theme for the 2018 World TB Day campaign, “Wanted: Leaders for a TB Free World. Make History. End TB.” The first ever joint advocacy and communications campaign was launched by WHO and the Stop TB Partnership to support thousands of partners, activists and persons affected by TB to galvanize momentum to end TB.

The theme is critical for 2018, given the political importance of the upcoming UN General Assembly High Level Meeting (HLM) on TB which will bring together Heads of States. The upcoming India TB Summit 12-17 March will continue the high level dialogue that was started in Moscow last year during the WHO Global Ministerial Conference on Ending TB, and will set the stage for the September 2018 UN HLM on TB, where Heads of State are expected to commit to an ambitious plan of action to put the world on track to ending TB.

During the week of 19-24 March, WHO and the Stop TB Partnership are calling for greater commitment and leadership to end TB, not only at the political level with Heads of State and Ministers of Health, but at all levels from Mayors, Governors, parliamentarians and community leaders, to people affected with TB, civil society advocates, health workers, doctors or nurses, NGOs and other partners. All can be leaders of efforts to end TB in their own work or terrain.

“We would like countries and their leaders at all levels to commit to accelerate efforts so we can truly elevate the fight against TB,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme. “The UNHLM on TB offers us the opportunity to unite efforts against this top infectious killer. Our collective ripple can create a groundswell to save lives and end the suffering caused by this disease, which affects millions worldwide.”

“2018 is a critical year as we have an historical window of opportunity to really make huge steps towards ending TB. We need everyone from the tiniest village to the biggest capital come together, commit and act to end TB,” said Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of Stop TB Partnership. “We owe this to us and future generations. Enough is enough! We must end TB!” she said.

Each year we commemorate World TB Day on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic impact of TB, and urge acceleration of efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

Every day, nearly 30,000 people fall ill with TB and 4500 people lose their lives to this preventable and curable disease. TB is also the major cause of deaths related to antimicrobial resistance and the leading killer of people with HIV. The social and economic impacts are devastating and include stigma and discrimination. Progress in most countries is stalling and is not fast enough to reach global targets or close persistent gaps in TB care and prevention.

Source: who.net

Male Contraceptive is Safe to use

A male contraceptive pill has been developed which is effective, safe and does not harm sex drive, scientists have announced.

In what has been described as a “major step forward”, the drug was successfully tested on 83 men for a month for the first time.

So far efforts to create a once-daily pill to mimic the mainstream female contraceptive have stalled because men metabolise and clear out the hormones it delivers too quickly.

It means temporary male contraception has relied on condoms alone, with the main hopes for future contraceptive developments resting on a long-acting injection or topical gel, both of which are also under development.

However, the new drug, called dimethandrolone undecanoate, or DMAU, includes a long-chain fatty acid which slows down the clearance, allowing just one dose to be taken each day.

Like the pill for women, the experimental pill combines activity of an androgen - a male hormone such as testosterone - and a progestin.

Investigators at the University of Washington Medical Centre tested three doses of DMAU - 100, 200 and 400mg - on 100 healthy men between 18 to 50 years old, 83 of whom completed the study.
They were subject to blood sampling for hormone and cholesterol testing on the first and last days of the study.

At the highest dose of DMAU tested, 400 mg, subjects showed "marked suppression" of levels of their testosterone and two hormones required for sperm production.

The results showed that the pill worked only if taken with food. "Despite having low levels of circulating testosterone, very few subjects reported symptoms consistent with testosterone deficiency or excess," said Professor Stephanie Page, senior investigator on the study.
"These promising results are unprecedented in the development of a prototype male pill," All groups taking DMAU experienced some weight gain, as well decreases in HDL ("good") cholesterol.

However, all subjects passed their safety tests, including markers of liver and kidney function. "DMAU is a major step forward in the development of a once-daily 'male pill'," said Professor Page.

"Many men say they would prefer a daily pill as a reversible contraceptive, rather than long-acting injections or topical gels, which are also in development."

Contraceptive pills for females have been available for almost 70 years, although the only achieved widespread use in Britain, including availability on the NHS, in 1961.

However, other than the condom, which were first invented in 1855, there have never been a temporary male contraceptive.

By: Henry Bodkin

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

COMBAT LASA FEVER

Press Release: March 02, 2018

A primary health nurse Owurani Charles Oduro has entreated Ghanaians to combat Lasa Fever.

In his statement to the press, he said it is sad loosing one of our country men to Lasa Fever.

"Our fight against Lasa Fever as a country is not the responsibility of health professionals, it is not the responsibility of government officials. But it's our responsibility as citizens of mother Ghana to fight this condition by
Practicing careful hygiene. Washing our hands with soap and wholesome water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to prevent the condition
Disinfect items that may have come in contact with a sick person’s blood or body fluids (such as clothes, bedding) to prevent spread
Refrain from funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who has die to prevent Lasa Fever.
Prevent contact with blood or other body fluids (such as urine, feces, saliva, sweat, urine, vomit, breast milk, semen, and vaginal fluids) from a sick person
Report to the nearest health facility if you notice any change in your body diagnosis and care"

He encouraged health workers to
Intensify surveillance to prevent the spread of Lasa Fever
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Practice proper infection control and sterilization measures to prevent transmission of Lasa Fever and other diseases
Isolate patients with Lasa Fever from other patients to prevent transmission
Have no direct, unprotected contact with the bodies of people who have died from Lasa Fever.
Notify officials if you have had direct contact with the blood or body fluids.

Mr Owurani Charles Oduro appealed to the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Services and other stakeholders to provide necessary logistics to local health facilities (CHPS) since they are the first point of call in the health care delivery.

Lasa Fever spread so easily
Lasa Fever is deadly
Let's all join hands to fight it

GENERAL INFORMATION ON LASSA  FEVER
Lassa  fever is  an  Acute  Viral  Haemorrhagic  Fever  illness  which  is  endemic  in  the  West  Africa.  The incubation  period  is  6 to 21  days.    The  onset  of  Lasa Fever  illness  is  often  gradual,  with  non symptoms  and  commonly  presents  with  fever,  general  weakness  and  non-specific  signs  and malaise  at  the  early  onset.  After  a  few days,  headache,  sore  throat,  muscle  pain,  chest  pain,  vomiting,  diarrhoea  and  abdominal  pain  may  follow. Severe  cases  may  progress  to  show  facial  swelling,  and  bleeding  tendencies  (from  mouth,  nose,  vagina  or gastrointestinal  tract,  and  low  blood  pressure.  Shock,  seizures,  disorientation,  and  coma  may  be  seen  in  the late  stages.  Complications  include:  deafness,  transient  hair  loss  and  gait  disturbance  may  occur  during recovery.  Majority of  Lassa  Fever  infections  are  mild  or asymptomatic.
Lassa  fever  virus  is  transmitted  to  humans  via  contact  with  food  or  household  items  contaminated  with the  urine, saliva  faeces, and blood  of  the  rodent  (rat)

LASSA FEVER

Summary
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness of 2-21 days duration that occurs in West Africa.
The Lassa virus is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces.
Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in hospitals lacking adequate infection prevention and control measures.
Lassa fever is known to be endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, but probably exists in other West African countries as well.
The overall case-fatality rate is 1%. Observed case-fatality rate among patients hospitalized with severe cases of Lassa fever is 15%.
Early supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival.

Causes
Humans usually become infected with Lassa virus from exposure to urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats. Lassa virus may also be spread between humans through direct contact with the blood, urine, faeces, or other bodily secretions of a person infected with Lassa fever. There is no epidemiological evidence supporting airborne spread between humans. Person-to-person transmission occurs in both community and health-care settings, where the virus may be spread by contaminated medical equipment, such as re-used needles. Sexual transmission of Lassa virus has been reported.

Symptoms
The incubation period of Lassa fever ranges from 2–21 days. The onset of the disease, when it is symptomatic, is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise. After a few days, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough, and abdominal pain may follow. In severe cases facial swelling, fluid in the lung cavity, bleeding from the mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract and low blood pressure may develop.

Diagnosis
Because the symptoms of Lassa fever are so varied and non-specific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially early in the course of the disease. Lassa fever is difficult to distinguish from other viral haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola virus disease as well as other diseases that cause fever, including malaria, shigellosis, typhoid fever and yellow fever.

Definitive diagnosis requires testing that is available only in reference laboratories. Laboratory specimens may be hazardous and must be handled with extreme care. Lassa virus infections can only be diagnosed definitively in the laboratory using the following tests:
1. reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
2. antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
3. antigen detection tests
4. virus isolation by cell culture.

Treatment
The antiviral drug ribavirin seems to be an effective treatment for Lassa fever if given early on in the course of clinical illness. There is no evidence to support the role of ribavirin as post-exposure prophylactic treatment for Lassa fever.

There is currently no vaccine that protects against Lassa fever.

Prevention and Control
Prevention of Lassa fever relies on promoting good “community hygiene” to discourage rodents from entering homes. Effective measures include storing grain and other foodstuffs in rodent-proof containers, disposing of garbage far from the home, maintaining clean households and keeping cats. Because Mastomys are so abundant in endemic areas, it is not possible to completely eliminate them from the environment. Family members should always be careful to avoid contact with blood and body fluids while caring for sick persons.

In health-care settings, staff should always apply standard infection prevention and control precautions when caring for patients, regardless of their presumed diagnosis. These include basic hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, use of personal protective equipment (to block splashes or other contact with infected materials), safe injection practices and safe burial practices.

Health-care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Lassa fever should apply extra infection control measures to prevent contact with the patient’s blood and body fluids and contaminated surfaces or materials such as clothing and bedding. When in close contact (within 1 metre) of patients with Lassa fever, health-care workers should wear face protection (a face shield or a medical mask and goggles), a clean, non-sterile long-sleeved gown, and gloves (sterile gloves for some procedures).

Laboratory workers are also at risk. Samples taken from humans and animals for investigation of Lassa virus infection should be handled by trained staff and processed in suitably equipped laboratories under maximum biological containment conditions.

How Too Much Cholesterol Can Contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease

Millions suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and the available and foreseeable treatments are disappointing at best. Given the absence of disease-modifying treatments, there has been growing interest in effective strategies for the prevention of the disease in the first place. Even if we were able to just delay the onset by as little as 1 year, we could potentially prevent more than 9 million cases over the next 40 years. Once cognitive functions are lost in Alzheimer’s disease patients, they may be lost forever. Consequently, prevention, rather than a cure for Alzheimer’s disease appears to be a more realistic strategy to offset the catastrophic impact of this dementia.

As I discuss in my video Cholesterol & Alzheimer’s Disease “[c]onsiderable evidence now indicates that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is primarily a vascular disorder,” based on a number of lines of evidence that point toward impaired circulation of blood to the brain. Vascular risk factors, such as high cholesterol, can be thought of as a ticking time bomb to Alzheimer’s disease. What’s bad for the heart may be bad for the mind.

Traditionally, there have been two competing theories for the cause of Alzheimer’s: the amyloid cascade model, which implicates the buildup of amyloid plaques within the brain, and the vascular model, which argues that it is the lack of adequate blood flow to the brain due to atherosclerosis. We now realize they are not mutually exclusive and that arterial disease can set up a vicious cycle in which atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries may contribute to Alzheimer’s plaques in the brain.

Although cholesterol has been portrayed as “tantamount to poison,” it is an essential structural component of all of our cells, and that’s why our body makes it. But, if there’s too much, it can become a major factor contributing to various diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Too much cholesterol in our blood is universally recognizedto be a risk factor for the development Alzheimer’s disease, and cholesterol may play an active role in the progression of Alzheimer’s as well.

Autopsy studies have found that Alzheimer’s brains have significantly more cholesterol than normal brains, and it specifically appears to accumulate in the Alzheimer brain plaques. We used to think the pool of cholesterol in the brain was separate from the pool we had in our blood, but there is now growing evidence to the contrary. For example, low-density (LDL) cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol, may be able to cross the blood–brain barrier into the brain. So, a high-fat diet may not only increase cholesterol levels in the blood, but also the influx of cholesterol into the central nervous system.

In addition, having high cholesterol may even damage the blood-brain barrier itself, and allow for even more cholesterol to flow into the brain, providing the missing link between high cholesterol and Alzheimer’s. “Individuals with higher cholesterol levels at midlife have a higher risk of developing[Alzheimer’s disease].” Cholesterol over 250 could potentially triple the odds of Alzheimer’s.

We now have high-tech PET scanning of the brain that can directly correlate the amount of bad LDL cholesterol in our blood with the amount of amyloid buildup in our brains. You can even do it right in a petri dish. Adding cholesterol makesbrain cells churn out more of the amyloid that makes up Alzheimer plaques, whereas removing cholesterol can decrease the levels of amyloid released from cells.

Amyloid degradation is also less efficient in a high cholesterol environment. Cholesterol can then help seed the clumping of the amyloid. Using an electron microscope, researchers can see the clustering of amyloid fibers on and around little microcrystals of cholesterol.

Once in the brain, cholesterol can also undergo auto-oxidation, causing the formation of highly toxic free radicals. So, having high cholesterol levels in the blood is thought to increase the risk of dementia, not only by inducing atherosclerosis and impairing blood flow, but also by potentially directly affecting neurodegeneration within the brain. In conclusion, excess dietary cholesterol could, in principle, contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, and the evidence linking high cholesterol to Alzheimer’s appears to be steadily mounting.

Some of this work was paid for by drug companies hoping to capitalize on Alzheimer’s with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. This is ironic, since statins themselves can causecognitive impairment. Though rare, statin side effects may “include short- and long-term memory loss, behavioral changes, impaired concentration and attention, paranoia, and anxiety,” as early as five days after starting the drugs, but sometimes even months later, though folks should recover within a month of stopping the drugs.

A better strategy may be to changethe lifestyle factors that lead to the high cholesterol in the first place—in particular, reducing saturated fat in the diet. It’s not enough for us to just tell our individual patients, though. “Systematic implementation of educational campaigns promoting radical changes in cultural and societal values” may be necessary to adopt Alzheimer’s-defeating strategies by patients in a broader sense, and “such actions may provide potentially huge dividends by preventing both cardiovascular disease and dementia”—two of our leading causes of death.

Source: nutritionfacts.org

Who’s Right in the Salt Debate?

For decades, a sometimes furious battle has raged among scientists over the extent to which elevated salt consumption contributes to death, with one camp calling it a “public health hazard that requires vigorous attack” and another claiming the risks of dietary salt excess are exaggerated, even to the point of calling sodium reduction “the largest delusion in the history of preventive medicine.” The other side calls this denialism ethically irresponsible, especially when millions of lives are at stake every year.

To describe two sides of the debate may be falling into the trap of false equivalency, though. As the superhero-sounding “World Hypertension League” points out, there is strong scientific consensus that reducing salt saves lives, and—like the climate change debate—most authorities are on one side. On the other? Only the affected industry, their paid consultants, and a few dissenting scientists.

As I discuss in Sprinkling Doubt: Taking Sodium Skeptics with a Pinch of Salt, nearly all government appointed bodies and nutrition experts who have considered the evidence have recommended we collectively cut our salt intake about in half—a reduction described as extreme by those defending the industry. After all, just a small fraction of Americans actually get their sodium intake that low. Therefore, the salt skeptics say, the human experience for very low levels of sodium consumption is “extremely sparse.”

Extremely sparse? The reality is the exact opposite. The human experience is living for millions of years without Cheetos or a salt shaker in sight. We evolved to be salt-conserving machines, and when we’re plunked down into snack food and KFC country, we develop high blood pressure. But in the few remaining populations that don’t eat salt and only consume the small amounts of sodium found in natural foods like we had for millions of years, our leading killer risk factor, hypertension, is practically non-existent. When you take people with out-of-control hypertension and bring them back down to the sodium levels we were designed to eat, the ravages of the disease can even be reversed (see my video Drugs & the Demise of the Rice Diet). So, why is there still a debate?                    

If salt hidden in food kills millions of people around the world, why are efforts to cut dietary salt being met with such fierce resistance? Salt is big business for the processed food and meat industry. So, according to the head of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center on Nutrition, we get the familiar story. Just like the tobacco industry spent decades trying to manufacture doubt and confuse the public, the salt industry does the same, but the controversy is fake. The evidence for salt reduction is clear and consistent. Most of the “contradictory research” comes from scientists linked to the salt industry. However, it takes skill to spot the subterfuge because the industry is smart enough to stay behind the scenes, covertly paying for studies designed to downplay the risks. All they have to do is manufacture just enough doubt to keep the so-called controversy alive.

The likes of the World Hypertension League have been described as a “mere pop-gun against the weapons-grade firepower of salt-encrusted industries” who look disdainfully at the “do-gooder health associations…who erect roadblocks on the path to profits.” Lest we forget, notes an editorial in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association, high blood pressure is big business for the drug industry, too, whose blood pressure billions might be threatened should we cut back on salt. If we went sodium-free and eliminated the scourge of hypertension, not only would Big Pharma suffer, what about doctors? The number-one diagnosis adults see doctors with is high blood pressure, at nearly 40 million doctor visits a year, so maybe even the BMW industry might be benefiting from keeping the salt debate alive.

   Written By Michael Greger M.D.

UN Environment and WHO agree to major collaboration on environmental health risks

10 JANUARY 2018 | NAIROBI - 
UN Environment and WHO have agreed a new, wide-ranging collaboration to accelerate action to curb environmental health risks that cause an estimated 12.6 million deaths a year.

In Nairobi, Mr Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, signed an agreement to step up joint actions to combat air pollution, climate change and antimicrobial resistance, as well as improve coordination on waste and chemicals management, water quality, and food and nutrition issues. The collaboration also includes joint management of the BreatheLife advocacy campaign to reduce air pollution for multiple climate, environment and health benefits.

This represents the most significant formal agreement on joint action across the spectrum of environment and health issues in over 15 years.

"There is an urgent need for our two agencies to work more closely together to address the critical threats to environmental sustainability and climate – which are the foundations for life on this planet. This new agreement recognizes that sober reality," said UN Environment’s Solheim.

"Our health is directly related to the health of the environment we live in. Together, air, water and chemical hazards kill more than 12.6 million people a year. This must not continue," said WHO’s Tedros.

He added: "Most of these deaths occur in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America where environmental pollution takes its biggest health toll."

The new collaboration creates a more systematic framework for joint research, development of tools and guidance, capacity building, monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals, global and regional partnerships, and support to regional health and environment fora.

The two agencies will develop a joint work programme and hold an annual high-level meeting to evaluate progress and make recommendations for continued collaboration.

The WHO-UN Environment collaboration follows a Ministerial Declaration on Health, Environment and Climate Change calling for the creation of a global "Health, Environment and Climate Change" Coalition, at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP 22 in Marrakesh, Morocco in 2016.

Just last month, under the overarching topic "Towards a Pollution-Free Planet", the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), which convenes environment ministers worldwide, adopted a resolution on Environment and Health, called for expanded partnerships with relevant UN agencies and partners, and for an implementation plan to tackle pollution.