Coronavirus: Breastfeed without Transmitting the Virus.

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Image Courtesy; americanpregnancy.org

As a mother, I can’t worry less about how infected mothers and those under investigation for coronavirus(COVID19) will breastfeed their infants without transmitting the virus to the little ones.

A limited study carried out on six women diagnosed with COVID19 and who were in their late stage of pregnancy shows the virus was negative in their breast milk.

Studies have found that breast milk provides essential nutrients that protect infants from infectious and chronic disease.

However, those infected with the virus that wants to breastfeed need to take precautionary measures not to spread the virus to their infants.

Much is unknown about the virus but is transmitted from person to person through contact with droplets from an infected person’s sneeze or cough and by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus.

The Centre for Disease Control and Infection (CDC)recommends that mothers with confirmed cases or under investigation of COVID19 should wash hands properly before taking infants to feed and put on a face mask while feeding. And if they express milk, they are to wash hands properly before touching any part of the breast pump and follow the manufacturer’s guideline on cleaning breast pump after use. Furthermore, infected mothers are to consider someone that is well to assist feed the expressed milk to the infant.

Learn how to wash your hands properly for 20 seconds. Here is the official CDC’s hand-washing how-to

Wet your hands with running water, then rub soap.

Work the soap into a lather by rubbing your hands together. Lather the soap onto the backs of your hands, in between your fingers and under your nails.

Rub the soap into your hands for at least 20seconds

Rinse off the soap from your hands under running water.

Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

5 Ways to Deal with Anxiety

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Anxiety
Image courtesy; @dearferdo on Unsplash

A few years ago, I was asked by my boss to anchor an event organized by the company. I remembered I was unable to have nice periods of sleep and my palms were extremely sweaty prior to the event due to intense fear and worry.

Anxiety is a normal part of our lives, every person deals with it at one point or another and many at times it causes no threat to our wellbeing.

However, when the feelings become excessive, all-consuming, causing emotional distress and interfering with your daily activity that is a Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) then, you might need to seek for ideas and strategies to help lessen the severity of the symptoms and prevent it from reoccurring.

For quite a long time, I detested travelling by the road because I lost someone very dear to my heart through a road accident, this led to constant fear and worry anytime I had to travel by road or a close family have to journey by road. The above scenario is not uncommon with people with GAD because they overestimate the likelihood of something bad happening and eventually anxiety will start affecting their thinking and will interfere with their daily functioning.

Here are 5 ways that could help if you think your anxiety is out of control and you need some help in dealing with it,

Supportive and interpersonal therapy

According to several studies, both therapies have proven effective in the treatment of patients with GAD. They are therapies aim to help reduce anxiety. They help to build resilience and adaptability on how to use strategies to cope with future fears and worries.

Cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT)

It focuses on changing your dysfunctional emotions, behaviour and thoughts by asking questions and pulling out negative and illogical beliefs from your mind. For instance; that I lost someone through road accident doesn’t mean I will die the same way, but I need to get the thought off my head to be at peace when travelling or when a relative has to travel by road. CBT identifies harmful thoughts, assess whether they are an adequate prediction of reality and if they not, it provides strategies to overcome them.

Mindfulness medication

This has also been investigated to bring a positive outcome. It can help the brain to dismiss anxious thoughts whenever they arise. This therapy would enable you to reduce worry and be aware without being fearful.

Healthy lifestyle

Doing regular exercises, eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, having good sleep and staying in touch with people that makes you happy are great ways of dealing with anxiety.

Medication

If you think your anxiety is getting intense, see your mental health practitioner for medications.

Anxiety disorder can be treated so that the symptoms don’t overwhelm you, find a treatment that works best for you and take over your day to day life.

Measures by Africa Countries in Preparation for Coronavirus

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Passengers arriving on a China Southern Airlines flight from Changsha in China are screened for coronavirus upon their arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta international airport in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. Image courtesy; (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)

Many Africa nations are putting up actions to guide against the spread of coronavirus disease that emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December. A virus that has infected more than 14,000 and killed 300 people in China and spread across countries in Asia, Europe and America.

There has not been any case of the virus in Africa countries. However, there have been cogent fears that the virus will spread to the continent in no time due to the trade ties between China and many Africa nations. The relationship that sees many people travel from China to Africa and vice versa for business and other purposes.

Authorities in many Africa countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Angola, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mauritius, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia are working closely with World Health Organisation (WHO) for assistance to be prepared for the disease.  

Most of these countries have suspended their airlines from travelling to China and have commenced active screening at airports to check for symptoms consistent to the virus.

In Africa most populous country, Nigeria, authorities appealed to people travelling from China to the country to self-isolate themselves on arrival for at least 14days to protect family and communities from the virus. Also, persons with the symptoms of the infection such as fever, cough, sore throat or difficulty in breathing are encouraged to contact Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on a 24-hour hotline. The citizens are advised to avoid trips to china until the disease is contained.

In the same vein, South Africa authorities have remained cautious of the movement and behaviour of the virus. A 24-hour hotline has been set up for clinicians, and the National Health Laboratory Service is presently available for 24 hours a day to test for the virus. Also, few hospitals have been earmarked to deal with infectious disease. 

While in Mozambique, authorities said it was suspending visas for visitors from China and blocking travel to the country.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities have commenced screening at all ports of entry to the country and advised citizens from making trips to china until the disease is contained.

As many Africa countries are in preparation mode for the virus, a major challenge is lack of required diagnostic laboratory capacity to respond to such infectious disease as coronavirus. Meanwhile, WHO has continued to encourage all countries to be ready for coronavirus.

5 Ways To Reduce Global Warming and Safeguard Our Environment.

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An image showing carbon dioxide emissions over the Earth. Courtesy Getty Images

The levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high, according to the World Meteorological Organization(WMO). This continuous long-term trend of increase in greenhouses gases means there would be ranges of environmental and health effects from the impact of climate change in the future. 

As shown by the WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, there was an increase in the concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) from 405.5 parts per million (ppm) in 2017 to 407.8 parts per million in 2018, indicating an increase above the average growth rate over the last decade.

“There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline in greenhouse gases concentration in the atmosphere despite all the commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. 

“We need to translate the commitments into action and increase the level of ambition for the sake of the future welfare of mankind,” he said.

Moreover, several lines of evidence have confirmed that human activities are the primary source of global warming, which is affecting the climate. It will have dire consequences on humanity and the biosphere if necessary care is not put in place.

At the moment, a quarter of the world’s population is currently at risk of water supply problem as mountain glaciers, snowpacks and alpines lakes are reduced by global warming, according to an international study published in the Nature journal. To safeguard the world from climate change, the international action to reduce carbon emission should be adhered to, and individually, we need to play a part to save the future.

Here are the ways we can help reduce global warming

  1. We need to change the way we make and consume energy. The extensive use of different types of fossil fuel like petroleum, coal and others are the first source of global warming. They produce carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. Policies should be in place to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases trapping heat on the planet. Alternative energy like solar, wind, biomass and geothermal should be utilized.
  2. We need to protect our forests, plant more trees, restore seagrasses and boost the use of crops. Trees help regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere when they are cut down, the positive effect is lost, and the carbon stored in the trees is released in the atmosphere.
  3. We need to promote the use of the public transport system and carpooling rather than driving individually. However, the use of electric and hydrogen mobility, which consumption is still at a low rate can help reduce global warming.
  4. We need to choose food choices that can help fight climate change; for instance; You can decide to have beans instead of meat as your option of protein. We should make use of cosmetics, clothing and cleaning products responsibly. Also, not forgetting to consider recycling as a means of our waste disposal.
  5. We need to build sustainable infrastructures, buildings with low energy consumption. Also, we should consider renovating old buildings because it offers excellent potential to reduce carbon emission and energy.

How To Prevent Yourself From Being Infected With Ebola

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Ebola virus outbreak

Many people feared traveling down to the Democratic Republic of Congo, due to the recent concern of Ebola outbreak, which “is continuing with moderate intensity,” according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Ebola virus disease is a severe illness with no licensed vaccine to protect people from the infection and with a high fatality rate. At the time of this report, according to WHO 529 deaths and 257 survivors have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Although it is difficult to stop the spread of Ebola because it moves from one person to another through the blood or body fluids or organs of a person or animal with the infection, there are measures to prevent oneself or loved ones from picking up the deadly virus;

  • Practice good hygiene by washing your hands often with soap, hand sanitizer or cleaner containing at least 60percent of alcohol.
  • Make sure fruits and vegetables are appropriately cleaned and peeled before you eat them.
  • Avoid eating or touching dead and raw animals like wild meat, bush meat, primates, and bats.
  • Stay away from mines, bats and where other rodents may live.
  • Avoid contact with blood and body fluids such as saliva, urine, feces, breastmilk, semen, virginal fluids and vomit.
  • Avoid items that may have come in contact with infected person’s body fluid or blood such as clothes, bedding, needles, medical equipment and many more
  • Importantly, seek medical care immediately when you identify Ebola infection and after returning from areas affected with Ebola, monitor your health for 21days and seek medical attention.

What It Will Take To Increase The Participation Of Women And Girls In Space Science In Africa

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Women in Aerospace- Africa, at the ALC conference in Abuja.

An often heard quote says, when you educate a woman, you educate a nation. To increase the participation of women and girls in space in Africa, more girls need to be educated.

Despite, the population of women almost 50% of the world population, women makes less than 11% of the world’s space explorers. Africa countries are no exception with a fewer number of women participating in space science compared to men.

Today, it has become clear that Space science remains a fundamental key and solution to a lot of societal problems and a veritable tool for development in the global community. Recently, many Africa countries are catching up in the space race by continuous investment in space science for sustainable development of the economy.

However, On the population side, if women and girls representation in space sciences increases, it would foster national productivity in many nations, and there will be collective gains in income, health, quality of life and other benefits that scientific advancement has to offer.

To increase the participation of girls and women in space science and technology in Africa, the following have to be considered.

Firstly, Africa countries need to address cultural barriers that play a significant impact on our society. For instance, Some are still of the belief that a girl should not be educated because she will end up being a man’s property, that men are suitable for certain jobs than women, that women are to take fewer hour jobs because of family care and many more. All these,  have successfully limited women from following their passion and reaching the peak of their careers.

Africa countries need an egalitarian society for women to be well represented in space sciences and technology and enjoy the development of space technologies which have far-reaching socio-economic benefit.

Secondly, there is a need for investment in human capital development, more girls and young women should be assisted with know how technology transfer in the areas of telemedicine, rocketry, remote sensing and similar space programmes through scholarship, funding of researches and innovations.

This would provide opportunities for many young women to earn a degree, kick start a career in space technology and it will stimulate technical and commercial innovation in our nations.

Thirdly, there is a need for groups of women in space science in Africa to mentor girls and young women to use and develop space scientific abilities to achieve their full potentials.

For instance, a group comprising all female space scientists in Africa, with representations in different Africa countries will play an active role in inspiring girls and young women into space sciences and foster a working relationship between women in space in Africa countries.

Also, having more women occupy leadership positions in space-related fields would stand as a reference point to younger women and spurred them with the hope to break the glass ceilings in the space science field.

Furthermore, the Governments and stakeholders in space industries need to recruit more female graduates with space science degrees. Availability of job positions after graduation for women will increase their representation in space industries.

Also, Africa countries need more specialized institutions offering space science courses, this would reduce the number of young women that separate from their families to study overseas and might increase education tourism between Africa countries.

However, employers in space industries need to make workplace friendly to women. Challenges like sexual harassment, pervasive stereotype, bullying, and similar inappropriateness that could deter women from pursuing a career in space sciences and related fields should be avoided in workplaces for women to contribute to the national development.

Moreso, the media have a crucial role to play in the representation of more women in space sciences. On screens, radios and dallies, we see and hear more of male characters portrayed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math profession than female characters portrayed in a similar job. Africa Female space scientists need adequate coverage by the media to project their research works and to inspire more young women and girls in their profession.

In conclusion, to foster the participation of women in space science, all hands including young women, parents, government, media, society, stakeholders and educators must be on deck to inspire and support girls to follow their passion for succeeding in pursuing a career in space science for the benefit of our nations.

 

Watching TV puts children at risk of obesity

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image courtesy; google image

Children that spend time sitting in front of the television are at risk of childhood obesity a new study finds out

The researchers from the University of South Australia examined the effect of different sitting behaviours – watching of TV, playing video games, sitting to eat, playing computer games and travelling in the car in 234 Australian children between the ages 10 to 13, who were either healthy or obsessed.

The result showed that sitting to watch TV has more impact on children’s weight than other sitting behaviours.

“Some types of sitting are more strongly associated with body fat in children than others, and time spent watching TV seems to be the worst culprit.” Says Dr Margarita Tsiros, the lead researcher of the study.

“Not all sedentary behaviours are created equal when it comes to children’s weight, how long children spend sitting may be less important than what they do when they are sitting”. adds Tsiros “It’s no surprise that the more inactive a child is, the greater their risk of being overweight,”

In recent years there has been an increase in the percentage of overweight children in both developed and developing countries, which is due to many reasons ranging from lack of money to choose healthier meals, afford sports activities and safe areas for the kids to play.

Also, getting children active can be challenging for parents who work 5 to 7 days in a week, this has made a lot of parents to use screen time as a pervasive means to keep kids less active.

But many Studies have shown that children that are overweight while they are young have overwhelming chances to stay that way till when they become adults.

“An overweight child is more likely to grow up into an overweight adult, so the importance of tackling unhealthy behaviours in childhood is critical”. Tsiros pointed out. “Children who are obese have an increased risk of developing serious health disorders, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.”

“They may also experience reduced wellbeing, social and self-esteem issues, along with pain and difficulties with movement and activity, She adds. “By understanding children’s sedentary behaviours – especially those that are placing our kids at risk – we’ll ensure they stay on a better path towards a healthier weight.”

Parents are advised to allow the kids to have more outdoor activities rather than stay watching television.

Sex after childbirth

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Image courtesy; http://pregnancyandbaby.com

Some women feel pressurized to resume sexual activities at six weeks after childbirth which doesn’t go well with them due to their experiences after delivery. There is a need for a straightforward conversation between mothers, partners and health providers at pre-natal stage about getting started with sex after delivery a new study suggests.

The study, published in the Journal Culture, Health & Sexuality was based on 70 in-depth interviews conducted with women in South California.

“Among participants, the most frequent recommendation from health providers was to resume sex after the six-week postpartum visit,” said Andrea DeMaria, an assistant professor in Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences who led the study.

“But we found some women were ready before six weeks due to personal and partner desire, while other women expressed difficulties resuming sex, including pain and exhaustion from caring for a new baby,” DeMaria adds.

Women are advised to have continuous meetings with their health providers during and after delivery to ensure their wellbeing.

Postpartum care should be an “ongoing process rather than a single encounter, and that all women have contact with their ob-gyns or other obstetric care providers within the first three weeks postpartum,” states The American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.

The move by The American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology shows a departure from the current “one size -fit-all” approach of postpartum care says DeMaria.

DeMaria adds that “Providers should communicate to their patients pre-and postpartum that women have varied experiences with resuming sexual activity after birth, and there is not one strict recommendation or guideline that applies to everyone,”

This study helped strengthen past findings that revealed women differs in how they experience postpartum sexual desires and pleasures, which are often influenced physically by delivery mode, state of wellbeing and body image.

“If health care providers can bring this up and normalize these different experiences, then women and partners will be more aware of what they should be on the lookout for, that these feelings they’re experiencing are normal,” said Stephanie Meier, a doctoral student at Purdue and co-author of the paper. “Those conversations should continue throughout prenatal and postpartum.”

New mothers seeking advice on postpartum health should contact their personal health care provider, DeMaria said.

 

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury links To Mental Health

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A mild traumatic brain injury such from a fall, car accident, the violent assault may result in mental health problem if not well treated and follow up by practitioners a new study suggests.

In the study published in JAMA Psychiatry, the researchers compared the effect of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients who had experienced mild traumatic brain injury and those who had experienced another type of traumatic injuries such as broken legs but not head injury.

The recent study examined 1,155 patients with mild traumatic brain injuries between three, six and 12months after their injuries and 230 patients with non-head injuries from 11 hospitals with trauma centres across the United States, between 2014 and 2016.

The result shows that patients with mild traumatic brain injury were more likely to experience PTSD and depressive disorder compared to non-head injuries patients.

At three months after brain injury, 20 percent of patients with mild traumatic brain injury reported mental health symptoms compared 8.7percent of non-head injury patients. While at six months after the injury, 21.2 percent of patients with mild traumatic brain experienced mental health symptoms compared to 12.1percent of non-head injury patients.

“These results may help guide follow-up care and suggest that doctors may need to pay particular attention to the mental state of patients many months after injury.” Said Patrick Bellgowan, program director National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

The study also shows a high-risk factor of developing post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive order after mild traumatic brain injury among people with Lower level of education and black patients

Generally, “our findings may have implications for surveillance and treatment of mental disorders after traumatic brain injury. The emergence and long- term course of PTSD after traumatic brain injury is variable,” the researchers wrote.

Their result shows that PTSD and major depressive disorder, although common, occur in only a minority of patients after mild traumatic brain injury, “but especially those with prior mental health problems,” they wrote.

The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Long-lasting Space mission may increase Astronauts’ vulnerability to cancer

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International Space Station.

 

In an era, where many people would like to have a luxury vacation on board the first luxury Space hotel to have an authentic astronaut experience. You might not be bothered about being susceptible to cancer if staying for a short while because a new study reveals a lengthy Space mission is likely to increase astronauts’ openness to cancer.

In a recent study published in the journal of applied physiology, the researchers analysed the blood samples of eight astronauts before and during a six-month mission abroad the International Space Station.

During the study, the researchers found a significant negative impact on Natural killer-cells function, a class of white blood cells that protect from infection and knocks out cancer cells.

“When we look at the function of the astronaut samples during flight compared to their own samples before they flew, it goes down. When we compare them to controls who stayed on Earth, it still goes down,” said Richard Simpson lead author and an associate professor of nutritional sciences from the  University of Arizona, Tucson,

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that NK-cell function is decreasing in the spaceflight environment when analysed in a cell culture system,” Simpson adds. “Cancer is a big risk to astronauts during very prolonged spaceflight missions because of the exposure to radiation.”

NK cells “are also very important to kill off virally infected cells,” he added. “When you’re in the space station, it’s a very sterile environment — you’re not likely to pick up the flu or a rhinovirus or some community-type infection — but the infections that are a problem are the viruses that are already in your body. These are mostly viruses that cause things like shingles, mononucleosis or cold sores; they stay in your body for the rest of your life, and they do reactivate when you’re stressed.”

Stress may be a big player in effect, Simpson and his colleagues observed. This recent study adds to the list of health-related challenges that lengthy Space travellers are likely to face.