Some things to know about the Ebola Virus Disease.

Ebola virus disease (EVD; formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever) is currently a public health issue in Some West African countries. The outbreak is now confirmed to be caused by a strain of ebolavirus with very close homology (98%) to the Zaire ebolavirus. This is the first time the disease has been detected in West Africa.

Cases were first reported from forested areas in south-eastern Guinea. The outbreak has rapidly evolved and several districts and Conakry have reported cases and deaths caused by EVD. A small number of suspected cases and deaths has also been reported from neighbouring countries with all of them having crossed from Guinea. Confirmed cases have been reported from Guinea and Liberia.

Ebola virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. It is one of the world’s most virulent diseases.The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people. Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. During an outbreak, those at higher risk of infection are health workers, family members and others in close contact with sick people and deceased patients.



Ebola virus disease outbreaks can devastate families and communities, but the infection can be controlled through the use of recommended protective measures in clinics and hospitals, at community gatherings, or at home.

As of July 6, 2014, WHO announced a cumulative total of 844 suspect and confirmed cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) and 518 deaths being reported from Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Of the 884, 626 cases have been laboratory confirmed. In Guinea, 408 cases, with 307 fatal cases and 294 laboratory confirmations, were reported by the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Guinea and WHO. 

No case of EVD have been reported in Nigeria.

No Plan To Ban Tobacco Smoking, says Nigerian Reps.

 

The Nigerian House of Representatives which is currently considering a proposed legislation that sought to "regulate" tobacco production, packaging and promotional activities, said on wednesday that it had no plans to ban tobacco smoking in the country. A Joint House Committee on Health and Justice, made the clarification at a public hearing on 11 health-related bills, including the tobacco smoking bill in Abuja.

The major aim of this bill, according to the joint committee lead chairman is  "to provide a legal framework for the control of the production, manufacture, sale, labeling, advertising, promotion, sponsorship, use of tobacco products and exposure to tobacco smoke in order to promote the health of the individual." 

The British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) however stated during the public hearing  for the National Tobacco Control Bill at the National Assembly in Abuja that it is in support of balanced regulation for the tobacco sector.

Nigeria currently has no established framework for tobacco regulation and About 10 million Nigerians are currently at risk of both active and passive smoking. The lawmakers recognizes the rights of smokers, but also owe Nigerians the duty to protect non-smokers and regulate smoking.

Due to 'exploding’ HIV epidemic, WHO recommends antiretroviral medications to all gay men

For the first time, the World Health Organization WHO is strongly recommending that men who have sex with other men consider antiretroviral medications to help prevent HIV infection. The approach, called pre-exposure prophylaxis, calls for the non-infected to take a preventive pill every day. With such treatment, WHO predicts HIV incidence among gay men would ultimately fall by as much as 25 percent — and avert close to 1 million infections over the next decade.

According to WHO's statement on Friday,  “Rates of HIV infection among men who have sex with men remain high almost everywhere and new prevention options are urgently needed.” 

Statistics shows that the likelihood a gay man will become infected is approximately 19 times greater than the general population while Female sex workers, are 14 times more likely to have HIV than other women. The most high-risk groups are transgender women and intravenous drug users, who are 50 times more likely to be infected than the general population.

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2014 Grand Award Winners

Society for Science & the Public, in partnership with the Intel Foundation, announced Grand Awards of the Intel ISEF 2014. Student winners are ninth through twelfth graders (i.e. Secondary School students) who earned the right to compete at the Intel ISEF 2014 by winning a top prize at a local, regional, state or national science fair.

Nathan Han, 15, of Boston won the Gordon E. Moore Award of $75,000 for developing a machine learning software tool to study mutations of a gene linked to breast cancer at this year’sIntel International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Society for Science & the Public. Nathan is also an alumnus of the 2011 Broadcom MASTERS.


Lennart Kleinwort, 15, of Germany and Shannon Lee, 17, of Singapore both won Young Scientist Awards of $50,000 for their research on a mathematical tool for smartphones and tablets and a novel electrocatalyst, respectively.

The Gordon E. Moore Award recognizes the best of the Best among the outstanding students from around the world who participate in the Intel ISEF. The finalist with the winning project is selected on the basis of outstanding and innovative research, as well as on the potential impact of their work on the field and on the world at large.

NASA Unveils New Space Suit for Mars

NASA’s newly revealed Z-2 space suit is the astronaut apparel of the future. It is the second mock-up of a suit that NASA hopes will eventually protect explorers walking on Mars or drilling into an asteroid. Space suit design is predicated on where one is going and what they'll be doing.

The Z-2’s most important features is its lower-body flexibility, which allows astronauts to walk, climb and crouch to explore extraterrestrial landscapes. By November, NASA should have a prototype ready for testing, complete with Tron-like, blue luminescent patches that were selected by the public in an Internet poll. Unfortunately, those aesthetics won’t appear on the final version of the suit, which NASA hopes to have ready for launch by 2018.

The Z-Series is NASA's line of prototype spacesuits geared at planetary exploration. They are designed to contain portable life support systems; be quick to put on and take off; and maximize astronaut dexterity in both planetary and micro-gravity environments. The previous iteration, the Z-1, was white in color with big, green neon strips