Friday, March 29, 2019
Video - Physically challenged tricyclist finds ways to overcome challenges in Nigeria
It's estimated that there are over 27 million people with physical challenges in Nigeria. While many can be seen begging for alms on the streets of Lagos, there is one of them who has decided to stand out. Deji Badmus has his story.
Video - Nigerian-American teen feted for her girls' education campaign
Nigerian-American teen activist Zuriel Oduwole has been honoured by the Nelson Mandela Foundation for her work on girls' education in Africa. Before the age of 10, Oduwole started campaigning to keep girls in school. CGTN's Julie Scheier caught up with Oduwole, while she was in Johannesburg.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Nigerian genome team contained Lassa fever outbreak with international assistance
The fear for scientists and health professionals at the time was that the virus had mutated into a deadlier strain, perhaps one that can be passed through the air, like the flu. Such a change could be catastrophic.
Genetic sequencing of Lassa virus genomes taken from patients revealed the virus was neither a dangerous new strain nor being passed from person to person through the air; the multifarious results, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, pointed to a diverse range of Lassa viruses which had previously been seen in Nigeria, ruling out a new form, and it was determined that the increase had not been caused by a mutation or new route in transmission.
The cases continue to spike this year; from Jan. 1 to Feb. 10. The World Health Organization reported 324 confirmed cases and 72 deaths across Nigeria, the majority of them in Edo and Ondo states in Nigeria’s south. Fatalities are hovering around 20%, which is high for Lassa, and while the virus is not a mutant—the worst-case scenario—the reason for the dramatic rise remains a mystery. On Jan. 22, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control declared the outbreak an emergency.
Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola, but less lethal. Mortality rates for confirmed cases between Jan. 1 and Mar. 17 this year is 23%. The virus is zoonotic, meaning it jumps from an animal reservoir to a human being; the most common reservoir of Lassa is the multimammate rat.
Humans usually become infected through contact with the rat’s urine or feces. In non-fatal cases, the virus usually causes mild symptoms—including fever, headache, and weakness—and often goes undiagnosed. While Lassa is a viral hemorrhagic fever, the bleeding famously associated with a small percentage of Ebola cases is extremely rare.
Scientists use genetic sequencing to determine the order of the four chemical building blocks which make up DNA. This order tells them what kind of information is coded into that DNA, as well as what type of virus it is. While the assays used to test the virus’ genomic sequence were not new, the speed with which the information was analyzed and put to action—and where it was performed—was new.
Years of partnership and preparation between the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Disease (ACEGID), the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in southern Nigeria, and the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Broad Institute ensured the samples were rapidly sequenced in Nigeria by local labs.
This response, marked by cooperation and in-country capability, may be the model for the years ahead, as scientists from both Broad in the US and Nigeria believe the chances are high of emerging virus outbreaks occurring more frequently.
The test results identified the subtypes of Lassa fever causing the infections, and where in the country they were. That information was quickly made available to health officials at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control for use in determining the best course of action for handling the outbreak with a speed that would not have been possible if it had to have been tested overseas.
“That is very important, because that has immediate implications in terms of countermeasures to block it,” says Christian Happi, centre director and principal investigator at ACEGID.
Genomic analysis has often been reactive, completed long after an outbreak had run its course.
“With the improvement of technique and also greater collaboration between partners we’re able to have these results in real-time to influence the actual control of the outbreak that we are managing,” says Chikwe Ihekweazu, director general of the NCDC.
Analysis from end to end was done on the ground in Nigeria, according to Happi. Scientists at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital sent confirmed samples to ACEGID, at Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun state, Nigeria. ACEGID teams extracted the virus’ RNA, converted it to DNA, then broke it into component parts, reassembling a complete genome of the virus that could be compared to sequenced viruses from previous cases. The process took about three to four days per sample.
Results from the ACEGID sequencing were sent to the NCDC when they were considered actionable. The results were cross-checked at Broad, while both institutions then continued to test the samples to provide a larger data set, replicating sets of each other’s samples for consistency, Siddle says.
“As we got the result, we shared the report with the NCDC, and they swung into action,” says Happi. Putting the people, infrastructure, and capability required for rapid analysis on firm footing took roughly five years. The collaboration between the labs of Broad Institute member Pardis Sabeti, Happi’s lab at Redeemer’s University, and scientists at Irrua laid the groundwork for the 2018 Lassa response.
“They’ve worked together for a number of years to understand various different aspects of Lassa virus,” explains Katherine Siddle, a postdoctoral fellow at Broad and Harvard. “Through that, they kind of really built up a vision for doing infectious disease genomics in West Africa.”
The Lassa fever outbreak provided a first chance to demonstrate that vision.
Scientists and health officials believe outbreaks of emerging viruses like Lassa, Ebola, Marburg and Nipah are likely going to increase in the future. As human expansion and climate change shifts the boundaries between people and animals, forcing them closer together than ever before, the chance for zoonotic viruses to jump species increases.
Nations where these viruses are endemic or where completely novel ones are likely to emerge can take cues from Nigeria’s model. The ability to handle an outbreak within their own borders may prove the difference that prevents a pandemic.
The in-country model makes sense from both scientific and practical standpoints, says Siddle. Building the infrastructure required to control an outbreak in the midst of one is challenging in and of itself; when outbreaks occur in regions destabilized by violence—as Ebola currently is in the Democratic Republic of Congo—even more so. The speed with which information can be analyzed and provided to health officials, much faster when handled in-country, is crucial; the virus is not awaiting samples from overseas.
“To answer the big public health problems of our time, collaboration will be critical,” says Ihekweazu. “No single group of scientists is going to come up with some magic bullet to save the world.”
Those big public health problems will increasingly lay in places like West Africa, where a booming population and rapidly developing economy make for perfect conditions for a virus to spread. “These are our problems,” Ihekweazu notes. “We need to be able to be at least part of the solution.”
Improvements in one country’s capabilities may have an impact far beyond their borders. A nation which can contain outbreaks quickly, accurately, and in-country is better positioned to curtail a pandemic.
By B. David Zarley
Quartz
Nigeria beat Egypt 1-0 with fastest international goal
Nigeria beat Egypt 1-0 in a friendly thanks to a goal scored inside 10 seconds in Asaba on Tuesday.
Paul Onuachu's strike is Nigeria's fastest ever international goal.
According to Uefa the fastest ever competitive international goal was scored by Belgium's Christian Benteke just after 8.1 seconds against Gibraltar in October 2016.
Elsewhere, Senegal needed Sadio Mane to come off the bench and help them to a win over Mali.
Also on Tuesday Algeria beat Tunisia, Ivory Coast beat Liberia, Ghana won at home to Mauritania and Morocco were beaten by Argentina.
With the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt fast approaching, it was an important round of matches for coaches and players.
Nigeria's Denmark-based Onuachu, who was making his full international debut, seized his opportunity to make an impact.
The ball was chipped forward for him to run on to, he took it round the defender with one touch and then scored with his second to stun Egypt and delight the still settling crowd.
It was the only goal in a game which pitted two of the major contenders for the Nations Cup crown together, and Egypt - with the rested Mohamed Salah absent - tested the Super Eagles as well.
Herve Renard's Morocco were beaten, going down 1-0 to Argentina, who were without Lionel Messi, thanks to an 83rd minute goal from Angel Correa.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted his side had been tested by the Atlas Lions.
"It was a tough game, Morocco has good players and were supported well by their fans," he said.
"We're happy to win the game despite the difficult conditions, especially the strong wind (in Tangier) and had a negative impact on the players and the quality of the overall game.
"We were looking for victory to satisfy our fans and make them confident in our team following the last defeat (3-1 to Venezuela)."
Morocco coach Herve Renard was not impressed by the standard of the football.
"I was bored... this is the first time in my career that I went into a locker room at half-time and I had nothing to say to my players - we did everything except playing football," he said.
"It was not a football game - but a fight. The plans (choice of opponents) for the Nations Cup will depend on the draw."
Salah may have been absent but his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane came off the bench for Senegal to rescue a win for them against Mali.
They were a goal down with three minutes remaining when Mane skipped past several defenders into the box and scored with a low shot to level it at 1-1.
And well into stoppage time Mane had yet more influence on the game as he set up Senegal's winner from Moussa Kounate.
The other matches also featured many of the serious contenders for Egypt 2019 later this year.
Ghana's Black Stars also took an early lead - inside two minutes - against Nations Cup debutants Mauritania in Accra, and they won the game 3-1.
In the North African derby between Algeria and Tunisia, Algeria kept up their stellar record of not losing a game at home in Blida since 2002, with a 1-0 win.
And Ivory Coast left it late, but earned a 1-0 win over Liberia thanks to a 90th minute penalty from Aston Villa's Jonathan Kodjia in Abidjan.
BBC
Paul Onuachu's strike is Nigeria's fastest ever international goal.
According to Uefa the fastest ever competitive international goal was scored by Belgium's Christian Benteke just after 8.1 seconds against Gibraltar in October 2016.
Elsewhere, Senegal needed Sadio Mane to come off the bench and help them to a win over Mali.
Also on Tuesday Algeria beat Tunisia, Ivory Coast beat Liberia, Ghana won at home to Mauritania and Morocco were beaten by Argentina.
With the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt fast approaching, it was an important round of matches for coaches and players.
Nigeria's Denmark-based Onuachu, who was making his full international debut, seized his opportunity to make an impact.
The ball was chipped forward for him to run on to, he took it round the defender with one touch and then scored with his second to stun Egypt and delight the still settling crowd.
It was the only goal in a game which pitted two of the major contenders for the Nations Cup crown together, and Egypt - with the rested Mohamed Salah absent - tested the Super Eagles as well.
Herve Renard's Morocco were beaten, going down 1-0 to Argentina, who were without Lionel Messi, thanks to an 83rd minute goal from Angel Correa.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted his side had been tested by the Atlas Lions.
"It was a tough game, Morocco has good players and were supported well by their fans," he said.
"We're happy to win the game despite the difficult conditions, especially the strong wind (in Tangier) and had a negative impact on the players and the quality of the overall game.
"We were looking for victory to satisfy our fans and make them confident in our team following the last defeat (3-1 to Venezuela)."
Morocco coach Herve Renard was not impressed by the standard of the football.
"I was bored... this is the first time in my career that I went into a locker room at half-time and I had nothing to say to my players - we did everything except playing football," he said.
"It was not a football game - but a fight. The plans (choice of opponents) for the Nations Cup will depend on the draw."
Salah may have been absent but his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane came off the bench for Senegal to rescue a win for them against Mali.
They were a goal down with three minutes remaining when Mane skipped past several defenders into the box and scored with a low shot to level it at 1-1.
And well into stoppage time Mane had yet more influence on the game as he set up Senegal's winner from Moussa Kounate.
The other matches also featured many of the serious contenders for Egypt 2019 later this year.
Ghana's Black Stars also took an early lead - inside two minutes - against Nations Cup debutants Mauritania in Accra, and they won the game 3-1.
In the North African derby between Algeria and Tunisia, Algeria kept up their stellar record of not losing a game at home in Blida since 2002, with a 1-0 win.
And Ivory Coast left it late, but earned a 1-0 win over Liberia thanks to a 90th minute penalty from Aston Villa's Jonathan Kodjia in Abidjan.
BBC
New inquiry on oil spills in Nigeria launched
A major new inquiry into oil companies operating in the Niger Delta has been launched by the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu. The probe will investigate "environmental and human damage" in Nigeria's vast oil fields.
"This Commission will investigate the human and environmental impact of multinational oil company activity and is crucial to the prosperous future of the people of Bayelsa and their environment, Nigeria and hopefully to other oil-producing nations," he said.
Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer. The country's crude oil production -- estimated at over 300 million liters per day -- makes up 70 percent of the Nigerian government's revenue.
This new commission, convened by Bayelsa Governor Seriake Dickson, says that it wants to make oil companies in the region more accountable.
"The world has looked on for too long without taking the necessary collective action to put a stop to the damage being done by oil companies in Bayelsa. We must put the environment and the health and wellbeing of our communities first," Dickson said in a statement Wednesday.
Big oil spills are common in the Niger Delta where over40 million liters of crude oil is spilled annually, resulting in human deaths and damage to the local ecosystem.
A 2018 study by the Journal of Health and Pollution found that more than 12,000 oil spill incidents have occurred in the oil-rich region between 1976 and 2014.
Pipeline corrosion and tanker accidents caused more than 50 percent of them. Other incidents can be attributed to operational error, mechanical failure, and sabotage mostly from militant groups, the study said.
Contaminated lands, water
The Niger Delta is a diverse region with rich mangroves and fish-rich waterways. Many residents try to make their livelihoods from fishing and farming.
Yamaabana Legborsi lives in Gokana in Ogoni, the most affected community, where residents have stopped oil companies from pumping oil from their lands.
The 32-year-old told CNN growing up the community posed both mental and economic challenges to him as a child.
"We could not play in the sand like other children else you are covered in black crude. My mother was especially worried it was not safe, so were other parents.
"We could not also eat the fishes that washed away from the river, you would see crude all around the water," Legborsi said.
The situation has not changed, Legborsi says, despite promises from oil companies clean things up.
"I cannot drink water from my borehole. You can perceive crude oil and kerosene. Many of the residents here drink well water, that is contaminated too," he added.
Experts from the United Nations Environment Programme, (UNEP) in the first scientific survey of the area found that people in Ogoniland had "lived with chronic oil pollution throughout their lives."
UNEP researchers in the 2011 report said it would take 30 years to clean the oil mess left behind.
Oil companies expected to clean up spills within 24 hours under Nigerian law have also been accused of falling short of this obligation.
In a 2018 report, Amnesty International accused Shell and Eni, the two major operators in the Niger Delta, of negligence in their response to oil spills in the area.
The campaign group said the companies' "irresponsible approach" to oil spills had worsened the environmental crisis in the Niger Delta, an allegation both companies have since denied.
Shell in an emailed statement to CNN last year said the report failed to acknowledge the complex environment in which the company operates in the region.
"Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, in collaboration with government regulators, responds to spill incidents as quickly as it can and cleans up spills from its facilities regardless of the cause. We regularly test our emergency spill response procedures and capability to ensure staff and contractors can respond rapidly to an incident," Shell said at the time.
The response time to an oil spill depends on the security situation and the company's ability to access affected areas in the swampy region, the company said.
CNN
Related stories: Video - Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate claims responsibility
Oil thieves make away with $250m worth of oil from pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria
"This Commission will investigate the human and environmental impact of multinational oil company activity and is crucial to the prosperous future of the people of Bayelsa and their environment, Nigeria and hopefully to other oil-producing nations," he said.
Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer. The country's crude oil production -- estimated at over 300 million liters per day -- makes up 70 percent of the Nigerian government's revenue.
This new commission, convened by Bayelsa Governor Seriake Dickson, says that it wants to make oil companies in the region more accountable.
"The world has looked on for too long without taking the necessary collective action to put a stop to the damage being done by oil companies in Bayelsa. We must put the environment and the health and wellbeing of our communities first," Dickson said in a statement Wednesday.
Big oil spills are common in the Niger Delta where over40 million liters of crude oil is spilled annually, resulting in human deaths and damage to the local ecosystem.
A 2018 study by the Journal of Health and Pollution found that more than 12,000 oil spill incidents have occurred in the oil-rich region between 1976 and 2014.
Pipeline corrosion and tanker accidents caused more than 50 percent of them. Other incidents can be attributed to operational error, mechanical failure, and sabotage mostly from militant groups, the study said.
Contaminated lands, water
The Niger Delta is a diverse region with rich mangroves and fish-rich waterways. Many residents try to make their livelihoods from fishing and farming.
Yamaabana Legborsi lives in Gokana in Ogoni, the most affected community, where residents have stopped oil companies from pumping oil from their lands.
The 32-year-old told CNN growing up the community posed both mental and economic challenges to him as a child.
"We could not play in the sand like other children else you are covered in black crude. My mother was especially worried it was not safe, so were other parents.
"We could not also eat the fishes that washed away from the river, you would see crude all around the water," Legborsi said.
The situation has not changed, Legborsi says, despite promises from oil companies clean things up.
"I cannot drink water from my borehole. You can perceive crude oil and kerosene. Many of the residents here drink well water, that is contaminated too," he added.
Experts from the United Nations Environment Programme, (UNEP) in the first scientific survey of the area found that people in Ogoniland had "lived with chronic oil pollution throughout their lives."
UNEP researchers in the 2011 report said it would take 30 years to clean the oil mess left behind.
Oil companies expected to clean up spills within 24 hours under Nigerian law have also been accused of falling short of this obligation.
In a 2018 report, Amnesty International accused Shell and Eni, the two major operators in the Niger Delta, of negligence in their response to oil spills in the area.
The campaign group said the companies' "irresponsible approach" to oil spills had worsened the environmental crisis in the Niger Delta, an allegation both companies have since denied.
Shell in an emailed statement to CNN last year said the report failed to acknowledge the complex environment in which the company operates in the region.
"Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, in collaboration with government regulators, responds to spill incidents as quickly as it can and cleans up spills from its facilities regardless of the cause. We regularly test our emergency spill response procedures and capability to ensure staff and contractors can respond rapidly to an incident," Shell said at the time.
The response time to an oil spill depends on the security situation and the company's ability to access affected areas in the swampy region, the company said.
CNN
Related stories: Video - Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate claims responsibility
Oil thieves make away with $250m worth of oil from pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria
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