Health & Medicines

5 Secrets About Men

2012-08-22T10:01:00.001-07:00

http://youtu.be/p2ROgQ6Sz9k

What Do Men Love in a Woman?

2012-08-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/gbrknBQJD_A

How Men Fall In Love

2012-08-22T09:54:00.001-07:00

http://youtu.be/0bcEqesnOQo

Crude oil and cooking oil: What harm do they do?

2012-08-10T03:28:00.000-07:00

We have all heard of the BP oil spill, and know that this crude oil is very harmful. But do we really know the harms? Crude oil is filled with toxic properties, and when these toxins become airborne, they can travel for many miles. These toxins cause problems such as trouble breathing, dizziness, nausea, headaches, and confusion. If people with COPD or asthma even come into brief contact with these toxins, they can cause health problems. There are some potential long-term effects of these toxins, which can include kidney, liver, blood, reproductive, or immune system damage. There are also risks of birth defects and cancer. Oils used for cooking can also cause harm to people. To begin with, vegetable oils can cause your good cholesterol to turn into bad cholesterol. Diseases such as heart diseases and breast cancer are caused by the trans-fats in these oils. Another potential issue that can come from eating these oils is intestinal damage, or the chance of food allergies popping up. Auto immune problems can also show up. The chemicals in vegetable oils can cause infertility or sterility. Children can also develop behavioral problems. Staying away from crude oils, and limiting your intake of vegetable oil will help you stay healthy and live a much better life.

Dark Spots On The Skin

2012-08-10T03:07:00.005-07:00

Melanin is what gives our skin color, or pigment. Dark spots on the skin, hyper-pigmentation, is caused by the overproduction of melanin. This condition occurs in all races. Sometimes these are referred to as “age spots” and are typically caused by sun damage which is acquired over a long period of time. The sun is the most common cause of these darkened skin patches. This darkened skin can also be caused by changes in the hormones, which is commonly caused by pregnancy or birth control pills. There are also disorders which can cause this, such as Addison’s disease. These dark skin spots can also be caused by a combination of an allergic reaction and sun exposure. These dark spots can sometimes be temporary, such as when taking birth control pills or during pregnancy. This is not a life-threatening condition, but can be the symptom of another disorder that you should get treatment for. If you have these dark spots, and also have symptoms such as loss of appetite, fatigue, or depression, you should see a doctor. If the dark spots are also appearing in your mouth or out mucus membranes, or notice diarrhea or constipation, these symptoms are also serious and require you to see a doctor. There are some ways to help with these areas of the skin, such as medication or lasers. If you have these dark skin spots and are concerned, you should consult a doctor. These spots can be embarrassing, but usually are not going to harm you. With technology today, you can be helped.

How many calories a woman should take per day?

2012-08-10T03:02:00.002-07:00

Caloric intake is a fact of life that many people do not pay attention to. Those who work out or are trying to lost weight usually do count calories and keep a close eye on their intake. There are varying factors to determine how many calories you should intake daily to remain healthy, such as age, weight, and amount of physical activity. On average, a woman needs about 2,000 calories everyday. However, those who work out can intake more, adding around 250 calories a day, as those are burned while exercising. Adding more than this while exercising will counter what you are trying to achieve. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should intake a larger number of calories, closer to 2,200. If you are trying to lose weight or size, eating a lower number of calories is best for you, but no less than 1,200. The reverse is also true: if you are trying to gain weight, your caloric intake should be higher. Your age can vary your caloric intake as well. Typically, younger women, usually more active, require more calories each day to keep healthy, about 2,200. Teenage girls require the most calories daily because of their growing bodies. Active teenagers require 500-600 more calories than the average teenager. Older women, most of whom are less active, require fewer calories each day, around 1,600. These numbers are averages and for the typical person. Always talk to your doctor before starting an exercise plan or diet, and ask him what your caloric intake should be.

Do your lips produce melanin?

2012-08-10T03:00:00.003-07:00

Melanin, also known as pigment, is the substance in our bodies that gives color to the skin, eyes, and hair. People with darker skin have much higher amounts of melanin, and those with pale skin have much less. Melanin also helps protect you from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is produced in nearly all organs that are vital to our bodies by melanocytes. These metabolize tyrosine, which is an amino acid. These formation sites include the heart, liver, muscles, and arteries. One of the places on your body that you must protect the most, especially from the sun, is the lips. This is because the lips produce no melanin, unlike the rest of the skin on your body. Using a lip balm that has a good sunscreen in it is essential to preventing not only sun burns, but also will protect from sunspots and skin cancer on the lips. The color in the lips instead comes from the blood vessels underneath. These capillaries are close to the skin, giving them their red or pink color. There are certain foods that you can eat to help your melanin levels, but do not forget that the lips must be protected because they produce none.

How do you test for allergies?

2012-08-10T02:55:00.003-07:00

Knowing if you have an allergy early can save your life later. There are all types of allergies out there, from pets, flowers, insects, and even foods. The good news is that there are options for those with allergies. Sometimes medications will help, or simply staying away from those allergens will be sufficient. The best news is that you do not have to wait for something bad to happen to know you have an allergy because there are numerous tests that your doctor can do to see if you do indeed have an allergy. These tests can determine the specific allergens that effect you, and why you are seeing specific symptoms. Knowing these will help your doctor prescribe a good course of treatment to reduce your symptoms. There are two main types of tests that are done to determine if you have allergies or not. These are blood samples and skin prick tests. With a blood test, a sample is sent to the lab to be analyzed. This type of test is best for young children and babies because it is much easier than several skin tests. A skin prick test is where the patient is pricked numerous times with a series of needles that have a number of allergy triggers. Reactions such as red bumps or welts will tell the doctor that the patient does have allergies. Knowing whether you have allergies or not can save your life as some allergies can cause heart problems. This is common in bee sting allergies. Preventative treatment, or simply being prepared for a reaction, is always recommended. So talk to your doctor today if you think you may have some sort of allergy. You will not regret it.

Does playing sports and eating a healthy diet help you live longer?

2012-08-10T02:52:00.002-07:00

Many of us know that a good diet and exercise can help us live longer, healthier lives. It is also true that playing sports does the same. This is because when you play sports, you are more active. Moving with speed and purpose will help increase your heart rate, as well as improve your lung capacity. Even sports like golf are helpful because of all the walking required. The running and jumping that many sports require help us with our overall body conditioning, and any sport that requires strength training is also great. It has been shown that players also have a much easier time fighting diseases such as cardiovascular problems, as well as diabetes. There has also been a correlation between sports and lower risks of cancer. One last advantage of playing sports is the emotional benefits. We learn about teamwork, friendship, and work ethic by working together towards a common goal. These skills not only help while playing sports, but also in other areas of our lives. Eating foods like broccoli, which contains anti-carcinogens; oily fish, which help lower cholesterol and prevents strokes and blood clots; and onions which not only help protect from cancer, but also help protect you from breathing conditions such as asthma, will help you live longer. Combining a good diet with playing sports, of any sort, will improve your overall health and increase your chances of living to a great, ripe old age.

UGANDAN OFFICIALS TRY TO ISOLATE EBOLA

2012-08-01T04:36:00.000-07:00

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2012/08/01/mckenzie-uganda-ebola-outbreak.cnn

'Smoking vaccine' blocks nicotine in mice brains

2012-06-30T23:38:00.002-07:00

Researchers believe vaccines may one day help people if they choose to quit.

Smokers could one day be immunised against nicotine so they gain no pleasure from the habit, according to researchers in the US.

They have devised a vaccine that floods the body with an antibody to assault nicotine entering the body.
A study in mice, published in Science Translational Medicine, showed levels of the chemical in the brain were reduced by 85% after vaccination.
Years of research are still needed before it could be tested on people.
However, lead researcher Prof Ronald Crystal is convinced there will be benefits.
"As far as we can see, the best way to treat chronic nicotine addiction from smoking is to have these Pacman-like antibodies on patrol, clearing the blood as needed before nicotine can have any biological effect."
New approach Other "smoking vaccines" have been developed that train the immune system to produce antibodies that bind to nicotine - it is the same method used to vaccinate against diseases. The challenge has been to produce enough antibodies to stop the drug entering the brain and delivering its pleasurable hit.
Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have used a completely different approach, a gene-therapy vaccine, which they say is more promising.

“Start Quote

If they start smoking again, they will receive no pleasure from it due to the nicotine vaccine, and that can help them kick the habit”

End Quote Prof Ronald Crystal Weill Cornell Medical College

A genetically modified virus containing the instructions for making nicotine antibodies is used to infect the liver. This turns the organ into a factory producing the antibodies.

The research team compared the amount of nicotine in the brains of normal mice with those that had been immunised. After being injected with nicotine, the vaccinated mice had nicotine levels 85% lower.
It is not known if this could be repeated in humans or if this level of reduction would be enough to help people quit.
Prof Crystal said that if such a vaccine could be developed then people "will know if they start smoking again, they will receive no pleasure from it due to the nicotine vaccine, and that can help them kick the habit".
He added: "We are very hopeful that this kind of vaccine strategy can finally help the millions of smokers who have tried to stop, exhausting all the methods on the market today, but find their nicotine addiction to be strong enough to overcome these current approaches."
'Impressive and intriguing' There are also issues around the safety of gene therapy in humans that will need to be answered.
Professor of genetics at the University of Kent, Darren Griffin, said the findings were "impressive and intriguing with great potential" but cautioned there were still many issues which needed addressing.
He said the main issue "is whether the observed biochemical effects in lab mice genuinely translate to a reduced addiction in humans given that such addictions can be both physical and psychological".
Dr Simon Waddington, from University College London, said: "The technology underpinning gene therapy is improving all the time and it is encouraging to see these preliminary results that indicate it could be used to address nicotine addiction, which is damaging to the nation's health and a drain on the health service economy."
If such a vaccine was developed it could also raise ethical questions about vaccinating people, possibly in childhood, before they even started smoking.

HIV quad pill 'may improve care'

2012-06-30T23:36:00.001-07:00

The 'quad' is the first multi-pill to include a type of anti-HIV drug known as an integrase inhibitor

A new once-a-day pill which combines four HIV drugs into a single daily treatment is safe and effective, according to a US study.

It is hoped the four-in-one "quad pill" will make it easier for patients to stick to their medication, improving the effects of their treatment.
A study in the Lancet said it could be an "important new treatment option".
A UK expert said the pill was "great news" and was part of a movement towards once-daily doses.
HIV is incurable, but managing the infection requires combination therapy - multiple drugs used to control the virus.
This can mean taking several pills at different times of the day - and missing them means the body can lose the fight against the virus.
Researchers and drug companies have combined some drugs into single pills so that taking the correct medication at the right time of day is easier.
The quad pill is the first to include a type of anti-HIV drug known as an integrase inhibitor, which stops the virus replicating.

“Start Quote

Without a doubt the achievement of a one-a-day pill has been a big advance in tackling HIV”

End Quote Dr Steve Taylor Birmingham Heartland Hospital

'Safe, simple, effective'

Paul Sax, clinical director at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, Massachusetts, and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, said: "Patient adherence to medication is vital, especially for patients with HIV, where missed doses can quickly lead to the virus becoming resistant to medication."

He led research comparing the effect of the quad pill with the current best treatment in 700 patients. He said the quad pill was as safe and effective, although there was a higher level of kidney problems among those taking it.
"Our results provide an additional highly potent, well-tolerated treatment option and highlight the simplicity of treatment resulting from combining several antiretrovirals in a single pill.
Dr Steve Taylor, an HIV specialist at Birmingham Heartland Hospital, said: "Without a doubt the achievement of a one-a-day pill has been a big advance in tackling HIV.
"We've come a long way from people taking up to 40 pills three times a day."
He said the new tablet was "great news" for people with HIV and would increase options for treatment.
However, he warned that too many people still had undiagnosed HIV. A quarter of people with HIV in the UK do not know they are infected.
The researcher was funded by the biotechnology company Gilead Sciences.

More on This Story

2012-05-25T05:04:00.000-07:00

Male contraceptive pill a step closer

Scientists are working on a contraceptive pill that would block a gene vital to sperm production, making men temporarily infertile

By Kim Hookem-Smith | Yahoo Lifestyle – 1 hour 48 minutes ago

A male contraceptive pill could take the birth control burden off womenScientists are hopeful that a male contraceptive pill could soon be on its way, after trials in mice identified a gene essential to sperm production.

[Related story: Can the pill fail?]

The gene, called Katnal1, is important at the end of the sperm-creating process and scientists believe blocking it could induce temporary infertility. The breakthrough came when a team of researchers at the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh were conducting investigations into male infertility.

Crucially, blocking the gene would be a temporary measure and, as the pill would potentially be non-hormonal, there should be few side effects.

It’s not the first attempt made at a male contraceptive pill but options for men currently remain limited to condoms or a vasectomy. Experts have called a non-hormonal contraceptive pill for men the ‘Holy Grail’.

"The key in developing a non-hormonal contraceptive for men is that the molecular target needs to be very specific for either sperm or other cells in the testicle which are involved in sperm production,” said Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield.

"If they are not, then such a contraceptive could have unwanted side effects on other cells and tissues in the body and may even be dangerous.

"The gene described by the research group in Edinburgh sounds like an exciting new possible target for a new male contraceptive, but it may also shed light on why some men are sub-fertile and why their sperm does not work properly."

EXPLORE RELATED CONTENT

India firm Ranbaxy launches new malaria drug

2012-05-24T19:51:00.001-07:00

Millions of malaria cases are reported from around the globe every year

India's top drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories has launched a new malaria treatment drug, Synriam, on the occasion of the World Malaria Day.

The country's first anti-malaria drug would treat Plasmodium falciparum malaria in adults, the company said.
It said the new drug was approved by Indian authorities for sale in India and conformed to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The WHO estimates that malaria kills about 15,000 people annually in India.
But the Lancet, one of the world's leading medical journals, says that figure is hugely underestimated. It says more than 205,000 people die of malaria every year in India.
The drug was launched on Wednesday in the Indian capital, Delhi, by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Science and Technology Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
In a statement, Ranbaxy said: "Synriam provides quick relief from most malaria-related symptoms, including fever, and has a high cure rate of over 95%."
Tsutomu Une, the chairman of Ranbaxy, said: "The drug fills a vital therapy gap not only in India but also worldwide. We will make all possible efforts to make Synriam accessible to the world."
The company said it was working to make the drug available in Africa, Asia and South America where malaria is rampant.
Malaria remains a major global public health challenge. India accounts for over 75% of the 2.5 million reported cases of malaria in southeast Asia annually.

Third of malaria drugs 'are fake'

2012-05-24T19:48:00.002-07:00

Some species in Thailand and Vietnam spread a drug-resistant malaria strain

A third of malaria drugs used around the world to stem the spread of the disease are counterfeit, data suggests.

Researchers who looked at 1,500 samples of seven malaria drugs from seven countries in South East Asia say poor-quality and fake tablets are causing drug resistance and treatment failure.
Data from 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa including over 2,500 drug samples showed similar results.
Experts say The Lancet Infectious Diseases research is a "wake-up call".
The US researchers from the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health who carried out the work believe the problem may even be much greater than data suggests.
"Most cases are probably unreported, reported to the wrong agencies, or kept confidential by pharmaceutical companies," say the researchers.
No large studies of drug quality have been carried out in China or India - countries that house a third of the world's population and are a "probable" source of many counterfeit drugs as well as genuine antimalarial medicines, they say.
Lead researcher Gaurvika Nayyar stressed that 3.3 billion people were at risk of malaria, which is classified as endemic in 106 countries.
"Between 655,000 and 1.2 million people die every year from Plasmodium falciparum infection," he said.
"Much of this morbidity and mortality could be avoided if drugs available to patients were efficacious, high quality, and used correctly."
In parts of the world where malaria is prevalent, antimalarial drugs are widely distributed and self-prescribed, both correctly and incorrectly, say the researchers.
The study found there are insufficient facilities to monitor the quality of antimalarial drugs and poor consumer and health-worker knowledge about the therapies.
And there is a lack of regulatory oversight of manufacturing and little punitive action for counterfeiters.
Despite this, malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25% globally since 2000, and by 33% in the WHO African Region.
But the World Health Organization says maintaining current rates of progress will not be enough to meet global targets for malaria control.
It is calling for renewed investment in diagnostic testing, treatment, and surveillance for malaria.

Calcium pills pose 'heart risk'

2012-05-24T19:43:00.003-07:00

Researchers urge caution on calcium pills

People who take calcium supplements could be increasing their risk of having a heart attack, according to researchers in Germany.

Calcium is often taken by older people to strengthen bones and prevent fractures.
But the study, published in the journal Heart, said the supplements "should be taken with caution".
Experts say promoting a balanced diet including calcium would be a better strategy.
The researchers at the German Cancer Research Centre, in Heidelberg, followed 23,980 people for more than a decade.
They compared the number of heart attacks in people who were taking calcium supplements with those who did not.
'Taken with caution'

“Start Quote

We need to determine whether the potential risks of the supplements outweigh the benefits calcium can give sufferers of conditions such as osteoporosis”

End Quote Natasha Stewart British Heart Foundation

There were 851 heart attacks among the 15,959 people who did not take any supplements at all. However, people taking calcium supplements were 86% more likely to have had a heart attack during the study.

The researchers said that heart attacks "might be substantially increased by taking calcium supplements" and that they "should be taken with caution".
Dr Carrie Ruxton, from The Health Supplements Information Service which is funded supplement manufacturers, said: "Osteoporosis is a real issue for women and it is irresponsible for scientists to advise that women cut out calcium supplements on the basis of one flawed survey, particularly when the link between calcium, vitamin D and bone health is endorsed by the European Food Safety Authority."
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said patients prescribed the supplements should keep taking their medication, but should also speak to their doctor if they were concerned.
'Not safe' Natasha Stewart, a senior cardiac nurse with the BHF, said: "This research indicates that there may be an increased risk of having a heart attack for people who take calcium supplements.
"However, this does not mean that these supplements cause heart attacks.
"Further research is needed to shed light on the relationship between calcium supplements and heart health. We need to determine whether the potential risks of the supplements outweigh the benefits calcium can give sufferers of conditions such as osteoporosis."
Ian Reid and Mark Bolland, researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, said: "The evidence is also becoming steadily stronger that it is not safe, nor is it particularly effective.
"Therefore, the administration of this micro nutrient should not be encouraged; rather people should be advised to obtain their calcium intake from an appropriately balanced diet.
"We should return to seeing calcium as an important component of a balanced diet and not as a low cost panacea to the universal problem of postmenopausal bone loss."
A spokeswoman for the UK's Department of Health said it would consider the study carefully once the complete article had been published.
"The majority of people do not need to take a calcium supplement," she said.
"A healthy balanced diet will provide all the nutrients, including calcium, that they need. Good sources of calcium include milk and dairy foods, fortified dairy food alternatives, e.g. soya drink, and green leafy vegetables."

'Emergency plan' to eradicate polio launched

2012-05-24T19:41:00.001-07:00

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Anuradha Gupta, from India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, says they remain vigilant despite becoming free of the disease

Polio has been declared a "global emergency" by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative after "explosive" outbreaks in countries previously free of the disease.

It has launched a plan to boost vaccination in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the only countries where the disease is still endemic.
Experts fear the disease could "come back with a vengeance".
The World Health Organization says polio is "at a tipping point".
There have been large outbreaks of the virus in Africa, Tajikistan and China has had its first cases for more than a decade.
'Relentless' Bruce Aylward, head of the WHO's polio eradication campaign, said: "Over the last 24 months on three continents - in Europe, in Africa and in Asia - we have seen horrific explosive outbreaks of the disease that affected adults, and in some cases 50% of them died.
"What it reminded people is that, if eradication fails, we are going to see an huge and vicious upsurge of this disease with consequences that it is very difficult even to foresee right now."
He said the initiative was "now on an emergency footing" which would result in a "big shift" in the way the virus is tackled.
The strategy has been summarised as the "relentless pursuit of the unvaccinated child".

Battleground: Pakistan

Orla Guerin BBC News

In the global fight against polio, Pakistan is the key battleground, with the highest number of cases in the world.
Nearly 200 children were paralysed here in 2011 - the worst figures in 15 years. And the Pakistani strain of the virus has crossed borders - causing outbreaks in Afghanistan and China.
The Pakistan government has already declared polio to be a national emergency. A small army of health workers - 88,000 - is targeting 33m children for vaccination.
But officials admit as many as three quarters of a million children still have not been immunized.
The government says immunization campaigns have been disrupted in recent years by a number of factors, including heavy flooding and military campaigns against the Taliban.
There has been opposition too from some powerful clerics - and damage was done by the fake CIA vaccination campaign which helped to locate Osama Bin Laden in the Pakistani city of Abbotabad.

However, Dr Aylward also cautioned that there was a $950m shortfall in funding and admitted they had been forced into "cutting corners" with vaccination campaigns being stopped in some countries.

'Will' India, once regarded as one of the most challenging countries, was declared free of the disease in February.
Kalyan Banerjee, the president of Rotary International, said: "We know polio can be eradicated, and our success in India proves it.
"It is now a question of political and societal will.
"Do we choose to deliver a polio-free world to future generations, or do we choose to allow 55 cases this year to turn into 200,000 children paralyzed for life, every single year?"
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a partnership between governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United Nations Children's Fund.
Members of the WHO, meeting in Geneva, will vote this week on whether to declare polio eradication an "emergency for public health".
The WHO estimates that failure to act could lead to as many as 200,000 paralyzed children a year worldwide within a decade.
The WHO originally set the year 2000 as its target for polio eradication. Dr Margaret Chan, director-general of the WHO, said the organisation was now working "in emergency mode".
The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the programme has claimed some remarkable successes, most notably India, which was declared polio-free in February.
She says the WHO hopes to shake donor countries out of their complacency and support one last effort at eradication. The WHO believes that with one last push, the disease could be eradicated globally, she says.
It is thought conflict and a lack of trust in vaccinations mean fewer children are being immunized.
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.
One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs. Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.
Unicef executive director Anthony Lake said: "All our efforts are at risk until all children are fully immunized against polio - and that means fully funding the global eradication effort and reaching the children we have not yet reached
"We have come so far in the battle against this crippling disease. We can now make history - or later be condemned by history for failing."

Male pill: gene discovery may lead to contraceptive

2012-05-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Healthy sperm manufacture needs the Katnal1 gene

It may be possible to develop a new male contraceptive pill after researchers in Edinburgh identified a gene critical for the production of healthy sperm.

Experiments in mice found that the gene, Katnal1, was vital for the final stages of making sperm.
The authors of a study in PLos Genetics said a drug which interrupts Katnal1 could be a reversible contraceptive.
A fertility expert said there was "certainly a need" for such a drug.
Contraception in men is largely down to condoms or a vasectomy.
Infertility search Researchers at the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh were investigating the causes of male infertility.
They randomly altered the genetic code of mice to see which became infertile. They then traced the mutations which led to infertility, which led them to Katnal1.

“Start Quote

If we can find a way to target this gene in the testes, we could potentially develop a non-hormonal contraceptive”

End Quote Dr Lee Smith University of Edinburgh

It contains the blueprints for a protein which is important in cells which support the development of sperm. Without the protein, sperm do not fully form and the body disposes of them.

Scientists hope they will be able to perform a similar trick in humans to stop sperm developing, without causing lasting damage.
One of the researchers Dr Lee Smith said: "If we can find a way to target this gene in the testes, we could potentially develop a non-hormonal contraceptive.
"The important thing is that the effects of such a drug would be reversible because Katnal1 only affects sperm cells in the later stages of development, so it would not hinder the early stages of sperm production and the overall ability to produce sperm.
He said it would be "relatively difficult" to do as the protein lives inside cells, however, he said there was "potential" to find something else that protein worked with, which might be an easier target.
'Holy Grail' Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said there was "certainly a need" for a non-hormonal contraceptive for men and that this had been a "Holy Grail" of research for many years.
He added: "The key in developing a non-hormonal contraceptive for men is that the molecular target needs to be very specific for either sperm or other cells in the testicle which are involved in sperm production.
"If they are not, then such a contraceptive could have unwanted side effects on other cells and tissues in the body and may even be dangerous.
"The gene described by the research group in Edinburgh sounds like an exciting new possible target for a new male contraceptive, but it may also shed light on why some men and sub-fertile and why their sperm does not work properly."

The baby time-lapse trend

2012-05-17T15:31:00.001-07:00

In today's Magazine

Baby time-lapses - which see parents take daily images of their child, and run them together - are becoming increasingly common. So are they now the ultimate way of documenting a child's development?

Parents have always been fond of storing sentimental keepsakes - a first tooth or lock of hair - as their child grows up.
And pictures marking significant milestones - birthdays or their first day of school - are a mainstay of mantelpieces.
But there is now a much more ambitious trend in cataloguing a child's growth. And rather than being something typically kept within the privacy of the home, it prides itself on going public.

“Start Quote

I will hopefully have given my children a gift which they can pass it on to their children”

End Quote Munish Bansal

Take the time-lapse of Natalie, who grows from birth to 10 years old in one minute and 25 seconds. It has racked up seven million hits since it emerged on YouTube in 2008.

Or a pregnant mother and her partner's take on the trend, which encapsulates the nine-month pregnancy cycle in just 90 seconds.
Clearly, for some snap-happy parents, posting a couple of hundred pictures on Flickr is not enough. They are posting them every day. Others are creating video montages to capture the process.
So what motivates parents to create baby time-lapses - and are they becoming the ultimate way of recording a child's development?
Munish Bansal, 39, a bookkeeper from Gillingham, Kent, has been recording every day in his children's lives from the day they were born. He has now amassed more than 10,000 photos of Suman, 16, and Jay, 13, which are displayed on a dedicated website.

Munish Bansal has taken photographs of his daughter Suman Bansal every day since her birth on 16 May 1996 (left). The following images are taken on her birthday every year since then.

Suman on 16 May 1998 (left) and 16 May 1999 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2000 (left) and 16 May 2001 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2002 (left) and 16 May 2003 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2004 (left) and 16 May 2005 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2006 (left) and 16 May 2007 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2008 (left) and 16 May 2009 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2010 (left) and 16 May 2011 (right)

Suman Bansal on her birthday in 2012

previous slide next slide 1/9

"I decided it was something I wanted to do before Suman was born - I wanted to see the daily changes, and it was also for family in India.

"I thought I'd only do it for a few years, but then it seemed a shame to stop. When you look at the photos, it's like fast forwarding a movie, you can see how she used to laugh, smile, and look - it's wonderful," he says.
Bansal says he "has to be strict" with himself to keep up the practice. And on one occasion, when his daughter went to France, he had to get friends and teachers to take the pictures in his place.
In an ideal world, he says he would like to carry on taking photos until his children are 18 years old, but it depends on how they feel when they go to college. At the moment, they love the attention, he says.
"Either way I feel as if I have achieved a goal - and I will hopefully have given my children a gift which they can pass it onto their children."

Frans Hofmeester documented his daughter Lotte's progression through childhood, pictured above from infancy to age 12

For Dutch filmmaker Frans Hofmeester, who has been filming his daughter Lotte, 12, every week since she was born, a time-lapse was never something he set out to achieve.
"She was changing at such a rapid pace, I felt like I needed to document the way she looked, the sounds she made, to keep my memory intact.
"I developed a rhythm of filming every week, and editing a film every birthday. When my son Vince came along, I started doing the same thing," he says.

Hofmeester also captured his son

Hofmeester says the process became "more intense, more powerful" as time passed, until he realised he had "something special in his hands, which he had to do something with".
However he says he was "overwhelmed" by the reaction to the result - the Lotte time-lapse video from birth to 12 in two minutes 45 seconds - which went viral and clocked up 3.7m views on Vimeo in one week.
Hofmeester puts the appeal down to the "soul feeling" of the live images, which "touches people", as well as the natural draw of children.
"It is also the most essential example of what life is - there are so many emotions in just three minutes," he says.
It is easy to understand how the creators of baby time-lapses get captivated by them, but their wider appeal is perhaps more surprising.
Especially in light of a recent poll of Facebook users, which puts baby photos as the second most irritating picture annoyance on the website.
So how popular are baby time-lapses, and why do other people like viewing them?

The bump chronicler

Jen Jardin, 28, a body piercer from north London, is 17 weeks pregnant and documenting her pregnancy through an app.
"I take a picture every Sunday, standing against the same wall, with my partner sitting in the same spot, so I can see how my bump changes. It's quite a good app, it tells me how big the baby is by fruit or vegetable size, starting off as a poppy seed, then grape, lemon etc, so we can visualise it. Now I'm a sweet potato.
"Part of the reason we're doing it is we really wanted to get pregnant, so after trying for a while when it finally happened, it was really special. But it is also going so fast it is a way of remembering it. When I was in the middle of morning sickness it was hard to savour the moment, and once the baby arrives I might forget what it was like to be pregnant.
"It's just for our own personal use. I'd like to make a time lapse out of all the pictures at the end, as a gift, but I doubt it will end up on YouTube.
We'd quite like to carry on when our child is born, but we'll see. Even now I love looking back at photos, it's interesting to see how I've changed."

Kathryn Blundell, the editor of Mother & Baby Magazine, says whereas parents are often drawn to time-lapses because of an awareness of how fleeting childhood is, their wider appeal is, in part, because of the "hypnotic and memorising" element of the medium.

"It's like when you watch the David Attenborough flower opening - there is a fascination, it pulls you in," she says.
According to Blundell, baby time-lapses are part of a growing trend that has developed alongside technology.
"Whether it's photo albums, videos, or babies that now have their own Facebook pages and Twitter pages with updates like 'I've pooped my pants', to mums writing their own blogs, Mumsnet and Pinterest, the culture is already out there.
"In a way, baby time-lapses are the modern scrapbook," she says.
Ellis Cashmore, professor of culture, media and sport at Staffordshire University, agrees technology has simply given parents another means of documenting their child's development - but he believes baby time-lapses also reflect a much broader shift in society.
"We have a different concept of the private life than we used to, even 20 years ago. The concept of shielding something away from public attention has virtually been abandoned - we share practically everything nowadays, not just in social media, but in day-to-day interactions.
"So whereas in the mid 20th Century sharing photos of your children may have been a cause of embarrassment, the advances in media, which started with the introduction of television, have incrementally changed the notion of what is private," he says.
Of course some parents are uncomfortable with baby photos being put online, or fear they may be open to abuse or manipulation. Critics also argue a child should have a right to decide whether it has a digital footprint, not parents.
But a study by internet security company AVG, which found that 92% of children in the US had an online presence by the time they were two years old, with countries such as the UK and France not far behind at 81%, suggests the majority of parents are more relaxed.

However those that think baby time-lapses are set to be the norm are misguided, according to Greg Hobson, curator of photographs at the National Media Museum.
"It is an interesting phenomenon and I think people tend to connect with these time-lapses as they are human beings, and there are intonations of death and the passing of time - in a similar way to time-lapses of fruit or flowers decaying - which make us aware of our own mortality.
"But these are essentially family shots, so while it is interesting to see new something on the internet, the attention span for these things is relatively short," he says.

In today's Magazine

Baby time-lapses - which see parents take daily images of their child, and run them together - are becoming increasingly common. So are they now the ultimate way of documenting a child's development?

“Start Quote

I will hopefully have given my children a gift which they can pass it on to their children”

End Quote Munish Bansal

Take the time-lapse of Natalie, who grows from birth to 10 years old in one minute and 25 seconds. It has racked up seven million hits since it emerged on YouTube in 2008.

Munish Bansal has taken photographs of his daughter Suman Bansal every day since her birth on 16 May 1996 (left). The following images are taken on her birthday every year since then.

Suman on 16 May 1998 (left) and 16 May 1999 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2000 (left) and 16 May 2001 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2002 (left) and 16 May 2003 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2004 (left) and 16 May 2005 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2006 (left) and 16 May 2007 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2008 (left) and 16 May 2009 (right)

Suman Bansal on 16 May 2010 (left) and 16 May 2011 (right)

Suman Bansal on her birthday in 2012

previous slide next slide 1/9

"I decided it was something I wanted to do before Suman was born - I wanted to see the daily changes, and it was also for family in India.

Frans Hofmeester documented his daughter Lotte's progression through childhood, pictured above from infancy to age 12

Hofmeester also captured his son

The bump chronicler

Grooming tips from the man with the longest moustache

2012-05-17T15:26:00.003-07:00

Ram Singh Chauhan of India is the proud owner of the world's longest moustache, officially recorded by Guinness World Records as 4.29m (14ft) long. But what is the secret of his success? Here he offers five tips.

1. Start growing early - as soon as you can. Chauhan, now 54, started growing his moustache in 1970 - facial hair grows fastest in one's youth, he says. "As you grow old your hormones grow weak, so the speed slows down."
And, of course, he has never cut it, "apart from trimming around the lip area".
Steve Parsons of the British-based Handlebar Club seconds this advice, as a young man's facial hair is more durable than that of an elderly man. "As moustache hair goes white it starts to become more brittle and is more likely break off," says Parsons.

“Start Quote

Kissing a man without a moustache is like drinking champagne without bubbles”

End Quote Steve Parsons

2. Groom it well. Chauhan spends an hour every day cleaning and combing his moustache. "I massage it and oil it regularly and I wash it every 10 days which takes a long time," he says. "My wife helps me." He uses a coconut-based hair oil.

Parsons, who himself sports an elaborate handlebar moustache, recommends leave-in conditioner as an antidote for troublesome split ends. "You can also use pomades or beeswax but that requires a good wash to get it out. Our advice? Dip it in beer on a regular basis," he says.
Rod Littlewood, vice-president of the World Beard and Moustache Association, says it's best for the moustachioed to avoid eating some food in public. "Candy floss is a horror!"
3. Get your family on side. Chauhan's wife Asha says they used to fight over his moustache in the early years. "He used to take a long time to get ready, to wash and also people used to stare at him," she says. She didn't feel comfortable. But later, as he started getting recognition for his long moustache, she started to like it and to respect his commitment. Now, she says, the moustache is like a part of the family and she shares his pride in it.
Parsons, meanwhile, admits that his wife is not the greatest fan of his lip furniture, but he has a good riposte: "I always say kissing a man without a moustache is like drinking champagne without the bubbles."

Notable moustache styles

Walrus: bushy, hanging down over the lips - worn by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton
Toothbrush: thick, but shaved except for a square in the centre - well-known exponents include Adolf Hitler and Charlie Chaplin
Handlebar: bushy, with small upward pointing ends, named for its resemblance to bicycle handlebars
Pencil: narrow, straight and thin with a wide shaven gap between the nose and moustache - worn well by Clark Gable and Errol Flynn
Dali: narrow, long points, bent or curved steeply upward, and areas past the corner of the mouth must be shaved - named after the artist Salvador Dali

Is wearing a 'Hitler moustache' a good idea?

4. Endure any discomfort. Chauhan says life is not easy with such a long moustache. When it was shorter, he used to wrap it around his ears. Now it's longer, he wraps it around his neck.

Chauhan wraps his moustache in cloths matched to his outfits

Sleeping can be uncomfortable but he says there's no gain without pain and he wouldn't want it any other way. "I am special with my moustache, and I have never dreamt of being without it."
The Movember charity, which encourages men to grow their moustaches in November to raise awareness of men's health issues, acknowledges that new moustaches can be itchy when they start growing.
Movember co-founder JC advises men to ignore the itch and be brave. "Remind yourself that other men have endured worse in the past. Surely you can stand a little face tickle from your mo?"
5. Don't be a slave to fashion. When he was younger, Chauhan says, moustaches were very much in vogue in his home country. He earned a lot of respect from fellow students at college, but finds the youth of today have little interest in facial hair. "My own son doesn't have one," he says regretfully.
But in the UK, the Handlebar Club says it has noticed a resurgence in bewhiskered men. The popularity of Movember, which last year inspired more than 850,000 men in 14 countries to grow a moustache, is definitely a factor, says Parsons.
"We used to attract the older gentlemen but recently our membership has got younger. At our last AGM we had lots of men in their 20s and 30s."

Ram Singh Chauhan was interviewed for the BBC World Service programme Outlook.

Please tell us about your moustache and send or upload a picture.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International).

Bolt Dumps Girlfriend to Focus on London 2012

2012-05-15T16:12:00.002-07:00

Usain Bolt with Slovakian fashion designer, Lubica Slovak

Usain Bolt ended his six-month relationship with a Slovakian fashion designer in order to focus on the upcoming Summer Olympics.

News reports suggest Bolt's breakup with Lubica Slovak, 28, was because of his desire to repeat his double-gold/world-record Olympic performance in London. The Jamaican swept the sprint events in 2008 and set the world marks in each race, reports Fourth-Place Medal.

A source close to Bolt told The Sun, "He will have plenty of time for relationships. At the moment he's concentrating on his running career and doesn't want anything to distract from that."

Slovak emigrated to Canada as a teenager and later moved to Jamaica after she took a vacation there. She was introduced to Bolt by reggae singer, Tami Chynn, a mutual friend.

The sprinting star was criticized in his native Jamaica when a picture of him kissing Slovak, who is white, appeared in a local newspaper.

A cartoon accompanied the photo, in which Bolt was seen running past a black woman with "local" written on her shirt and into the arms of a "Slovakian fashion designer."

The island's second-largest newspaper published letters to the editor criticizing Bolt's choice in women. Countless Internet comments angrily reacted to the Bolt-Slovak relationship.

Usain Bolt with Slovakian fashion designer, Lubica Slovak

Usain Bolt ended his six-month relationship with a Slovakian fashion designer in order to focus on the upcoming Summer Olympics.

A source close to Bolt told The Sun, "He will have plenty of time for relationships. At the moment he's concentrating on his running career and doesn't want anything to distract from that."

Slovak emigrated to Canada as a teenager and later moved to Jamaica after she took a vacation there. She was introduced to Bolt by reggae singer, Tami Chynn, a mutual friend.

The sprinting star was criticized in his native Jamaica when a picture of him kissing Slovak, who is white, appeared in a local newspaper.

A cartoon accompanied the photo, in which Bolt was seen running past a black woman with "local" written on her shirt and into the arms of a "Slovakian fashion designer."

The island's second-largest newspaper published letters to the editor criticizing Bolt's choice in women. Countless Internet comments angrily reacted to the Bolt-Slovak relationship.

Over ninety per cent of patients that go abroad can be treated locally – Founders, Eko Hospitals

2012-03-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

L-R: Dr. Sonny Kuku, Dr. Amaechi Obiora, Dr. Olusegun Odukoya and Dr. Ogndokun

The ‘Eko’ Hospitals is a product of the 1978 Mercy Clinic in Lagos and was formed from the first letter of the surnames of its specialist medical founders (Eneli, a gynaecologist, Kuku, a physician and Obiora, a surgeon).

It was established as Eko Hospital Limited owned by the three founding directors in 1982 and in 1991 became the first and currently the only hospital public limited liability company.

According to Dr Sonny Kuku,one of the founding doctors, “the mission of the founders is to provide unique and excellent services through high standard professionalism, be a pace-setter for change, growth and development by breaking new grounds into medical care research and science and training, be a haven for high quality health care in Nigeria.

“Our goal is to ensure high quality patient centred service, training and research.
“In Eko Hospitals we render first class customer focused clinical services for our various patients with empathy and social integration. There are twenty two medical specialities including diabetes and endocrinology and cardiac centres manned by highly skilled teams in this one stop tertiary private hospital which is in contrast to the usual medical satellite boutiques.

“We are in a unique position to render primary, secondary and tertiary services in a single location. In the last six months, we have treated three hundred and twenty two (322) patients requiring dialysis and delivered three hundred and seven pregnant patients (normal and caesarean sections).

“Eko Hospitals in Ikeja continues to be at the forefront in radio and chemotherapy therapy services as patients are referred from all parts of the country. We have treated many cancer patients with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Between January and December 2011 we treated 500 cancer patients with radiotherapy and over 400 patients with chemotherapy.

“The varieties of cancer include those of the breast, cervix, prostate, bladder and sarcomas among others. We are always available to utilise and share our skills in a friendly manner for the benefit of our clients. Our Radioiodine therapy for thyroid cancer treatment (the only functioning centre in the country) is recognised both within and outside the country.

“Our state of the art helical CT scan in Ikeja continues to play a leading role in radio-diagnosis while our colbalt 60 equipment is an asset to our armamentarium in the effective treatment of Nigerians with cancer who require radiotherapy.
“We have recorded thirty seven births from our assisted conception unit (fertility centre) with four on-going pregnancies among who is a 50-year-old with an on-going pregnancy. The pregnancy rate in our unit is 32 per cent per cycle.

“As a tertiary centre we continue to train interns in medicine, physiotherapy, radiography and pharmacy. We have trained many family physicians to the fellowship (Consultant) level and we are delighted to see that some of our products are proud founders of health institutions while others are heading departments in tertiary hospitals in the country. We have consistently maintained a high level of pass rate in the various stages of the postgraduate general practice examinations.

“Eko Hospitals continues to contribute to the world of research by publications and one of its founders has recently been made a Fellow of the prestigious Nigerian Academy of Science in recognition of his contribution to science and health care delivery. The Joint Chief Medical Directors have been presidents of various postgraduate medical colleges in Nigeria and West Africa and are members of various national and international medical organisations.

“The hospital is the first privately quoted hospital services company in Nigeria. It is now undergoing troughs because of governance issues. The organisation has reflected and learned and is now back to take its rightful place as a gold standard in the healthcare delivery in Nigeria. This has led to the appointment of a new management team.

It is our pleasure in particular to announce the appointment of our new Chief Medical Director, Dr Olusegun Odukoya,” he said.
Contributing, joint founder, Dr Augustine Amaechi Obiora, noted that most sicknesses people travel abroad to treat can be treated in Eko Hospitals. “Unfortunately, some of them die in transit before they access the treatment because of the long distance and travel protocols. The cost of bringing the dead home for burial becomes a burden to the family.

“I know someone who travelled abroad to treat prostate enlargement, that is funny. All these sicknesses can be treated here in Nigeria, in Eko Hospitals, at a reduced cost, and we can save foreign exchange.
Continuing, he said, “Overseas, institutions like Eko Hospitals enjoy potential treatment in terms of power supply, waivers in the area of taxation and very low interest on loans. This can also be done in Nigeria to encourage institutions like Eko Hospitals because of the type of work we do which has to do with saving lives.”

SEPLAT/CRIME
SEPLAT PACKAGES FREE HEALTH CARE FOR HOST COMMUNITIES
From Emma Ogoigbe,Warri
As part of its corporate social responsibility,oil company, Seplat has scaled up its community engagement initiatives by bringing quality and comprehensive health care to members of her host communities in Delta and Edo states

Addressing participants in Sapele, Managing Director, Mr. Austine Avuru said Seplat was committed to uplift the welfare of members of the host communities.

He assured the participants of the company’s resolve to ensure a better health care for the people, explaining that it was on that basis Seplat decided to champion initiatives that will impact positively on their health and wellbeing.

Also speaking at the occasion attended, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Dr. (Mrs) Chioma Nwachukwu remarked that the all embracing programme tagged, “Eye Can See” initiative was aimed at bringing quality optical care to the needy. She added that the select core of specialist doctors will conduct tests and perform surgery on the people with serious eye problems.

“In keeping with our tradition, our aim is to stay faithfully to our unalloyed commitment which is to enhance the quality of the life of members of our host communities and our key stakeholders”, stressed the company’s boss

According to the company’s boss, the programme which would last for eight week will be carried out in various communities and that at least about four thousand people will benefit from the gesture.

She revealed that eye glasses and other medication will be given out freely to people assuring that the company will not shy away from its social responsibility of caring for her host communities.

“I can assure you that this laudable programme will be extended to all the host communities spread across Delta and Edo states” remarked the General Manager, insisting that better living for the host communities will continue to be the watchword of the company.
However, participants at the historic event described SEPLAT as one of the few oil companies that took the bold initiative to restore hope on the masses, especially in their area of corporation.

How best to flush your toilet

2012-03-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

Most people never give any thought to the need to cover the toilet bowl before flushing it. But this is one practice that experts indicated spread disease-causing germs into the air and so should be discouraged.

When next you visit the loo, please, remember to cover the toilet bowl with its lid before flushing it. Doing so will reduce environmental contamination from toilet bacteria that are on nearby surfaces being transmitted to another person, very substantially.

Surprised? Experts in a new study found that flushing the toilet with the lid up can spray diarrhea-causing bacteria into the air. The study, which was carried on hospital toilets, detected C. difficile - a germ that can cause diarrhea and even life-threatening inflammation of the colon - nearly 10 inches above the toilet seat after flushing lidless hospital toilets.

C. difficile is frequently found in hospitals and long-term care facilities where antibiotics are commonly used.
The scientists who conducted the research were interested in how germs spread in hospitals, especially when it comes to superbugs that could kill everyone. They filled a hospital-style lidless toilet with drug-resistant C. difficile bacteria and recorded the presence of bacteria on surrounding surfaces.

According to the researchers, C. difficile was spotted on surrounding surfaces 90 minutes after flushing, with an average of 15 to 47 contami-nated toilet water droplets landing in the nearby environment. It was found on the cistern, to the right and left of the toilet seat and on the floor.

Of course, the study focused on hospital toilets. Nonetheless, the findings could be extended to public restrooms and households because unhygienic practices can increase the spread of germs through any toilet.

Smells and droplets in an invisible cloud, even in household toilets can possibly infect unsuspecting people. These germs, which spread throughout the restroom easily replicate on various surfaces including the wall and toilet tissues that are in close proximity.

Worse still is the possibility of getting these airborne particles in the lungs by inhaling them, from which one could easily contract a cough or cold.

Except in some public spaces, most toilet bowls have lids attached but not everyone puts them down when they flush, although there is the possibility of droplets of disease-ridden water spewing all over everything in the room in the course of flushing after its use. Some bugs spread more easily to surfaces this way and the norovirus is thought to be one of them.

In fact, a study carried out in 2004 found lidless toilets did indeed spray water onto surrounding surfaces - including toothbrushes. Toothbrushes kept in the restroom during the flushing were also speckled with fecal bacteria.

What is more, another study warned that no less than five main types of bacteria exist in the restroom. They included strepto-coccus, staphylococcus, E. coli and shigella bacteria, hepatitis A virus and the common cold virus.
Staphylococci, the germ that causes problems in the digestive tract, urinary tract infections and toxic shock syndrome in women. Streptococci, which cause sore throat infections, are spread through contact with infected or healthy carriers. E. coli also causes diarrhea.

In addition, Salmonella is found in human and animal faeces due to contaminated food or water. It causes headaches, nausea and vomiting. Similarly, Campylobactor, which is found in human and animal intestines, causes diarrhea.

But Dr Hannah Adegbola- Dada, a consultant medical microbiologist, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State stated that from basic principles of science, air droplets can be formed when flushing the toilet, said the habit of covering the toilet bowl before flushing after use is one that many people would find hard to conform to considering the fact they would want to be sure that indeed the toilet was properly cleaned.

Dr Adegbola-Dada, pointing out that aerosol are easily made when water flow down a gradient, as it is the case when flushing the toilet, stated that aerosol with infective organisms can land on surfaces, including the body of the person that has flushed the toilet as well as get inhaled .

According to her, “it will be advisable really advisable to change our practice in flushing our toilets, although it is not a general practice that many people would easily imbibe except appropriate awareness is created in the community.”

The expert suggested that people imbibe the habit of regular washing with soap and water to ensure they are protected from contracting infections in the community. “Hand washing have been proven scientifically to reduce the rate at which infections spread by over 50 per cent. So individuals must wash and keep washing. They must not be weary of hand washing,” she said.

However, the medical expert cautioned that liquid soaps are better off in washing of hands as it reduces the possibility of spreading of bacteria from one user of the bar soap to another.

Dr Adegbola-Dada stated: “People must not have the impression that their body had already developed some immunity against infections. It is only when the body had been exposed enough to the germ that it starts to give symptoms of a health problem.”

So how best can individuals ensure they are protected from contracting germs in their restroom? Experts indicated this to include good hand washing after using the toilet as well as keeping things such as tooth brushes, contact lenses and hand towels at least three feet from your toilet or enclosed in a cabinet.

Most obviously, bathrooms should be cleaned with bleach and hot water, and then wipe dry even more meticulously than before, with emphasis not just on and around the toilet, but equal emphasis on all areas of the bathroom because all areas are equally affected by the spray.

Toilet seats have actually been determined to be the least infected place in the bathroom because the environment is too dry to support growth of a large population of germs. But, the place in a restroom with the highest concentration of microbial colonies is the sink, due in part to accumulations of water where these organisms breed freely after landing their aerial journey.

However, the question is how many people practise good hand washing after every restroom visit? More importantly, the number of people who wash their hands effectively using soap and water is few. Simply rinsing one’s hands under running water for a few seconds without soap, as some people do, is not effective at all.

The way to ensure maximum standard of hygiene is to lather your palms, the back of your hands, in between fingers, and under fingernails for between 20 and 30 seconds with soap and hot water; the friction will kill the bathroom germ.

Tackling the Lassa Fever Epidemic

2012-03-08T08:34:00.002-08:00

Multimammete rats

43 years after the first case of Lassa fever was recorded, the country is still grappling with the virus that is transmitted by hairless tailed bush rats that abound in the country. With more than 40 lives already lost and over 400 others infected this year alone, Olaolu Olusina examines the inadequate surveillance system and lacklustre response to the killer virus which is responsible for some 5,000 deaths every year

Nigerians were indeed jolted when the news of a fresh outbreak of Lassa fever was broken by the Federal Ministry of Health about seven weeks ago. Many were further worried at the revelation that the disease, which had spread into 12 states including Edo, Taraba, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Plateau, Nassarawa, Ebonyi, Ondo, Rivers, Anambra and Lagos States, was being transmitted through a species of bush rats.

At the last count, the government disclosed that hospital records showed that over 40 lives had been lost to the disease which had assumed epidemic proportions with over 400 persons already infected. Edo and Taraba topped the list of states with the highest casualty figures while about 50 million Nigerians are believed to be at risk from the disease which is even killing doctors and nurses.

Rapid Response Committee

The federal government officially responded to the outbreak of the disease on February 22, six weeks after it had wreaked havoc in more than 12 states with the inauguration of a 23-member Rapid Response Committee chaired by Professor Sunday Omilabu, a professor of Virology and Dean, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos.

Charged with the task of preventing and controlling a further outbreak and spread of the virus, the committee, which also has Dr. Henry Akpan of the Federal Ministry of Health as secretary, is expected to submit its full report and recommendations by June.

Inaugurating the committee in Abuja, Minister of State for Health, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the aim of the committee was to coordinate federal and state governments as well as development partners’ response in controlling further spread of the virus.

He disclosed that the federal government was concerned with the spread of Lassa fever in Nigeria, saying the government had earlier initiated a National Lassa Fever stakeholder’s forum in 2007 to advocate for action against the virus.

“Government would continue to support the treatment of all reported Lassa fever cases with prompt preposition of ribavirin drugs and personal protective equipment. This year, 500,000 vials of the ribavirin drugs were procured and distributed to the affected states,” he said.

The minister also restated the resolve of the federal government to do everything possible not only to control the Lassa fever epidemic but to put in place a mechanism for its effective prevention.

He said the committee will provide technical expertise towards curtailing the outbreak, come up with standard treatment protocols and guidelines for the management of Lassa fever, develop standard operating procedures on infection control in hospitals and mobilise resources for the prevention and control of the disease.

The committee, according to him, will also coordinate intervention activities for the prevention and control of the virus.

“It is expected that this committee will come up with a sustainable framework for combating the scourge of Lassa fever to prevent the loss of lives of the general public and those of the health workers,” Pate added.\

Mixed Reactions

Mixed reactions have, however, trailed the recent outbreak of Lassa fever in the country, just as experts and stakeholders continue to blame the recent outbreak on inadequate surveillance system and monitoring, wondering if this attitude was due to the fact that a prominent person had not died from the disease.

Reacting to the recent outbreak and the inauguration of the Rapid Response Committee in his response to an interview questionnaire from THISDAY, a professor of Virology and the pioneer Vice Chancellor, Redeemer’s University, Ogun State, Professor Oyewale Tomori, said the issue of sudden occurrence of an endemic disease does not arise, where a sensitive surveillance system is in place.

He explained that Nigeria will continue to be taken unawares until the country gets its surveillance and laboratory support systems in order.

“Only then can we detect, predict and foresee these outbreaks and nip them in the bud. May be we could not have prevented all the 40 deaths, but we certainly could have reduced the number to single digits, and it is scandalous that in 2012, 43 years after Lassa fever was first discovered in Nigeria, doctors, nurses and health workers are still dying,” he said.

The Origin

Tracing the origin of the acute viral disease, Tomori said the disease was first discovered in 1969 when two missionary nurses working in Lassa, a town in Borno State, died.

“The cause of their illness was later found to be a virus that was named after the town where the first reported cases occurred,” Tomori explained.

He disclosed further that the virus belongs to a family of viruses, known as the Arenaviridae, a family of some 30 member viruses, found in different parts of the world.

“They cause a variety of diseases ranging from aseptic meningitis and haemorrhagic fever syndromes,” he said, noting “Apart from Nigeria, Lassa fever is known to be endemic in other West African countries, including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.”

Symptons

According to Tomori, “The symptoms of Lassa fever are initially varied and non-specific. In about 80 per cent of people infected with the Lassa fever virus, the disease is mild or with no observable symptoms. The remaining 20 per cent have a severe multisystem disease.

Between 1-3 weeks after the patient comes into contact with the virus, the signs and symptoms of Lassa fever typically begin.

These include fever, pain behind the chest wall, sore throat, back pain, cough, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, facial swelling, proteinuria (protein in the urine), and mucosal bleeding.

In some patients neurological problems, including hearing loss which may be transient or permanent, tremors, and encephalitis, have been described.

Tomori, however, noted that the wide variation and the non-specific nature of Lassa fever make clinical diagnosis very difficult.

“The disease may be confused with other febrile diseases such as malaria, typhoid, diphtheria, and other viral hemorrhagic fever diseases such as yellow fever,” he noted.

“Therefore it is imperative and essential that presumptive clinical Lassa fever diagnosis is backed up with specific laboratory diagnosis.”

He nonetheless advised that “early and rapid laboratory confirmation of Lassa fever will ensure the commencement of appropriate treatment and institution of barrier nursing to prevent its spread to especially non-Lassa fever patients on admission and hospital workers including doctors and nurses.”

Dangerous Virus

Just as many Nigerians keep wondering how a disease could kill both the infected as well as the care-givers such as doctors and nurses, Tomori explained that the Lassa virus had been known to be highly dangerous and stubborn, thus necessitating the need for specially equipped laboratories for its diagnosis and confirmation.

“It is most often diagnosed using the ELISA test, that is, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent serologic assays. This detects two types of antibodies (IgM and IgG) as well as Lassa antigen, within hours of receiving an appropriate specimen from a Lassa fever patient. The virus can be grown in the laboratory, but this takes 7 to 10 days in specially equipped laboratories,” he explained.

According to the Professor of Virology, “Diagnosis after the death of a patient can be done using the immune-histochemistry performed on tissue specimens. Other techniques for Lassa virus detection, but more often used as research tools include the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

It must, however, be pointed out that definitive confirmation of the disease, must consider both laboratory results and clinical signs and symptoms.”

Seasonal Occurrence?

Fears are now being expressed that the Lassa fever epidemic in Nigeria has become seasonal and experts seemed to have explanations for this, though they are of the view that early surveillance could nip its devastating effects in the bud.

“There appears to be a seasonal clustering between the late rainy and early dry season, although a more sensitive surveillance system may indicate the occurrence of the disease throughout the year with increased number of cases during the dry season,” Tomori explained as he noted that “This may result from the characteristics of the natural host the Mastomys rodent, which is a peridomestic animal.”

According to the professor, “Several factors may be responsible for this apparent seasonal distribution of Lassa fever cases. During the rainy season, it is usually found in the farms and fields around the homes. With the dry season and reduction in types and quantity of food for the rodents, combined with the tradition of storing grains in silos built close the houses, the rodents are found mainly in homes. Add to that the burning of farms during the dry season drives some of the Mastomys to the houses to escape the fires. All these lead to increased exposure to wild rodents.”

Mode of Transmission

It is worthy to note that since the recent outbreak of the Lassa fever epidemic in the country some eight weeks ago, curious Nigerians have been asking how the disease can be contracted given its deadly and dangerous nature.

The curiosity arose from the fact that rats and rodents are everywhere in the country. From the ghettos of Ajegunle and Makoko to the high-brow Victoria Garden City and Ikoyi, there is hardly any place is free of rodents.
Tomori, however, provided an explanation for this concern. “The natural host of Lassa virus - the mastomys rodent - often lives in and around homes and scavenges on human food remains or poorly stored food. In the process, they shed the virus in urine and droppings on the floor and food. Therefore, a person may be subsequently infected with Lassa virus when he or she is exposed through direct contact, either by touching objects or eating food contaminated with urine or droppings of the rodent host.

“Another way of exposure is through cuts or sores exposed to the rodent droppings. Contact with the virus also may occur when a person inhales tiny particles in the air contaminated with rodent excretions. This is called aerosol or airborne transmission. Where mastomys rodents are killed, roasted and consumed, Lassa virus infection may occur via direct contact when the rodents are caught and prepared for food.

“Lassa fever may spread through person-to-person contact too. This type of transmission occurs when a person comes into contact with virus in the blood, tissue, secretions, or excretions of an individual infected with the Lassa virus. Such person-to-person transmission in health care settings are seen, where, along with the above-mentioned modes of transmission, the virus also may be spread in contaminated medical equipment, such as reused needles (this is called nosocomial transmission),” he explained.

He added that in some village and traditional settings, “Lassa fever transmission has occurred when contact is made with fluids discharged from dead bodies.” The professor, however, noted that “the virus cannot be spread through casual contact (including skin-to-skin contact without exchange of body fluids),” saying, “Lassa virus is shed for three to nine weeks in the urine, and for three months in the semen of recovered Lassa fever cases.”

Case-fatality Rate

Tomori said the real geographical distribution of Lassa fever may extend into other West African countries, because the natural host of Lassa virus, the multimammate rat, also known as the hairless tailed rat, Mastomysnatalensis spp, is found throughout West Africa.

“In areas where Lassa fever is endemic, that is, where the disease is constantly present, it is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.

“It is estimated that Lassa fever is responsible for between 100,000 to 300,000 cases, with approximately 5,000 deaths every year. These are crude estimates, as in some areas of Sierra Leone and Liberia, where reliable data are available; 10-16 per cent of people admitted to hospitals have Lassa fever, indicating the serious impact of the disease on the population of those areas.

“Lassa fever has been associated with occasional epidemics, during which the case-fatality rate can reach 50 per cent. Unfortunately, poor standards and state of disease surveillance in Nigeria do not allow us to provide data, with confidence, on the morbidity and mortality of Lassa fever in Nigeria, and the impact of the disease on the Nigerian population. Lassa fever is also associated with occasional epidemics, during which the case-fatality rate can reach 50 per cent,” Tomori explained.

But Tomori was quick to allay the fears of many who believe contracting the disease is a sure death warrant. “It is not quite correct to say that Lassa fever kills quickly. There are other diseases in which death occurs much faster. Approximately 15-20 per cent of patients hospitalised for Lassa fever die from the illness within 7-10 days.

“However, overall only about 1 per cent of infections with Lassa virus results in death. The death rates are particularly high for women in the third trimester of pregnancy, and for fetuses, about 95 per cent of which die in the uterus of infected pregnant mothers,” he explained.

Doctors, Nurses Not Exempted

From the first reported cases 43 years ago to this year’s outbreak, doctors and nurses have not been spared of the devastating effects of the disease. Tomori said a disease that kills the doctors and the nurses charged with treating patients, leading to the closure of the hospitals, will certainly acquire some notoriety, as Lassa fever does.

“In a study of a Nigerian Lassa fever epidemic in 1989, of 34 patients with Lassa fever, including 20 patients, six nurses, two surgeons, one physician, and the son of a patient, there were 22 deaths (65 per cent fatality rate). I was there in 1989†when health workers died in Ekpoma, Enugu, Aba, and Ezinihite in Aboh-Mbaise LGA in Imo State. I was also there in 1993, when doctors and nurses died in Lafia. I am aware of the death of three nurses, one of them pregnant and a doctor who died in Abakaliki in 2008.

“In 2012, we know that, so far, two doctors and four nurses have died of Lassa fever. This is 43 years after the first nurses and doctors died from Lassa fever in Lassa and Jos. Most patients were exposed in the two hospitals where the epidemic occurred. Both outbreak hospitals were inadequately equipped and staffed, with poor medical practice. Compelling, indirect evidence revealed that drug injections were given by minimally educated and poorly supervised staff using the same syringes among patients, who subsequently became infected with the Lassa virus.

“Hospital staff members were not left out as they became infected during emergency surgery and while caring for the Lassa virus infected patients. The hospital was eventually closed. This illustrates the high price exacted when parenteral injections and surgery are carried out without due attention to good medical practice,” he explained.

According to the professor, “It has been 22 years now, when this situation was reported, proper and scientific investigation of the 2011 Lassa fever outbreaks killing doctors and nurses may have resulted from lack of attention to good medical practice.”

Not Learning from Experience

Stakeholders and experts believe that the country has not learnt from experience and the government should have put in place a good surveillance system.

“I believe Lassa fever outbreaks occur regularly in Nigeria and our level of awareness and concern determine how soon we recognize and respond to the outbreaks. We do not yet know where the index case of the current outbreak occurred. We are having this outbreak this time, because we have refused to learn from our 43 years of experience with Lassa fever outbreaks in Nigeria,” Tomori lamented.

He, however, commended the federal government for setting up the Rapid Response Committee.

“This is a step in the right direction. However, coming six weeks after the suspected index case, this cannot be called a Rapid Response Committee. Nigeria cannot and should not depend on establishing ad hoc/emergency rapid response committees each time we have an outbreak of a disease. By now Nigeria should have not only a standing rapid response committee in each of the 36 states of Nigeria, but also a national standing rapid response committee, charged with coordinating the activities at national and state levels. The state committees will assist the rapid response committees in each of the LGAs,” he said.

According to the professor, “The Minister of Health at a press conference narrated the case of a 28-year old female corps member who completed her three weeks orientation in Rivers State, but travelled home to visit her family in Afikpo and Abakalilki, capital of Ebonyi State, where she contracted the fever on January 1 and died two days later .

“Given Lassa fever incubation period of 6-21 days, it is not likely that this was a Lassa fever case or she contracted the disease much earlier in River State. Was this the index case, and the beginning of the spread to the other states of Edo, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, Ondo, Anambra, Delta and Lagos?

“It is possible that some of the cases were ‘importations’ from other states. However, that it took six weeks, assuming the case narrated by the minister was the first case, it says much about the poor state of our diseases surveillance, detection and response. This unacceptable state of disease surveillance may have been responsible for the spread to so many states and the deaths of doctors and nurses and other health workers.

“A situation where the healer succumbs to the disease he is supposed to heal, calls for an urgent need to improve our disease surveillance and take a new look at our training we provide in our medical and health institutions. We certainly cannot give the excuse that Lassa fever is a rare disease in Nigeria. No year has passed since 1969, when Lassa fever was discovered, that we have not had epidemics of varying proportions in Nigeria.

“If 43 years after the discovery of Lassa fever, it still takes us six weeks to officially alert the public and respond, then we certainly have a very long way to go. If we do not change our attitude, the 2013 Lassa fever epidemic will take a much longer time to detect and institute appropriate response.”

Inadequate Laboratories

THISDAY reliably learnt that only two laboratories in the country have the capacity to screen blood for Lassa fever and these are the Irrua Specialist Hospital in Irrua, Edo State and the Central Medical Laboratory at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), though the Minister of Health said there are nine specialist centres across Nigeria where tests on Lassa fever can be done.

But Tomori said much still has to be done. “The question we need to ask is how many of these nine centres are functional? How many of them have reagents to test samples? The last information I had was that nearly all the samples were being tested in one centre at Irrua. The Irrua centre is functional, perhaps not because of what we have done to make the place operational. It is a place highly and, to a considerable extent, supported by funds from an organisation outside Nigeria,” he volunteered.

He also stressed the need to intensify programmes for rodent control and avoidance in the rural areas and urban slums.
“Specifically, we must educate our people to properly store food in rodent-proof containers, clean their surroundings and make the areas unfriendly for rodents to inhabit. When we find rodents, they must be killed and their carcasses properly and safely disposed. As much as possible we must avoid rodents as a food source,” he advised.

Sensitisation and Action

THISDAY, however, learnt that awareness and sensitisation on the disease have increased in the past two weeks with state and local governments leading the vanguard by sensitising their people on the need to keep a clean environment.

Chairman of the Rapid Response Committee, Professor Omilabu, told THISDAY last week that his committee, which has up till June to submit its report and make recommendations to the federal government, will sustain the increased tempo of awareness and action on the disease.

He said aside the two functional laboratories; the federal government was in the process of strengthening seven other laboratories across the geo-political zones to tackle the disease.

“Presently we can handle the situation. The federal government has put in place drugs, personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses, as well as increased the health education effort. Blood samples are being sent by courier. There is a WHO criterion for sending samples. We are treating all the states as the same as even a single case is regarded as an epidemic. Efforts are on-going to get a very potent vaccine. The virus is not stable, it changes fast. We want to find out which of the proteins of the virus will make the vaccine work. But the drug - ribavirin - is quite efficacious if detection is made very early.

“We have up till June to submit our report and recommendations to the federal government. Under the terms of reference of our assignment, we are to work on the technical aspect of the disease - strengthen the laboratories and the capacity of the doctors to enable them handle patients without exposing themselves to the virus. We are also to procure more drugs to ensure that those infected get adequate dose of the drugs.

“We are also expected to draw up a master plan with respect to mobilising the states and federal government to support the health education aspects of Lassa fever. We are also to put in place a surveillance structure to move beyond the 12 states. We are expected to draw a blue-print to assist the government tackle the epidemic,” Omilabu told this reporter.

Assuring that the federal government had procured enough quantities of the drugs for the disease, he said, “There is no cause for alarm. We know the virus and how it is transmitted. We know the prevalence is high during the dry season. We should increase alertness and people should maintain good health and protect their food from rodents.”

Tomori also commended the renewed effort. “Now that the government has swung into action, we only hope the action will be sustained. The newspapers and the media testify to the action of government, and the government should be commended, at least for finally taking action.

“I think I can say now that the government has swung into action, we are likely to see the epidemic controlled. They even provided contact telephone numbers to call in case of emergencies. If these epidemics are caused by ‘new’ agents, one may excuse the performance of the government. Now is the time for the government to put in place permanent structures to help minimise the devastation caused by endemic diseases, so we do not have a repeat of the current situation,” he said.

A Poor Man’s Disease

But many people, including Tomori, are of the view that the government may not really take the issue seriously until a big man dies of the disease.

“I remember during the military era, a doctor told the military governor of one of the states that the governor may have contracted Lassa fever. An air force plane was dispatched to the Ibadan aerodrome to pick my boss and me to come to the state capital to collect a blood sample from the governor. The jet was on standby to return us to Ibadan to test the sample. In the plane were two other officers, one was totting a vicious looking gun.

“In 1993, during the Lafia Lassa fever epidemic, I was asked a question. What do you think can happen in Nigeria to make the country take Lassa fever seriously? Without batting an eyelid, I said ‘Not until a big man, a Director General in the ministry, a minister, an honourable member of one of parliament, a prominent oba/eze/emir, a governor, or perhaps the vice president or even the president - dies of Lassa fever, before we will take the issue seriously. I have not seen anything yet, to make me change that answer,” Tomori stated.

Top 20 ways to live longer

2011-12-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

How to increase your life expectancy

Living longer is one of the greatest benefits of leading a healthy active lifestyle and life expectancy for both men and women has continued to rise with improvements in diet, awareness and medical care. And to ensure that you are one of those helping boost future life expectancy figures we have prepared a list of 20 great tips to help with putting off the inevitability of death for as long as possible …

1. Laugh more

Research states that laughter may be beneficial to health. Laughing appears to boost the blood flow (by more than 20 per cent) and researchers say it may reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Laughing has previously been found to help fight infections, relieve hay fever, ease pain and help control diabetes. The positive effect of laughing is thought to last around 30 to 45 minutes.

2. Adjust sleeping time

Life expectancy may be reduced by sleeping more than eight hours a night. A study found that people who get only six to seven hours sleep a night live longer than those who sleep eight hours or more, or less than four hours.

3. Eat more garlic

Garlic has been referred to as ‘nature’s antibiotic’. It is a powerful cleanser of the body and regular ingestion promotes a healthy heart and circulation by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. It also helps fight infection and can boost immunity. There is strong evidence to suggest that garlic helps with the prevention of cancers of the digestive system, including the oesophagus, stomach, colon and rectum. Those who don’t like the taste of garlic should try the odourless supplements that are available.

4. Boost your sex life

Having sex between three to four times a week is thought to reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke in half. During sex, the average person maintains their heart rate above 70 per cent of the maximum, making sex a wonderful CV workout! Sex reduces stress, leads to greater contentment and better sleep.

5. Drink tea

Many research studies support the view that tea is good for your health. Scientists tend to agree that tea, both black and green, may contribute positively to the promotion of health and the prevention of chronic disease. Recent research studies reveal the antioxidants in tea may inhibit the growth of cancer cells, support dental health, increase bone density and strengthen cardiovascular health. According to a study published in Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association, heart attack patients who were tea drinkers decreased their risk of death by up to 44 per cent, as compared to non-tea drinkers.

6. Drink red wine

Any excuse to drink more has got to be good! Recent studies show that drinking around one glass of red wine a day may have certain health benefits by protecting against certain cancers and heart disease, and can have a positive effect on cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Excessive or binge drinking, however, unfortunately doesn’t produce the same benefits.

7. Regular self examination

For women this means regularly examining their breasts, and while breast cancer is not unknown among men, males should regularly check their testicles for lumps. It is important to get to know how your body parts normally feel and look, and report any changes, such as a lump, to your doctor. More often than not, lumps prove to be benign, and these types of cancer are usually curable if they're caught early enough.

8. Have regular smears/prostate tests

Women will usually be called once every three years for a smear test, and should make sure they attend when requested. Cervical screening probably prevents thousands of deaths each year. Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in men and is second only to lung cancer as the biggest cancer killer. There are varying viewpoints about how often men should have a test and at what age. Testing should start at the age of 50, or at the age of 40 if in high-risk groups, such as black men or those with a father, brother or son with the disease. However, if you have any concerns go and visit your doctor.

9. Monitor your bowel behaviour

Any dramatic change in bowel habits such as an increase in constipation, or passing blood should be referred to a doctor immediately. It could prove be something as simple as piles (haemorrhoids), or worse case scenario could be bowel cancer, which is important to discover as early as possible.

10. Drink more water

Most people are unaware that the recommendation is that the average person should drink around eight glasses of water a day. The human body is made up of between 55 and 75 per cent water, and is in need of constant water replenishment. An increased intake of water will greatly enhance digestion‚ nutrient absorption‚ skin hydration‚ detoxification and virtually every aspect of better health.

11. Get more friends

Research suggests that friends help people live longer. Research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health says that socialising with friends is beneficial. Good friends will promise to be there for you, and their presence can actually help you live longer, researchers say. Australian scientists said having friends around in old age can do more for life expectancy than having family members around, and that friends may encourage people to look after their health, and help reduce feelings of depression and anxiety at difficult times.

12. No smoking

Everyone is aware of the potential catastrophic effect of smoking. It is better not to start at all, but the sooner a smoker quits, the better. Because the damage caused by smoking is cumulative, the longer a person smokes the greater the risk of developing a smoking-related disease, such as lung cancer or heart disease. Quitting not only saves money, but also has added health benefits. Within one year after quitting, the risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker, and within 10 years, the risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker.

13. Relax

Relaxation reduces blood pressure and helps reduce stress-related conditions such as depression. A relaxation technique such as yoga or meditation can help reduce stress levels.

14. Get a pet

Owning a pet has a surprising amount of health benefits for the owner, according to a series of studies. Ownership of a pet, particularly a dog, means people are more active. Animals are known to reduce anxiety both from the actual physical comfort from stroking them, but also because they are a distraction and something pleasant to focus on. They are also good friends to many and provide a source of amusement, making us laugh.

15. Exercise more

Exercise is known to reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity. It keeps joints, tendons and ligaments flexible, and contributes to mental well-being by helping treat depression, relive stress and anxiety. Exercise also aids better sleep. Even if you are pushed for time, exercise could be gained simply by walking up stairs rather than taking the elevator, or even try walking or cycling on shorter journeys rather than taking the car.

16. Eat more fruit and vegetables

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help ward off heart disease and stroke, control blood pressure and cholesterol, and prevent some types of cancer. It is recommended to eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

17. Change job

Research suggests a strong relationship between how long people live and the nature of their jobs. According to UK Government statistics, for the period 1997-99, life expectancy at birth in England and Wales for males in the professional group was 7.4 years more than that for those in the unskilled manual groups. The gap between the social classes was smaller for women than for men, at 5.7 years.

18. Have a happy marriage

Married people tend to have better health than unmarried people. For instance, married individuals tend to be able to have lower rates of alcoholism than their unmarried counterparts because they tend to offer encouragement, support, and protection from daily problems. They are also more able to handle stress better as a result. However, studies suggest that divorcing then remarrying actually increases the risk of dying prematurely.

19. Be optimistic

People with a positive outlook on life can actually live longer. Researchers found that optimistic people decreased their risk of early death by 50 per cent compared with those who leaned more towards pessimism.

20. Eat chocolate

Chocolate contains flavanoids and antioxidants which have positive health benefits. Flavanoids aid cardiovascular health, while antioxidants are believed to prevent or delay certain damage to the body’s cells and tissues. Dark chocolate is considered best as it contains more than twice as many antioxidants as a bar of milk chocolate, and has fewer calories.

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Tackling the Lassa Fever Epidemic

Top 20 ways to live longer

How to increase your life expectancy

1. Laugh more

2. Adjust sleeping time

3. Eat more garlic

4. Boost your sex life

5. Drink tea

6. Drink red wine

7. Regular self examination

8. Have regular smears/prostate tests

9. Monitor your bowel behaviour

10. Drink more water

11. Get more friends

12. No smoking

13. Relax

14. Get a pet