IGIHE

Category: Health

  • Study Shows Stroke Survivors Think About Suicide

    {{One in 12 stroke survivors thought about suicide or that they would be better off dead, a troubling federal survey reveals. }}

    That’s more than those with other health problems such as heart attacks or cancer, and it suggests that depression after stroke is more serious than many had realized.

    “It was surprising” and shows a need for more treatment, said the study’s leader, Dr. Amytis Towfighi of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

    “When patients have their depression treated they’re more motivated to take their medication, do therapy and live a full life.”

    The study was discussed Thursday at an American Stroke Association conference in Honolulu.

    More than 6 million Americans have had a stroke; about 800,000 occur each year in the U.S. Studies suggest that up to a third of stroke survivors develop depression, but few have looked at suicidal thoughts — one sign of how serious it is.

    “It’s not necessarily active suicidal thoughts with a plan, but perhaps wishing you hadn’t survived the event,” Towfighi explained.

    She used the National Health and Nutrition Surveys, a government project that gives checkups and questionnaires to a representative sample of adults. More than 17,000 people were surveyed from 2005 through 2010.

    They included 678 who had suffered a stroke; 758 who had had a heart attack; 1,242 with cancer, and 1,991 with diabetes. Researchers don’t know how long ago these problems occurred of if people were still being treated for them.

    They were asked a question that many studies use to gauge suicidal thinking: “Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself?”

    About 8% of stroke survivors reported such thoughts, compared to 6 percent of heart attack survivors, 5% of those with diabetes and 4% with cancer.

    Suicidal thoughts were more likely in people who scored high on depression tests, were younger, overweight, less educated, poor, female or unmarried.

    Depression may develop partly because strokes damage the very thing that controls mood — the brain, said a neurologist with no role in the study, Dr. Brian Silver of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital.

    “It’s not necessarily the reaction to the disease … it’s also the disease itself that is causing the depression,” by releasing harmful chemicals that can trigger it, he said.

    Suicidal thinking is a well-known problem, but this study “puts a number on it” and shows the need to watch for and treat it, Silver said.

    Associated Press

  • Gunmen Kill Heatlh workers in Nigeria

    {{Gunmen on motorbikes shot dead nine health workers who were administering polio vaccinations in two separate attacks in Nigeria’s main northern city of Kano on Friday, police said.}}

    No one claimed responsibility but Islamist militant group Boko Haram – a sect which has condemned the use of Western medicine – has been blamed for carrying out a spate of assaults on security forces in the city in recent weeks.

    The shootings will hit efforts by global health organizations to clear Nigeria of polio – a virus that can cause irreversible paralysis within hours of infection.

    “Gunmen opened fire on a health center in the Hotoro district killing seven, while an attack on Zaria Road area of the city claimed two lives,” said police spokesman Magaji Musa.

    “They were working for the state government giving out polio vaccinations at the time of the attack,” Musa added.

    Boko Haram killed hundreds last year in its effort to impose Islamic law, or sharia, on a country of 160 million split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.

    The group is seen as the most serious threat to the stability of Africa’s top energy producer, and Western governments fear the country could become a base for operations of al Qaeda-linked Islamist groups in the Sahara.

    President Goodluck Jonathan has highlighted links between Boko Haram and Saharan Islamists and said that relationship justified his decision to join efforts by French and West African forces to fight militants in Mali last month.

    In 2003, northern Nigeria’s Muslim leaders opposed polio vaccinations, saying they could cause infertility and AIDS.

  • Campaign to Nab Doctors With Fake Academic Docs

    {{Government has launched a massive campaign to nab fake medical practitioners in the country.}}

    The campaign conducted in collaboration between Ministry of health and Ministry of education targets practitioners with fake academic certificates.

    Mostly the problem of fake academic certificates was reported in the Districts of Nyagatare, Karongi and Kayonza.

    In a press briefing, Minister of Health Dr. Agnes Binagwaho said there is a problem of Medical personnel who use fake academic documents and that may affect Health sector.

  • Fake TB Drugs Found in Kigali

    {{Substandard tuberculosis (TB) drugs have been found in Kigali and also said to be in full circulation in Africa, India and other developing countries.}}

    The increased fake drugs in circulation have prompted the rise of treatment-resistant strains of TB, according to a survey published on Tuesday.

    Investigators in the United States asked local people in 19 cities in 17 countries to purchase isoniazid and rifampicin, the frontline antibiotics for tuberculosis (TB), from a private-sector pharmacy.

    Out of 713 samples, 9.1% failed these basic quality-control tests, according to the inquiry, published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.

    Around half of the failed samples had zero active ingredients, “making them likely to contribute to drug resistance”, it said.

    Dud drugs were manufactured by legitimate companies and criminal fraudsters, the report said.

    The drugs were purchased at pharmacies in Luanda, Sao Paulo, Beijing, Lubumbashi, Cairo, Addis Ababa, Accra, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata, Nairobi, Lagos, Moscow, Kigali, Dar-es-Salaam, Bangkok, Istanbul, Kampala, and Lusaka.

    The failure rate was 16.6% in Africa, 10.1 percent in India and 3.9 percent in Brazil, China, Thailand, Turkey and Russia.

    Nearly nine million people around the world have TB, one of the world’s deadliest diseases, including more than 400,000 with a multidrug-resistant form of the disease, according to estimates for 2011 compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    Drugs that do not work is a contributing factor to resistance to TB drugs, along with treatment that fails to kill the bacteria.

    TB is one of the world’s deadliest diseases. It is spread from person to person through the air and usually affects the lung.

    Agencies

  • Imbuto Foundation Visits Beneficiaries of ‘Family Package ‘

    {{On 4th February 2013,Imbuto foundation with UNICEF Rwanda partners,united nation Rwanda,ZONTA International in charge of HIV/AIDS infected person,visited infected women at kacyiru police hospital in package project.}}

    Radegonde Ndejuru the leader of Imbuto foundation said that ZONTA International project helps a lot of infected women though international project UNICEF.

    Ndejuru said”they helped Rwanda through building Matyazo women’s hospital and Isange center which help HIV/AIDS infected women”.

    She added that 27 health centers are helped by Imbuto foundation in family package project that enables infected women to give birth to uninfected children in 5 districts including; Bugesera, Rubavu, Gatsibo, Gasabo and Huye.

    Family package gives advice and training on participation of men in family planning and jobs creation.

    The representive of ZONTA International Pauliin Auckee from Finland said that she was pleased by the steps taken forwards helping infected persons especially the advices they are given.

    The director of kacyiru police hospital,Dr. Daniel granted them a guided tour of the facility including; parental consultation service and advice for infected women and also showed them some economic activities such as hand craft art that helps infected persons not to feel hopeless but improve their standards of living.

    A mother of six children said that since she became member of family package project,she has been able to build her own house.

    Another infected woman whose husband is not infected said that she has been given advices on how to live with her husband.

    All women who discussed with IGIHE, appreciated advices and trainings they have been given because they helped them to give birth to uninfected children and also to lean hand craft jobs to develop them selves and improve their living style.

  • New Modern Public Toilets Unveiled in Remera

    {{Kicukiro District has built Modern Public toilets in Remera valued at Rwf 20 Million to respond to the fast growing city of Kigali which requires improved sanitation facilities especially public toilets.}}

    Lack of Public toilets in some parts of the city has contributed to emergence of stinking spots that contrast the clean image of the city.

    Kicukiro officials said sanitation facilities are expected to increase to avoid Health problems that may be brought about by lack of cleanliness in the district.

  • Huye District gets new Maternity Hospital

    {{Imbuto foundation with UNICEF support has constructed a New Matyazo Maternity hospital that will help local women to access services needed during the delivery period. }}

    The Maternity facility is located in Huye District.

    Kayiranga Muzuka Eugène, the Mayor of Huye District thanked Imbuto Foundation, Ministry of Health, UNICEF, Zonta International and District for their efforts towards the improvement of Health Sector in Huye District.

    With support from the First Lady of Rwanda, the Matyazo Health Centre started providing services aimed at Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV

    Noala Skinner, the UNICEF country representative says since the introduction of those services “no child has tested positive Due to PMTCT services.”

    The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana reassures the management of Matyazo Hospital that the ministry and its partners will do their best to keep supporting them.

    Matyazo Health Centre was established in 1983 by Diocese of Butare in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and managed by ABIZERAMARIYA congregation.

  • Mass Distribution of Mosquito nets Launched

    {{The Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Health has launched mass distribution of mosquito nets among households that have children under the age of five years.}}

    Rwanda has embarked on measures to eradicate Malaria.

    The minister of Health Dr. Agnes Binagwaho said although malaria was a deadly killer, it could be defeated if the public co-operated and supported government’s efforts to fight it.

    Rwanda has been recommended by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance for the efforts in accelerating and sustaining access to malaria control and treatment.

    The Country targets to eliminate malaria by 2017.

    It is expected that about one million children will receive mosquito nets.

  • Diarrhoea Kills 11 Zimbabweans

    {{Eleven Zimbabweans from different parts of the country succumbed to diarrhoea in the first week of this month.}}

    This comes when most local authorities are struggling to provide uninterrupted water

    supplies, one of the basic requirements to end diarrhoeal diseases.
    During the same period, over 8 000 people were treated of the same condition.

    Five of the deaths were reported in Harare, but Mashonaland East and Central provinces recorded the highest number of such cases.

    Residents of Harare and other towns continue to receive water a few days a week and the lucky ones at night.

    This has forced residents to resort to unprotected sources.

    Health and Child Welfare epidemiology and disease control director Dr Portia Manangazira said the rains had also worsened the situation.

    She said the likelihood of faecal matter being washed into the streams was very high, further exposing residents to waterborne diseases.

    In the cases recorded so far, children under the age of five years, the elderly and people suffering from other illnesses were most affected.

    “Intermittent water supplies have actually affected the water quality because the pipes were designed for continuous supplies.

    But now, when there is no water, inward seepage occurs and there is contamination especially where they run parallel or proxy to sewerage pipes,” said Dr Manangazira.

    She said having realised the continuous burden of diarrhoeal diseases — typhoid and dysentery included — Government in partnership with the College of Public Health Physicians met last week to find ways of ending the crisis.

    Dr Manangazira said the experts agreed to analyse the current Public Health Policy for any gaps regarding the provision of public health services and see why it was falling short.

    They agreed to rescrutinise and ensure the draft Constitution adequately addresses this situation.

    She said this would be in view of advocating the formulation and implementation of policies that promote public health.

    {Zim Herald}

  • Ariel Sharon Showing Brain Activity

    {{A team of Israeli and U.S. scientists say new tests on comatose former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon show significant brain activity.}}

    Ben-Gurion University on Sunday said Sharon responded to external stimuli at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.

    He was shown pictures of his family and listened to recordings of his son’s voice while undergoing a special brain imaging scan.

    The university said “significant brain activity was observed … indicating appropriate processing of these stimulations.”

    However, Sharon remains in a deep coma.

    Sharon, 84, led Israel from 2001 until suffering a stroke in 2006. Since then, he has been in a vegetative state, connected to a respirator.

    Sharon was a storied military officer who fought in three wars before entering politics. He unilaterally withdrew Israeli troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005.