Welcome to Paul Umoren's Blog

Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD) Nigerian woman, 35, died while traveling from Nigeria to India for medical treatment of advanced metastatic cancer. The woman showed signs consistent with the Ebola virus, according to the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD), the regulatory body of the healthcare sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, who announced the death yesterday. During the transit phase at Abu Dhabi International Airport, the patient’s health deteriorated and despite prompt medical assistance she could not be successfully resuscitated, HAAD said in a statement. ‘’Full safety and precautionary measures have been taken by the medical staff who attended the patient, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for dealing with suspected cases of infectious diseases,’’ the statement added. The woman’s husband, the only person sitting next to her on the plane, and five medics who resuscitated her, are in isolation pending the result of...

WHO Universities in the UK have been put on alert to be ready for a potential outbreak of the Ebola virus when the new term starts in September. Universities UK, the umbrella body that represents vice-chancellors, has written to every university giving detailed guidance on how to deal with an outbreak. The decision was made to send out the guidance because universities are expecting thousands of new students to arrive from West Africa. While the three countries which have seen the largest number of Ebola cases – Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone – have hardly any students enrolling at UK universities, Nigeria – which has had confirmed cases – is the fourth largest supplier of international students to UK universities. In 2012-13, the latest year for which figures are available, a total of 9,630 were enrolled. A spokesman for Universities UK said: “The issue is very much on universities’ radars. We circulated to universities the publicly available guida...

Medical experts in the aviation sector have said the panic associated with Ebola Virus Disease is more dangerous than the disease itself. They urged airport workers and passengers to comply with measures rolled out by the authorities to contain the spread of the disease. The medical experts spoke at a sensitisation seminar on Ebola organised by the Women in Aviation at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos at the weekend. Speaking at the forum, the Acting General Manager, Aviation Clinic, Dr Olawale Oduwole, said since the outbreak of the disease, Nigerians have been taking steps to ensure that they don’t contact the Ebola Virus Disease. He said Nigerians were taking extra caution because of the deadly nature of the disease, which kills its victims at a short period. In his view, the panic associated with the disease is much more dangerous than the Ebola virus itself. Oduwole said that because of the outbreak of EVD, people n...

International rating agency Moody’s has warned that besides the death toll, the outbreak will cause “critical commercial and transport disruptions” in the affected West African countries, leading to “significant” economic and fiscal damage, writes CBC News     In the world of business, there is a saying that markets are driven by fear and greed. As shares in drug companies surge, the Ebola virus has already unleashed the power of greed. And as we watch the coverage of the disease move into what many commentators have labeled irrational hysteria, some people are finding ways to tap the power of fear. Joel Kettner of the International Centre for Infectious Diseases in Winnipeg says that when it comes to infectious diseases, fear is not clearly good or clearly bad. “It can be both,” he says. Most medical experts say Ebola’s contagion in the global consciousness has outgrown the disease’s actual risk. One of the people pointing that out is Seth Be...

There is no Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic in Lagos, Governor Babatunde Fashola said yesterday. In a broadcast on the disease, Fashola said though the state had suffered painful loss of lives, the situation was not an epidemic as being alleged because “all those who have either died or are suffering from Ebola are directly traceable” to the Liberian EVD importer, Patrick Sawyer. He said 61 contacts were cleared last week after the 21 days surveillance, which is the known lifespan of the virus. “These people were not sick. They were persons who needed to be monitored because of real or suspected contacts to be certain that they did not eventually fall sick. We cautiously wait to see how many more people will be cleared and hope that there will be no new cases. “Nevertheless, our strategy is to prepare for the worst by making plans to expand the facility to take any new cases, while we hope for the best. There is a lot to do, and we need your collabor...

Hollywood actress, Uzoamaka Nwaneka Aduba , who stars in the hit series 'Orange Is The New black' picked up an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards which held on Saturday August 16th at the Nokia Theatre in L.A After picking her award, an elated Uzo said "I'm stuffed. I'm beyond full. My cup runneth over right now. I feel absolutely all of those things: I feel full of joy, like a fountain. Mission accomplished." The 33 year old was nominated alongside costars Natasha Lyonne and Laverne Cox. Congrats to her..

TV personality Toke Makinwa threw a birthday party for her husband, Maje Ayida, at their home on Saturday August 16th and invited few friends and family to celebrate with them. See pics from the party after the cut...

18 year old Ighodaro, an indigene of Edo state, was apprehended on Wednesday August 13th by the people of  Iguosa community in Ovia North East Local Government Council of Edo State and handed over to the police after he was caught having sex with a dog in an uncompleted building in the area. Ighodaro, who was paraded before newsmen at the state Police headquarters in Benin city, said he's so far had sex with five dogs since he started in March this year..and doesn't know what makes him do it. The trained welder told Vanguard that two dogs he'd attempted to have sex with before had bitten him but he succeeded in sleeping with five. "I learnt welding around Iheya. I don’t know when I slept with the dog, I slept with dogs five times. Some of the dogs  bit me, I have been bitten two times and each time I have a dog bite my grand father will treat me”, he said. On how he goes about getting the dogs to have sex with him, Ighodaro said “When...

DALLAS — ON Aug. 6, researchers announced in The New England Journal of Medicine that they had found that mutations in a gene called PALB2 greatly increase the risk of breast cancer . This is one of the biggest developments since the discovery in the ’90s of the role of mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in breast and ovarian cancer . The response among patients has been predictable. One woman’s email to me summed it up: “I’d like to get an entire genome scan to rule out a hidden cancer diagnosis.” Genetic testing has revolutionized how we think about cancer, allowing us to make some decent predictions about who might get certain cancers and who might benefit from preventive treatments. Many know the story of Angelina Jolie , who used her family history to learn she had a BRCA1 mutation. She chose to have a double mastectomy instead of waiting to see if she developed cancer. We may not envy this choice, but we do appreciate the power that comes with taking evid...

FERGUSON, Mo. — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Sunday that the Justice Department would conduct its own autopsy of Michael Brown, the unarmed African-American teenager who was fatally shot more than a week ago by a white police officer. A Justice Department spokesman, Brian Fallon, said in a statement that the autopsy, which would be in addition to a state autopsy, had been ordered because of “the extraordinary circumstances involved in this case and at the request of the Brown family.” The autopsy will be done by a federal medical examiner, Mr. Fallon said, adding that “Justice Department officials still plan to take the state-performed autopsy into account in the course of their investigation.” The state autopsy of Mr. Brown was conducted early last week. After more than a week of unrest, the governor of Missouri said Sunday that an overnight curfew had been effective in helping to maintain peace in this St. Louis suburb. Photo ...

Home » News » Ebola: Catholic diocese gives condition for accepting corpses in churches Corpses are no longer freely welcome in Catholic Churches in the Makurdi Diocese, at least until the Ebola scare is over. The Diocese said yesterday in the Benue State capital that members should, for now, produce death certificates confirming that their departed ones did not die of Ebola for funeral services to be held for them. The measure is to check the spread of deadly Ebola virus. The Director of Communications in the diocese, Moses Iorapuu, said in a statement yesterday on behalf of the Bishop of the diocese, Athanissius Usu, that in addition, parishioners will henceforth be served the Eucharistic feast on their hands as against the practice of putting it on their tongue by the priest. Besides, the exchange of the sign of peace, involving handshakes has been replaced with other suitable gestures to avoid the possibilities of contacting the Ebola virus. The dioce...

Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (Retd), has given approval to the anticipated 2015 re-election bid of President Goodluck Ebele Jona­than, just as he urged Ni­gerians to be patient with the president in his ef­forts to tackle the myriad of problems facing the country. In an interview with journal­ists at his Minna country home to mark his 73rd birthday, Ba­bangida said there is nobody in Jonathan’s shoes who would not take advantage of a second term. “Well, if you were in his shoes, won’t you want to come back if you are there? If you believe in what you are doing, and you are doing well, why shouldn’t you? I think we once got it right, and we can still get it right, and you guys have to get it right. “I think what is lacking is what I have always referred to as voter education, the level of understanding, the level of...

Five of the Nigerian patients being treated for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) have almost fully recovered, Minister of Health Onyebuchi Chukwu said in a press statement today.  Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu In addition, a female nurse was discharged this evening.  Professor Onyebuchi confirmed that nano silver, an experimental drug he had announced on Thursday would be deployed for treatment if cleared by the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) had failed to meet the required standards and would not be put into use.   Giving the statistics as of yesterday, August 16, he said the total number of confirmed cases in the country was 12, of which four have died. The number of persons under surveillance in Lagos is 189, and six in Enugu. He also announced that the patients under treatment have been moved to a new 40 bed capacity isolation ward provided by the Lagos State Government, and that the federal government has provided additio...

English Premier League club Newcastle United on Sunday paid tribute to two of their supporters who were killed when Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine last month. John Alder, 63, and Liam Sweeney, 28, who were travelling to watch Newcastle’s pre-season tour of New Zealand, were among 298 people who died in the disaster. Newcastle’s opening league game against Manchester City at St James’ Park was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of the pair, whose relatives laid floral tributes on the pitch prior to kick-off. Newcastle also plan to open a memorial garden to the men outside the stadium and create a community award named after them. The Boeing 777 exploded over insurgent-held east Ukraine on July 17, killing all on board, with the West accusing Russia-backed separatists of shooting it down and Moscow blaming Kiev.

Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Chidi Odinkalu has called the postponement of the annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) scheduled for between August 24 and 29 in Owerri, Imo State in view of the current Ebola disease threat. Odinkalu who is a scheduled speaker at the conference disclosed in a statement on Sunday that he is under observation for Ebola having been attended to by one of the doctors in Lagos,who managed the index case. He urged intending participants at the conference to consider withdrawing from attending in view of the possible health risk involved in a gathering of the large number of people attracted annually by the conference. “I am a scheduled speaker at the Owerri conference. I have also been a person under observation for Ebola because as an out-patient I was attended on July 21 by one of the doctors in Lagos,who managed the index case, i.e., on the day after he was admitted. “The NBA has ...

FIFA has told the Romania Football Federation that ex-Nigeria U20 striker, Kehinde Fatai, cannot feature for the Balkan nation. Fatai himself told africanFootball.com: “FIFA has told Romania FA that I am not eligible to play for the Romania national team as the country’s soccer officials had hoped. FIFA said if I had secured Romanian citizenship before I played for Nigeria junior teams, that would have been possible.” The striker has been a big hit since he moved to Romania from JUTH FC of Jos in the 2006/2007 season, when he joined Farul Constanta. On Saturday, Fatai scored his seventh goal of the season as he helped his club to a 2-1 win over CSMS Iasi. Astra Giurgiu lies in third position on Romanian league table with nine points from four matches. He scored the winner for his team in the 39th minute, when he took the ball from centre circle, raced past his markers, gave Brazilian Williams a pass and he scored from the return pass. He told afric...

A four year old Nigerian kid, and two other Nigerians aged 79 and 37 on a visit to India were taken into medical isolation on arrival in New Delhi yesterday for Ebola screening and treatment if required. The three Nigerians were admitted at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The three Nigerians quarantined in India reportedly had fever and their tests were being done at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, according to a statement. A 32-year-old Indian from Durg in Chhattisgarh who returned from Nigeria was similarly admitted to a hospital in Bhilai. His samples are also being tested at NCDC, the statement said. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said air travel, even from Ebola-affected countries, is low-risk for transmission of the disease. The organisation has reported a total of 2,127 cases and 1,145 deaths due to Ebola from affected countries. The Lagos State government confirmed yesterday its training of 800 volunteers to hel...

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN (2nd left), Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris (2nd right), his Special Duties counterpart, Dr. Wale Ahmed (left), Special Adviser on Public Health to the Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Yewande Adeshina (2nd left, behind) and Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Mr. Hakeem Bello (right) during the Governor’s inspection visit to the Isolation Ward prepared for patients who have shown symptoms of the Ebola Virus Disease at the Lagos Mainland Hospital, Yaba, on Friday In a bid to allay fear and restore confidence in public health, Lagos Governor Babatunde Fashola on Sunday said there is no Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic in the state. The governor in a state broadcast on the management of EVD said though the state has suffered painful loss of lives, the situation was not an epidemic as is being alleged because all those who have either died or suffering from Ebola are directly traceable to the Liberian EVB imp...

There were strong indications that  the Government of the Republic of Cameroun has shut its sea border against Nigeria to guard against possible spread  of dreaded  Ebola virus Indications to this emerged at the weekend when ships carrying passengers and goods heading for the neighbouring country from Calabar were turned back at high sea by combined team of Camerounian security operatives including the immigration and gendarmes. A highly dependable immigration source told DAILY SUN that for over four days now, traders and travellers from Nigeria may have been tacitly barred from entering Cameroun as result of alleged outbreak of the dreaded Ebola disease. The source said though no official statement to that effect, but that virtually every ship that took off from the Inland Water Ways Beach, the Afikpo Beach and other notable ...

A quarantine centre for suspected Ebola patients in the Liberian capital Monrovia has been attacked and looted by protesters, police say. The incident happened in the densely populated West Point township on Saturday evening. At least 20 patients who were being monitored for signs of the illness have left the centre. Officials said blood-stained bedding looted from the centre posed a serious infection risk. The protesters were unhappy that patients were being brought in from other parts of the capital, the assistant health minister said. The centre was set up to observe suspected Ebola patients and then transfer them to a main treatment centre if they prove positive, assistant health minister Tolbert Nyenswah told the BBC. It is not known if those at the centre were infected with the virus, though one report suggested they had proved positive. A senior police officer said blood-stained mattresses, beddings and medical equipment were taken from the centre. “This i...

Rapper Eedris Abdulkareem was a guest on Channels TV's Sunrise programme yesterday Aug. 16th where he revealed that his forthcoming album titled G2G or G to G is mostly about asking Nigerians to stop the attack on Pres. Jonathan and leave him to rule. He believes GEJ has done well for Nigeria "Since I was born a Nigerian growing up, I have always known that propaganda is the issue and they just share the money up and down. This Lagos-Ibadan expressway has been there for fifteen years by the former Minister of Works, Baba Tony Anenih and they didn't do anything .Goodluck is doing that road. That is the Federal government road, He is working on it. Our airport has been reformed. Thirdly our agricultural sector, farmers don't get their fertilizer directly but today they get their fertilizer, fertilizer is now a big business. So it is important we say all these things because most people don't know. We all know that the insecurity is propaganda. ...

According to reports, armed men yesterday night attacked an Ebola isolation centre in the densely populated Monrovia suburb of Westpoint, Liberia. 29 patients under quarantine reportedly fled the centre. Some reports say the armed men were residents of the area who looted materials used by quarantine patients. A witness of the attack, Rebecca Wesseh said "They broke down the doors and looted the place. The patients all fled” The Head of Health Workers Association of Liberia, George Williams has confirmed the sad incident. But who goes to steal from sick, quarantined people? Are they mentally alright? More details later..