How Does The Body React To Lack Of Sleep?
Adults (aged 26-64 years) need at least 7-9 hrs of sleep daily. Sleep deprivation of 18-24 hrs slows down mental and physical responses, and impairs cognition. Not sleeping for more than 48 hrs sleep reduces the number of NK cells of the immune system and spikes BP. Pushing the limit even further induces hallucinations, pain, tremors, glucose intolerance, and disruption of senses. Lack of sleep is associated with dipping alertness, weakening cognitive performance, decreased brain function and activity, and poor attention. This can lower productivity at the workplace, endanger your well-being, and even become a safety hazard.
How Much Should You Sleep?
Going by the National Sleep Foundation’s recommendations for an adult between 26 and 64 years, 7 to 9 hours of sleep every day is a good goal. That said, you could get away with 6 hours of sleep, but no less. The average person needs to get some sleep every 17-18 hours. Any longer without sleep and your body starts to show signs of sleep deprivation.1
The Progressive Decline
To understand the ramifications of staying up that little bit longer, take a look at what happens to your body with each progressive hour of sleep lost.
18–24 hours
This kind of sleep deprivation is fairly common in some professions and even among single parents or working parents who are also primary caregivers for their family.
Sleep deprivation causes a decline in vigilant attention. Your responses slow down, you tend to make errors, and you take longer to do tasks.2
According to one study, subjects who had gone 17 to 19 hours without any sleep showed performance on tests not unlike those with blood alcohol levels of 0.05 percent. These sleep-deprived individuals responded as much as 50 percent slower on some tests. Their accuracy of responses also took a hit and was significantly worse than what is associated with people with blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05 percent. As the hours without sleep increased, the performance was closer to those with BAC of 0.1 percent.3 The researchers concluded that sleep is a biological necessity to ensure normal brain function, keep you alert, and maintain normal cognitive performance.4
48 hours
This kind of extended sleep deprivation is not usual for the average person. Those in emergency services or military forces, for instance, may have to go a few days without sleep.
Longer periods of sleep deprivation are believed to impact the immune profile of the body, making you more susceptible to diseases. One study investigated this premise in subjects who went 48 hours without sleep. The body’s natural killer cells (a type of lymphocyte or white blood cell) that are a core part of the human immune system were found to be much lower. This decrease with 48 hours of sleep deprivation could be reversed when subjects went through recovery sleep. However, if this level of sleep loss is sustained for longer spells, it could have a bearing on the body’s ability to fight tumors and viruses
With this kind of sleep deprivation, blood pressure and heart rate also rise, putting you at greater risk of a stroke. As one study showed, sleep deprivation causes the body’s diastolic blood pressure to increase and interfere with the autonomic nervous system’s regulation of the cardiovascular system.6
Your body tries to compensate by indulging in microsleeps where it effectively “shuts down” for spells of up to a thirty seconds. After each microsleep you return to reality a bit disoriented. This is potentially dangerous if you are driving, handling heavy machinery or hazardous materials, or are in a job that puts people’s lives in your hands. It is impossible to avoid these microsleeps that occur on their own and cannot be consciously overridden by willpower or otherwise.7
72 hours
As time progresses, you will see issues with higher mental processes. Motivation becomes a challenge for many. Perception also gets hampered. Hallucinations are also experienced by some people after staying up three days. Others may create false memories in their minds. Your senses (smell, sight, and even touch) get impacted adversely. Tremors and physical aches and pains also start to set in. And all this in addition to the signs you would have seen after earlier stages of sleep deprivation!8
How Far Can You Push It?
Chronic deprivation messes with the glucose metabolism of the body. Getting under 6.5 hours of sleep every night on a sustained basis could cause your glucose tolerance to drop by 40 percent. Poor glucose tolerance puts you at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.Those with total sleep deprivation fare even worse as the glucose secretion pattern changes completely compared to those experiencing normal nocturnal sleep.9
Deprivation also decreases energy expenditure and interferes with your appetite. Researchers found that people experiencing a regular lack of sleep have a higher body mass index (BMI) than those who get their complete recommended rest. Inadequate sleep causes changes to levels of hormones responsible for controlling hunger. Appetite-reducing leptin levels dropped, and appetite-stimulant ghrelin levels were higher in those who got less sleep. Losing that sleep may actually cause you to crave calorie-rich foods, sweets, carbs, and starchy food, putting you at risk of obesity.10
Sleep deprivation on an ongoing basis can result in long-term ailments and metabolic disorders, costing you time, money, and your health. It may be well worth reorganizing your life so you don’t miss out on this vital restorative time for your body.
'Al-Qaeda' Wi-Fi connection delays plane
The plane, an American Airlines flight bound for London, turned back to the gate in Los Angeles when the hotspot, entitled “Al-Quida Free Terror Nettwork” (sic), was spotted in a list of available connections. The passenger notified a flight attendant while the plane was taxiing.
Flight 136 had been due to take off this past Sunday at 8pm but was held in LAX for three hours while passengers were told to turn off their electronic devices, ABC 7, an American news network, reports.
Passengers were initially told that the delay was down to a maintenance issue rather than the discovery of the Wi-Fi network. The plane ended up being rescheduled for Monday at 1pm, with some passengers having to stay overnight in LA before they could board the next available flight.
"After an hour, (the captain) said there was a security threat and that we didn't have clearance to take off," Elliot Del Pra, a passenger, told ABC 7.
The flight was taken back to the gate and delayed until 1pm on Monday.
The Los Angeles airport police said on Monday that "no crime was committed and no further action will be taken."
An American passenger caused his fellow fliers to be detained on board a flight from Philadelphia to the Dominican Republic for an extra two hours earlier this month, after he shouted “I have Ebola!” and had been sneezing and coughing during the flight. He was removed by people in protective suits while a passenger filmed the incident.
CORONAVIRUS | Gov't suspends public transport
9:00pm | CORONAVIRUS: Three billion under lockdown
Let me leave you with this five-minute read that should paint for you a picture on what's happening around the world as the United Nations warns that humanity is under threat.
This story is by AFP:
More than three billion people are living under lockdown measures to stem the spread of the killer coronavirus that the United Nations warned Wednesday is threatening all of humanity.
As the global death toll soared past 20,000 Spain joined Italy in seeing its number of fatalities overtake China, where the virus first emerged just three months ago.
"COVID-19 is threatening the whole of humanity -– and the whole of humanity must fight back," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, launching an appeal for $2 billion to help the world's poor.
"Global action and solidarity are crucial. Individual country responses are not going to be enough."
Markets rebounded after Washington vowed to spend $2 trillion to fend off a US economic collapse, while governments elsewhere are still taking ever more dramatic steps to contain the disease.
India's stay-at-home order for its 1.3 billion people is now the biggest, taking the total number of people facing restrictions on their daily lives to more than three billion.
Indian police personnel stand guard at a traffic light during the first day of a 21-day government-imposed nationwide lockdown
Russia, which announced the death of two patients who tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, is expected to follow suit.
President Vladimir Putin declared next week a public holiday and postponed a public vote on controversial constitutional reforms, urging people to help each other and follow instructions given by medics and the authorities.
In Britain, heir to the throne Prince Charles became the latest high-profile figure to become infected while Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the country's response to tackle the outbreak despite accusations it was slow to act.
The G20 major economies will hold an emergency videoconference summit on Thursday to discuss a global response to the crisis, as will the 27 leaders of the European Union, the outbreak's new epicentre.
China has begun to relax its own draconian restrictions on free movement in the province of Hubei -- the original epicentre of the outbreak -- after the country reported no new cases.
Huge crowds jammed trains and buses as people in the province of 50 million people took their first opportunity to travel.
But Spain saw the number of deaths surge to 3,434 after more than 738 people died in the past 24 hours and the government announced a 432-million-euro ($467 million) deal to buy medical supplies from Beijing.
A member of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) carries out a general disinfection at the Apanid residence for people with physical and intellectual disabilities in Madrid
'People dying alone'
At La Paz university hospital in Madrid, accident and emergency nurse Guillen del Barrio sounded bereft as he related what happened overnight.
"It is really hard, we had feverish people for many hours in the waiting room," the 30-year-old told AFP.
"Many of my colleagues were crying because there were people who are dying alone, without seeing their family for the last time."
Spain and Italy were joined by France and six more EU countries in urging Germany and the Netherlands to allow the issue of joint European bonds to cut borrowing costs and stabilise the eurozone economy.
This is likely to fall on deaf ears when the 27 leaders talk on Thursday -- with northern members wary of pooling debt with big spenders -- but they will sign off on an "unprecedented" recovery plan.
Police officers control motorists during an anti-drug operation in Marseille, southern France
Coronavirus cases are also spreading in the Middle East, where Iran's death toll topped 2,000, and in Africa, where Mali declaring its first case and several nations announced states of emergency.
And in Japan, which has postponed this year's Olympic Games, Tokyo's governor urged residents to stay home this weekend, warning of a possible "explosion" of the coronavirus.
The impact of the pandemic is also hitting European football in a big way, with top-flight leagues and tournaments cancelled.
'Wartime level of investment'
The economic damage of the virus -- and the lockdowns -- could also be devastating, with fears of a worldwide recession worse than the financial meltdown more than a decade ago.
But financial markets rose after US leaders agreed a stimulus package worth roughly 10 percent of their economy, an injection Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said represented a "wartime level of investment".
The US Senate was poised to pass the massive relief package for Americans and businesses ravaged by the pandemic as New York hospitals braced for a wave of virus patients,
Meanwhile, nearly 130 million Americans, or 40 percent of the population, are under or will soon come under some lockdown order, including in the largest state of California.
President Donald Trump has voiced hope the US will be "raring to go" by mid-April, but his optimism appeared to stand almost alone among world leaders.
Anxious Indians raced for supplies after the government ordered the world's second-biggest population to stay at home for three weeks from Wednesday.
"To save India, to save its every citizen, you, your family... every street, every neighbourhood is being put under lockdown," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
Whether the order will be obeyed in full remained to be seen. Mumbai vegetable trader Rafiq Ansari said his customers were getting angry over shortages and price hikes.
"I don't understand what's going on," the 35-year-old told AFP. "We are going to face major shortages in the days ahead."
Iran announced it would ban intercity travel as it finally got tough with the virus that has killed more than 2,000 people in one of the world's deadliest outbreaks.
Many governments are listening to health experts who warn the only way to slow the epidemic -- and save the lives of the elderly and vulnerable -- is by imposing "social isolation" measures.
Priest Don Kresimir Busic holds a crucifix and prays with a woman in Manta, near Cuneo, Piedmont, as part of a countryside procession to bless houses against the coronavirus pandemic
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8:43pm | The President has spoken
President Yoweri Museveni's message is clear, and key among the additional measures are the following:
- Public transport has been suspended for the next two weeks.
- Markets have been limited to selling only foodstuffs.
- Only essential staff to be allowed in government offices.
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8:39pm | 'What we are dealing with has been handled before'
While concluding his speech, the President makes a biblical allusion (Isaiah 26:20) to contexualize what the world is going through at the moment in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
The scriptural extraction says (depending on the version of the Bible you are using): "Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by."
"What we are dealing with have been there before and have been handled," says Museveni.
He wraps up his speech by reminded the public that eight of the original nine coronavirus cases in Uganda are recovering steadily. The other one is not steady yet.
"I wish you good luck, I wish you God's protection. Thank you very much," he signs off.
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8:35pm | Government vehicles to be stationed at district headquarters
Museveni says: "Now that we have got cases in other parts of the country (beyond Kampala and Entebbe), we have a system of getting samples from suspected people all the way to Entebbe for testing. There are teams near villages who do surveillance.
"These inform people who are at the 100 hubs across the country, who in turn take samples [from the suspected people] and send them to Entebbe aboard Posta Buses."
To ease this countrywide surveillance, the President says: "I am directing that all govenrment vehicles in the districts (except the ones for the army and Police) should be centralised at the district headquarters under the command of the district health officer, aided by a Police officer.
"We are going to ensure that [these vehicles] have enough fuel."
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8:27pm | Business of boda bodas
"In Kampala, companies will be identified to start doing this business of bodabodas. I hope there won't be corruption and bribery," says Museveni.
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8:27pm | Government offices should be rid of non-essential staff
"Each ministry and government department should work out a plan of the essential staff that need to remain on duty," says the President.
This can be done on rotational basis.
"At district level, district officials can identify boda bodas who can deliver food and other cargo to wherever it is needed. This crisis will teach us other methods of doing business," adds the President.
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8:23pm | Markets to sell only food - nothing else
After dealing with public transport, the President says the other big problem are the markets, as they bring together many people.
He, however, says he is happy to learn that the people in these markets have tried to adhere to hygiene measures - washing of hands with soap and water. But that is not enough.
Therefore, the second new additional measure is that the markets should be for selling only food - matooke, sweet potatoes, caassava, rice, beans, peas, chicken, meat, etc.
Save for food, the selling of other items has been suspended.
"We think this will reduce numbers and then they can maintain social distance. We think by removing the non-food items and sellers, it will reduce the numbers," says Museveni.
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8:18pm | Ambulances allowed to move
The only other vehicles allowed to move are ambulances, vehicles of security agencies and some institutions as well as vehicles for sanitary services (like KCCA garbage collection trucks).
"This is to cause people to postpone their unsafe journeys from one point to another point. The only people who can move safely are those moving using private cars," says the President.
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8:13pm | Government suspends public transport
In its latest measures, the government has decided to suspend all public transport - that includes taxis, coasters/minibuses, buses, passenger trains, auto rickshaw (tuk tuks) and all boda bodas.
The suspension is for 14 days.
Why this suspension?
"Because we want to limit movement. The only vehicles to move should be private vehicles, which should carry no more than three people, including the driver," says the President.
But there are a few exceptions.
Trucks and lorries delivering cargo (food and other essentials) are allowed to continue moving.
The President says that boda bodas and tuk tuks can move only if they are carrying cargo. He says boda boda riders should not simply sit back and sulk over the suspension of their services - instead, they should think about using their bikes to transport cargo.
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8:09pm | President begins address
The president is speaking to the nation.
He says the original nine cases are in "good condition" and their temperatures are going down - save for one, whose temperature keeps flactuating.
"We are going to get scattered cases across the country. Therefore, we are happy that we took the other big steps in the past - we closed the schools in time and we closed the churches and mosques."
With more coronavirus cases coming up, the President says the country needs to take additional measures.
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7:47pm | Coronavirus in Uganda: Graphical illustration
To get an idea of what is happening in the country in light of the new coronavirus, this map below from the government information portal shows where the confirmed cases are located and where alerts to the ministry are coming from.
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7:43pm | 'Nothing has caused prices of food to be hiked'
In his fourth address on Tuesday, President Museveni reiterated his call to Ugandans to adhere to his and the health ministry's directives aimed at arresting the spread of the new coronavirus within the population.
In his message, he mentioned that he may call a ban on the usage of public transport in case the situation worsens. In doing so, he would also promote using bicycles as an ideal alternative.
The President also warned "crooks" against hiking the prices of especially foodstuffs, saying he would use spies to catch anyone taking advantage of the situation. If found, a culprit will be arrested and their license revoked.
"Nothing has caused prices of foodstuffs to be hiked. The bananas we had yesterday are the same today, the maize is the same. So the crooks who are taking advantage of coronavirus to hike prices of foodstuffs anywhere in this country will be arrested and their licenses revoked," he reechoed his warning in a tweet.
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7:25pm | 'It is a tough job during such a difficult time'
Also called Ma Yun, the 55-year-old Chinese tycoon sent out a message of thanks to Ethiopian Prime Miniter Abiy Ahmed for "helping us distribute supplies throughout Africa".
The large packages were delivered to the recipient nations using Ethiopian Airlines.
Source: The New Vision
Necklaces changing lives of HIV-positive widows
That the necklaces are beautiful is simply unquestionable. From the bright colours of the beads which are stringed together to make a lace (dazzling yellows and reds and greens) to the different shapes in which the beads come (oval, triangle, mango, name it), there is a lot to buoy the eye or the mind that can recognise beauty.
Yet still, nothing observable about those beautiful, bright-coloured necklaces serves to prepare a beholder for the incredible story behind those handicrafts. A story of necklaces some have called magical for the way they have been able to turn around the lives of everyone connected to them.
We are talking about the necklaces made by the women of Meeting Point International (MPI), an NGO in Nakawa division, which works to improve the lives of poor women living with HIV –particularly around Kireka and Naguru areas in Kampala.
MPI was founded 22 years ago by Rose Busingye, a woman who, upon returning to Uganda from a 10-year sojourn in Italy, just couldn’t watch passively as positive women living with HIV in her neighbourhood of Kireka were dehumanised and destroyed by the disease.
Busingye says: “I saw that the women were very poor and had problems finding food, shelter and other provisions, not only for themselves but their families too. Being HIV positive in tough conditions had made their life hell, and they needed help to begin living meaningful and fairly dignified lives.”
Busingye got some of her own money and added to it what she was able to raise from her friends overseas, then began seeking out the suffering women and trying to help them live better lives. She registered the NGO Meeting Point in order to have her initiative working in an organized manner.
“She would help us with medication as well as food to eat,” says 68-year old Janet Nabirye, who was one of the first to join Meeting Point Kireka in 2000. “She also would find sponsors to pay our children’s school fees.”
Starting to make Necklaces
Busingye recalls that as the number of women she was helping increased, it became very challenging to meet the bills, and she had to figure out a way the women could also help themselves.
Since most of them had formerly been working in the stone quarry, breaking stones, she only had to find something that would both bring in some more money and also not wear them out since most were living with HIV. “I had seen a few of them making crafts, and since I knew that crafts had a market in Europe, I settled on introducing craft making as a business for Meeting Point,” Busingye says.
The women shared their craft-making skills among themselves, and a few volunteers from Europe also came and offered them some training. Tina Kabakunirwa, who has been with Meeting Point since 2004, recalls that the necklaces were just part of several other handcrafts that the women made, others including sweaters, mats among others. She says the ladies in fact still make other crafts alongside the necklaces, only that the necklaces sell most and have eventually become the flagbearer of all crafts they make.
The process of making the necklaces
The necklaces are made primarily from waste paper – all sorts including newspapers and magazines, among others. The process starts with making of beads, and here magazine pages are marked off and cut into long, thin triangles.
The triangles are then rolled around a needle and sealed with glue, creating an egg-shaped bead. The beads are then threaded onto a string and vanished to give them a glossy shine –the varnish taking two to three days to dry.
The women make their necklaces as individuals, mostly at home, each making her own unique and creative designs.
Then each presents their product to Meeting Point, which puts all the products together and looks for market for everything –most going overseas. However, each woman receives payment for her particular products as they sold.
How the necklaces have changed the women’s lives
Josephine Atimango, a member, says, “Necklace and bead-making has been a wonder for us. Many of us never used to have food at home, we used to toil for long hours in the quarries of Kireka to get something to survive on, but now we no longer need to do that.” SRC: Monitor
Will latest peace deal end Russia-Ukraine conflict?
The Ukraine ceasefire deal agreed on Thursday appears little more than a sticking plaster that will allow Kiev and Ukraine rebels to wind down the fighting but leaves thorny questions on resolving the conflict unanswered, analysts said.
Some 16 hours of talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk -- which saw one reporter collapse with high blood pressure as negotiations continued through Wednesday night -- produced an agreement on a ceasefire to take effect from today and the withdrawal of troops.
The deal -- overseen by president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko -- staves off an immediate threat of Washington beginning to supply weapons to Kiev but is no guarantee that fighting will not resume in the future, analysts said.
The agreement signed by Kiev and rebels left many of the trickiest issues unresolved: the depth of decentralisation, control of the Ukraine-Russia border and the size of the separatist regions to be given autonomy.
“It is unclear how a long-term solution will come out of today’s agreements,” Nikolai Petrov, a professor at the Moscow-based Higher School of Economics, told AFP.
“It is impossible to expect a serious long-term solution to this problem until it becomes clear how the political situation will develop in Kiev and what ties there will be between Russia and the West.”
Petrov compared the deal, agreed with the support of German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande in Minsk, to an earlier truce accord that was agreed there in September which was widely flouted.
Arming debate in US
The deal at least “reduces the probability of the US and other Western countries supplying Ukraine with defensives weapons,” said chief economist Holger Schmieding of German bank Berenberg.
Observers have warned that if Washington gets involved militarily, a regional conflict that has claimed more than 5,300 lives could enter a dangerous new stage and become a proxy war between Russia and the West.
But Eugene Rumer, director of the Russia programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the US debate about arming Kiev was unlikely to die down.
“The voices on the Hill in support of arming Ukraine are likely to grow louder and more assertive if as I fear...this agreement does not deliver on what everybody wants it to deliver on.”
Schmieding said that even if Moscow and rebels honour the agreement, the deal still allows them to overrun the strategic railway hub of Debaltseve. “Russia has the edge on the ground.”
Speaking after the talks, Putin -- who managed to leave without signing anything -- indicated that fighting near Debaltseve was a key sticking point in the negotiations.
The rebels have encircled up to 8,000 Ukrainians troops and expect them to lay down arms, he said. The Ukrainian army denied the claim.
Security analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said both sides could use a breathing space and in any case the fighting on the ground will become difficult during a spring thaw.
“It was impossible for rebels to advance further without Russia sharply ramping up its intervention and the use of aviation,” he told AFP.
“It’s not a good time to fight right now. It’s beginning to thaw.”
“Things will grind to a halt until the summer or later spring when the ground dries out -- then hostilities will resume and intensify.”
Analysts said that upcoming political and economic events both in Russia and Ukraine will serve as a bellwether indicating the conflict’s future direction.
Fragile equilibrium’
“It’s a very fragile equilibrium,” said Petrov. “It depends what happens first -- a large-scale political and economic crisis in Ukraine or whether Russia will weaken under Western sanctions and will face problems at home.”
Source: Daily Monitor
Kenyan Too wins Dublin City Marathon, Cibanu takes Irish title
Kenya's Eluid Too en route to victory. Picture: Ray McManus/SPORTSFILE
Kenya’s Eliud Too claimed this year’s SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon in blustery conditions this morning.
The 31-year-old Kenyan steeplechase champion, taking part in his second marathon, took the tape in two hours 14 minutes and 47 seconds, nine clear of countryman Paul Koech Kimutai.
“The course was very tough and it was very windy, we were in a block with about six guys until about 25 kilometres. I decided to break away at 25 kilometres” Too said afterwards.
Defending women’s champion Maria McCambridge took the silver medal just four seconds behind race winner Kenya’s Esteher Macharia.
Maria McCambridge after coming second in the women's race. Picture: Donall Farmer/INPHO
Dundrum South Dublin athlete McCambridge made a surprise move for home just after half way and got into a battle with eventual race winner Kenya’s Ester Macharia.
McCambridge took over 60 seconds off her personal best, but it wasn’t enough as 27-year-old Macharia held out in a spring to the line.
“It’s a happy disappointment” admitted McCambridge afterwards. “On the last mile I just said to myself give it everything, I closed my eyes and headed for home.”
“The wind was so bad I could hardly see correctly, it was blowing my contacts back” joked McCambridge.
“I just thought drive hard, because (Macharia) won’t know about the back part of the course, but she battled hard and was a good winner.”
“I’m in the best shape I’ve been in and I knew I could mix it at international level” admitted 42 year old McCambridge afterwards.
Moldovan international Sergiu Ciobanu who competes for Dublin club Clonliffe Harreirs took the Irish title finishing fifth overall in 2:21:01.
Sergio Cibanu. Picture: Ray McManus/SPORTSFILE
Ciobanu, who is awaiting the formalities of Irish citizenship finished over 100 seconds clear of Athlone man Barry Minnock with Rathfarnham club mate Eoin Flynn taking bronze.
McCambridge took the Irish title with Tullamore’s 2008 Olympian Pauline Curley taking bronze and Dublin athlete Ailish Malone taking bronze.
A general view of the marathon. Picture: Ryan Byrne/INPHO
Over 14,000 people from 47 countries were taking part in today's race, the 35th running of the event.
Results:
Men’s:
1.Eliud Too – Kenya – 2:14:47
2.Paul Koech Kimutai – Kenya - 2:14:56
3.Dmitry Safonov – Russia – 2:15:12
Irish Men
1. Segiu Ciobanu – Clonliffe Harriers – 2:21:01
2. Barrry Minnock – Rathfarnham WSAF – 2:22:42
3. Eoin Flynn – Rathfarnham WSAF – 2:25:25
Women’s
1.Ester Macharia – Kenya – 2:34:15
2. Maria McCambridge – Ireland – 3:34:19
3.Meseret Godana – Ethopia – 2:38:53
Irish Women
1. Maria McCambridge – Dundrum South Dublin – 2:34:19
2. Pauline Curley – Tullamore – 2:48:02
3. Ailish Malone – Clonliffe Harriers - 2:48:48
Source: breakingnews.ie
Maine state police dispatched to back nurse's quarantine
Maine Gov. Paul LePage, however, said Wednesday that Hickox has been "unwilling" to follow state protocols and that he will seek legal authority to enforce the quarantine.
The governor's office said state police were stationed outside her home "for both her protection and the health of the community."
"We hoped that the healthcare worker would voluntarily comply with these protocols, but this individual has stated publicly she will not abide by the protocols," LePage said in a statement on the governor's website.
"We are very concerned about her safety and health and that of the community," he said. "We are exploring all of our options for protecting the health and well-being of the healthcare worker, anyone who comes in contact with her, the Fort Kent community and all of Maine. While we certainly respect the rights of one individual, we must be vigilant in protecting 1.3 million Mainers, as well as anyone who visits our great state."
Hickox, according to her attorney, had only agreed to remain home for two days after traveling from New Jersey on Monday.
The nurse for Doctors Without Borders was the first person pulled aside at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday under new state regulations after her return from Sierra Leone, where she was working with Ebola patients.
After speaking out publicly, Hickox was allowed to leave for Maine, where health officials have said they expect her to agree to be quarantined for a 21-day period, The Bangor Daily News reports.
Hickox said she believes the quarantine policy is "not scientifically nor constitutionally just."
"If the restrictions placed on me by the state of Maine are not lifted by Thursday morning, I will go to court to fight for my freedom," she says.
Her attorney, Steven Hyman, told CNN Wednesday that his client had received no mandatory orders and that "the next step is up to Maine."
"The only reason that there is a cry for quarantine is because the political side has decided that it would just be better if she stayed home and lost her civil right so we could all feel more comfortable, which is not supported by any medical evidence," Hyman said.
Without naming Hickox specifically, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew said Tuesday evening that the state has the authority to seek a court order to compel quarantine for individuals deemed a public health risk.
"We have made the determination that out of an abundance of caution, this is a reasonable, common-sense approach to remove additional risk and guard against a public health crisis in Maine," said Mayhew, WLBZ-TV reports. She did not mention Hickox by name.
Hickox's high-profile campaign from isolation in New Jersey, including a first-personaccount in The Dallas Morning News, underscored the shifting response to the Ebola crisis by state and federal authorities.
On Friday, New York Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a plan of mandatory quarantine for health care workers back from Africa who had been exposed to Ebola but showed no symptoms.
It was in part a reaction to the case of Craig Spencer, a New York City physician who tested positive for Ebola, but acknowledged he had left his apartment and moved around the city just before experiencing Ebola symptoms.
Saying they couldn't rely on voluntary self-reporting, the governors pronounced themselves resolved to err on the side of caution and monitor people such as Spencer under confinement. Cuomo, however, quickly eased those rules, allowing such health care workers to self-quarantine at home.
The White House also weighed in, saying it had conveyed concerns to the governors of New York and New Jersey that their stringent quarantine policies were "not grounded in science" and would hamper efforts to recruit volunteers to fight the epidemic in Africa. Christie said he had not heard from the White House before the plan was announced.
After the uproar in New Jersey, Hickox was allowed to leave on Monday, but Christie insisted that it did not represent a change of policy.
"I didn't reverse any decision," he said Tuesday. "She hadn't had any symptoms for 24 hours. And she tested negative for Ebola. So there was no reason to keep her. The reason she was put into the hospital in the first place was because she was running a high fever and was symptomatic."
"If people are symptomatic they go into the hospital," Christie said. "If they live in New Jersey, they get quarantined at home. If they don't, and they're not symptomatic, then we set up quarantine for them out of state. But if they are symptomatic, they're going to the hospital."
Hickox told The Dallas Morning News that her brief fever spike, recorded by a forehead scanner at the airport, was the result of being flushed and angry over her confinement and that an oral temperature reading at the same time showed her to be normal.
5TH ANNUAL EAST AFRICAN HEALTH AND SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE OPENS IN KAMPALA, UGANDA
5TH ANNUAL EAST AFRICAN HEALTH AND SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE OPENS IN KAMPALA, UGANDA
...President Museveni Commends Partner States on Regional Centers of Excellence in the Health Sector
East African Community Headquarters, Kampala, Uganda, 25 March 2015: Uganda's Vice President His Excellency Edward Ssekandi this morning represented HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the official opening of the 5th Annual East African Health and Scientific Conference and International Health Exhibition and Trade Fair at the Kampala Serena Hotel in Uganda.
In a statement read by his Vice, President Museveni commended the EAC Secretariat and the Partner States for initiating the process of establishing Regional Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in the Health sector namely Nephrology and Urology in the Republic Kenya, Oncology in the Republic of Uganda, Cardiovascular in the United Republic of Tanzania and Biomedical Engineering and eHealth in the Republic of Rwanda.
He said this initiative will enhance EAC Competitiveness through highly skilled health workforce in biomedical sciences and also enable the East African citizens access quality and specialized services within the region.
The first phase of the project is expected to cost USD 72.75 million and will be supported by the African Development Bank. The CoEs are expected to deliver high quality and skilled personnel in the specialized fields and reduce medical tourism, which costs EAC Governments an estimated of USD 150 million annually for treatment of Non-Communicable Diseases abroad.
At the same occasion, the Deputy Secretary General of the East African Community in charge of the Productive and Social Sectors Hon. Jesca Eriyo, who represented the Secretary General Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera, informed the delegates that there was strong evidence that an investment in people's health was a key asset for society and for the economy as a whole.
"As you may be aware, the Health sector is also leading in creating Job opportunities and a driver of innovation and technology" noted Hon. Eriyo, adding that "As such, health systems strengthening have an important role in achieving Millennium Development Goals to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth in the Health Sector and Economy at Large.
The Deputy Secretary reiterated that the overarching goal of the EAC Health Sector Programme was to establish and sustain stronger regional health systems including health research institution. In this regard, the EAC official informed the delegates that, the Protocol for Establishment of the East African Community Health Research Commission (EACHRC) had been ratified by all the five Partner States and instruments of ratification have already been deposited with the EAC Headquarters.
She disclosed that the EAC Council of Ministers and the East African Legislative Assembly had already appropriated USD 924,067 in the EAC Budget for the current financial year (FY 2014/2015) to facilitate operationalization of the East African Health Research Commission in the Republic of Burundi.
Hon. Eriyo also disclosed that the Community had developed scorecard, tools and indicators to track results and resources through the open health initiative (OHI) and that a regional data warehouse for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health and nutrition had been developed and plans were underway to expand and include data for communicable and non-communicable diseases surveillance in order to strengthen integrated approaches for disease prevention, control and management.
Uganda's Minister of Health, Dr Ellioda Tumwesigye informed the delegates that Uganda was proud to host the conference, which was providing an opportunity and a platform for synthesizing, sharing and dissemination of research findings to inform policy makers and programmers on evidence-based decision-making and mobilization of political will and resources for the Health Sector.
Burundi's Minister in the office of the President Responsible for EAC Affairs Hon. Leontine Nzeyimana saluted the EAC Partner States for initiating the Annual East African Health and Scientific Conference and International Health Exhibition, and informed the delegates that her country had initiated several measures geared towards mother and child care which includes, among others, free treatment for mothers and children under the age of 5.
Zanzibar's Minister of Health Hon. Rashid Seif Suleiman said strengthening health care services especially primary health care in the rural areas was very critical in the region and that investing in infrastructure, human resources, diagonistic services in medicine was good but most important of all was how to deliver the health care services to the people in the region.
Health and Social Welfare Deputy Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania Hon. Dr. Kebwe Stephen Kebwe, who is also the Chairperson of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for Health, informed the conference that globally, 2015 was a special year for the health sector in taking stock of what had been achieved during the MDGs of which 3 goals (MDG 4, 5 and 6) were health related.
He said the Conference was an opportunity for the region to re-align itself to the post 2015 era with regard to the health sector. "As we review the progress made to date and share experiences in this conference, it is important that we renew our commitment towards enhancing health sector investments, strengthening of health systems and the attainment of Universal Health Coverage in the EAC", affirmed the Chairperson of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for Health.
He noted that the momentum on regional cooperation had reached a point of no return and the Partner States were working more closely than ever before to improve public health. "Apart from developing robust policies, we are implementing various provisions of the Common Market Protocol which seeks to enhance free movement of people, capital, services and goods across the region, thereby improving the environment for doing business in the health sector and beyond".
The Conference, themed Investing in Health through strengthening regional health systems, and institutions towards the prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, is being attended by over 700 stakeholders.
Is honey good for diabetic people?
Dear Doctor: I am diabetic and I have been taking honey instead of sugar. Is it recommended? Mikairi Kabwijamu
Dear Mikairi: Diabetes is a condition in which the quantity of glucose in the blood is too high, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, produces no insulin, or because the body tissues do not respond properly to the insulin that has been produced.
This results in too much glucose building up in the blood and body, leading to fat being used for much of the energy needs. This excess blood glucose eventually passes out of the body through urine, sweat and saliva. So, even though the blood has plenty of glucose, the cells are not getting it for their essential energy and growth requirements.
Much as honey is superior to ordinary sugar, it is not suitable for diabetic people because it raises blood sugar.
Any food that pushes too much sugar quickly into blood should be avoided by diabetic people. Ordinary sugar is broken down into smaller sugars, glucose and fructose, which are then absorbed by the body to reach the blood stream. Honey contains the same sugars, fructose and glucose, which are immediately absorbed, causing a rise in blood sugar.
Honey is good at raising blood sugar when a person has low blood sugar due to the diabetic drugs they are taking.
Honey should therefore be on the shelves of people with diabetes since low blood sugar is dangerous and can cause death within a short period of time if not urgently managed.
Dear Doctor: Why do I develop diarrhoea whenever I am in my periods? I also suffer from a lot of pain. Alfonsina Mbabazize
Dear Alfonsina: Periods result from the shedding of the inner lining of the womb, so that it is replaced by a new one in preparation for pregnancy. To shed and expel this membrane in the form of a period, substances produced locally in the membrane called prostaglandins are helpful.
These substances contract the womb, causing abdominal pain. When these prostaglandins leak into the general blood circulation, they may cause a myriad of symptoms including headache and vomiting. Prostaglandins also trigger contractions in the bowels, resulting in diarrhoea, especially during the first few days of the period.
Over-the-counter drugs that reduce prostaglandin production, such as ibuprofen, can help stop the diarrhoea. These drugs should, however, not be taken as a prevention method because of the associated side effects such as inducing peptic ulcers.
A diet rich in kalo, bread and white rice can also prevent the diarrhoea.
Dear Doctor: I ate fish and the bone got stuck in my throat. I took a lot of water but this was not helpful. I have now developed stomach pain, and I think it is the bone that is piercing me. Do I need an operation? I want to stop eating fish.
Isaac Newton Gunda
Dear Isaac: Fish is a nutritious food which you should not abandon just because a fishbone got stuck in your throat. Eating fish requires a person to be alert so that they do not risk swallowing any sharp bones.
Many people usually eat a banana to slide a fishbone down the throat, which is better than using water.
Once the bone leaves the throat and enters the stomach, it gets digested by acid and the piercing pains you are feeling could be as a result of fear, and not necessarily the presence of the bone in the stomach.
It is only in a few circumstances, such as taking drugs for peptic ulcers, that stomach acid production (omeprazole) is likely to affect the digestion of fishbone, with the likelihood of it (the fishbone) escaping the acid stomach.
This bone may then pierce the intestines and cause obstruction.
Please visit a doctor who may do an x-ray of the abdomen to see if the bone is still in the stomach.
Dear Doctor: Does natural family planning involve the use of herbs? How effective are they (herbs) in family planning?
Dear Zura: Abstaining from sex during the fertile period to prevent pregnancy is called natural family planning. This is the method of family planning which is agreeable to some religious beliefs.
To use it successfully, however, a woman needs to calculate her fertile period and avoid sex during that time.
Body temperature and changes in cervical mucus are also some methods used to calculate a fertile period. Because of illiteracy in some cases, women do not have the courage to deny their husbands (who rarely participate in family planning) sex during their fertile periods. As a result, it becomes difficult to practice the natural family planning method.
Many women use the lactation amenorrhea method, where they are advised to exclusively breastfeed every three hours. This method, however, is only effective for the first six months after birth.
The benefit of using herbs as a family planning method may not be known because there are different types that women use. However, it is not advisable to use herbs since their effectiveness and side effects are not known.
Ebola Bullies Shun African Immigrants in Schoolyard Panic
In Staten Island, a 6-year-old who used to be proud to call himself Liberian now hesitates because of the teasing. His mother, Oretha Bestman-Yates, who had visited family in Africa last summer, was forced to go on unpaid leave at her hospital job, according to the New York Post.
And in Texas, where Thomas Duncan died and two healthcare workers contracted the Ebola virus, children of African families who were born in this country have been questioned by school authorities.
“A neighbor of mine said her daughter was called to the principal’s office to ask when she was last home,” said Carolyn Woahloe, 33 of Fort Worth. “She was born here, but has an African accent.”
The 13-year-old’s family was from Ghana, where there have been no reported cases. “We joke and laugh about it because she educated the principal that Ebola is not in every African country,” she told NBC News.
“You have to educate people,” said Woahloe, who is president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Liberian Nurses Association.
“The stigma is there,” she said. “Kids go to school and because they have African parents, a lot of their classmates make fun of them, their accents and how they dress.”
Woahloe's 10-year-old was born in the United States and attends a school with “lots of diversity,” she said. “He hasn’t really felt any discrimination, but he says, ‘I feel really bad for the African children.’ I say, ‘What do you think you are?’”
So far, only four people have been diagnosed in the United States with Ebola, a disease that has killed nearly 5,000 in the Western African countries of Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria since the outbreak earlier this year, according to the World Health Organization.
The WHO says Ebola has been contained in Senegal, from which Ousame Drame, the father of the boys who were beaten Oct. 24 in New York City, had recently immigrated.
Charles Cooper, who is president of the African Advocacy Council in New York, said he was “shocked” to hear of the beatings and called for the Bronx school to take action.
The sixth-grader was punched and kicked the concrete first and when he screamed for help, his brother ran across the playground to help and was also attacked, according to Cooper.
“We have been hearing lots of stories and I am glad this family came forward to ask for help,” Cooper said. “This is affecting the African economy in New York City. They’ve lost a lot of business because their usual customers don’t want to go to them.”
The boys’ father said his sons had been bullied for several weeks before the incident.
“Eventually, a staff member realized what had happened and grabbed them,” Cooper told NBC News. “The injuries were so severe they were bleeding with knocks on their heads and on their arms and legs. They were kicking and punching them and they were screaming.”
New York City’s Department of Education had this response to the incident Monday: “…we are investigating and we take this matter very seriously. DOE school safety staff are on site today to mediate this incident and ensure the
safety and support of these students, school staff and their families.”
Other predominantly African communities say they have not seen the kind of bullying incidents that occurred in New York City and elsewhere. Samuel Sampson, president of the Liberation Nurses Association of Minnesota, said his group has launched an awareness campaign to preempt any hate crimes.
“Folks are coming in every day from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, but we don’t have to treat them like second-class citizens,” said Sampson. “And kids going to school don’t have to be disrespected just because they are African immigrants.”
