Tuesday, 28 May 2013
BLIND EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
BLIND EDUCATION IN NIGERIA
Education they say is “the bedrock of every nation”. This implies that it is the solid foundation upon which every nation stands without which a collapse is imminent. When you educate a child, you develop his thoughts which he in turns gives back to the society by way of innovations and service delivery.
In Nigeria for instance, attention is paid more to children with no visual loss, whose education without doubt is obtained with less stress and at no extra cost. Thousands of schools exist across the nation where these sighted children can go on daily basis and be tutored by teachers using such materials like the blackboards, chalks, pencils, pens, exercise books and text books to mention but a few. In most cases, some of these materials are provided completely for free by government, with some states even going farther to provide equally for free such items as school uniforms, school sandals, school bags, and desks. Imo State government under the leadership of Owelle Rochas Okorocha is currently building 305 model primary schools in all the 305 political wards in the State with many nearing completion with no attention given to the education of the blind.
A trip to some of the few existing centres where the blind can receive special education would reveal to you the sorry state in which these schools operate with little or no government attention. While some states in the nation can boast of having special education centres, Imo State cannot boast of any in sharp contrast to the ongoing project of building 305 model primary schools in all the 305 political wards in the State. To what can this be attributed?
With only two years left for the realisation of the United Nations millennium goal on education for all, is it possible in the slightest imagination for Nigeria to attain this goal? There is not one special education centre for the blind that can be said to have been built by the Federal Government of Nigeria and even the existing ones do not receive any attention whatsoever from the Federal Government.
It is a truism that blind education world over is highly capital intensive. In place of the pen, they use the Braille writing frame, Braille machine, and the typewriter; and in place of exercise books for note taking, they use tape recorders, batteries and empty cassettes. Transcription of text books into Braille remains a mirage. It therefore becomes imperative for our government to get more directly involved in providing the right environment for blind education to thrive in Nigeria. Government would be encouraging street begging by the blind if they neglect to send them to school. Let’s help build an all-inclusive educational system where everybody can be carried along without discrimination on grounds of race, sex, colour, religion, language, disability or social status.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
ICT and the Blind in Africa
As part of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, an Exhibition on Information and Communication Technologies was organised to show case innovative ICT projects in Africa. Held at the ECA end January to early February 2010, it was done to encourage African policy makers to invest in new technologies for social-economic growth and also to demonstrate the potential investment return in the sector. This video production focuses on an organisation based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia called Adaptive Technologies Centre for the blind.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Some 180 nations and territories take part in UN-backed immunization drive
Source:un.org
25 April 2011 – Some 180 countries and territories are for the first time carrying out simultaneous United Nations-backed immunization campaigns this week, targeting diseases such as influenza, measles, polio and tetanus.
The Immunization Week, which began on Saturday, is taking place across the five UN World Health Organization (WHO) regions of Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe and the Western Pacific.
“I believe Immunization Week will have a significant impact on emphasizing the need to remain vigilant against vaccine-preventable diseases – even those that we do not see within our communities,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
Over the course of the week, outreach teams will visit communities with limited access to regular health services such as those living in remote areas, urban fringes and internally displaced people to administer vaccines.
Vaccinations will be provided to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, maternal and neonatal tetanus, polio, rubella, whooping cough and yellow fever.
Other activities include training sessions and workshops for health workers, as well as round-table discussions with political decision-makers, medical professionals, parents, and caregivers.
Dr. Chan noted that even with all the positive cooperation, innovation and collaboration that exist, “we are at risk of losing many of the gains that have been made and forgoing the additional benefits that are within reach.”
The recent outbreaks of measles, pertussis and polio in different parts of the world have highlighted the work that remains to be done, she said.
Last week WHO urged European countries to work more closely together to combat measles – which is entirely preventable – after a surge in the number of cases across the continent since the start of the year.
At least 6,500 cases have been reported already, with significant outbreaks observed in 30 countries, including Belgium, France, Serbia, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Spain.
Health workers administer oral polio vaccine
The Immunization Week, which began on Saturday, is taking place across the five UN World Health Organization (WHO) regions of Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe and the Western Pacific.
“I believe Immunization Week will have a significant impact on emphasizing the need to remain vigilant against vaccine-preventable diseases – even those that we do not see within our communities,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
Over the course of the week, outreach teams will visit communities with limited access to regular health services such as those living in remote areas, urban fringes and internally displaced people to administer vaccines.
Vaccinations will be provided to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, maternal and neonatal tetanus, polio, rubella, whooping cough and yellow fever.
Other activities include training sessions and workshops for health workers, as well as round-table discussions with political decision-makers, medical professionals, parents, and caregivers.
Dr. Chan noted that even with all the positive cooperation, innovation and collaboration that exist, “we are at risk of losing many of the gains that have been made and forgoing the additional benefits that are within reach.”
The recent outbreaks of measles, pertussis and polio in different parts of the world have highlighted the work that remains to be done, she said.
Last week WHO urged European countries to work more closely together to combat measles – which is entirely preventable – after a surge in the number of cases across the continent since the start of the year.
At least 6,500 cases have been reported already, with significant outbreaks observed in 30 countries, including Belgium, France, Serbia, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Spain.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Deadly measles outbreaks threaten Africa gains: WHO
(Reuters) - Large and deadly outbreaks of measles in 30 African countries threaten to reverse gains made against the viral disease in the past two decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
More than 1,100 deaths from measles have been reported among 64,000 known cases in Africa the last year, it said. Chad, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have had the largest outbreaks.
"There is a widespread resurgence of measles with these outbreaks in over 30 African countries, some of which are seeing very high case fatality ratios," WHO expert Peter Strebel told a news briefing.
Some 8,000 migrant children in Bulgaria also had the highly-contagious disease during the period, he said.
Measles deaths among children under five years old fell to 118,000 in 2008 from 733,000 in 2000, according to the United Nations agency's latest figures.
But the WHO warned that a lack of funding and political commitment could result in a return to more than 500,000 cases measles deaths per year by 2012, wiping out the gains to date.
Health ministers from WHO's 193 member states, holding their annual meeting in Geneva, agreed on Thursday to try to achieve at least 90 percent measles vaccination coverage nationally by 2015.
Britain also reported large numbers of measles cases over the past year, due to vaccination rates which had dropped below 90 percent following a scare that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot could lead to autism, Strebel said.
"In the past it was associated with the MMR autism threat which has now been proven not be present. In the U.K. in fact there have more recently been improvements in vaccination levels and transmission (disease spread) has come down to very low levels," he said.
In February, the Lancet medical journal formally retracted a paper that caused a 12-year international battle over links between the three-in-one childhood MMR vaccine and autism.
The 1998 paper led to a steep drop in the number of vaccinations in the United States, Britain and other parts of Europe, prompting a rise in cases of measles.
Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children. The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea and dehydration, ear infections or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia, WHO says.
It costs less than $1 to vaccinate a child against measles but two doses are required for full protection.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Jonathan Lynn by Reed Stevenson)
More than 1,100 deaths from measles have been reported among 64,000 known cases in Africa the last year, it said. Chad, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have had the largest outbreaks.
"There is a widespread resurgence of measles with these outbreaks in over 30 African countries, some of which are seeing very high case fatality ratios," WHO expert Peter Strebel told a news briefing.
Some 8,000 migrant children in Bulgaria also had the highly-contagious disease during the period, he said.
Measles deaths among children under five years old fell to 118,000 in 2008 from 733,000 in 2000, according to the United Nations agency's latest figures.
But the WHO warned that a lack of funding and political commitment could result in a return to more than 500,000 cases measles deaths per year by 2012, wiping out the gains to date.
Health ministers from WHO's 193 member states, holding their annual meeting in Geneva, agreed on Thursday to try to achieve at least 90 percent measles vaccination coverage nationally by 2015.
Britain also reported large numbers of measles cases over the past year, due to vaccination rates which had dropped below 90 percent following a scare that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot could lead to autism, Strebel said.
"In the past it was associated with the MMR autism threat which has now been proven not be present. In the U.K. in fact there have more recently been improvements in vaccination levels and transmission (disease spread) has come down to very low levels," he said.
In February, the Lancet medical journal formally retracted a paper that caused a 12-year international battle over links between the three-in-one childhood MMR vaccine and autism.
The 1998 paper led to a steep drop in the number of vaccinations in the United States, Britain and other parts of Europe, prompting a rise in cases of measles.
Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children. The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea and dehydration, ear infections or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia, WHO says.
It costs less than $1 to vaccinate a child against measles but two doses are required for full protection.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Jonathan Lynn by Reed Stevenson)
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Measles back with a vengeance
vengeance
Johannesburg, 28 June 2010 (IRIN) - "Out of sight, out of mind" explains why Southern Africa has been grappling with one of the biggest outbreaks of measles, a highly contagious viral disease, since 2009.
The outbreak has so far claimed 758 lives, mostly in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa. Ahmadu Yakubu, Regional Immunization Adviser at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) told IRIN there had been lapses in the measles immunization programme because "countries were not seeing cases anymore".
Oladapo Walker, the Inter Country Support Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa at the World Health Organisation (WHO), told IRIN that at least 95 percent of all eligible children had not been vaccinated against the disease.
Walker said the outbreaks were "most likely the result of a build-up of susceptible children and adolescents who have missed immunization and escaped natural infection during the years of reduced transmission".
In developing countries, vaccination programmes are jointly funded by donors, but Yakubu said countries in the region had failed to raise adequate financial commitments because "there were no cases to report over the years", so they were unable to motivate funds.
The Measles Initiative, founded in 2001 to stem a rising number of cases, reported that a funding gap of US$59 million for 2010 had to be met to prevent a resurgence of measles deaths globally.
UNICEF noted in a statement in 2009 that more than 2.4 million children in eastern and southern Africa - about 20 percent of all children younger than one year - were not being reached by routine immunization.
WHO recommends two doses of vaccine to ensure immunity, with the first to be given by the child's first birthday, but about 15 percent of vaccinated children fail to develop immunity from the first dose.
Global slump
Southern Africa is not the only region grappling with the after-effects of a slump in measles vaccinations. Yakubu cited a recent article in Eurosurveillance, a scientific journal published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which said measles was spreading in Europe because immunization had dropped well below the recommended levels.
To ensure protection from outbreaks, WHO recommends that at least 90 percent of all children in each district and at national level be vaccinated in routine immunization.
Global vaccination levels dropped to 72 percent in 2000 but coverage returned to around 83 percent in 2008. According to WHO, in 2008 there were 164,000 measles deaths globally – nearly 450 deaths per day, or 18 deaths every hour.
The resurgence in Southern Africa could be partly ascribed to members of religious sects that did not believe in "modern western medicine" and prevented their children from being vaccinated, said Yakubu, who acknowledged that although the numbers were not substantial, "They are growing". Newspapers in Malawi reported that members of the Seventh Day Apostolic Church would not allow their children to be immunized against measles.
Walker said the last measles outbreak in some southern Africa countries occurred three years ago, and in others as much as six years ago. Namibia recorded its last wave of measles in 2002, while South Africa and Zimbabwe experienced one in 2005.
However, he noted that the "current outbreaks are much less frequent, and the level of incidence is much lower than outbreaks that used to occur before the measles control goals were adopted in 1998 in the Southern Africa Sub-region".
Measles "most probably have travelled through porous borders and trade", said Walker. "However, for an outbreak to occur following importation from a neighbouring province or country, it requires a sizable number of susceptible populations in both countries."
To prevent a resurgence, countries should run follow-up vaccination campaigns every two to four years until their healthcare systems could routinely provide two doses of measles vaccination to all children and offer treatment for the disease, said Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Prof Adrian Puren, Deputy Director of Virology at the South Africa-based National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), said they were monitoring the epidemic in South Africa to gain insights into how it spread.
The NICD noted in a recent communiqué on communicable diseases that a French journalist covering the football world cup in South Africa had been diagnosed with a strain of measles that was of European and North American origin.
The communiqué noted that "This ... imported case of measles ... highlights the possibility of imported communicable diseases making an appearance during the football world cup event."
Source:Irin News
Johannesburg, 28 June 2010 (IRIN) - "Out of sight, out of mind" explains why Southern Africa has been grappling with one of the biggest outbreaks of measles, a highly contagious viral disease, since 2009.
The outbreak has so far claimed 758 lives, mostly in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa. Ahmadu Yakubu, Regional Immunization Adviser at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) told IRIN there had been lapses in the measles immunization programme because "countries were not seeing cases anymore".
Oladapo Walker, the Inter Country Support Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa at the World Health Organisation (WHO), told IRIN that at least 95 percent of all eligible children had not been vaccinated against the disease.
Walker said the outbreaks were "most likely the result of a build-up of susceptible children and adolescents who have missed immunization and escaped natural infection during the years of reduced transmission".
In developing countries, vaccination programmes are jointly funded by donors, but Yakubu said countries in the region had failed to raise adequate financial commitments because "there were no cases to report over the years", so they were unable to motivate funds.
The Measles Initiative, founded in 2001 to stem a rising number of cases, reported that a funding gap of US$59 million for 2010 had to be met to prevent a resurgence of measles deaths globally.
UNICEF noted in a statement in 2009 that more than 2.4 million children in eastern and southern Africa - about 20 percent of all children younger than one year - were not being reached by routine immunization.
WHO recommends two doses of vaccine to ensure immunity, with the first to be given by the child's first birthday, but about 15 percent of vaccinated children fail to develop immunity from the first dose.
Global slump
Southern Africa is not the only region grappling with the after-effects of a slump in measles vaccinations. Yakubu cited a recent article in Eurosurveillance, a scientific journal published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which said measles was spreading in Europe because immunization had dropped well below the recommended levels.
| About measles | |
| Malnourished children, those suffering a lack of vitamin A, or whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS, are most vulnerable to measles. Most measles-related deaths are caused by complications from the disease, particularly in children younger than five or adults older than 20 years. The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, ear infections or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia. The disease is spread by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions. The first sign of measles is usually a high fever. A runny nose, a cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks can develop in the initial stage. After several days, a rash erupts, usually on the face and upper neck. | |
| Source: World Health Organisation | |
Global vaccination levels dropped to 72 percent in 2000 but coverage returned to around 83 percent in 2008. According to WHO, in 2008 there were 164,000 measles deaths globally – nearly 450 deaths per day, or 18 deaths every hour.
The resurgence in Southern Africa could be partly ascribed to members of religious sects that did not believe in "modern western medicine" and prevented their children from being vaccinated, said Yakubu, who acknowledged that although the numbers were not substantial, "They are growing". Newspapers in Malawi reported that members of the Seventh Day Apostolic Church would not allow their children to be immunized against measles.
Walker said the last measles outbreak in some southern Africa countries occurred three years ago, and in others as much as six years ago. Namibia recorded its last wave of measles in 2002, while South Africa and Zimbabwe experienced one in 2005.
However, he noted that the "current outbreaks are much less frequent, and the level of incidence is much lower than outbreaks that used to occur before the measles control goals were adopted in 1998 in the Southern Africa Sub-region".
Measles "most probably have travelled through porous borders and trade", said Walker. "However, for an outbreak to occur following importation from a neighbouring province or country, it requires a sizable number of susceptible populations in both countries."
To prevent a resurgence, countries should run follow-up vaccination campaigns every two to four years until their healthcare systems could routinely provide two doses of measles vaccination to all children and offer treatment for the disease, said Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Prof Adrian Puren, Deputy Director of Virology at the South Africa-based National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), said they were monitoring the epidemic in South Africa to gain insights into how it spread.
The NICD noted in a recent communiqué on communicable diseases that a French journalist covering the football world cup in South Africa had been diagnosed with a strain of measles that was of European and North American origin.
The communiqué noted that "This ... imported case of measles ... highlights the possibility of imported communicable diseases making an appearance during the football world cup event."
Source:Irin News
Measles Outbreak in Africa Threatens Gains
Measles Outbreak in Africa Threatens Gains
Photo: AFP
Children getting vaccinations for measles on the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 Oct 2009
The Measles Initiative, a consortium of global healthcare organizations, warns a serious outbreak of measles in Sub-Saharan Africa is threatening all the gains made since 2000 in reducing deaths from this killer disease among children under five.
The United Nations reports nearly 90,000 cases of measles have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa since June 2009, including about 1,400 deaths.
The epidemic is most severe in the southern African countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa.
The Measles Initiative was created in 2001 to tackle the growing problem of the disease in Africa. The group says gaps in the implementation of measles control strategies resulting from a lack of funds has led to the dramatic increase in measles cases.
Andrea Gay is executive director of Children's Health at the UN Foundation, one of the partners of the Measles Initiative. She tells VOA in a phone interview from Washington the enormous progress Africa has made in cutting child deaths from measles is now at risk.
She says a major factor is the dramatic decline in funding. She notes GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, had been donating $150 million to the Measles Initiative, but, this dropped to a little over $20 million in 2008.
"The Measles Initiative was unable to provide the same level of resources to the country," said Gay. "We were asking countries to increase their share and many countries were not able to increase their share to the extent that was necessary to carry out a high quality campaign. One thing that can happen is the campaigns are not as good and then that means there are going to be more pockets of children that are not vaccinated and because measles is infectious, it will find those children and there will be an outbreak."
Measles is easily spread through coughing and sneezing. It can cause severe complications, including pneumonia and diarrhea and lead to death.
While money is a key factor, Gay says measles are easily preventable. To ensure protection, she says at least 90 percent of all children in a country need to be vaccinated through routine immunization.
"We are trying to get countries to improve their routine, their first dose of vaccine to reach more children, but, quite honestly even to do that, usually, it is a question of resources," she said.
However, Gay says money should not be a deterrent. She says it costs less than $1 to vaccinate a child against this killer disease. She says $59 million is needed this year to prevent a resurgence of measles deaths globally.
The epidemic is most severe in the southern African countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa.
The Measles Initiative was created in 2001 to tackle the growing problem of the disease in Africa. The group says gaps in the implementation of measles control strategies resulting from a lack of funds has led to the dramatic increase in measles cases.
Andrea Gay is executive director of Children's Health at the UN Foundation, one of the partners of the Measles Initiative. She tells VOA in a phone interview from Washington the enormous progress Africa has made in cutting child deaths from measles is now at risk.
She says a major factor is the dramatic decline in funding. She notes GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, had been donating $150 million to the Measles Initiative, but, this dropped to a little over $20 million in 2008.
"The Measles Initiative was unable to provide the same level of resources to the country," said Gay. "We were asking countries to increase their share and many countries were not able to increase their share to the extent that was necessary to carry out a high quality campaign. One thing that can happen is the campaigns are not as good and then that means there are going to be more pockets of children that are not vaccinated and because measles is infectious, it will find those children and there will be an outbreak."
Measles is easily spread through coughing and sneezing. It can cause severe complications, including pneumonia and diarrhea and lead to death.
While money is a key factor, Gay says measles are easily preventable. To ensure protection, she says at least 90 percent of all children in a country need to be vaccinated through routine immunization.
"We are trying to get countries to improve their routine, their first dose of vaccine to reach more children, but, quite honestly even to do that, usually, it is a question of resources," she said.
However, Gay says money should not be a deterrent. She says it costs less than $1 to vaccinate a child against this killer disease. She says $59 million is needed this year to prevent a resurgence of measles deaths globally.
Source:Voice of America
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Red Cross calls for aid in fighting measles outbreak
Source: Ethiopian review
The American Red Cross, in the wake of the massive measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, recently requested the aid of the global health community to quell the spread of the disease.
A total of 16,112 suspected cases of measles have been reported in the African country since early 2011, including 106 children who died from the disease.
This massive outbreak continues the recent global increase of reported measles cases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more measles cases were reported in 2008 than in any other year since 1997, with more than 90 percent of those infected either not vaccinated or with an unknown vaccination status.
Victim of years of internal conflict, The Democratic Republic of Congo has left thousands of children vulnerable to the disease by not regularly participating in measles vaccination campaigns.
"If campaigns are postponed because of funding shortfalls, armed conflict or lack of political commitment, we will see outbreaks. It's predictable but it's also altogether preventable," Athalia Christie, a senior technical advisor for the Measles Initiative with the American Red Cross, said.
Through the Measles Initiative, the American Red Cross, in conjunction with the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization have contributed to a 92 percent reduction of measles mortality in Africa between 2000 and 2008.
The Red Cross is hopeful that this initiative, along with assistance from the Democratic Republic of Congo, will put an end to this outbreak plaguing sub-Saharan Africa.
- Spencer Ham
The American Red Cross, in the wake of the massive measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, recently requested the aid of the global health community to quell the spread of the disease.
A total of 16,112 suspected cases of measles have been reported in the African country since early 2011, including 106 children who died from the disease.
This massive outbreak continues the recent global increase of reported measles cases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more measles cases were reported in 2008 than in any other year since 1997, with more than 90 percent of those infected either not vaccinated or with an unknown vaccination status.
Victim of years of internal conflict, The Democratic Republic of Congo has left thousands of children vulnerable to the disease by not regularly participating in measles vaccination campaigns.
"If campaigns are postponed because of funding shortfalls, armed conflict or lack of political commitment, we will see outbreaks. It's predictable but it's also altogether preventable," Athalia Christie, a senior technical advisor for the Measles Initiative with the American Red Cross, said.
Through the Measles Initiative, the American Red Cross, in conjunction with the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization have contributed to a 92 percent reduction of measles mortality in Africa between 2000 and 2008.
The Red Cross is hopeful that this initiative, along with assistance from the Democratic Republic of Congo, will put an end to this outbreak plaguing sub-Saharan Africa.
- Spencer Ham
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