EBOLA'S KEY FACTS

1. Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans.
2. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
3. The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
4. Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks.
5. Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, infection prevention and control practices, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe and dignified burials and social mobilisation.
6. Vaccines to protect against Ebola are under development and have been used to help control the spread of Ebola outbreaks in Guinea and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
7. Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is no licensed treatment proven to neutralize the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.

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KEY FACTS ABOUT ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY

KEY FACTS

• Approximately 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 years and 2.5 million girls under 16 years give birth each year in developing regions (2) (3).
• Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for 15 to 19 year-old girls globally* (4).
• Every year, some 3.9 million girls aged 15 to 19 years undergo unsafe abortions (1).
• Adolescent mothers (ages 10 to 19 years) face higher risks of eclampsia, puerperal endometritis, and systemic infections than women aged 20 to 24 years

Every year, an estimated 21 million girls aged 15 to 19 years and 2 million girls aged under 15 years become pregnant in developing regions (1) ,(2). Approximately 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 years and 2.5 million girls under age 16 years give birth in developing regions.2,3

The global adolescent birth rate has declined from 65 births per 1000 women in 1990 to 47 births per 1000 women in 2015 (6). Despite this overall progress, because the global population of adolescents continues to grow, projections indicate the number of adolescent pregnancies will increase globally by 2030, with the greatest proportional increases in West and Central Africa and Eastern and Southern Africa (7).

Additionally, regional differences reveal unequal progress: adolescent birth rates range from a high of 115 births per 1000 women in West Africa to 64 births per 1000 women in Latin America and the Caribbean to 45 births per 1000 women in South-Eastern Asia, to a low of 7 births per 1000 women in Eastern Asia (8). There are also up to three times more adolescent pregnancies in rural and indigenous populations than in urban populations .

source: WHO

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SCHOLARSHIP AT TOP UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD

1.Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Students

Dead line: varies, Sept-Dec 2019

official scholarship website:  https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/sbfi/en/home/education/scholarships-and-grants/swiss-government-excellence-scholarships.html

2. Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)

Deadline: before 6 Nov 2019 (annual)

official scholarship website:  http://www.vanier.gc.ca/en/home-accueil.html

3. British Chevening Scholarships for International Students

Deadline: 5 Nov 2019 (annual)

official scholarship website: https://www.chevening.org/

4. Fulbright Foreign Student Program in USA

Deadline: varies, Feb-Oct 2019

official scholarship website: https://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/about/foreign-fulbright

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TEN FACTS ABOUT OBESITY

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Once associated with high-income countries, obesity is now also prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.

Fact 1: Overweight and obesity are defined as "abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health"

Body mass index (BMI) – the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2) – is a commonly used index to classify overweight and obesity in adults. WHO defines overweight as a BMI equal to or more than 25, and obesity as a BMI equal to or more than 30.

Fact 2: More than 1.9 billion adults were overweight in 2016, and 650 million obese

In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight and 650 million were obese. At least 2.8 million people each year die as a result of being overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016. Once associated with high-income countries, obesity is now also prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.

Fact 3: Globally, 41 million preschool children were overweight in 2016

Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Overweight children are likely to become obese adults. They are more likely than non-overweight children to develop diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age, which in turn are associated with a higher chance of premature death and disability.

Fact 4: Overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight

Most of the world's population live in a country where there are more people overweight and obese than underweight. This includes all high-income and middle-income countries. Diabetes, ischaemic heart disease and certain cancers are attributable to overweight and obesity.

Fact 5: For an individual, obesity is usually the result of an imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended

An increased consumption of energy dense foods, without an equal increase in physical activity, leads to an unhealthy increase in weight. Decreased levels of physical activity will also result in an energy imbalance and lead to weight gain

Fact 6: Supportive environments and communities are fundamental in shaping people’s choices and preventing obesity

Individual responsibility can only have its full effect where people have access to a healthy lifestyle, and are supported to make healthy choices. WHO mobilizes a range of stakeholders who have vital roles to play in shaping healthy environments and making healthier diet options affordable and easily accessible

Fact 7: Children's diet and physical activity habits are influenced by their surrounding environment

Social and economic development as well as policies in the areas of agriculture, transport, urban planning, environment, education, food processing, distribution and marketing influence children's dietary habits and preferences as well as their physical activity patterns. Increasingly, these influences are promoting unhealthy weight gain leading to a steady rise in the prevalence of childhood obesity

Fact 8: Eating a healthy diet can help prevent obesity

People can:
1) maintain a healthy weight
2) limit total fat intake and shift fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats
3) increase consumption of fruit, vegetables, pulses, whole grains and nuts
4) limit the intake of free sugars and salt.

Fact 9: Regular physical activity helps maintain a healthy body

People should engage in adequate levels of physical activity throughout their lives. At least 150 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity physical activity per week reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, colon cancer and breast cancer. Muscle strengthening and balance training can reduce falls and improve mobility among older adults. More activity may be required for weight control.

Fact 10: Curbing the global obesity epidemic requires a population-based multisectoral, multi-disciplinary, and culturally relevant approach

WHO's Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases provides a roadmap to establish and strengthen initiatives for the surveillance, prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases, including obesity

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CONCRETE CANCER

What is concrete cancer?

This occurs when reinforcements(steel bars) in the concrete start to corrode then expand, displacing concrete around it and causing it to become brittle and forms cracks thus accelerating the process.

Signs of concrete cancer

• Crazing and cracking concrete.
• Rust stain emerging from the concrete seem to leak out.
• Concrete expanding outward
• Bubbling of concrete render.
• Leak which may appear in overhead concrete surface.

Causes of concrete cancer

There are many reasons for the cause of concrete cancer. The common reasons includes

1. Stress failure from excessive weight
When concrete member like slab carries  an excess load which it was not designed for it, one of the side effect is stress fracture. When the fracture occurs there is an open path for water and moisture to get into the concrete and get into contact with steel reinforcement, causing the reinforcement to corrode.

2. Insufficient concrete cover and poorly poured concrete.
If cover is insufficient , cracks may appear due to external forces/stress like peaple weight or rain. Also, poorly poured concrete causes the concrete element to be porous and sometimes exposes reinforcements directly to the air and moisture/water. This leads to corrosion/rusting of the reinforcements.

3. Poor water proofing.
Water proofing refers to the process of making a concrete element water resistant. It helps to avoid rain water, moisture and leaking into structural element causing concrete cancer.

4. Reinforcing bars being to close to the surface

5. Movement of the earth under the building leading to cracks.

Some of the recommended solution for concrete cancer.

1. Polymer modified repair system solution.
This option removes concrete around the reinforcements and clean them, before applying both steel primer and polymer modified materials.

2.Electrochemical treatment like cathodic protection.
This is useful in case of chloride contamination in building near the ocean.

3. Simple replacement method.
Involves removing the demaged concrete , clean and replace the rusted, exposed steel and fill in the cracks.

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COMMON CAUSES CRACKS IN MASONRY WALL

Cracks are indication of  functional failure in masonry wall and sometimes indicates a structural failure of the wall.

Common causes of cracks

1. Expansion cracks in masonry wall

These cracks are caused by change in either temperature or moisture content in the wall. These cracks can be observed above the window or door opening and have consistent width. Increase in temperature especially during the day causes the wall to expand and result to cracks if the expansion effect due to temperature was not taken into consideration during design process. Also when the wall is wet especially the one made of clay burnt bricks, tends to expand due to expansive nature of the material as the result cracks are formed.

expansion crack

Repair
These cracks can be repaired by using sealant materials. They don't have any structural effects.

2. Ground heaving

This is common in clay soils, when it is waterlogged tends to heave. This induces cracks to the foundation then to the wall. Cracks due to ground heaving are always wider at the base of the wall.
Ground heaving may be caused by

• Weather change
• Removal of tree near the house

Repair
Underpinning is likely to be an appropriate measure. Also, using a pile foundation helps to overcome the effects of ground heaving.

3. Subsidence

Subsidence is a very specific issue that occurs when the ground under your house collapses, or sinks lower, taking some of the building’s foundations with it. 

crack due to subsidence

Repair
Can be repaired by underpinning.

4. Cracks above opening of the wall.

Causes: 

• Removal of door or window without adequate propping.
• Inadequate bearing
• Load applied directly over opening
• Absence of lintel. 

Repair 
Replacement of lintel.

5. Settlement

This is the vertical downward movement of the soil. Cracks occurs when differential settlement happen where by soils at two different points exhibit different magnitude of settlement. 

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HOW TO LOOSE BELLY FAT QUICKLY AND NATURALLY

A fat belly causes  various diseases like heart diseases as it is the most harmful fat in your body. Aside from working out, avoiding junk food and alcohol are among the ways to get a flat belly.

Additionally, check out these tips for how to burn belly fat in less than a week.

1. Do physical exercises daily

By doing exercise you burn many calories and your health will start to improve. This is done by doing high-intensity workouts like running or swimming,but keep in mind that frequency and duration are essential for satisfying results.

2. Reduce refined carbohydrates.

One should avoid consuming refined carbs to lose fat around the abdominal area and have good metabolic health.

It is not necessary to stick to a strict low-carbs diet, however it should be replaced with unprocessed carbs. Instead of white bread, white rice and sodas, eat more vegetables and whole grains.

3. Add fatty fish to your diet

Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines or tuna is a high-quality protein and rich in omega-3 acids. By eating 2 to 3 portions a week you can reduce the risk of illnesses like heart disease and also burn your belly fat.

4. Start the day with a high protein breakfast

Start your day with some Greek yogurt, protein smoothies, scrambled egg whites or porridge. After eating proteins in the morning, you will feel full until lunch without any hunger pangs.

Proteins increase your metabolic rate while retaining muscle mass during weight loss. You can also add proteins such as eggs, fish, chicken, beans or dairy in every other meal.

5. Drink enough water

Even if you don't want to lose weight, staying hydrated is important for your general health. Drinking 4 to 5 liters of water each day is recommended and will burn more calories.

Also, drinking warm water with lemon in the morning on an empty stomach helps kickstart your metabolism and digestive system as well.

6. Reduce your salt intake

Consumed salt retains water and makes your belly feels bloated. Before making a purchase always make sure the nutrition label does not mention high sodium levels since processed food consists of salt, added sugar and unhealthy fats.

7. Consume soluble fiber

Similar to proteins, soluble fibers make you feel full for a few hours so that you don't have to consume unneeded extra calories in your meal.

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