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The Rise of Antibiotic Resistance – NYTimes.com

May 11, 2014

Peter Singhatey Health Africa, Antiboitics, Gambia, Health Care, peter singhateh Leave a comment

The Rise of Antibiotic Resistance – NYTimes.com.

“The World Health Organization has surveyed the growth of antibiotic-resistant germs around the world — the first such survey it has ever conducted — and come up with disturbing findings. In a report issued late last month, the organization found that antimicrobial resistance in bacteria (the main focus of the report), fungi, viruses and parasites is an increasingly serious threat in every part of the world. “A problem so serious that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine,” the organization said. “A post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can kill, far from being an apocalyptic fantasy, is instead a very real possibility for the 21st century.”

The growth of antibiotic-resistant pathogens means that in ever more cases, standard treatments no longer work, infections are harder or impossible to control, the risk of spreading infections to others is increased, and illnesses and hospital stays are prolonged.

All of these drive up the costs of illnesses and the risk of death. The survey sought to determine the scope of the problem by asking countries to submit their most recent surveillance data (114 did so). Unfortunately, the data was glaringly incomplete because few countries track and monitor antibiotic resistance comprehensively, and there is no standard methodology for doing so.

Still, it is clear that major resistance problems have already developed, both for antibiotics that are used routinely and for those deemed “last resort” treatments to cure people when all else has failed…”

Anti-FGM campaign at UK airports seeks to stop mutilation of girls | Society | theguardian.com

May 11, 2014

Peter Singhatey Medical Africa, FGM, Gambia, peter singhateh, UK Leave a comment

Anti-FGM campaign at UK airports seeks to stop mutilation of girls | Society | theguardian.com.

“Police and UK border officials have been runnning a campaign at airports nationwide to intercept families who could have taken their children abroad for female genital mutilation.

The campaign, designed to raise awareness and promote a zero-tolerance approach to the crime, has been in operation over the last seven days at various airports, including Heathrow.

Police and border officials have stopped families suspected of possibly going abroad for FGM to be performed on young girls, as well as families returning to the UK after cutting of a child’s body might have taken place.

Keith Niven, detective chief superintendent at the Met’s command dealing with sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse, said: “FGM is illegal and constitutes child abuse. Many communities are familiar with the practice but not of its health risks, the fact that it is illegal within the UK, or that there is no religious basis to it…”

In Delivery Rooms, Reducing Births of Convenience – NYTimes.com

May 7, 2014

Peter Singhatey Health C-Section, Child Birth, Health, peter singhateh Leave a comment

In Delivery Rooms, Reducing Births of Convenience – NYTimes.com.

“Here’s a paradox, though: Despite the fact that unnecessary C-sections produce worse outcomes for more money, America’s C-section rate is growing fast — it has risen 50 percent in the last 10 years and now is used in a third of all births. This is not because of aging mothers or assisted reproduction — these make up a small fraction of births. Nor is it due to rising obesity — the two trends don’t track each other. The biggest increase in C-section rates is among women under 25. Most of the increase has come in low-risk births…”

Kerry urges steps to ensure democracy in Africa – The Washington Post

May 6, 2014

Peter Singhatey Uncategorized Africa, Democracy, Gambia, peter singhateh, USA 1 Comment

Kerry urges steps to ensure democracy in Africa – The Washington Post.

“ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — America’s top diplomat said Saturday the U.S. is ready to help increase its ties with Africa, but nations across the continent need to take stronger steps to ensure security and democracy for its people.

He called for an expansion of American investment in Africa and noted that U.S. companies IBM, Microsoft and Google already have spent more than $100 million on projects across the continent. “So this is clearly a moment of opportunity for all Africans,” Kerry told about 100 Ethiopians at an environmentally-friendly auditorium on a mountaintop…”

Out of Africa: The great money migration – Features – Al Jazeera English

May 2, 2014

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, Money Laundering, peter singhateh, Poverty Reduction, Research, West Africa Leave a comment

Out of Africa: The great money migration – Features – Al Jazeera English.

“Almost $2 trillion has left Africa illicitly since 1970, thwarting poverty reduction and economic growth.

The figures are staggering: At least $1.8 trillion illicitly flowed out of Africa between 1970 and 2009.

This is far more than the external aid the continent received over the same period, and almost five times its current external debt. According to researchers, the continent also loses at least $100bn a year in this financial haemorrhage.

African leaders convened this week in the Ethiopian city of Bahar Dar to discuss illicit financial flows and what can be done to staunch them. A study commissioned by the Tana High Level Forum on African Security, which organised the conference, found that illicit flows from Africa grew at an average rate of 12.1 percent per year since 1970, and that capital flight from West and Central African countries accounted for most of the illicit flows from sub-Saharan Africa…”

OCD: it’s like having a bully inside your head – People | Popular Stories, Obituaries & More | The Irish Times – Fri, Apr 25, 2014

April 26, 2014

Peter Singhatey Health Hyperactivity, OCD, peter singhateh Leave a comment

OCD: it’s like having a bully inside your head – People | Popular Stories, Obituaries & More | The Irish Times – Fri, Apr 25, 2014.

“..the disorder is not always outwardly evident, as sufferers often keep the thoughts they grapple with a secret…

Nicknamed “the doubting disease”, the disorder is associated with hyperactivity in the part of the brain responsible for regulating distress. It also sets off compulsive behaviour, such as repeatedly checking locks and switches, which temporarily quells this sense of alarm…”

The science of why most marathon winners are from east Africa – Vox

April 26, 2014

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, Health, Marathon Runners, Marathon Winners, peter singhateh Leave a comment

The science of why most marathon winners are from east Africa – Vox.

“All six winners in Boston today are originally from the same corner of the world: east Africa. And that’s true of almost every major long-distance race, going back for years. So why is that? Why do runners from two or three medium-sized countries, none of which have much money or highly developed infrastructure, manage to outrun virtually the entire world —virtually every time they compete?

This is a question that scientists and journalists have been asking since the 1990s, when the trend began, a few years after African nutrition rates caught up with the rest of the world. But the question has never totally been answered, in part because merely asking it touches on some of the most sensitive issues in modern history: colonialism, slavery, and persistent racial inequality both in Africa and outside of it…”

How Illicit Financial Flows Drain African Economies | Open Society Foundations (OSF)

April 22, 2014

Peter Singhatey African Center for Strategic Studies Africa, corruption, Development, Gambia, Money Laundery, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

How Illicit Financial Flows Drain African Economies | Open Society Foundations (OSF).

“African economies have lost between $597 billion and $1.4 trillion in illicit financial flows in the past three decades. That’s nearly equal to the entire continent’s current gross domestic product. This plunder results in missed development opportunities, increased poverty, and continued injustice.

While many African nations are experiencing unprecedented economic growth, illicit financial flows (IFFs) prevent this growth from translating into better overall living conditions for Africans…”