109 Million Covid Cases and Ebola Makes a Comeback

Covid-19 has now infected 109 million people and caused 2.4 million deaths worldwide. Still, looking at the numbers, it would appear that the pandemic is slowing down. 

But in Africa, Ebola is rearing its ugly head again. 

Four people have died of Ebola in Guinea in the first resurgence of the disease in five years, its health minister said on Saturday. 

Remy Lamah (left) told AFP officials were “really concerned” about the deaths, the first since a 2013-2016 epidemic – which began in Guinea – left 11,300 dead across the region. 

Already, DR Congo has faced several outbreaks of the illness, with the WHO on Thursday confirming a resurgence three months after authorities declared the end of the country’s latest outbreak. 

The country had declared that the six-month epidemic over in November. It was the country’s eleventh Ebola outbreak, claiming 55 lives out of 130 cases. 

Meanwhile, yesterday, in the Premier League, Liverpool again went into an epic collapse mode and Leicester rightly thumped the Reds 3-1 in embarrassing fashion.

I don’t want to talk about it, period.

Another Snake Oil Peddler Exposed

Madagascar got the world to sit up when on April 20, 2020, its president Andry Rajoelina (left) took a sip of a homegrown beverage and declared the herbal tonic could prevent coronavirus and cure it. 

It was given the name Covid-Organics and it is derived from artemisia, also known as sweet wormwood (Scientific name: Artemisia annua) – a plant with proven anti-malarial properties – and other indigenous herbs.

The beverage's distribution across the country and to some other African governments (Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Niger and Tanzania) sparked controversy and warnings by the WHO who said its efficacy against the pathogen was unproven. 

Still, he stuck to his guns. 

"What is the problem with Covid-Organics, really? Could it be that this product comes from Africa? Could it be that it's not OK for a country like Madagascar, which is the 63rd poorest country in the world... to have come up with (this formula) that can help save the world?" asked Rajoelina, who claimed the infusion cures patients within ten days. 

He had confidently asserted: "The patients who have healed have taken no other product than Covid-Organics". 

His trust in the cure was cruelly pulverized when yesterday, his government had to re-impose a lockdown in central Madagascar. Troops were even deployed to ensure residents comply with containment measures, including a curfew in Antananarivo.

This came after the island nation recorded 213 new cases in the capital city on Saturday. And another 309 infections revealed themselves on Sunday. 

So now, we know for sure that Covid-Organics doesn’t work.

4.5 Million Cases and 300,000 Deaths

Already 4.5 million coronavirus cases worldwide and 300,000 people dead. And still counting! 

The United States is tightly holding onto its No.1 ranking for both infections and fatalities – and methinks, in 8 days or less, it will reach another grim milestone: 1.5 million cases and 100,000 deaths. Donald Trump is doing a swell job to keep Americans safe!

Meanwhile, Russia has a quarter of a million cases on Thursday – but daily new infections thankfully fell below 10,000 for the first time:

The other hotspot, Brazil has surpassed 200,000 cases on the same day too: 

Yesterday, Africa registered more than 70,000 coronavirus infections and its death toll is almost hitting 2,500:

It is not too worrisome a situation just yet because the 7 countries (out of a tally of 54) most affected by Covid-19 in terms of cumulative case numbers together account for 68.7% of the total in the continent:

The Voice Actor Who Can Mimic Any Animal

Hey, give a listen to veteran voice actor Dee Bradly Baker who happily shares his incredible skill for imitating, mimicking and vocalizing creatures of any kind, big and small. 

Baker (left) explains how he makes these incredibly realistic sounds with his mouth. 

“There’s lots to use inside the mouth and I kind of use it along with the resonance to do small things, large, things threatening things, friendly things… it’s not just making the sound but it’s telling a story. It’s having specific things happening in the story it’s kind of like raw material for the animators in the storyteller”. 

Indeed, his talent is simply amazing:

In Africa, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 40,000 across the continent, including nearly 1,700 deaths and more than 13,000 recoveries, according to Africa CDC.

Nosing into Hong Kong's Politics

Just this month of October alone, the world is witnessing tumultuous protests in many troubled cities. Baghdad, Quito, Conarky, Paris, Barcelona, Beirut and Santiago.

If the Americans are genuinely concerned about human rights, then their country should intervene in Iraq, Ecuador, Guinea, France, Spain, Lebanon and Chile.

But only Hong Kong receives special attention and treatment from the USA.

On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives approved legislation to show support for Hong Kong protesters – that could pave the way for diplomatic action and economic sanctions against the Hong Kong government and thus, moving it a significant step closer to becoming law.

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 would end the Chinese city's special trading status with the US unless the State Department certify annually that the authorities are respecting human rights and the rule of law.

A second measure, the Protect Hong Kong Act, would bar commercial exports of military and crowd-control items such as teargas.

The third is a non-binding resolution recognizing Hong Kong's relationship to the US, condemning Beijing's "interference" in its affairs, and supporting the right of the city's residents to protest.

The bill would strengthen the Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, which the US government use to assess whether political developments in Hong Kong justify Washington changing its treatment of the city as a separate trading entity from the Chinese mainland.

It awaits a vote in the Senate, where it currently enjoys the bipartisan co-sponsorship of 25 senators, and is expected to pass.

A Hong Konger waves an American flag at a protest rally in Hong Kong on October 14, 2019 as demonstrators called on US lawmakers to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019. Image credit: AFP 

I’m thinking that Hong Kong is singled out because of China. 

The US is doing everything possible to hold China back, to paint China in a bad light, to demonise China. 

The US is a big bully. Methinks, China must not capitulate, rather it must fight back to defend the country's honor.

Finally, the Ebola Vaccine

Although, Ebola is no longer making headlines, there remain some clusters of Ebola cases in Africa and more can still be expected as survivors may still spread the virus to uninfected people. 

Then again, I am happy to report that a Canadian-developed vaccine for the Ebola virus had proven to be extremely effective in a full-scale clinical trial – meaning, that future outbreaks of the disease can be successfully contained. 

This clinical trial, which began in March, 2015, marked the first time any vaccine for Ebola had passed the hurdles required for regulatory approval. 

Led by the World Health Organization, it was staged in Guinea, a country that was ravaged by the Ebola epidemic that swept across West Africa in 2014-2015. 

Other trials that began around the same time floundered because infection rates in Western Africa were dropping too rapidly by then to provide a statistically significant result.

Note: The VSV-Ebola vaccine – called rVSV-ZEBOV – is effective against the so-called Zaire strain of the virus that was responsible for more than 11,300 deaths in Western African starting in late 2013 – the worst Ebola outbreak in history. A parallel vaccine is still needed for the Sudan strain, which is more prevalent in Eastern Africa. 

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he was "angry with the result but pleased with the performance" after Burnley frustrated his side on Philippe Coutinho's return to the starting line-up – with a 1-1 draw in this EPL game on Saturday. 

The Reds racked up 35 efforts at goal but only one shot amounted to anything – Mohamed Salah’s shot in the thirtieth minute.

On the same day too, Celtic moved clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Ross County. 

Tom Rogic delivered the opener with a left-foot finish in the thirteenth minute, and Moussa Dembele, who is making his first start since July, added the second in the forty-second minute. 

Then, James Forrest secured the win, scoring twice (52, 74). 

Brendan Rodgers' side may have lost 5-0 to Paris St-Germain on Tuesday, but there was no diminishing their domestic authority.

After Ebola, Now Zika

The world can heave a big sigh of relief now that the two-year Ebola epidemic is “officially” over because the three worst-hit countries had been given the all-clear by the World Health Organization: Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia were declared Ebola-free on November 07, 2015; December 29, 2015; and January 14, 2016 respectively.

 

The tropical virus not only killed more than 11,300 and triggered a global health alert, but it wrecked the economies and health systems of the three above-mentioned countries. At its peak, it devastated the West African countries, with bodies piling up in the streets and overwhelmed hospitals recording hundreds of new cases a week.

 

Rick Brennan, WHO’s chief of emergency risk management, however, cautioned that "the job is still not done" – the disease can still re-emerge because of persistence of the virus in a proportion of survivors. Part of the challenge in combating outbreaks stems from the fact that the Ebola virus rapidly evolves.

 

In fact, Libera was first declared free of the disease last May, but new cases emerged two times – forcing officials there to restart the clock. And Sierra Leone had two cases in January 2016, after the World Health Organisation declared an end to the Ebola epidemic – reinforcing WHO’s reminder that risks remain.

 

The ravages of disease are not going to be over any time soon. Already, the World Health Organization declared on February 01, 2016 that the Zika virus has reached the status of a global emergency.

 

By deciding to declare that the mosquito-borne virus is a "public health emergency of international concern," it allows more money, resources and scientific research to be dedicated to addressing the growing disease.

 

The current viral outbreak was first reported in May 2015 in Brazil when the first confirmed cases were disclosed. But the cases quickly multiplied and now government officials believe that more than 1 million people have been infected in that country. WHO officials said that one reason for the rapid spread is that both people and mosquitoes have no immunity to the virus that is new to the region.

 

Zika has now affected 25 countries but for now, the WHO “found no public health justification for restrictions on travel or trade to restrict the spread of the Zika virus.”

 

Margaret Chan, the director-general of the WHO said the connection between the Zika virus and other neurological disorders is “strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven” – referring to both the microcephaly birth defects and the rare cases of paralysis known as Guillain-Barre syndrome.

 

On Tuesday, Jamie Vardy's stunning double strike gave EPL leaders Leicester City a 2-0 win over Liverpool to maintain their title charge. The Foxes fully deserved their victory and that speaks a lot about the Reds’ performance.

 

On the same day too, I was in Menara Allianz Sentral (Nu Tower 1) in KL’s Jalan Tun Sambanthan – where I was the General Evaluator as well as a speaker. I delivered an Advanced speech from the Storytelling manual titled “A Father’s Lies”.

 

9,004 Ebola Deaths

Image credit: http://malawi24.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/CONGO-DEMOCRATIC-EBOLA1.jpg

Image credit: http://english.cntv.cn/2014/07/03/VIDE1404349452575619.shtml

In the wake of West Africa's Ebola outbreak, the International Monetary Fund executive board on February 05, 2015 established the Catastrophe Containment and Relief (CCR) trust to help developing countries respond to epidemics and natural disasters, with the three hardest-hit countries (i.e. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) poised to receive $100 million in grants to lower their debt burden from battling the virus.

 

The IMF said in a statement that the fund, called the Catastrophe Containment and Relief (CCR) trust, would be used to help countries meet future debt-service payments, which will reduce the debt burden and free up resources for relief and recovery actions.

 

The newly approved assistance comes in addition to $130 million in loan assistance the IMF approved in September 2014. The concept for the CCR trust came out of the November G-20 meeting, which called on countries to continue their support of Ebola-affected countries through loans, debt relief, and grants, and to explore an additional mechanism to address the economic impact of future emergencies, e.g. a public health crisis, besides just dealing with natural disaster events.

 

The IMF said the CCR trust replaces one set up in 2010 to help Haiti recover from its earthquake.

 

The World Health Organization's (WHO's) epidemiologic update published on February 06, 2015 put the Ebola casualty at 9,004 deaths.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celtic cruised into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win over Dundee. The goals came from Leigh Griffiths (7) and Stefan Johansen (47).

More than 8,000 Dead from Ebola

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image credit: http://a.abcnews.com/images/Health/HT_ebola_outbreak_2_sk_140728_16x9_992.jpg

Ebola has dropped out of the headlines but in West Africa, the death toll keeps growing. At least 8,235 people have died, according to WHO figures as at January 04, 2015. And it is believed that six out of the ten patients currently hospitalized with the virus will die.

The disease is still on the loose and it is not going to be extinguished even if public interest outside of West Africa is waning.

Check out this six-pack of Coke that I received on Thursday!

And that was because I was the General Evaluator for the Satu Hati Toastmasters meeting in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling in KL that I attended on that day. I was overjoyed by the nice gesture and for those who didn't know, it was here that I actually presented a speech to tell my audience what a healthy beverage Coca-Cola is!

I also had a second role, i.e. Evaluator for CC speech #9 delivered by Division P Governor, Andrew Tan. A good evening was had by all and although we didn't quite start on time, the Toastmaster-of-the-Evening dispensed with the Table Topics session so that we could catch up with the runaway time and finished our meeting on schedule – which was certainly commendable! And I wholeheartedly give this meeting an 8 over 10 score!