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Showing posts from January, 2013

Heath workers team up to fight TB

Every second someone in the world gets infected with the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. One third of the world’s population, around 2 billion people, already has this TB bacterium in their body. It is for this reason that health workers in western Uganda goes knocking on doors of congested slums once a week to convince suspected tuberculosis (TB) patients to visit referral hospitals and submit a sample of their sputum. The health workers have been doing this for the past three years in a bid to fight and prevent TB in the most congested slum areas of Kisenyi in Kabarole district, Biafra in Mbarara district and Nyendo Senyange in Masaka district. They set up tents as sputum collection centers to serve and counsel people from there. They work with local leaders in the slums to mobilize and sensitize community members the dangers of TB and urge them to diagnose for the disease. They also use local radio stations to call people to come have them tested. “We as health workers

Key international forum on plant viral diseases kicks off in Arusha, Tanzania

The 12th International Plant Virus Epidemiology (IPVE) symposium with the theme “Evolution, Ecology and Control of Plant Viruses,” started yesterday, bringing together over 200 scientists and leading experts on plant viruses from 40 countries all around the world.   Dr Lava Kumar, a virologist with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and chair of the 12th IPVE Symposium said in the next five days the delegates will share experiences and the latest knowledge and technologies to control plant viruses and mull over a global strategy to combat emerging and reemerging plant virus diseases. They will especially focus on Africa. “The event is very special as it is taking place in Africa for the first time and will therefore devote a lot of time to explore the key challenges facing the continent in tackling the key viral diseases to increase agricultural productivity, food availability, and economic development,” said Kumar. Dr Elly Kafiriti, the Director of the