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Tag: Brazil

  • First Zika vaccine trials may come too late for Brazil – WHO

    First Zika vaccine trials may come too late for Brazil – WHO

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the first tests of Zika vaccines on humans are expected to start only at the end of the year.

    The health agency noted that it would therefore not be able to help fight the current outbreak in Brazil.

    WHO’s Chief Innovation Officer, Marie-Paule Kieny, said the agency convened international experts in Geneva to discuss strategies to develop the right vaccine and diagnostic tools, as well as methods to fight mosquitoes.

    WHO has made it an urgent task to drive this research forward because of strong indications that the virus causes neurological defects in unborn babies.

    “There are currently 18 research projects on vaccines against the virus, which usually causes only mild flu symptoms.

    “The most advanced of them are still a few months away from first human clinical trials.

    “They might come too late for the current outbreak in Brazil,’’ Kieny said.

    Brazil has had the largest share of infections amid the outbreak in Latin America.

    Brazilian authorities have estimated up to 1.5 million infections, but they have stopped counting due to the rapid spread of the virus.

    The virus is mostly transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which also spread very similar viruses including the one that causes dengue fever.

    “However, insecticides have not had a significant impact on dengue transmission and might therefore also not help against Zika,’’ WHO cautioned.

    Kieny said that Aedes aegypti is the cockroach of mosquitoes.

    Latin American countries are considering alternative techniques, such as sterilising insects in laboratories, infecting them with certain bacteria, or using genetic engineering.

    WHO said that extreme rigour was needed for evaluating such novel tools.

    According to WHO, developing a medicine against Zika is not a priority because it would be difficult to test new products on pregnant women.

  • Dream Team VI stars to report in Brazil

    Dream Team VI stars to report in Brazil

    The Nigeria foreign professionals named for two friendlies against the Brazil Olympic team are to fly directly from their various bases to Brazil.

    The players have been ordered to report in Brazil not later than March 20.

    Last Friday, Nigeria named a 30-man squad that included 21 overseas-based pros for the matches in Cariacica city, Vitoria.

    The pros include Taiwo Awoniyi, Etebo Oghenekaro, Musa Mohammed, Umar Aminu, Stanley Amuzie, Dele Alampasu and Azubuike Okechukwu.

    Assistant coach, Fatai Amoo will take temporary charge of Dream Team VI, as the Nigeria Olympic team are known, after coach Samson Siasia was elevated as caretaker coach of the Super Eagles last week.

    The first match is scheduled for March 24 with a second game four days later.

    Both countries are preparing for the summer Olympics to be staged by the city of Rio in Brazil.

    Nigeria won the 1996 Olympic soccer Gold and were beaten finalists in Beijing 2008, while Brazil are yet to win this event. The draw for the tournament will be conducted in Rio on April 14.

     

  • Dele Alampasu: Dream Team can beat Brazil

    Dele Alampasu: Dream Team can beat Brazil

    CD Feirense netminder, Dele Alampasu did not mince his words when asked about the possibility of the Nigeria U-23s beating their Brazilian counterparts on their home soil when both teams face off in an international friendly on March 24.

    At this very moment, Alampasu’s Portuguese club have the final word whether or not the teenager would be allowed to make the journey to Espirito Santo as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has not officially contacted his European team about his invitation.

    On top of that, it is thought that some European clubs may not release the international players in their ranks as a result of the Zika virus outbreak, with the South Korean, English and Dutch FAs declining an invitation from the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol for a friendly.

    “In football now anything can happen, so we can go there with God favour’s and win the game. I worked with the interim coach of the U-23s, Fatai Amao, few weeks before the U-20 World Cup. I think everything is in control by God’s grace, ” Dele Alampasu told allnigeriasoccer.com.

    Alampasu has made CD Feirense’s 18-man squad for Segunda Liga matches seven times this season, and kept two clean sheets in the League Cup in his first games as a professional.

  • Nigeria, Brazil confirm date for friendly match

    Nigeria, Brazil confirm date for friendly match

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Confederacao Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) have confirmed that their U-23 squads will play an international friendly match in Brazil on Thursday, March 24.

    “The CBF is happy to host the champions of Africa, Nigeria Olympic team on the 24th March FIFA date at 7pm at the stadium of Kleber Andrade in the city of Cariacica, Vitoria, Espirito Santo.

    “The match will serve as preparation for both teams for their participation in the Olympic Games Rio 2016,” the statement from CBF read.

    NFF’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport told thenff.com: “The match is sealed. We are happy to be able to swing this one and it will serve as good preparation for the Nigeria Olympic team ahead of Rio 2016.”

    Both teams were involved in one of the most memorable matches in the history of the men’s football tournament of the Olympics, back in 1996, when the Dream Team came back from 1-3 down to eliminate Brazil in the semifinals. Nigeria beat Argentina 3-2 in the final to claim Africa’s first-ever Olympics football gold.

    Samson Siasia told thenff.com on Friday: “For now, I want to assume that I don’t have a team, as every Nigerian player within the age bracket that is good get a chance to fight for a place in my team to the Olympics. I intend to use friendly games like this to try out as many players as I can, so that as we get closer to the games I will have a mental picture of the players I will be taking for my final training camp before the Games.

    “For now, I invited this large number of players because I know not all of them will be able to make it even though we have sent out invitation letters to all of them. My major concern now is for them to come with letters from their clubs indicating that if they are eventually selected for the Games, their clubs will allow them report to camp when needed.”

    Siasia added that as a lot of overseas-based players have shown interest in playing for the country at the Olympics, he intends to utilize all FIFA free windows so as to enable him and his assistants assess as many of them as possible.

    “For now, we are concentrating on those players we have no picture of how they will adapt to our playing pattern.? We intend to invite more of such players as we go ahead. We already know some of the overseas –based pros we intend to work with, so we will be inviting those known faces as we progress in our build up to the Games.”

  • Zika outbreak will worsen before it gets better – WHO

    Zika outbreak will worsen before it gets better – WHO

    The Director-General, World Head Organisation (WHO), Margaret Chan, has warned that Zika outbreak would likely worsen before nations infected by the mosquito-borne virus get some relief.

    She made the statement on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro at the end of her two-day visit to Brazil, the country at the epicentre of the Zika crisis.

    “Things may get worse before they get better.

    “Don’t be surprised to see microcephaly reported in other parts of Brazil,” she said.

    Chan said that though the outbreak of Zika virus had been concentrated in the northeastern part of Brazil, there is possibility of it spreading to other parts of the country.

    Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly, (a condition marked by unusually small heads of the offspring of women affected by the disease that could result in developmental problems).

    Chan said that scientists were still working to determine the relationship between the virus and the birth defect.

    She said that Brazil had confirmed more than 580 cases of microcephaly, and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.

    “Brazil is investigating more than 4,100 additional suspected cases of microcephaly,’’ she said.

    The D-G said that after Brazil, Colombia had been hardest hit by Zika infections with the country’s health officials reporting a probable case of microcephaly possibly linked to Zika in an aborted fetus.

    She said that Colombia had reported more than 37,000 cases of Zika including 6,356 in pregnant women, but was yet to have a confirmed microcephaly case linked to the virus.

    “At least 34 countries, mostly in the Americas, have active Zika outbreaks and the virus is expected to spread,’’ she said.

    Chan said that WHO declared the outbreak an international health emergency on Feb. 1, and cited “strongly suspected” relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly.

    She said that scientists were also studying a potential link between Zika infection and Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological disorder that could weaken the muscles and cause paralysis.

  • Dream Team VI vs Brazil friendly: Siasia picks Iwobi, Awoniyi

    •Ajayi,  Oduwa, Olayinka too

    Chief Coach of the Dream Team VI, Samson Siasia has concluded plans to present a strong team against Brazil in an international friendly tentatively fixed for March 24,  which falls under the FIFA window.

    Siasia, like he did when as the Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, led the national team to beat Argentina 4-1 at the Abuja National Stadium, although without top stars like Lionel Messi, Tevez, Higuain, Mascherano is also bent on presenting a killer squad against Brazil in a match that would take place in a yet to be named venue in Brazil.

    The former Super Eagles coach on arrival from the United States of America where he went on vacation told SportingLife in Abuja that he has vowed to utilise  the FIFA free window to play international friendly matches to build a stronger team that won’t disappoint Nigeria in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil when the Olympic Football Tournament kicks off in August this year.

    “We have barely six months to the Olympics and I want to ensure we play international friendly matches within the FIFA window between now and August. That way we can bring our targeted players to play together and blend well. But this can only be done if they play together frequently and against good opponents”, Siasia disclosed.

    The Dream Team VI boss is ready to send letters of invitation to 19-year-old Glasgow Rangers of Scotland loanee, Nathan Oduwa who has rejoined his club Tottenham Hotspur and 20-year-old KAA Gent of Belgium forward, Peter Olayinka.

    Oduwa made 19 appearances for Rangers before returning to his English Premiership club, Tottenham.

    Other players that Siasia is looking to invite for the friendly includes the captain of the team, Azubuike Okechukwu, Alex Iwobi of Arsenal, Taiwo Awoniyi, Junior Ajayi and Victor Osimhen”, SportingLife reliably gathered.

  • 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES: Dream Team VI to face Brazil

    2016 OLYMPIC GAMES: Dream Team VI to face Brazil

    •International friendly game holds in March
    •Venue undecided but not in Nigeria

    Nigeria’s U-23 side to the 2016 Olympic Games, Dream Team VI are billed to face their Brazilian counterparts in an international friendly match fixed for a yet-to-be-mentioned date in March.

    Sportinglife scooped from those who should know at the Glasshouse in Abuja on Sunday night that their agents have agreed terms with the Brazil Football Federation’s chiefs for the game in March pointing out that: “As I speak with you, the specific date in March has not been decided. The venue also is an issue but the game will not hold in Nigeria.”

    What is clear is the the NFF are determined to give coach Samson Siasia the logicistic support to achieve the collective deam of Nigerians, which is to win the gold medal in the football event at the Rio’2016 Olympic Games, like we did in 1996 in Georgia, Atlanta, where the Nwankwo Kanu-led squad won the gold medal by beating Argentina 3-2 in the final game,” the NFF bigwig said.

    Asked if the federation chief were considering the new virus, Zika which is prevalent in Brazil in accepting to play the friendly in Brazil for instance, the NFF chief said: “Our agent is certainly not acting alone in arranging the game anywhere. If he comes up with Brazil as the venue for this friendly game in March, for instance, we will do all our checks to find out if it is safe to play the game in Brazil. When we get to that hurdle, we will surely scale it.”

  • Brazil friendly good for Dream Team VI, says Olulayo

    Brazil friendly good for Dream Team VI, says Olulayo

    Nigeria U-23 defender, Seun Olulayo has said that the upcoming friendly with Brazil will be a good test of character as they begin preparations for the 2016 Olympics games billed for Rio.

    The Dream Team VI are billed to face Rogério Micale’s side in either Nigeria or Brazil on March 24.

    Olulayo said that he is looking forward to the game against the Olympics hosts, and that the game will give his teammates a sign of what to expect when the competition begins.

    “Playing against Brazil will be a good test for us, especially in terms of physical power,” Olulayo told Goal.

    “Kudos must be given to the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) and coach Samson Siasia for plotting this game. We have to be positive. Playing against one of the best team in the world will be a good experience.

    “I have been training very hard  daily and can’t wait for the camp to open soon. I have spoken to some of my teammates on this game and we’re expecting a much more difficult game which is different from the African U-23 tournament.

    The Sunshine Stars player feels that the African champions can conquer the world in Rio de Janeiro.

    “I want to win [the Olympics],” he said.  “When we went to the U-23 Africa Nations Cup, I believed we would win and we did that in style.

    “We can rule the world as well. That is my simple confidence. I know it will shock the whole world if we do it but that is what life is about, shocking those who think you cannot achieve a certain goal,” he said.

  • Brazil denies withholding Zika virus samples

    Brazilian Health Ministry on Friday denied withholding Zika virus samples, saying it was willing to share related samples and information with foreign institutions that hope to study the virus.

    Concerns over the Zika virus skyrocketed when a casual relationship between Zika infection during pregnancy and the birth defect microcephaly is strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven.

    The Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 and subsequently spread to parts of Asia.

    Brazil’s first case was recorded in the middle of last year, and the disease quickly spread across the country and to more than 20 nations in the region, the Caribbean and beyond, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare an international emergency.

    Representatives of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have been conducting research on the Zika virus along with local experts in Brazil since the country reported Zika infection cases, according to the ministry.

    They also carried out fieldwork to investigate the Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rapid onset of muscle weakness caused by damage to the peripheral nervous system and its relation with the Zika virus.

    Brazil also saw a rise in Guillain-Barre syndrome among people previously infected with the Zika virus, the ministry said.

    Last week, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and her U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, talked about jointly developing a vaccine against Zika.

    Representatives of major public health institutions of the two countries will meet later this month to discuss the issue, the report said.

  • WHO raises alarm as Zika virus spreads “explosively”

    WHO raises alarm as Zika virus spreads “explosively”

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Zika virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is “spreading explosively” and can infect as many as four million people.

    THE WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, said this at a meeting on Friday with the agency’s executive board in Geneva, adding that the spread of the mosquito-borne disease had gone from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions.

    She said that to help determine its response, WHO would convene an emergency meeting on Monday, because the level of alarm was extremely high.

    Chan told the Geneva gathering that in 2015, the virus was detected in the Americas, where it was now spreading explosively.

    She stressed that as of today, cases have been reported in 23 countries and territories in the region.

    She recalled that WHO was criticised in 2015 for reacting too slowly to West Africa’s Ebola epidemic, which killed more than 10,000 people, and it promised to cut its response time.

    “We are not going to wait for the science to tell us there is a link with birth defects.

    “We need to take actions now,” Chan said, referring to the condition called microcephaly in which babies were born with abnormally small heads and brains that have not developed properly.

    Chan promised a quick action from the WHO, stressing that this has become urgent because there is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is like dengue and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes.

    “An estimated 80 per cent of people infected have no symptoms.

    “Much of the effort against the illness focuses on protecting people from mosquitoes and reducing mosquito populations,’’ she said.

    Meanwhile, WHO Assistant Director, Bruce Aylward, said there was no confirmation yet in the area of vaccines.

    He said there were no indications if there had been some work done by some groups looking at the feasibility of a Zika virus vaccine.

    Aylward said it would take six to nine months to confirm whether Zika was the actual cause of the birth defects, or if the two were just associated.