The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Virus

  • Herpes simplex virus tameable like monkey virus

    Monkey pox, caused by monkey virus, a cause of human tissue cancer picked by humans from vaccination against polio, continued to top the Nigerian health talk chat last week. More deaths from monkey pox were reported as this viral disease spread to more states. Last week, this column suggested the use of antiviral herbs in the daily diet and intake of foods and herbs which promote immune function as the best remedies against this disease and any other caused by viruses.

    We cannot exhaust Mother Nature’s treasure trove of anti-viral herbs and foods or those which promote immune function. The column of last week gave, for example, a formula of herbs which helped four thieves to survive a contagious epidemic, the Black Plague, which wiped out about 70 percent of the population of Europe in the 14th century. I have since that column been reminded of other useful herbs, which it is my duty to pass on. One of them is BLACK SEED OIL. The oil became popular in the Islamic world because Prophet Mohammed (May the Peace of Allah be upon him) often took the seed. It is available on and off in the Nigerian market, patronised more by Moslems, especially after Jumat service on Friday.

    There are no fewer than 600 peer-reviewed articles on the medicinal values of this oil. You may have heard of Black Seed Oil by its other names and not realised its bears those names as well. These names include Black Caraway, Black Cumin, Black Sesame, Roman Corriander, Onion seed. Botanically known as Migella Sativa, Black seed has been shown in many studies to overcome multiple drug resistant bacteria and viruses, a plague of the modern civilisation.

    Pharmaceutical drugs launch frontal attacks on germs, maiming or killing them, sometimes with adverse effects on the body. Herbs would rather stimulate a weakened immune system to do its job. Germs resist pharmaceutical drugs and, through adaptation over a few generations, develop resistance to them. These resistant germs are called the SUPER BUGS. There are super bugs everywhere now. And that is why modern pharmaceutical medicine is looking up to Mother Nature for help. In one study at a medical college, Black Seed Oil was tested against 144 strains of these Super Bugs. The aim was to see if it could outperform well known drugs as Amoxicillin Gatifloxacin and Tetracycline. The outcome was startling. Most of the 144 strains were resistant to some antibiotics. But Cumin oil inhibited 97 strains. This performance is said to be surpassed only by the oil of Oregano which Nigeria’s economic challenges have also taken off the shelves. Some of the super bugs which yielded way to Cumin oil were P. aeruginosa and S. aureus (staphilococus). The vanquishing potency of Black Seed Oil are linked to three of its components…thymoquinone (TQ), Thymohydroquinone (THQ) and Thymol.

    In the Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, there is an article on a study which sought to know if Black Seed Oil would destroy fungi, yeast and mold, which had become resistant to various drugs and were leading causes of cancer in humans, especially cancer of the breast. Black Seed Oil compounds were tested on 30 humans pathogens. To the amazement of the researchers, each of these compounds completely inhibited all 30 pathogens.

    Investigated by researchers since the 1960’s, Thymohydroquinone has been found to be an antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and used to treat “encephalomyalitis, diabetes, asthma and carcinogenesis”, according to Dr. Axe.

    Thymohydroquinone, another component of Black seed oil, has shown activity in the antioxidant protection of enzymes and the body’s basic antioxidants, including Glutathione. Accordingly, it is used medicinally now in a wide range of health conditions which include apathy, dementia, schizophrenia, neurodegenerative diseases and even in the treatment of glaucoma. This oil is said to help keep Acetylcholine longer in the brain, a situation which should be helpful for the neurons and brain balance.

    If Black seed oil helps cancer therapy through anti-angiogenesis (destroying nutrition supply lines of the tumour), apoptosis (making the tumour cell commit suicide) et.c or helps Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes by helping beta cells of the Pancreas to heal, reducing insulin resistance et.c, it may most probably be because it eliminates those pathogens which disturb healthy functioning of the cells. This may also be the explanation for Black Seed oil’s activity against seizures and epilepsy, insomnia, asthma and bronchitis, chest congestion, ear aches, eye infections, tonsilitis, sinusitis, gall stones, flatulence and gas, hemorrhoids, headaches and migraines and lactation problems, constipation, muscle cramps and spasms, rheumatic pain, stomach pains, gum infection, nose bleed, dandruff, menstrual disturbances, infertility, ulcer, anxiety, depression, narcotic withdrawal syndrome and relapse, stress, meningitis, colic et.c. Any wonder, that Prophet Mohammed (May the Peace of Allah be upon him) would say Black Seed could “heal any disease except death”. Any wonder, too, that a bottle of Black Seed oil was found in the tomb of King Tut, which some commentators have interpreted to imply that he probably requested to take it with him to the “after life”.

    BLACK SEED OIL was not meant to be our prime food supplement this week. It found its way in because some people thought I should have included it among the herbs suggested last week for Monkey Pox disease. I should have, indeed. But, as I said, Mother Nature’s treasure trove is so inexhaustible one cannot always see through all its contents. Black Seed oil has another reason to engage my attention this week…it should help a young woman who asked me last week about how she could get rid of her tormenting health challenges. She had cold sores on the tongues, had pus-filled ringed infections in the inside of both cheeks, had sores on her lower lip and, on top of all that, scabies on the skin. She always felt cold and her immunity was low, in her opinion. Her reason for this was that she was easily susceptible to infections, especially cough. She ruled out the possibility of HIV, going by the result of a test run a few months ago.

     

    Cold sores

    When a doctor tells his or her patient that he or she has a cold sore, the tendency is for this patient to assume he or she is suffering from the common cold. Oh no! A cold sore is not a sore from the common cold which, like a cold sore, is caused by a virus, although a virus different from that which causes the cold sore. The cold sore is sometimes also called fever sores. It is caused by the HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS. Two types of this virus are often mentioned in cold sore literature. The one which is found mostly in the mouth and adjourning areas is called Herpes Simplex-1. The one which occurs largely in the genitalia is called Herpes Simplex-2. Sometimes, especially among people who engage in oral sex, Herpes Simplex-2 (HSV-2) may cause cold sore in the mouth.

    Doctors believe HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection is incurable. In the mouth, the symptoms may include tongue ulcers, swollen lips, swallowing difficulties, infections in the checks, gum infection and inflammation of the gums (gingivitis), throat infection, swollen glands. Headaches may be experienced by the sufferer, who may also develop high temperature or suffer from nausea. Some sufferers may be lucky in the sense that the symptoms may clear up in about one or two weeks, never to go away, but to recur from time to time, especially in the times of stress. And, who, from time to time, does not come under stress?

    About five years ago, a young woman showed me a lesion in her inner cheek. The Yorubas of South-western Nigeria call it owo eyo. In their language, this translates as cowrie. Indeed, this lesion has the shape of a cowrie except that it has a wider circumference and is dotted on the edges by pus-filled cells. She dodged it from her boyfriend and feared he may discover it someday. The young woman who made enquiries about her condition last week could not hide her situation. The tongue ulcers were visible and lower lip was swollen. I asked if she had owo eyo, and she agreed they were present in the inner cheeks. Eating was difficult as food could be peppery. She was weak, felt cold and was thin. Her immune system must have so dwindled that the scabies could easily have a hold in her body.

     

    Natural medicines

    The first step to take is to avoid foods which are rich in L-Arginine. For this amino acid encourages flares or outbreaks. L-Arginine-rich foods include chicken, pork, pumpkin seeds, soya beans, groundnuts (peanuts), Spirulina, dairy products (milk, turkey, egg et.c), chickpeas, walnut, cashew nuts, flax seed, beans, onion, chocolate syrup, fish, milk et.c. In opposition to L-Arginine, the amino acid L-lysine prevents flares or outbreaks.

    Traditionally, L-lysine, an essential amino acid, is prescribed in conditions such as Herpes Simplex-1 and even for shingles, a situation in which chicken pox viruses which survive treatment lodge in nerve endings from where they launch shingles attacks during stress and immune depletion. As may have been noticed, L-lysine food sources are basically the same as L-Arginine’s, both being amino acids.

    L-Arginine is a non-essential amino acid, whereas L-lysine is. Amino acids are building blocks the body uses in the manufacturing of proteins. A non-essential amino acid is one the body can make from another amino acid by converting the latter to it. An essential amino acid cannot be so converted and, so, has to come from the diet. The supply of L-lysine, an essential amino acid useful in the treatment of Herpes Simplex-1 can be increased by supplementing the diet with it.

    The young woman in reference was advised, also, about the healing potentials of Clove oil, Myrrh, Neem oil, Amazon A-F, Shark Liver oil, Astragalus, Chlorella, Wheatgrass and Red Marine Algae, among other anti-viral and anti-bacterial herbs.

     

    Clove oil

    Known more for its ability to stop the pain of tooth-aches, the essential oil is anti-microbial, antiseptic, wound healing, anti-wrinkling, immune boosting, antioxidant, anti-stress, mind stimulation, anti-insomnia, anti-anxiety, anti-dementia et.c. People with sensitive skin may experience a burn if they apply clove essential oil on the skin undiluted. The young woman was advised to add one or two drops of Clove oil to about one teaspoonful of Neem oil and apply on her sore lip, sore tongue and inner cheeks. To rid her skin of scabies, she may apply the mixture as a body cream. Alternatively, she may add Clove oil to Myrrh oil and Neem oil.

     

    Amazon A-F

    When it comes to immune depletion and infections, we are not dealing with viruses alone, but also with a bandwagon of micro-organisms which may include bacteria, fungi, other yeast, mold, flat worms et.c. Amazon A-F is designed against fungi, candida and mold which are prevalent when immunity sags. Candida infestation exposes itself in the graying of the tongue, which is evident in this case. Even in some cases of depression, candida overload of the system should not be ruled out. The toxins it injects into the blood may be that unsuspected factor behind brain fogginess, light headedness, insomnia and other problems.

     

    Shark Liver oil

    Used in the treatment of cold, flu and cancer, among other health troubles, one of its basic constituents, Alkylglycerol, has been widely studied as an immune stimulant. Dr. William Lane, author of SHARKS DONT GET CANCER and the follow-up book, SHARKS STILL DON’T GET CANCER, showed the world in his experiments how Shark cartilage reduced tumour sizes or eradicated them. This has made Shark cartilage popular in cancer therapy. For hundreds of years, folk medicine doctors in Scandinavia took Shark liver oil as a health tonic. In our time, researchers admit tumours are significantly absent in sharks which are notoriously resistant to infections. This is the basis of Shark Liver oil consumption in Scandinavia folk medicine.

    In 1952, Science and Fiction met on a common pathway. This resulted in a book by Dr. Astrid Brohult titled NATURE’S AMAZING HEALER.

    Dr. Astrid Brohult was a Swedish oncologist (cancer doctor) at a children’s leukemia (blood cancer) ward. When the children were treated with radiotherapy, it damaged their bone marrows, depleting production of white and red blood cells, thereby making them prone to infections and anaemia. Dr. Brohult added cow bone marrow to their diet. They significantly regained their balance. She studied the constituents of the recipe, and Alkylglycerol was a top notch. About 30 years earlier, two Japanese scientists had discovered Alkylglycerol in shark liver but made not much of it. Now, we know that it is one of the chemicals in the shark’s boneless body which makes it comfortably live in deep water that may be about 5,000 feet below sea level. Now, we know also that Alkylglycerol is present in human bone marrow and spleen where these important cells are made, and in mother’s milk to immunise her baby. In many parts of the world, it is now discovered that, where Alkylglycerol is given to patients before, during and after radiotherapy, they not only completed their therapy with minimal damage to their health, but they also lived longer thereafter than those in control groups who were not given Shark liver oil or Alkylglycerol.

    Another major compound in Shark Liver Oil is SQUALENE or Omega-2 fish oil. In the Japanese Peninsula of IZU, Squalene is called “same dawa”, which means “a cure all”. Squalene is most abundant in the bodies of babies. Between 30 and 40years of age, the production drops marketedly. It is in this period of life, interestingly, that all kinds of health decline begins. In the Shark, Squalene helps the fish to overcome the absence of adequate amounts of oxygen in deep water. Now we know our atmosphere is deoxygenated, from about 38 percent in air bubbles studied in Armtastic ice to less than 21 percent in many parts of the earth today. Yet it is adequate amounts of oxygen in the cells which keep disease and cancer away. The IZUs used Squalene for anything from constipation to cancer. Recently, researchers discovered Squalene in olive oil and palm oil. Theresa J. Smith and Harold L. Newmark tell us these oils can, on this account, prevent cardiovascular problems. A study by the American Society of Microbiology suggests that Alkylglycerol suppressed HIV cell replication in vitro.

     

    Astragalus root

    There are more than 400 viruses which can cause illness. Astragalus root has been found to be effective against viruses which cause hepatitis, herpes simplex and cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common herpes virus found in about half of all populations and even HIV.

    In a 2008 study by Dr. Effors and colleagues, published in the JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY said Astragalus compounds they researched enhanced “telomerase activity and anti-viral functions of CD 8 T-lymphocytes”. Telomerase protect cells against chromosome DNA damage or against chromosome fusions.

    You may have wondered why Vitamin C and Zinc, for example were not included in the therapy. That has to do with the young woman’s budget, and should come on as time goes on. Herself-confidence has grown. She now knows she is not at the mercy of the germs which trouble her and are shattering her self-esteem. The recipes are good, also, for protection against the Monkey Pox virus which is causing a scare in Nigeria right now. If the Monkey virus in humans is traced to polio vaccine, if we all took polio vaccination, if polio vaccines are made using the kidney of the Monkey and if the virus got into the vaccine from this source, if Monkey virus not only causes the kinds of deaths we are witnessing now, but cancers in humans as well, then we all should gird our loins and our children’s by rejuvenating our immune systems and ridding our bodies of all viruses and other germ.

  • Monkeypox virus

    •There is an urgent need to upgrade our healthcare system

    Given the widely acknowledged poor state of public health care services in Nigeria, the country’s decisive and effective response in checking the spread of the deadly Ebola virus disease which broke out here between July and October, 2014, was near-miraculous. From July 20, 2014, when the index case of Ebola virus infection flew into Lagos from Liberia to October 20 when the World Health Organization (WHO) officially certified Nigeria Ebola free, 20 cases were confirmed and nine deaths, including the index case were recorded. During the period, 529 persons who had come in contact with Ebola victims were identified, quarantined and placed under the mandatory 21-day surveillance before they were confirmed to be free of the virus. The WHO described Nigeria’s feat in this regard as ‘a piece of world-class epidemiological detective work’ and ‘a spectacular success story’.

    Unfortunately, the same level of success was not witnessed when the country experienced the outbreak of another virulent communicable disease, Lassa fever, in December 2016. The number of deaths lost to Lassa fever in that instance was inexcusable, particularly because the country had recorded several outbreaks of the disease and hundreds of deaths over the last five decades. As at June, 2017, 501 suspected cases of Lassa fever had been detected and 104 deaths recorded.

    It is thus heartwarming that greater alertness and more efficient responses have been demonstrated by health authorities across the country to cases of the monkeypox virus, which was first recorded in Bayelsa State last month, and has reportedly spread to at least seven states. According to the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), about 31 cases of the infectious disease transmitted to humans from monkey virus, have been detected so far in Rivers, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. Detection of cases facilitates the quarantine of persons believed to be infected and helps curtail the spread of the disease, for which there is reportedly not yet any vaccine or specific treatment in the country.

    Some states have sought to disprove outright the occurrence of any incidence of monkeypox virus within their territories or downplayed the seriousness of reported cases. Strongly denying that there had been any case of the disease in Enugu State, for instance, the commissioner for health, Dr. Fintan Ekochin, argued that a distinction should be made between suspected and confirmed cases stressing that “We have no confirmed case of monkey- pox in Enugu State”. It is of course evident that only when suspected cases are treated with requisite seriousness can genuine infections be confirmed and public safety protected.

    In the same vein, the Ogun State health commissioner, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, blamed what he described as an ‘overzealous’ member of staff for wrongly reporting a case of skin lesion on a patient as monkeypox. Such ‘overzealousness’ is in our view excusable as it is better to be mistaken in the circumstance than to allow an infected person roam free, thus endangering others.

    It is instructive that the monkeypox virus, like other communicable diseases transmitted from animals to humans, thrives in dirty and unhygienic environments where rodents cohabit with people. And there is a high causative linkage between the level of poverty in a society and the degree of environmental degradation as well as undesirable dietary habits that engender the spread of communicable diseases such as monkeypox.

    To effectively contain this challenge, therefore, intensive public enlightenment must focus on the imperative of environmental cleanliness as well as avoidance of nutritionally harmful practices like the consumption of rodents. Apart from taking urgent steps to upgrade the country’s deplorable healthcare system, poverty alleviation must no longer be a matter of empty political sloganeering if contagious diseases like monkeypox are not to be a recurrent, life-threatening danger in Nigeria.   

  • Fed. Govt: no monkey pox virus injection

    Fed. Govt: no monkey pox virus injection

    The Federal Government has described as false the news that the outbreak of Monkey Pox in some parts of the country resulted from its free medical care in the affected areas.

    In a statement yesterday, Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed described the news as fake and sinister.

    He urged Nigerians to disregard the report.

    ”The Federal Government has not conducted any free medical service or care in either Bayelsa or Rivers State, as alleged in the fake report being circulated. So that could not have been the cause of the outbreak of Monkey Pox in both states.

    “Monkey Pox is a virus found only in monkeys and it is rare in human beings. It belongs to the same family as Chicken Pox and Smallpox.

    ”It is suspected that someone may have contracted it by eating monkey meat, thus triggering the current outbreak,” the minister said.

    He said no effort will be spared in curtailing the spread of the disease.

    With the confirmation of a new case of monkeypox in Akwa Ibom State, there are now 13 cases of the disease in the country.

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday, confirmed 12 cases, which started with that of an 11-year-old male patient reported at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer NCDC Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu said 11 other cases were identified.

    “All the cases are currently receiving appropriate medical care. All the patients are improving clinically and there have been no deaths. As at first of this month, 32 close contacts of the cases were identified, advised appropriately and are being monitored,” he said

    Ihekweazu explained that a Rapid Response Team (RRT) from NCDC was immediately deployed to support the Bayelsa State Government in the investigations and public health response to the outbreak.

    The team has been supporting the Bayelsa State Department of Public Health and the State Epidemiologist to respond to the outbreak. “As the outbreak investigation and response continues, the Bayelsa State Government has started an aggressive public enlightenment campaign to advise clinicians and the public on the symptoms of the disease and the steps required to manage the cases and to prevent further spread. NCDC has also collected appropriate clinical samples from the cases and these are being analysed through the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja,” Ihekweazu explained.

    There was panic in Akwa Ibom State following the reported case of monkey-pox disease.

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Dominic Ukong, who announced the outbreak in Uyo, said the victim had been isolated.

    He also said two other suspected cases were being monitored by doctors

    Ukpong explained that the viral ailment borne by wild animals, especially Monkeys could be contracted through bodily contact with infected persons and warned the populace to shun bush meat.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy Charles Udoh spoke of the need for residents to avoid crowded places as relevant agencies had been alerted to ensure appropriate clinical measures were in place to deal with such emergencies.

    But the Bayelsa State Government yesterday said it had curtailed the spread of the virus through various response mechanism it created in the wake of the epidemic.

    Commissioner for Information and Orientation Daniel Iworiso-Markson said many of the victims quarantined at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Okolobiri, were already showing signs of recovery.

    He said the government had intensified sensitization and advocacy visits to communities to reassure the indigenes of its readiness to tackle the spread of the disease.

    Iworiso-Markson explained that two of the index cases and the doctor affected by the disease had recovered and were discharged, adding that no death had been recorded from the disease.

    “To further allay the fears and reassure Bayelsans of Governments’ effort in curbing the disease, let me make it clear that we are on top of the situation. However, it is important for people to take note of the fact that prevention is better than cure.

    “Hence, they are required to always wash their hands, avoid monkeys, bushmeat and dead animals as well as be on the lookout for symptoms which often manifest as various stages of rash and an intense weakness of the body and severe pains, among other things,” he said.

  • Ebola: WHO deploys investigation team to DRC

    Ebola: WHO deploys investigation team to DRC

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed investigation team to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following reported outbreak of the Ebola virus in the country.

    WHO Executive Director for Emergencies, Peter Salama, in a statement on Friday, said at least one person had died of the virus.

    “An investigation team led by the Ministry of Health and supported by WHO and partners has deployed and is expected to reach the affected area in the coming days.

    “An Ebola outbreak in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed at least one person,” Salama said.

    According to WHO, the DRC health minister requested the UN health agency’s support after one of five blood specimens tested positive for the Ebola virus.

    “On May 9, WHO was informed of a cluster of undiagnosed illness and deaths, including haemorrhagic symptoms in Likati Health Zone, Bas Uele Province, some 1,300 kilometres (about 800 miles) from the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, and bordering the Central African Republic.

    “Since April 22, nine suspected cases, including three deaths, have been reported; six cases are currently hospitalized.

    “The Likati health district is in a remote area, but contact tracing is essential to contain the epidemic in its focus; the DRC can rely on very experienced health workers for this purpose,” WHO’s DRC Representative, Yokouidé Allarangar, said.

    “Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, would arrive in Kinshasa this weekend to attend a coordination meeting of the national committee at the Ministry of Health to deal with this emergency and ensure that WHO provides all necessary assistance to the DRC.

    “The WHO has also drawn up a comprehensive logistics plan to meet urgent requirements.

    “The first teams of epidemiologists, biologists and experts in the areas of social mobilization, risk communication and community engagement.

    “And also personnel specializing in water, hygiene and sanitation, are scheduled to reach the affected area today (Friday) or tomorrow (Saturday) via Kisangani,” WHO said.

    More than 11,000 people died and some 28,000 cases were reported in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014 to 2015, mainly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. (NAN)

  • Lassa fever kills two in Rivers

    Lassa fever kills two in Rivers

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    Two people have been confirmed dead in Rivers state following the outbreak of the Lassa fever virus in the state Tuesday.

    The state commissioner for Health Dr. Odagme Theophilus confirmed this in a statement issued in the state Tuesday.

    He said the government is making efforts to trace where the disease broke out from with the view to stall further spread.

    Theophilus urged residents of the state to step up their hygiene and environmental sanitation, just as they should be weary of all forms of contact with rats and other rodents and their droppings to avoid being infested.

    Lassa fever is a fast killing communicable disease found in a species of rat with eight breasts instead of the normal two breasts.

    Some of the symptoms of the virus include swollen face, nose bleeding, high fever, nausea, swollen mouth among others.

    The virus was first reported in Taraba state, where one person was reportedly dead and two quarantined.

  • Some natural ammunition against Ebola Virus fever (6)

    A telephone call from Anglican Reverend Ekundayo  Ogunlana roused me from sleep last Thursday morning. He wished to thank me for the column of the previous Thursday and to let me know it enriched his sermon in church the Sunday after. The column in reference, the fourth in the Ebola virus fever series, suggested, among other things, a return to the creation plan for the nurture of the human body in health and in illness as the surest way of preventing or overcoming all illnesses, Ebola fever inclusive. The kernel of this advocacy is that the creation nutrition plan alone guarantees a robust and impregnable defence mechanism, the immune system, which the creator of the human body in infinite wisdom planted into this body to defend it against all disease – causing agents. Thus, creation wisdom confers upon the immune system dominion over all microbes. In my upcoming website to host publications of this column, I share the source of my conviction in this advocacy. It is a simple sentence from the spiritual teachings of a Wise one: neither drugs nor injections, but the right kinds of foods and drinks bring lasting health.

    In the Bible, to which Rev. Ogunlana turned to build evidence in his sermon for his conviction in the correctness of this statement, there are unmistaken references to creation plan for food and medicine in Genesis, Ezekiel and the Revelation. Incidentally, Genesis is the opening Book of the Bible, and Revelation, the last. Incidentally, also, the reference in the Revelation appears in Chapter 22, the last chapter! In my view, these alerts are, for the Christians like the School bell, which announces the beginning of one lecture and the end of it.

    The experiences of Dr. George Malkmus depend for me the recognitions I gained from the Wise one. Dr. Malkmus is an American Baptist church minister. He watched helplessly as his mother was killed instalmentally by chemotherapy drugs which her doctors gave her for a cancer. So, when Dr. Malkmus himself became stricken with cancer afterwards, he declined chemotherapy as a treatment mode. He opted instead for fasting, especially on organic carrot juice. In months, the crippling cancer disappeared! He was so happy that he went on to share his experience in the book HALLELUJAH DIET. He would also set up a health farm he named HALLELJAH ACRES, where he trains doctors and other people about the Creation Diet for healing all diseases. His forte is Genesis 1:29:-

    “Then God said I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree has seed in it. They will be yours, for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath in it – I give every green plant for food and it was so”

    Mr Olajuwon Okubena, who makes Jobelyn, the antioxidant, blood building herbal proprietary product, says this medicine derives its origin from Revelation 22:2

    “Down the middle of the great street of the city, on each side of the river stood the Tree of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit yielding its fruit every month and the leaves of the tree are for healing of the nations.”

    Rev. Ogunlana referred to this passage to urge his congregation to incorporate natural foods and herbs in their diet for immune building. He also taught them about Ezekiel 47:12

    “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruits fail. Every month, they will bear because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. The fruits will serve for food and their leaves for healing”.

    The creation plan for food and medicine as outlined in these passages shows we should eat fruits, and seeds and take herbs to prevent illness or cure it. Thanks, Rev Ekundayo Ogunlana. It is great to learn that reverend gentlemen can now lead the crusade of man’s return to Mother Nature in health matters. For the Church had misled many Christians that herbs were anti-Christian. For people who try to add vegetables (greens) and fruits to their diets, they will supply their bodies through this diet energy, oxygen and other nutrients from creation which have been stored, in these foods as though they are battery cells.

    Dr. Malkhmus found that his congregation consumed too much refined White flour foods, and refined white sugar and hardly any greens fruits or food supplements. Members of the Church fell ill frequently, especially after parties at which these foods were eaten. Prayer requests for healing prayer were many. But many of the intercessory prayers would appear unanswered. In fact, deaths often occurred. Dr. Malkhmus decided the Church had to add health education and eating according to the creation plan to Christian teachings.

    I believe Rev. Ogunlana is walking on this path. Surer should be his feet if he remembers that, even when we venture to eat fruits and greens in Nigeria, many of them are devitalized through fertilizer and pesticide use in farming processes. I do not eat carrot and cucumber for this reason. For carrot, I go for either organic carrot powder or organic Spirulina which has more beta carotene than even healthy carrots.

    omeone asked me in earlier parts of the series if Ebola Virus could be a trumpet of the Word Judgement? I replied that I wasn’t competent to answer that question. This much I know, however: The earth is a school for human spirits. It is like the soil in which a seed of maize is sown, to sprout, germinate, flower and fruit; heaven or paradise is home of the human spirit, and the earth the soil in which it is sown to sprout, flower, fruit and return home Sunday as a blazing flame, a useful member of Gods Creation. This earth school for the human spirit, like the University, has its semester and other calendar. We may liken the semester to a cosmic Age. A cosmic Age is about 2,160 earth years. There are 12 Ages on the Cosmic Clock, known also as the ZODIAC. Each Age has its name and sign or symbol. We are now in the AQUARIAN AGE. The people of old who gave mankind knowledge of the zodiac were guided to it from on high. From this revealed knowledge, they developed the earthly clock, which they divided into 12 hours of day hours, and 12 night hours. It is noteworthy that the year calendar, also, has 12 months. I am touched by the fact that when this Gregorian calendar was developed, the Europeans had not known of a place called Nigeria. Yet the Yoruba race in South West has a centuries old year calendar of 12 months! Isn’t there something to the division of Israel into 12 tribes? Why would our Lord Jesus appoint 12 disciples? In the knowledge of creation anchored on the earth today, we are priviledge to be permitted to know that monumental events occur in every Age. It is, in fact, knowledge of the regularity of this occurrence’s when the venal point of the earth’s equator line bisects the cosmic ring at a certain angle which led to great expectations and observations. Now that the Cosmic Age is like a new school year. There is a curriculum of spiritual education the earth man must undergo in one Age. As he matures in this school from age to age, he sprouts spiritually, his radiations expanding or enlarging, even as he grows intellectually in an earthly school, till he bursts forth in a blazing flame if the rhythm of his vibrations is below the voltage of his environment that spells trouble or doom. He is then like a “foolish virgin” with no oil in the lamp (of his soul). He keeps repeating the “class” if he fails in the examination and burdens himself with “carry – overs” into the next class.

    Now, imagine what happens in the University when a third – year student is weighed down by carry – over from the first two academic sessions. Such a student is unlikely to graduate. In what we can call the cosmic school system, energy is the language spoken. The human spirit could neither sprout nor fruit in Paradise because it couldn’t bear the Pressure of the power of the vicinity of God he had to be expelled from there to lower lying world of Creation where the pressure, transformed too much lower voltages, permitted conscious existence and growth. But with every new Cosmic-Age, the voltage increases. Human spirits who have sprouted, flowering or fruiting are able to bear and weather new higher voltages just as a brilliant and well killed student is able to cope with the next, higher academic pressure. Human spirits who are able to cope are those whose energy voltages are in consonance with the voltage or energy of the New Age.

    Where this will make some sense to us is in respect of the Creation knowledge that the human spirit has an important and major input into the formation of the human blood. Fetal circulation is known to be established mid-way through pregnancy, when the incarnating soul takes possession of the growing body in the womb. Evidence of this are the first kicks of the baby a pregnant woman experiences at this time. It is instructive that blood circulation ceases at physical death, when the soul, this vital essence,, vacates the physical body! The heart of this matter is that if a higher cosmic energy breaks down weak human spirit energy, the scorched human spirit, like chicken beaten by rains is unable to contribute its important quota to the formation and maintenance of blood composition at the right radiation level which through the immune function, disintegrates everything not meant to exist in the human body, including HIV and ebola viruses. This is the loss of the “dominion” which man is given over his environment. The blame is his, not any-one elses’, certainly not God’s. Creation is maintained by Laws, God does not intervene in the working of creation. His laws govern creation. It was predicted in the 1920s by a Wise One as the earth supped quietly into the Aquarian Age, that blood diseases will be a major feature of our time. Cancer is a blood- related disease, just like HIV/AIDS and now Ebola Virus Fever.

    The New Age coincides, incidentally, with another phenomenon, the Cosmic Turning-Point. To understand it, one would have to appreciate the Law of Motion, and the law of the Cycle which, among other natural phenomenon known as laws, govern Creation. We are familiar with our hearts pumping blood round the body, and of the blood returning to the heart. When we inhale air, we also exhale it. When we drink water or eat food, our bodies must return them to whence they came. One day, our souls must return, also, to whence they came. Don’t seeds become fruits and these fruits become seeds later?

    This Law of the cycle ensures that everything which moves away from its origin must return to it sometime. We are familiar with the atom. It has a core around which electrons are arranged in concentric rings. So is our solar system (the Sun and the Planets) arranged. As electrons move around the core of the atom in cyclic motions, so do the planets of our solar system around the sun. Our solar system of more than nine planets (new ones are being discovered) belongs to a family of billions and billions of solar systems. Together, they form a GALAXY of solar systems. In this galaxy, the location of our solar system is known as the MILKY WAY. Like the human blood circulation, motion of electrons around the atomic nucleus or the rotation of the earth on its axis and its revolution around the sun, our galaxy also revolves around a core. This galaxy, stupendously, is only one of billions and billions of galaxies which compose our UNIVERSE. This Universe is, thus, a gigantic and amazing work. And like other works, it obeys the law of Motion and Law of Cycle. It revolves around a core in cycles! It is the completion of one cycle, such as in the earth’s rotation which causes day and night or revolution around the sun which brings the seasons, that is, the COSMIC TURNING-POINT. As with the New Age or Cosmic Age, it tells us that the Universe has attained a New Age. And all the creatures maturing in it, are meant to have attained a corresponding degree of maturity which alone entitles them to exist at that new level or rhythm of life. It is like the Gregorian calendar of 12 months telling us we are one year older on earth, to which we respond with birthday celebrations. Human spirits in Creation who are sluggish with their spiritual education, that is maturing, cannot bear the voltage of this new rhythm. It is like a man holding live electrical cable conducting a voltage much, much higher than those in the cells of his body. He would be electrocuted!

    In the Cosmic New Age and in the Cosmic Turning-Point, both of which are in a rendezvous at this time, the earth is wrapped in more power pressure than before. Only those human spirits who have sprouted, flowering and fruiting will be able to swing in this power pressure without harm. The scorching of immature spirits will affect their blood radiations and weak blood radiations which plumet the immune system, however well-fortified with the right diet. For the spirit, a tenant in this body, has a major role to play in the making and maintenance of blood quality. For people who understand the Bible alright, this Message echoes in the BOOK OF REVELATIONS.

    When the speaker says “TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA”, the Message is not address to church organisation in the earthly continent known as Asia where the Chinese and Japanese, for example, ASIA is the spiritual name of the WORLD (Creation). The world is not our earth. The earth is our earth. The spiritual name of the earth is EPHESUS. Man gives names to everything on earth. Sometimes, their names accord with their spiritual names. We know, for example, of JERUSALEM in PARADISE the home of the human spirit. THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA refers, therefore, to the seven Universes in Creation (the World). An Archangel presides over each Universe. The speaker in the Book of Revelations remind them of where these Universes have “fallen” short of the expectations of Creation. This is in the area of those “first things” they had left undone. Of course, those “things” have to do with the purpose of existence, which is all about the discovery of God’s Will and unconditional fulfilment of it. That was the Message which the Lord Jesus brought to mankinds; he did not come to die for their sins to be forgiven. In any cases, didn’t he warn that sins against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven? And didn’t we learn that the Holy Spirit is the power which God sent out to create the World (Let there be Light, and the spirit of God hovered over the land.)

     

    Ebola Virus

    Last week, the news broke that another fever similar to ebola virus fever was killing with the same devastation in Japan. This is Denge fever of which this column wrote a few years ago. Some people say it is caused by rats. Other say the mosquito. A reader of this column who said he contracted it while in Asia gave me a recipe which helped him survive the infection. Unfortunately, I lost his name and the recipe. With the knowledge of the New Age and the Cosmic Turning-Point, we should ask certain questions:

    •          Have ebola virus and this Japanese’s virus always been present on earth in latent inactive forms?

    •          If they have been, why are they active now? What is the trigger?

    •          If the trigger is the energy pressure described above, which the human spirit is unable to withstand and is causing its body to crumble, will the cares being applauded today not be temporary gains?

    •          Are these strange viruses’ trumpets of a World Judgement we are not hearing because we are expecting to hear physical trumpets?

    •          If these viruses were not part of God’s creation, as some people have said, reminding of the biblical view that everything he created is good, how did they arise? Could they be the handiworks of men? By this, laboratory inventions are not imagined. Spiritually, we know volitions of the spirit give rise to thought – forms and that thought – forms may become dense enough to physically materialise. If the heart of man is still dark and evil, will this nature not potentiate darkness and evil? I remember vividly the counsel of the Wise One” KEEP THE HEARTH OF YOUR THOUGHTS PURE!

    As we continue to search for a cure for Ebola virus Disease and other killer viruses, let us remember that man forms his environment, and that since he did not create the World, he has to form his environment in accordance to the Will of the Creator and as he lays his bed, so will he lay on it.

  • Economics of Ebola Virus outbreak

    Economics of Ebola Virus outbreak

    International rating agency Moody’s has warned that besides the death toll, the outbreak will cause “critical commercial and transport disruptions” in the affected West African countries, leading to “significant” economic and fiscal damage, writes CBC News

    In the world of business, there is a saying that markets are driven by fear and greed. As shares in drug companies surge, the Ebola virus has already unleashed the power of greed. And as we watch the coverage of the disease move into what many commentators have labeled irrational hysteria, some people are finding ways to tap the power of fear.

    Joel Kettner of the International Centre for Infectious Diseases in Winnipeg says that when it comes to infectious diseases, fear is not clearly good or clearly bad.

     

    “It can be both,” he says.

    Most medical experts say Ebola’s contagion in the global consciousness has outgrown the disease’s actual risk. One of the people pointing that out is Seth Berkley, head of the GAVI Alliance, a group that promotes developing world health through vaccination.

    “It starts with familiar flu-like symptoms,” he wrote on the BBC Health site. “But within days this can quickly descend into something more exotic and frightening: Vomiting and diarrhoea, followed by bleeding from the gums, the nose and gastrointestinal tract.”

    But the disease Berkley is describing is not Ebola but Dengue shock syndrome. Caused by a mosquito-borne disease, the latter kills about 20 times more people worldwide every year than the confirmed death toll from the current Ebola outbreak (although the numbers are changing constantly).

    Despite the wall-to-wall coverage of Ebola as the latest terrifying plague, its ranking in the death pecking order is negligible. Latest estimates from the World Health Organisation show that, for example, between one and two million people die of AIDS every year.

     

    Fear as motivator

     

    According to Berkley, the reason the developed world fears Ebola despite its low risk of spread in the developed world is that the idea of an untreatable disease is foreign to us and stimulates long-forgotten fears.

    There is no doubt some truth in Berkley’s analysis, but as a participant and a critic of the influence of media on our lives, I don’t think we can absolve the people in my business. During the quiet summer news cycle, the news media are partly implicated in stimulating a disproportionate horror of Ebola, just as they did with H1N1 and SARS.

    Unlike many other commentators, however, I think this could be a good thing.

    And with some reservations, Joel Kettner agrees. Fear is motivating, he says.

    Certainly, in parts of West Africa where the disease is spreading, fear – of hospitals, of western medicine, of neighbours — is part of the problem.

    Fear is closing borders, shutting down trade, seriously damaging local and national economies. Liberian Finance Minister Amara Konneh recently said due to the Ebola outbreak, the country’s growth forecast “is no longer realistic.”

    International rating agency Moody’s has warned that besides the death toll, the outbreak will cause “critical commercial and transport disruptions” in the affected West African countries, leading to “significant” economic and fiscal damage.

    Fear can also help the disease spread. The frantic urge to escape areas where the Ebola virus is present can make it worse. “You’re not leaving the risk behind,” says Kettner. “You’re just carrying it to another location.”

    As a result, Kettner says there is a “reasonable expectation” that people will arrive in Canada or other developed countries who may have been exposed to the virus and won’t get sick until after their return. Fear of that happening is already prompting Canadian health authorities to dust off their preparedness skills, which were learned during the SARS crisis.

    Kettner also observes that global media fears and a sense of crisis have awakened new interest in companies and agencies working on cures and vaccines. Although its shares have fallen from their highs earlier this week, Canada’s Tekmira Pharmaceuticals gathered worldwide attention and credibility for its experimental Ebola drug.

    Despite a rollercoaster ride on the market, Tekmira’s shares are still worth nearly twice as much as they were a month ago, giving the company better access to capital to do its work. And Tekmira is not alone. Suddenly, investors are also interested in BioCryst, MAP BioPharma and others because of their “race to combat Ebola.”

     

    The upside of panic

     

    In an article ostensibly telling us to beware trading in Ebola virus stocks, Turney Duff, a former Wall Street trader and author of The Buy Side, actually gives instructions on how to profit from health scares.

    “The last thing you want to do when news breaks is try to find the right stocks to trade,” Duff wrote on CNBC.com. “Back when I was a health-care trader and the SARS virus had the world’s attention, we broke down every sector to see how it could be impacted.”

    Pharmaceutical companies – and those that invest in them – can benefit from outbreaks by creating and selling drugs to fight diseases.

    While critics of the pharmaceutical industry may fulminate against the ethics of profiting from poverty and disease, the fact is, the wave of fear over Ebola means the virus is punching far above its weight compared to other developing country diseases. After all, the pharmaceutical industry is notorious for ignoring diseases of the developing world because poor people can’t pay for expensive drugs.

    But the Ebola scare has actually helped focus minds – and financial resources – on creating treatments that, in a commercial sense, might not justify their development costs.

    Respiratory illness, for instance, kills more than a thousand times more people than Ebola.

    A recent recurrence of one of those respiratory diseases — H1N1, or swine flu — that swept through Canada in 2009 reminds Kettner of another advantage of the fear of disease and the attention it brings.

    “We became aware that the population of First Nations and other aboriginal people, especially those living in remote and northern communities, appeared to be at higher risk for getting severe [cases of the] disease,” says Kettner.

    He said fear in those communities “was a motivation for focusing on the health needs… and quality of health care in those communities.”

     

    Opportunities to

    improve health care

     

    Fear of a new disease is not irrational. Diseases mutate. And while Ebola is not a perfect candidate, epidemiologists know there is a chance that some new strain of bug will ride our integrated transportation system to sweep the world like a modern Black Death. That would be a personal problem for many of us, but it would also be a very big economic problem.

    Kettner observes that the main causes of disease outbreaks that could spread around the world are not germs, but poverty and poor health care.

    “What I hope will happen from the fear that is generated from the Ebola virus is that there will be more attention paid to the health needs of the communities that are at risk,” he says.

    After years of civil war, with poverty, few doctors and abysmal education levels, the people in the worst affected areas of West Africa are poorly equipped to save themselves from a disease like Ebola.

    Maybe it is a good thing for those of us in the developed world to be afraid, to buy into the current hysteria. Because if we don’t commit the resources to stop the outbreak there, maybe, just maybe, Ebola will soon be coming for you.

  • Bodies celebrate world Breastfeeding Week

    CHILD Health Advocacy Initiative (CHAI) has collaborated with Ikeja Local Government and the Lagos State Ministry of Health (LSMOH) to celebrate the 2014 World Breastfeeding week. It is a celebration that is set aside every year globally to commemorate the world Breastfeeding week.

    The theme for this year is “Breastfeeding: score a goal; save a life”, at the Ikeja Local Government Hall, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos.

    It is a call for action to support breastfeeding, calling on policy makers, healthcare providers, employers and the community at large to support mothers in reaching their personal breastfeeding goal.

    In attendance were: Mrs Lola Alonge, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Director of Child Health Advocacy Initiative (CHAI), Hon. Wale Odunlami, Chairman of Ikeja Local Government, Mrs Toyin Adams, representing the Commissioner of Health, Lagos state, Dr. Yemi Sofola, acting Chairman Health Board amongst others.

    The Chief Executive Officer of CHAI, Lola Alonge expressed joy, saying: “CHAI, a United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is one of the major advocates of breastfeeding in Nigeria for 10 years.

    She said: “Breastfeeding is the right of the child and the best investment that can be given to the child.” Hence, exclusive breastfeeding, an adequate complementary feeding are key interventions for improving child survival and saving the lives of about 20 per cent of children.

    The principles of breastfeeding, she said, includes breastfeeding a child within 30minutes of delivery and continuing until six months of age, continue with other foods until two years.

    Alonge said during exclusive breastfeeding, a child should not be given water, herbal drink, or other foods, unless prescribed by the doctor. The baby’s mouth must be wide open and should cover most of the black area of the nipple (Areola), adding that, “the baby’s head and body must be in a straight line during breastfeeding and the baby’s nose must be opposite to the nipple.”

    Hence, mothers should position and attach the baby to the breast properly and allow their hands touch the breast while feeding, she said.

    She further said: “The baby’s whole body should be supported and be held close to the mother’s body”. Also, the mother should look into the eyes of the child when breastfeeding.

    The benefit of breastfeeding is enormous both to the mother and child, adding that; “it helps to reduce poverty because the mother will save money on formula, it helps in child spacing and also creates bonding between the mother and child.”

    Other benefits are that it is highly digestible, it comes out in normal temperature, it makes the child intelligent. Also, it is cheap and doesn’t cost anything to produce. It makes the child healthy and prevents the child from illnesses.

    According to her, for mothers to achieve the best, there must be an enabling environment and places where mothers can breastfeed in public. Thus, women should not be intimidated or harassed for breastfeeding in the public.

    She said more awareness about breastfeeding must be given to mothers who go for ante-natal in health care centres.

    To support the programme, Alonge said: “CHAI has introduced breastfeeding counseling line for mothers to come and receive support where necessary.”

    She urged mothers to always seek advice from experts on the type of drugs to take when breastfeeding so as not to affect the child.

    She said, in Section 227 of the Criminal code law of the Lagos State, 2011, states that: “a man cannot abandon a woman who is pregnant for him, neither his child which is his responsible for. He must be responsible for the ante-natal and post-natal of the mother and child, and also the upkeep of the child.”

    Chairman of Ikeja Local Government, Hon. Wale Odunlami, urged mothers not to forget the immunization of their children of the ages of zero to five, and to keep abreast of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) situation. He enjoined mothers to keep a good hygiene to prevent illnesses.

    Odunlami thanked CHAI for their support to mothers and the women present at the event for coming out with their babies in large numbers.

    Representing the Commissioner of Health, Lagos state, Mrs Toyin Adams, said breastfeeding prevents the child from diarrhea, breast cancer, ovarian cancers and other illnesses. Adding that, “a child that is well breastfed has higher intelligent brain. This can only be achieved with exclusive breastfeeding.”

    She said people need to bring their attention to the current national exclusive breastfeeding rate, as at 2008 13 per cent, while in 2011 15 per cent, which is the multiple total survey carried out in Nigeria.

    By 2013, the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) indicated that the national exclusive breastfeeding rate is 17 per cent, which is grossly unacceptable, she said.

    Adams said “CHAI in the past 10 years has been supporting breastfeeding in Lagos State, technically with bill boards, provision of price for breastfeeding champions”.

    She enjoined mothers to visit the primary health centers in case of breast feeding challenges because they are professional health workers and would be of assistance to them. Adding that, “ the Lagos state government is putting all its best in ensuring that the health centers are up to standard.”

    She said, youths need to be stimulated about breastfeeding becoming parents for adequate knowledge of it. She therefore appealed to the media that their reports on the breastfeeding week should be yearly.

  • No virus case in Abia, says Orji

    No virus case in Abia, says Orji

    Abia State Governor Theodore Orji has dispelled the rumour that the dreaded Ebola virus has entered the state.

    The governor said there was no case of the virus in any part of the state.

    Speaking with The Nation, in Umuahia, the state capital, Orji decried the rumour some people were spreading in the media on the disease.

    The governor urged people to allow his administration to do its work instead of creating panic.

    Orji said the government had taken precautionary measures to ensure that the virus does not enter the state.

    The governor said a committee on the virus had been set up, adding that the members were sensitising the people on how to prevent infection.

    He said: “The committee was set up to chase Ebola virus away from the state, instead of the virus chasing us in the state. We have ordered for all the necessary equipment to fight the virus. The Health Commissioner purchased the equipment.”

    Orji said his administration was ready to tackle the challenge of the virus.

    He said: “Just like we did against kidnapping, I want to thank the doctors for their sensitisation on how to avoid contracting the virus.

    “We must be ready to face it when the need arises. For now, it is not yet here.

    “I am speaking as the governor. After consulting with experts in the medical field, there is no Ebola in any part of Abia.”

  • ‘To stop Ebola, we must end the virus called fear’

    ‘To stop Ebola, we must end the virus called fear’

    Dr. Marc Siegel, a practising internist, joined FOX News Channel (FNC) as a contributor in 2008. In this piece on the international news medium’s website, Siegel says the fear of Ebola is a bigger problem, which should be given more attention if the disease is to be stopped

    The  Ebola virus has been infecting and killing people in Central Africa since at least 1976, and the current “worst Ebola epidemic in history” has been going on in West Africa since March.  But it is only in the past few weeks that a second deadly “virus” has emerged, as the news media has caught on to this story and has broadcast it around the world, infecting everyone with another contagious virus: fear.

    Don’t get me wrong; Ebola is a bad bug, and well worth being concerned about. This particular Zaire strain kills up to 90 percent of its human victims. It often fools the immune system of a host into not recognizing it, and many victims end up in kidney and liver failure without even a fight. On top of this, Ebola is difficult to recognize, appearing first like any other flu with fatigue, fever, headache, muscle aches. Then you can start to have vomiting and diarrhea, and caretakers and close contacts of afflicted patients can catch Ebola even as they try to help contain it.

    But fear and ignorance are spreading in West Africa along with Ebola, as natives mistrust the very humanitarian aid that is being brought in to help them. Physicians in the Ebola trenches are heroes, not sources of contagion, but not everyone sees them that way. Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan, whose work in Sierra Leone against several viruses — including Ebola — is legendary, died this week of the dreaded virus. His work should be celebrated.

    But with this Ebola outbreak already killing close to 700 in West Africa, the best way to combat it is with solid science, and the biggest threat to this proven strategy is fear. Ebola isn’t spread by coughing and sneezing. Isolating sick patients and their contacts has worked in stopping previous Ebola outbreaks. The same kind of infection-control precautions are used that have also worked successfully with HIV/AIDS (gloves, gowns, masks).

    Unfortunately, when people are afraid, they take fewer infectious precautions, and spread more virus. This is why regional quarantines haven’t always worked historically.  It is probably prudent for Liberia to close most of its borders and to have Ebola testing centers at the ones that remain open, as long as this doesn’t spread panic. While it is also reasonable to issue travel advisories and screen patients for viral symptoms coming in and out of West Africa, and the CDC is wise to issue Level 2 travel precautions (avoid direct contact with Ebola patients), anything beyond this at this point would be counterproductive.

    It is very unlikely that someone will contract Ebola from casual contact on a plane. It is even more unlikely that if Ebola does appear in the U.S., that it will lead to a sustained outbreak here, because of our public health system. The challenge to provide supportive care while properly isolating patients is much greater in Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea than it would be here.

    Living close together, being unaware of how viruses spread, and even burial rituals have helped to spread Ebola in West Africa. This epidemic will still likely be contained and not spread to other countries. If it does spread, it will likely not be sustained, in part because Ebola is so deadly it usually kills the host before he/she has a chance to spread it.

    Several vaccines and anti-viral drugs have showed promising results in animals, and human testing is under way, though no treatment or vaccine will be ready for market soon. In the meantime, the best treatment for both Ebola and the spreading fear of Ebola is to offer the world information and perspective, and for those afflicted in Africa — careful isolation.

    When it comes to a health scare, the news media has never been great at providing this kind of calm, rational perspective. The time to start is now.