Machine learning can help stop food poisoning by predicting bacteria strain.

A study carried out by researchers at the University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which focused on harmful strains of E. coli bacteria could help public health officials to target interventions and reduce risk to human health. The study showed that machine learning can predict strains of bacteria likely to cause food poisoning outbreaks, the researchers used software that compares genetic information from bacterial samples isolated from both animals and people. The software learns the DNA signatures that are associated with E. coli samples that have caused outbreaks of infection in people. It can then pick out the animal strains that have these signatures, which are therefore likely to be a threat to human health. The E. coli strains live in the guts of people and animals without causing illness but E. coli O157 causes more serious human infections. Cows carry E. coli O157 and serve as the main reservoir for this toxic bacteria. The animals excrete the bacteria in their faeces but do not become ill. This makes it difficult to spot which herds and animals are carrying strains that are likely to cause disease in people. The team trained the software on DNA sequences from strains isolated from cattle herds and human infections in the UK and the US. Once trained, the computer is able to predict whether an E. coli strain is likely to have come from a cow or a person. The team used the approach to predict that less than ten percent of the E. coli O157 cattle strains are likely to have the potential to cause human disease. Interventions to stop the spread of the disease by use of vaccines could be targeted at herds with these strains to minimize the risk of outbreaks in people. This study shows the potential of machine learning approaches for identifying these strains early and prevent outbreaks of this infectious disease.

Lagos to hold maiden edition of food security summit.

The Lagos State Government has concluded plans to organize a world class summit, tagged: ‘The Lagos Food Security Summit and Exhibition.’ This is in furtherance of its commitment to optimally explore its agricultural value chain potentials and ensure food security for its teeming populace, The Special Adviser to the Governor on Food Security, Mr Sanni Okanlawon at a news briefing at Alausa, in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Tuesday said that that the summit was being organized to institutionalize a food security framework that would guarantee sustainable food security for its growing population. “The summit which is scheduled to hold at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja from Thursday 10th to Friday 11th November, 2016 is designed to realign emerging realities with new global trends on food safety, food processing, food storage, food handling, funding of agri-business and agric-insurance”. Okanlawon added that the summit, with the theme: “Actualizing Sustainable Food Security in Lagos: A New Comprehensive Agenda,” will attract major stakeholders from the Agricultural sector and academics as well as prospective foreign and local investors, media, civil society and policy makers in government. This is a great way to invest “The Summit is expected to provide a veritable platform for discourse on various investment opportunities in agriculture and agro-allied business in the State with the aim of stimulating private investment in the sector and ultimately optimize its vast agro-processing and agro-allied potentials.” more The issue of food security is a global concern and more countries are turning to agriculture to change their economic terrain. Investing in agriculture and agribusiness ventures is a sure way to push any economy going south. The food summit

The rabies scourge, action plan.

Rabies scourge: Health ministry to vaccinate dogs across Ghana. In commemorating the world rabies day ,Health minister Alex Segbefia says his ministry will begin a nationwide vaccination of dogs against rabies. The ministry is preparing to roll out the programme in 2017 when it would have submitted a vaccination budget to the Finance ministry. The one world one health approach to eliminate the scourge of rabies is a great idea.

The fact that children are often victims of these scourge makes it even more important to forge an alliance to stop the virus. Dogs are the source of the vast majority of human rabies deaths, contributing up to 99% of all rabies transmissions to humans mostly in Asia and Africa. At least 40% of people who are bitten by suspect rabid animals are children under 15 years. 

The vaccination of dogs,cats and monkeys is a vital key to stop the scourge of the rabies virus,every responsible pet owner should vaccinate their pets against rabies. The annual vaccination of pets against rabies will prevent this threat to life of man and other animals which might act as carriers of the virus and further propagate the virus. 

Prevention by vaccination is much better and cheaper as lives will be saved because there is no cure for the disease. The war on rabies in Ghana is through a two pronged approach according to the health minister ;One is to increase the availability of vaccines to cure infected humans. 

The ministry has therefore ordered a new batch of vaccines .2) In a more pro-active approach to tackle rabies, the minister said “you must actually just vaccinate the dogs”. He said the ministry will go round region by region, identify and vaccinate dogs against rabies.He also said there is the need for a sensitization for dog-owners to tag their pets.  

 In Nigeria,the scourge can be prevented by education,mass vaccination of dogs and provision of affordable human diploid anti rabies vaccine.

 The enforcement of stray dog laws and dog licensing with tags will go a long way to check the scourge of the rabies virus. Pet owners should be held accountable for the health status of their pets,and must show documentation as regarding vaccination status. 

 Empowerment of animal control officers, especially at local government levels will help eliminate the scourge. 

The generation of adequate data as regarding number of dog per zone/local government/state will give a clear picture of our pet population, the area of concentration /major foci of these pets which will  assist in proper planning for budgeting for vaccination programmes. more #rabies #endrabies #savechildren #vaccinate #pets.

Rabies: A case of dog bite .

Rabies a deadly but preventable disease is a menace that our society has to eliminate and put steps in place to eradicate the virus completely. Rabies usually affect warm blooded animals such as dogs,cats,monkeys,raccoons,skunks,bats ,horses and cattle. The virus usually transferred through bites from an infected animal, various species have been linked to the transmission of virus with variations from country to country. 

The sylvatic cycle of the virus in the wild is actually what is propagating the virus in urban areas.The issue of interaction between wild and domesticated animals usually with stray dogs and cats as the major carriers of the virus is an identified route of infection. Pet importation has also opened up another route of possible transmission of the virus, pets should be quarantined and all records verified before allowing them in the country. 

The issue of stray dogs and cats is a risk factor here in Nigeria, most rabies cases in man have been traced to bites from strays mostly affecting children below 15 years of age. A recent case of a young boy bitten by a stray dog typifies what happens in most situations; Boy bitten by dog, the parents did not notify any hospital or health center.

 The boy started exhibiting signs of rabies such as hydrophobia,biting and licking body like a dog,signs of madness and in this state also bit the mother while trying to restrain the child. The boy was taken to the hospital at this stage,but it was too late for any intervention. The mother though bitten did not think anything of the incident until the child died when some questions were poised to her, now she is undergoing treatment also her baby as she is nursing currently.

 A simple washing  of the bite wound with soap and a lot of water before seeking medical care, would have saved the boy's life. The fight against rabies is not a one-man- show all hands must be on deck to support the movement. 

There are key steps to take to achieve a rabies free status; 1) Education about rabies and steps to take when bitten especially at the rural level. 2) Enforcing the laws on stray dogs and other animals. 3)Mass vaccination campaign with free vaccination for pets. 4) Provision of the human diploid vaccines in hospitals,primary health centers and mobile clinics at affordable rates to encourage people to seek medical attention when bitten by dogs,cats and monkeys. Rabies is preventable ,see how to stay safe with animals. Play this game

World Rabies Day.

The world rabies day comes up on the 28th September every year. This is an opportunity for pet owners to visit their veterinarian to vaccinate their pets. The scourge of rabies is so alarming that the all hands are on deck to kick rabies out. 

 This year's celebration will be marked with a free vaccination exercise alongside a public lecture on the rabies virus ,steps to take when bitten by a dog and how to prevent been bitten by dogs. The one world one health approach will be used at the seminar as medical doctors will be on hand at the seminar to discuss the human angle of the rabies scourge.

 The seminar will be power packed as we will be doing an expose on the rabies scourge and also unveil some new initiatives to help eliminate the rabies virus.The free vaccination exercise in the Lagos island zone will be done at 2 points ; for pet lover and owners in Ajah area, the vaccination points are @ Abraham Adesanya estate starting at 10am and @ Ogombo community starting from 12 pm. All pet owners are encouraged to visit these points or visit our hospital; Ajah Animal hospital, opposite Bethel ministries @Ilaje bus stop. 

 Pet owners can also visit Surulere veterinary hospital @46,Benson street,off Akerele. Dogs,cats and monkeys will be vaccinated and the lecture will also take place at the venue. Come and lets kick rabies out.

Kenya revamping the dairy sector.

Dairy farmers in Kenya are positioning themselves to benefit from the commercialization of embryo transfer, a breeding technology being introduced by two firms in central and Rift Valley areas. The technology involves harvesting and implanting a developed embryo into a surrogate cow. Gakindu Dairy Co-operative Society in Mukurwe-ini sub-county of Nyeri and Makongi farm in Uasin Gishu County are piloting the technology which they say would considerably reduce costs of high quality dairy heifers. The project is expected to increase milk collection from current five to 30 litres per cow every day. Makongi firm has entered into a partnership with Invitro Brasil, one of the largest embryo companies in the world, to set up the first laboratory to offer farmers cheaper breeding options. The firm has built a laboratory which has a capacity to produce more than 20,000 embryos annually with a projected success rate of 45 per cent. This new technology will assist farmers to get quality heifers and embryos at reasonable prices. The technology entails removal of female eggs (oocytes) from a cow and transferring to a laboratory where it is fertilized with semen imported from Europe (Scandinavian countries or France) before it is placed into an incubator. The oocytes are extracted from the animal through the use of an improvised plastic tube and stored in a cool box before it is transferred to the lab more

why you should not drink raw milk.

Consumption of raw milk is still common among many farming communities. However, you can also either drink raw or semi-boiled milk.Consumption of raw or semi-cooked milk is on the rise thanks to of literature and old folk tales that its medicinal and so natural without preservatives. Raw milk consumers usually choose this for their family because they believe that it is a healthy food with good bacteria and enzymes, they often say it contains “good bacteria” better known as “probiotics” . Consumers are of the opinion that milk from grass-fed beef is safe and very nutritious,in fact there is a rising demand for milk from grassfed cow. A study in the late 90's which showed a possible relationship between grain feeding and E. coli infection in cattle, which led to a widespread belief that a grain diet causes a cow’s stomach to become acidic and promotes the growth of E. coli O157:H7 but further research showed that , E. coli O157:H7 is actually found in cattle kept in feedlots and cattle kept on pasture. Manure and milk from cows and goats that never ate grain have also tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 and other foodborne pathogens (Campylobacter, Salmonella). Deer, rodents and feral pigs eating a natural diet sometimes also carry E. coli O157:H7 in their gut. There has been Several outbreaks recently in the US where E. coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter were linked to grass-fed cows or goats. Raw milk can carry harmful bacteria and other germs that can make you very sick or even kill you. While it is possible to get foodborne illnesses from many different foods, raw milk is one of the riskiest of all. Getting sick from raw milk can mean many days of diarrhea, stomach cramping, and vomiting. Less commonly, it can mean kidney failure, paralysis, chronic disorders, and even death. Fatal cases arising from milk poisoning result in severe or even life-threatening diseases, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can result in kidney failure and stroke. watch The risk of getting sick from drinking raw milk is greater for 1) young children. 2) elderly. 3)people with compromised immune systems, such as people with cancer, or HIV/AIDS. Although it is important to remember that healthy people of any age can get very sick or even die if they drink raw milk that is contaminated with harmful germs. Read