World food day !!!

The world food day theme " Climate is changing,food and agriculture must too." The theme really depicts the global challenge of climate change and food security. The emissions from our agricultural practices,industries and day-to day commuting has brought us to a stage that drastic steps must be taken to clamp down on climate change and address food security. 

 The estimated population explosion of 9 billion people by 2050 has set a course for food security,with many nations seeking out means and methods to produce more food without disrupting the ecosystem through deforestation and aggressive agricultural practices but by seeking out new innovative ideas to increase food production both animal and plant sources. 

 The paradigm shift to ensure food security while tackling the climate change concern,will be to incorporate new innovative ideas laced with agritech to produce more food using available spaces and also new technologies to ensure faster harvest and maturity of animals without any adverse effects on man and environment.

   The climate change can be tackled with more eco-friendly farming techniques,coupled with more recycling and reuse and reduction of food waste and food loss. Emissions generated from food loss as a result of rotten food is so significant and this can be curbed easily by introduction of new technologies for food preservation,food processing and packaging especially in developing countries where much waste is recorded.

 The role of biotech in the climate change and food security more. Agriculture is the key to our global concern of food security and climate change, and the sooner many people buy into innovative agricultural practices the better.

The need to #endhunger, #endpoverty using agriculture as a means was part of this year's world food day celebration, where a walk against hunger was organized to enlighten and inform people about the value of agriculture and how to cash in; more Also the

Heart tumor removed using 3D printing .

A four-year old patient with a large heart tumor came to pediatric cardiologist Dr. Blank of the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital of the University Medical Centre of Utrecht for a solution. The tumor caused the boy to suffer from heart rhythm problems, and it was quickly apparent to Dr. Blank that the only way to relieve these problems was to remove the tumor. The position of the tumor near the mitral value and coronary arteries poised a problem as it would be difficult to remove without damage to these areas,the team thus resorted to 3D printing to access the tumor and plan for the surgery. The international and multidisciplinary team reached out to Materialise to create a 3D-printed model of the heart to plan the surgery,the digital 3D file allowed the different teams throughout Europe to simultaneously discuss and visualize the size of the tumor, as well as observe its physical relationship with the mitral valve and coronary arteries. The clear information they received from the digital model,allow the medical teams decide that the surgery was feasible.The 3D-printed model was then used to help plan the surgery with the successful remove of the tumor, giving a little boy the chance for a healthier and event-free life. continue

Urban agriculture. #Farm fresh vegetables.

Urban agriculture, simply put is farming in the city and a lot of agricultural practices can actually fall into this category. Urban agriculture could be practiced on side walks, front porch,roof tops or in sacks or bags as in sack farming. Farming in the city can be a challenge because of space constraint,but with urban agriculture every space is useful. I was of the opinion myself that land was scarce,that farming could only be done in rural settings but today ive proved that to be a very wrong notion. Urban agriculture can be practiced without stress in the city and the profit will amaze you,all you need is a creative mind. The pictures below show my vegetable farm, where i have lettuce, jute leaves,greens and cucumbers. more The farm is on a back porch, other locations are on side walks,roof tops and yes in bottles and sacks.As the weeks go by, ill show more pictures from different locations and the vegetables planted. The beauty of this project is that it has a short time line,giving me the opportunity to turn over fast and practice mixed farming. The lettuce is ready for sale,so order yours now !!!

Rabies detected in a chicken in India.

All mammals are susceptible to rabies. Raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, dogs, coyotes and cats are the likely suspects. Animals like otters and ferrets are also high risk. 

Mammals like rabbits, squirrels, rodents and opossums are rarely infected and no mention of birds until recently. Indian researchers have reported the first case of rabies in a domestic fowl, a chicken, in the country, according to a study published in the journal, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

The chicken (Gallus domesticus), was bitten by a stray dog and died a month later. It’s carcass was sent to the rabies diagnostic laboratory. The brain tissue was positive for rabies viral antigens by fluorescent antibody test (FAT) confirming a diagnosis of rabies. Additional analysis revealed that the rabies virus strain from the domestic fowl belonged to a distinct and relatively rare Indian subcontinent lineage. 

 The authors say the significance of this finding indicates that spill over of infection even to an unusual host is possible in highly endemic areas. In addition, butchering and handling of rabies virus- infected poultry may pose a potential exposure risk. 

 Researchers conclude the present report indicates that rabies is a disease that can affect birds. Lack of obvious clinical signs and fewer opportunities for diagnostic laboratory testing of suspected rabies in a bird, may be the reason for the disease in these species being undiagnosed and probably underestimated.continue

Vitamin D could help control TB in animals.

A new study has shown that vitamin D supplementation could help control tuberculosis(TB) in animals. Wild boar and red deer are key hosts of TB and transmit the disease to cattle and other species, causing a major problem in farm and domestic animals across Europe, but Vitamin D supplementation can reduce the severity of tuberculosis (TB) in wild boar and red deer. A research published Research in Veterinary Science reveals that vitamin D supplementation reduces the incidence and severity of tuberculosis (TB) in wild boar and red deer.Vitamin D is known to influence the severity of TB in humans but its relationship with cattle and other mammals has not been studied until recently. This research takes the 'One Health' approach, that explores human and animal health in a holistic way using key learnings across both disciplines. In the study, half of the animals were given a vitamin D3-enriched food while half were no provided with supplement. In animals with TB, there was a clear correlation between the severity of the disease and their blood concentration of vitamin D3. These animals were also more likely to be suffering from a localized TB infection than severe generalized TB.

World rabies day in Lagos.

The world rabies day celebrated on the 28/September every year, this year's celebration was marked with public lectures, free vaccination exercises and awareness campaign around the state. The event this year was different because of the collaboration with medical officers from hospitals and primary health centers ,school children and youth corp members. 

 The participation of various local government officials,environmental health workers and various local council development areas,emphasized the importance of awareness campaign from bottom up. The day marked with lectures by some veterinarians and medical officers and free vaccination is shown in pics below;

Rabies kills prevent it.

 

 Rabies a deadly fatal but preventable viral disease that affects warm blooded animals and can also affect man being a zoonotic disease. The rabies virus is transmitted through bite of an infected animal, the saliva is the medium of infection. The virus usually transferred through bites from infected animals or from salivary secretions from infected animals on wounds,cuts and scratches. 

This mode of infection is usually common in the dumb form of rabies ,where the animal is docile, shy but drooling saliva. This form of rabies is the most dangerous as the animal is not a suspect, but rather the owner is cuddling and stroking the pet and coaxing it to eat and be social. The exposure to the drooling saliva usually results in transmission of the virus through mucous membranes, minor cuts and tiny bites,with the owner not seeking medical attention. 

 The furious form of rabies is the most common and recognizable type,where the animal is very violent,drooling saliva, barking and chasing things or people. The animal with this form of rabies are usually sneaky,creeping up behind victims or suddenly charging out at animals or humans in his path. 

When a pet owner notices a sudden change that is violent ,with the animal barking,howling at moving objects,snapping and biting stuff and drooling of saliva,such animal should be reported to animal control for quarantine. 

 When bitten by a dog ,cat monkey or bat carry out the following ; 1) wash the area with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and apply alcohol to the site and go to the hospital for post exposure rabies prophylaxis. 

The animal in question should be quarantined, while the person is getting the shots. People that have died as a result of rabies, is because they did not seek medical attention early,or the pet owner gave false report about the vaccination status ,thus giving the victim false hope that the pet is not rabid. 

 This is the sad case of a boy bitten by a dog who supposedly had an up to date vaccination record,but alas!!! tragedy struck..