Congo virus.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is caused by a virus belonging to a group called Nairovirus. The virus infects wild as well as domestic animals like sheep and cattle through tick bites. Humans are infected when they come in direct contact with blood or tissues from infected animals or bites of infected ticks. The disease is also described in Congo, hence it was named Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever. The disease is more common in Africa, Asia, East Europe and the Middle East. A recent outbreak has been Pakistan. Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease that spreads through tick bite, crushing of infected tick could also result in infection. Infection may also occur if people breathe in the virus passed out in the infected animal’s excreta. Thus, people who work in close contact with livestock such as those working in ,farms, abattoirs and veterinary hospitals are at a higher risk of acquiring the disease. Preventive measures and early diagnosis can save lives! Less than half the people who contract this virus die, and that too due to improper treatment. When a human is affected, the infection spreads to other people if they come in contact with the patient’s infected blood or body fluids. Infection could also spread in hospitals during injections and surgical procedures. Hospital staff that treat patients with CCHF are at a higher risk for developing the infection. Symptoms may vary person to person but certain pointers are indications of infection;· flu-like symptoms appear first, which may end in a week’s time. Signs of hemorrhagic fever follow and if not treated ,there is confusion, aggression, mood swings, fever, red eyes, flushed face, joint pain,epistasis vomiting and black/tarry stools. This is followed by a swollen liver which causes pain in the upper abdomen, kidney failure, breathing problems, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate and eventually a shock . Prevention is by elimination of ticks,proper biosecurity and personal hygiene. Kill ticks by spraying your animals with antitick preparation and use a protective spray on your clothes and clothing and materials as well. Isolation of patients with the virus, maintain minimal and protected contact. Wear gloves and masks when with patients and hand hygiene is important. The syringes and needles used must be disposed properly. Abattoir workers, hunters, farm-hands and help and all who handle raw meat during slaughtering, processing and supply are at risk and should be properly kitted and observe strict bio security· Minimize insect bites, pests and rodents in the house ,farms,hospitals,abattoirs and other beef processing outfits.

Mobile veterinary services: the Uber vets.

Mobile veterinary services is an investment opportunity that is relatively "untapped" in developing countries,but already shaping the health curve of pets in developed countries. The potential of this service can be tapped into at various points; 1)the service could be dedicated to just routine treatments/checkup ,2)vaccinations 3) grooming parlor 4)surgery 5) wellness 6)diagnostics and 7) type of practice,maybe large animals or small animals. 

 The advantage of this is the access to veterinary services in remote areas and also to those who are too busy to get their pets regularly. The mobile train will move from district to district,zone to zones and coast to coast. 

The growing population of those with livestock and pets without adequate veterinary care is alarming and unless a system is worked out,the incidence of diseases will increase. When livestock is not monitored or treated we run a risk of not only diseases but also economic losses as the potential of such flock cannot be realized. see 

 This is how a veterinarian is using this mobile service, Dr Fletcher operates the wellness on wheelz. Wellness on Wheelz’s numerous trucks travel all around South Texas, making rounds from San Antonio to Rio Grande City every weekend. The Rio Grande Valley’s local truck visited McAllen on Saturday for the second time this month, treating about 100 pets. 

 Dogs and cats of all breeds and ages panted around their owners in the hot Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market parking lot, waiting their turn. Meanwhile Dr. Kenneth C. Fletcher, the truck’s veterinarian, administered shot after shot. “One of the things we like the public to understand before they get here is that we’re not here to treat any illness or condition,” he said during a brief break. “We’re just for wellness, primary care, vaccination. And we do limited testing, like testing for heartworms. That can save a dog’s life.” Many of the services offered by Wellness on Wheelz are intended to keep a pet on track to a healthy life. 

De-worming and rabies vaccines are among those medications, while rattlesnake vaccines and microchips are offered as well. Something that Fletcher said is unique to the mobile vet business is “Zeutering,” in which male dogs are sterilized with an injection instead of surgery.“That’s one of the services we offer, too, that you can’t find anywhere, actually,” he said. “You’ve got to come here.” Affordability and access are two big reasons for the creation of the mobile service, Fletcher said.“It’s very convenient and inexpensive because there’s no examination fee,” he said. “It’s much faster and better customer service, actually.”more

Veterinary doctors find 100 kg of garbage in cow's stomach.

Veterinary doctors of Jivdaya Charitable Trust on Friday were shocked when they found nearly 100 kg of waste+ , including iron nails, plastic bags and socks, in the stomach of a cow that was brought to the trust hospital for treatment. Kartik Shastri of the Jivdaya Charitable Trust said the cow was rescued from Sabarmati area and brought for treatment. During treatment, the doctors realised that the cow was pregnant and very weak. The animal was not even able to walk. After examining it, the doctors decided to operate on the cow," Shastri said. When they operated on the ailing cow, the doctors found in its stomach enough garbage to fill three buckets. Nails, screws and discarded wires were among the items found in the waste the cow had apparently eaten at garbage dumps. The doctors also found socks, pieces of clothes and even banned plastic bags+ . Shastri said this is not the first time that such plastic waste had been found in the stomach of a cow. "Earlier, we had found around 25-40 kg of plastic waste in the stomach of a cow," he said. Shastri said that the waste taken out of the cow's stomach filled three buckets with 37, 25 and 36 kg of garbage respectively. He said there is a need to create awareness about garbage disposal and the authorities should ensure that the waste is segregated at sources. Culled from THE TIMES OF INDIA CITY.

Common startups in urban agriculture.

The current economic situation has forced many city dwellers to move back to their various states/villages where the standard of living is lower. 

 

The majority of people who thronged to the city for greener pastures have suddenly realized that with the hike in prices of food and cost of living generally,the race away from the farms was a wrong move. #urrbanagriculture #snails 

 The basic needs of man highlighted as food,shelter and clothing has proved not to be so basic after all,the current state of recession has pulled the covers off the eyes of many and a journey into urban agriculture has begun in earnest. 

 Recession can be erased easily if more people practice urban agriculture, school children can also benefit from this if the schools engage in this.

 Urban agriculture in school will feed the kids, pay for school supplies and also provide extra income for teachers as well. Urban dwellers that want to launch out into the sea of agriculture have always found farm site an issue to contend with,but with urban agriculture this is no problem.

 Urban agriculture simply refers to agricultural practices that are possible and viable in urban areas without fear of breaking an environmental laws. 

The types of agricultural ventures that conform to the urban plans are simple to start,cheap(low startup cost) ,have a rapid return on investment and most especially they are ecofriendly without any risk of environmental pollution. 

 These Urban agric--ventures consists but not limited to the following, 1)sack farming; here vegetables are planted in sacks,which could be setup in front of your house,backyard,terraces or even on roof tops. 

 The scale of production will depend on space available and capital. The planting of vegetables is not limited to sacks, bottles,vats or other plastic containers could be utilized and the beauty of these is that you could actually make shelves or stands to create more space for your vegetables. See how to start here. 

The practice is easy ,look 2) snail rearing ; the snails can be reared in crates,wooden boxes ,drums or old tyres. 

The secret of the success of the venture is to get the right specie and provide optimum feeding and environmental conditions. The Achatina fulica is a splendid specie with the potential of laying about 400 eggs in a year,this specie grows bigger in length than A. marginata.

 The A.fulica weigh ,more rugged and adaptable than the marginata. 

 How to profit from snail farming see A. fulica is very peculiar in that it mates once and lays continuously for 5 years. 

The scale of the business depends on your point of entry; 1) raise from hatchlings to market.

 2) buy mature snails, rear and sell hatchlings.

 3) buy mature snails rear for a month and a half and sell off. All the entry levels have various advantages,your goal will determine your level of participation. 

Read more , the export potential is very huge see 

 The other ventures will be discussed later. 

Land owners are now cashing in on urban agriculture,they are leasing land for agricultural purposes in their estates to encourage more people .See Say no to #recession with #agriculture #urban-agriculture.

The destructive tomato pest: TUTA ABSOLUTA on the move.

A scientist who has alerted world policymakers to the pest that destroyed 80 percent of Nigeria's tomatoes continues his outreach while scientists warn that the pest may reach California, "where it is likely to become a serious threat to tomato production." Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have issued a warning to master gardeners throughout the state that the tomato leafminer "will eventually establish in California, where it is likely to become a serious threat to tomato production." The U.C. Davis scientists say they are "working on potential quarantine issues" in anticipation of Tuta absoluta's incursion into California, mirroring prevention efforts worldwide spearheaded by Virginia Tech's Muni Muniappan. Scientists warn that the leafminer, which primarily threatens tomatoes but also devastates other crops, is a risk to food security and agricultural production in countries where it invades. The Virginia Tech-based Innovation Lab, which is funded by USAID, will hold awareness workshops in Cambodia and Malaysia in the next 30 days. The workshops are designed to help scientists recognize the leafminer and put preventive measures in place. Earlier this summer, Muniappan helped confirm the leafminer's presence in Bangladesh and Nepal after scientists and policymakers there became alert to the threat through on-site training programs of the Virginia Tech-led Integrated Pest Management Innovation Lab. Muniappan, who directs the lab, documents the tiny moth's advance as it creates millions of dollars of crop losses in Europe, Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, and North Africa. Last year, he convened a group of plant protection scientists at the International Plant Protection Congress in Berlin in August, after which the United States adopted stricter customs controls on foreign-grown tomatoes at U.S. ports of entry.

Rapid decline in male dog fertility linked to environmental contaminants.

A new study has found the fertility of dogs have suffered a sharp decline over the past three decades. . The research found that sperm quality in a population of stud dogs studied over a 26-year period had fallen significantly. The research, published in the academic journal Scientific Reports, found that sperm quality in a population of stud dogs studied over a 26-year period had fallen significantly.The work has shown a potential link to environmental contaminants, after they were able to demonstrate that chemicals found in the sperm and testes of adult dogs -- and in some commercially available pet foods -- had a detrimental effect on sperm function at the concentrations detected. The work centred on five specific breeds of dogs; Labrador retriever, golden retriever, curly coat retriever, border collie and German shepherd and between 42 and 97 dogs studied every year. Semen was collected from the dogs and analysed to assess the percentage of sperm that showed a normal forward progressive pattern of motility and that appeared normal under a microscope (morphology). Over the 26 years of the study, they found a striking decrease in the percentage of normal motile sperm. Between 1988 and 1998, sperm motility declined by 2.5 per cent per year and following a short period when stud dogs of compromised fertility were retired from the study, sperm motility from 2002 to 2014 continued to decline at a rate of 1.2% per year. In addition, the team discovered that the male pups generated from the stud dogs with declining semen quality, had an increased incidence of cryptorchidism, a condition in which the testes of pups fail to correctly descend into the scrotum. Sperm collected from the same breeding population of dogs, and testes recovered from dogs undergoing routine castration, were found to contain environmental contaminants at concentrations able to disrupt sperm motility and viability when tested. The same chemicals that disrupted sperm quality, were also discovered in a range of commercially available dog foods including brands specifically marketed for puppies. This is a vital key to breeding success,do not just assume the stud is fit with fertile sperm cells, a breeding soundness test is very necessary,so before you take an already screened bitch to the stud make sure the results of the test is positive. Breeders cannot afford to take the risk, visit your vet to test the bitch and stud before you mate.

Cooking stove that could save millions of lives.

Traditional wood cooking fumes kill more people globally than Malaria and TB. Cooking with wood in a confined space kills more people globally than malaria or tuberculosis. The World Health Organization estimates that more than four million people die prematurely every year from using solid fuels and open fires inside their homes. People in poor regions need a more affordable alternative thus a Mexican entrepreneur Carlos Glatt designed a cheap, efficient 15cm x 15cm stove powered by an alcohol-based fuel.This allows people to use it to cook inside their homes with no smoke issue. The Glatt Stove, looks like a simple camping stove, but the fuel is liquid, not gas. A one-litre bottle of Glatt Stove fuel costs $1, can cook for up to five hours and is as easy to transport as a bottle of Coca-Cola. It's the cheapest stove in the world, according to Glatt, and it's very efficient. culled from wired.co.uk