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The World Health Organisation (WHO), on Tuesday, released its 2018 list of priority pathogens that have the potential to cause a public health emergency and which have no, or insufficient, countermeasures. To on the list are Lassa fever and Ebola virus disease. Experts consider that given their potential to cause a public health emergency and the absence of efficacious drugs and/or vaccines, there is an urgent need for accelerated research and development for: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF); Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease; Lassa fever; Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS); Nipah and henipaviral diseases; Rift Valley fever (RVF); Zika; and Disease X. Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease.To help control outbreaks, the WHO has called on the medical community to unite in greater Research and D...

The Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani yesterday stormed the headquarters of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory, with snake charmers. The senator also seized the opportunity to present JAMB with snake repellent chemicals. Sani said the visit was to enable stakeholders get to the bottom of the issues surrounding the reported case of missing N36 million from the JAMB office in Makurdi, Benue State. One Philomena Chieshe, a sales clerk in the JAMB office, Makurdi, told JAMB registrar and his team that she could not account for the N36 million she made in previous years before the abolition of scratch cards. “In the course of interrogation, Philomena denied the allegations that she stole the money, but confessed that her housemaid connived with another JAMB staff to spiritually (through a snake) steal the money from the vault in the account office,” the report said. Sani said his visit to JAMB was...

It was pandemonium yesterday as suspected herdsmen invaded the secretariat of Akure South Local Council of Ondo State.The action of the invaders, numbering 30 and armed with cutlasses, knives, cudgels, charms and other dangerous weapons, resulted in the council being deserted as early as 8:30am. Workers and prospective couples who had booked ceremonies at the registry were nowhere to be found during a visit to the scene.  It was gathered that one of the workers, identified as Mr. Simeon Johnson, had a confrontation with a herdsman grazing on the council’s vegetable farm sited on a large expanse of land at the back of the secretariat.He noted that the chasing away of the indifferent eight-year-old which led to his tripping that irked an onlooking older herdsman and the suspected who drew out his sword and engaged the council worker who was reportedly in possession of a cutlass.  Both men were said to be seriously injured from the confrontation, resulting in reinforcement b...

FBI Director Chris Wray said Tuesday the White House was given a full background security report in July on an aide to President Donald Trump who resigned only last week over domestic abuse allegations. Wray’s comments to the Senate Intelligence Committee raised fresh questions about why Porter was able to continue working at Trump’s right hand, dealing with top secret materials with only an interim security clearance. The White House is under fire for its handling of Porter, who was Trump’s staff secretary until being forced to step down when allegations he abused two former wives became public. Top White House officials including Chief of Staff John Kelly have said they only learned of the claims against Porter when they were reported by the media on February 6. But the FBI had interviewed both of Porter’s former wives last year as part of its background check for his security clearance. Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee that a preliminary clearance report was submi...

Scientists have modified a test for early diagnosis of prion diseases with the goal of improving early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The group tested cerebral spinal fluid samples from people with Parkinson's disease; people with dementia with Lewy bodies; and controls, some of whom had Alzheimer's disease. The test correctly excluded all the controls and diagnosed both Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies with 93 percent accuracy.   National Institutes of Health scientists developing a rapid, practical test for the early diagnosis of prion diseases have modified the assay to offer the possibility of improving early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The group, led by NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), tested 60 cerebral spinal fluid samples, including 12 from people with Parkinson's disease, 17 from people with dementia with Lewy bodies, and 31 con...

Team Nigeria yesterday added additional 15 medals to its medal haul to put up a satisfactory performance at the on-going African Wrestling Championship in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The country had a strong showing in the junior freestyle, which she dominated against oppositions from the North Africans and South Africans, as the likes of Radiance Best Akari (125kg), Tarikebena (86kg), Nwafor Emeka (70kg) did the nation proud by winning gold medals in their weight categories. Ebiboloukemi Gilbert (79kg) settled for the silver medal after losing 0-5 to Algeria’s Oussama Abdellaoui, as Yelekeme Nelco also secured a silver after subduing to South Africa’s Gabriel Jacobus Le Roux 8-2. Seitonkumo Richard (57kg) and Ikiofakemefa Reginald (57) got bronze medals for the nation. In the junior women wrestling category, Team Nigeria also won two gold through Ozioma Mary Joseph (55kg) and Nkechi Gloria Dimejesi (59kg), while Gloria Ndubisi Ojieh (50kg), Precious Titilayo Tiebiri (62kg) and Isaac...

Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick as Real Madrid warmed up for their Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain with a big 5-2 victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday. Zinedine Zidane’s men have not scaled their usual heights this season and this was still not perfect, but they do look to be finding some form just in time for a potentially season-defining tie with the French side on Wednesday. They blew Real Sociedad apart in the first half at the Santiago Bernabeu, taking the lead inside a minute through Lucas Vazquez and finding themselves four goals ahead by the interval. Toni Kroos got Real’s other goal, as they made it three wins and a draw from their last four La Liga games, with 18 goals scored in that time. The defensive lapses that allowed the visitors to pull two goals back late on will be a concern for Zidane, but Ronaldo’s return to form is a huge boost. “He always has that mindset. He lives for that, for scoring goals, and today he showed with...