Orthodox medicine is ineffective for treating diabetes - Dr Ofei-Agyemang

Dr. Kwesi Ofei-Agyemang, Proprietor of New Life Clinic, said on Monday a growing number of people were going for alternative medicine since orthodox medicine had proved ineffective in the management of diseases including diabetes.

Dr Ofei-Agyemang made the observation at a press conference in Accra to educate Ghanaians about the causes of diabetes and suggested alternative
methods for its management.

"If Ghanaians and the Ghanaian economy are to be saved from catastrophic health care costs, especially of adult onset diabetes, then it is time we
take a good look at the wisdom in and cost effectiveness of alternative medicine," he said.

Dr. Ofei-Agyemang said the treatment of chronic diseases currently accounted for 85 per cent of the national health care bill, explaining,
"We wait for illness to develop and spend huge sums on heroic
measures for treatment even ignoring the underlying lifestyle related causes."

He however, stated that orthodox medicine was only effective when dealing with medical emergencies, bacteria infections, trauma care and complex surgical techniques.

Dr Ofei-Agyemang said the fact that medical practitioners were falling victim to chronic diseases, especially with the onset diabetes was evidence that doctors were ignorant of the causes of the disease.

Diabetes is a result of accumulated saturated fat and high cholesterol, “hence the disease is due to the food we eat,” he said, and urged Ghanaians to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables to enable them stay healthy.
GNA

Lights on/off resumes in Accra today

The load shedding programme of the Volta River Authority (VRA) and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), which was suspended for five days in support of the National Immunization Days, resumes on Monday morning.
"We want to remind the public that the load shedding programme, which was suspended on November 1, resumes on Monday morning," Ms Abla Fiadjoe, Acting Corporate Affairs Manager of the VRA, told the Ghana News Agency on Sunday in Accra.

She said the National Immunization Days ended on Sunday, hence the resumption of the load shedding.

The government ordered VRA and ECG to suspend the load shedding from November 1-5 in support of the National Immunization Days. "In order to support the immunization programme this year and also to ensure that the health delivery targets of government are met, government has decided that the current load shedding programme should be suspended from November 1-5," the Ministry of Energy had said. The five-day National Immunisation exercise ended on Sunday with health officials expressing satisfaction with the turn out.

This year's exercise on the theme: "Integrated Child Health Campaign", was aimed at reducing under-five mortality rate by two-thirds by the year 2015.

The exercise, which combined measles and polio immunisation, administering of vitamin A and distribution of 2.1 million free Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) to children less than two years old was the first in the country to boost the survival rate of millions of children.

About 5.959 million children from 0 months to 59 months for polio and about 5.065 million children from nine months to 59 months for measles were targeted at a cost of about 162 billion cedis. There were 9,050 immunisation points, 9,505 vaccinators, and 28,514 volunteers to ensure that all the children were covered.

Dr Kwadwo Antwi-Agyei, Expanded Immunisation Programme Manager of the Ghana Health Service, told the GNA in an interview that he exercise was successful and commended all those who were involved for their had work and sacrifice.


Source:
GNA

Five days Immunisation exercise ends

The five-day National Immunisation exercise ended on Sunday with health officials expressing satisfaction with the turn out.

This year's exercise under the theme "Integrated Child Health Campaign" aimed at reducing under-five mortality rate by two-thirds by the year 2015, started from November 1-5, 2006.

The exercise combined measles and polio immunisation, administering of vitamin A and distribution of 2.1 million free Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) to children less than two years old was the first in the country to boost the survival rate of millions of children. About 5.959 million children from 0 months to 59 months for polio and about 5.065 million children from nine months to 59 months for measles were targeted at a cost of about 162 billion cedis.

There were 9,050 immunisation points, 9,505 vaccinators, and 28,514 volunteers to ensure that all the children were covered.

Dr Kwadwo Antwi-Agyei, Expanded Immunisation Programme Manager of the Ghana Health Service, told the GNA in an interview that he exercise was successful and commended all those who were involved for their had work and sacrifice.

A visit by the GNA to some immunization points in some parts of Accra saw volunteers sitting idle with less work to do. At the Ashalley Botwe Newtown immunization point Ms Emefa Voudianyi, a volunteer, told the GNA that the first three days experienced high turn out "but the last two days have been less busy".

She said some mothers started queuing as early as 0400 hours on the first and second days to avoid being in long queues under the scorching sun.

"I believe the high turn out was because of the free distribution of ITNs that attracted more mothers. Even those who do not send their children for Child Welfare Clinic brought their children for immunization", Ms Voudianyi said.

The story was not different at the Adjirigano post near East Legon, OIC at Shiashie, La Trade Fair, OSU Kaagyano and Osu Alata. When the GNA got there volunteers were less busy with mothers trickling in. Few mothers the GNA spoke to expressed dissatisfaction that the ITNs were meant for just children from zero to two years.

"My daughter is two years three months and the net is expensive and I cannot afford it so I thought I would be given here but I wasn't", Naa Morkor of Osu Alata told the GNA.

Mrs Marian Narh of Ashalley Botwe was of the view that every child under five years who was immunised should have been given the net because "the mosquito when biting does not discriminate, and malaria we know is no respecter of persons." 05 Nov. 06Source:
GNA

Online dating scams from Ghana on the rise

The U.S. embassy in Accra, Ghana, reports receiving up to 15 calls a week from Americans who have lost money on relationship scams originating in Ghana....
Online dating scams on the rise in the U.S.
HAMPTON FALLS -- Scam artists are tapping into the online dating market, and in two cases in Hampton Falls, have stolen thousands of dollars from women who thought they had a romantic relationship.

The Hampton Falls Police Department is investigating two cases of online fraud.

The local women were duped out of thousands of dollars they'll likely never recover, Police Chief Robbie Dirsa said.

It could happen to anyone, said Dirsa, whose officer, Jeremy Tetreault, spoke at an identity theft seminar in Hampton this past Thursday.

Dirsa described both victims as professional women scammed by expert salesmen.

One case began in January 2002, he said, after one woman met a man online through the Yahoo Personals. She loaned him, over the course of more than a year, $109,000 for his alleged trucking business, Dirsa said.

The couple had a few dates, Dirsa said, though police are investigating whether the man she dated is the same person she met online or someone sent to get the money. The man she dated is described as a white male, in his 50s. She said he lived in-state.

Police know very little about him, even though they have a name and an e-mail address.

"We don't know whether he lives in New Hampshire or not," Dirsa said. "He has a name that is common."

He never repaid any amount of the loan, and the woman hasn't heard from him.

"Like they tell you, anybody can buy anything on the Internet," Dirsa said. "These cases are tough. People play into emotions."

Some people are embarrassed to come forward and admit they've been taken, Dirsa said. This may be particularly true of senior citizens who respond to e-mail requests for money.

"I wonder how many people lose a thousand, lose two thousand, and not report it," he said.

This spring, another female resident said she began e-mailing a man she met through an online dating service. She never met him in person. He told her he was an American citizen working in Nigeria. He began making requests for cash. She sent him at least $10,000, Dirsa said.

She then received a letter and a $7,500 check from a woman across the country who asked her to send the money to him. When she tried to wire the money, the company stopped her from sending it, Dirsa said.

Schemes out of Nigeria are notorious, he said, because the country will do nothing to cooperate with U.S. investigations of Internet fraud.

"This is money absolutely gone," he said.

Because he had no fear of being prosecuted, the man continued to ask the woman for money even after he knew she had gone to law enforcement.

The woman who sent the money cross-country got her $7,500 back, Dirsa said. She also believed she had a romantic e-mail relationship with the man.

"They know how to tap into someone's emotions," Dirsa said. Americans, he said, "want to help the underdog."

Dirsa brought the cases to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Portsmouth. In the case of the first woman, he said, the man may have given her a false identity, which would help in prosecuting him criminally.

Internet scams are very prevalent, said Gail Marcinkiewicz, a Boston spokeswoman for the FBI. She had no statistics for online dating fraud.

"It also happens with off-line relationships," she said, "(The person says) let me invest your money.' So many people give away money they should be careful about."

Internet complaints are sent to the National White Collar Crime Center in Richmond, Va., which works with the FBI, Marcinkiewicz said. Victims are encouraged to make complaints to www.ifccfbi.gov.

Cases may not meet prosecution guidelines unless investigators see a pattern, Marcinkiewicz said.

The top 10 states for Internet fraud include no New England states. The list does include California, Texas, Florida and New York.

Christian Desilets, a resource attorney with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), responded to an e-mail request for information.

To his knowledge, he said, the exact dimensions of Internet dating fraud have not been measured with any degree of certainty. There is, he said, a great deal of anecdotal evidence "that points to it being a widespread phenomenon."

Julie Ferguson, executive director of The Merchant Risk Council, according to Desilets, is reported to have noticed a marked upturn in the number of calls she receives on Internet dating fraud, from one call every three months to "one every couple of weeks or so."

Dating sites and chat rooms are one of the primary means by which suspects make contact with new victims, according to information given to Desilets by Supervisory Special Agent Dale Miskell.

Miskell is in charge of an FBI CyberCrime squad in Birmingham, Ala., and has worked extensively with Nigerian authorities to combat reshipping schemes. This is when online thieves purchase items with stolen credit cards and have them sent to an innocent party to be shipped out of the country.

Miskell also investigates check or money-order fraud, when the suspect sends the victim a fraudulent check or money order to cash and then has the innocent party wire him or her the money before the bank discovers the instrument was fraudulent.

The U.S. embassy in Accra, Ghana, reports receiving up to 15 calls a week from Americans who have lost money on relationship scams originating in Ghana, Desilets said. There are also official warnings from the State Department with regard to dating scams originating from the Ukraine.

To shed some light on the scope of the problem, several e-groups and Web communities exist for networking between victims, Desilets said. A prominent one is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancescams/.

"While a victim may certainly pursue civil routes to recovery (as the criminal system is less geared to restoring the victim's lost money than the civil system), there is no doubt that it is also a criminal matter," he said, subject to fine and imprisonment.

As a practical matter, criminal prosecution is difficult, particularly when the case involves an investigation overseas.

Source:
GHP

WHO reintroduce DDT for malaria control

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reintroduce the use of DDT (Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichcoroethane) for the
control of malaria saying it is most effective and safe.


The organization is therefore, presently promoting the use of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) with DDT for the control of the disease in epidemic areas as well as with constant and high malaria transmission.

Explaining the rationale for the reintroduction of DDT, which was banned about 30 years ago on Thursday in Obuasi Dr Joaquim Saweka, the WHO representative in Ghana said later extensive research had shown that well-managed IRS programme using DDT pose no harm to wildlife or humans.

He said the study revealed that DDT presents no health risk when used properly adding; "WHO has given its blessings to DDT and it is important for countries to issue a clear statement outlining their position on IRS with long-lasting insecticides;" IRS is the application of long-acting insecticides on the walls and roofs of houses and domestic shelters in order to kill malaria carrying mosquitoes that land on these surfaces.

Dr. Saweka stressed that using IRS with DDT required a clear specification of where and how the spraying should be implemented in accordance with WHO guidelines.
The programmatic evidence of the research according to him showed that correct and timely use of IRS can reduce malaria transmission by up to 90 per cent.


He said, WHO was prepared to provide a facilitating role in terms of guidance and capacity building to assist countries and/or organizations that would adopt this new approach of IRS to help reduce the high mortality rate and improve the lives of the populace.
GNA

Honour commitment to opening market and debt relief for Africa- Summit

The Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation ended on Sunday with a call on the international community to encourage and support Africa's efforts to pursue the path of peace and development.


In addition, the Summit demanded an increase of the official development assistance from developed nations and asked that they honoured their commitment of opening their markets and debt relief to enhance the continent's capacity in poverty reduction.


These were contained in a declaration adopted by the leaders and read out in parts, by Ethiopian Prime Minister, Mr Meles Zenawi, Egyptian President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak and Chinese President, Mr Hu Jintao.

President John Agyekum Kufuor was among the 41 African Heads of States and Governments, who attended the two-day meeting which, was aimed at charting a new course in Africa-China economic and trade relations.

The leaders re-affirmed their adherence to the one country-region on China's policy and support for country-region on China's peaceful reunification.
It noted China's peaceful development and the commitment to place Africa, a continent with the largest number of developing countries on the paths to stability, development and renaissance, which were in themselves significant to world peace and progress.


China and African countries should therefore, enhance their traditional friendship and expand mutually beneficial co-operation to achieve common development and prosperity in view of their shared development goals and converging interests.


“We propose to enhance South-South co-operation and North-South dialogue to promote balanced, coordinated and sustainable development of the global economy to enable all countries to share its benefits and realize common development and prosperity.

“We hold that the United Nations (UN) should strengthen its role through reform, pay greater attention to the issue of development and give priority to increasing the representation of African countries in UN agencies,” the Summit declared.
GNA

Give students free condoms – MP

Mr. Charles Hodogbey, MP for North Tongu on Friday suggested that government makes condoms available to students from the Junior Secondary School to the University levels to check the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Recalling his days of community work in Chicago, USA, Mr Hodogbey said condoms could be placed at vantage points in the schools campuses where students could have free access to them.

Mr. Hodogbey made the suggestion in a contribution in Parliament on a statement by Mrs. Gifty Eugenia Kusi, MP for Tarkwa Nsuaem on "HIV/AIDS and Poverty- the African Woman's Bane.

Mrs. Kusi had said in the statement that poverty was pushing young women on the African Continent to indulge in illicit activities such as prostitution for sustenance, and in the process exposed them to all sorts of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Mrs. Kusi said there was a rise in HIVAIDS cases, and said at a recent Commonwealth Women's Parliament seminar on Women's Health, Poverty and HIV/AIDS, seminar, the women fought for the cause to intensify the education of the Ghanaian populace and fellow MP's on the dangers and effects of the pandemic.

She also noted that maternal mortality rates had been aggravated by the high incidence of HIV/AIDS, and recommended that the Ghana Health Service come out with a policy or legislation to make maternal death one of the notifiable events.


Mr Hodogbey in his contribution supported a mandatory test for HIV/AIDS for people entering into marriage, establishment of a research institution, and a dedicated HIV/AIDS clinic.

Ms Akua Sena Dansua urged men to be more interested in discussing issues on women that dealt with HIV/AIDS. She regretted that even men in Parliament were not so keen in taking part in discussion on the subject.

Ms Cecilia Obeng Dapaah, Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, called for sympathy and good for people living with AIDS, adding, " Your infected wife or husband who has HIV/AIDS, is a still your husband or wife; your son or daughter who has HIV/ AIDS is still your child."
GNA