The 3rd world also known as developing world people are faced with a lot of challenges in most aspects. It is true that we are a blessed race,but we are not making good use of the blessings in our possession. All of these challenges are due to lack of organization of our resources and the poor management system deeply rooted in the sphere of self-centeredness.

There are a couple of health related issues that are not a call for concern when projected on an international platform per say, but when brought to our developing world sphere are classified as serious health problem.

One of those that cought my attention is CERVICAL CANCER.

WHAT IS CERVICAL CANCER?

This is a malignant tumor at the lover portion of the cervix.

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb), which connects the vaginal to the main body of the uterus,thus acting as a gate way between them. In a nonpregnant adult, it measures about 25cm in length. It is considered a separate organ from the uterus since it is different from it anatomically (position related) and histological (cellular makeup).

The cervix has a couple of functions, some of which include allowing the flow of menstrual blood to the vagina, directing sperms to the uterus during intercourse, maintenance of pregnancy, aids in the process of child birth, and stops ascending microbes from reaching the uterus .

Cervical cancer, which is caused by certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), presents a significant public health threat to women on the African continent – all but one of the top 20 countries worldwide with the highest burden of cervical cancer in 2018 were in Africa.

Cervical cancer progresses slowly from the precancer stage to invasive cancer and it is entirely curable if diagnosed and treated early. The tragedy is that while this type of cancer is one of the most preventable, poor access to prevention, screening and treatment contributes to 90% of deaths.

In developed countries,it doesn’t find itself among the first 10 caused deaths in women, yet it is ranked second in Africa. Developed countries have bridged the gap of poor access to screening and do alot of preventive health via sensitization campaigns and regular screening (PAP SMEAR).

WHAT IS PAP SMEAR?

This is a screenning test done where by cells are collected from the cervix (inner and out) and analysed for changes.

There are cost effective screening tests that are available to detect precancer lesions as well as effective, safe and simple treatment for precancer, thus preventing the development of cancer in these women.

What causes the changes?

The most common factor responsible for this cancer brought about by abnormal cells changes is the human papilloma virus (HPV). There are about 100 different strands of this virus, 40 of them effecting humans and 15 particular to the genitals.

Everyone who is sexually active will become infected with HPV at some point in their lives, because men are healthy careers. While most strains are harmless and will not harm people with a healthy immune system, two types – 16 and 18 – cause 70% of cervical cancers and precancerous cervical lesions.

The purpose of this article is to encourage regular screening in women of reproductive age. Let’s not allow what is preventable instead prevent us from exploring our universe.

Don’t forget that preventive health is worth a million times curative.

W. PROSPER.N

It is surprising but not strange to find out that many people are still ignorant of this “silent walker” becoming more common among us now, Yes, am talking about the HEPATIS VIRUS. I say it is not surprising because most people in the African context do not seek to get information, if it is not that which brings some extra coins into their wallet. Talking to people amazed me as I got question like ” which new one is that ?”, “how does that one manifest?”, ” How and where is it gotten from?”. These are answers I got when I asked a couple of people aged 17 to 35years old if they have ever heard about Hepatitis.

About 70% said they have heard about it but do not know exactly what it’s all about. So conclusively,

there are still many people out there who have never heard of this, and so know neither what it is, how it is transmitted nor how it affects them or how it manifests, and there are others who have heard about it,but do not know what it is all about. To bring to our attention here, this virus is very dangerous and life threatening in most people. Getting the exact number of people infected is difficult because a greater portion of the infected are not aware they have infection since it presents with no signs and/or symptoms, though CDC estimates a total of 257 million people with chronic Hepatitis B(Hep B) world wide.

WHAT IS THIS HEPATITIS??

Hep is an inflammation of the liver, caused by either hepatotoxic substances like some drugs or alcohol and infections. So we have alcoholic and infectious Hepatitis.

The most common type of Hepatitis is infectious Hepatitis; viral Hepatitis. We have Hep A, B, C, D, E. Of all these, B and C are the most dangerous, but We will be talking about B.

Hep B is an infection of the liver, and it is termed either acute or chronic. When an individual is exposed to the virus, it takes averagely 90days for the appearance of the first sign/or symptom, though sometimes it takes about 8 weeks to 5months.

Once you are diagnosed of this virus within the period of 6months post infection, it is termed “Acute”. During this period, your immune system is expected to fight and kill the virus. Chances of success depend on the age and the immune system of the individual.

New borns who become infected with the hep B virus have 90% chances of developing severe health problems including liver damage, cancer and eventual death. Those between the ages of 5 and 12years have a 30%-50% chances of developing severe health problems including liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and eventual death. Older adults who become infected have up to 90% chances of recovering from the virus.

If your system is not able to fight off this virus during this acute phase,it is now termed “chronic”, and at this stage,you will have to live with the virus and adjust your life style in other to improve your quality of life and increase your life expectancy.

The virus is found in all body fluids including saliva, blood products, sweat, vaginal, anal and ejaculatory secretions, amiotic fluid and tears. Since it is found in these fluids,it therefore means that it can be transmitted via kissing, sexual intercourse (vaginal and anal), physical contact with the sweat of an infected individual, and blood products of an infected person as well. It can also be transmitted to babies while in the uterus since it crosses the placenta barrier and is found in the amiotic fluid.

When the virus enters the system of its host, it migrates straight to the liver where it attacks the liver cells(kuffer cells) and starts destroying them and causing the liver to increase in size(inflammation), this the name Hepatitis (medical name for liver inflammation). Since it is caused by the B strand of the Hepadnaviridae virus, it is this called Hepatitis B.

This virus is very stubborn and can stay out of its host for up to 7days or more, even when the body fluid carrying it dries off. It has hooks that permits it to anchors on any surface it finds itself on. It can not be killed by alcohol,be it 70% or 95% dilution. It is most often killed by javel water(la croix) in a dilution of 1 part to 10 parts of water.

The good news is that there is a vaccine against this virus, and also against hep A. There is also a combined vaccine for hep A $B. The vaccine is only taken after you have tested NEGATIVE for the virus, and it is taken over a period of 8 months( first dose is taken, then second dose 1 month after the first and third dose 6months after the second). There is another protocol which is followed and is taken within three months. The adult dose is 1ml(20ug) per dose. Four to six weeks after the vaccine, a control test is done to confirm the presence of antibodies against hep B in your system, and if not found,it may mean that your vaccination was not properly done. If done letter than 4-6weeks and antibodies not found,it may be an indication that the level may have risen and dropped post vaccination.

For those who get expose to the virus and their bodies fight it off successfully, they develop a natural immunity against the virus,in other words, natural vaccination. They also develop antibodies against the virus,and the next time they come in contact with the virus, their body fights and destroys them. For children born of infected mothers they are given Hep B immunoglobulin and a pediatric dose of the hep B vaccine within the next 24 hours after birth. After vaccination, you are covered for life,but may take a buster dose after about 10year, especially when you are traveling to an area with higher infection rate or when you are working in an environment where you are exposed and are at a greater risk, e.g health worker, sex workers, people with multiple sex partners.

Signs and symptoms when they are present include fever, tenderness over the liver, paper-white stool, jaundice(yellowish eyes) dark brown urine(like Coca-Cola) and acitis(advanced stage).

As of now, for those infected with this virus, there is NO CURE, but there are treatments. I have heard a couple calls from people dealing with the natural products talking about a cure for hepatitis,but I can’t confirm that because I have not seen anyone testifying to that yet. Once you are diagnosed and confirmed of hep B, the best thing to do is to start following a treatments. There are a couple of institutions around Douala and Yaounde following up patients with this condition.

Viral hepatitis is dangerous and kills. I have lost a couple of people I know to this virus. C is more virulent than B, and worse, it has no preventive vaccine.

Take care of your health and live a good life because life has no duplicate, and more over, HEALTH IS WEALTH.

SO IF YOU HAVE NEVER DONE YOUR TEST, DO IT NOW! GET VACCINATED AND STAY SAFE.

W.PROSPER.N

I have had to deal with so many people and students asking me if blood is the only body fluid that contains the HIV virus. Today, we are going to answer this question.

Like the name says it, it’s a virus, and viruses are microscopic, meaning they can’t be seen with the necked eyes. For the longest time now, there have been this agument that blood is the only body fluid that habours the HIV virus, and to that effect you are free from HIV once you have a blood free sex.

” I was too careful that no blood was involved, so how a hell did I get myself infected”, this was the statement of a young man who tested positive for the virus. Yes he could actually have been careful or not, but the question is ” HOW CAREFUL CAN YOU BE IN AN UNPROTECTED SEX WITH AN INDIVIDUAL WHOSE STATUS YOU KNOW NOT”?

This is what you should know; HIV virus is found in other body fluids beside blood. It is found in vaginal secretions, anal secretions,breast milk, cerebrospinal fluid, sperms(spermatozoa and semen), and other blood products.

Researchers have also found out that saliva contains the virus , but an individual can not contact it from casual kissing, because saliva is hypotonic, and that property causes it to inactive the Hiv transmission leucocytes(Columbian University,2020). Without not withstanding, infection with this virus is possible during deep kissing (French kiss) if both partner have a bleeding gum or mouth sore which create a portal for direct entery into the circulatory system.

Hiv Can NOT be contacted from other body fluid like sweat and tears, so hand shakes, casual kissing with someone who is infected will not cause you to be infected.

I will like to draw our attention here on something very pertinent. Exposure is NOT equals to infection. You can be exposed to the virus but for you to become infected depends on a couple of factors such as; your immune system, skin integrity viral load of the sick person and wether the person is on Antirectovirals or not. A drop of infected blood on an intact skin is exposure not infection ,which means that the blood can easily dry off and the virus dies, since it is also very fragile and only survives for a very short time out of its host. It will not be the same for a drop of infected blood in the mucose membrane, since since it is more fragile than the skin and also contains moisture which serves as a good milieu for free unbound strands of the virus. Here, infection will depend on the viral load of the sick person whose blood u got in your mucose membrane, your immunity and how thick the cells of that mucosal lining are.

People who practice anal sex are at a greater risk. This is so because the mucosal of the anus is just one cell thick which makes it fragile and easily breaks during anal sex. Same goes for Vaginal sex, but the chances of infection are reduced since the vaginal mucosal is two cells thick.

Now we know that when it comes to sexual intercourse as a means of HIV transmission, you do not need to get a breakage in the mucosal lining of the vaginal or anus before you get the virus because it is found in others body fluids beside blood.

Make your health your priority, for health is wealth.

W. PROSPER. N

Do you believe it is real!!!?

Yes it is, believe me or not. Am talking about the the killer seed HIV/AIDs.

Has anything really changed!?

This is a big question to answer here.

When all this began, it was song in all the four conners of the Earth. People trembled at the mention of it, the young and the old alike. Anyone could do anything just to keep safe from the draded plague.

So many distractions have come to blind our eyes and minds. HIV,AIDs’ gospel has Been relegated to the background. People don’t talk about it anymore. The whole world is on the mad rush for riches ,”get rich or die trying” as the youngsters call it, quest for power and fame, peer and societal pressure, the “want to belong” game, socio-polital crises,and what have you. These are all distractions. Believe me,the fact that this killer seed is not spoken of anymore does not mean it is gone. It is still so there in our midst!!! It is causing irreversible havock. It is claiming lives, breaking marriages,tearing families apart and crumbling the human race.

“That HIV is just a myth,I have had a couple of unprotected sex why have I never had it?”. “I don’t practice rough sex so I can’t have any bruise during the process, so no HIV for me(we will talk about this in the next article.”. ” HIV or not man most still die,so let me enjoy my unprotected sex,condoms are boring” .”is it HIV that has killed all the people that have died?”

These are heartbroken statements I have heard from young people and even older ones. If you are reading this article right now, believe me HIV/AIDs is real,I am telling you this from my years of experience as a health personnel. This is first hand information I am giving you,things I have been eyes witness to and my own findings I have made. In a certain regional hospital whose name I will not mention,that is a treatment center for HIV, it has ten thousand people on ARV. That is just one out of the many. What is the population of Cameroon that just one hospital is treating such a number. I visited the medical ward of another hospital and from the statistics I had,4/5 of the hospitalized patients were infected. Newly infected are on a rise,and the many more are dying.

This is not to stigmatise anyone please,it is just to show us that this pandemic is real and still very much among us destroying us in silence. It is not spoken of anymore,little or no campaigns done anymore and it makes it seem like it is gone. Many do no believe it exists and others don’t just care. It is so here. What will you gain if you acquire the whole world in exchange for ill-health? Does health have any price tag!? Let’s be careful with our lives. To stay safe,since you can’t tell who is healthy or sick,just consider anyone you meet as sick, unless proven otherwise via an HIV test. In this way,we will know our status and stay healthy

For those infected,adhere to your treatment because it is the only way you can stay safe and healthy,have healthy children and also stay free from infecting your partner. At zero viral load detection, your chances of transmitting the virus to another person is “0”,and you can live your full lifespan.

There is a myth hovering around the methods of transmission and prevention,so we will talk about it in the next article.

W. PROSPER.N

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