Information of Ebola virus

EBOLA VIRUS

INTRODUCTION

The Ebola virus disease, formerly called the Ebola hemorrhagic fever, was first identified in rural Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1976. The disease had mostly been confined to relatively small outbreaks in rural settings until its 2014 outbreak, which hit urban areas in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, infecting more than 28,600 people and killing more than 11,300 by the end of 2015. The World Health Organization (WHO), which was criticized for its slow response to the epidemic, called the outbreak "the most severe, acute health emergency seen in modern times." In January 2016, West Africa was declared free of the disease, although officials warned that small flare-ups were likely. As the outbreak waned, health officials looked to learn from the uneven international response and prepare for future pandemics.

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a severe and often fatal illness that attacks the immune system and causes extreme fluid loss in its victims. The disease disrupts the blood-clotting system, which can lead to internal and external bleeding. Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, and are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and bleeding. Most fatalities are caused by severe dehydration or low blood pressure related to fluid loss. The virus is named after the Ebola River in the Congolese region where it was first identified. The largest outbreak prior to 2014 was in Uganda in 2000, in which 425 people were infected and 224 died.

How is it transmitted?

Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids from an infected person with apparent symptoms or by handling a victim's corpse. Unlike the common flu and the measles, Ebola is relatively difficult to contract. In October 2014 the New England Journal of Medicine estimated the infection rate (denoted as R0) in this outbreak was between R1.7and R2 in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea; on average, each sick person infected between 1.7 ana 2 other people. An outbreak is considered "out of control" once it passes R2.

Vaccinations and treatments for Ebola have undergone clinical trials, and health workers have used ring vaccination—vaccinating primary and secondary contacts of infected persons—to contain the disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2015 awarded fast-track status to ZMapp, an experimental drug used to treat some cases of Ebola. Treatments also include rehydration and plasma infusions from Ebola survivors, who are believed to possess antibodies to the disease

Why did the outbreak occur in West Africa?

The outbreak is believed to have started in December 2013 in a Guinean village in the prefecture of Gueckedou, near the Liberian and Sierra Leonean borders. The New England Journal of Medicine traced the disease to a two-year-old boy who died on December 6; he and his family were never tested for the disease, although their symptoms were consistent with those of Ebola (his mother, sister, and grandmother subsequently became sick and died). Researchers do not know how the family caught the virus, which can be contracted from contact with primates, bats, or contaminated food.

BLACK HOLE

                                                     BLACK HOLE

A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying. Because no light can get out, people can't see black holes. They are invisible.It is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying.

Because no light can get out, people can't see black holes. They are invisible. Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes. The special tools can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently than other stars.

How Big Are Black Holes?

Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny but have the mass of a large mountain. Mass is the amount of matter, or "stuff," in an object.

Another kind of black hole is called "stellar." Its mass can be up to 20 times more than the mass of the sun. There may be many, many stellar mass black holes in Earth's galaxy. Earth's galaxy is called the Milky Way.

The largest black holes are called "supermassive." These black holes have masses that are more than 1 million suns together. Scientists have found proof that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy is called Sagittarius A. It has a mass equal to about 4 million suns and would fit inside a very large ball that could hold a few million Earths.

How Do Black Holes Form?

Scientists think the smallest black holes formed when the universe began.

Stellar black holes are made when the center of a very big star falls in upon itself, or collapses. When this happens, it causes a supernova. A supernova is an exploding star that blasts part of the star into space.

Scientists think supermassive black holes were made at the same time as the galaxy they are in.

ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS

                                           TUBERCULOSIS

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium causes TB. It is spread through the air when a person with TB (whose lungs are affected) coughs, sneezes, spits, laughs or talks.

TB is contagious, but it is not easy to catch. The chances of catching TB from someone you live or work with are much higher than from a stranger. Most people with active TB who have received appropriate treatment for at least two weeks are no longer contagious.

Since antibiotics began to be used to fight TB, some strains have become resistant to drugs. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) arises when an antibiotic fails to kill all of the bacteria that it targets, with the surviving bacteria developing resistance to that antibiotic and often others at the same time.

CAUSES

The bacteria that cause TB is spread through the air from person to person. The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected. There are two types of TB conditions: latent TB infection and TB disease.

TB bacteria can live in the body without making you sick. This is called latent TB infection. In most people who breathe in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick, do not have any symptoms, and cannot spread TB bacteria to others.

If TB bacteria become active in the body and multiply, the person will go from having latent TB infection to being sick with TB disease.

People with TB disease usually have symptoms and may spread TB bacteria to others.

Woman coughing into arm

A cough lasting 3 weeks or longer is a symptom of TB disease.

SYMPTOMS

While latent TB is symptomless, the symptoms of active TB include the following:

Coughing, sometimes with mucus or blood

Chills

Fatigue

Fever

Loss of weight

Loss of appetite

Night sweats.

Tuberculosis usually affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. When TB occurs outside of the lungs, the symptoms can vary accordingly. Without treatment, TB can spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream:

TB infecting the bones can lead to spinal pain and joint destruction

TB infecting the brain can cause meningitis

TB infecting the liver and kidneys can impair their waste filtration functions and lead to blood in the urine

TB infecting the heart can impair the heart's ability to pump blood, resulting in a condition called cardiac tamponade that can be fatal.

PREVENTION

TB is an airborne disease and transmission essentially can be prevented through adequate ventilation and limited contact with patients.

Many people who are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) do not get sick or spread the bacteria to others—this is known as latent TB. In the United States and many other countries, healthcare providers try to identify people infected with Mtb as early as possible, before they advance from latent to active TB.

Some people at higher risk for developing active TB are

People with HIV infection

People who became infected with TB bacteria in the last two years

Babies and young children

People who inject illegal drugs

People who are sick with other diseases that weaken the immune system

Elderly people

People who were not treated correctly for TB in the past

People in high risk groups can be treated with medicine to prevent active TB disease and should meet with their healthcare providers to determine the appropriate treatment.

TB Vaccine

In those parts of the world where the disease is common, the World Health Organization recommends that infants receive a vaccine called BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin). BCG is fairly effective in protecting small children from severe TB complications. It does not protect adults very well against lung TB, which is the form of TB that is easiest to spread to others. BCG is not currently recommended for infants in the United States.

SOME OF THE RAREST ANIMALS IN THE WORLD

SOME OF THE RAREST ANIMALS IN THE WORLD

AMUR LEOPARD

The Amur leopard is solitary. Nimble-footed and strong, it carries and hides unfinished kills so that they are not taken by other predators. It has been reported that some males stay with females after mating, and may even help with rearing the young. Several males sometimes follow and fight over a female. They live for 10-15 years, and in captivity up to 20 years. The Amur leopard is also known as the Far East leopard, the Manchurian leopard or the Korean leopard.

SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS

Harapan, a four-year-old male Sumatran rhinoceros at Florida's White Oak Conservation Center, appears to emerge from the shadows in this photograph.The Sumatran orangutan is almost exclusively arboreal, living among the trees of tropical rainforests. Females virtually never travel on the ground and adult males do so rarely. Sumatran orangutans are reported to have closer social ties than their Bornean cousins. This has been attributed to mass fruit on fig trees, where groups of Sumatran orangutans can come together to feed. Adult males are typically solitary while females are accompanied by offspring

WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS

Western lowland gorillas are endangered, but they remain far more common than their relatives, the mountain gorillas. They live in heavy rain forests, and it is difficult for scientists to accurately estimate how many survive in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

PHILIPPINE CROCODILE

The Philippine crocodile is a crocodilian endemic to the Philippines. It is a relatively small, freshwater crocodile. It has a relatively broad snout and thick bony plates on its back (heavy dorsal armor). This is a fairly small species, reaching breeding maturity at 1.5 m (4.9 ft) and 15 kg (33 lb) in both sexes and a maximum size around 3.1 m (10 ft).[7] Females are slightly smaller than males. Philippine crocodiles are golden-brown in color, which darkens as they mature.

BLACK EYED TREE FROG

: Although commonly known as the Black-eyed Leaf Frog, this iris of this species is actually an extremely deep red colour. Their flanks are usually bright orange in colour but this colour can be lacking from some populations. This nocturnal species is quite large, with females reaching 58mm in size and males being slightly smaller.

MOUNTAIN PYGMY POSSUM

.The mountain pygmy possum is a highly unusual marsupial that was known only from fossilised material until its discovery in 1966 at a ski resort in Victoria. It is the largest of Australia’s five pygmy possums, and is one of the longest living small terrestrial mammal known (females can reach an age of more than 12 years). Reliant on winter snow-fall for its annual hibernation.

SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN

The Sumatran orangutan is almost exclusively arboreal, living among the trees of tropical rainforests. Females virtually never travel on the ground and adult males do so rarely. Sumatran orangutans are reported to have closer social ties than their Bornean cousins. This has been attributed to mass fruit on fig trees, where groups of Sumatran orangutans can come together to feed. Adult males are typically solitary while females are accompanied by offspring.

INTRODUCTION OF GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Introduction-Great Wall Of China

The Great Wall spans more than two thousand years and traverses 5,000 kilometers. The Great Wall, like the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India and the Hanging Garden of Babylon, is one of the great wonders of the world.

Starting out in the east on the banks of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province, the Wall stretches westwards for 12,700 kilometers to Jiayuguan in the Gobi desert, thus known as the Ten Thousand Li Wall in China. The Wall climbs up and down, twists and turns along the ridges of the Yanshan and Yinshan Mountain Chains through five provinces--Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu--and two autonomous regions--Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, binding the northern China together.

As a cultural heritage, the Wall belongs not only to China but to the world. The Venice charter says: "Historical and cultural architecture not only includes the individual architectural works, but also the urban or rural environment that witnessed certain civilizations, significant social developments or historical events." The Great Wall is the largest of such historical and cultural architecture, and that is why it continues to be so attractive to people all over the world. In 1987, the Wall was listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site.

The Great Wall is not an individual rampart but an integrated defense system formed by fortifications including ramparts, watch towers, beacon towers, barrier walls, battle walls, fortresses and passes, etc. This huge project is peerless not only in China, but also in the world. The Great Wall was listed as one of the seventh miracles in the ancient world hundreds years ago; it was recorded in World inheritance name list by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO. "In 220 B.C., under Qin Shi Huang, sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to form a united defence system against invasions from the north. Construction continued up to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), when the Great Wall became the world's largest military structure. Its historic and strategic importance is matched only by its architectural significance.", commented by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.

HISTORY OF RAI CULTURE

HISTORY OF KIRATI(RAI)CULTURE

The Rai, also known as the Khambu (people of Khumbu region) are one of Nepal's most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. The Rai (Khambu) belong to the Kirati group or the Kirat confederation that includes the Limbu, the Sunuwar, Yakkha Dhimal, Koche, Meche, and Hayu ethnic groups.

The traditional homeland of the Rai(Khambu) extends across Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga (Wallo Kirat or Near Kirat), home of the Bahing, Wambule subgroups), Khotang, Bhojpur and the Udayapur districts (Majh Kirat or Central Kirat), home of Bantawa, Chamling etc. in the northeastern hilly/mountainous region of Nepal, west of the Arun River in the Sun Koshi River watershed. Rais are also found in significant numbers in the Indian state of Sikkim and in the northern West Bengal towns of Kalimpong and Darjeeling.

According to Nepal's 2001 census, there are 635,751 Rai(Khambu) in Nepal which represents 2.79% of the total population. Of this number, 70.89% declared themseleves as practising the traditional (Kiranti/Kirant) religion and 25.00% declared themselves as Hindu. Yakkha were measured as a separate ethnic group of which 81.43% were Kirant and 14.17% were Hindu.[1] The Rai are divided into many different sub-groups - Bantawa, Chamling, Sampang, Dumi, Jerung, Kulung, Khaling, Lohorung, Mewahang, Rakhali, Thulung,Tamla, Tilung, Wambule, Yakkha, Yamphu, Sunuwar, Jero (Jerung) , etc. Some groups number only a few hundred members. The languages together with the traditional religion of the Rai is known as Kirant.

More than 32 different Kiranti languages and dialects are recognized within the Tibeto-Burman languages family.Their languages are Pronominalised Tibeto-Burman languages,indicating their antiquity. The oral language is rich and ancient, as is Kiranti history, but the written script remains yet to be properly organised as nearly all traces of it was destroyed by the next rulers of Nepal, The Lichhavis and almost eradicated by the Shah dynasty.

The traditional Kiranti religion, predating Hinduism and Buddhism, is based on ancestor-worship and the placation of ancestor spirits through elaborate rituals governed by rules called Mundhum. Summation-Paruhang are worshipped as primordial parents. A major Rai holiday is the harvest festival, Nwogi, when fresh harvested foods are shared by all. The Bijuwa and Nakchhung (Dhami) or Priest plays an important role in Rai communities.

They do not truly belong to the Caste system or Varna system although few have accepted the kshatriya status.Majority of Rai have never accepted Caste ism and never adopted a Caste(Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities and Nepal government have recognised this fact)(29)

Because of the fiercely independent nature of the Rai community and its location at the eastern end of the consolidated Nepalese nation-state, the Rai were given exceptional rights of Kip at autonomy and land ownership in their homeland of Maj (middle) Kirant.

Subsistence agriculture of rice, millet, wheat, corn and even cotton is the main occupation of the Rai although many Rai have been recruited into military service with the Nepali army and police, and the Indian and British Gurkha regiments and Singapore Police Force.

Rai women decorate themselves lavishly with silver and gold coin jewellery. Marriage unions are usually monogamous and arranged by parents, although "love marriage",bride capture(in the past) and elopement are alternative methods. Music (traditional drums and string instruments: yele, binayo, murchunga, dhol and jhyamta), dance (Sakela or Sakewa dance) and distilled spirits (alcohol) called aaraakha, ngashi, or waasim are central to Rai culture.

Sakela or Sakewa dance is the greatest religious festival of Kirant Rai.

rai

Kirat history and culture about the nepal

Nepal is a very ancient country, which was ruled by many dynasties in the past. Among them, the Kirat rule is taken as a very significant one, being the longest period that extended from pre-historic to historic period. In ancient Hindu scriptures, Nepal is referred as the "Kirat Desh" or "the Land of Kirats".

When the 28th Kirat King Paruka was ruling in the valley, the Sombanshi ruler attacked his regime many times from the west. Although he successfully repelled their attacks, he was forced to move to Shankhamul from Gokarna. He had built a Royal Palace called "Patuka" there for himself. The Patuka Palace is no more to be seen, except its ruins in the form of mound. "Patuka" had changed Shankhamul into a beautiful town. The last King of the Kirat dynasty was Gasti. He proved to be a weak ruler and was overthrown by the Sombanshi ruler Nimisha. It brought to the end of the powerful Kirat dynasty that had lasted for about 1225 years.

After their defeat, Kirats moved to the eastern hills of Nepal and settled down divided into small principalities. Their settlements were divided into three regions; namely, "Wallo-Kirant" or "near Kirant" that lay to the east of Kathmandu, "Majh-Kirat" or "central Kirat," and "Pallo-Kirat" that lay to the far east of the Kathmandu valley. These regions are still heavily populated by Kirats. Rai(Khambu) are the inhabitants of near and central Kirat. Although, they are also quite densely populated in "pallo-Kirat".

By religion, Kirats were originally nature worshippers. They worshipped the sun, the moon, rivers, trees, animals and stones. Their primeval ancestors are Paruhang and Sumnima. Hinduism was introduced to and imposed on the Kirats only after the conquest of Gorkhali rulers whose root was in India. Kirats were quite tolerant and liberal to other religions. That was why Buddhism flourished during the Kirat rule in Nepal. Buddhism had rekindled a new interest and attitude among the people. Kirats had also built many towns. Shankhamul, Matatirtha, Thankot, Khopse, Bhadgoan and Sanga were prosperous cities with dense population. Thus, it can be safely said that the Kirat period had paved the way for further development and progress of Nepal in all sectors in future.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

World Health Organization (WHO)

The specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with health on an international level. The agency was founded in 1948 and in its constitution are listed the following objectives:Health is a state of complete physical and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standards of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, or economic or social condition. The health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security and is dependent upon the fullest cooperation of individuals and States. The achievement of any State in the promotion and protection of health is of value to all.

The major specific aims of the WHO are:

1. To strengthen the health services of member nations, improving the teaching standards in medicine and allied professions, and advising and helping generally in the field of health.

2. To promote better standards for nutrition, housing, recreation, sanitation, and economic and working conditions.

3. To improve maternal and child health and welfare.

4. To advance progress in the field of mental health.

5. To encourage and conduct research on problems of public health.

In carrying out these aims and objectives the WHO functions as a directing and coordinating authority on international health. It serves as a center for all types of global and health information, promotes uniform guarantee standards and international sanitary regulations, provides advisory services through public health experts in control of disease, and sets up international standards for the manufacture of all important drugs. Through its teams of physicians, nurses, and other health personnel it provides modern medical skills and knowledge to communities throughout the world.

Foundation 

Amid the 1945 United Nations Conference on International Organization, Dr. Szeming Sze, an agent from China, deliberated with Norwegian and Brazilian representatives on making a worldwide wellbeing association under the protection of the new United Nations. In the wake of neglecting to get a determination went on the subject, Alger Hiss, the Secretary General of the gathering, prescribed utilizing an affirmation to set up such an association. Dr. Sze and different agents campaigned and an affirmation passed requiring a global gathering on wellbeing. The utilization of "world", as opposed to "universal", underlined the genuinely worldwide nature of what the association was looking to accomplish. The constitution of the World Health Organization was marked by each of the 51 nations of the United Nations, and by 10 different nations, on 22 July 1946.[4] It in this way turned into the initially specific office of the United Nations to which each part subscribed. Its constitution formally came into power on the primary World Health Day on 7 April 1948, when it was sanctioned by the 26th part state. The initially meeting of the World Health Assembly completed on 24 July 1948, having secured a financial plan of US$5 million (then GBP£1,250,000) for the 1949 year. Andrija Stampar was the Assembly's first president, and G. Brock Chisholm was selected Director-General of WHO, having served as Executive Secretary amid the arranging stages.[3] Its first needs were to control the spread of intestinal sickness, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases, and to enhance maternal and youngster wellbeing, sustenance and ecological cleanliness. Its first administrative act was concerning the gathering of precise measurements on the spread and bleakness of ailment. The logo of the World Health Organization highlights the Rod of Asclepius as an image for mending. 

WHO set up an epidemiological data administration by means of telex in 1947, and by 1950 a mass tuberculosis vaccination drive (utilizing the BCG immunization) was under way. In 1955, the jungle fever annihilation project was propelled, in spite of the fact that it was later adjusted in target. 1965 saw the principal report on diabetes mellitus and the formation of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. WHO moved into its central station working in 1966. The Expanded Program on Immunization was begun in 1974, just like the control program into onchocerciasis – an imperative association between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and World Bank. In the next year, the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases was likewise dispatched. In 1976, the World Health Assembly voted to sanction a determination on Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, with an attention on group driven consideration. The main rundown of crucial prescriptions was attracted up 1977, and after a year the yearning objective of "wellbeing for all" was announced. In 1986, WHO began its worldwide system on the developing issue of HIV/AIDS, took after two years by extra consideration on counteracting oppression sufferers and UNAIDS was framed in 1996. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative was built up in 1988. 

In 1958, Viktor Zhdanov, Deputy Minister of Health for the USSR, approached the World Health Assembly to attempt a worldwide activity to destroy smallpox, bringing about Resolution WHA11.54. Now, 2 million individuals were passing on from smallpox consistently. In 1967, the World Health Organization heightened the worldwide smallpox destruction by contributing $2.4 million every year to the exertion and received another sickness reconnaissance method.[10][11] The underlying issue the WHO group confronted was deficient reporting of smallpox cases. WHO set up a system of experts who helped nations in setting up observation and regulation exercises. The WHO additionally contained the last European flare-up in Yugoslavia in 1972. After more than two many years of battling smallpox, the WHO pronounced in 1979 that the sickness had been killed – the primary illness in history to be dispensed with by human exertion. 

In 1998, WHO's Director General highlighted picks up in tyke survival, decreased baby mortality, expanded future and lessened rates of "scourges, for example, smallpox and polio on the fiftieth commemoration of WHO's establishing. He, did, be that as it may, acknowledge that more must be done to help maternal wellbeing and that advance around there had been moderate. Cholera and jungle fever have remained issues since WHO's establishing, in spite of the fact that in decrease for an expansive part of that period. In the twenty-first century, the Stop TB Partnership was made in 2000, alongside the UN's detailing of the Millennium Development Goals. The Measles activity was framed in 2001, and credited with decreasing worldwide passings from the infection by 68% by 2007. In 2002, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was attracted up to enhance the assets accessible. In 2006, the association embraced the world's first official HIV/AIDS Toolkit for Zimbabwe, which shaped the premise for a worldwide aversion, treatment and bolster plan to battle the AIDS pandemic.