Sierra Leone Ebola doctor dies as W.Africa awaits for drugs

Freetown - A second senior doctor in Sierra Leone was
confirmed dead from Ebola on Wednesday as west Africa
anxiously awaited the arrival of experimental drugs to tackle
the deadliest-ever outbreak of the virus.
Sierre Leone's chief medical officer Brima Kargbo said
Modupeh Cole, a senior physician in the capital Freetown, had
been "instrumental in the fight against the Ebola virus".
Cole's death came only a fortnight after the country's only
virologist and leading Ebola expert, Umar Khan, succumbed to
the tropical disease.
Another of the worst-hit countries, Liberia, is scrambling to
save two of its own infected doctors and hopes an
experimental serum from the United States will arrive in time.
The presidency said Tuesday it had received approval from the
US Food and Drug Administration for the use of a barely-
tested ZMapp treatment that has shown positive early results.

The two infected doctors have given their written consent to
try the drug, which will be delivered to the country within 48
hours. A third doctor has already died from the virus.
The World Health Organization declared Tuesday it was ethical
to try largely untested treatments "in the special
circumstances of this Ebola outbreak".
The company behind ZMapp said it had sent all its available
supplies to the region following an outcry over the fact it had
so far only been used on Westerners, but supplies are
extremely limited.
- 'We are all scared' -
Germany on Wednesday called on its nationals to leave the
three worst-hit countries Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone,
although it said it was keeping its embassies open.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday announced plans to step up
the global response while urging governments to "avoid panic
and fear" over a preventable disease.
His comments came after Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai
Koroma expressed his "utter dismay" at the "slow pace" of the
international community in responding to the outbreak.
In Freetown, the tropical fever is the only topic of
conversation.
"We are all scared because of the way Ebola is spreading but
we are taking all the necessary precautions," says Waisu
Gassama, 27, who works in the HIV department of the
dilapidated, century-old Connaught Hospital.
Outside the hospital, soldiers say they have been drafted in to
guard doctors and nurses, many of whom have been targeted
by angry mobs blaming modern medicine for exacerbating
the epidemic.
The epidemic, the worst since Ebola was first discovered four
decades ago in what was then Zaire, has killed over 1,000
people since early this year, the WHO said.
West African regional bloc ECOWAS said one of its officials had
died from the disease in Nigeria, taking the total number of
deaths in the country to three.
Cases have so far been limited to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone, which account for the bulk of victims, and Nigeria.
Terror has gripped the impoverished west African countries,
with harrowing tales emerging of people being shunned by
their villages as the virus fells those around them.
When AFP visited the Liberian village of Ballajah, some 150
kilometres (90 miles) from the capital Monrovia, 12-year-old
Fatu Sherrif had been locked away with her mother's body
without food and water for a week.
Her cries went unanswered as panicked residents fled the
village when both her parents fell sick.
Fatu later died and her brother Barnie, 15, despite testing
negative for Ebola, was left alone and hungry in an abandoned
house.
"Nobody wants to come near me and they know people told
them that I don't have Ebola," he told AFP.
- Promising vaccines -
Although hopes have been heaped on the ZMapp treatment, it
exists in such small quantities that only a handful of victims
are likely to get access in the short term.
Its effectiveness is also far from proven, having only
previously been tested on monkeys.
It appears to have had a positive effect on two US aid workers
infected in Liberia, but an elderly Spanish priest also infected
in the country, died in a Madrid hospital Tuesday despite being
treated with ZMapp.
There is currently no available cure or vaccine for Ebola,
which the WHO has declared a global public health
emergency, and the use of experimental drugs has stoked a
fierce ethical debate.
Sierra Leone's health ministry spokesman Sidi Yahya Tunis told
AFP the country had officially requested a shipment of the
serum.
While the stock of ZMapp in the US has been exhausted for
now, WHO assistant director general Marie-Paule Kieny
stressed there were other "potential therapies and vaccines...
considered very serious alternatives" and that two possible
vaccines were moving rapidly towards clinical trials.
She said plenty of drugs had been developed "to a point", but
companies had not footed the bill for expensive clinical trials
as the virus was "typically a disease of poor people in poor
countries where there is no market".

Ribery ends international career

Berlin - France winger Franck Ribery is ending his career with
the national team to focus on his club and family, the player,
who missed this year's World Cup through injury, said on
Wednesday.
"I am stopping," the 31-year-old told German magazine Kicker
in an interview to be published on Thursday. "I realised that
this moment has come."
Ribery, a 2006 World Cup finalist who was Europe's player of
the year in 2013, said he wanted to make way for a younger
generation of players.
"I want to focus on my family and fully concentrate on my
work at Bayern Munich and make way in the national team for
the many young and exciting players," he said.
"One has to know when to stop. I have experienced so much
and now is the time for others to come forward. You could see
at the World Cup that we should have no concerns about
France's future."
Ribery, who won 81 caps and scored 16 international goals,
battled to be fit for the World Cup but despite intensive
treatment he failed to make it to Brazil, where France lost to
Germany in the quarter-finals.
"There were highs and lows but now is the time to start a new
chapter in my life," he said.
S

Ebola: Schools shut down till further notice

Abuja - The federal government on Tuesday approved the
extension of the current holiday of primary and secondary
schools across the country until further notice in order to
prevent an outbreak of the Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) among
the students.
The extension of the holiday period of students is part of
measures to curb the spread of Ebola virus in the country,
reports NewsDay.
The government is however , silent how long the students
would be on holiday.
Jude Imagwe, Senior Special Assistant to the President on
Youth and Students Matters, who broke the news of the
extension, said President Goodluck Jonathan is worried and
wary of the danger of the disease to the nation’s future
generation.
He said the President has directed that schools should remain
on holiday till the country find a way out of the outbreak.

Rooney named new Manchester United captain

Wayne Rooney has been named as Manchester United’s new
captain, with Darren Fletcher as vice-captain.
Speculation surrounding Louis van Gaal's skipper has swarmed
since Nemanja Vidic's switch to Inter in July, with the striker an
midfielder both wearing the armband during the club's pre-
season tour of the United States.
Rooney has previously outlined his aim to captain United to the
title this season as the 13-time Premier League champions look
to make amends for last season's seventh-placed finish and has
described his new responsibilities as "a huge honour".
"It is a huge honour for me - and for my family - to be named
captain of this great club," he told the club's official website. "It
is a role I will perform with great pride. Team spirit has always
been very high in our dressing room and I am very grateful to
the manager for the faith he has shown in me. I look forward to
leading the team out on Saturday at our first match of the new
season."
Upon the confirmation, Van Gaal hailed Rooney's
professionalism and attitude since he took charge last month
and is keen for the striker to act as a role model to the younger
members of the squad.
"For me it's always very important the choice of captain," Van
Gaal said. "Wayne has shown a great attitude towards everythin
he does. I have been very impressed by his professionalism and
his attitude to training and to my philosophy. He is a great
inspiration to the younger members of the team and I believe he
will put his heart and soul into his captaincy role.
"Darren is a natural leader and will captain the team when
Wayne isn't playing. Darren is a very experienced player and a
very popular member of the dressing room, I know he will work
well alongside Wayne."
Fletcher added: "I am delighted to have been named as vice-
captain. It's a very proud moment for me and my family. Wayne
and I have always worked well together and we will continue to
work closely together in our new roles. I would like to thank the
manager for putting his trust in me."

Ara Reveals She Wishes She Was Still A Virgin

Female talking drum star , Ara , has revealed she wishes she was still a virgin in a new
interview with Encomium . Ara is a mother of one , and she was previously married to Saliu
Olalekan. She later found out Saliu was married , so she had to opt out of the marriage .
She said her son is her consolation since she lost her virginity to his father . Hear her :
‘How I wish I were still a virgin . Yeah , but it’ s a good thing I have a beautiful son
from my previous marriage .
When asked about the state of things between herself and her ex - husband , she said ;
‘It is not even a divorce. As at the time we got married , he was still legally
married to another woman . I wasn ’t aware. So automatically our marriage was
annulled . We lived together for three years . I don’t have any regret because a
beautiful child came out of it. If I say I have a regret, then my son will be a
regret. I don ’t have to regret it because of my son .”

Who Wore It Better? Kim Kardashian Vs Shailene Woodley In Balmain Collection

 Kim Kardashian » was all youthful at the just ended Teen Choice Awards at the Shrine
Auditorium in Los Angeles on August 10. She rocked her recent favourite - a Balmain Pre-Fall
2014 animal print pencil skirt and paired with leather crop long sleeved top. But the big question
is, as a famous fashionista, did she steal a younger Hollywood star's look ?
Divergent star, Shailene Woodley » got all knotty on the red carpet at the 2014 MTV
Movie Awards » held at the Nokia Theatre back in April 13 in Los Angeles and she , like
Kim now was gussied up in a Balmain leather army ensemble pairing it up with Balmain shoes
and David Yurman jewelry.
The 21-year-old actress was described as looking 'old' with the dull colours on the red carpet
by the E! Fashion Police panel even though they adored her short hair do and flawless make up.
On the other hand, fans have continuously praised The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star
for looking very young and apt as she appeared dressed in that black leather cropped Balmain
top and animal print high-waisted skirt for the youthful show.
Both stars had sleek hair dos, perfect make up but did they dress the same yet differently?
Take a good look at both Kim and Shailene and tell us who you think rocked the Bailmain pre-
fall 2014 collection better?

9ice To Contest For Federal House Of Rep In 2015

 Singer 9ice has officially declared his intention to run for a political office in the 2015 Nigeria
General Elections.
9ice has aspirations to contest for a seat in the Federal House of Representatives for
Ogbomosho North/Ogbomosho South/Orire Federal Constituency in 2015.
This was confirmed after the singer shared his primary campaign poster on Instagram. The
poster shows the 'Gongo Oso' maestro looking ceremonial, in a traditional white garment, an
orange coloured native cap, brown trousers and a shoe, in a setting which reeked of opulence.
News of his political ambition had broken out in January 2014, with the singer confirming his
switch from music to politics in an interview with newsmen.
“ I’m leaving music, I need to go into something more challenging. Music is no longer competitive
for me, I’ve done all that needs to be done in music”. He revealed to Hiphopwold.
9ice who is famous for his use of the Yoruba language in songs, follows a well-trodden path,
which has had many entertainers give up their talent for leadership.