A medical outreach has been organized by the Troops of 27 Task Force Brigade Buni Yadi Yobe for communities in Borno and Yobe States on the 11th June 2018. Most of the beneficiaries are from mostly communities devastated by the Boko Haram insurgents. In a statement signed by the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Texas Chukwu said that the Emir of Potiskum, Alhaji Umaru Bubaram who spoke at the event commended the Nigerian Army for organizing the medical outreach exercise. Also, the Chairman Yunusari Local Government Area, Yerima Lawan applauded the Army for the exercise. He recalled how the Army medical team saved the communities from poliomyelitis in 2015. The communities that benefitted from the medical outreach include: Buratai, Kamuya, Bam Buratai, Kamuya Kuffi in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State. Also Buni Yadi, Buni Gari, Gashua, Azare, Katarko in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State benefited from the exercise. The beneficiaries were treated for malaria, typhoid, cholera, diarrhea, diabetes, among other. ...

The evidence of benefit from surgery is weak at best, as a recent  Lancet series on lower back pain found. Despite this, plenty of people are still going under the knife. Lumbar spine surgery rates are doubling roughly every 10 years, according to University of NSW professor of orthopaedic surgery Ian Harris.  And, he said, the operations are getting more complex, and therefore more risky.  “What we are seeing is an increase in complex surgery over simple surgery, in particular fusions, in particular multilevel fusions.” There are however, cheaper, more effective ways to deal with back pain. We asked the experts what works — and what doesn’t. Yes, even if it hurts. Once you have the all clear from a doctor or physiotherapist, you are safe to move. Developments in neuroscience indicate that the brain creates pain as a mechanism to protect us.  In the case of chronic pain, the pain system gets more sensitive. Our body learns pain  and so we feel it more acutely.  When it comes to... ...

The World Health Organisation (WHO) experts said they have recorded 62 Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during this latest outbreak, with 38 confirmations and 27 deaths. The Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response of WHO, Peter Salama, reported in Geneva that was “very strong progress” in response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, one month after the start of the disease. He said that the first phase – protecting urban centres and towns – “has gone well, and we can be cautiously optimistic.” “There have been 62 Ebola cases in the DRC during this latest outbreak, with 38 confirmations and 27 deaths. “The latest case, confirmed on Thursday, was in the remote Iboko health zone in the northwest, an indication that the outbreak is ongoing, he said. Mr Salama, who just returned from a two-day visit to the DRC said: “There’s been very strong progress in the outbreak response, particularly in relation to two of the initial three sites: Mbandaka and Bikoro”. Mbandaka, in... ...

Over  600 homes have been destroyed by lava flows on Hawaii’s Big Island since the current eruption of Kilaeua Volcano began early last month, Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim says The latest estimate of property losses from Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, far surpasses the 215 structures consumed by lava during more than 30 years of an earlier eruption cycle that began in 1983. Mr Kim said it also marks Kilauea’s most destructive episode in modern history. County civil defence officials had a day earlier put the confirmed number of homes destroyed during the past month at 130, all of them in and around the Leilani Estates community, where lava-spouting fissures opened up on the volcano’s eastern flank on May 3 More recently, a huge river of lava that has crept several miles across the landscape to the eastern tip of the island engulfed two entire seaside housing subdivisions, burying hundreds more homes there, while vaporising a small freshwater lake. An estimated 2,500 people have been displaced... ...

Two, National Examination Council (NECO) candidates and 13 others have been killed by militant herdsmen in coordinated attacks on communities in Guma and Logo Local Government areas of Benue State in the early hours of yesterday. The Chairman of Guma Local Government, Mr. Anthony Shawon told the press that the marauders invaded Tse Ishav in Saghev ward, where mourners had gathered for a wake-keep at about 3a.m., killing their victims and injuring others. According to Shawon, “from our finding, they sneaked into Guma from Logo Local Government Area because we share a common boundary. They attacked Tse Ishav in Saghev ward. Eight people, who were at a wake-keep, were killed and many others were injured. ” Among those killed were two NECO candidates, who came to the village to write their examination. “While they were pulling out after the attack, they also attacked any compound or house on their path, burning houses and farmland. “Just less than 48 hours before this attack, they also struck in the night at Mbawa council... ...

The Council of Fashion Designers of America has paid tribute to Kate Spade, who died on Tuesday, calling her “a great talent who had an immeasurable impact on American fashion”. Spade, a handbag and fashion designer, was found dead in her New York home. Police said they were investigating her death, at 55, as an apparent suicide.  Spade’s family said in a statement that they were “devastated by today’s tragedy” and would “miss her terribly”. They asked for privacy.  The designer is survived by her husband, Andy Spade, and their teenage daughter, Frances Beatrix. Spade, a former editor of fashion magazine Mademoiselle, created a fashion sensation in the 1990s with her line of handbags, and built an accessories empire that grew to hundreds of shops internationally. “Kate Spade had an enviable gift for understanding exactly what women the world over wanted to carry,” Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, said in a statement. Police said the designer’s housekeeper found her unresponsive on Tuesday at her Park Avenue apartment in Manhattan.  The New York police department chief... ...

Gunmen attacked Minna medium security prison in Niger state on Sunday, killing an official of the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) and a commercial motorcyclist. The gunmen, who were said to have attacked the prison’s southern part, reportedly set free at least 20 inmates. In a statement, Rabiu Shuaibu, spokesman of NPS, said seven inmates had been rearrested. “On Sunday, 3rd June, 2018 at about 8pm, there was a jailbreak at Minna Medium Security Prison located at Tunga area of Minna Metropolis,” he said in a statement. “The unfortunate incident was perpetuated by armed criminals who attacked the prison and gain access after exchange of fire with prison armed men. This led to death of a prison officer and an Okada rider who conveyed a prison officer on night duty. In a combined effort of all security agencies in the state, seven prisoners who attempted to escape have been recaptured and returned to the prison. “The prison authority in Minna is profiling the number of fleeing inmates to ascertain the escaped prisoners.... ...

The Special Task Force responsible for the maintenance of peace in Plateau, Bauchi State and Southern Kaduna code named Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), has paraded a gang of suspected kidnappers for stealing a 5-year-old Favour Shagun in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. Major Umar disclosed that the suspect was intercepted at about 11pm with the child in a car and when he was interrogated, the kidnapper, Kenneth could not say the name despite claiming she was his daughter. Major Umar said, “The suspect was trying to escape from the scene when he was arrested and brought to the STF headquarters in Jos for further investigation. Kenneth revealed that he kidnapped the baby with the help of one Mrs. Esther David, a friend of the baby’s mother who collected N30, 000 to hand over the baby to the kidnapper.” Major Umar said the suspect would be handed over to the appropriate authority for further investigation. ...