Safari Notes

Ever thought of how comforting it would be to know of any diseases or their outbreak out there? Especially when you are traveling? Well, there is a very useful and detailed free online site that just does that.

Many of us have so much food to eat, everyday, that some of that food is wasted or thrown away. Ever thought of how difficult it can be to be hungry? For Muslims who fast during the month of Ramadhan, they know how hard that can be. There are millions of our fellow Mankind around the world, who, daily - have nothing to eat or too little food. There are millions who do not know where there next meal is going to come from. Hunger and malnutrition are still the number one risks to health worldwide :

For years now, environmentalists have been calling for more efforts to protect the argun palm; which is a rare desert tree prized by the ancient Egyptians that is on the verge of extinction. It is now being reported that less than fifty of the trees remain in Egypt and a few hundred in Sudan. Due to its association with ancient Egyptians, the seeds health benefits and how - before, when they were many, the palms helped in keeping the desert green, many people have been very fascinated by the argun palm also known as the medemia argun. More on the palm tree: IUCN Red List , Kew , Free Republic , IPS ,  Wired New York , Rare Palm Seeds , Right Health , Alert Net , Plant A Palm , Palm Society , Facts , Images

At last: Uganda bans female genital mutilation! Last Thursday, the Ugandan parliament unanimously passed a bill banning the very risky and cruel circumcising of females . Unlike Kenya, circumcision, both for males and females, is not widely practiced in Uganda. Anyone convicted of the practice, which involves removing all or part of the female genitalia, will face 10 years in jail or a life sentence if a victim dies. Eastern Uganda is where the cruel, traditional rite is practiced most. Female circumcision is practiced in many parts of Africa and Asia. Reasons given for the practice vary from place to place. They include : Sexual: to control or reduce female sexuality. Sociological: for example, as an initiation for girls into womanhood, social integration and the maintenance of social cohesion. Hygiene and aesthetic reasons: where it is believed that the female genitalia are dirty and unsightly. Health: in the belief that it enhances fertility and child survival. Religious reas

On the idyllic island of Moheli , the Comoro Islands , a Chinese medical team from Guangzhou University has got involved in a project - to eradicate malaria. Malaria , which, each year, infects hundreds of millions of people around the world, especially in Africa , causes an estimated a million deaths every year; mostly in tropical Africa. The project hasn't received much support from WHO , and and many in the public health community still believe malaria can not be wiped ou t . But the Chinese medical team believes Malaria can be eradicated; if it can be eradicated on the island of Moheli, then, indeed it can be eradicated in other parts of the world. At the same time, the WHO admits that : the world's best hope for a cure to malaria is emerging from China, which is developing a range of highly effective medicines that include a derivative of a traditional herb, qing hao-su or artemisinin. The new treatments combine artemisinin, an extremely powerful anti-malarial agent

Tiny. Weighing about 2.5mg. They have long legs and a pair of scaled wings. And they are, so far - apart from our fellow humans - the deadliest creatures to us. Mosquitoes . They cause malaria , dengue fever and the West Nile Virus . And even with all the facts that we have , each year, they kill hundreds of thousands of people. Especially in sub-Saharan Africa. We can fight back , but the mosquito, the Anopheles mosquito in particular - is winning in Africa. And the cost, both material and human, has been high. Too high: The vast majority of malaria deaths occur in Africa, south of the Sahara, where malaria also presents major obstacles to social and economic development. Malaria has been estimated to cost Africa more than US$ 12 billion every year in lost GDP, even though it could be controlled for a fraction of that sum. There are at least 300 million acute cases of malaria each year globally, resulting in more than a million deaths. Around 90% of these deaths occur in Africa, most

Very few people in sub-saharan Africa know of or have ever tasted the pomegranate. But, for ages it has  been used by Arabs, Persians and Indians. Around the Mediterranean region, it is one of the most common fruit and plant. Its juice is excellent and refreshing. Facts about the amazing pomegranate: it is one of the oldest fruits in existence, it can live for more than one hundred years, it is a rich source of a strong anti-oxidant known as punicalagins, which are thought to be responsible for the major health benefits of its juice which can keep platelets from clumping together to form dangerous blood clots; not to mention its cancer preventative effects. More on the pomegranate: crfg.org ,   National Geographic , Health Central , hort.purdue.edu , Health Castle , pomegranates.org , pomegranate-juice , CBS News , pomegranatehealth , Wikipedia , Knol Image: Treehugger

Many have said how harmful genetically modified food is ; and much has been written on the dangers of modified food . And despite the poverty and there not being enough food in many African countries, Africa rejects genetically modified food mainly due to modified seeds, if allowed in, would contaminate domestic crops; which would in turn make Africa dependent on the companies that modified the seeds and which would make African farmers 'be caught in a vicious circle, increasingly dependent on a small number of giant multinationals'. As beneficial as the proponents of genetically modified food say the modified food is, many have pointed out that the harm and the dangers to health and the environment of genetically modified food, are too serious for Africa; as desperate and hungry as many Africans are, to allow and accept modified food - they say - would only endanger Africa more. From AFP : Genetically-modified crops face stiff opposition from green lobbyists and media in devel

The last one week has had some very interesting developments in the fight against HIV/AIDS! A few days ago, the International Aids Conference ended in Toronto, Canada; as always, such forums - give much hope to those affected and help in focusing the world's attention on the scourge. Then two days ago, there was this: US scientists say they have discovered how HIV evades the body's natural defenses against viral infections . This discovery could help in finding better ways in fighting the disease. Roger Pebody, treatment specialist for Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "This study is promising, and we hope that it will help researchers develop new therapies that may be available over the next decade." And now: ' ......male circumcision, and the not so new high-tech gels or drugs, could be the next big thing in the fight against HIV/Aids.' Preliminary data presented at the 16th International Aids Conference in Toronto, Canada, from two studies in Kenya and Uganda