NEWS
Flooding Heightens Risk of Mosquito-Borne Diseases In Australia
According to experts, Australia’s record-breaking floods have created a breeding ground for mosquitoes, raising the possibility of diseases like Japanese Encephalitis spreading there.
Flooding has recently affected communities in three states, and this week is expected to bring more intense rain. Over the past two years, flooding has regularly affected areas of eastern Australia.
Stasis water is required by mosquitoes. Insect larvae hatch from eggs and grow underwater until they are pupae, then adults. Before laying eggs, females need blood, and when they bite humans, they can also inject saliva and viruses.
The Ross River virus infects thousands of individuals each year in Australia, making mosquito-borne infections a persistent issue there.
The first time that Japanese Encephalitis became seriously prevalent in Australia was in 2021.
According to government statistics, the virus affected approximately 40 persons, and seven of them passed away.
Water birds and mosquitoes share the same virus. The virus can also live on pigs.
Although the illness it causes is sometimes only mild, some patients do experience seizures.
Fewer than 1% of infected individuals, according to experts, will experience the severe, potentially fatal brain condition known as encephalitis.
According to Associate Professor Cameron Webb from the New South Wales Health Department, recent flooding raises the risk of contracting Japanese encephalitis.
“There [are] hundreds of different types of mosquitos in Australia, but there is one mosquito in particular that we are concerned about when it comes to Japanese encephalitis virus,” he said. “It is a mosquito that thrives in freshwater environments, the type of environments that have been created by excessive rainfall and flooding across much of the country.”
La Nia and the Indian Ocean Dipole, two naturally occurring climate phenomena, are causing the flooding. Climate change, according to experts, is having an increased influence.
In order to prevent flooding from engulfing the town of Echuca, north of Melbourne, Australian troops and locals have been working quickly to construct a two kilometer long levee. The worst flooding in several areas of eastern Australia in decades.
Eastern Australia’s regions from Queensland to Tasmania are once more on flood alert due to the expected heavy rain later this week.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will hold his first Presidential Media Chat tonight, December 23, at 9 p.m.
The landmark event, announced by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, will be broadcast live on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).
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All other television and radio stations have been invited to join the simulcast, ensuring nationwide access.
This highly anticipated media engagement offers an opportunity for President Tinubu to address key national issues, outline his administration’s achievements, and shed light on policies shaping the future of the nation.
Nigerians are encouraged to tune in to stay informed about the government’s vision and policies for the nation.
The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD-FCTA), has sounded an alarm over an impending healthcare crisis, issuing a 14-day ultimatum to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The doctors have threatened a “deadliest shutdown” of hospital operations if their welfare demands remain unresolved.
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Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, ARD-FCTA President, Dr. George Ebong, highlighted the dire state of doctors’ welfare, despite acknowledging the minister’s achievements in infrastructural development.
He said, “We appreciate the minister for his infrastructural development in the FCT since his emergence. But doctors are an abandoned project. While he fixes infrastructural abandoned projects, we are the human abandoned projects. We believe the minister can deal with the challenge.”
List of Demands
The doctors are calling for immediate action on the following issues:
- Payment of six months’ salary arrears owed to members employed in 2023.
- Release of the 2024 Medical Residency Training Fund.
- Reduction of the bonding policy from six years to two.
- Implementation of skipping allowances for 2023 intakes and issuance of related letters.
- Immediate payment of 2024 accoutrement allowances.
- Clearance of 13 months’ hazard allowance arrears.
- Conversion of ARD Post 2 members to consultants.
- Recruitment of healthcare workers to address manpower shortages.
The association had earlier issued a 21-day ultimatum at its Annual General Meeting, with just 14 days now remaining for the minister to meet their demands.
Dr. Ebong warned that failure to act would lead to a complete shutdown of medical services in the FCT, describing the potential strike as “the deadliest shutdown.”
Ebong said, “This injustice is alien to the FCT; if allowed to persist, the nation’s health sector will collapse. We do not want the deadliest shutdown, but if no action is taken, we will have no choice. The health of this nation is at stake, and the minister must act without delay.”
The association called on Wike to urgently address their grievances, emphasizing that the welfare of medical professionals is vital for the sustainability of healthcare delivery in the FCT and beyond.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has reduced the pump price of petrol at its retail outlets in Abuja to N965 per litre, down from N1,030 per litre.
The new pricing, confirmed at NNPC stations in the Central Area and Nyanya suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory, reflects intensified competition in the downstream petroleum market, particularly with the entry of products from the Dangote Refinery.
This is the second price cut by NNPC in two weeks, following a previous reduction from N1,060 to N1,030 per litre.
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Motorists have expressed cautious optimism over the adjustment, describing it as a step in the right direction but calling for further reductions.
“I noticed the new price yesterday,” said Adamu Shuaibu, a commercial driver on the Nyanya-Zuba route.
“The government is trying, but they should do more. The price should return to N530 per litre so that the cost of other goods can decrease too.”
Similarly, Taofeek Adetunji, a private car owner, attributed the price reduction to President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms and expressed hope for sustained improvements.
“When the President promised his reforms would yield results, many doubted him. But now you can see it. We are optimistic that prices will keep dropping. Petrol is vital to the economy, and this reduction will soon reflect in the cost of goods and services,” Adetunji said.
Motorists have urged the Federal Government to continue its efforts to make petrol more affordable, emphasizing its significance to the nation’s economy and the cost of living.
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