Hello everyone, as we go through these uncertain times, here are some tips to help you sleep.
If you’re in Lagos, as the city goes into a lock down, obey all the rules. Stay home! https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/strategies-to-promote-better-sleep-in-these-uncertain-times-2020032719333
Q: Good evening doctor, my friend’s mom has German measles. What can she take? Thanks
A: Rubella is also called German measles or 3-day measles. It is a contagious viral infection with red rashes like the regular measles we all know. But, rubella is different from the ‘regular’ measles (also known as rubeola) as it is less severe and less infectious than rubeola. The symptoms of rubella are pretty mild and include mild fever, headache, aching joints, runny nose, red eyes, red rash that starts from the face and spreads, painful lumps at the base of the skull (lymph nodes) etc.
These symptoms usually develop 2 to 3 weeks after exposure to the virus. One gets exposed to the virus by inhaling droplets from the sneeze or cough of an infected person or through direct contact with respiratory secretions (eg mucous) of an infected person. An infected person is able to pass on this infection from about 10 days before the rashes appear to about 1 to 2 weeks after the rashes appear. This means that one can pass on the infection before they even realize they have an infection.
Another means of transmitting this infection is from a pregnant mother to her baby. This transmission is through the blood stream…which may have been what happened in this case. This can lead to death or birth defects (deafness, cataracts, heart defects, brain damage) in the baby, especially when this infection is contracted during the first trimester. These defects are referred to as Congenital Rubella Syndrome.
This infection is relatively mild and would ordinarily not require treatment except for isolation especially from pregnant women. In a pregnant woman, however, the effect of this infection can be quite serious for the baby.
Once you have had rubella, you are, usually, immune and will not have it for the rest of your life. So the chances of having this infection again are pretty slim.
To prevent this, generally avoid people who are sickly and have a suspicious looking rash. There is a vaccine that protects against MMR, however, it is not recommended for everyone. Have a chat with your doctor about the relevance of this for you
I hope y’all are keeping safe? I’m still putting together more COVID-19 Q&A. Send in more questions you want answered on that.
Stay safe, people ;D
Q: Hi Dr. People are advised not to touch animals. Are animals potential threat to the spread of COVID-19?
A: The US Center for Disease Control has the following to say about this question:
• Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause illness in people and others cause illness in certain types of animals.
• Coronaviruses that infect animals can become able to infect people, but this is rare.
• We do not know the exact source of the current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• We do not have evidence that companion animals, including pets, can spread COVID-19.
• We do not have evidence to suggest that imported animals or animal products imported pose a risk for spreading the 2019 novel coronavirus in the United States.
For general tips on pet hygiene, I repeat a post I had made a while back
Pets are a great way of teaching our children responsibility as they learn to love and look after someone else apart from themselves. Of course, man’s best friend is also good at enhancing security at home!
However, there are some inherent risks in having these pets at home as infections can readily be transferred from them to us. The commonest means of getting these infections is by getting bitten, getting in contact with the faeces or sometimes through contamination of food.
To prevent these, here are our top five tips:
Please wash your hands whenever you have handled or played with the pets especially if you are to prepare, handle or eat food soon after.
Also wash your hands whenever you come in contact with the pets’ poo. Ensure that children do not play close to these areas.
Your pets’ immunizations should be up to date. You don’t want to be known as ‘the owner of that rabid down the street’.
Your pets’ fur should be kept clean with regular shampooing.
If you are a fan of reptile pets, please consider delaying on getting one if you have children under the age of 5 years old and especially during this outbreak of COVID-19.
Have a great weekend y’all 🙂
Ref: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/animals.html
Still on facts versus fiction on COVID-19
CHILDREN CANNOT GET INFECTED
As at early February, A Chinese study proved that younger people were less likely to contract the virus, even if exposed to it. But in March, it was concluded that children were just as likely to get it as older people were. Although, younger people tend to experience milder cases of the virus.
THE HYPE OF THE VIRUS IS NOT EQUAL TO ITS EFFECT
While it is true that COVID- 19 has not claimed as many lives as Ebola, underestimating it would be a huge mistake. The novel Corona virus is way more infectious than Ebola and you never know which case will be fatal. So forget the buzz, focus on reliable news, wash your hands, keep your hand sanitizer close and elbows at the ready!!!
IT IS NOT SAFE TO RECEIVE A PACKAGE FROM CHINA
According to the World Health Organization, it is safe to receive packages from China. The virus cannot last long on the surfaces used for packages. And so for packages that take some days to deliver, the virus would have died of by its delivery date.
Stay safe, people!
Post contributed by guest blogger, Dera!
Let’s go back to the basics. COVID-19 is caused by the novel coronavirus. It belongs to the same family of viruses as some types of common cold and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
It is a pandemic. Now don’t be scared. This doesn’t mean that it’s deadlier than other diseases (as a matter of fact, COVID-19 is less deadly than HIV and Ebola) rather it means that it meets some criteria: 1) It spreads between people, 2) It kills and 3) It has spread worldwide. In simple terms, it can spread anywhere and to anyone. For this reason, countries all over the world have been shutting down their borders and employing stringent measures to ensure the health and safety of their citizens.
Today, we will focus on separating facts from fiction
I WILL KNOW IF I HAVE THE VIRUS
There’s no tell tale symptom for COVID-19 because a lot of the symptoms are similar to those of a common cold; breathing difficulties, cough, fever. Other symptoms that occur mare rarely include dizziness, nausea and a runny nose. In more severe cases, the symptoms might resemble pneumonia, but most infected people don’t see any symptoms early on. This is why practicing social distancing is incredibly important.
I DON’T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS. WEARING A MASK WILL PROTECT ME FROM COVID-19. I THINK THEY ARE JUST SAYING IT DOESN’T PROTECT TO PREVENT A SCARCITY
The use of light weight masks does not necessarily help protect one from the virus because they don’t fit tightly and so droplets from sneezes and coughs might escape. Also, people with the virus on their hands might touch their faces under the masks and hoarding such masks, make them unavailable for those who really need them- healthcare professionals and sick patients. Although, the masks can prevent one from spreading the virus.
COVID-19 IS A DEATH SENTENCE
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention published an article on February 18th that states than 2.3% of the people who are infected from the virus die from it. While 81% of the infected have mild cases of the virus, older people and those with underlying health conditions are more likely to experience more severe cases of the virus. So instead of panicking, focus on protecting yourself and those around you.
I HEAR SALT WATER IS EFFECTIVE AGAINST COVID-19
Know ye also that drinking salt water opens you up to the danger of hypertension….and this disease stays with one for life, long after we have discovered the vaccine for COVID-19 and kicked it for good. Scrubbing your body with salt does not have any effect on a virus that lives inside the body, if one were already infected.
Please let’s focus on the right information from credible sources. There’s an official website that you can actually check for current information on the fight against COVID-19: http://www.who.int. Let’s leave the rumour mills alone.
Observe the rules of personal hygiene people and let’s not fuel the rumour mills.
Stay safe, everyone. We will continue with this tomorrow.
Most of this post was contributed by my daughter and guest blogger – Dera!
Dear all,
Did you miss me? I’ve been on the move these past three days and just didn’t get around to posting. Forgive me!
Ahead of the border closures sweeping the world in the wake of Corona Virus pandemic, I’ve travelled across a couple of countries racing to attend to urgent issues and cross back over borders to get home. In these trips I have observed a couple of things:
The concept of social distancing is still not very clear. When I arrived at Lagos airport, I was on the queue for temperature screening. I gave a significant gap between the guy in front of me and myself. I figured that the guy behind me would take a cue from that and also give me some gap. But no! He walked all the way up to me and stood quite close. I had to step out from the line and stand to the side. Same thing happened as we queued up waiting for immigrations check. I kept taking one step away from this guy (another guy) and he kept moving closer. I had to tell him, ‘I’m actually trying to create some distance between us!’ That was when it sank in! Then I went to a restaurant – I wanted to get some take-away packs. The restaurant got some things right – limited entry into the restaurant (a couple of people at a time – not sure they were focused on any particular number). On the queue, same thing, people were lining up so close to each other, you would think it was pre-COVID-19 time. And then when people got into the restaurant, they threw caution to the wind, pushing and shoving people to get served.
What else did I see? On the flight, I saw a gentleman coughing into his hands and sometimes into a handkerchief. There was no effort afterwards to wash hands and/or use a hand sanitizer.
So, let’s discuss social distancing. What does this mean? It simply means putting space between people – just like I wanted to do with those gentlemen at the airport. If this is done, there is less likelihood of the virus being passed from an infected person to others who are not infected. If we all adhere to this, fewer people get sick at the same time. This gives the healthcare workers time to respond by having a manageable load of patients to attend to and also allows the health system sufficient time to make available, supplies and treatments needed to take care of patients. This will lead to the popular ‘flattening of the curve’ that I’m sure you have heard people say. Flattening the curve essentially says, ‘we know a lot of people will get sick, but they don’t have to all get sick at the same time.’ The latter situation will overwhelm the health system and we don’t want this to happen
How can we practice social distancing?
On coughing into hands, please don’t.
If you keep your hands off your face, even you touch some germs, you won’t pass it on to yourself. I you make a habit of washing your hands often, you increase the chances of not passing on these germs to others and also yourself.
Please stay safe, people and take this fight against COVI-19 seriously. We can win this war but you’ve got to play your part.
Sending loads of love your way…
Q: Hello Dr… My 12 year old started her periods Dec 2019, in 2018 she used to have small sights of blood, but last year Dec it was a full on period. Now since February this year 2020 she has not got her period. Is this normal?
A: A ‘regular’ menstrual cycle is supposedly one in which the cycle (the length of time from the 1st day of a menstrual period to the first day of the next menstrual period) is about 28 days but there is nothing abnormal about cycles that fall outside of this range. It could range from about 24 days to 34 days with ovulation happening at mid cycle. Indeed, in some women each period appears to have a different cycle.
The menstrual flow lasts between 2 to 8 days A reduction in flow (scanty period) is called hypomenrrhea (pronounced hai-po-men-oria) and a reduction in the number of days of flow to less than 3 days is called oligomenorrhea (oli-go-men-oria). Now at the onset of puberty, the flow and cycle can vary from one cycle to the other resulting in skipped or irregular periods; the same goes for the other extreme of life (old age).
What do people refer to as irregular periods? Well, if the time between each period changes, or the length of days of the period changes or indeed when the quantity of blood lost during each period changes, the period is termed irregular. What can cause these changes? They include:
Changes in hormone levels, as is common in the puberty period (like in the 13-year old) or menopausal period
Stress
Excessive weight loss or excessive weight gain
Crash dieting (when you want to lose all the weight you added in 5 years in one week :D)
Intense physical activity
Fibroids
Problems with the thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
Polycystic Ovary Disease (PCOD)
Scarring from previous surgery in the uterus like D and C
Pregnancy cannot be overlooked as a cause of irregular bleeding and has to be checked out. The bleeding may be an implantation bleed
Breast feeding mothers may also experience irregular periods as the hormones released may delay return of menstruation. Remember, however, that this is not an effective means of contraception.
So, it’s always a good idea to keep a record of your periods: length of cycles, number of days the period lasts, presence of pain etc. If you keep a chart of this over time, you would be able to know what is normal for you.
Treatment of irregular periods depends on cause: fibroids, PCOD, hyperthyroidism all have to be treated. If irregularity is due to stress, learning coping mechanisms or relaxation techniques may help. Reduce weight or go easy on your exercise routine, if weight issues are a problem. So, each individual case is different but may not necessarily lead to infertility. The gynaecologist will advice based on specific history and circumstance(s).
However, be sure to see your doctor if your period is consistently below 21 days or more than 35 days, if you menstruate for longer than one week, bleed in between periods or experience severe cramp.
I hope this helps
Q: Doc I am having itches after menstruation. What may be the cause?
A: Vaginal thrush, which is one of the commonest causes of vaginal itching with thick creamy white vaginal discharge, can occur when the normal balance in the vagina is distorted allowing yeast to overgrow the area.
Conditions that can lead to this thrush include:
• Pregnancy
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Changes in menstrual cycle as described in the case above
• Oral Contraceptive use
• Antibiotic use
• Not changing out of wet clothes immediately eg swim suits
• Not wiping from the front to the back after using the toilet
• Using douches, perfumed sprays and perfumed soap in the genital area
• Wearing tight clothes and tight undergarments
So, even if treatment has been received and one complied 100% with it, not addressing the issues mentioned above may lead to recurrence.
If the lifestyle issues…
View original post 46 more words
‘Let’s face it: the hardest part about losing weight isn’t knowing what to eat.’ It’s the discipline to know what to eat and really abide by those rules. Read!
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/5-habits-foster-weight-loss-2017032311214
Q: Hello Doc, I am roughly two months or thereabout pregnant. I last saw my period in December. I have been vomiting constantly and at every time of the day. I was given an injection in the hospital but most at times I still feel like throwing up after eating and I usually feel very weak. Do you have any advice for me and what is the right time to go for a scan cos my tummy isn’t protruding?
A: Repeating this post on morning sickness for this first time mother
Morning sickness during pregnancy can be really trying! I know…I suffered through it! Oh boy! Thank God I’m over all of that now…I’m a grandmother in waiting 😀
Now, for the rest of you who still have to go through this, I’ll share some tips.
The standard teaching is to try eating some bland foods like Crackers biscuits or dry toast. That personally didn’t work for me. I preferred tart things…which some may want to avoid. I loved lemons during my pregnancies. They were the one thing guaranteed to ‘wake up’ my mouth and chase nausea far away. I also had a particular brand of very tart bubble gum, I indulged in 😀 These were key for me because, though I didn’t have the real bad case of morning sickness that sent you to the hospital, brushing my teeth in the morning always sent me into a bout of retching/vomiting. So, I always had a ready supply of the gum or lemon/lime to pop into my mouth once I was done brushing/retching! Not a very pleasant memory ;D
So, if lemons work for you to prevent nausea, go for it. Remember that moderation is key. A few drops (one or two) in a glass of water are enough to provide that tart kick that sends nausea far away. There is a catch here though…remember the heart burn associated with pregnancy. The acid content of lemon might make the heart burn and any pre-existing gastro-esophageal (stomach and esophagus/gullet) problems worse. So, this is all the more reason to be very moderate or stop if it exacerbates an already bad case of heart burn. Wherever and whenever in doubt, please be sure to see your doctor.
Other tips:
• Eat little amounts of food frequently as an empty tummy increases the likelihood of throwing up. Remember this is not an excuse to binge and over eat 😀
• Avoid fatty and greasy foods.
• Avoid smells that trigger nausea
• Cold foods may be preferable to hot as the former does not give off smells that may cause you to feel queasy.
• Get loads of fresh air and rest
• And drink sufficient fluids daily
More importantly, women going through this need love and support more than ever. If you can’t stand cooking now, because of this, get help etc.
On when to do a scan, it depends on what you want the scan for, If it’s for dating the pregnancy, the last menstrual period is best for this. That is the first day of the woman’s last normal menstrual flow. However, if she is not sure of her dates, then a scan can be used. To date pregnancy, a first trimester scan gives the most appropriate approximation. The earlier it is, the more accurate it is likely to be.
Have a good day everyone 😀
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