The Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria, in pursuant of its mandate as enshrined in Act 11 of 2002, is organizing another batch of MCPDP for registered Environmental Health Technicians and Assistants across Nigeria with the themes:
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM & SPECIAL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT.
Date: 9th to 12th October, 2017
Venue: NUT Hall, Opposite MKO Abiola Stadium Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Click HERE to download invitation.
In pursuant of its mandate as enshrined in the enabling act to regulate Environmental Health Profession in Nigeria, the Council has been conducting annual certification examination for entrants into the profession of Environmental Health in Nigeria.
The 2017 examination is scheduled to hold between 6th and 10th of November, 2017 at designated centres across the Country.
1) Environmental Health Officers/Technologists- N15,000.00
2) Environmental Health Technicians- N12,000.00
3) Environmental Health Assistants- N10,000.00
4) Environmental Health Learning Centres- N30,000.00 Candidates
5) You are expected to compile the names of interested candidates, accept examination fees accompanied by duly completed Application Forms and forward same to the Council before the close of work on the 31ST of August 2017.
Late Registration attracts a surcharge of Five Thousand Naira (N 5, 000.00) on each candidate, and closes by the close of work on 15th September 2017.
The examination Application Forms, time table and outline are enclosed for your guidance.
4) You are enjoined to bring this information to the notice of concerned EHOs, EHTs and EHAs interested in taking the Examination in your Institution. It is acceptable to the Council if registration for this examination is organised by your School in collaboration with the Environmental Health Officers Association in your State.
5) In view of the failure rate in previous examinations, it is recommended that all candidates are exposed to a minimum of eight weeks intensive revision programmes organised by Colleges/Schools of Health Technology and accredited Environmental Health Learning Centres to enable them refresh their knowledge preparatory to sitting for the examinations.
6) Also, all candidates must complete the appropriate application forms accompanied by relevant academic credentials and the Attestation form duly endorsed by the HOD or a licensed EHO in the states not below the rank of Principal Environmental Health Officer. Valid certificate includes HND issued by NBTE accredited Schools or WAHEB certificate for Schools not yet accredited for HND by NBTE. Similar condition exists for Environmental Health Technicians and Environmental Health Assistants. All Forms that do not meet this condition shall be rejected and no money will be refunded. Furthermore, the minimum number of Candidates to make up an Examination Centre remains Fifty (50).
7. Accept the Council's esteemed regards, please.
The meeting between the federal government and striking members of the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, which held between Tuesday and Wednesday has failed to resolve the crisis.
The leaders of various unions who convened at the meeting held in Abuja to review the negotiation between the parties did not concede to the appeal made by federal government’s negotiation team led by Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, to end the strike.
Ahead of the meeting, Mr. Ngige had accused the union of not following procedure before they began their nationwide strike.
The minister who called the reconciliation meeting said the union neglected to give the government a 14-day notice required by law.
While the union said the strike will continue; it, however, urged its counterparts in the state who had billed to join the industrial action on Thursday to hold for now.
Biobelemoye Josiah, JOHESU National Chairman and Ekpebor Florence, JOHESU National Secretary in a joint statement, Thursday, conveyed the resolution of the union.
“As a result of the ongoing negotiation between JOHESU and the Federal Government, the leadership of JOHESU wishes to inform all members that negotiation is ongoing and the strike continues nationwide in all federal health institutions and further directives will be given after meeting with Federal Government on Saturday, 30th, September, 2017.
“In the light of the above, state councils are further directed to put on hold the commencement of their strike initially billed for Thursday, 28th of September, 2017 due to the ongoing talks”, the statement read.
JOHESU had on Wednesday last week insisted on going on strike over the alleged failure of the federal government to meet its demands.
The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, had pleaded with the association not to embark on strike; but it ignored the plea as the strike commenced in the early hours of Thursday. The members of the union are hospital workers apart from medical doctors.
In compliance with the declaration of an indefinite strike by JOHESU, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM directed its members to stay away from all federal health institutions across the country.
Meanwhile, checks have revealed that private hospitals, mission homes and traditional birth attendants in across the country are recording tremendous increase in patronage following the on-going nationwide strike by the health workers.
Sanita Sanitatum,
The EXCOs of Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN) Lagos State and the Medical and Health Workers Union, through deliberations and consultations, have been able to get the state government to open up employment opportunities at both the Local Government Service Commission and the Primary Health Care Board.
In the light of the above, all qualified unemployed EHOs are hereby advised to submit applications as specified in the publication.
Furthermore, indigent qualified EHOs and those currently serving as non-pensionable or Adhoc capacities are advised to submit their names with the EHOAN State Deputy President or State Secretary.
Thank you.
Signed:
San. (Dr.) Akinyele C.B
State Secretary
Noise pollution is obviously everywhere in Nigeria. Infact, some persons think that it is normal to make noise or that they are immune to noise. As a result, many people are suffering from hearing defects today, especially children and the elderly.
It is very common, these days, to observe rowdy market scenes, the whining clatter of grinding machines, the second-hand clothes seller screaming his geniuses; vehicles blaring horns; the siren of ambulances, bullion vans, security vehicles of important government functionaries, Religious houses singing, shouting and praying via loudspeakers; indiscriminate use of mobile phones and the ubiquitous Keke Napep operators, Mobile herbal medicine sellers; etc, all contribute to environmental noise.
Research has shown that as the population of a country grows/increases with attendant pressure on the environment especially in the wake of improved technologies, environmental health abuses and pollution of the environment is nevertheless heightened with corresponding effects on lives of people and other living organisms…
It has been observed further that man through industrial, agricultural and the ever increasing urbanization process, security and terrorist activities tend to directly and/or indirectly pollute the environment. In Nigeria for instance, environmental health issues did not gain official prominence until the 1988 Koko toxic waste dumping issue which also brought to the fore the exigent need to establish the Nigeria Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), Federal Ministry of Environment and other relevant agencies, ostensibly to tackle Environmental Health related issues, in the country.
These include issues such as environmental pollution, sanitation, depletion of ozone layer, desertification, flooding, erosion, poverty, bush burning, deforestation, soil conservation etc. All these mentioned above are a pointer to the fact that issues of environment and in fact environmental pollution, has taken a centre stage in the nation’s (Nigeria’s) development process
The stress of that was that sixty per cent of deaf Nigerian children are out of school.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), had bemoaned that the number of people affected with the hearing impairment has grown from 42 million in 1985 to 360 million in 2011, out of which, children who were said to be suffering from the problem, were given at 32 million children, and they were younger than 15 years old.
Seven million five hundred thousand were said to be under the age of five.
Indices have shown that about 14 per cent pupils have some kind of hearing loss. In the views of a pediatrician with an interest in audiology, Prof. Bolajoko Olusanya, has shown that available studies had suggested that up to 2.7 per cent or 162,000 of the six million infants born annually might have hearing impairment.
Of the 120 million babies born yearly in the developing world, it was said that 718,000 are likely to have permanent or sensor neural hearing impairment at an estimated incidence of six per 1,000 live births compared to 2-4 per 1,000 for the developed world.
Against this backdrop, some children in schools, their parents can afford the hearing aids costs, which was said to cost as much as N600, 000, the electronic aids need accessories, such as batteries and driers, while others cannot afford. Against this scenery, many children are suffering from what experts have described as growing effect of noise, due to poverty.
Most hearing loss at a ripe age was gotten from childhood.
According to Folashade Adebayo, a Journalist, majority of pupils at the Favour Auditory Oral School, Ejigbo, Lagos, a special school for the deaf and dumb, were not born deaf. It was noted that the Project Director of the school, Mr. Johnson Odigiri, averred that obtainable medical reports had shown that 80 per cent of the pupils were born without hearing mutilation.
So, what was the problem? According to the source, the children attained the ‘soft’ disability, after they received treatment in the hospital following certain infections. Prof. Bolajoko Olusanya had said that there is the need to carry out hearing screening before discharging a newborn from the hospital or health centre. A report by Press Association stressed on February 17 2015, as follows: Generation exposed to constant noise could be losing the ability to hear, noise pollution could be blocking out natural sounds that boost health, hearing is ‘universal learning sense’ active even when we’re sleeping.
Again, Bilkis Bakare in a report, said: “In Nigeria, the broad consciousness of hearing impairment is low. Lack of resources has resulted in very few screening programmes. In Lagos, a recent research has shown that as many as 13.9 per cent of school pupils suffer from hearing loss. Yet, in just 2 per cent of the cases did parents or teachers observe signs of hearing loss.
“This is the finding of a study examining the incidence of hearing impairment in Nigerian school children. The prevalence of noise pollution is a foremost cause of health concern in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Hearing and Speech Association (NIHSA), has linked the growing hearing difficulties being experienced by Nigerians to noise pollution.”
With that, Mr. Bayo Olupohunda, a Columnist with _The Punch_, has decried the danger of noise pollution in a letter he openly sent to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, saying, “My concern has become necessary due to the danger noise pollution poses to residents.
Personally, as a resident living in Lagos, it has become a nightmare. Our health is suffering due to the bedlam our city has become…”
He further stated: “Noise pollution has also impacted on the global perspective of Lagos. In recent years, this city has consistently been rated poorly by the Economic Intelligent Unit in its global livable cities rankings… Everywhere one turns in this city, there is no respite from noise pollution. There is bedlam everywhere. Noise pollution in Lagos has assumed a frightening level…
“Lagos cannot continue like this. The law has to be enforced for some sanity and decency to return. Noise may be the root cause of around three deaths in every hundred traditionally blamed on heart disease according to a study that suggests many thousands of people may be dying because of lack of peace and quiet...
“More people than ever are now complaining about unwanted noise pollution – from rowdy neighbours, street vendors and loud traffic to late-night parties, churches, pubs and clubs.
A groundbreaking research from the WHO has provided estimates of the impact of noise revealing a striking contribution of noise to premature deaths…”
Most times, some Nigerians have a thought that their source of electricity should not provide electricity indefinitely. This rather obscure thought was necessitated by the fact that many of the countrymen and women do not know how to live together with their neighbours. The noise they generate from their record players and televisions is enough to make one go mad.
The irony is that when one tells some of the people in this line of behaviour to check their ways, they remind the person of how the complainant does not belong to this country and that the person should go to Europe or America and live.
Many Nigerians get insane with noise and it destabilises their mental setting. Some residents would open, that was to say, amplify the volume of their record players with the view that other neighbours are enjoying whatever their music was.
In the evaluation of this, it is delectable that the noisemakers should make the noise to themselves and should not disturb others with it.
Experts have questioned the benefit of creating noise day in day out. Immediately there is electricity, you see some persons exhibiting what one Jean Arp had characterised as “tooting, howling, screeching, booming, crashing, whistling, grinding, and trilling bolster”.
Notwithstanding, children are not sleeping on their oars watching noise pollution destroy them.
Momoh Suleiman of _Daily Trust_ on Tuesday, May 27, 2003, wrote an article with the title, “School children campaign against noise pollution.” According to him, the Federal Ministry of Environment in conjunction with the Foundation Bank and the Federal Ministries of Education and Women Affairs invited school children from the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, to demonstrate through short drama sketches, poetry and mime, the impact of noise on the Nigerian environment.
Suleiman wrote that children from primary and secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, were determined to sound the clarion call. According to him, in a colourful celebration of the International Noise Awareness Day held Thursday 22nd May 2003, the Federal Ministry of Environment’s Pollution and Hazardous Waste Department, brought together in its Green House Auditorium no fewer than seventy school children to present plays and poems with the main theme of sounding a clear note of warning to “stop the noise! It’s harmful”, as the year’s message.
In that highlight, worship centres across the country have been strongly advised to comply with the international standard on noise, while suggesting the use of sound proof equipment by churches to reduce noise during their worship services. Suleiman decried that noise pollution is an aspect of the environmental degradation that has received little attention.
According to him, the chief agents of the pollution hardly spares a moment in self-examination to measure the devastating physical, mental or psychological impacts which are caused by excessive noise generated at home, at school, in the market place, at work, public places and on our roads or in the atmosphere.
Scholars have however defined pollution as a derivation of the word pollute, which means, to make something dirty or no longer pure, especially by adding harmful or unpleasant substances to it.
In another development; the committee on pollution of the United States National Research Council (1965) defined pollution as; an undesirable change in physical, chemical or biological characteristics of our air, land and water that may or will harmfully affect human life or that of other desirable species, our industrial processes, living conditions cultural assets that may or will waste or deteriorate our raw material resources.
It was suggested that a prompt legislative framework should be put in place to make and seriously enforce laws that would tackle headlong issues of noise pollution in Nigeria.
According to them, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an industrial noise limit of 75 Decibels (dB) so, much that any sound level above 75 dB is already a pollutant. Nevertheless in dance halls, recording centres, air ports, rail terminals etc. noise is normally heard above 115 dB sound level that must be avoided.
This has to be avoided because, at this level, short or long term effects alike that can cause damage to the tympanic membrane – the ear drum is likely to occur. This may either be injurious to the ear or lead to lots of hearing ability – which may result to deafness to the affected members of the society.
Have you ever wondered why mosquitoes seem to bite some persons better than others, even when they all have same levels of exposure? Here's why....
Whether you are outside your home, or at home in the backyard, or right inside the comfort of your home, mosquitoes are not equal opportunity biters. Some people seem to be constantly bitten by mosquitoes while others not so much.
With the health risks that can result from a mosquito bite, it may help to know the following things that attract mosquitoes:
WHAT ATTRACTS MOSQUITOES
AVOID THESE THINGS:
WEARING DARK COLORS attract mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can see and use their vision to locate targets from a distance. Most of their day-to-day targets will be found in the shade or within foliage, so they are naturally attracted to dark colors. This means that they will be more attracted to people wearing dark clothing than people wearing light clothing.
FRAGRANCES are known to attract mosquitoes. Avoid some types of perfume, cologne, perfumed shampoos, hand creams, soaps, fabric softeners, detergent, etc. Switch to as many unscented products as you can during the summer to avoid the mosquito bite.
MOVEMENT will attract mosquitoes. They can see their victims from within 30 feet by locating the changes in waves of light around them, caused by moving objects.
SWEAT will attract mosquitoes because they need water to reproduce, and they are naturally attracted to areas with higher humidity levels. This includes people who are sweating. Perspiration will also dilute any mosquito repellents that you might have applied; making you more attractive to mosquitoes.
CARBON DIOXIDE (from your exhaled breath) will attract mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are attracted by areas that are higher in carbon dioxide (living-breathing animals, humans).
BODY HEAT from circulating blood in animals and humans will attract mosquitoes which have sophisticated heat sensors. They follow body heat and exhaled gases and fly to their target.
LACTIC ACID is produced by our bodies after we exercise or after we eat certain types of food that are high in salt or potassium. Someone who is sitting outside eating pretzels and a banana will attract more mosquitoes than someone who is sitting outside eating watermelon.
EXERCISING causes your body to do three things that will make it attract mosquitoes.
1.) You are breathing harder, meaning you are exhaling more carbon dioxide;
2.) You are sweating, which increases the humidity around your body;
3.) When you are releasing more lactic acid as mentioned above.
This could be likened to a situation whereby you are wearing a neon sign asking all mosquitoes to bite you.
Help prevent mosquito bites and malaria.
These are the minimum guideline for the operation of a portable water factory in Nigeria:
1.0 GENERAL
1.1 These guidelines are for the general public, corporate organizations and individuals that wish to engage in production of packaged potable water for public consumption.
1.2 These guidelines prescribe the minimum requirements for personnel, materials, machine and environment for production of potable water.
1.3 It is important to note that no packaged water should be manufactured, advertised, sold or distributed in Nigeria unless it has been registered in accordance with the provisions of Act Cap F33 LFN 2004 and the accompanying guidelines.
2.0 ORGANIZATION AND PERSONNEL
2.1 There should be an adequate organizational structure that clearly defines (a) Responsibility (b) Authority (c) Qualification of Personnel.
2.2 There should be adequate personnel to perform and supervise the production and packaging of potable water.
2.3 Production of potable water must be under the supervision of a production manager who must possess a minimum of Ordinary National Diploma in a science based course obtained from a recognised tertiary institution.
2.4 In house and In process Quality Control of functions can be carried out by the production manager while comprehensive/detailed product analysis should be performed by public analyst registered by the Institute of Public Analyst of Nigeria (IPAN)
2.5 Personnel should be adequately clad in overall, hand gloves, nose/mouth masks, headgears and rubber shoes.
3.0 BUILDING(S)
3.1 The entire factory premises should be fenced to demarcate it from all other buildings (residential or commercial).
3.2 The factory must not be sited (located) near a cemetery, abattoir, quarry, sewage treatment plant, sawmill, oil depot (Petroleum and Vegetable) or any such establishment that could be a source of contamination for processing, production and packaging of potable water
3.3 The building should be designed to allow for free flow of personnel and materials to prevent cross contamination. 3.4 The building for the production of potable water should be purpose built or suitably adapted to comprise a minimum of five rooms designated as the cloak room, packaging material store, production room and finished product store & office.
3.4.1 CLOAK ROOM:
a. Floor should be made of easily cleaned and disinfected non shedding durable material and should have smooth surface.
b. Walls should be made of easily cleaned and disinfected non shedding durable material and should have smooth surface.
c. Windows should and be screened with insect-proof nets and be constructed in such a way as not to trap dust.
d. Wall hangers/cupboard should be provided. e. Shoe rack/lockers should be provided.
f. Ventilation & Illumination should be adequate.
g. A netted door at the entrance should be provided.
3.4.2 PACKAGING MATERIALS STORE:
a. Floor should be made of easily cleaned and disinfected non shedding durable material and should have smooth surface.
b. Walls should be made of easily cleaned and disinfected non shedding durable material and should have smooth surface.
c. Windows if present should be screened with insect-proof nets and be constructed in such a way as not to trap dust.
d. Pallets/shelves (not wooden) should be provided.
e. Ventilation & Illumination should be adequate.
f. An Ultraviolet sterilizing lamp should be provided and bulb changed when spent.
3.4.3 PRODUCTION ROOM:
a. Floor should be covered with easy to clean durable materials.
b. Drainage system should be adequate to prevent flooding.
c. Walls should be made of easily cleaned and disinfected non shedding durable material and should have smooth surface.
d. Windows should be screened with insect-proof nets and be constructed in such a way as not to trap dust.
e. An air conditioner should be provided.
f. Illumination and ventilation should be adequate.
3.4.4 FINISHED PRODUCT STORE:
a. Floor should be made of easily cleaned and disinfected non shedding durable material and should have smooth surface.
b. Walls should be made of easily cleaned and disinfected non shedding durable material and should have smooth surface.
c. Windows should be screened with insect-proof nets and be constructed in such a way as not to trap dust.
d. Pallets/shelves (not wooden) should be provided.
e. Illumination & ventilation should be adequate.
f. A netted door should be provided at the exit.
4.0 FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
4.1: SOURCE OF WATER
4.1.1
The source of water could either be from a borehole of minimum depths of 100ft 150ft
4.1.2
Public mains provided by the local water cooperation.
4.1.3
Use of dug out well is not allowed.
4.1.4
Water source should be at least 30-50m away from the nearest septic tank which may or may not be situated within the premises.
4.2 WATER TANKS/RESERVOIR
All tanks should be made of PVC or stainless steel. Underground reservoir (where available) should be made of concrete and fully tiled.
4.3 PIPES
All pipes should be made of stainless steel or PVC. Use of galvanised iron pipes is not allowed.
4.4 TAPS
Taps for manual filling should be made of stainless steel or PVC mounted on a stainless steel sink.
4.5 FORM FILLING AND SEALING MACHINE
The form filling and sealing machine (where available) should be designed to minimise man-material contact, safe to use, easy to clean and environmentally friendly. The equipment may be a fully or semi automated device.
4.6 WATER TREATMENT PROCESS
PRODUCTION LINE
5.0 WASHING AND TOILET FACILITIES
5.1 Adequate, clean hand washing and toilet facilities should be provided for personnel.
Hand washing facilities should be equipped with soap or detergent, air driers or single-service towels. This should be walled and floored with easily cleaned and disinfected non shedding durable material and should have smooth surface.
5.2 Toilets should be away from the production or storage areas and should be easily accessible to production area.
5.3. Sewage, refuse and other wastes within the premises should be disposed of in a safe and sanitary manner.
SANITATION
Any building used in the manufacture, processing and packaging of potable water should be maintained in a hygienic condition. Standard operating procedures assigning responsibility for cleaning must be in place. The SOP should describe in sufficient details, the cleaning schedules as well as equipment and materials to be used in cleaning the buildings and facilities. The building should be regularly fumigated with approved fumigants in accordance with the food and drug act andthe pesticides registration regulation of NAFDAC.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEEDURES (SOPs)
Standard Operating Procedures should be written for all operations namely:
SOP for Production
SOP for Quality Control
SOP for cleaning of factory Premises and Equipments.
SOP for Recall and Distribution of products.
SOP for cloaking and use of toilets etc.
These SOPs should then be conspicuously placed the wall or notic board for all to see and get acquainted with at any time.
If you find any portable water factory in Nigeria that falls short of the guidelines below, please contact the closest NAFDAC OFFICE; MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT OFFICE
OR THE CLOSEST ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY.
If you can't find any, do not fret, just contact the EHSadvisor's Blog on our Blog address: https://ehsadvisor.blogspot.com or our Facebook page, e-mail address etc..and we shall report the situation to protect unsuspecting public. Be patriotic!
SUPPORT THE EHSadvisor always.
In healthy people, hiccups usually go away by themselves with no serious effects after that. Whenever hiccups continue, however, they may cause social embarrassment and distress, and if prolonged may result in speech, eating, and sleeping disorders.
Hiccups can be described as brief, irritable spasms of the diaphragm that can occur for a few seconds or minutes. They infrequently last longer in normal individuals without any underlying medical problem.
Hiccups is rarely a medical emergency. If hiccups last for more than 3 hours, occur with severe abdominal pain, fever, shortness of breath, vomiting, spitting up blood, or feeling as if the throat is going to close up, the person should seek medical attention.
A person should see a doctor if the hiccups become chronic and persistent (if they last more than 3 hours), or if they affect sleeping patterns, interfere with eating, or cause reflux of food or vomiting.
Many conditions are associated with hiccups, but none has been shown to be the cause of hiccups.
The following are some conditions that may cause hiccup in humans:
a) If a person eats too fast, he or she can swallow air along with food.
b) Smoking cigarettes or chewing gum also can cause a person to swallow air and get hiccups.
c) Any other practices that might irritate the diaphragm such as eating too much (especially fatty foods) or drinking too much (alcohol or carbonated drinks) can make a person prone to having hiccups.
In these instances, mentioned above, the stomach, which sits underneath and adjacent to the diaphragm, is distended or stretched. As they occur in relation to eating and drinking.
Hiccup's are sometimes thought to be a reflex action to protect a person from choking.
d) Strokes or brain tumors involving the brain stem, and some chronic medical disorders (such as renal failure) are reported to cause hiccups too; trauma to the brain, meningitis, and encephalitis also may cause hiccups.
e) Damage to the vagus or phrenic nerve may cause hiccups to last a long time.
f) Problems with the liver, including swelling, infection, or masses can cause irritation of the diaphragm, which can cause hiccups.
g) Some medications that can cause acid reflux may also have hiccups as a side effect. Most benzodiazepines, including diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax) and lorezepam (Ativan) can cause hiccups. In addition, medications such levodopa (Larodopa), nicotine, and ondansetron (Zofran) can cause hiccups. Other medications that can cause hiccups include levodopa, methyldopa (Aldomet), nicotine, ondansetron (Zofran), barbiturates, opioid pain relievers, corticosteroids, anesthesia, or other chemotherapy medications.
h) Noxious fumes can also trigger hiccup symptoms.
i) A baby may hiccup after crying or coughing. This is common in babies in the first year. In some instances, babies with gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) could be more prone to hiccups.
j) Anxiety and stress can induce both short and long-term hiccups
However, diagnosis of hiccups is based on physical evaluation. Laboratory testing is rarely necessary unless the hiccups are suspected to be a symptom of an associated medical condition. The tests to diagnose the associated medical condition will be done and tests will vary according to the associated condition.
HOW TO QUICKLY GET RID OF HICCUPS?
There are a variety of home remedies to resolve hiccups, which include holding your breath,... to drinking a glass of water quickly etc.
The common effect to most of these remedies is that carbon dioxide builds up in the blood or stimulating the vagus nerve will stop hiccups. Medical care is rarely needed to cure hiccups. If a person has hiccups for more than two days, they should seek medical care.
WHY HICCUPS?
The reason these remedies are thought to work is that carbon dioxide build-up in the blood usually stop hiccups, which is what happens when a person holds breath for example.
Stimulation of the vagus nerve (the nerve that runs from the brain to the stomach): Also, when the Vagus nerve is stimulated, hiccups can be alleviated (this is what is happening when a person drinks water or pulls on their tongue).
TRY THESE METHODS AT HOME TO GET RID OF THE HICCUPS:
Hold your breath.
Drink a glass of water quickly.
Have someone frighten you (or better, surprise) you
Use smelling salts.
Pull hard on your tongue.
Place one-half teaspoon of dry sugar on the back of the tongue. (Repeat this process 3 times at 2-minute intervals, if necessary use corn syrup, not sugar , in young children.)
"stick a finger in the ear;"
tickling the palate with a swab;
Swallowing a tablespoon full of honey (this distracts the person with the hiccups and may help the diaphragm relax).
However, a person should only try those methods they are comfortable with, and be aware that some methods are not suitable for infants (honey, sugar methods), elderly with swallowing problems, and others with health problems.
You may contact your doctor if they fail to stop the hiccups or it gets worse.
Environmental health officers have huge task of protecting the public's health from harmful elements in the environment. The Texas flood and the hurricane IRMA in Florida, USA, clearly demonstrated the magnitude of environmental health issues and response needs faced by communities in emergencies.
In Nigeria, flooding, terrorism and insurgency have caused a huge Environmental health impact of communities, states and regions as a whole. The IDP, camp for instance, was established to shelter and manage evacuees and survivors. But sadly because, the Environmental Health officers were not involved in such vital public health issues, the entire handling of the camp was politicized; embezzlement of IDP camp funds became rampant to an extent that a government official in Nigeria cut grasses with an amount well over two hundred (N200,000,000) million naira. That's crazy!
Whether a disaster event is as a result of flood, Ebola, or in displaced persons camps, Environmental Health officers have important roles to play in such emergency response. Issues related to food, water, air quality, waste, vector control, and building environments will always exist.
Environmental health officers must be actively involved in local and state emergency response planning efforts including the federal level. Emergencies vary greatly from region to region and from city to city. For example, communities that are water logged and easily flooded , or communities where oil wells and pipelines are located or communities near chemical plants, petroleum tank farms etc face unique emergency response challenges.
Also, a region with high armed insurgency displaces civilians, makes food, medicines and portable water scarce for the average civilian. In the same vein, litters of dead bodies and mass grave of dead casualties abounds which could lead to contamination of drinking water and spread of diseases if not properly check.
Originally, emergency response and planning processes should begin at the local level which determines the events that are most likely to occur in a community and developing appropriate local response plans, deciding who will respond and how, determining staffing and equipment needs, and practicing plan implementation. To this end, NATIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCY (NEMA) offices/formations must be opened in all local government headquarters in Nigeria with enough funding, staff and equipments and not just the Federal level alone as it now .
The Government (federal, state and local) must recognize the value of the skills of Environmental health officers/practitioners and also know how valuable those skills are in responding to emergency events.
The assessment of shelters for the hurricane irma evacuees in florida, USA by the Florida Environmental Health officers is a great example of the use of these skills. Nigeria must draw a leaf from the US government and agencies on how best to manage and deploy environmental health officers in disaster response and management.
Environmental Health Officers are trained in preventing disaster and its mannagent.
Many of the environmental health issues that exists in the evacuees /IDP camps, shelters were the same as those that Environmental Health Officers/ practitioners assess and regulate during their regular duties. These issues include safe food preparation, safe and adequate supply of water, infection control/ hand washing, solid waste disposal, vector control, general safety, sewage disposal, and adequate sanitation facilities.
As such, ensuring that these issues are addressed and that systems are functioning properly is essential for protecting the health and safety of shelter /camp occupants and visitors.
The government (federal and state) must take advantage of Emergency Response Trainings and Emergencies as often as possible to the Environmental Health Officers in their employ so as to help them be more flexible and apply their skills and knowledge across several areas of Environmental health (e.g. food, water, waste, air quality, vector control).
Environmental Health Officers/practitioners who are expected to respond to emergencies often need to review the basics of environmental health and should be aware of technical updates.
Finally, the decision about when it is safe to re-enter and reoccupy a community after an emergency presents many challenges. Environmental health practitioners know how to evaluate a variety of environmental issues (e.g., food, water, waste, air quality, vector control); they address a variety of environmental health issues in their daily routine jobs and can translate science into practice.
In emergencies, Environmental Health Officers have the ability to collect, analyze, and translate Environmental Health data. These abilities are a great asset for policy decision making. Experienced Environmental health Officers/ practitioners are well needed to lead the environmental health response to emergency events. Establishing and maintaining strong environmental health manpower/ programs at the local and state levels helps to ensure that this leadership is in place.
The Niger Basin Authority issued a warning Saturday of possible flooding in Benin and Nigeria, two countries downstream on the river, which is currently flooding in Niger.
Flooding in Port Harcourt after Heavy Rainfall“We appeal to all residents downstream (of the Niger River)… because the water keeps rising,” the NBA’s Soungalo Kone said late Saturday, speaking on Niger television.
The NBA has issued its second-highest alert level of orange, warning that further flooding is highly likely following months of heavy rain in Niger and Mali.
“It’s a question of hours to get to a red alert — the waters can rise very suddenly,” said Lawan Magadji, Niger’s minister of disaster management, speaking on local television.
Floods are threatening villages and some sections of the capital Niamey, the minister said.
The ministry has already announced plans to evacuate residents in affected areas and reinforce dykes.
The government has set up sites for people displaced by the flooding, the minister said.
Almost all Niamey’s some million and a half residents live along the river banks.
Some of the homes at risk are located in the former bed of the Gountou-Yena river, which is now once again filling with water.
Flooding has killed 44 people across Niger since June, according to the civil protection agency, after more than 50 deaths from flooding last year.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/09/niger-warns-flooding-benin-nigeria/
A DESSERTATION ON THE "USE OF PLASTICs/PVCs TO ENHANCE BARBEQUE FIRE: ITS EFFECTS ON MAN AND ENVIRONMENT IN RIVERS STATE"
This opened my eyes so much that I can now authoritatively say that open burning of plastics at solid waste collection points, or at final disposal sites, even in our houses WITHOUT relevant incinerator is very dangerous to your health and environment. Also, adding plastics in the form of disused plastic buckets, water bottles, flipflops, PVCs, waterproof bags (polyethene bags) etc into fire to help the fire to light well for cooking or barbeque is not advisable.
As we all know, it's a very common sight in port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, to see people lighting fire for one barbeque stuff or another. The worrisome aspect is the use of plastics/PVCs to help the fire light up well. This practice is now so common that people see it as a necessary process to light up their barbeque fire or firewood/ charcoal fire etc..
The sad thing is that, those who do such are inadvertently poisoning the barbeque food, the air, environment and of course themselves including the general public. I have seen women /men who sell pork meat, grilled/roasted chicken, suya, bolé-fish, yam and plantain etc by the road side use plastics, nylon, and pvc materials to help the fire as they dry, roast, smoke or charr the meat, fish or chicken etc, that is supposedly meant for public consumption. THAT ACT IS GROSSLY HARMFUL / HAZARDOUS TO THE INNOCENT PUBLIC. These persons also inhale the fumes from the plastics/pvc, nylon materials etc that they burn. This is dangerous and very very hazardous.
Most people who burn their domestic waste that contains plastics, nylon, pvc do not realize how harmful this practice is, to their health and also to the environment. Current research indicates that even our backyard-burning of waste is far more harmful to our health than previously thought. It can increase the risk of heart disease, aggravate respiratory ailments such as asthma and emphysema, and cause rashes, nausea (urge to vomit), or headaches, could cause damages to the nervous system, kidney or liver, and the reproductive and development system.
The burning of polystyrene polymers such as foam, plastic cups, meat trays, plastic egg crates, yogurt and deli containers, releases what is called styrene. Styrene gas can readily be absorbed through the skin and lungs.
At high levels styrene vapor can damage the eyes and mucous membranes. No wonder most of our old women develop poor vision and blindness at old age. Long term exposure to styrene can also affect the central nervous system, causing headaches, fatigue, weakness, and depression.
Its not only those perdons who always burn plastics that are exposed to these pollutants, but also their neighbours, children and families.
In my study I found out that burning of plastic materials actually emit gases which are not good for you and the environment.
Whenever you burn plastics you produce dioxin, which is a deadly poison. It is the most dangerous emissions that can be caused by burning plastics containing organochlor-based substances like PVC.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is well known to produce dioxin when burned. Those plastics that contain nitrogen (nylon) or chlorine (PVC) gives out very toxic fumes when burned. When such plastics are burned, harmful quantities of dioxins, which is a group of highly toxic chemicals are emitted.
Dioxins are the most toxic to the human organisms. They are truly carcinogenic and a renowned hormone disruptor. Dioxins are persistent, and they accumulate in our body-fat and thus mothers give it directly to their babies via the placenta.
Dioxins also settle on crops and in our waterways where they eventually wind up in our food, accumulate in our bodies and are passed on to our children. Air emissions from open burning are released directly into the house or the atmosphere without being treated or filtered.
In fact any carbon-based material produces hazardous byproducts under most combustion conditions, mostly due to incomplete combustion.
Please note that burning plastic is really bad for you and the environment. There is no doubt that when plastic is burned it emits toxic fumes.
Open burning ordinarily is not good for your health and your environment. Burning of plastic waste is simply dangerous to your health and the health of the environment.
Pollutants released from burning plastic waste in in drums, or openly, are transported through the air either short or long distances, and are then deposited onto land or into bodies of water. A few of these pollutants such as mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and furans persist for long periods of time in the environment and have a tendency to bio-accumulate which means they build up in predators at the top of the food web.
Bioaccumulation of pollutants usually occurs indirectly through contaminated water and food rather than breathing the contaminated air directly.
In wildlife, the range of effects associated with these pollutants includes cancer, deformed offspring, reproductive failure, immune diseases and subtle neuro-behavioral effects. Humans can be exposed indirectly just like wildlife, especially through consumption of contaminated fish, meat and diary products. Plastics such as PVC (polyvinylchloride) is common in such things as bottles and jugs, plastic packaging and blister packs, etc.
Polyvinyl chloride, or 'PVC', is one of the most widely used polymers in the world. Due to its highly versatile nature, PVC is used extensively in many industries including construction, automotive, electronics, packaging, fashion and design amongst others. However once it enters the waste stream, it has traditionally been seen as a cause of harmful emissions from pvcs.
Micro-pollutants as well as acidic gases in solid wastes are released during their combustion processes in general, and it was concluded that PVC was the main cause for most hazardous emissions.
When these are burnt in the house, carbon monoxide, dioxins, and furans are released into your air. Whilst carbon monoxide is a very well-known poison, dioxins and furans are not well known yet as deadlier fumes. Scientific studies have linked dioxins and furans to cancer and respiratory disease.
ARE YOU STILL WONDERING WHY CANCER RATES ARE SO HIGH THESE DAYS?
Dioxin is the major culprit. As mentioned above, dioxin is a very toxic organic chemical that contains chlorine, and it is produced when chlorine and hydrocarbons are heated at high temperatures.
To inhale dioxin or to be exposed to its fumes can cause many deadly/toxic results. Such toxic components inhaled through smoke from burning plastic materials may also cause hormonal imbalance and sex behavioural orientation especially in newborns.
Hence, plastic should never be burned in the open air and should never be used to cook or do barbeque. PLEASE!
There are recommended recycling options available for many of these products.
CONCLUSION:
Toxic gases are emitted by burning plastic materials. They include dioxins and furans. These chemicals can also cause cancer, impotence, asthma and myriads other allergies to human beings.
A scientific researcher, Young Danes, have also reported exceptionally low sperm counts compared to the previous generations, testicular cancer was increased by 55 per cent between 1979 and 1991 in England and Wales. According to him, fewer boys were being born in Seveso, Italy, where toxic dioxin was released. Some girls are even achieving puberty earlier than others.
To this end, it must be noted that petroleum product fueled stoves simply do not reach high enough temperatures to destroy many of the dangerous chemicals created when plastic burns.
It is highly recommended to use standard municipal solid waste incinerators such as the double chambered incinerators. Because the Energy from such waste plant can reach a temperature of about 982 degrees C (ie1800 Fahrenheit) and can provide enough volume of oxygen to complete the burning process of such plastic/PVCs.
Open burning of PVCs and other plastics only tend to smoulder and smoke, releasing plumes of toxic fall out into your house, offices and the surrounding community/ the environment, thus making your environment as polluted as a PVC factory! The ash alone is also potentially hazardous and not appropriate to spread on the soil.
To this end, all this who use PVCs/ plastics as fire enhancer to roast meat, suya, barbeque, fish or any food meant for consumption is not only poisoning self but endangering the health of the innocent, unsuspecting public and the environment as a whole.
STOP BURNING PLASTIC NOW! RECYCLING IS BEST.
So you need do yourself and the world a favour. If your neighbours burn plastic, quickly report them to your nearest Environmental Health authority or the ministry of Environment. You can inform the EHSadvisor for quick intervention. Send us a message or use any of our contacts for quick response.
Remember, good health is about good food, clean water, and clean air. This is not just a mere blog post. TAKE THIS ADVICE VERY SERIOUSLY.
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