Eradicating TB calls for joint efforts - Minister

Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu Home News
 
TUBERCULOSIS (TB) is reportedly one of the biggest health challenges facing the country as the disease kills an estimated 12,000 people annually.
 
“We need to eliminate stigma and ensure all affected people have access to care in order to reduce the burden of the disease in the country,” Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, has said.

“Even after a century, TB is still a threat in the country as stipulated in the Maputo Declaration of 2005, she said in marking World TB Day yesterday.

The minister said that total victory over the disease will require a united efforts as ending the epidemic requires actions beyond the ministry of health alone. World TB Day is marked each year on March 24 and this year’s theme is ‘Unite to End TB’.

TB is primarily an airborne disease spread through microscopic droplets that accompany everyday actions such as speaking, sneezing, coughing, laughing or singing.

It spreads most easily where people spend time in close contact with each other.

Ms Mwalimu said each person must do more to engage affected persons and communities as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), researchers and the private sector.

Regions with many affected people are Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Mara, Manyara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mwanza, Coast, Shinyanga, Tabora and Tanga.

According to the minister, 2015 statistics indicate that these regions contributed 70 per cent of all TB patients diagnosed in the country.

TB prevalence in Tanzania is still high at 295 smear positive cases per 100,000 adult populations, compared to 261 cases per 100,000 adults which were projected by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

National TB and Leprosy, Programme Manager, Ms Beatrice Mutayoba, said the results of the first national TB prevalence survey conducted in 2012/13 by the ministry showed that the disease was still a serious challenge facing the country.

“The survey and other recent evaluations revealed that elderly and people in the villages are more vulnerable to the disease as they can hardly access health services,” she said.

She said since the disease is curable efforts are needed to fight it in line with the global End TB Strategy of 2016-2035.TANGAZO5

NEC picks three Special Seats MPs

THE CHAIRMAN of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Judge Damian Lubuva, explains a point at a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday regarding the newly-filled Special Seats MPs and the just-ended Kijitoupele election. Right is the Director of Legal Services, Mr Emmanuel Kavishe. (Photo by Mohamed Mambo) Home News
THE National Electoral Commission (NEC) has named the remaining three Special Seats members of parliament (MPs) to complete the list of 113.
 
The three Special Seats MPs are Rita Enespher Kabati and Oliver Deniel Semuguruka of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and Lucy Fidelis Owenya of Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema).

Addressing journalists yesterday, NEC Chairman Judge Damian Lubuva said the Special Seats were left out waiting for the legislative elections in the eight constituencies that did not conduct election in the 2015 general election due to various reasons, including deaths of candidates.

The eight constituencies are Arusha, Lushoto, Ulanga East, Masasi, Handeni, Ludewa, Luhindi and Kijitoupele in Zanzibar. Judge Lubuva said in November, last year, NEC set aside a total number of 113 parliamentary special seats for women in the General Election, 2015.

He added that because eight constituencies had not yet conducted the parliamentary elections, only 110 seats out of the 113 special seats were allocated, leaving out the three seats that were to be allocated after the election of the remaining constituencies. At the time CCM was allocated 64 seats, CHADEMA 36 and CUF 10 seats.

Judge Lubuva noted that CCM in 256 constituencies received 8,332,953 votes while in the remaining eight constituencies the party received 162,535.

Chadema got 4,627,923 votes in 256 constituencies while in the eight constituencies it garnered 92,958 votes. CUF got 1,257,051 votes in the 256 constituencies and 17,860 votes in the eight constituencies that recently conducted parliamentary elections.

According to Justice Lubuva, calculations conducted show that CCM has 66 special seats, Chadema 37 and CUF 10.

He said in the list of names of Special Seats MPs submitted to NEC, Ms Kabati and Ms Semuguruka are in position 65 and 66 respectively while Ms Owenyi is number 37 according to Chadema’s list.TANGAZO5

Monkey ‘business’ sends forest body CEO packing

Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Professor Jumanne Maghembe 
THE Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Professor Jumanne Maghembe, has suspended the Chief Executive of the Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS), Juma Mgoo, alongside two directors and seven zonal managers for inefficiency at the forests watchdog.
 
Prof Maghembe has also suspended the Assistant Director responsible for Wildlife Utilisation in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Charles Mulokozi, for defying an order restricting him to issue a permit for transporting monkeys outside the country.

On Wednesday night, police intercepted 61 live monkeys that were about to be sneaked out of Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) to Eastern Europe, according to the minister, who also said that several suspects of Eastern Europe origin and their accomplices from Tanzania had been nabbed at the airport.

Kilimanjaro Regional Police Commander (RPC) Wilbroad Mtafungwa confirmed the incident in an interview with the ‘Daily News’, saying police were holding two Dutch nationals who were being interrogated.

He named the suspects as Artem Vardanian (52) with passport number NWF8CKJR8 and Edward Vardanian (46) with passport number NY96P96.

“The suspects have been detained at KIA police station and we are still conducting investigation with officers from the wildlife department.

We are keeping the monkeys as evidence,’’ he reported. According to Prof Maghembe, the monkeys were loaded into a hired South African aircraft that was also seized by the police.

The pilot of the plane is also under police custody. “Dr Mulokozi will stay aside pending investigations because I ordered him not to issue any permit for transportation of animals but he failed to abide by the directive,’’ said Prof Maghembe.

The minister added that he was informed that there were 450 live monkeys that were due to be transported illegally outside the country, insisting that he would direct the authorities in the wildlife department to seize them immediately.

Regarding the suspension of senior TFS officials, Prof Maghembe said apart from the Chief Executive, other senior officials who were suspended are Director of Resource Mobilisation, Zawadi Mbwambo and Director of Planning and Resource Utilisation Nurdin Chamoya.

The four senior officials will be investigated to establish their scope of involvement, according to the minister. As investigations go on, the minister has appointed Mr Gerald Kamwenda as Acting TFS Chief Executive, Ms Mwanaidi Kijazi as Acting Director of Resource Mobilisation and Mr Haji Mpya as Acting Director of Planning and Resource Utilisation.

The zonal managers who were suspended pending investigations into their conduct include Herbert Haule (Southern Zone), Bakari Rashid (Eastern Zone), Shabaan Mwinjuma (Central Zone), Cuthbert Mafupa (Northern Zone), Emmanuel Minja (Western Zone), Haji Hatib (Lake Zone) and Bruno Mallya (Southern Highlands).

The minister was also irked by illegal harvest of logs in different areas, which he said was one of the reasons that prompted the suspension of TFS officialsHe gave the recent example of Kalambo District where several valuable logs were seized after it was realised that they were being transported to the neighbouring country without proper export documents.

Prof Maghembe said his ministry dished out 3m/- to facilitate the recovery of the logs and ordered that they be auctioned and the money obtained be channelled to other development projects.

“The authorities there informed me this week that logs worth a whopping 500m/- had been burned instead of being auctioned as I directed… indeed these people have let me down,’’ he remarked.TANGAZO5

General Urges 'Civil Disobedience' After Congo's Disputed Election

Congo incumbent President Denis Sassou N'Guesso casts his ballot, at a polling station, in Brazzaville, Congo, March 20, 2016.
An army general in the Republic of Congo is calling for a public campaign of "civil disobedience" to reject the official declaration that President Denis Sassou Nguesso has won re-election, despite opposition claims that the vote was marked by "massive fraud."

General Jean-Marie Mokoko spoke to VOA's French to Africa Service Thursday after Congo's interior minister announced in Brazzaville that Sassou Nguesso won over 60 percent of the vote in Sunday's election, and thus no second-round ballot would be necessary.

In a telephone interview, Mokoko called on Congo's people "to refuse the victory taken by Sassou."

"We are not calling for war," the general said. "We are calling for civil disobedience."

Mokoko added: "We don't have guns. It is Sassou who has guns to scare people, and we must stop being scared."

The general also was a candidate in the election - finishing third, according to voting results released early Thursday. In an audio statement posted on YouTube, he said polling station results collected by the opposition show it was "impossible" for Sassou Nguesso to have won re-election outright in a first round of voting.

The opposition has yet to release its own vote tallies.

Results released Thursday, which must be validated by Congo's constitutional court, said Mokoko won 14 percent of the vote, just behind the runner-up candidate, Guy-Brice Parfair Kolelas, who had 15 percent.
Supporters of Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, the Interim President of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development demonstrate at the candidate head quarter in Brazzaville on March 23, 2016.

Interior Minister Raymond Zephyrin Mboulou, announced the election results on national television at 3:30 a.m. Until Thursday, all telephone and internet service in Congo had been shut down sionce the election on Sunday. Mboulou said the measure was needed for security reasons.

The election followed a voter referendum last October that removed age and term limits that would have prevented the 72-year-old Sassou Nguesso from seeking re-election. Critics of the the poll accused the president of a "constitutional coup."

Sassou Nguesso initially served as Congo's president from 1979 to 1992. After losing an election, he returned to power during a 1997 civil war and won re-election in disputed polls in 2002 and 2009.TANGAZO5

Insufficient data sharing hinders defense against terrorism

After the Brussels terror attacks one thing is clear: Data sharing by security services must improve. National egos are creating potholes on the information highway - and Germany has its own problems in this regard.


We live in a globalized world. So do terrorists, especially when it comes to the so-called "Islamic State" (IS). Their trail of bloody attacks stretches from Southeast Asia to Africa, to the USA and repeatedly to Europe.

If the attacks in Brussels made anything thing clear it is that national answers to the threat of global terrorism are insufficient.

This is most obvious when it comes to the exchange of information between countries. That subject was in part put forth by German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, and will play a central role at a meeting of EU interior ministers. Too many different authorities are collecting data in very different ways, and they only hesitantly exchange such information with one another. Terrorism expert Peter Neumann from King's College in London criticized this fact on the German television broadcaster ARD: "As of today, there is still no central database containing information on terror suspects and foreign fighters to which all European states and security authorities have access."

Sharing intelligence

But it is not for lack of trying. New initiatives and new laws have followed every terrorist attack to date - beginning with the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.


German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere

Since then, the EU has proposed some 200 initiatives for the improvement of cooperation between the police and intelligence services. And several concrete steps have been taken: In January, Europol's "European Counter Terrorism Center" (ECTC) in The Hague began work. 50 specialists there are charged with collecting and evaluating information on terrorists.

Nevertheless, here as elsewhere, there is a massive gap between planning and execution, between aspirations and reality. For the ECTC can only succeed if individual member states deliver information. Member states, however, are not obliged to do so. EU parliamentarian Elmar Brok recently complained that only 5 of the EU's 28 member states regularly hand over relevant information to Europol.

A database full of holes

The same goes for EU-wide databases; for instance, the Schengen Information System (SIS). That system stores information on undesirables, missing persons and those with outstanding arrest warrants within the Schengen Area. Moreover, the database contains information on stolen automobiles, passports and weapons. There are around 50 million entries in the system.

Nonetheless, the director of the Association of German Criminal Police (BDK), André Schulz, told Deutsche Welle that the system only functions rudimentarily: "Several countries refuse - in part because they don't have the capacity - to enter data." The same can be said of the Eurodac database. In theory, this system should contain fingerprints from every asylum seeker that has appeared at a reception center, as well as information on illegal entries into the EU. Veteran police officer Schulz is straightforward: "Eurodac is a system with which one should be able to find out exactly when and where someone has entered the EU. But there, too, we only have rudimentary data - if any."


Islamist fighters are being trained to conduct terrorist attacks

Beyond these databases, there are, among others, the Visa Information System (VIS) for the exchange of visa data. Further databases are planned, such as Passenger Name Records (PNR) which registers air travel data. And German Interior Minister de Maizière also wants to push for the completion of an Entry-Exit System (EES) for the Schengen Area.

Federalism a roadblock

Interestingly, the Green party, which is pricipally in favor of individual data protection, is calling for the exchange of data as well. On Wednesday, Green party EU parliamentarian Jan-Philipp Albrecht, who is also Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, said that "governments of member states have to get willing to commit to common rules for the exchange of information and for the handling of data on suspects and accused persons."TANGAZO5

CCM scoop 18 constituencies in House of Representatives

Zanzibar elected-President Ali Mohamed Shein

 RESULTS released and confirmed by returning officers in different polling stations in Pemba Island showed that Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) won all eighteen constituencies in the House of Representatives.

 

CHONGA CONSTITUENCY

Shaiba Said Ali of CCM emerged victorious with 3,555 votes while his rivals and their scores in brackets are Zainab Rajab Iddi (ADC-173), Fatma Khamis Ali (ACT-93) and Khamis Rashid Khamis (CUF-66).

 

WAWI CONSTITUENCY

Hamad Abdalla Rashid of CCM garnered 4239 votes, Said Seif Said (ADC-997), Khalifa  Ali (CUF-89), Khamis M. Haji (ACT-74) and Maryam S. Said (CHAUMA -32). 

 

CHAKE CHAKE CONSTITUENCY

Suleiman Sarahan Said (CCM-4455), Nassor Kharith Mohamed (ADC-274),Omar Ali sheikh(CUF-128) and Salum Kombo Feruzi (ACT-37).

 

OLE CONSTITUENCY

Mussa Ali Mussa (CCM-3769),Khamis Saleh Khamis (ADC-98), Hamad Massoud Hamad (CUF-48) and Nasra Salum Khamis (NRA-0) 

 

ZIWANI CONSTITUENCY 

Suleiman Makame Ali (CCM-2,789), Mohamed Ali Salum (CUF-153), Omar Mohamed Omar (ADC-381) and Ali Hamad (UPDP-221). 

 

MTAMBILE CONSTITUENCY 

 Mohamed Mgaza Jecha (CCM-3,154), Salum A Hassan (ADC-273) and Abdalla B. Hassan (CUF-68). 

 

CHAMBANI CONSTITUENCY 

Bahati Khamis Kombo (CCM-2,971), Rahimu A. Dadi (ADC-593) and Mohamed Mbwana Hamad (CUF-81). 

 

KIWANI CONSTITUENCY 

Mussa Mussa Foum (CCM-4031), Mohamed O. Bakar (ADC-376) and Hija Hassan Hija (CUF-47). 

 

MKOANI CONSTITUENCY

Mmanga Mjengo Mjawiri (CCM-6331), Mmanga Mjengo Mjawiri (ADC-140), Seif Khamis Mohamed (CUF-138), Biasha S Suleiman (ACT-57) and Mohamed Othman Juma (ADA- TADEA-45).

 

WETE CONSTITUENCY 

Harusi Said  Suleiman (CCM-3665) and Ishaka Ismail Sharif (CUF-96) 

 

MGOGONI CONSTITUENCY 

Sheikh Hamad Matta (CCM-3380), Abuubakar Khamis (CUF-43) and Rashid Mohamed Said (ADC-14).

 

MTAMBWE CONSTITUENCY

Khadija Omar Kibano (CCM-1685), Abdalla Ismail Ali (ADC-97), Habib Ali Mohamed (CUF-34), Ali Mbarouk Suleiman (UPDP-25) and Ali Amour Mbarouk (ACT-17).  

KOJANI CONSTITUENCY

Makame Said Juma (CCM-3874), Hamis Ali Hassan(NRA-247), Faki Ali Juma (ADC-240) Hassan Hamad Omar (CUF-1120), Said Hamad Maulid (AFP-85) and Ali Juma Mbarouk (ACT-39 ). 

 

GANDO CONSTITUENCY

Mariyam Thini Juma (CCM-2965), Rashid Hamad Omar (CUF-135) and Saidi Ali Mbarouk (CUF-73). 

 

Zanzibar’s incumbent president Ali Mohamed Shein won a second term in office on Sunday in a re-run of disputed elections boycotted by the main opposition Civic United Front (CUF) party, setting the islands on course for another political stalemate. The Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) wasted no time in announcing the final results of the presidential poll rerun less than 24 hours after polling stations closed on Sunday across Unguja and Pemba.  At precisely 12 noon on Sunday, ZEC chairman Jecha Salim Jecha declared Shein, who was contesting on the ruling CCM party’s ticket, the overwhelming winner with 91.4 per cent of the valid votes cast. Shein’s closest rival, Hamad Rashid Mohamed of the Alliance for Democratic Change (ADC) party, got a measly 3 per cent of the vote in the election whose official turnout was 67.9 per cent of the registered voters, according to ZEC.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

TANGAZO5

How to boil an egg perfectly

Bosnian Catholics mark Easter in the central Bosnian town of Vitez on Sunday, April 8, 2007.(AP/Hidajet Delic)
Boiling an egg is the simplest recipe in the world, right? All you need is an egg and a pot of hot water. Ah, if only it were that simple.

Professional and amateur chefs have been arguing about the perfect hard-boiling method for millennia, with some saying you need to start with cold water, others saying you need salt, or vinegar, or baking soda, or pressure cookers, or steamers.

It doesn't need to be that complicated.

If you're planning to boil up a few eggs this weekend to decorate for Easter and would still like to eat them afterward, here is the method that science has come up with for perfect, peelable hard-boiled eggs.



Start with an older egg

The first step is to start with an older egg. Fresh eggs from the farmers' market are great and hold together nicely for poaching, but when it comes to hard-boiling, it's slightly dried-out eggs you want.

That's because the older the egg, the more easily it will peel, according to the Egg Farmers of Canada. It seems that as an egg ages, the membrane beneath the shell separates from the shell, which is what makes peeling the egg easier.

So ideally, you want to start with eggs that have been sitting in the fridge for about a week or more. (Eggs typically have a best before date of 35 days after packaging.)

A hot start

This is where things get contentious.

Many will say that the way to boil eggs is by pouring cold water over them in a pot, bringing them to a boil, and timing from there. But self-taught chef and food scientist Kenji Lopez-Alt says that's all wrong.

Lopez-Alt, who studied biology (and architecture) at MIT before dedicating his life to food, has made a career of exhaustively testing everything that chefs take for granted, looking at things at the molecular level to find the ideal methods. He has literally boiled thousands of eggs for his website and book, "Serious Eats," trying to find the perfect hard-boiled egg.

He's concluded that "more than any other factor," the thing that makes the most difference in perfectly cooked eggs that peel from their shells easily is starting with boiling water.

Lopez-Alt's method is to bring a pot to boil, carefully lower the eggs in with a slotted spoon, let them boil for just 30 seconds and then turn them down to barely a simmer. Set the timer for 11 minutes and you'll end up with eggs that are not undercooked but not rubbery and dry.



Cold-water rinse

The next step is just as important.

Once your timer dings, pull the eggs out and plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking. That cooling process allows for easier peeling because the inside of the egg will shrink faster than the shell, so the membrane doesn't stick as much.

The quick cool also helps to prevent that icky, green film on the yolk. That green, according to Nature SciBytes, is iron sulfide. It's caused by a reaction between iron ions in the yolk and hydrogen sulfide gas that forms in the egg white when it's heated.

Even though the green iron sulfide looks awful, it's safe to eat. But the way to avoid it is to sink the eggs into cold water after cooking.

And one more advantage of the quick cool: it helps to prevent the dimple on the fat end of the egg left over by the air space, says Lopez-Alt.

Leave the eggs in the cold water for at least 15 minutes before peeling, and preferably in the fridge overnight. Crack them all over and peel them in a bowl of water.

That's it. Simple but precise.

A few words on egg safety

Every year around this time, the Public Health Agency of Canada sends out a friendly reminder that if decorating eggs is part of your family's Easter celebrations, to remember a few important handling tips.

Decorated eggs should never be left out of a refrigerator for longer than two hours. After that, they might not be safe to eat and should be thrown away.

And if you like to hollow out eggs by blowing the egg out through holes in the shell, be sure to wash the eggs in hot water first to ensure there are no dangerous bacteria on the shells.

Refrigerate the uncooked egg contents and use them within four days, or freeze them for up to four months. TANGAZO5