Le blog de Bernard Vlakpa

Chagas, a tropical disease spread by insects, is causing some fresh concern following an editorial—published earlier this week in a medical journal—that called it "the new AIDS of the Americas."

More than 8 million people have been infected by Chagas, most of them in Latin and Central America. But more than 300,000 live in the United States.

The editorial, published by the Public Library of Science's Neglected Tropical Diseases, said the spread of the disease is reminiscent of the early years of HIV.

"There are a number of striking similarities between people living with Chagas disease and people living with HIV/AIDS," the authors wrote, "particularly for those with HIV/AIDS who contracted the disease in the first two decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic."

Both diseases disproportionately affect people living in poverty, both are chronic conditions requiring prolonged, expensive treatment, and as with patients in the first two decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, "most patients with Chagas disease do not have access to health care facilities."

Unlike HIV, Chagas is not a sexually-transmitted disease: it's "caused by parasites transmitted to humans by blood-sucking insects," as the New York Times put it.

"It likes to bite you on the face," CNN reported. "It's called the kissing bug. When it ingests your blood, it excretes the parasite at the same time. When you wake up and scratch the itch, the parasite moves into the wound and you're infected."

Chagas, also known as American trypanosomiasis, kills about 20,000 people per year, the journal said.

And while just 20 percent of those infected with Chagas develop a life-threatening form of the disease, Chagas is "hard or impossible to cure," the Times reports:

The disease can be transmitted from mother to child or by blood transfusion. About a quarter of its victims eventually will develop enlarged hearts or intestines, which can fail or burst, causing sudden death. Treatment involves harsh drugs taken for up to three months and works only if the disease is caught early.

"The problem is once the heart symptoms start, which is the most dreaded complication—the Chagas cardiomyopathy—the medicines no longer work very well," Dr. Peter Hotez, a researcher at Baylor College of Medicine and one of the editorial's authors, told CNN. "Problem No. 2: the medicines are extremely toxic."

And 11 percent of pregnant women in Latin America are infected with Chagas, the journal said.

Source:http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/chagas-tropical-disease-really-aids-145745645.html

(CNN) -- The European Union is drafting a declaration on Syria that could call into question the "legitimacy" of the Bashar al-Assad regime, and injuries have been reported as more anti-government demonstrations erupted across the country on Friday.

A representative for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said European Union leaders are preparing a final declaration on Syria on Friday.

A line in the draft version says that "Syrian authorities by choosing aggression instead of broad reforms are calling into question the legitimacy of the regime" but that line is subject to change.

This comes a day after the alliance voted Thursday to expand sanctions against Syria by freezing the assets of seven people and four businesses with connections to the regime.

Among those sanctioned were three commanders in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps accused of helping the "regime suppress protests" and "providing equipment and support" to the government, according the EU Official Journal.

One of the three is Brig. Cmdr. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the corps' general commander.

Two of the those sanctioned were first cousins of al-Assad. They are Zoulhima Chaliche, head of presidential security, and Riyad Chaliche, director of the military housing establishment.

Two others were business associates of Maher al-Assad, the president's brother and commander of the army's 4th Division and "strongman of the Republican Guard."

Maher al-Assad was among 23 Syrian officials sanctioned by the EU in May, and he is regarded as the "principal overseer" of the crackdown against protesters.

Others sanctioned at that time were President al-Assad, Ali Mamluk, the head of Syria's general intelligence directorate, and Rami Makhlouf, the Syrian businessman and cousin and confidant of the president.

Anti-government protests have raged for more than three mont

hs, with protests gaining momentum amid a tough government crackdown.

Demonstrators took to the streets on Friday after Muslim prayers as they had on past Fridays in recent weeks.

Protests were held in Hama, Homs, Deir El Zour, Idlib, Qameshli, Latakia, and in the al-Midane and Qaboun neighborhoods in Damascus, according to Rami Abdelrahman, head of the London-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights.

Abdelrahman said that in al-Kasweh, in the province of Damascus, security forces fired at protesters resulting in a number of injured people.

The number of estimated deaths has exceeded an estimated 1,600, Abdelrahman said, with 1,316 civilians and 341 soldiers and security forces killed.

An estimated 10,000 people have been jailed, he said, but that number is fluid because there have been many releases and new detentions.

Nadim Houri of Human Rights Watch said the number of people killed so far is 1,350.

The military crackdown has spurred the flight of refugees from Syria into Turkey. At least 11,739 refugees are now in Turkey, the Hatay governor's office in Turkey said Friday.

Authors: CNN's Nada Husseini, Carol Jordan and Joe Sterling contributed to this report

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Most of African countries have opted for democracy as system of government in order to meet the grassroots’ aspirations and at the same time lay down the basis of a sustainable development for the whole continent.

The year 2011 is decisive for Africa. It can even be referred to as a “special year” since the African continent’s democracy will be put to the test during this year.

Many African countries will have to go to the polls to elect their representatives for the coming years. Actually, 28 elections of which 15 presidential will be organized on the continent in 2011. Let’s then have a closer look on some of them.

In Central Africa Republic, the poor country destroyed by decades of civil wars, the outgoing president François Bozizé has tried his best to organize clear and fair coupled presidential and legislative elections last January 23^rd. They were many candidates. The results of the polls already came out and the outgoing president is said to have won the presidential elections in the first round. We hope, after all, that there will no more have civil wars and bloodshed in this former French colony.

On January 31rst, Niger Republic, after the coup led by Colonel Salou Djibo- in February 2010- which overthrew the former president Mamadou Tandja who wanted to lead the country as a dictator, new presidential and legislative  elections have been organized. These elections will allow Niger to come back to a civil and democratic regime. The results of the first ballot are already out. The Opposition leader Mahamadou Issifou and the former senior minister of Mamadou Tandja, Seyni Oumorou will be the two candidates to run the second ballot. Political alliances have already started.

Chad and Cameroon will join the dance on February 6^th Idriss Deby and Paul Biya, respectively president of Chad and Cameroon will be facing the realities of the polls. 

Benin Republic, known to be the laboratory and model of Africa’s democracy, will have to confirm this image starting from February 27^th. The outgoing president Boni Yayi, the Opposition leader Adrien Houngbédji and the well-known Abdoulaye Bio Tchané are the main challengers of these presidential elections.

On April 9^th, it will be the turn of Nigeria. Wole Soyinka’s fellow countrymen will have to show the international community that they have broken with the massive electoral fraud and tribal violence noticed during presidential, legislative or local elections.

In Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia, people will be called upon to vote on November 27^th to either renew their trust in their respective political leaders or decide to break with them. President Kabila decided few months ago to make the presidential election a one-round one. Actually, the candidate having the highest rate voters in the first round, even though it is far from the majority (50%), is declared the winner of the elections and therefore elect as president of the Republic. Despite the fact that the Opposition parties, religious leaders and civil society actors denounced that decision president Kabila seemingly is not ready to come back on his words.

In Northern Africa, precisely in Egypt, presidential elections ought to be organized in September to elect a new president. But, with the present social and political situation prevailing over the country, anticipated elections might be organized if the Opposition leaders and Hosni Mubarak did not come to find a compromise.

In many other African countries presidential, legislative and local elections are organized. We no more want dictators in Africa. We no more want bloodshed. We no more want civil wars in Africa.

Our wish is to see a new Africa on December 31rst of this year. And this is only possible if the ongoing elections go well.

If you like this article, please leave me a comment. If there is any other thing you would like to know about Africa or my beloved country Benin, don’t hesitate to ask it to me. Thanks