Online Earning Possible? (2)

In my last post, I promised to share my knowledge about how one can make substantial income online. You can make money through:

            - HYIP (High Yield investment Program)

            - Online Surveys and tasks

            - Online businesses which involves an offline transportation of the goods bought or online use of services rendered like eBay, amazon

            - Other investment businesses like procurement of shares 

HYIPs – all the businesses included here share a major trait – one is required to deposit some amount of money (the minimum is usually $10 although some are higher than that). The amount of money one deposit is termed ‘Investment’. Their mode of operation is that every day the depositor will accrue some percentage based on the amount deposited (maybe 1 – 3% or less). This accrual continues depending on their duration. Thus at times, one may be fortunate enough to gain double or rarely, almost triple of your money. The success in HYIP depends on two factors: Luck and Experience.

Because of the high gain involved in HYIP. At times, it doesn’t last long. The best ones usually last between 6 – 8 months, then it folds. This is because the owners don’t spent time thinking about what to do with the deposit people made. They prefer to embezzle them. Making the HYI program a gambling instead of the real business it should be.

A good example is the defunct www.Linumfund.com . (Please search this website through the google search engine. It’s now defunct). The owner probably didn’t plan on doing something tangible with the deposits gotten. That’s why the program lasted for 23 days! We have some other ones similar based on the same mode of operation. 

 This write – up will be continued in my next post.

*Every ‘Earning forum’ (“Business”) has some levels of risk attached.

 

* for details on an online business that is pretty high on my trust list – click HERE

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Online Earning Possible?

You can earn a lot from the internet but only if you know the right sources. This has made a lot of people to fall prey to scams which in turn increases people's fear for anything online marketing, online business or any similar name. I will share the ways I know people can make money through the internet. I will share them based on my different ratings/trust on them. I can't do them today but expect it soonest. The above image is one of them. So you can click on the image and check it out. The best earning sources are often not the 'free' ones. Note that I didn't say 'always'.

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Back from the Grasp of Death; The Ebola Experience

       Once in a while, you read something that’s so compelling, you want to share it with everyone you can. Dr. Ada Igonoh’s story had that effect on me.
Dr. Igonoh is a physician in Lagos, Nigeria, where she helped care for Patrick Sawyer, the patient who introduced Ebola into Nigeria in July. After coming down with the deadly virus herself, she spent two harrowing weeks getting treatment in isolation wards.
When I met her at a conference in New Orleans last week, Dr. Igonoh handed me a written account of her experience. Even knowing she was going to be okay, I couldn’t stop reading—I had to know what happened next. Her optimism was inspiring. Her story also gave me a deeper appreciation for all the health workers who are heroically caring for patients and trying to stop this epidemic. And it is a good reminder of the way uncertainty reigns in the early days of an epidemic. The world’s response since then has been remarkable, and Nigeria has now been certified free of Ebola.
I want to thank Dr. Igonoh for her courage, and for agreeing to let me share her story here. It is well worth your time to read it. — Bill Gates
On the night of Sunday July 20^th, 2014, Patrick Sawyer was wheeled into the emergency room of the First Consultants Medical Centre, Obalende, Lagos, with complaints of fever and body weakness. The male doctor on call admitted him as a case of malaria, and took a full history.

Knowing that Mr. Sawyer had recently arrived from Liberia, the doctor asked if he had been in contact with an Ebola patient in the last couple of weeks, and Mr. Sawyer denied any such contact. He also denied attending any funeral ceremony recently. Blood samples were taken for full blood count, malaria parasites, liver function test, and other baseline investigations. He was admitted into a private room and started on antimalarial drugs and analgesics. That night, the blood count result came back as normal and not indicative of infection.
The following day, however, his condition worsened. He barely ate any of his meals. His liver function test result showed his liver enzymes were markedly elevated. We then took samples for HIV and hepatitis screening.
At about 5:00 p.m. he requested to see a doctor. I was the doctor on call that night, so I went in to see him. He was lying in bed with his intravenous (IV) fluid bag removed from its metal stand and placed beside him. He complained that he had stooled about five times that evening and that he wanted to use the bathroom again.
I picked up the IV bag from his bed and hung it back on the stand. I told him I would inform a nurse to come and disconnect the IV so he could conveniently go to the bathroom. I walked out of his room and went straight to the nurses' station where I told the nurse on duty to disconnect his IV. I then informed my consultant, Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, about the patient's condition, and she asked that he be placed on some medications.
The following day, the results for HIV and hepatitis screening came out negative. As we were preparing for the early morning ward rounds, I was approached by an ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] official who informed me that Patrick Sawyer had to catch an 11 o'clock flight to Calabar for a retreat that morning. He wanted to know if it would be possible. I told him it wasn't, as he was acutely ill. Dr. Adadevoh also told him the patient could certainly not leave the hospital in his condition. She then instructed me to write very boldly on his chart that on no account should Patrick Sawyer be allowed out of the hospital premises without the permission of Dr. Ohiaeri, our Chief Medical Consultant. All nurses and doctors were duly informed.
During our early morning ward round with Dr. Adadevoh, we concluded that this was not malaria, and that the patient needed to be screened for Ebola Viral Disease. She immediately started calling laboratories to find out where the test could be carried out. She was eventually referred to Professor Omilabu of the LUTH Virology Reference Lab in Idi-Araba, whom she called immediately.
Prof. Omilabu told her to send blood and urine samples to LUTH straightaway. She tried to reach the Lagos State Commissioner for Health but was unable to contact him at the time. She also put calls across to officials of the Federal Ministry of Health and National Centre for Disease Control.
Dr. Adadevoh at this time was in a pensive mood. Patrick Sawyer was now a suspected case of Ebola, perhaps the first in the country. He was quarantined, and strict barrier nursing was applied with all the precautionary measures we could muster. Dr. Adadevoh went online, downloaded information on Ebola, and printed copies which were distributed to the nurses, doctors and ward maids. Blood and urine samples were sent to LUTH that morning. Protective gear, gloves, shoe covers and facemasks were provided for the staff. A wooden barricade was placed at the entrance of the door to keep visitors and unauthorized personnel away from the patient. Despite the medications prescribed earlier, the vomiting and diarrhea persisted. The fever escalated from 38°C to 40°C.
On the morning of Wednesday, 23^rd July, the tests carried out in LUTH showed a signal for Ebola. Samples were then sent to Dakar, Senegal for a confirmatory test. Dr. Adadevoh went for several meetings with the Lagos State Ministry of Health. Thereafter, officials from the Lagos State came to inspect the hospital and the protective measures we had put in place.
The following day, Thursday 24^th July, I was again on call. At about 10:00 p.m. Mr. Sawyer requested to see me. I went into the newly created dressing room, donned my protective gear and went in to see him. He had not been cooperating with the nurses and had refused any additional treatment. He sounded confused and said he received a call from Liberia asking for a detailed medical report to be sent to them. He also said he had to travel back to Liberia on a 5:00 a.m. flight the following morning and that he didn't want to miss his flight. I told him that I would inform Dr. Adadevoh. As I was leaving the room, I met Dr. Adadevoh dressed in her protective gear, along with a nurse and another doctor. They went into his room to have a discussion with him, and as I heard later to reset his IV line which he had deliberately removed after my visit to his room.
At 6:30 a.m., Friday 25^th July, I got a call from the nurse that Patrick Sawyer was completely unresponsive. Again I put on the protective gear and headed to his room. I found him slumped in the bathroom. I examined him and observed that there was no respiratory movement. I felt for his pulse; it was absent. We had lost him.
It was I who certified Patrick Sawyer dead. I informed Dr. Adadevoh immediately and she instructed that no one was to be allowed to go into his room for any reason at all. Later that day, officials from WHO came and took his body away. The test in Dakar later came out positive for Zaire strain of the Ebola virus. We now had the first official case of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria.
It was a sobering day. We all began to go over all that happened in the last few days, wondering just how much physical contact we had individually made with Patrick Sawyer. Every patient on admission was discharged that day and decontamination began in the hospital. We were now managing a crisis situation.
The next day, Saturday 26^th July, all staff of First Consultants attended a meeting with Prof. Nasidi of the National Centre for Disease Control, Prof. Omilabu of LUTH Virology Reference Lab, and some officials of WHO. They congratulated us on the actions we had taken and enlightened us further about the Ebola Virus Disease. They said we were going to be grouped into high risk and low risk categories based on our individual level of exposure to Patrick Sawyer, the "index" case. Each person would receive a temperature chart and a thermometer to record temperatures in the morning and night for the next 21 days. We were all officially under surveillance. We were asked to report to them at the first sign of a fever for further blood tests to be done. We were reassured that we would all be given adequate care. The anxiety in the air was palpable.
The frenetic pace of life in Lagos, coupled with the demanding nature of my job as a doctor, means that I occasionally need a change of environment. As such, one week before Patrick Sawyer died, I had gone to my parents' home for a retreat. I was still staying with them when I received my temperature chart and thermometer on Tuesday, 29^th of July. I could not contain my anxiety. People were talking about Ebola everywhere—on television, online, everywhere.

I soon started experiencing joint and muscle aches and a sore throat, which I quickly attributed to stress and anxiety. I decided to take malaria tablets. I also started taking antibiotics for the sore throat. The first couple of temperature readings were normal. Every day I would attempt to recall the period Patrick Sawyer was on admission—just how much direct and indirect contact did I have with him? I reassured myself that the contact with him was quite minimal. I completed the anti-malarials but the aches and pains persisted. I had loss of appetite and felt very tired.
On Friday, 1^st of August, my temperature read a high 38.7°C. As I type this, I recall the anxiety I felt that morning. I could not believe what I saw on the thermometer. I ran to my mother's room and told her. I did not go to work that day. I cautiously started using a separate set of utensils and cups from the ones my family member were using.
On Saturday, 2^nd of August, the fever worsened. It was now at 39°C and would not be reduced by taking paracetamol. This was now my second day of fever. I couldn't eat. The sore throat was getting worse. That was when I called the helpline and an ambulance was sent with WHO doctors, who came and took a sample of my blood. Later that day, I started stooling and vomiting. I stayed away from my family. I started washing my plates and spoons myself. My parents, meanwhile, were convinced that I could not have Ebola.
The following day, Sunday, 3^rd of August, I got a call from one of the doctors who came to take my sample the day before. He told me that the sample which they had taken was not confirmatory, and that they needed another sample. He did not sound very coherent and I became worried. They came with the ambulance that afternoon and told me that I had to go with them to Yaba. I was confused. Couldn't the second sample be taken in the ambulance like the previous one? He said a better-qualified person at the Yaba Centre would take the sample. I asked if they would bring me back. He said "yes." Even with my symptoms, I did not believe I had Ebola. After all, my contact with Sawyer was minimal. I only touched his IV fluid bag just that once without gloves. The only time I actually touched him was when I checked his pulse and confirmed him dead, and I wore double gloves and I felt adequately protected.
I told my parents I had to go with the officials to Yaba and that I would be back that evening. I wore a white top and a pair of jeans, and I put my iPad and phones in my bag.
A man opened the ambulance door for me and moved away from me rather swiftly. Strange behavior, I thought. They were friendly with me the day before, but that day, not so. No pleasantries, no smiles. I looked up and saw my mother watching through her bedroom window.
We soon got to Yaba. I really had no clue where I was. I knew it was a hospital. I was left alone in the back of the ambulance for over four hours. My mind was in a whirl. I didn't know what to think. I was offered food to eat but I could barely eat the rice.
The ambulance door opened and a Caucasian gentleman approached me but kept a little distance. He said to me, "I have to inform you that your blood tested positive for Ebola. I am sorry."
I had no reaction. I think I must have been in shock. He then told me to open my mouth and he looked at my tongue. He said it was typical Ebola tongue. I took out my mirror from my bag and took a look and was shocked at what I saw. My whole tongue had a white coating, looked furry, and had a long, deep ridge right in the middle. I then started to look at my whole body, searching for Ebola rashes and other signs, as we had been recently instructed. I called my mother immediately and said, "Mummy, they said I have Ebola, but don't worry, I will survive it. Please go and lock my room now; don't let anyone inside and don't touch anything." She was silent. I cut the line.
I was taken to the female ward. I was shocked at the environment. It looked like an abandoned building. I suspected it had not been in use for quite a while. As I walked in, I immediately recognized one of the ward maids from our hospital. She always had a smile for me but not this time. She was ill and looked it. She had been stooling a lot, too. I soon settled into the corner and looked around the room. It smelled of feces and vomit. It also had a characteristic Ebola smell to which I became accustomed. Dinner was served—rice and stew. The pepper stung my mouth and tongue. I dropped the spoon. No dinner that night.
Dr. David, the Caucasian man who had met me at the ambulance on my arrival, came in wearing his full protective hazmat suit and goggles. It was fascinating seeing one live. I had only seen them online. He brought bottles of water and ORS, the oral fluid therapy, which he dropped by my bedside. He told me that 90 percent of the treatment depended on me. He said I had to drink at least 4.5 litres of ORS daily to replace fluids lost in stooling and vomiting. I told him I had stooled three times earlier and taken Imodium tablets to stop the stooling. He said it was not advisable, as the virus would replicate the more inside of me. It was better, he said, to let it out. He said good night and left.
My parents called. My uncle called. My husband called crying. He could not believe the news. My parents had informed him, as I didn't even know how to break the news to him.
As I lay on my bed in that isolation ward, strangely, I did not fear for my life. I was confident that I would leave that ward some day. There was an inner sense of calm. I did not for a second think that I would be consumed by the disease.
That evening, the symptoms fully kicked in. I was stooling almost every two hours. The toilets did not flush, so I had to fetch water in a bucket from the bathroom each time I used the toilet. I then placed another bucket beneath my bed for the vomiting. On occasion, I would run to the toilet with a bottle of ORS, so that as I was stooling, I was drinking.
The next day, Monday, 4^th of August, I began to notice red rashes on my skin, particularly on my arms. I had developed sores all over my mouth. My head was pounding so badly. The sore throat was so severe I could not eat. I could only drink ORS. I took paracetamol for the pain. The ward maid across from me wasn't doing so well. She had stopped speaking. I couldn't even brush my teeth; the sores in my mouth were so bad. This was a battle for my life but I was determined I would not die.
Every morning, I began the day with reading and meditating on Psalm 91. The sanitary condition in the ward left much to be desired. The whole Ebola thing had caught everyone by surprise. Lagos State Ministry of Health was doing its best to contain the situation but competent hands were few. The sheets were not changed for days. The floor was stained with greenish vomitus and excrement. Dr. David would come in once or twice a day and help clean up the ward after chatting with us. He was the only doctor who attended to us. There was no one else at that time. The matrons would leave our food outside the door. They hardly entered in the initial days. Everyone was being careful. This was all so new. I could understand, was this not how we ourselves had contracted the disease? Mosquitoes were in our room until they brought us mosquito nets.
Later that evening, Dr. David brought another lady into the ward. I recognized her immediately as Justina Ejelonu, a nurse who had started working at First Consultants on the 21^st of July, a day after Patrick Sawyer was admitted. She was on duty on the day Patrick reported that he was stooling. While she was attending to him that night, he had yanked off his drip, letting his blood flow almost like a tap onto her hands. Justina was pregnant and was brought into our ward bleeding from a suspected miscarriage. She had been told she was there only on observation. The news that she had contacted Ebola was broken to her the following day after results of her blood test came out positive. Justina was devastated and wept profusely—she had contracted Ebola on her first day at work.
My husband started visiting but was not allowed to come close to me. He could only see me from a window at a distance. He visited so many times. It was he who brought me a change of clothes and toiletries and other things I needed because I had not even packed a bag. I was grateful I was not with him at home when I fell ill or he would most certainly have contracted the disease. My retreat at my parents' home turned out to be the instrumentality God used to shield and save him.
I drank the ORS fluid like my life depended on it. Then I got a call from my pastor. He had been informed about my predicament. He called me every single day, morning and night, and he would pray with me over the phone. He later sent me a CD player, CDs of messages on faith and healing, and Holy Communion packs through my husband. My pastor, who also happens to be a medical doctor, encouraged me to monitor how many times I had stooled and vomited each day and how many bottles of ORS I had consumed. We would then discuss the disease and pray together. He asked me to do my research on Ebola since I had my iPad with me, and told me that he was also doing his study. He wanted us to use all relevant information on Ebola to our advantage. So I researched and found out all I could about the strange disease that had been in existence for 38 years. My research, my faith, and my positive view of life, the extended times of prayer, study and listening to encouraging messages boosted my belief that I would survive the Ebola scourge.
There are five strains of the virus, and the deadliest of them is the Zaire strain, which was what I had. But that did not matter. I believed I would overcome even the deadliest of strains. Infected patients who succumb to the disease usually die between 6 to 16 days after the onset of the disease from multiple organ failure and shock caused by dehydration. I was counting the days and keeping myself well-hydrated. I didn't intend to die in that ward.
My research gave me ammunition. I read that as soon as the virus gets into the body, it begins to replicate really fast. It enters the blood cells, destroys them and uses those same blood cells to aggressively invade other organs where they further multiply. Ideally, the body's immune system should immediately mount up a response by producing antibodies to fight the virus. If the person is strong enough, and that strength is sustained long enough for the immune system to kill off the viruses, the patient is likely to survive. If the virus replicates faster than the antibodies can handle, however, further damage is done to the organs. Ebola can be likened to multi-level, multi-organ attack, but I had no intention of letting the deadly virus destroy my system. I drank more ORS. I remember saying to myself repeatedly, "I am a survivor, I am a survivor."
I also found out that a patient with Ebola cannot be re-infected and they cannot relapse back into the disease as there is some immunity conferred on survivors. My pastor and I would discuss these findings, interpret them as it related to my situation and pray together. I looked forward to his calls. They were times of encouragement and strengthening. I continued to meditate on the Word of God. It was my daily bread.
Shortly after Justina came into the ward, the ward maid, Mrs. Ukoh, passed on. The disease had gotten into her central nervous system. We stared at her lifeless body in shock. It was a whole 12 hours before officials of WHO came and took her body away. The ward had become the house of death. The whole area surrounding her bed was disinfected with bleach. Her mattress was taken and burned.
To contain the frequent diarrhea, I had started wearing adult diapers, as running to the toilet was no longer convenient for me. The indignity was quite overwhelming, but I did not have a choice. My faith was being severely tested. The situation was desperate enough to break anyone psychologically. Dr. Ohiaeri also called us day and night, enquiring about our health and the progress we were making. He sent provisions, extra drugs, vitamins, Lucozade, towels, tissue paper; everything we needed to be more comfortable in that dark hole we found ourselves. Some of my male colleagues also had been admitted to the male ward two rooms away, but there was no interaction with them. We were saddened by the news that Jato, the ECOWAS protocol officer to Patrick Sawyer, who had also tested positive, had passed on days after he was admitted.
Two more females joined us in the ward; a nurse from our hospital and a patient from another hospital. The mood in the ward was solemn. There were times we would be awakened by the sudden, loud cry from one of the women. It was either from fear, pain mixed with the distress, or just the sheer oppression of the isolation.
I kept encouraging myself. This could not be the end for me. Five days after I was admitted, the vomiting stopped. A day after that, the diarrhea ceased. I was overwhelmed with joy. It happened at a time I thought I could no longer stand the ORS. Drinking that fluid had stretched my endurance greatly.
I knew countless numbers of people were praying for me. Prayer meetings were being held on my behalf. My family was praying day and night. Text messages of prayers flooded my phone from family members and friends. I was encouraged to press on. With the encouragement I was receiving, I began to encourage the others in the ward. We decided to speak life and focus on the positive.
I then graduated from drinking only the ORS fluid to eating only bananas, to drinking pap and then bland foods. Just when I thought I had the victory, I suddenly developed a severe fever. The initial fever had subsided four days after I was admitted, and then suddenly it showed up again. I thought it was the Ebola. I enquired from Dr. David, who said fever was sometimes the last thing to go, but he expressed surprise that it had stopped only to come back on again. I was perplexed.
I discussed it with my pastor, who said it could be a separate pathology and possibly a symptom of malaria. He promised he would research if indeed this was Ebola or something else. That night as I stared at the dirty ceiling, I felt a strong impression that the new fever I had developed was not as a result of Ebola but malaria. I was relieved. The following morning, Dr. Ohiaeri sent me an antimalarial medication, which I took for three days. Before the end of the treatment, the fever had disappeared.
I began to think about my mother. She was under surveillance along with my other family members. I was worried. She had touched my sweat. I couldn't get the thought off my mind. I came across a tweet by WHO saying that the sweat of an Ebola patient cannot transmit the virus at the early stage of the infection. The sweat could only transmit it at the late stage.
That settled it for me. It calmed the storms that were raging with me concerning my parents. I knew right away it was divine guidance that caused me to see that tweet. I could cope with having Ebola, but I was not prepared to deal with a member of my family contracting it from me.
Soon, volunteer doctors started coming to help Dr. David take care of us. They had learned how to protect themselves. Among the volunteer doctors was Dr. Badmus, my consultant in LUTH during my housemanship days. It was good to see a familiar face among the care-givers. I soon understood the important role these brave volunteers were playing. As they increased in number, so did the number of shifts increase and subsequently the number of times the patients could access a doctor in one day. That allowed for more frequent patient monitoring and treatment. It also reduced care-giver fatigue. It was clear that Lagos State was working hard to contain the crisis.
Sadly, Justina succumbed to the disease on the 12^th of August. It was a great blow and my faith was greatly shaken as a result. I commenced daily Bible study with the other two female patients and we would encourage one another to stay positive in our outlook, though in the natural it was grim and very depressing. My communion sessions with the other women were very special moments for us all.
On the 10^th day in the ward, the doctors having noted that I had stopped vomiting and stooling and was no longer running a fever, decided it was time to take my blood sample to test if the virus had cleared from my system. They took the sample and told me that I shouldn't be worried if it comes out positive as the virus takes a while before it is cleared completely. I prayed that I didn't want any more samples collected from me. I wanted that to be the first and last sample to be tested for the absence of the virus in my system. I called my pastor. He encouraged me and we prayed again about the test.
On the evening of the day Justina passed on, we were moved to the new isolation centre. We felt like we were leaving hell and going to heaven. We were conveyed to the new place in an ambulance. It was just behind the old building. Time would not permit me to recount the drama involved with the dynamics of our relocation. It was like a script from a science fiction movie. The new building was cleaner and much better than the old building. Towels and nightwear were provided on each bed. The environment was serene.
The following night, Dr. Adadevoh was moved to our isolation ward from her private room where she had previously been receiving treatment. She had also tested positive for Ebola and was now in a coma. She was receiving IV fluids and oxygen support and was being monitored closely by the WHO doctors. We all hoped and prayed that she would come out of it. It was so difficult seeing her in that state. I could not bear it. She was my consultant and my mentor. She was the imperial lady of First Consultants, full of passion, energy and competence. I imagined she would wake up soon and see that she was surrounded by her First Consultants family but sadly it was not to be.
I continued listening to my healing messages. They gave me life. I literally played them hours on end. Two days later, on Saturday the 16^th of August, the WHO doctors came with some papers. I was informed that the result of my blood test was negative for the Ebola virus. If I could somersault, I would have, but my joints were still slightly painful. I was free to go home after being in isolation for exactly 14 days. I was so full of thanks and praise to God. I called my mother to get fresh clothes and slippers and come pick me up. My husband couldn't stop shouting when I called him. He was completely overwhelmed with joy.
I was told however that I could not leave the ward with anything I came in with. I glanced one last time at my CD player, my valuable messages, my research assistant, a.k.a my iPad, my phones and other items. I remember saying to myself, "I have life; I can always replace these items."
I went for a chlorine bath, which was necessary to disinfect my skin from my head to my toes. It felt like I was being baptized into a new life as Dr. Carolina, a WHO doctor from Argentina poured the bucket of chlorinated water all over me. I wore a new set of clothes, following the strict instructions that no part of the clothes must touch the floor and the walls. Dr. Carolina looked on, making sure I did as instructed.
I was led out of the bathroom and straight to the lawn to be united with my family, but first I had to cut the red ribbon that served as a barrier. It was a symbolic expression of my freedom. Everyone cheered and clapped. It was a little but very important ceremony for me. I was free from Ebola! I hugged my family as one who had been liberated after many years of incarceration. I was like someone who had fought death face to face and come back to the land of the living.
We had to pass through several stations of disinfection before we reached the car. Bleach and chlorinated water were sprayed on everyone's legs at each station. As we made our way to the car, we walked past the old isolation building. I could hardly recognize it. I could not believe I slept in that building for 10 days. I was free! Free of Ebola. Free to live again. Free to interact with humanity again. Free from the sentence of death.
My parents and two brothers were under surveillance for 21 days and they completed the surveillance successfully. None of them came down with a fever. The house had been disinfected by Lagos State Ministry of Health soon after I was taken to the isolation centre. I thank God for shielding them from the plague.
My recovery after discharge has been gradual but progressive. I thank God for the support of family and friends. I remember my colleagues who we lost in this battle. Dr. Adadevoh my boss, Nurse Justina Ejelonu, and the ward maid, Mrs. Ukoh were heroines who lost their lives in the cause to protect Nigeria. They will never be forgotten.
I commend the dedication of the WHO doctors, Dr. David from Virginia, USA, who tried several times to convince me to specialize in infectious diseases, Dr. Carolina from Argentina who spoke so calmly and encouragingly, Mr. Mauricio from Italy who always offered me apples and gave us novels to read. I especially thank the volunteer Nigerian doctors, matrons and cleaners who risked their lives to take care of us. I must also commend the Lagos State government, and the state and federal ministries of health for their swift efforts to contain the virus.

To all those who prayed for me, I cannot thank you enough. And to my First Consultants family, I say a heartfelt thank you for your dedication and for your support throughout this very difficult period.
I still believe in miracles. None of us in the isolation ward was given any experimental drugs or so-called immune boosters. I was full of faith, yet pragmatic enough to consume as much ORS as I could, even when I wanted to give up and throw the bottles away. I researched on the disease extensively and read accounts of the survivors. I believed that even if the mortality rate was 99 percent, I would be part of the 1 percent who would survive.
Early detection and reporting to hospital is key to patient survival. Please do not hide yourself if you have been in contact with an Ebola patient and have developed the symptoms. Regardless of any grim stories one may have heard about the treatment of patients in the isolation centre, it is still better to be in the isolation ward with specialist care, than at home where you and others will be at risk.
I read that Dr. Kent Brantly, the American doctor who contracted Ebola in Liberia and was flown out to the United States for treatment was being criticized for attributing his healing to God when he was given the experimental drug, Zmapp. I don't claim to have all the answers to the nagging questions of life. Why do some die and some survive? Why do bad things happen to good people? Where is God in the midst of pain and suffering? Where does science end and God begin? These are issues we may never fully comprehend on this side of eternity. All I know is that I walked through the valley of the shadow of death and came out unscathed.

[culled from http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Surviving-Ebola-Dr-Ada-Igonoh]

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How Frustrating?

I've been thinking about this but although it has been long it happened, I still think it good to post it. This is a rather longish write-up based on a personal experience. On the 18th of March, I came across an invite for a scholarship program organized by NNPC(the country's petroleum management body). The scholarship was only for University undergraduates. The requirements stated involved a signed Statement of result from the applicant's department in his/her University of Study. The signed Result statement was to be submitted before the 30th of same month. I therefore mentally added it to the topmost of my to-do-list. For the next two days, I was very busy attending lectures at least till 4pm which was exactly the time my department closes for the day.
On Friday, I had ample opportunities because I had no lectire that day. I rushed to my department and submitted a letter on the requirement from NNPC and how urgent it was. Luckily for me, the Head of Department was in her office at the time I submitted so the letter with some other correspondence were forwarded to her immediately. I was asked to return the following week to check for a reply. I happily went home with hope that I would meet the deadline.
Monday to Wednesday of the following week were filled with activities(mainly lectures) that didn't give me the opportunity to go to the department. On Thursday, I went to the department and true to their promise, I received the statement of Result I had requested. I went through it but my eye caught a very grevious mistake which I had corrected the previous month. That mistake was on my Biology result which was recorded as 'F' instead of my actual grade 'B'. So, I gave them back the Result statement for correction. I was asked to return the next day. In my department, we had about 4 workers with the exception of the H.O.D but I will restrict my story to only two of them. I will refer to them as Mr. A and Mrs. B.
The Next day being Friday, I went to the department around 9:10am. I was asked to wait because the person who compiled the result was yet to come to her office for the day. I will term her Mrs. X. By 11:13am, my wait ended as the awaited finally came. I rushed to meet her in her office but before I could reach there about 9 persons were already there to see her too. So my second wait began. It lasted for about 45 minutes before it reached my turn. I went in, introduced myself and also notified her of the mistake in my result statement. She apologised and told me that she needs another result statement sheet to re-write all those grades. Note that a single mistake in a result statement sheet makes it unacceptable(condemned). She then asked me to go upstairs the departmental office and ask Mr. A to print out a fresh copy. She informed me that she would leave office anytime as she had a meeting to attend. When I reached there, I was told that Mr. A left about 7 minutes earlier. I asked for Mr. A's phone number and Mrs. B gave it to me. I called Mr. A. He told me that he was coming but he would take time. I went down to Mrs. X's office and informed her. She told me she can't do anything till she gets that sheet from Mr. A. She however gave me her phone number to call her when I get the result statement sheet.
So the wait for Mr. A continued. Looking at my timepiece, the time was 1:10pm. The next one hour caught me still waiting as patient as a Lamb. Thirty minutes later, I called Mr. A. He didn't pick the call until I had called for the third time. When he picked it, in a harsh voice, he told me to stop disturbing him; that he was on official duty - invigilating an on-going exam. He finally told me to exercise some more patience. I didn't call him again although I was highly tempted to do so. The frustrating thing was that for the next on hour, he didn't show up. By now, I had become very impatient to the extent that I audibly and verbally started expressing my anger not minding Mrs. B's presence Few minutes later, he showed up. I was still angered although I didn't say a word or act rashly. I was expecting an apology but I got none. Instead he went directly to the computer and printed out the result statement sheet. I called Mrs. X to know if she was still in school but she told me that she had gone home. Mr. A called Mrs. X to affirm that she truly sent me to collect the result statement sheet. Through the call, Mrs. X informed him to sign on the result statement on her behalf since she had gone home. But the problem was not yet over. The H.O.D was yet to sign.
The authenticity of the result statement sheet included the stamp of the Department and the signature of the Head of Department. Mr. A, after signing on behalf of Mrs. X, gave me the H.O.D's number suggesting that I call her and arrange a meet for her to sign. I called the H.O.D later and arranged the meet to hold on Sunday which unfortunately was the deadline by the organizer of the scholarship to submit the required documents. Meanwhile that day was Friday.
Sunday came, I hastened to meet the H.O.D. By 9:45am, I had met with the H.O.D and she had signed as we agreed. The next task was how to get the Result statement sheet stamped. Since Mr. A was the only person in possession of the stamp, I set out to meet with him. Note that on the previous day, Mr. A had given me the directions to his residence albeit imprecisely. I had to get more information on the direction to where I was to go. Mr. A's residential address from my inquiries was located in a village I had never before visited. Glancing at my watch, the time was 11:45pm. I called Mr. A to inform him I had to meet with the H.O.D, therefore I was on my way to his address at that time. At first, he started rebuking me with the question "Young man, You are not serious. Is this the time we agreed on yesterday?" I was very surprised at his reprisal because I when I called him the previous day, I had asked him if we could meet at 10am, but he had answered me with the question "Do you go to church at all?" In other words, either he meant that his church service duration lasted beyond 10am OR he meant that his church service ended much earlier before 10am. I chose the former, because I thought he was a protestant (Many protestant churches hold their church service way beyond 10am). I didn't oppose him since I didn't want him to be more annoyed although I knew I wasn't at fault. 
I boarded a bus which stopped at the first bus stop. Then boarded a second bus which stopped at another bus stop but since it was also headed towards the village I wanted to alight at, I paid an extra fee for that. When I reached the village, I had to take a bike to Mr. A's residence. After few inquiries from the neighbors, I got to Mr. A's residence and knocked. The time was 2:28pm. After 25 minutes of standing in the sun knocking at Mr. A's gate, and calling his phone number, Mr. A finally came out. Without saying a word, he brought out the stamp, I pointed to the required position for stamping on the result statement. He then stamped it. He turned and went back into the house locking the gate. No Apology for keeping me waiting under the sun!
I took a bike from there and began my journey home. Mr. FRUSTRATION must have whispered inaudibly to me "Hey you must be thinking it's over but sorry for the disappointment". When I reached home, it was 3: 35pm. I spent the afternoon till 6pm awaiting and receiving my parents who had come for a visit. I cooked my dinner. After which I had approximately 3 hours left of the Scholarship application deadline. In the course of finishing my meal, there was power blackout. Luckily, I had scanned in document to a soft copy(file on the computer). Since my laptop battery was having fault, I borrowed a friend's laptop. By the time, I was able to resize the image to the required size(as stated on the NNPC website), and upload it, I had 10 minutes left of the deadline(Note that the network signal was poor that night in my residential area). I spent 5 minutes going through all my uploaded details. Then I discovered that they had requested all documents to be uploaded in .pdf format(documents like pictures have various formats). It hit me that I had uploaded the result statement sheet in .jpg format instead of the required .pdf format. I decided to leave it in that format since it was already late; the time then was 11:58pm. I clicked on the "Next" button so as to be able to print out my details which will enable me to gain entrance into the the exam hall if I am lucky to be among the shorlisted students for the exam. At that moment the clock chimed 12am, the "Next" button disappeared and on the page was written "NO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME AVAILABLE".

How would you feel if you were in my shoes?

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Ebola patients recover in Lagos

       Many Ebola patients undergoing medical treatment at the isolation
centre, Mainland Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria may be discharged this week, Vanguard
investigations has revealed.
Recall that one of the infected
patients has recovered and has been discharged from the centre. Comments
from experts on the development, said although 60-90 per cent of people
infected with the Ebola virus die, some people however recover from the
infection.
“Doctors don’t know for certain who will survive
Ebola, and there is no specific treatment or cure for the disease. But
studies suggest there are some biological markers linked with a higher
chance of surviving Ebola,” An expert say
Relatively, the Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Fashola while enlightening Lagosian on the viral disease said; “This is a virus that will run a maximum of
21 days. What we must do is people who show some signs of illness should
come in very early so that we can continue to hydrate them, give
electrolyte balance so that their nervous system do not go into shock
and wherever it is necessary to provide antibiotics for patients; and
their body can fight the virus which in the event last no longer than 21
days.”
Fashola, who spoke at a media briefing where he indicated
that more patients were likely to be discharged this week, noted: “There
is silver lining in all of this, as report reaching me shows that many
of the critical patients are responding positively to treatment and are
likely to be discharged next week, (this week). At the moment, 61 people
have been certified negative and they have been freed.
“Aside the treatment for those who have full grown cases, the more important work is tracking all those who have had contact with them in order to know how far the virus has spread. It is when we have finally reached everyone that we can say that we have control over the virus. From that place, we can go back to sleep.”
Similarly, but at a different forum, Director, Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control, NCDC, Prof. Abdulsalim Nasidi held that the likelihood of more patients being discharged arose from medical reports indicating that they are showing signs of full recovery from the disease.
Nasidi,who spoke on the probability of more patients being discharged, had
earlier affirmed that there were chances of surviving the deadly disease
if treated early.
“Yes, we have some of the patients who have fully recovered from the disease after intensive medical treatment and they are likely to go home and reunite with their family members soon,” he affirmed.
On the protest by the health workers attending to quarantined patients at the Control Centre in Lagos, last Friday, he said the workers had resumed work after appeals and meeting held with some of the aggrieved workers.
Their decision to stop work came after the allegations of negligence by family members of one of the nurses that died of EVD last week.
It was also gathered that more essential medical kits have been made available for distribution to hospitals in anticipation of more health workers and volunteers that will be joining the joint medical team already on ground.
Meanwhile, death toll from the worst ever outbreak of Ebola has risen to 1,145,
the World Health Organisation, WHO, has said, even as 76 new deaths were
reported in two of the four West African nations affected by the
epidemic.
That's good news.

Extract from Ebola patients recover in Lagos - DailyPost Nigeria

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National Confab dumps Obasanjo’s national anthem

               

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo

The National Conference on Thursday 3 July unanimously adopted a proposal that Nigeria revert to her old National Anthem, “which is a more credible symbol of unity, peace and prosperity”.
Instantly, delegates stood and in unison sang the first stanza of the old National Anthem which if adopted eventually, would become the new anthem.
The old anthem: “Nigeria we hail thee… our own dear native land; though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand’, was changed to the present one: ‘Arise o compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey…” during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1978.
Many Nigerians have expressed preference for the old anthem, as a better expression of the Nigerian spirit.
The Conference also resolved that henceforth, the office of the President of Nigeria shall rotate between the North and South and revolve among the geo-political zones.
It was also agreed that the office of the state governors shall be rotated among the three senatorial districts of each state while that of the local government chairmen shall to be rotated within the local government areas.
Also, local government councils not democratically elected shall not be recognised by all authorities and persons and would not be entitled to any revenue allocation from the Federation Account or the Account of the State Government or exercise any function exercisable by local government councils.
These were parts of the resolutions adopted by the Conference while considering the Report of the Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government; which attracted intensive debates and lots of amendments.
The Committee was mandated to primarily examine the extant structure and forms of governments in the context of the peculiar circumstances of Nigeria’s diverse and multi-ethnic setting.
It was also expected to examine Nigeria’s attendant challenges and the need to lay a solid foundation for an all-inclusive and cost-effective system of government which would serve the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.
Where the President dies in office, is incapacitated, impeached or where he resigns, Conference agreed that the Vice President shall operate in acting capacity for a period of 90 days during which an election to the same office would be conducted.
This decision was taken because each zone is expected to run the full course of the constitutionally allowed tenure without undue disruption; and it was also agreed that based on the adopted zoning formula, when a president leaves under any of the circumstances stated above, another president would be elected from the same zone where the previous one came from.
[coined from pmnewsnigeria.com]

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PayPal expands payment services to Nigeria, 9 others

                      

PayPal is entering 10 new countries this week, including Nigeria, providing online payment alternatives for consumers via mobile phones or PCs in markets often blighted by financial fraud.
Rupert Keeley, the executive in charge of the EMEA region of PayPal, the payments unit of eBay Inc, said in an interview on Monday the expansion would bring the number of countries it serves to 203.
Starting on Tuesday, consumers in Nigeria, which has 60 million users and has Africa’s largest population, along with nine other markets in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America will be able to make payments through PayPal.
“PayPal has been going through a period of reinvention, refreshing many of its services to make them easier to use on mobile (phones), allowing us to expand into fast-developing markets,” Keeley said.
Once the services go live, customers in the 10 countries with access to the Web and a bank card authorised for Internet transactions will be able to register for a PayPal account and make payments to millions of sites worldwide.
Initially, PayPal is only offering “send money” services for consumers to pay for goods and services at PayPal-enabled merchant sites while safeguarding their financial details. This is free to consumers and covered by fees it charges merchants.
“We think we can give our sellers selling into this market a great deal of reassurance,” said Keeley, a former regional banking executive with Standard Chartered Plc and senior executive with payment card company Visa Inc.
PayPal does not yet cover peer-to-peer transactions, which allow consumers to send money to other consumers. It has not yet enabled local merchants in the new markets to receive payments, nor is it offering other forms of banking services, he said.
A 2013 survey of 200 UK ecommerce sites by Visa’s CyberSource unit estimated that 1.26 percent of online orders are fraudulent and that 85 percent of merchants expected fraud to increase or remain static last year.
CyberSource also estimated that suspicion of fraudulent transactions result in 8.2 percent of online orders in Latin America being rejected by merchants, compared with 5.5 percent in Europe and 2.7 percent in the United States and Canada.
Such fraud can include ID theft, social engineering, phishing and automated harvesting of customer financial data via botnets, or networks of computers controlled by hackers.
A total of 80 million Internet users stand to gain access to PayPal global services this week, including those in five European markets – Belarus, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco and Montenegro, four in the African nations of Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Zimbabwe, as well as Paraguay. Internet usage figures are based on research by Euromonitor International.
PayPal counts 148 million active accounts worldwide.
Last week, MasterCard Inc, the world’s second-largest debit and credit card company, and a PayPal rival in payment processing, said it was working with the Nigerian government on a pilot to overlay payment technology on a new national identity card.
PayPal has operated in 190 markets since 2007 and added three countries – Egypt, Georgia and Serbia last year. Roughly a quarter of the $52 billion in payment volumes PayPal reported in the first quarter of 2014 were for cross-border transactions. PayPal reported $1.8 billion in revenue during the period.

(excerpt from http://businessdayonline.com)

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PERFECT APP : THE APP THAT PAYS

How will you feel making money by just installing and running an app in your computer? How it works? When you register with the company here, you will be given free 100 dealpoints(ie $100) which is you can only use in any of company's online stores.  Around the end of each month from the day you started using the app, the number of hours you ran the app will be calculated by the company, the number of hours will be converted to cashpoints which is directly equivalent to dollars(ie One cashpoint = One dollar). You can choose to convert your acquired cashpoints into dealpoints. But NOTE that you can only use the dealpoints in the any of the company's online stores. You may also donate ,if you wish, your acquired points(cash) to charity. You can either withdraw through PayPal or order their debit card(like the usual ATM card). Then boom! You get your cash from any nearest ATM. REQUIREMENTS: a computer and constant internet connection. For mobile users, the app is not yet available but will be soon. Register HERE

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When It seems all your plans fall through

A boy looked around him. He saw every other person as beyond him. He started thinking what should he do to catch up and possibly outrun others. His parents were the dedicated type, he was blessed with respectful siblings, he has an uncle who cares although sometimes inconveniences him with errands at odd times, he got very few relatives who gives the little they can. But in the midst of all these blessings were also some big negatives: his father scolds at any slightest provocation, his mother has a motto"Work Work Work", his sister hmm..nagging is an understatement, Cleanliness was the incurable disease of day. Financially,he was just moderate but yet he needed cash at least to be able to afford the little luxuries his mates could. He then thought to himself, "What can I do to assist my parents in the workload they bear?" They were more than 10 in the family including some external helps and some extended family members. An idea occurred to him,'To save some of the money being given to him for upkeep and invest it in any profitable venture'. In three months time, he had saved enough that he decided to invest it. His first attempt at investment yielded no fruit. He lost all the money he has been saving for a while. He started saving again and within 3 months he had realized a reasonable sum. The big question came to mind,"Where can I invest this money so that it will yield a considerable sum at least in few months time?" As a technology savvy person, he decided to try doing it online. This was because he had looked around him; how many make their money and he decided that he wanted his own to be unique. He decided to make money through the internet. He started scouting the internet for any trustworthy venture he could invest in. This search took him four months before he was able to discover one. There it was, hidden in the open. He went in but there were some problems facing him. Those problems included not money but certain processes. He was asked to open an online account which he did with his debit card(MasterCard). Then the problems came:
1. Next was to fund that account, he started the process but along the way, his account was suspended due to security reasons. The Big problem now was to re-open the account since the funding process is already started and if it encounters any hindrance, there is probability of him loosing the money. He was asked to provide some four documents for the account to be re-opened. He tried all his possible best but it seemed that Lady-luck was against him. The first process was obtaining an I.D card.
2. Due to the unfavorable nature of situation in his country, that process took a very long time, almost a year. By then he had lost the money which was in funding process. One of the regulations was "One is not allowed to use the same credit or debit card for two or more accounts". He decided to get another debit card although credit card was more preferable because he could use it to receive money directly into his account. But credit card involved a much more difficult process especially for someone in his position(a student). So it was out of the option.
3. The following month he was able to obtain a new debit card(Visa debit) from his bank. Having learnt from his previous bitter experiences, he carefully opened a new online account. This time he was smiled upon by Lady Luck. With the money he funded, he started the online business. But will he succeed? if yes, to what extent? Only time will tell.

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The 5 Types Of Men Who Make Great Husbands [A Must Read For All Guys]

In my line of work, I meet a lot of great husbands and the wives who adore them. Over time, it’s not hard to pick up on a pattern among these men — especially when I chat with other wives about why they chose the men they’ve married and what qualities in their husbands have most shaped their marriages. For all those single women out there who often wonder what type of man they should marry or how they will know if he’s “The One” they’re meant to spend forever with, this list is 100 percent for you. It’s based on my own personal experience as a wife, those of the many wives I’ve encountered throughout my career as a Weddings and Relationships editor, and the observations I’ve made about the great husbands I’ve met or bumped into over the years. Not all of the answers are here, but I promise you, this list has some of the insight you seek. Read on, ladies, and take notes.

1. The Provider
He puts family first, always. He’s a selfless man, who lives to please those he cares most about. He’s the kind of man who can work two jobs in his sleep, always has a side-hustle in mind to earn more money, and guards his savings with his life. He can’t rest until he knows the ones he loves are okay. He strives for perfection at home and in the office. Work-life balance is very important to him, but if missing time with his loved ones means a better life for them, he’s always game to put in the overtime and take one for the team. Words like “no,” “can’t,” and “impossible,” are just not in his vocabulary, and when he hears others use them, it only increases his devotion to the task at hand.

Why He Makes a Good Husband: Marriage is the start of a new family — your family. You will both want to provide for the family you create together, and it’s imperative that you are partners with the same goals in mind. That said, there will be times when one person just cannot do as much as the marriage (or family) requires — such is life. Marrying a natural-born provider will be a huge plus when the scales in your marriage tip, as they inevitably will at different points along your path.

2. The Rock
At your weakest moments, his strength keeps you stable and inspires you to push through. He isn’t immune to pain or frustration, but he does handle it well, and he knows how to pull himself out of low places. He’s the kind of man who never misses your call when he knows you need to get something off your chest, or better, just a friend to be there for you. Speaking of chests, his is always there for you to lean on, squeeze, and find comfort in when it feels like only a hug will do.
Why He Makes a Good Husband: He’s loyal, devoted, and a true pillar in the world of the woman he loves. This is the perfect recipe for a loving husband that you can count on through thick and thin; what woman doesn’t dream of marrying one of those?

3. The Critical Thinker
There isn’t a problem, big or small, that he isn’t itching to solve. He’s a quick, solid, thinker, who hates to be backed into a corner. He doesn’t just see the problem in front of him; he sees a road map of the many solutions available to him and takes his time as he determines the best way to get there, or the course of action he must take. He is patient, because he has to be — rushing things is rarely the answer and he knows this. He’s diligent, focused, and considers himself a mental Olympian of sorts.

Why He Makes a Good Husband: Marriage is truly beautiful, but it comes with its share of problems, and its rough patches. Happier times aren’t always just around the bend — getting there may require a detailed plan and thinking smarter, not harder. He will make a great team player during the moments where the only way to win is to work together, and trust me, those moments can and will arise in marriage.

4. The Believer
When the world around him comes crumbling down and the sun seems as if it will never rise again, this man still believes — his faith is his foundation. It gets him through the good and the bad, and it never falters. He believes in the things unseen and those that many give up on when the world turns cold: hope, morals, kindness, and good will. He has a church home, or a religious mainstay in his life and the fellowship refuels his engines. He’s God-fearing (whoever his God) and he’s proud of his strong beliefs. His moral compass is always turned in a positive direction, and he refuses to accept failure. He helps others and chooses to live his life in a way he believes others should live theirs.

Why He Makes a Good Husband: This man has the emotional tools needed in his toolbox to repair many of the cracks and dents that will inevitably appear in any marriage. He’s a fighter, and he will fight with you and for your marriage. He won’t give up, even when you do.

5. The Free Spirit
Spending time with this man never gets old. He believes that life is about living and therefore is virtually immune to the physical afflictions caused by stress and worry. It’s not that he doesn’t feel those emotions; he just refuses to let them consume him. He stays positive and seeks to enjoy all aspects of his life, as much as humanly possible. He has most likely chosen a career he loves over one that pays all the bills. Therefore he’s just as passionate about his work as he can be about feeding his cravings for new adventures. He enjoys traveling and most likely has a bucket list at least a quarter complete. He doesn’t believe in wasting time worrying about what can’t happen and prefers to shift his focus to what can. With him, there’s never a dull moment at home, in the bedroom, or when you’re out and about. His inner light shines through and warms the spirits of those around him. He keeps life exciting — almost as if, each day he presses the refresh button.

Why He Makes a Good Husband: Spending the rest of your life with the same person, doing many of the same things can be as boring or as exciting as you make it. Marrying this man ensures that one pitfall your marriage won’t ever fall into is that of pure and utter boredom. It sounds simple, but it’s so important.
                                                              [coined from naijaloaded.com]                                                                               

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