Sierra Leone

BO, SIERRA LEONE—

Yatta Lahai and Fatama Alieu — two 30-year-old women in Sierra Leone — are waiting to have surgery that will restore their self-respect.

Both women have fistula, a condition caused by prolonged obstructed labor that leaves a woman unable to control her urine, feces or both.

Lahai says she lost her husband and the rest of her family because of the condition. Alieu says she avoids going out in public because of the embarrassment.

The spread of the Zika virus has become so alarming that more than 150 health experts from over a dozen countries published an open letter urging the postponement or relocation of the Summer Olympics scheduled for August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Never before in world history have the Olympics been cancelled due to a public health crisis.

“The Brazilian strain of Zika virus harms health in ways that science has not observed before,” the scientists warned. They added that an “unnecessary risk is posed when 500,000 foreign tourists from all countries attend the Games, potentially acquire that strain, and return home to places where it can become endemic.”

Imagine that! Global health experts are sounding alarm bells against the transmission of disease from one country to another, declaring that the risk is so great that the most famous international event of all should be called off to prevent it.

As summer vacation nears, thousands of central Ohioans are planning a trip to an exotic locale -- perhaps to Brazil for the Summer Olympics.

Some doctors warn, however, there are more than sandy beaches, crystal blue waters and margaritas waiting for you: Dangerous parasites, viruses and bacteria can ruin your vacation -- or worse.

As growth in developed markets such as Europe, China and North Africa continue to stagnate, greater regional integration in Africa, amongst all role players, is needed to capitalize on the continent’s growth potential. This is according to Hennie Heymans, CEO of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa,who says that when comparing intra-regional trade statistics, Africa’s rates are amongst the lowest in the world, with less than 20% of what is produced in the region, remaining on the continent.
“This, in essence, means that over 80% of what is produced in Africa is exported, mainly to the European Union, China and the United States.