₦airaland Forum

Thanks, my brother. Will check out Dunsin Oyekan's music.

God bless you!

Symorne:
Any worship song by Dunsin Oyekan is a hit for me.
Favorite is "Fragrance to Fire"

Note: I'm not rating.

1. I lift Your Name by Sarai Korpacz.
2. You are Holy by Evelyn Amo.
3. You are Jehovah by Elijah Oyelade.
4. Angels bow by Steve Crown.
5. Elohim by Nathaniel Bassey.
6. Highly lifted by Elijah Oyelade.
7. Awesome God by MOGmusic (YouTube).
8. You are Holy by James Fortune.
9. Excess love by Mercy Chinwo.
10. Still by Natashia Midori.

More coming...

Enter God's outer courts with thanksgiving; enter His inner courts with praise, and finally, go into His innermost sanctum (the holy of holies) with heartfelt worship!

This Covid-19 Lockdown is an opportunity for us, not only to spend time with our families, but also to get closer to God in worship. Let's share here, any godly music that has blessed us.

The thread is not intended for rating any musician or their music. Its solely for sharing any music that has helped us in our worship of God.

May God richly bless us as we share and edify one another!

A Michigan couple whose wedding plans were thrown into chaos by the coronavirus pandemic said the pews will still be full during their ceremony — but the guests will all be made of cardboard.

Dan Stuglik and Amy Simonson said about 160 people were due to attend their wedding on Saturday (today) in Dowagiac, but COVID-19 lockdown left them with a suddenly empty guest list. Stuglik then enlisted the help of local company Menasha Packing to provide human-shaped cardboard cut-outs to represent their friends and family during the ceremony.

“I didn’t like the idea of Amy having to walk down the isle with no one in the pews, that seemed like a very lonely walk, so I wanted something to represent the guests,” Stuglik told WSBT-TV. “I went to just buy a few sheets of cardboard and they went in and brought a designer and made some,” Stuglik said.

The couple said they would have their honeymoon at an Airbnb with a more extravagant trip to Rhode Island when coronavirus lockdown measures were no longer active.

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/cardboard-to-replace-wedding-guests-over-covid-19/

The Coronavirus pandemic has dragged China’s economy into its worst 3-month period in decades. The world’s second largest economy shrank 6.8% in the first quarter of 2020 compared to a year earlier, according to government statistics released Friday.

The plunge is the worst for a single quarter that China has recorded since it started publishing those figures in 1992. It’s also the first time China has reported a contraction since 1976.

SOURCE: https://businessday.ng/lead-story/article/chinas-economy-shrinks-for-the-first-time-in-decades/

The Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Kwara state chapter has waded into the alleged misconduct of Professor Alakija Salami in the management of a suspected deceased COVID-19 patient who died under his care at the University of Ilorin teaching hospital recently.

In a chat with newsmen in Ilorin on Tuesday, the state NMA Chairman, Dr Muhammed Kolade Solagberu, disclosed that the medical ethics committee of the association headed by Professor Boduwoye is currently investigating the matter to ascertain what transpired.

DAILY POST, however, learned that all the doctors who had contacts with the embattled Dr Salami in the management of the deceased were currently on self-quarantine,” hence “it is difficult to get any information from them as the investigation intensifies.”

Dr Solagberu further said, ” it is not the best for us to call them on the phone to know what transpired in the course of management of the deceased patient. Until the ethics committee completes its investigation and submits its report, we will know the next line of action as we can’t rely on social media information,” he added.

DAILY POST recalls that Professor Salami, a consultant with the University of Ilorin teaching hospital, was suspended by the authorities following his alleged misconduct in the management and eventual death of a suspected COVID-19 patient under secrecy.

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2020/04/14/covid-19-nma-ethics-committee-wades-into-dr-salamis-misconduct-at-uith-in-kwara/

Unknown gunmen on Monday abducted Olori Funbi Ojo, wife of Oba Olusanjo Ojo, the Baba-Aso of Igboole in Igboora area of Oyo State and her daughter. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the wife of the monarch is the Matron of Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH) health centre.

According to eyewitnesses, the duo were kidnapped by the gunmen around Keji Abra farm, Igbole area of Igboora, around 8:15 p.m on Monday. It was gathered that the monarch’s wife and daughter, a trained nurse and also a serving corps member, were kidnapped while returning from the college where she worked.

However, her son who drove the bullet-ridden vehicle was lucky as he escaped being captured by the suspected kidnappers.

Another source, who confirmed the incident, to NAN said the victims were abducted close to the palace. “There was a case of kidnapping in Igboora yesterday around 8:15p.m., which involved the wife of the Baba Aso of Igbole. The Olori also doubles as the matron of OYSCATECH health centre.”

Confirming the development, Mr. Olugbenga Fadeyi, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, said efforts have been intensified by police operatives to rescue the victim from their abductors.

Meanwhile, the family is yet to be contacted by the kidnappers as vigilante groups within and around the town have started combing the bush to rescue the victims.

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2020/04/14/oyo-monarchs-wife-daughter-kidnapped/

Your quote from the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau is quite apropos:

"Quand les pauvres n'auront plus rien à manger, ils mangeront les riches" - When the poor have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich!

Unfortunately, in the present circumstances, those being "eaten" (attacked) by these miscreants are the poor! Consequently (in view of realities on ground) the best advice for all those living in such currently besieged neighbourhoods is to immediately organize yourselves for self defence, by:

1. Holding an emergency general meeting of the entire street, estate or neighbourhood as applicable.
2. Discussing/deciding whether to employ vigilantes or arrange your own men and youth into a neighbourhood watch. Immediately implement whatever you decide.
3. Agree on modalities for raising the alarm whenever the miscreants are sighted (e.g. whistles, remote car alarms, re-routed PHCN alarms etc).
4. If/whenever the "Awawa", "One million", "Vile henchmen" etc boys eventually show face, vigorously defend yourselves but ensure that the Police are also called/informed.
5. Ensure that any hoodlums eventually captured are handed over to the police.

Like Aesop said, "caelum audaces iuvat se" (Latin) - Heaven helps those who help themselves! May our good LORD be with you as you quickly get organized.

irunoko:
Hmnn

Please this is the time you need to invest in this local community vigilante.make Una gather as a community contribute money give vigilante to ensure security

I pray it doesn't get worse

There was panic in Ogba, Ojodu and Agindigbi areas of Lagos State on Monday evening over the presence of suspected members of the Awawa Boys and "One Million" Boys. It was learnt that some residents, who had lived in Agege – the base of the hoodlums, identified the boys and raised an alarm.

The PUNCH had reported that there was pandemonium on Sunday evening in Agege area of Lagos after suspected members of the Awawa Boys and One Million Boys dispossessed many residents of their valuables.
When the news broke that the hoodlums have arrived in Ogba and Ojodu, residents trooped out in their hundreds carrying cutlasses, iron metals, and broken bottles in an attempt to defend themselves.

Some elderly men were also seen dressed in red and black carrying juju in their hands. At the Oke-Ira axis, some youths climbed the roofs of houses with weapons such as stones and catapult in anticipation of the hoodlums’ attack. The PUNCH gathered that some residents of Ogba and Akiode areas kept vigil on Sunday in a bid to defend their territories against the siege of the hoodlums.

One of the youths, identified simply as Saka, said, “We are gallant. We are ready for them. We are all suffering and feeling the pains from the lockdown. We had to keep vigil at Aguda yesterday when we heard gunshots. We have the information that some of them are around surveying the area.”

Another resident, popularly known as Baba Kayode, said, “We heard they went to Akiode yesterday and the boys refused to let them in, they shut the gates against them. We will not also allow them here. We call on police and other security officials to come to our rescue.

“What we heard is that police have overpowered them in Agege and they are planning to move to Ogba, being the closest area to them. Akiode is also close to Ogun State for the One Million Boys. We have asked all our boys and vigilantes to be ready for war.”

Efforts to reach the Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Elkanah Bala, proved abortive. However, the Lagos State Police Command tweeted that its officers had visited the areas to restore calm. It said, “Police officers visited Omole and Ogba this evening to calm the nerves of the residents in the area.

“They were urged to lay down their arms, maintain social distancing and return to their homes as the police will be on ground to provide adequate security.”

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/panic-in-ogba-ojodu-over-suspected-presence-of-awawa-boys/

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread worldwide, so too do rumours and conspiracy theories about the disease - this time, in relation to the 5G technology. There have been viral posts on social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and most recently, Whatsapp, claiming that 5G technology is the cause of the Covid-19 infection.

FIRST, WHAT IS 5G?
5G, or "fifth generation", is the latest in wireless mobile phone technologies, first widely deployed in 2019. Just as other mobile technologies like 4G, 3G and 2G, 5G data is transmitted over radio waves—a type of electromagnetic radiation. They are superfast and represent an evolution in telecommunication standards.

LINKED TO CORONAVIRUS?
One of the latest of such viral posts is from Dino Melaye, a former senator from Kogi state, who alleged there is a “powerful global force for economic interest trying to introduce the 5G into the global market” which would ultimately harm a lot of persons.

In a video shared via his Twitter page, Melaye, who has about 1.3m followers on the platform, added: “From my research, this coronavirus is really not the problem. The major problem is this 5G that has been delayed. It is the reaction from this 5G that has some biological interactions with our cells. 5G technology is a killer; 5G technology is what is now helping to mobilise flu that comes in (the) form of coronavirus.”

Melaye has yet to respond to TheCable’s inquiry on the source of his claim, but similar posts have also appeared online such as this one in which a user named Ravager_Girl claimed 5G towers will “kill a lot of people” in Nigeria.

There have also been many other such claims.

ARE THESE CLAIMS TRUE?
There is no known link between the coronavirus and 5G technology, according to checks by TheCable, including from expert sources. While it is true that 5G technology was rolled out in China around the same time the coronavirus was discovered, there is no scientific evidence they pose any health risk, much less causing Covid-19 disease.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says “a large number of studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk (and) to date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use.”

It also says of the 5G technology: “Till date, and after much research performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies. Health-related conclusions are drawn from studies performed across the entire radio spectrum but, so far, only a few studies have been carried out at the frequencies to be used by 5G.”

The global body explains further that the main mechanism of interaction between radiofrequency fields and the human body is tissue heating, and that “radiofrequency exposure levels from current technologies result in negligible temperature rise in the human body.”

“As the frequency increases, there is less penetration into the body tissues and absorption of the energy becomes more confined to the surface of the body (skin and eye). Provided that the overall exposure remains below international guidelines, no consequences for public health are anticipated.” it adds.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says there is “no scientific evidence [that] currently establishes a definite link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses….”

The Public Health England also says while it is possible that there may be a small increase in overall exposure to radio waves when 5G is added to an existing network or in a new area, “the overall exposure is expected to remain low relative to guidelines and, as such, there should be no consequences for public health.”

Such guidelines for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields, as stipulated by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection has limits of as high as 300GHz, whereas the maximum for 5G is around 26 GHz. The UK’s department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) also argues that there is “absolutely no credible evidence of a link between 5G and coronavirus.”

Even UK media outlets have been warned not to promote “conspiracy theories” about links with 5G and coronavirus. However, this does not mean some scientists do not think otherwise. Experts such as Camilla Rees, a senior policy advisory at the National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy, writes on the hazardous effects of phone radiation on health, but there is no generally accepted scientific proof to this yet.

‘CORONAVIRUS IS 5G’
A number of the claims on the social media, also re-echoed by Melaye, suggests that the current pandemic is a result of exposure to the 5G technology and not the coronavirus. One of those posts, a tweeted video which has been viewed more than a thousand times, says: “…it is not the virus killing you or making you sick, it’s 5G towers.” But contrary to the claim, most of the countries to which Covid-19 has spread do not have a 5G network.

While the coronavirus has spread to about 200 countries, the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) – the umbrella body for companies across the worldwide mobile ecosystem – reports that the fully mobile 5G services have been launched in about 40 countries.

Across West African countries, most of which have recorded the coronavirus, there is no use of 5G network, except in Nigeria where it was launched for trials in November.

HOW THEN IS CORONAVIRUS SPREAD? RADIO WAVES?
No, not radio waves. These waves are non-ionising, meaning they don’t damage the DNA inside cells, as other waves such as X-rays, gamma rays and UV rays are able to do.

WHO says people contract COVID-19 from others who have the virus, meaning it is through human-to-human transmission. The disease can spread through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. It adds that the virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air.

VERDICT
The coronavirus does not have any link with 5G technology which in itself has not been scientifically proven to be harmful to health.

SOURCE (abridged): https://www.thecable.ng/fact-check-is-there-any-link-between-5g-and-coronavirus

The world’s top oil producers have pulled off a historic deal to cut global petroleum output by nearly 10%, putting an end to the devastating price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

After a week-long marathon of bilateral calls and video conferences of ministers from the OPEC+ alliance and the Group of 20 nations, an agreement finally emerged to tackle the impact of the pandemic on oil demand.

Prices rose more than 4% to almost $33 a barrel in London after swinging wildly in the first few minutes of trading following the deal. Investors are trying to establish whether the cut will be enough to dent the massive glut that keeps growing as the virus shuts down the global economy.

The talks had almost fallen apart late last week — amid resistance from Mexico — but came back from the brink after a weekend of urgent diplomacy. President Donald Trump intervened, helping broker the final compromise.

“Unprecedented measures for unprecedented times,”said Ed Morse, a veteran oil watcher who is head of commodities research at Citigroup Inc. Unprecedented in historical discussions of production cuts, the U.S. played a critical role in brokering between Saudi Arabia and Russia for the new OPEC+ accord.”

OPEC+ will cut 9.7 million barrels a day — just below the initial proposal of 10 million.

“We have demonstrated that OPEC+ is up and alive,” Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told Bloomberg News in an interview minutes after the deal was done. “I’m more than happy with the deal.”

The accord caps a tumultuous month when Brent crude, the global benchmark, plunged to its lowest in nearly two decades, falling toward $20 a barrel. Earlier this year, it traded above $70 a barrel.

OPEC+ ministers had to race onto a video conference call on Easter Sunday, less than 4 hours before the oil market reopened, to close the deal.

SOURCE: https://businessday.ng/lead-story/article/oil-higher-as-price-war-ends-with-historic-deal-to-cut-output/

Residents of Enugu State on Sunday condemned the closure of the popular Akwatta market where tomatoes, oil, yam among other food items were being sold, over alleged booing of the state governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Friday.

The governor was said to have visited the major market in the state, ‘Ogbete Main Market’ to observe level of compliance to directives that all the markets in the state (with exemption of food markets) should be closed down, to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state.

But when he got to the market, those selling wares were said to have taken over the food section of the market and were allegedly ordered by the governor to vacate the market as they were not exempted to trade. The governor’s directive was said to have enraged the traders who booed the governor while calling him names.

But some of the residents who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday described the total closure on account of the incident as inhumane and showed the governor’s intolerance to dissenting voices.

But the state government has denied all the accusations. The Chairman of Enugu North Local Government Area, Emeka Onunze, in a statement he personally signed said the allegations were “false, misleading, baseless, mischievous and a failed calculated attempt to undermine our genuine efforts to upgrade the environmental condition of the market for the health and wellbeing of our people”.

Onunze said, “We have temporarily relocated the traders of the Tomato market in Akwatta to Garki Market, Enugu, to enable the council rebuild the section of the Ogbete Main Market to standard before they return to the market to continue their business transactions.

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/market-shut-as-traders-boo-gov/

The UK's biggest family - the Radfords - have welcomed their 22nd baby and shared a touching photo of the newborn on their Facebook page.

Sue Radford has given birth to her 22nd child. In a statement on the family's Facebook page alongside a photograph of the baby's hand, the family said: "We welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world on Friday night. We’re all so in love with her." The family promised a vlog introducing the baby to the world would be published tomorrow.

The mum to Britain’s biggest family had previously revealed that she had found her second trimester “stressful”. In a YouTube video, she explained this was because of a complication concerning her placenta. Despite this, the 44-year-old said the pregnancy had flown by. Fans had been excitedly anticipating the arrival of the Radfords' baby girl.

The tot will now join the huge family, who have become social media stars. Sue and her husband Noel are parents to Chris, 30, Sophie, 25, Chloe, 23, Jack, 22, Daniel, 20, Luke, 18, Millie, 17, Katie, 16, James, 15, Ellie, 14, Aimee, 13, Josh, 12, Max, 11, Tillie, nine, Oscar, seven, Casper, six, Hallie, three, Phoebe, two, Archie 18 months, and Bonnie, one. The mum is also a grandma – as 25-year-old Sophie has three kids of her own.

Previously, the household revealed their plans to meet one of Australia's biggest broods.

SOURCE (abridged): https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/breaking-uks-largest-family-welcomes-21818810

Dear samir101ng,

Internet slows down with more users. Research has shown that for all types of Internet Service Providers (except fiber-optic cable), network congestion always causes a drop in speed.

Due to the coronavirus lockdown, many people are taking advantage of the free data period, leading to the observed drop in speed.

Fears of a massive spike in Covid-19 patients has struck Pakistan after over 100,000 people attended an Islamic Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Lahore last month, triggering hundreds of cases. Since the gathering, 154 worshippers have tested positive for coronavirus, and two patients have died to date.

Officials have said that Pakistani authorities are now searching for tens of thousands of worshippers who attended the Islamic gathering in Lahorein March.

Reports say authorities want to test or quarantine those who attended at the Tablighi Jamaat – an Islamic missionary movement - from March 10 to March 12. It comes amid fears that they are now spreading the deadly disease across the country and even overseas.

Organisers of the event say around 100,000 worship goers went to the meeting, which went ahead despite the government's requests to cancel it. Speaking anonymously, an official at Lahore’s district commissioner’s office said the location outside the eastern city has now been sealed off. The official reportedly said: "Authorities in all districts (of the country) are trying to find those who have attended the event."

So far, around 2,500 people who attended the gathering, including 1,500 foreigners, who remained around the event site have been placed in quarantine. Authorities have confirmed that at least 154 worshippers who attended the event have tested positive for coronavirus, with two deaths to date.

According to reports, officials have so far managed to track down around 7,000 attendees in Punjab province and placed them in quarantine. Officials managed to track them down after working through a list of names provided by Jamaat organisers. Tablighi Jamaat is one of the world's largest faith-based movements and has millions of followers around the globe.

A number of people from China, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Afghanistan, also attended this years gathering, according to organisers. It is believed others left Pakistan without being tested.

SOURCE: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/fears-massive-coronavirus-outbreak-after-21816229

15 PAIRS OF CONTRADICTORY PROVERBS

1. Look before you leap.
VS
He who hes­i­tates is lost.

2. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
VS
Don’t beat your head against a stone wall.

3. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
VS
Out of sight, out of mind.

4. Never put off till to­mor­row what you can do today.
VS
Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.

5. Two heads are better than one.
VS
Paddle your own canoe.

6. Haste makes waste.
VS
Time waits for no man.

7. You’re never too old to learn.
VS
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

8. A word to the wise is sufficient.
VS
Talk is cheap.

9. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
VS
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

10. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
VS
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

11. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
VS
Nice guys finish last.

12. Hitch your wagon to a star.
VS
Don’t bite off more that you can chew.

13. Many hands make light work.
VS
Too many cooks spoil the broth.

14. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
VS
Clothes make the man.

15. The squeak­ing wheel gets the grease.
VS
Silence is golden.

SOURCE: https://beebo.org/smackerels/contradictory-proverbs.html

Bigflamie:
Its everywhere bro, my neighbor was kidnapped last night.

Which area is this please?

So, there you have them, folks! The band of nefarious microscopic marauders out to get rid of mankind. With enemies like these, who needs malicious aliens from distant galaxies?

ATTRIBUTION: Text and details of these 12 viruses were obtained from www.livescience.com

(12). MERS-CoV
The virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, sparked an outbreak in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and another in South Korea in 2015. The MERS virus belongs to the same family of viruses as SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, and likely originated in bats, as well. The disease infected camels before passing into humans and triggers fever, coughing and shortness of breath in infected people.

MERS often progresses to severe pneumonia and has an estimated mortality rate between 30% and 40%, making it the most lethal of the known coronaviruses that jumped from animals to people. As with SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, MERS has no approved treatments or vaccine.

(11). SARS-CoV-2 (WHICH CAUSES COVID-19 DISEASE)
SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the same large family of viruses as SARS-CoV, known as coronaviruses, and was first identified in December 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus likely originated in bats, like SARS-CoV, and passed through an intermediate animal before infecting people.

The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, called COVID-19, has an estimated mortality rate of about 2.3%. People who are older or have underlying health conditions seem to be most at risk of having severe disease or complications. Common symptoms include fever, dry cough and shortness of breath, and the disease can progress to pneumonia in severe cases.

Since its appearance, the virus has infected tens of thousands of people in China and thousands of others worldwide. The ongoing outbreak prompted an extensive quarantine of Wuhan and nearby cities, restrictions on travel to and from affected countries and a worldwide effort to develop diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.

As at Sunday 12 April 2020, this novel coronavirus has infected more 1.7 million persons worldwide, and has
killed more than 108,000.

(10). SARS-CoV
The virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, first appeared in 2002 in the Guangdong province of southern China, according to the WHO. The virus likely emerged in bats, initially, then hopped into nocturnal mammals called civets before finally infecting humans. After triggering an outbreak in China, SARS spread to 26 countries around the world, infecting more than 8000 people and killing more than 770 over the course of two years.

The disease causes fever, chills and body aches, and often progresses to pneumonia, a severe condition in which the lungs become inflamed and fill with pus. SARS has an estimated mortality rate of 9.6%, and as of yet, has no approved treatment or vaccine. However, no new cases of SARS have been reported since the early 2000s, according to the CDC.

(9). ROTAVIRUS
Two vaccines are now available to protect children from rotavirus, the leading cause of severe diarrheal illness among babies and young children. The virus can spread rapidly, through what researchers call the fecal-oral route (meaning that small particles of feces end up being consumed).

Although children in the developed world rarely die from rotavirus infection, the disease is a killer in the developing world, where rehydration treatments are not widely available. The WHO estimates that worldwide, 453,000 children younger than age 5 died from rotavirus infection in 2008. But countries that have introduced the vaccine have reported sharp declines in rotavirus hospitalizations and deaths.

(8 ). DENGUE
Dengue virus first appeared in the 1950s in the Philippines and Thailand, and has since spread throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. Up to 40% of the world's population now lives in areas where dengue is endemic, and the disease — with the mosquitoes that carry it — is likely to spread farther as the world warms.

Dengue sickens 50 to 100 million people a year, according to WHO. Although the 2.5% mortality rate for dengue fever is lower than some other viruses, the virus can cause an Ebola-like disease called dengue hemorrhagic fever, and that condition has a mortality rate of 20% if left untreated. "We really need to think more about dengue virus because it is a real threat to us," Muhlberger said.

A vaccine for Dengue was approved in 2019 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in children 9-16 years old living in an areas where dengue is common and with a confirmed history of virus infection, according to the CDC. In some countries, an approved vaccine is available for those 9-45 years old, but again, recipients must have contracted a confirmed case of dengue in the past. Those who have not caught the virus before could be put at risk of developing severe dengue if given the vaccine.

(7). INFLUENZA
During a typical flu season, up to 500,000 people worldwide will die from the illness, according to WHO. But occasionally, when a new flu strain emerges, a pandemic results with a faster spread of disease and, often, higher mortality rates.

The most deadly flu pandemic, sometimes called the Spanish flu, began in 1918 and sickened up to 40% of the world's population, killing an estimated 50 million people.

"I think that it is possible that something like the 1918 flu outbreak could occur again," Muhlberger said. "If a new influenza strain found its way in the human population, and could be transmitted easily between humans, and caused severe illness, we would have a big problem."

(6). HANTAVIRUS
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) first gained wide attention in the U.S. in 1993, when a healthy, young Navajo man and his fiancée living in the Four Corners area of the United States died within days of developing shortness of breath. A few months later, health authorities isolated hantavirus from a deer mouse living in the home of one of the infected people. More than 600 people in the U.S. have now contracted HPS, and 36% have died from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The virus is not transmitted from one person to another, rather, people contract the disease from exposure to the droppings of infected mice.

Previously, a different hantavirus caused an outbreak in the early 1950s, during the Korean War, according to a 2010 paper in the journal Clinical Microbiology Reviews. More than 3,000 troops became infected, and about 12% of them died. While the virus was new to Western medicine when it was discovered in the U.S., researchers realized later that Navajo medical traditions describe a similar illness, and linked the disease to mice.

(5). SMALLPOX
In 1980, the World Health Assembly declared the world free of smallpox. But before that, humans battled smallpox for thousands of years, and the disease killed about 1 in 3 of those it infected. It left survivors with deep, permanent scars and, often, blindness.

Mortality rates were far higher in populations outside of Europe, where people had little contact with the virus before visitors brought it to their regions. For example, historians estimate 90% of the native population of the Americas died from smallpox introduced by European explorers. In the 20th century alone, smallpox killed 300m people.

"It was something that had a huge burden on the planet, not just death but also blindness, and that's what spurred the campaign to eradicate from the Earth," Adalja said.

(4). HIV
In the modern world, the deadliest virus of all may be HIV. "It is still the one that is the biggest killer," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and spokesman for the Infectious Disease Society of America. An estimated 32m people have died from HIV since the disease was first recognized in the early 1980s. "The infectious disease that takes the biggest toll on mankind right now is HIV," Adalja said.

Powerful antiviral drugs have made it possible for people to live for years with HIV. But the disease continues to devastate many low- and middle-income countries, where 95% of new HIV infections occur. Nearly 1 in every 25 adults within the WHO African region is HIV-positive, accounting for more than two-thirds of the people living with HIV worldwide.

(3). RABIES
Although rabies vaccines for pets, which were introduced in the 1920s, have helped make the disease exceedingly rare in the developed world, this condition remains a serious problem in India and parts of Africa.

"It destroys the brain, it's a really, really bad disease," Muhlberger said. "We have a vaccine against rabies, and we have antibodies that work against rabies, so if someone gets bitten by a rabid animal we can treat this person," she said.

However, she said, "if you don't get treatment, there's a 100% possibility you will die."

(2). EBOLA VIRUS
The first known Ebola outbreaks in humans struck simultaneously in the Republic of the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. Ebola is spread through contact with blood or other body fluids, or tissue from infected people or animals. The known strains vary dramatically in their deadliness, according to Elke Muhlberger, an Ebola virus expert and associate professor of microbiology at Boston University.

One strain, Ebola Reston, doesn't even make people sick. But for the Bundibugyo strain, the fatality rate is up to 50%, and it is up to 71% for the Sudan strain, according to WHO. The outbreak underway in West Africa began in early 2014, and is the largest and most complex outbreak of the disease to date, according to WHO.

(1). MARBURG VIRUS
Scientists identified Marburg virus in 1967, when small outbreaks occurred among lab workers in Germany who were exposed to infected monkeys imported from Uganda. Marburg virus is similar to Ebola in that both can cause hemorrhagic fever, meaning that infected people develop high fevers and bleeding throughout the body that can lead to shock, organ failure and death.

The mortality rate in the first outbreak was 25%, but it was more than 80% in the 1998-2000 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as in the 2005 outbreak in Angola, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

From ages past and through many millennia, mankind has battled viruses. Vaccines and drugs brought succour, kept infections at bay and helped the sick recover. There is even one viral disease, smallpox, that we managed to eradicate. Nonetheless, we are a long way from winning the fight against these miniscule black-hearted knaves!

In recent times, some viruses jumped from animals to humans and caused serious epidemics, killing thousands. The one behind the 2014 - 2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed as much as 90% of its victims, making it the single most lethal ninja in the Ebola family.

However, there are some other viruses that are equally deadly, and some that are even worse. Some (like the COVID-19 virus) have lower fatality rates, but are still very dangerous, as we don't yet have vaccines or drugs to combat them.

Well, here they are - the most deadly denizens of the microbial underworld that are threatening humankind's very existence!

A newly published study notes that the ozone layer is continuing to heal and could recover completely, thanks to the global actions from the 1987 Montreal Protocol.

The research, published in Nature, notes that chemicals, known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which caused depletion of the ozone layer, also triggered a change in atmospheric circulation. However, since 2000, those changes have paused or "slightly reversed" because of the nearly 30-year-old international treaty, according to experts.

"This study adds to growing evidence showing the profound effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol," the study's lead author, Antara Banerjee, said in a statement. "Not only has the treaty spurred healing of the ozone layer, it's also driving recent changes in Southern Hemisphere air circulation patterns."

OZONE HOLE IS THE SMALLEST ON RECORD DUE TO 'RARE EVENT,' NASA SAYS
The ozone layer is approximately 7 to 25 miles above the Earth's surface and acts as a "sunscreen" for the planet, according to NASA. It keeps out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun that has been linked to skin cancer, cataracts, immune system suppression and can also cause damage to plants.

Previous studies have linked the trends in circulation to weather changes. In October 2019, a study published by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said unusual weather patterns in the upper atmosphere over Antarctica caused a drastic reduction in ozone depletion, leaving the ozone with the smallest hole seen since its discovery in 1982.

To prove that the ozone recovery is driving the changes in atmospheric circulation, Banerjee and the other researchers used a two-step technique known as detection and attribution. They determine what patterns in wind changes were unlikely because of natural changes and what could be attributed to human-related factors, such as changes in carbon dioxide.

Even though their computer simulations showed carbon dioxide emissions have continued to expand, only changes in the ozone layer could explain the "pause" that the experts identified. "Identifying the ozone-driven pause in circulation trends in real-world observations confirms, for the first time, what the scientific ozone community has long predicted from theory," said one of the study's co-authors, John Fyfe, in the statement.

Though the researchers are optimistic about their findings, they caution the trends could reverse themselves again. "We term this a 'pause' because the poleward circulation trends might resume, stay flat, or reverse," Banerjee added. "It's the tug of war between the opposing effects of ozone recovery and rising greenhouse gases that will determine future trends."

The 1987 Montreal Protocol was enacted after scientists disturbingly found a hole in the ozone over Antarctica and Australia in 1985. It was enacted by the United Nations Environment Program. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called it "perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date" and it has been widely regarded as successful, with the ozone continuing to recover each year.

A total of 197 countries, including the U.S. under former President Ronald Reagan, are signatories of the Montreal Protocol.

Skeptics have largely dismissed fears over man’s impact on global warming, saying climate change has been going on since the beginning of time. They also claim the dangers of a warming planet are being wildly exaggerated and question the impact that fossil fuels have had on climate change.

SOURCE: https://www.foxnews.com/science/ozone-layer-healing-growing-evidence-montreal-protocol