Ebola Crisis

By Jolanta Grant

Eight attacked and found killed - talk about outbreak acceleration.

If six Red Cross volunteers who were attacked on the 14th of September wasn't enough, eight people (who were part of a team of 9) sent to educate villages in Guinea about Ebola, have been found dead after they were attacked by angry locals.

The discovery of the bodies happened in a remote area, south-east of the country which was clarified by the Guinean Government Spokesman, Damantang Albert Camara. He hauntingly describes"The bodies were found in the village latrine", he reports, "Three of them had their throats slit".

Action was taken as a result and Guinea's Prime Minister, Mohamed Fofana had stated that six people had been arrested following the incident, which took place on Tuesday the 16th of September in Wome.

Mr Fofana notifies Guinea that the ruthlessly killed team consisted of local administrators, two medical officers, a preacher and three accompanying journalists. There is still one body missing.

Although investigations into the killers have proceeded, Guinean officials have vowed to pursue anyone else involved in the killings.

"Everyone else involved in these murders will be hunted down and brought before court to be sanctioned under the law", Government Spokesman Damatand Albert Camara notified the town.

Ebola first broke out in March in this south-east Guinea area, close to the town of Nzerekore.

Since then, Ebola has killed somewhat 2,630 people and infected at least 5,357 people according to the World Health Organisation.

The team of nine who had a prospect to educate the village, were part of a large group of people who volunteered to take on extreme measures to contain the outbreak. Now there's 9 less vital people to help sustain the lives of others through this unfortunate time and event.

Sierra Leone has been worst-hit by the by the virus and has begun a three-day nationwide  lockdown aimed at eradicating the virus.

What was initially a loan to locate the ill, the Government said the lockdown will now seek to make people aware of the risks of Ebola and what steps to take if a family member falls sick. The actions taken were as follows, an exemplary number of 30,800 volunteers have trained for their dawn-to-dusk information campaign, with residents flocking to buy food and medicine before the lockdown starts.

Volunteers were relieved and satisfied to see queues forming alongside streets as people stocked up on fuel to equip them for the days ahead.

Banks are overflowing as clients rush to withdraw cash, as a result, there has been a decline in working hours to reduce infections among people.

Some pacifists and optimists suggest a few days of hardship are worth it if it can help stop Ebola's progression across the country.   

Arachnophobes beware!

By Jolanta Grant

Professor Hart of the University of Gloucestershire said that the mild summer meant the weather has not been able to thwart the quantity of prey available to spiders, meaning they had more to feed on than usual- which lead to experts saying what many of us arachnophobes dread to hear, larger-than-usual house spiders will be crawling over the door mats of many UK homes soon.  

Males spiders finding warmer environments in homes and seeking to pry out females is always foreseeable in this season, but due to the warm summer this year, spiders have been feeding on the abundance of prey in the last few months. This means we are not only predicted to see a greater quantity of spiders arranging themselves behind wardrobes, and wrapping themselves in silky safety nets on higher ground, but exerts are implying that they will be bigger too... Yes that's right, let's blame the summer.

It was the fact that the summer was so mild that drove the motive of spider survival. The not too hot or cold weather gave the spiders a wider access to their prey which kept up the biodiversity this month of male and female spiders. Both sexes stay in their webs until the autumn when the males become more nomadic and search for females.

Alongside the fact that people are seeing house spiders more frequently due to the increase in their population and more frequently because last winter was quite mild, or even because the conditions around them have become better (attracting more spiders) the point that Professor Hart tries to hit home is how useful they are at pest control.

'We want to encourage people to respect and learn more about their little house guests' - quite a proposal for you fellow arachnophobes!

Autumn Awareness – How to keep your pets safe this season

By Pippa Wilson
The trees are browning, the weather is turning colder and the 5^th of November traditionally translates to millions of cats and dogs cowering under sofas and stools wondering what all the commotion is about...

Fireworks tend to be extremely stressful for your pet as they are loud, unexpected and cause them to feel anxious and vulnerable. We don’t often realise that dogs can not only hear the loud banging, they can also sense the vibrations, making the whole firework display a very traumatic affair!

The best way to calm your pet is to close the curtains, put the light on and play some music to mask the sounds of the fireworks outside. If your pet sees you are anxious, it will display similar signs so the best idea is to ignore the fireworks. Pretend they aren’t happening and your pet may believe that too!

The use of calming pheromone diffusers are becoming increasing popular as they help your pet feel calmer and safer. Adaptil for dogs and Feliway for cats are recommended to be used at least 48 hours before the fireworks are due to start.

Fleas and ticks are also a massive issue for cats and dogs in the autumn; they thrive in long grass and woodland areas so are easily transferred onto your pet’s fur. Make sure your brush your pet after any possible contact with fleas and keep up to date with your pet’s regular flea treatment.

Having a quick chew on a conker is also a big no-no! Conkers, acorns and fallen fruits can cause stomach upsets so make sure you don’t let your dog sneak one into his bed to nibble on!

All in all, as long as your pet is clean, calm and conker free, you should be in for a wonderful autumn!