History And Culture Of Africa

According to Chimamanda Adichie, a Nigerian writer who believes in the power of story, if one traps oneself into the narrow world of “single story” about another person or country, that person would risk a crucial misconception. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is considered as the most authentic response to contemporary Western’s literature depiction of Africa, which usually obligates the readers to only look at the “single story” that is written with personal stereotypes under an ethnocentric point of view. As a result, in his famous Things Fall Apart, Achebe contrasts the perspective of the colonized on imperialism with that of the colonizing in order to provide an alternative to the Western literature’s “single story” of Africa.

The mystery of the Ebola virus inspired this article that depicts the search for the virus’s source. Ebola is known as a zoonotic virus meaning it can affect many species of animals. This also means that its source comes from one or more species of animals that carry and transmit the disease without dying. This animal that holds the disease is known as a reservoir host. The article focusses on research on finding the reservoir host. Many cases of Ebola have been reported and studied. All reports have a common source of the initial sick individual having some connection with a cave or forest. This like another similar virus, Marburg, have its beginnings of its outbreaks with hunters or explorers. Marburg’s reservoir host has been determined to be a species of fruit bat. Many researchers agree that some form of bat is the host of Ebola, but with little research and not enough funding to conduct a viable research, this cannot be proven. Signs of bats include the viruses first know victim, Emile Ouamouno. A young boy, Emile was known to have played in and by a tree that later was discovered to be home to Angolan free-tailed bats. Later, research by Leendertz on different species of bats showed that RNA fragments of the Ebola virus were found in several species of fruit bats. While it can be concluded that bats serve as some chain in the Ebola infection,

People of the early African kingdoms were able to create successful trade routes with Europe and Asia, become very wealthy from conquering and gaining land, and were able to have a strong central government. All of this was done before the Europeans had reached Africa. Trade flourished on the East African coast, especially when trading was established with India and Arabia. African kingdoms were prosperous, because of their success with not only trading but also with their ability to conquer land. A governmental structure is key to allowing any kingdom to thrive, and the African people were able to achieve this.

From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern for the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as remembered traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art

The early civilizations of Africa were different in many of their cultural traits. One common trait they did have in common was the importance of trade in their society. Although trade was good for the African civilizations, there was consequences that followed trading. I will be using documents B, F, and D to support how early African civilizations had consequences from trading. In document B it states that, “The door of the pavilion is guarded by dogs on an excellent breed… who wear collars of gold and silver,” this quote helps support the idea that Ghana had lots of gold and wealth.

The Nature of Ronald CoaseDecember 29, 2014The Ideas That Shaped AfricaJanuary 7, 2015 As protests in Ferguson and elsewhere have brought police militarization to the forefront of public debate, some voices suggest that reigning in police militarization requires stricter gun control laws. For example, Matthew Yglesias argues at Vox that “when civilians are well-armed, police have to be as well.” Yglesias claims, “The officer always has to worry that if he doesn’t reach for and use his own gun, the suspect will.” He further contends that the disproportionate rate at which blacks are shot by police means “Young black men pay the price for gun rights.” While “officer safety” is the common refrain used to justify police violence and police militarization,

The filovirus family encompasses two genera: Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus; note that filoviruses are zoonotic, and have recently been traced to some species of African bats (CDC 2014). Currently, there are four species of ebolavirus that cause disease in humans: Ebola virus, Sudan virus, Tai Forest virus, and Bundibugyo virus (CDC 2015 B, 1). For the purposes of this scenario, Ebola virus will be the agent of focus and use. Symptoms of Ebola virus infection range from common illness characteristics, such as fever and fatigue, to the more detrimental characteristics of unexplained bleeding, vomiting, diarrhea, and body pains; symptoms can appear anywhere from two days to three weeks after exposure (CDC 2015 B, 1). Transmission of infection occurs through direct contact between an individual’s mucous membranes or broken skin and body fluids of an infected person (CDC 2015 A). Body fluids can include sweat, saliva, blood, semen, and urine, amongst several others. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that “Although … the viruses display some capability of infection through small-particle aerosols, airborne spread among humans has not been clearly demonstrated”

Although some may think of Africa as being of a single climate and terrain description, in reality a wide variety of land types can be found throughout Africa. How does this wide variety of climates and physical terrains affect human life and settlement patterns on the African continent? Different terrains and climates allowed for different lifestyles for Africans in different regions. Those close to the sea were susceptible to invasion, but had the advantage of maritime trade. Those living more in land were isolated but protected by the diseases visitors would contract that did not affect the locals. Due to the fact that Africa is so massive, it has many

It enters the body thru mucus membranes. Ebola lives in an animal host such as fruit bat or smaller mammals. Transmission for Ebola varies from contact with blood contaminated needles, or bodily fluids. Profuse bleeding is the number one indicator of the infection. Arenavirus can be detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Currently, there are no treatments available for Ebola. Prevention chances of getting Ebola include washing hands frequently. Avoid any known Ebola outbreak areas. Nursing interventions check for occult blood in the stool, urine, and

Kaci Hickox is a nurse who recently returned to the U.S. from treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. She was quarantined for 21 days because she had a slight fever, which is one of the symptoms of Ebola. Ms. Hickox stated that she is “scared about how health care workers will be treated at airports when they declare that they have been fighting Ebola in West Africa. I am scared that, like me, they will arrive and see a frenzy of disorganization, fear and, most frightening, quarantine.” It is essential that we balance helping those in need in Africa with how we protect the health and well being of those in

On September 1, 1976, another, even more deadly, outbreak of Ebola struck - this time in Zaire. The first victim of this outbreak was a 44-year-old teacher who had just returned from a tour of northern Zaire. After suffering from symptoms that seemed like malaria, this first victim went to the Yambuku Mission Hospital and received a shot of an anti-malarial drug. Unfortunately, at that time the hospital did not use disposable needles nor did they properly sterilize the ones they used. Thus, the Ebola virus spread through used needles to many of the hospital

Governments, WHO, and the international community have a collective responsibility not only to fully staff the effort to bring Ebola under control, but also to provide adequate protective clothing, training, and support for anyone coming into contact with patients.” (Lancet) This opinion is prevalent throughout medical health care providers. Two nurses who treated Duncan at the Dallas hospital have already contracted this dreaded disease. These nurses have been transferred from the local hospital in Dallas to hospitals that have isolation units, and staff trained in dealing with very contagious infections. One nurse went to Emory University Hospital, and the other flew to the National Institutes of

Ebola hosts include humans, non-human primates, and fruit bats. Due to the multiple hosts, Ebola is very hard to control. Ebola can be transmitted to humans through spillover events, that occur when hunting or preparing the meat of an infected animal. Therefore, avoid hunting and consuming the meats of possible hosts of Ebola. Ebola can also be transmitted human-to-human. Transmission of Ebola from human-to-human occurs when a healthy individual comes into contact with the bodily fluids of an Ebola infected person. Transmission may even occur when the sperm or breastmilk of an Ebola survivor is passed to another person. As a result, contact with a person infected with Ebola, living or deceased should be avoided (CDC, 2016).

I want you to imagine yourself in a room. Fill it with whatever furnishings you like. Are you done? If so, I want you to imagine ten people in this room with you. They can be people you know or completely fictitious. Consider this. What if I told you that a virus could kill nine out of these ten people and there was nothing you could do to stop it? It is a scary thought, but one that carries real substance in various regions of Africa. In this paper, I will inform you on the virus known as “Ebola” which will include its history, inner workings, signs/symptoms, treatment, and prevention. As a precaution, I must warn you that some of this information is not for the faint of heart.

The outbreak of the dreaded Ebola virus is something that has brought great fear and anxieties on citizens of affected countries and the world in general especially since it was exported from Liberia to the most populous city in Africa, Lagos, Nigeria. Efforts are still being made to come up with a lasting cure for this disease. Meanwhile, it is very vital for all to co-operate with all efforts geared towards stopping the spread of this disease.