Marburg virus disease following two fatal cases in the Ashanti Region.

The Ghana Health Service has asked all health workers, especially Regional and Teaching Hospitals to be on the lookout for the outbreak of the Marburg virus disease following two fatal cases in the Ashanti Region.

Health workers are to “exercise a high index of suspicion for persons who may present with bleeding tendencies”, a statement issued by the GHS, signed by its Director-General, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye counseled.

The cases were said to have been recorded in the Adansi North District of Ashanti, and while preliminary investigations have yet to establish a link between the two cases, 34 contacts have been identified and are under quarantine being monitored for the maximum incubation period of 21 days.

The statement said no new cases have been reported since the two samples were taken two weeks ago.

The World Health Organization categorises the Marburg virus disease as a highly virulent disease that causes haemorrhagic fever, with a fatality ratio of up to 88%, and is in the same family as the virus that causes the Ebola virus disease.

“Human infection with Marburg virus disease initially results from prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies. Once an individual is infected with the virus, Marburg can spread through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids,” according to the WHO.

Below is the statement by the Ghana Health Service.

Source: graphiconline.com

………………………………………………………

George Floyd’s Killer Derek Chauvin Bags Additional 21-Year Sentence For Violating Rights

Former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights.

Chauvin, 46, pleaded guilty to the separate federal civil rights charges in December.

He is already serving a 22-year state prison sentence for the on-duty murder of Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old black man.

The two sentences will run concurrently and Chauvin will now be moved to a federal prison.

But he will almost certainly spend more time behind bars following the sentencing. His sentence is due to be followed by five years of supervised release.

“George’s life matters,” Mr Floyd’s brother, Philonese, said in court on Thursday as he asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence of 25 years.

Chauvin, who is white, was convicted on murder and manslaughter charges in Minnesota for kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.

The killing – captured on a bystander’s phone camera – sparked global outrage and a wave of demonstrations against racial injustice and police use of force.

The federal charges against Chauvin included two counts for depriving Mr Floyd of his rights by kneeling on his neck as he was in handcuffs, and by failing to provide medical care during the May 2020 arrest.

As part of the plea agreement, Chauvin also pleaded guilty to violating the rights of a then-14-year-old boy during another arrest that took place in 2017.

According to the indictment, Chauvin held the boy by the throat, hit him in the head with a flashlight and held his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while he was handcuffed and not resisting. Like Mr Floyd, the boy was black.

Prosecutors said that unreleased bodycam footage showed Chauvin kneeling on the boy’s back for 17 minutes while he cried out for his mother.

When Chauvin pleaded guilty, prosecutors asked that he serve his sentence concurrently with his murder sentence. He had been facing life in prison if he were to be convicted at a second criminal trial.

In court on Thursday, his lawyer requested a sentence of 20 years, saying that he showed respect for the legal process during his trial and is not at risk of repeating his offences.

Addressing the court in what is likely to be his last legal hearing for years, Chauvin said that the judge had a difficult decision, given the “politically-charged environment,” and recognised that the court strives for fairness.

Addressing Mr Floyd’s children, some of whom were present in court, Chauvin said that he wishes them “all the best in their life” and that they have “excellent guidance in becoming good adults”. He did not apologise.

“For your actions, you must be held accountable,” Judge Paul Magnuson said before handing down the sentence.

He concluded the 35-minute hearing by wishing Chauvin “the very best in his future”.

 

………………………………………………

World PR Day: Millions Around The World To Celebrate Public Relations On July 16

Millions of Public Relations practitioners across the globe are set to celebrate the second edition of the annual World PR Day to hold on July 16, 2022.

Launched in 2021 to forge a global agenda of enlightening the world about the nobility and misconceptions around PR, World PR Day witnessed participation from thousands of practitioners, organisations, and public observers.

Set aside as a day dedicated to truth, honesty and reputation management in a way that is beneficial to all people across the globe, July 16 also honours Ivy Lee, one of the pioneers of Public Relations practice who was born on the same date 145 years ago.

The second World PR Day will further advance conversations on the topical understanding and outlook of the practice. It will extensively spotlight the strengths, limitations, and potential of the profession, as well as the utilisation of new tools and trends, value propositions, and funding.

BHM Founder and CEO, Ayeni Adekunle, said, “We decided to begin to have tough, largely ignored conversations about PR last year, and we want to show once again how the practice has deeper connotations to how our world functions than it gets credit for.

“It is in our collective interests for the world to continue to understand the role of PR in shaping and inspiring not only businesses or governance across the globe but critical human actions that can make or mar generations to come.”

As part of a three-pronged activity, the 2022 World PR Day will feature #MyPRStory – an inclusive new media activity where every PR professional will be encouraged to share one unforgettable memory from their journey in the PR industry. The stories will help to show the world the many facets of PR practice and how they impact society.

The event will also feature the PR Bible – a crowdsourced repository of PR resources from PR pros across the world.

A Fireside Chat on Twitter Spaces featuring top PR executives across the world to drive conversations and answer questions on trust, truth, and transparency will make up the third frame of the day’s activities.

Alastair McCapra, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR); Francis Ingham, Director General of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA); Nitin Mantri, President, International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO); Rachel Roberts President, Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR); Sylvester Chauke, Chief Architect – DNA Brand Architects; Steve Barrett, Editorial Director, PRWeek and Emma Wenani Chief Director, GMA Worldwide, have been confirmed to speak at the event.

PR practitioners and enthusiasts across the globe are encouraged to actively participate in the celebration by hosting formal events, global recognitions, seminars, debates, or workshops and; reading up and learning about PR through CIPR, PRSA or PRCA publications.

Stephen Waddington, a WPRD Committee Advisor and the Managing Partner, Wadds Inc., a professional advisory firm said, “We urge practitioners to drive social conversations by sharing their thoughts about the value, opportunity, relevance, and future of the PR profession on social media or publish blog posts and opinion editorials on their LinkedIn page or company websites.

“Participants can add to the conversations by sharing videos of their PR experience on YouTube or Instagram tagging @wordprday or using the hashtag – WPRD.”

In the first-ever World PR Day celebration, BHM successfully propelled conversations around the world to extol the merit of PR practice. Conversations in the edition centred around the rise of digital communications over the years, the reductive view of PR’s scope of functions, and the common failure of organisations to attribute the results of PR activities to their top line.

BHM also drives the Global Day of Influence – an annual event launched in 2020 to raise awareness about the need to stop the abuse of influence.

The events are part of the international PR firm’s general commitment to continually propagate the appreciation of PR and its impact on the world.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

…………………………………………………