TAARIFA KWA UMMA KUHUSU USALAMA WA MAFUTA YATOKANAYO NA MBEGU ZA UBUYU

JAMHURI YA MUUNGANO WA TANZANIA

WIZARA YA AFYA NA USTAWI WA JAMII

                                                                                        

TAARIFA KWA UMMA KUHUSU USALAMA WA MAFUTA YATOKANAYO

NA MBEGU ZA UBUYU

1. Hivi karibuni kumekuwa na ongezeko kubwa la matumizi ya mafuta yanayotokana na mbegu za ubuyu kama chakula au dawa kutokana na madai ya kuwepo manufaa ya kiafya yanayotokana na mafuta hayo.

2. Mnamo tarehe 10 Julai 2013, Mamlaka ya Chakula na Dawa (TFDA) ilitoa taarifa kwa umma juu ya usalama wa mafuta yanayotokana na mbegu za ubuyu. Hata hivyo, taarifa hiyo ilipokelewa kwa mitizamo tofauti miongoni mwa jamii, watalaam na wanasayansi pamoja na vyombo vya habari na kusababisha kutolewa kwa taarifa na matamko yaliyotofautina na tamko la TFDA juu ya usalama wa mafuta hayo.

3. Mafuta hayo yana kiwango kikubwa cha tindikali za mafuta ziitwazo “Cyclopropenoic fatty acids (CPFA)” ambazo huweza kusababisha athari ya kiafya endapo mafuta hayo yatatumika bila kusafishwa.

4. Hakuna viwango vya kitaifa au kimataifa vya mafuta ya ubuyu ambavyo vingetumika kama vigezo vya kuamua kuhusu usalama na ubora wa mafuta hayo kwa matumizi ya binadamu. Vilevile hakuna teknolojia hapa nchini inayotumika katika kusindika mafuta hayo yenye uwezo wa kuondoa tindikali hiyo.

5. Tafiti zilizofanywa kwa wanyama sehemu mbalimbali duniani, zinaonesha kuwepo athari mbalimbali za kiafya ikiwa ni pamoja na kupungua kwa ukuaji wa panya mpaka kufikia asilimia 50%, kupungua kwa utagaji wa kuku wa mayai na athari kwenye figo. Kuwepo kwa athari kwa wanyama kunaonesha uwezekano wa kuwa na madhara kwa afya ya binadamu endapo atatumia mafuta yenye tindikali ya mafuta hiyo. Aidha, athari nyingine zinazoweza kutokana na matumizi ya mafuta ya ubuyu yenye tindikali ya CPFA ni pamoja na kuathiri vimeng’enyo (enzymes) vinavyosaidia katika uchakataji wa tindikali za mafuta mwilini (fatty acid biosynthesis) hivyo kusababisha ukondefu. Taarifa zaidi za kisayansi zinaonesha kuwa matumizi ya mafuta yenye kiwango kikubwa cha CPFA sanjari na matumizi ya vyakula vilivyochafuliwa na sumu kuvu aina ya aflatoxin B1 ambayo inazalishwa na ukungu (fungus) katika baadhi ya vyakula kama vile mahindi na karanga huongeza uwezekano wa kupata saratani ya ini.

6. Mnamo tarehe 31 Julai, 2013, kilifanyika kikao cha watalaamu kutoka taasisi mbalimbali ambao ni wadau katika masuala ya usalama wa chakula, utafiti, sayansi na teknolojia ili kujadili usalama wa matumizi ya ubuyu. Taasisi hizo ni Kitengo cha Tiba Asili na Mbadala, Idara ya Kinga na Mfamasia Mkuu wa Wizara (Wizara ya Afya na Ustawi wa Jamii),Taasisi ya Utafiti wa Magonjwa ya Binadamu (NIMR), Maabara ya Mkemia Mkuu wa Serikali, Taasisi ya Tiba Asili Muhimbili, COSTEC, Shirika la Viwango (TBS), SIDO, Safe food Assurance Ltd pamoja na TFDA yenyewe.

7. Pamoja na mambo mengine, wataalamu hao walikubaliana kuwa mafuta ya ubuyu ambayo hayajasafishwa kwa teknolojia inayoondoa tindikali za CPFA si salama kwa matumizi ya binadamu na yanaweza kutumika kama mali ghafi katika viwanda vinavyoweza kusafisha mafuta hayo. Aidha, teknolojia za usafishaji wa mafuta hayo zinatumika sehemu nyingine duniani na zinaweza kusafisha tindikali hiyo ya mafuta.

8. Kwa kuzingatia maelezo yaliyotolewa hapo juu, Wizara ya Afya na Ustawi wa Jamii inapenda kusisitiza mambo yafuatayo: -

1. Kwamba Wizara inaitahadharisha jamii kujiepusha na matumizi ya mafuta ya mbegu za ubuyu yaliyo na tindikali za cyclopropenoic fatty acids kwa kuwa si salama kwa matumizi kama chakula au dawa.

2. Ili kuepusha mkanganyiko kwa jamii kutokana na kujitokeza kwa vyanzo vingi vya taarifa zinazohusu usalama wa chakula, dawa, vipodozi na vifaa tiba, Wizara inasisitiza kuwa taasisi pekee yenye dhamana ya kutoa taarifa kwa umma juu ya usalama wa bidhaa hizo hapa nchini ni Mamlaka ya Chakula na Dawa (TFDA) pekee kama ilivyoainishwa katika Sheria ya Chakula, Dawa na Vipodozi, Sura 219.

3. Wizara inatoa wito kwa wafanyabiashara na wananchi kuhakikisha kwamba bidhaa zote za chakula, dawa, vipodozi na vifaa tiba zimesajiliwa na TFDA kabla ya kusambazwa na kutumika hapa nchini na wale watakaokiuka masharti hayo watachukuliwa hatua kwa mujibu wa Sheria.

Imetolewa na

MHE. DKT. HUSSEIN A. MWINYI (MB)

WAZIRI WA AFYA NA USTAWI WA JAMII

7 AGOSTI 2013

CHANJO YA MALARIA YAGUNDULIKA

Dar es Salaam.

Wanasayansi nchini Marekani wamesema kuwa wamegundua aina ya chanjo, ambayo mtu akipatiwa hataugua tena ugonjwa wa malaria maisha yake yote.

Ugunduzi huo ambao tayari umefanyiwa majaribio kwa watu kadhaa na kufanya kazi kikamilifu ukiwa pia salama, utaandika historia ya kufuta malaria na kuwa ugonjwa wa nadra kwa watu kuugua.

Taarifa iliyotolewa Alhamisi wiki hii na Taasisi ya Marekani ya Kudhibiti Magonjwa ya Kuambukiza na Mzio (NIAID), inaeleza kuwa chanjo hiyo iliyopewa jina, PfSPZ imeonyesha mafanikio hayo kwenye hatua yake ya awali ya majaribio.

Kwa mujibu wa taarifa hiyo, mtu akipatiwa chanjo hiyo mwili wake unatengeneza chembe kinga ambazo zinakuwa na uwezo wa kuangamiza vimelea wa malaria katika hatua yake ya mwanzo mara baada ya kuumwa na mbu.

Chanjo ya PfSPZ, inaelezewa kutengenezwa kwa vimelea dhaifu wa malaria ambao huhamasisha mwili kutengeneza askari wa kudumu.

Kumbukumbu za Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO) za mwaka 2010, zinaonyesha kuwa zaidi ya watu 3.3 bilioni, ambao ni karibu sawa na nusu ya dunia nzima wapo kwenye hatari ya kuugua ugonjwa wa malaria.

Katika kipindi cha mwaka huo, inaripotiwa kuwa watu 210 milioni walibaini kuugua malaria, baada ya kupimwa hospitalini ambapo takriban 660,000 walipoteza maisha.

Asilimia 90 ya waliopoteza maisha walikuwa kutoka Bara la Afrika, licha ya juhudi kubwa za kusambaza vyandarua vyenye dawa na dawa za tiba.

WHO inasema kuwa kuongezeka kwa mbinu za kuzuia na kutibu malaria katika maeneo mbalimbali duniani kumesaidia kupunguza tatizo la malaria kwa asilimia 25 na kwa asilimia 33 katika Bara la Afrika.

Imesema kuwa nchi nyingi za Afrika zina uwezo mdogo wa kifedha, hivyo hutegemea mataifa tajiri kuzisaidia kwa kuwezesha kupatikana vifaa vya kuzuia malaria na dawa za tiba za bei nafuu, hata kutolewa bure kwa watoto na wajawazito.

WHO launches emergency response to antimalarial drug resistance.

 On World Malaria Day, 25 April, WHO recognizes significant accomplishments in preventing and controlling malaria, including in high-burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa, but highlights the threat of antimalarial drug resistance in south-east Asia’s Greater Mekong subregion, where an emergency response is now being launched.
“In recent years endemic countries, including countries in sub-Saharan Africa, have made major headway in reducing new cases and deaths from malaria,” says Dr Hiroki Nakatani, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for HIV, TB, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases. “But that progress could now be at risk. We are increasingly concerned by signs in the south-east Asia region that the malaria parasite is becoming resistant to some of the drugs that have helped make so much progress.”

Antimalarial drug resistance

Antimalarial drug resistance – the ability of the malaria parasite to survive drugs – first became a global problem in the 1960s when the parasite developed resistance to chloroquine, the then widely-used antimalarial. Resistance first emerged in the Greater Mekong subregion and later spread to Africa, triggering a dramatic increase in malaria-related illness and death – particularly among children.
Today the treatment of choice is artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs).Resistance to artemisinins – the core component of the combination – has now been identified in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. National efforts to contain resistance have had some impact, but urgent action is needed to fully eliminate resistant strains of the parasite and to ensure that ACTs remain effective.
“The consequences of widespread resistance to artemisinins would be catastrophic,” says Dr Robert Newman, Director of WHO’s Global Malaria Programme. “We must act now to protect south-east Asia today and sub-Saharan Africa tomorrow.”
Although major efforts are under way to develop new classes of antimalarials, there are no replacement products on the immediate horizon.

Scaled-up response in the Greater Mekong subregion

“We need to invest more in order to tackle drug resistance,” said Dr Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
WHO is launching a new Emergency Response to Artemisinin Resistance in Phnom Penh at an event hosted by the Cambodian Ministry of Health. Building on WHO’s 2011 Global plan for artemisinin resistance containment, as well as a multi-partner evaluation of containment efforts to date, the emergency response framework will guide a major scale-up of WHO-recommended strategies to combat this public health threat.
The framework urges affected countries to remove poor-quality antimalarial drugs and oral artemisinin-based monotherapies from circulation, as their use is compromising both the efficacy of artemisinin and the drugs combined with them as part of ACTs. According to WHO’s latest assessment this month, at least 31 companies around the world are still marketing such monotherapies. Globally, 44 countries have withdrawn marketing authorization for these pills, but 14 countries continue to allow their marketing.
“We are at a tipping point. What seems to be a localised threat could easily get out of control and have serious implications for global health,” said Dr Newman. “This response will require substantial funding, a high level of political commitment, and strengthened regional and cross-border collaboration.”
The emergency response, which also includes the establishment of a WHO regional hub in Phnom Penh to support containment efforts, has received financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and AusAID. In addition, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has recently announced the allocation of US$ 100 million to tackle this threat over the next three years.
While these are significant steps forward, WHO currently estimates that about US$ 300-350 million of additional funding would be required from 2013-2015 to fully scale up malaria control and containment activities across affected countries in the Greater Mekong subregion.

Global funding needs for malaria control

In total, an estimated US$ 5.1 billion is needed every year between 2011 and 2020 to achieve universal access to malaria prevention, diagnostic testing, and treatment around the world. Although many countries have increased domestic financing for malaria control, the total available global funding remained at US$ 2.3 billion in 2011 – less than half what is required. Many people still lack access to prevention measures – such as mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying – and are unable to obtain diagnostic testing and effective medicines to treat malaria infection. Equally worryingly, there is a real danger that a recent slowdown in mosquito net procurement could lead to resurgences and outbreaks.
Malaria is an entirely preventable and treatable vector-borne disease. In 2012, malaria transmission occurred in 99 countries and territories around the world, putting an estimated 3.3 billion people at risk of illness. In 2010, an estimated 219 million cases occurred globally (range: 154 to 289 million) while the disease killed an estimated 660 000 people (range: 490 000 to 836 000), mostly children under five years of age.

Mwananyamala Hospital Receives Assistance From AAR On World Malaria Day.

AAR Health Care Managing Director, Dr.Kandie Ng’ochoch handling bedsheets to the Mwanananyamala  Acting Chief Doctor Kariamel John Wand



AAR Insurance Marketing Manager Tabia Massudi  handling the assistance to the Mwanananyamala  Acting Chief Doctor Kariamel John Wandi.



AR Insurance Marketing Manager Tabia Massudi on her right is AAR Health Care Managing Director Dr.Kandie Ng’ochoch showing support to the patients when visiting Mwanayamala Hospital on World Malaria Day.



AAR Insurance Marketing Manager Tabia Massudi  expressing to the press why AAR has decided to Provide the assistance to Mwanananyamala  hospital.



AAR Team having a group photo with Mwanananyamala  Acting Chief Doctor Kariamel John Wandi during the provision of assistance on World Malaria Day.

AAR Tanzania Company Limited Yesterday  has provided 92 mosquito nets and 42 Bed sheets worth 1.3 Million to Pediatric and Maternity block in Mwananyamala Hospital Dar-es-salaam as the way of showing support to the Society on World Malaria Day.

Speaking during the handling of the assistance, the AAR Insurance Marketing Manager, Tabia Massudi said “The Company is being operated with ethics and integrity. Being responsible to the community is one of the ethical activities that AAR Company would want to embrace. That is why AAR Insurance and Health Centers have collaborated and seen the need to provide this kind of assistance on this particular day”.

Malaria is one of the Major Challenges in the country and as one of the Major contributors in health services in Tanzania, it is our responsibility to show concern to infants and mothers who are mostly affected by the disease concluded Mrs. Massudi.

The assistance went along with the AAR Team, visiting Pediatric and Maternity Block in Mwananyamala hospital.

“We appreciate the concern AAR Company has shown today as the assistance has come at the right time when we are still facing a lot of challenges, one of them being insufficient equipments , I would like to urge other companies, organizations and the government as well  to continue support Mwanayamala hospital  as  we depend on them for sustainability of our operations”. Said the Acting Chief Doctor, Kariamel John Wandi when receiving the assistance.

 

Diabetes Warnings Over Soft Drinks

Drinking one or more cans of sugary soft drinks a day is linked to an increased risk of diabetes in later life.

Study suggests a can a day raises the relative risk of Type-2 diabetes by about a fifth, compared with one can a month or under.

The report in the journal Diabetologia mirrors previous US findings.

A diabetes charity recommends limiting sugary foods and drinks as they are calorific and can cause weight gain.

The latest research was carried out in the UK, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, France and the Netherlands.

Some 350,000 individuals were questioned about their diet, as part of a large European study looking at links between diet and cancer.

Research: Mosquitoes ‘ignore insect repellent’.

 The widely used insect repellent Deet appears to be losing its effectiveness against mosquitoes.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine say mosquitoes are first deterred by the substance, but then later ignore it.

They say more research is needed to find alternatives to Deet, which was first developed by the US military.

The research was carried out on Aedes aegypti, a species of mosquito that spreads dengue and yellow fever.

The findings are published in the journal Plos One.

Dr James Logan from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “The more we can understand about how repellents work and how mosquitoes detect them, the better we can work out ways to get around the problem when they do become resistant to repellents.”