Diseases & Outbreaks News and Discussions

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caltrek
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Monkeypox Symptoms in Patients Attending London Sexual Health Clinics Differ from Previous Outbreaks, Study of May 2022 UK Outbreak Suggests
July 1, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert)
• First study on cases from the ongoing outbreak of monkeypox in the UK looks at the clinical and demographic features of 54 patients with confirmed monkeypox infection who attended sexual health clinics in London.
• Researchers observed differences in the symptoms of these cases compared to previous monkeypox outbreaks, including the location of skin lesions and a lower prevalence of tiredness and fever, and call for a review of the current UKHSA case definitions.
• The analysis finds all 54 cases identified as men who have sex with men. A high proportion of cases had skin lesions in their anus or genital regions, suggesting transmission during close skin-to-skin contact, such as sexual activity.
• Authors call for additional resources to support sexual health and other specialist services in managing the current monkeypox outbreak.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/957527
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Ken_J
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Post by Ken_J »

I think we may be in for a repeat of how HIV infections were handled in the 80s. though decidedly less a death sentence than HIV/AIDS, it's going to be reliving a dark chapter in history.
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Lorem Ipsum
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Post by Lorem Ipsum »

We will now have 2 AIDS
Vakanai
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Post by Vakanai »

Great, just what we didn't need. I'm afraid that much like we experienced an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes with covid, we're going to see a sharp uptick in homophobic hate crimes soon.
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Climate Change is Putting Food Safety at Risk More Often, and Not Just at Picnics and Parties
by Elena N. Naumova
June 29, 2022

Introduction:
(The Conversation) Every year, almost 1 in 6 Americans gets a foodborne illness, and about 3,000 people die from it, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. Picnics and parties where food sits out for hours are a common source, but heat waves and power outages are another silently growing threat.

As global temperatures rise, the risk of foods going bad during blackouts in homes or stores or during transit in hot weather rises with them. Elena Naumova, an epidemiologist and data scientist at Tufts University, explains the risk and what you need to know to stay safe.


What does climate change have to do with foodborne illness?

The link between foodborne illness and climate change is quite straightforward: The pathogens that cause many foodborne infections are sensitive to temperature. That’s because warm, wet weather conditions stimulate bacterial growth.

Three main factors govern the spread of foodborne illness: 1) the abundance, growth, range and survival of pathogens in crops, livestock and the environment; 2) the transfer of these pathogens to food; and 3) human exposure to the pathogens.
Read more here: https://theconversation.com/climate-ch ... es-185685
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Dangerous strain of salmonella becoming more common in UK meat

Post by Time_Traveller »

Tue 5 Jul 2022

A dangerous strain of salmonella is becoming more common in meat in the UK, unpublished government records show.

Test results obtained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) and the Guardian reveal a rise in poultry products contaminated with salmonella infantis, with raw and processed meat found to be affected. Beef, pork and animal feed have also tested positive for the bacteria, which can cause serious illness that sometimes proves fatal.

Some of the tests also revealed antibiotic-resistant infections, meaning treatment options for anyone becoming seriously ill could be reduced. Such “superbug” variants, known as multidrug-resistant salmonella infantis, have been linked to major food poisoning outbreaks including one in the US in which at least one person died.

Although some of the contaminated meat originated from outside the UK, salmonella infantis has also been found on UK poultry farms, suggesting the strain may have taken hold in this country.

Salmonella bacteria are found in the guts of poultry and livestock. Birds and animals can be infected through feed, in hatcheries or through faeces on the way to abattoirs, where slaughter and processing can also spread the infection.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... in-uk-meat
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Post by wjfox »

If it gets above 10,000 cases, which is looking inevitable now, then it deserves its own thread IMO.


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Post by Time_Traveller »

wjfox wrote: Thu Jul 07, 2022 11:50 am If it gets above 10,000 cases, which is looking inevitable now, then it deserves its own thread IMO.


This could be the new Covid in a matter of meaning but i expect we'll keep an eye on this for sure.
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caltrek
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The U.S. Just Recorded Its First Case of Polio in Almost a Decade
July 21 , 2022

Introduction:
(New York State Department of Health) ALBANY, N.Y. (July 21, 2022) – The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the Rockland County Department of Health today alerted the public to a case of polio in a Rockland County resident. State and County health officials are advising medical practitioners and healthcare providers to be vigilant for additional cases.

As the polio vaccine continues to be included on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) standard child immunization schedule, those already vaccinated are considered to be at lower risk. Notably, the polio vaccine is part of the required school immunization schedule for all children, and therefore school-age children are vaccinated before they start school. However, individuals who are unvaccinated, including those who are pregnant, those who have not completed their polio vaccine series previously, or community members who are concerned they have might have been exposed, should get vaccinated by Rockland County – who will be hosting local vaccine clinics – or partnering health agencies and providers in the area. Individuals who are already vaccinated but are at risk of exposure should receive a booster.

"Based on what we know about this case, and polio in general, the Department of Health strongly recommends that unvaccinated individuals get vaccinated or boosted with the FDA-approved IPV polio vaccine as soon as possible," State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said. "The polio vaccine is safe and effective, protecting against this potentially debilitating disease, and it has been part of the backbone of required, routine childhood immunizations recommended by health officials and public health agencies nationwide."

A viral disease that can affect the nervous system and cause muscle weakness, the polio virus typically enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with fecal matter of an infected person. Respiratory and oral-to-oral transmission through saliva may also occur.
Further Extract:
In this case, sequencing performed by the Wadsworth Center – NYSDOH's public health laboratory – and confirmed by CDC showed revertant polio Sabin type 2 virus. This is indicative of a transmission chain from an individual who received the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is no longer authorized or administered in the U.S., where only the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has been given since 2000. This suggests that the virus may have originated in a location outside of the U.S. where OPV is administered, since revertant strains cannot emerge from inactivated vaccines.
Read more here: https://health.ny.gov/press/releases/2 ... nty.htm

(Science Alert) America last recorded a polio case in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

A massive global effort has in recent decades come close to wiping out polio, a crippling and potentially fatal viral disease that mainly affects children under the age of five.

Cases have decreased by 99 percent since 1988, when polio was endemic in 125 countries and 350,000 cases were recorded worldwide.

While weaker than wild poliovirus, which now exists only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the variant (reported by the New York State Department of Health) can cause serious illness and paralysis in people not vaccinated against the disease.

Last month, the World Health Organization and British health officials said that a type of poliovirus derived from vaccines had been detected in London sewage samples.
Read more here: https://www.sciencealert.com/us-record ... -a-decade
Last edited by caltrek on Fri Aug 05, 2022 1:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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caltrek
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Scientists Have Built a Mathematical Model of the Spread of Infections
August 3, 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) Scientists at the Ural Federal University (UFU) have built a mathematical model describing the process of development and spread of epidemics. This model is versatile and would be suitable for studying any mass disease, including coronavirus infection or the new monkeypox. The model includes such basic factors as, for example, the rate of recovery or infection. If all parameters are taken into account, scientists say, it is possible to draw up scenarios of the spread of the epidemic and identify possible ways to influence the disease in order to prevent or suppress it. A description of the model is published in The European Physical Journal Special Topics https://link.springer.com/article/10.11 ... 2-00618-2

"The point of our study is to show the variability, the complexity of the consequences of fluctuations depending on the ratio of parameters. For example, we found that limiting the number of contacts, that is, quarantine, is indeed effective in reducing the incidence of disease and suppressing the virus. Moreover, according to the mathematical calculation, in a proportional ratio it gives a better result in the fight against the spread of infection than the use of drugs that reduce mortality or increase the intensity of recovery," says Lev Ryashko, professor of the Department of Theoretical and Mathematical Physics at Ural Federal University, head of the study.

Thus, the model takes into account the rate of infection, which depends on the intensity of contact of healthy people with infected people, mortality caused by the disease, the rate of recovery, etc. Scientists pay attention to the fact that all factors are random and any even small quantitative change has a significant impact on the outcome of the spread of the epidemic.

"We built a mathematical model of the dynamic interaction between healthy and infected elements of the overall population system. For example, the number of human contacts is random: today you meet 10 people, and tomorrow you meet 20. And any such fluctuation can have a significant impact on changing the scenario of disease spread. In some situations, these changes may lead to complete recovery of the infected part of the population, while in others, on the contrary, to its extinction," explains Lev Ryashko.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/960692
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