Diseases & Outbreaks News and Discussions

[firestar464]

More on that by Reuters:

https://www.reuters.com/business/health ... 024-09-06/

[caltrek]

First Global Analysis Estimates More than 39 Million Deaths from Antibiotic-resistant Infections Between Now and 2050
September 16, 2024

Introduction:

(The Lancet via Eurekalert) More than 39 million deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections estimated between now and 2050, suggests first global analysis

• First in-depth analysis of global health impacts of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) over time reveals trends from 1990 to 2021 and estimates potential impacts to 2050 for 204 countries and territories.

• More than one million people died from AMR globally each year between 1990 and 2021. Over the period, AMR deaths among children aged under five declined by 50% while those among people aged 70 and older increased by more than 80%.

• Future forecasts indicate AMR deaths will rise steadily in the coming decades, increasing by almost 70% by 2050 compared to 2022, continuing to more greatly impact older people.

• Estimates suggest improved access to health care and antibiotics could save a total of 92 million lives between 2025 and 2050.

• The findings highlight the need for decisive actions – including improved healthcare, expanded prevention and control measures, and new antibiotics – to protect people from the threat of AMR.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1057804

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Deadly Fungal Infections Causing a 'Silent Pandemic', Scientists Warn
by Carly Cassella
September 22, 2024

Introduction:

(Science Alert) The world is in the midst of an antibiotic resistance crisis that contributes to the death of nearly 5 million people a year. But bacteria aren't the only mutating pathogens we need to worry about.

Fungal infections are also adapting beyond the means of our medicine, causing a "silent pandemic" that needs to be addressed urgently, according to some researchers.

"The threat of fungal pathogens and antifungal resistance, even though it is a growing global issue, is being left out of the debate," explains molecular biologist Norman van Rhijn from the University of Manchester in the UK.

This September, the United Nations is hosting a meeting in New York City on antimicrobial resistance, which includes discussions on resistant bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites.

Ahead of this event, van Rhijn and an international team of scientists are urging governments, the research community, and the pharmaceutical industry to "look beyond just bacteria."

Read more here: https://www.sciencealert.com/deadly-fu ... ists-warn

[weatheriscool]

[firestar464]

More on that from the WHO:

https://www.afro.who.int/countries/rwan ... -confirmed

I could not find any reliable source that confirmed the two additional deaths.

[Time_Traveller]

Drop in UK flu jabs warning ahead of winter

9 hours ago

Fewer people came forward for their flu vaccine last year and if the same happens again the UK could be in for a worse winter, health officials are warning.

There were at least 18,000 flu-related deaths in England over the last couple of years, despite being relatively mild flu seasons, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Free flu vaccinations are offered each year by the NHS to people most at risk from getting very sick with flu, also known as influenza.

While uptake among older people in England remained high last year, only one in every three pregnant women got vaccinated. Among people with long-term health conditions, uptake was about four in 10, compared to five in 10 the year before.

Vaccinations for two and three-year-olds were at just over four in every 10 getting protected.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62d8r0nnl6o

[weatheriscool]

[firestar464]

More on that by the LA Times:

https://www.latimes.com/environment/sto ... of-a-human

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Marburg: An Ebola-like Virus That is Spreading in Rwanda.
by Jess Craig
October 4, 2024

Introduction:

(Vox) An outbreak of Marburg, a virus closely related to Ebola that can cause severe and often fatal disease, is spreading in Rwanda. As Africa struggles with compounding public health challenges, this one presents a rare silver lining: the chance to test new vaccines that could save lives across the continent in the future.

The first patient infected with the virus in the country died on September 8, the World Health Organization (WHO) said at a press conference Thursday. As of September 29, a total of 36 cases and 11 deaths have been reported, making it one of the largest Marburg outbreaks in history. Although most infections are among health care workers from two hospitals in Kigali, the capital of the East African country, seven of Rwanda’s 30 districts have seen cases. It is the first time the virus has been known to cause infections in Rwanda.

The WHO indicated the outbreak is highly likely to spread to neighboring countries, but the risk of further global spread is low. Typically, humans become infected when they come into contact with a Marburg-carrying Egyptian fruit bat, a species found across Africa, the Middle East, and parts of western Asia. Once a person has the virus, though, it can then spread to others through contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces and materials, like clothing or bedding. This mode of transmission means that Marburg virus will not spread as easily as, say, Covid-19 or other respiratory diseases.

However, as we have seen in previous Marburg virus outbreaks, travelers returning from countries experiencing an outbreak can introduce the disease into their home countries. Already, one person who came into contact with an infected patient in Rwanda has traveled to Belgium, underscoring the possibility of isolated overseas cases.

Historically, Marburg virus disease is fatal in about 50 percent of patients, but in some previous outbreaks, the mortality rate has exceeded 80 percent. People experience high fever, severe headache, extreme fatigue, rash, bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and unexplained bruising and bleeding from the nose and gums. Symptoms can appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after the initial infection.

Read more here: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/375 ... ine-trial

[weatheriscool]

[Time_Traveller]

Dengue: The Tropical Disease That’s Suddenly Everywhere
by Dylan Scott
March 14, 2024

Introduction:

(Vox) Dengue (pronounced DEN-gay), a mosquito-borne illness that has circulated to a limited degree for centuries, is now spreading with unprecedented speed around the world. It’s a worrying example of how a changing climate and 21st-century demographic trends can quickly turn a public health nuisance into a daunting global health crisis.

In 2000, there were about 500,000 reported dengue cases and 19,685 recorded dengue deaths around the world; by 2019, there were 5.2 million cases and 30,000 deaths, the most ever. Deaths are on pace to set another record in 2024.

The disease’s true reach is likely even higher, as dengue is sometimes asymptomatic or only mildly symptomatic, and its symptoms can be mistaken for other infections, such as yellow fever or the chikungunya virus.

In South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and South America, which has long faced dengue epidemics every three to five years, the virus has turned into a chronic threat.

In January and February, Brazil reported more than 1 million cases and around 300 deaths from dengue — the fastest spread of the virus ever recorded in the country. In all of 2023, Brazil saw 1.6 million dengue cases, already an 18 percent increase over the previous year. Seven of Brazil’s 26 states have declared a state of emergency, and the country has been mobilizing an unprecedented vaccination campaign, the first-ever nationalized rollout of dengue vaccines.

Read more here: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/240 ... l-vaccine

More on this:-

Dengue fever: with a record 12.4m cases in 2024 so far, what is driving the world’s largest outbreak?

Wed 23 Oct 2024 10.00 BST

“The fatigue was so bad I couldn’t stand, and that’s terrible when you need to take care of a child, right? My head hurt, my eyes hurt – I couldn’t keep them open for long,” remembers Ana Luísa Braga.

The 38-year-old, a social worker and mother of a three-year-old, from Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state in Brazil, fell ill with dengue fever in March.

She is one of millions to feel the effects of the virus this year as the world grapples with its largest ever outbreak. Cases reached their highest number on record in 2023, with 6.5m reported globally – and 2024 looks likely to double that figure, with 12.4m cases so far.

The mosquitoes that spread the virus are benefiting from increased urbanisation, and changes in climate and temperature. At the same time high obesity rates and other chronic health conditions are making people more vulnerable, scientists say.

Dengue is sometimes known as “breakbone fever” – a description that resonated with Braga. “I consider myself to have a high pain tolerance, but the pain was so intense.”

https://www.theguardian.com/global-deve ... t-outbreak

[Time_Traveller]

Polar bears face higher risk of disease in a warming Arctic

5 hours ago

As the Arctic warms, polar bears face a growing risk of contracting viruses, bacteria and parasites that they were less likely to encounter just 30 years ago, research has revealed.

In a study that has provided clues about how polar bear disease could be linked to ice loss, scientists examined blood samples from bears in the Chukchi Sea - between Alaska and Russia.

They analysed samples that had been gathered between 1987 and 1994, then collected and studied samples three decades later - between 2008 and 2017.

The researchers found that significantly more of the recent blood samples contained chemical signals that bears had been infected with one of five viruses, bacteria or parasites.

It is difficult to know, from blood samples, how the bears’ physical health was affected, but wildlife biologist Dr Karyn Rode from the US Geological Survey said it showed that something was changing throughout the whole Arctic ecosystem.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1e7pl3evd0o

Well this is one of these artcles where it should be in both but because its about diseases, it also tells us how Polar Bears can be infected by new ones due to the warming of the ecosystem.

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Man's Case of Scurvy Shows Notorious Disease Could Make a Comeback
by Tessa Koumoundouros
October 24, 2024

Introduction:

( Science Alert ) A disease associated with sailors in a bygone era is rearing once more from the depths of history in developed countries. In a recent stark example, a middle-aged Australian was diagnosed with scurvy.

The man sought hospital care for a painful rash on his legs that was accompanied by bruising and swelling. The doctors at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital ruled out infections as well as inflammatory, immune, and blood disorders.

It wasn't until physician Andrew Dermawan and colleagues questioned the patient further, days into his hospital stay, that the medical specialists discovered financial difficulties had impacted the man's diet.

Scurvy results from a lack of vitamin C. Without sufficient amounts of this vital nutrient, wounds stop healing properly, and capillaries and gums start to bleed leading to loss of circulating blood cells.

The 50-year-old man had early signs of deficiency, with low white blood cell counts and blood in his urine despite not having any current urinary infection.

Read more here: https://www.sciencealert.com/mans-case ... comeback

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[firestar464]

H5N1 virus isolated from infected dairy worker is 100% lethal in ferrets, but does not appear to be circulating anymore

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10- ... dairy.html

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How Climate Change Spreads Diseases and Makes Them More Dangerous
by Dr. Georgios Pappas
October 28, 2024

Introduction:

(Bulletin of Atomic Scientists) Spanish scientists, trying to understand the effects of climate change on human health, recently measured excess deaths in Europe during the summer of 2023, the hottest on record before summer of 2024 exceeded it. They found that more than 47,000 people who wouldn’t have been expected to die did, as relentless heatwaves pushed temperatures in France, Germany, and other countries above 100 degrees.

Heat can kill and sicken directly. It preys on the vulnerable, the elderly, the very young, and those who work outside, among others, causing heat stroke, respiratory issues, cardiac arrest, and other health problems. Beyond these impacts, there is growing evidence of climate change’s influence on yet another factor affecting human health:

Rising temperatures may be leading to major, long-term changes in the epidemiology of infectious diseases.

There is a typical pattern in how global warming affects pathogen epidemiology: Microorganisms move to become endemic (normally present) in areas of more temperate climate and higher altitude. This trend can be seen with many diseases that once were absent or rare in temperate Europe but may be becoming more common.

As they follow their ideal temperatures northward and into higher altitudes, mosquitos and other animals that harbor pathogens may bring West Nile virus, dengue fever, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, and Lyme disease to areas in Europe and elsewhere where those diseases weren’t present before or where they posed less of a threat in the past.

Read more here: https://thebulletin.org/2024/10/a-more ... t-heading

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Tuberculosis Once Again the Biggest Killer Among Infectious Pathogens
by Benjamin Taub
October 30, 2024

Introduction:

(IFL Science) COVID-19 has been overtaken as the deadliest infectious disease on the planet. According to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), tuberculosis (TB) is now once again the biggest killer among infectious pathogens, having previously held the top spot before being surpassed by the virus in 2020.

Collating data from 193 countries, WHO found that 1.25 million people died from TB worldwide in 2023, dwarfing the global COVID-19 death toll of 320,000 during the same period. Overall, 10.8 million people fell ill with TB last year, representing a modest increase on the 10.7 million cases in 2022 and a significant rise in comparison to the 10.4 million and 10.1 million infections reported in 2021 and 2020 respectively.

In 2023, 87 percent of infections occurred in just 30 countries, with India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, and Pakistan collectively accounting for 56 percent of the burden.

Caused by the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, TB is curable in around 85 percent of cases but kills nearly 50 percent of sufferers who don’t receive treatment.

“Tuberculosis (TB) is a preventable and usually curable disease,” reads the WHO report. “Yet in 2023, TB probably returned to being the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, following 3 years in which it was replaced by coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and caused almost twice as many deaths as HIV/AIDS.”

Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/the-world-h ... 9-76602

[Lilymoon]

Some one said this is suppose to be bad flu season and also covid worse this year than last year.

But I don't see any anti viral drugs coning out not even experimental drugs.

[weatheriscool]

[caltrek]

Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria Could Pose Major Health Threat Across Asia
November 7, 2024

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) A virulent new strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that causes severe disease could be spreading widely across Asia - posing significant challenges to global public health, a new study reveals.

Researchers discovered the ST164 variant of Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in a Chinese intensive care unit (ICU) as part of their study into how bundled infection prevention and control (IPC) measures affected the spread of CRAB.

Over a three-month period in 2021, the experts conducted extensive genomic surveillance, within the ICU in Hangzhou, revealing that 80.9% of the or A. baumannii bacteria found in patients were CRAB, with ST164 accounting for 40.2% of samples.

Publishing their findings in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Birmingham and Zhejiang University reveal that other hospital wards and transferred patients could be sources of new CRAB strains entering the ICU.

The study follows the team’s previous research at the Hangzhou ICU in 2019, which showed that almost one-third of patients were infected by CRAB.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1064040