What are the side effects of the Pfizer vaccine?
The Next Covid-19: Why Future Pandemics Are 'a Certainty'
Covid-19 highlighted how quickly new diseases can emerge and spreadMstyslav Chernov/Wikimedia Commons/https://creativecommons.Org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/Prof Sir Chris Whitty has warned a future pandemic as big as Covid is "a certainty". Given the widespread and devastating health, social and economic impacts of Covid, it is important that scientists have a detailed understanding of possible future threats.
The World Health Organisation publishes an ongoing list of infectious diseases prioritised for research and development due to their risk value. This prioritises those diseases with the highest epidemic potential and/or those with insufficient countermeasures currently in place. The majority of newly emerging diseases, and all of those in this priority list, are zoonotic (ie. Originated from animals), as was the case with Covid-19. As climate change and human destruction of animal habitats force animals and humans into closer proximity, incidents of these diseases transferring into humans are likely to increase in frequency, and their pandemic-potential is exacerbated by increasing global travel.
InfluenzaWhilst 4 of the 5 viruses responsible for pandemics since 1900 have been influenzas, flu does not feature on this list, as the virus is well-understood and there are now "established control initiatives". Nonetheless, it remains a virus of concern due to its short incubation period (the time between when a person becomes infected with a virus and when they start showing symptoms) and rapid mutation rate (which is related to how quickly the virus evolves). RNA viruses, including influenzas, coronaviruses and HIV, are considered the "inner circle of pandemic threats" due to their ability to mutate faster than viruses which use DNA as their genetic material, and therefore more easily evade existing immunity. In the UK, flu outbreaks come round annually, taking 10,000 lives a year. The constant emergence of new variants allows the virus to stay ahead of immunity, posing issues in the development of vaccines, which are currently only around 50% effective.
"RNA viruses are considered the "inner circle of pandemic threats"
CoronavirusesMultiple coronaviruses, so named due to their 'crown' shape, are present on the WHO watchlist. Unsurprisingly, Covid-19 remains a research priority, as well as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), two coronaviruses which caused large-scale epidemics in 2015 and 2002 respectively. However, some recent research indicates that immunity from the Covid-19 pandemic also reduces the risk of a SARS or MERS pandemic in the years to come.
Haemorrhagic feversWhilst global pandemics in the last century have tended to be respiratory, it is risky to assume that the next pandemic will continue this trend. There are five "haemorrhagic fevers" (HF) on the WHO priority list for research. This is a group of diseases characterised by fever, bleeding and potentially significant organ system and cardiovascular damage. Haemorrhagic fevers are predominantly localised in West Africa and Asia, and in places with close proximity between humans and certain animals, often rodents. Ebola virus is perhaps the most widely known of these diseases as a result of the highly publicised, deadly epidemic that occurred in West Africa in 2014. Ebola had worrying pandemic potential for a while due to its rapid spread across multiple countries but, thankfully, it was brought under control and there are now two licensed vaccines.
"If we have learnt anything from Covid, it is quite how important it is to have an adequate pandemic preparation plan that has built on the lessons of the past"
Tick-borne diseases, such as Rift Valley fever and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), are highly climate-sensitive, as warming temperatures are implicated in the lengthening of tick seasons and increasing the abundance of ticks. CCHF has a case fatality rate of 10-40% and is endemic to Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and many parts of Asia, with epidemics putting pressure on health services. However, as climate change leads to increased temperatures in temperate parts of the world, the risk of infected ticks spreading across a wider geography becomes more likely. Lassa fever, a HF endemic to West Africa, is spread through contact with infected rodent faeces which is worsened by cases of extreme flooding or storms. Nipah virus is the final HF of high concern, particularly due to its mortality rate of 40-75%. Originating in bats, Nipah virus has caused outbreaks across Asia, and there is currently no known cure. The concern in terms of pandemic potential comes if outbreaks of these diseases are shown to have a high 'r rate' (an indication of how infectious a disease is), allowing them to spread beyond places in close proximity to the initial infected animals. Measles, for example, has an r-value of 15, meaning that each case is likely to infect 15 more people in an unvaccinated population. Thankfully, vaccination protects the majority of us from this virus, but if an HF virus had a similar r-rate, the results could be catastrophic.
Disease X
The battle against antimicrobial resistance
The final disease on the WHO's priority list is 'disease X', allowing for the potential that the next pandemic is a disease that scientists do not know or expect, that our bodies have never encountered. Covid-19, a 'disease X' itself, highlighted how new viruses can so quickly emerge, adapt and spread, and so attention to preparing for 'disease X' is essential. If we have learnt anything from Covid, it is quite how important it is to have an adequate pandemic preparation plan that has built on the lessons of the past. The UK went into March 2020 with an action plan designed for dealing with an influenza pandemic, with limited consideration given to containment measures, contact tracing or lockdown measures. It became only too clear that this was not sufficient for the quite different pathogen that Covid-19 proved to be. As Prof Sir Chris Whitty also recently argued, pandemic preparation and resourcing - such as having sufficient NHS surge capacity and intensive care bed provision - is a "political choice". A future pandemic may be inevitable, but we have control over how we choose to prepare for and deal with it.
Anti-climax? The science of the female orgasm
Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.
We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding and we expect to have a tough few months and years ahead.
In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content and of course in print too!
Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as £1, to help with our running costs. Many thanks, we hope you can help!
Physician Explains The Fungal Infection Valley Fever
Some areas of the U.S. Are experiencing a recent uptick in cases of a fungal lung infection called valley fever. Dr. Jesse Bracamonte, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician, explains what you need to know about valley fever, how it's spread and how to avoid becoming infected.
"Valley fever is a fungus. It lives in the soil, and it's endemic, or known to be in regions in the Southwest, such as Arizona, lower California, New Mexico and parts of Mexico," explains Dr. Bracamonte.
Valley fever is transmitted via inhalation of spores from the soil, especially during dusty months or high-dust exposure, such as in construction zones.
"Initial symptoms of valley fever can be cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, sometimes a rash and joint aches, and also associated fatigue," says Dr. Bracamonte.
He mentions that most people with a healthy immune system can fight off valley fever naturally, but those with immune problems or on certain medications may be at higher risk.
"The people getting really significant illness are those that have immune problems, or if you have diabetes or if you're on immune-suppressing medications can really put you at risk," says Dr. Bracamonte.
The best way to prevent valley fever is to avoid high-dust exposure.
"If at all possible, if it's really dusty outside and you can really see the dust in the air, try to stay indoors and try to avoid that inhalation of that high-dust exposure," he says.
2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Citation: Physician explains the fungal infection valley fever (2024, September 30) retrieved 13 October 2024 from https://medicalxpress.Com/news/2024-09-physician-fungal-infection-valley-fever.Html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
IAEA Helps Burundi Ensure Food Security With Healthy Cattle
Burundi is using artificial insemination to produce calves that will have greater capacity for milk production. (Photo: C. Nkundwanayo/National Veterinary Laboratory)
Burundi is preventing disease outbreaks in livestock and breeding hardier cattle capable of greater milk production with the support of the IAEA. Staff trained by the IAEA at fully equipped national laboratories in Burundi are now using nuclear and related techniques to process significantly more artificial insemination and diagnostic samples, helping to ensure healthy and high-producing livestock.
Burundi's livestock population is at risk from animal and zoonotic diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, East Coast fever and bovine tuberculosis. The IAEA through its joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has upgraded equipment at the National Veterinary Laboratory and the National Center for Artificial Insemination (NCAIGI) in Burundi and trained the national staff at NCAIGI to diagnose animal diseases using PCR tests. The National Veterinary Laboratory is now able to process 10 000 pathogen samples each year – more than a threefold increase from its previous capacity.
This autumn, five IAEA fellows from Burundi are learning techniques related to transboundary animal diseases at institutions in Kenya, Malawi and Tunisia. By detecting contagious animal diseases early on, scientists can help to prevent the spread of outbreaks that affect large numbers of cattle. With IAEA support, trained laboratory staff detected a Rift Valley fever outbreak in Burundi in December 2021. More than 900 clinical cases were identified, with 560 cattle reported dead. Laboratory technicians were able to diagnose the disease accurately, which enabled decision makers to limit the spread of Rift Valley fever through monitoring and the vaccination of more than 700 000 cattle.
"Before I was trained, I could not provide reliable results. With the new knowledge, I feel empowered, and it is much easier for me to perform advanced testing. Farmers are now bringing their samples to check for various diseases, such as brucellosis, when they are planning to sell animals, and it adds value to the price when it turns out to be a negative result. For animal movement purposes, we are getting more than 500 samples per month from various development partners, and we conduct analyses for priority diseases," explained Mbazumutima Magnifique, a laboratory technician at the National Veterinary Laboratory.
Breeding from bulls with superior genetic qualities has boosted milk production in Burundi. (Photo: C. Nkundwanayo/National Veterinary Laboratory)
By building capacity in artificial insemination services in Burundi, the IAEA has helped farmers to breed dairy cows with higher genetic merit for milk production and adaptability to the environment. Bulls with superior genetic qualities are identified and selected for breeding purposes. Breeding from these bulls can increase daily average milk production in the resulting offspring from 1.4 litres to 1.8 - 6.5 litres, according to a study by the University of Burundi.
"The livestock sector is a pillar of the food system in Burundi and a significant contributor to poverty reduction, food security and agricultural development. Since 2018, through the support of the IAEA technical cooperation programme, Burundi has developed its capacity significantly in animal disease diagnosis and artificial insemination, which has contributed to the improvement of the livestock sector," said Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director of the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation's Division for Africa.
Thanks to IAEA training at the NCAIGI, there are now many qualified artificial insemination practitioners, who are now providing their services to an estimated 25 000 farmers. In 2022, the number of inseminations conducted was 15 764 – nearly double from that of 2021. These improved services resulted in the births of 3697 calves, helping to increase milk production to reach national needs.
Following initial IAEA support, Burundi has begun sharing its knowledge with neighbouring countries. The National Veterinary Laboratory is using its expertise to train staff from the Democratic Republic of Congo and now receives more than 40 students each year.
This article covers one of the many topics that will be discussed during the 2024 Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications and the Technical Cooperation Programme. For more information about this conference, please go here.
Comments
Post a Comment