Take extra care to protect children against wildfire smoke. Children with asthma, allergies, or chronic health issues may have more trouble breathing when smoke or ash is present. Before wildfire season: Stock up on medicine. Store a 7 to 10-day supply of prescription medicines in a waterproof, childproof container to take with you if you [...]
What makes wildfire smoke a health hazard? Wildfire smoke is different than a smoke you would inhale from a close fire because of the particulate matter in the smoke. We see most health effects in patients with a predisposition to respiratory problems, in the young and in the elderly. Of those that have respiratory problems, [...]
Poultry meat remains a major source of Campylobacter infection in New Zealand, according to a study. Researchers looked at transmission pathways and source attribution for campylobacteriosis in New Zealand. Most patients were infected with strains attributed to a poultry source, and poultry meat consumption was common, while 14 percent were linked to cattle. (CC BY 3.0), [...]
More than 2.5 million vulnerable people in England will be offered free Vitamin D supplements this winter. The vitamin, which helps to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy, will be delivered to people who are clinically extremely vulnerable, and care homes. Skin makes Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight – but the elderly and those [...]
In the largest study ever of transmission patterns for COVID-19, researchers in India tested more than a half-million contacts of 85,000 cases to examine how and to whom the coronavirus is spreading. The first interesting finding: Children are spreading the virus amongst themselves and also to adults. Second: The greatest risk for infection among the people [...]
Influenza infection cases were reported from family doctors in Jurmala. Patients’ age ranges from under 14 years to 15 to 64 years. No hospitalization cases involving influenza were reported last week. Even the number of times patients turned to healthcare institutions with complaints regarding upper respiratory infections was below that of the usual rate. An average of [...]
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on 11 March 2020, as southern hemisphere countries prepared for their usual winter respiratory pathogen epidemics. The announcement prompted concern that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenza and other respiratory viruses might co-circulate, straining and possibly overwhelming healthcare systems. In Australia, these [...]
A recent case study details COVID-19 transmission on a New Zealand long-haul flight, even with negative pre-departure testing results and social distancing requirements. The 12-page report, released by New Zealand health officials last weekFriday, follows a cluster of coronavirus cases linked to one passenger traveling on an 18-hour flight from Dubai to New Zealand in September. Though the traveler tested negative with a PCR [...]
Salt that crystallizes with sharp edges is the killer ingredient in the development of a reusable mask because any coronavirus droplets that land on it would be quickly destroyed, says a researcher who is being recognized for her innovation. Ilaria Rubino, a recent PhD graduate from the department of chemical and materials engineering at the University [...]
An independent group of scientists has called for “urgent action” to make schools safer against Covid, after it was revealed that infection rates among high school students have increased 50-fold since classrooms were reopened in September. Adolescents aged 11-16 are now the age group with the highest levels of infection in England , with one in ten reported [...]
