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The World Health Organization said on Sunday (May 29) that monkey pox constitutes a "moderate risk" to overall public health at global level after cases were reported in countries where the disease is not typically found. "The public health risk could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself as a human pathogen and spreads to groups at higher risk of severe disease such as young children and immunosuppressed persons," WHO said. As of May 26, a total of 257 confirmed cases and 120 suspected cases have been reported from 23 member states that are not endemic for the virus, the health agency said in a statement. There has been no reported fatalities so far. WHO also said that the sudden appearance of monkeypox at once in several non-endemic countries suggests undetected transmission for some time and recent amplifying events. The agency added that it expects more cases to be reported as surveillance in endemic and non-endemic countries expands. Monkeypox is an infectious disease that is usually mild, and is endemic in parts of west and central Africa. It is spread by close contact, so it can be relatively easily contained through measures such as self-isolation and hygiene.

The world's first human challenge trial in which volunteers were deliberately exposed to Covid-19 to advance research into the disease was found to be safe in healthy young adults, one of the companies running the study said on Wednesday. The data supports the safety of this model which could theoretically provide a "plug and play" platform for testing therapies and vaccines using the original Covid-19 strain as well as variants of the virus, Open Orphan, which carried out the study, said in a statement. Open Orphan is running the project, launched a year ago, with Imperial College London, the UK government's vaccines task force and the clinical company  hVIVO. The trial infected 36 healthy male and female volunteers aged 18-29 years with the original SARS-CoV-2 strain of the virus and closely monitored them in a controlled quarantined setting. They will be followed up for 12 months after discharge from the quarantine facility.

Polio has been detected in sewage samples in London, the first sign since the 1980s that the virus could be spreading in the UK, but no cases have been found, authorities said. The risk of infection from the disease, which causes paralysis in children in under one per cent of cases, was also low because of high vaccination rates, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. The agency nevertheless encouraged parents to make sure their children were vaccinated after the discovery of the virus during routine wastewater surveillance - particularly those who may have missed shots during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nationwide vaccination levels are above the 90 per cent needed to prevent outbreaks, but London's coverage rates among the under-twos has dipped below that in recent years. NHS England will begin contacting parents of children under five who are not immunised. Polio, spread mainly through contamination by faecal matter, used to kill and paralyse thousands of children annually worldwide. There is no cure, but vaccination brought the world close to ending the wild, or naturally occurring, form of the disease.

Genomic sequencing allowed the world to track new coronavirus variants throughout the pandemic. Now British researchers plan to use it to better understand a host of other respiratory pathogens, from influenza to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The work is aimed at shedding more light on known threats and, potentially, emerging ones, the team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, working with the UK Health Security Agency, said. The world has never had access to the kind of real-time information for these viruses that scientists obtained on SARS-CoV-2 through sequencing millions of genomes, Ewan Harrison, head of the new Respiratory Virus and Microbiome Initiative, told reporters on Monday. That includes granular detail on how they transmit as well as how they evolve in the face of the human immune response. "We hope that by expanding our ability to sequence these viruses routinely, we can build upon the work that's going on COVID, and hopefully supercharge research efforts to understand the transmission of these viruses, but also to help develop new treatments and vaccines," Harrison said.

In a significant leap forward in the fight against HIV, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has given the green light to two groundbreaking formulations of cabotegravir. Apretude 30 mg film-coated tablets and Apretude 600 mg prolonged-release suspension for injection are now authorized for preventing sexually transmitted HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescents weighing at least 35kg at increased risk. This approval marks a pivotal moment in HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) prevention, offering an alternative to existing standard pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP treatments. HIV, a virus notorious for compromising the immune system, has long been a global health concern. Cabotegravir, a member of the integrase inhibitor group, works by blocking a key enzyme necessary for the replication of HIV-1, thereby reducing the virus's ability to spread.

As of 28th May 2018, 15 people have been tested positive for NiV in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, of Kerala.

Governments should invest in vaccines for all strains of influenza virus that exist in the animal kingdom as an insurance policy in case of an outbreak in humans, the incoming chief scientist at the World Health Organization said on Monday (Feb. 20). Countries ranging from the United States and Britain to France and Japan have suffered record losses of poultry in outbreaks of avian flu in the past year. The recent spread to mammals of H5N1 - commonly known as bird flu - needed to be monitored, but the risk to humans remained low, the WHO said earlier this month. Incoming WHO chief scientist Jeremy Farrar said he would like to see the pharmaceutical industry at least conduct some clinical trials for all influenza strains such that the world would not have to start from scratch to initiate global manufacturing should the need arise. "My concern that we're in slow motion watching something which may never happen," he added in a media briefing. "But if it were to happen, would we look back on what we're doing at the moment and say, why didn't we do more?"

British drugmaker AstraZeneca says it's confident that its new version of COVID-19 antibody treatment could protect immunocompromised patients against all known virus variants. Laboratory studies show the antibody, called AZD3152, neutralises all known variants of COVID-19 and AstraZeneca has support from regulators to make the treatment available by the end of this year, the company's vaccines head Iskra Reic said on Tuesday (April 18). AstraZeneca plans, pending more positive data and regulatory approval, to make the antibody available by the end of 2023. These types of therapies are most needed for people with compromised immune systems, either because of underlying conditions or because they are undergoing immune suppressing treatments. They account for nearly 2% of the global population. AstraZeneca's AZD3152, it new COVID-19 antibody, was acquired through a $157 million deal last year with British biotech start-up RQ Bio. The British drugmaker will likely make future investments like its current partnerships with RQ Bio but did not have any deals to announce, said Reic, a long-time AstraZeneca executive who has led the company's vaccines and immune therapies unit since it was formed in late 2021, during the pandemic.

Bệnh thủy đậu thường hay gọi là bệnh trái rạ, đây được xem là một loại bệnh truyền nhiễm cấp tính, bệnh này rất hay gặp ở trẻ em do virus thủy đậu gây ra.

Nhiệt miệng là một bệnh thường gặp ở nhiều người. Nhiệt miệng không phải là một bệnh nặng, tuy nhiên nếu không điều trị đúng cách nó sẽ gây khó chịu, đau đớn và bất tiện khi ăn uống hay vệ sinh răng. Theo các nghiên cứu của y học hiện đại lở miệng hay còn gọi là nhiệt miệng có thể do nhiều nguyên nhân gây nên: có thể do virus, vi khuẩn hay do sự phản ứng của khoang miệng với thành phần hóa học ở kem đánh răng thậm chí nhiệt miệng có thể là do chế độ ăn uống của bạn. Bài viết sau đây sẽ giới thiệu tổng hợp đến bạn một số biện pháp dân gian giúp trị nhiệt miệng vô cùng hiệu quả.

Coronavirus is still very much around, and with the threatening death toll, the famous movie star Jackie Chan has promised 1 million yuan for anyone who finds a cure for this deadly virus. What a remarkable step by him.

The name coronavirus is derived from the Latin word corona meaning crown, Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that infects the lungs

In continuation of the NHS Covid vaccine programme, Covid jabs for five and six-year olds will be available at the local vaccination centres or community pharmacies outside of school hours. Following the recent JCVI guidance that recommended all children between 5 and 11 would benefit from a non-urgent offer of the COVID vaccine, the NHS will send invitations to one million families with five and six-year-olds this week. "Invitations being sent to families this week will set out how easy and convenient it is to take up the offer of a vaccine as part of the NHS COVID vaccination programme by booking through the National Booking Service, or visiting their nearest walk-in site," NHS said. Between April 25 and May 1, there are already more than 33,500 children aged five to 11 booked in for their dose of the life-saving vaccine, with a further 50,000 slots still available. Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and Deputy Lead for the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme, said: "It is great to see so many families already booked in for their children to receive their Covid vaccine this week, helping to protect themselves against potential future waves of the virus.

England won't have any new Covid-19 restrictions before the end of 2021, health secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday (December 27) whilst the government awaits more evidence on whether the NHS can cope with high infection rates in the new year. "There will be no further measures before the new year," Javid told reporters, adding: "When we get into the new year, of course we will see then whether we do need to take any further measures." He said that the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus now accounted for around 90 per cent of cases across England and urged people to celebrate New Year cautiously. The government's attention is focused on the number of patients being hospitalised with Omicron after early data last week suggested the variant carried a lower risk of admission. The latest data showed the number of patients in hospital in England with Covid-19 was its highest since March, at 8,474, but a long way off peaks above 34,000 in January. A combination of factors, including Britain's vaccination programme, the lag between infections and hospitalisations and the potentially less harmful effects of the Omicron variant have all been put forward by health experts as possible explanations for lower numbers.

Around 90 percent of coronavirus patients in intensive care units have not had a booster jab, prime minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday (December 29) - defending his decision not to tighten virus curbs in England. Speaking at a vaccination centre, Johnson urged people to get "vital" booster jabs, saying "the overwhelming majority" of those currently going into intensive care in our hospitals have not had the booster jab. "I've talked to doctors who say the numbers are running up to 90 percent of people in intensive care who are not boosted," the prime minister added in Milton Keynes in Hertfordshire. Those who have not been vaccinated are "eight times more likely to get into hospital," he warned. The UK has been hit by a huge surge of the new Omicron variant, with England and Wales reporting record case numbers on Tuesday. The UK has been one of Europe's worst hit with a death toll of 148,021.

In its first, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the use of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to treat people at the highest risk of catching HIV. The announcement comes along with a consultation on draft guideline by NICE on reducing sexually transmitted infections. NICE's recommendation is backed up by the government's HIV Action Plan to hit zero new transmissions of HIV by 2030. The pill prevents HIV by stopping the virus from crossing into the healthy cells and replicating. According to the UK PROUD study, PrEP reduced the risk of HIV infection by 86 per cent for men who have sex with men. However, people taking the pill must also get regular HIV testing and STI screening done every three months.

A pair of pharmacist brothers, who also own a popular restaurant in Kent, have started an innovative initiative 'Jabs with Kebabs' to encourage their community in England to come forward and take their Covid-19 vaccines. Rav and Raj Chopra, who own V's Punjabi Grill, an Indian restaurant in Gravesend, established the walk-in vaccine site after their father, Jagtar Chopra, became unwell with Covid-19 last year. The duo is among thousands to volunteer for the National Health Service (NHS) vaccine programme. Talking to the PA news agency, Raj said he was inspired by the experience of his father, who got infected with the virus and has fully recovered since then. "From a personal point of view, it was very debilitating to see Dad like that," said Raj Chopra. "It got everyone's emotions in play.

Health services in the UK today (January 4) marked the first anniversary of the deployment of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine in fight against Covid-19. Exactly a year ago, the UK became the first country in the world to administer the vaccine by jabbing Brian Pinker, 82 at Oxford University Hospital. So far, around 50 million AstraZeneca vaccines have been administered to people in the UK. Commenting on the landmark day, vaccines minister Maggie Throup said: "The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is a UK success story and demonstrates what can be achieved when researchers, scientists and the government work together. "The at-cost vaccine has given billions of people around the world a way to fight back against this virus." Further, she urged people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families this winter.

Britain's biotech firm Avacta Group on Monday (January 10) announced halting sales of its Covid-19 rapid antigen lateral flow test AffiDX to replace antibodies in the device and increase its ability to diagnose the Omicron variant. The company stated that AffiDX is capable of detecting Omicron when the virus is present in high numbers in samples, but the sensitivity of the test reduces at lower viral loads. The performance of all rapid antigen tests came under scanner in wake of a large number of mutations in the Omicron variant. AffiDX contains both a proprietary Affimer reagent and a commercially available antibody. The Affimer reagent detects the Omicron variant with the same sensitivity as the Delta variant, and performance of the antibody is paired with the Affimer reagent in the test. This has been affected by the additional Omicron mutations, the firm said. Alastair Smith, chief executive of Avacta Group, said: "Our determination to only provide high quality, high performance diagnostic tests has led us to the correct decision to pause all marketing of the AffiDX® lateral flow antigen test. We have, of course, been unable to market the product in the UK since October 2021, as the product continues to await approval under the new CTDA regulatory process.

A new study has shown that Covid-19 can spread between unmasked people at a distance of more than two metres even outdoors. A team of engineers from the University of Cambridge used computer modelling to quantify how droplets spread when people cough. They found that the two-metre rule was arbitrary and that social distancing alone was not enough to stop the spread of the virus. The team also found that individual coughs vary widely, and that the 'safe' distance could have been set at anywhere between one to three or more metres. The results, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, suggest that social distancing is not an effective mitigation measure on its own, and underline the importance of vaccination, ventilation and masks.