Tourist hotspot named the ‘epicenter' of parasitic brain disease
Neuroangiostrongyliasis is contracted by consuming raw snails, slugs, or contaminated raw vegetables like kale and potatoes.
Symptoms range from flu-like illness to severe, long-term neurological problems and disabilities, with diagnosis often difficult and requiring a spinal tap.
Experts advise cooking all food thoroughly and meticulously washing and drying fresh produce to prevent infection, especially given the lack of awareness among visitors.
While 80 laboratory-confirmed cases occurred between 2014 and 2023, the disease is largely underdiagnosed.
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The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
My husband of 5 months went to bed with a headache and woke up having a seizure – doctors gave him 5% chance of living
CAMI and Jake Bartel had been married just five months when their world was turned upside down. Just before bed one night in 2019, Jake, then 27, complained of a headache, nothing Cami, 23 at the time, thought much of. 8 8 8 The couple went to sleep as normal at their home in Chicago, and both hoped it would pass by morning. But at 4am on October 1, Cami woke to find Jake having a seizure right beside her in bed. 'I called 911 immediately. It was surreal, almost like watching someone else's life unravel,' said Cami, now 28. 'One moment we were planning our future, and the next I was rushing my 27-year-old husband to hospital without knowing if he'd survive.' What started as a simple headache had spiralled into a full-blown medical emergency overnight. By the time Jake was admitted, doctors were completely baffled. 'He didn't just have a seizure,' said Cami. 'There was also swelling on his brain, and that really scared everyone.' Medics initially suspected a severe viral or bacterial infection and ran urgent tests for everything from meningitis to West Nile virus. 'They told me they were checking for all kinds of infections,' she said. 'But every single test came back negative. It was like watching them search in the dark while Jake got worse.' With no clear answers and Jake's condition deteriorating rapidly, doctors prepared Cami for the worst. 'That's when they gave me the five per cent survival rate,' she says. 'They assumed it had to be some virus they just couldn't identify, but they weren't even considering anything beyond that. 'I was 22, sitting there, trying to process that my husband, who had been healthy just hours earlier, might not make it through the night.' But Jake, now 32, defied the odds and was discharged from hospital just two weeks later. However, the nightmare was far from over, as no one could explain what had happened or why. 8 8 'We went home with no diagnosis, just this overwhelming sense of fear mixed with relief,' said Cami. During the hospital stay, one resident doctor had mentioned MELAS, a rare mitochondrial disorder that usually appears in childhood. At 27, Jake didn't fit the profile so most doctors brushed it off, but the couple agreed to genetic testing, just in case. Then, at the end of 2019, they got the call that would change everything: Jake tested positive for MELAS - Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-like Episodes. 'It felt like someone had pulled the rug from under our lives,' Cami said. 'We had no idea what MELAS even was, and suddenly it became the defining factor in every decision we made.' MELAS is a rare, incurable genetic disorder that affects the mitochondria, organelles responsible for producing energy in the cells. Loss of youth For Jake, a large portion of those mitochondria simply don't work. 'It means his body can't generate enough energy,' Cami said. 'He can look fine on the outside, but inside his cells are starving.' The diagnosis forced them to overhaul every part of their life. Jake had to leave his position as an attorney and wine date nights stopped. He began a strict low-stress lifestyle, new medications, and a specialist diet to avoid triggering further episodes. 'We were in our 20s, and suddenly everything was about survival,' said Cami. 'The hardest part wasn't just the physical toll, it was the loss of that youthful certainty. 'That sense that the future was ours.' Looking back, Cami believes that moment reflects a wider issue. 'Mitochondrial diseases like MELAS are so often overlooked, especially in adults. "If that one resident hadn't mentioned it weeks later, we might never have found out.' 'They were convinced it was some unknown infection they couldn't identify,' said Cami. 'Mitochondrial disease wasn't even on their radar," she added. 8 8 The experience highlighted just how easily rare conditions like MELAS are missed or misdiagnosed, especially in adults. In January and February 2020, Jake was back in hospital with stroke-like episodes, a common but terrifying complication of MELAS. 'Each time, I wondered if this would be the one that takes something from us permanently,' said Cami. But Jake never gave up. In 2021, he returned to university and earned a master's degree in education. They moved to Arizona, and he started working as a teacher. 'Starting all over again' For the first time since his diagnosis, it felt like things were settling. Then, in October 2022, they bought their first home. 'We were so proud,' Cami recalled. 'It felt like we were building something solid again.' But just one week after moving in, Jake suffered a major stroke that impaired his speech. 'I can't put into words what it's like to watch the person you love struggle to speak,' she says. 'I knew he was still Jake, but I also knew we were starting all over again.' It took Jake two years of recovery and rehabilitation to regain his speech and strength. Today he's back working as an attorney, and he and Cami now share their story on TikTok to raise awareness of MELAS and support others navigating chronic illness. Their TikTok page, has become a place of education, vulnerability, and hope. In one emotional clip, Jake thanked viewers for their support. 'We didn't expect this kind of response, and we're genuinely grateful,' he said. 'It's been incredibly hard to come to terms with having MELAS. Every day is a balancing act, managing my health while trying to live a full life.' What is MELAS syndrome? MELAS syndrome is a rare genetic condition that affects how the body produces energy. The name stands for mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes. It's caused by faults in mitochondrial DNA, the tiny energy factories inside cells, which are passed down from the mother. The condition can lead to stroke-like episodes, seizures, memory loss, dementia, muscle weakness, hearing loss, and short stature. Symptoms often appear after normal early childhood development and can also include frequent headaches, learning difficulties, and nerve damage. Doctors usually diagnose MELAS using brain scans that show unusual stroke-like damage, blood tests revealing high lactic acid levels, and muscle biopsies showing signs called 'ragged red fibers.' There's no cure, but treatment helps manage individual symptoms and improve quality of life. Treatment varies between people depending on what their symptoms are. Source: National Orgainsation for Rare Disorders 'You never know what's coming next' The couple frequently answer questions from followers, especially about MELAS being hereditary. 'It is maternally inherited,' says Cami explained. 'But we've been told any children we may have won't be affected.' More than anything, Cami and Jake want others in similar situations, particularly young couples, to know they're not alone. 'If your partner has a medical condition, you learn quickly that love is more than romance," she said. "It's about being in the trenches together." "Love so hard," she added. "Never go to bed angry. Be grateful, even on the hard days. Because you never know what's coming next.' 8
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Europe ravaged by wave of 'apocalyptic' wildfires
Europe is being ravaged by a wave of 'apocalyptic' wildfires and blistering heat as a dangerous combination of high winds, drought, and soaring temperatures triggers mass evacuations . Terrified beachgoers were seen fleeing by boat from beaches in Italy 's Sardinia Island as fires surged inland. Dramatic scenes unfolded on July 27 at Villasimius in southern Sardinia, where flames tore down towards the shoreline, trapping dozens of beachgoers. With roads cut off, tourists were rescued by boat, while many cars were engulfed in flames behind them. According to officials, strong winds were hindering rescue operations as people scrambled to get on the boats. Wildfires over the past week have led to at least 14 deaths in Turkey and sparked the evacuations of 19 villages and more than 3,500 people elsewhere from their homes. Turkey's latest heatwave peaked with temperatures above 40C across much of the country last week and even reached a record 50.5C on Friday in the far southeast, in Silopi, near the Iraqi and Syrian borders. Officials fighting to keep the fires under control have called the situation 'apocalyptic', warning that it can take 'days' to control the worst of the infernos. A firefighter battling the flames died of a heart attack on Saturday. Greece , too, has endured heatwave conditions for a week, with temperatures passing 40C degrees in many areas. Over the weekend, 55 new fires erupted across the country, though all but five were brought under control. In Greece, hundreds of firefighters are battling out-of-control infernos stretching from Crete to Evia and the Peloponnese, as locals and holidaymakers are ordered to abandon homes and hotels under choking clouds of smoke . This month, a massive blaze erupted near Ierapetra, Crete, with walls of fire tearing through dry brush and hillside communities. With some fires still active, the UK's Foreign Office has issued a travel advisory to the popular holiday destination. More than 1,500 people were officially evacuated, though reports suggest up to 5,000 tourists left on their own as flames crept dangerously close to coastal resorts. Fires are also raging on the mainland, with Evia, Kythera, Attica and the Peloponnese all on red alert. Authorities described the situation as a 'titanic battle', with reinforcements called in from EU partners to try and contain the devastation. As flames spread through southern Turkey, the country registered its highest-ever temperature on July 25, with the town of Silopi in Şırnak Province hitting a blistering 50.5C, breaking the previous record of 49.1C set in 2021. The unprecedented heat has turned huge swathes of countryside into a tinderbox, sparking dozens of wildfires in İzmir, Hatay, Bursa, Karabuk, Eskişehir and beyond. In İzmir Province, more than 50,000 residents were forced to flee 41 settlements in late June after firestorms engulfed entire villages. The flames later reached Dörtyol in Hatay, triggering the evacuation of another 2,000 people. Tragically, at least 17 people have been confirmed dead, including volunteer firefighters, civilian responders, and locals overwhelmed by the flames in Eskişehir, Bursa, and Karabuk. In Bursa alone, nearly 1,800 residents were displaced as 1,900 emergency crews scrambled to contain several active fires. Footage shared online shows thick black smoke blanketing motorways and panicked families loading belongings into cars as embers fall from the sky. Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on X: 'We remain on alert day and night with 27 aircraft, 105 helicopters, nearly 6,000 ground vehicles, 25,000 heroic forestry personnel, and 132,000 volunteers.' Meanwhile, the country's agriculture and forestry minister said: 'We are going through high-risk days' and warned that the crisis may not be over until October. The three nations are not the only European countries battling wildfires this summer. Cyprus, Spain, Albania, and Montenegro have all contended with huge blazes in the last month. In Cyprus, a fiery blaze last week left thousands of people displaced. An elderly couple escaping the fires in their car were trapped inside and burned alive. A couple told Mail Online how they rushed to escape the flames with seconds to spare and returned to find their dream villa burned to the ground. Albania firefighters are also facing dozens of fire fronts due to a combination of the heatwave and suspected arson. On Friday, around 2,000 residents in Delvina were forced to leave their homes. Several homes have been damaged, and many forestlands have been left charred. In Bulgaria, as a result of high temperatures, 11 regions have been put on red alert as the country fights to contain over 230 fire fronts. In Kosovo, officials have been able to put out 17 fires that were fuelled by strong winds. However, 12 remain active. Eight cows were killed on a farm in Prizren when a fire broke out, according to firefighters. A separate fire in another region also killed 40 sheep. In France, a fast‑moving wildfire near Marseille on 8 July 2025 injured approximately 100 people. It destroyed around 10 homes and prompted the evacuation of roughly 400 residents, while Marseille-Provence Airport suspended all flights temporarily. The blaze scorched about 350 hectares in the Les Pennes‑Mirabeau area, forcing shutdowns of highways, rail services and tunnels into and out of the city. Meanwhile, three people were killed and at least 41 injured after a train derailed near Riedlingen in southwestern Germany on Sunday. Authorities believe heavy rain caused a sewage shaft to overflow, triggering a landslide that led to the accident. The train, carrying around 100 passengers, derailed at 6:10pm local time. Among the dead were the train driver and a staff member. Severe storms had swept through the region at the time. Police said there is no evidence of foul play. Cleanup efforts will begin tomorrow, but traffic remains suspended on the affected line as investigations continue.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
United Airlines quietly brings back their most hated rule that will cost you more money
United Airlines has quietly resumed charging single passengers more than those traveling in pairs or groups. The controversial policy, dubbed the 'single tax' by its critics, was exposed by a consumer rights website earlier this year. An investigation by Thrifty Traveler found that United, Delta and American were all charging solo fliers higher fares for the same route than those who booked two tickets or more together. After the report sparked backlash, United and Delta promised to scrap the pricing model and charge the same rates for singles and couples. American Airlines, however, kept the policy. Now United — the US's largest airline — has reneged, according to an analysis by The Economist. It is once again charging weekday solo travelers a premium on at least 8 percent of its flights. The data also showed that American Airlines applies the 'single tax' far more aggressively, charging solo travelers more on 57 percent of its routes. Critics say the system unfairly punishes passengers who travel alone, especially those flying midweek for work, while group travelers often enjoy lower per-ticket fares. Meanwhile, United has faced a string of controversies in recent months — from slashing flights to selling customer data. The legacy airline announced earlier this summer that it would cut four in every 100 domestic flights this year — blaming Americans not wanting to travel as much. The cuts are centered on late night and early morning flights following a drop in demand for off-peak travel. The reductions came as United rolled out a new business class experience, offering perks such as Ossetra caviar, Laurent‑Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne, plasma face masks and designer hoodie pajamas for premium passengers. In April, a 90‑second air traffic control blackout at United's Newark hub caused weeks of delays and forced the airline to to cut 35 daily flights. Adding to the backlash, an investigation revealed United was among the airlines that had sold sensitive passenger data to the federal government. United, Delta and American collectively own a data broker - the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) - that collects their passenger's flight record information including their names, full flight itineraries and financial details. This broker then sold passenger data on to Customs and Border Protection in a contract that asked the agency not to reveal where the data had come from. The CBP, part of the Department of Homeland Security, claims the data is necessary to help authorities track people of interest. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also purchased the data, the publication reported. 'The big airlines — through a shady data broker that they own called ARC — are selling the government bulk access to Americans' sensitive information, revealing where they fly and the credit card they used,' Democrat Senator Ron Wyden told 404 Media. Southwest is also dealing with the ire of its customers after ditching its 50-year policy of free checked baggage. It come shortly after the budget airline also cut its first-come, first-serve seating in a bid to boost profits by offering flyers the chance to pay extra to pick their seats early or get coveted extra-legroom.
