Latest news with #E-coli
Belfast Telegraph
2 hours ago
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
Council confirm Belfast Zoo closed due to E-coli detected in water sample
Earlier today, the zoo announced it would be temporarily closed on Tuesday due to an 'urgent maintenance issue'. In an update, a Belfast City Council spokesperson said: 'Following a routine inspection, a small amount of E-coli has been detected in a water sample taken from the Belfast Zoo site,' they told Belfast Telegraph. 'The Zoo has been closed to visitors today as a precautionary measure while we work with the NI Environment Agency and the council's own environmental health team to carry out additional sampling. 'The safety of our visitors and animals remains our top priority, and we hope to reopen the Zoo for visiting as soon as possible. The Zoo's dedicated team remain on site today and are continuing to care for the animals. 'Further updates on reopening will be provided via the Zoo's website and social media channels (@belfastzoo on Facebook and Instagram). 'We are sorry for any disappointment to those with pre-booked tickets for Belfast Zoo today, including school groups. Ticketholders can contact the Zoo on 028 9077 6277 for a full refund.' It follows reports that the 90-year-old zoo lost about £1.9m in the last year and an additional £2m being earmarked for safety works over the next four years. News Catch Up - Tuesday 10th June Sinn Fein councillor Ronan McLaughlin said 'something needs to be done' to turn things around. 'We are now in a non-sustainable position and I believe there is now the political consensus to try to bring some investment to the zoo,' he told this newspaper last week. 'We need to bring the zoo to a sustainable model that doesn't lose the council any money.' Meanwhile SDLP councillor Carl Whyte pointed out that, although it is operating at a loss, the zoo generates around £2m a year, and what needs to be examined are its running costs.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
RWA alleges drinking water contamination in Janakpuri, NGT orders surprise check
New Delhi: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Central Pollution Control Board to collect and analyse drinking water samples from 10 homes in Janakpuri's A block without informing Delhi Jal Board or any other agency. NGT is hearing a plea from the residents welfare association in A-1 block, which claimed that the area was not receiving fresh drinking water that met the requisite norms. RWA alleged that DJB was supplying sewage-mixed drinking water to them. It claimed that the sewage line in the area had been blocked, resulting in corrosion of the pipelines supplying the fresh water, and consequently untreated sewage was getting mixed with the drinking water supplied through the pipelines. On April 8, NGT directed CPCB to collect tap water samples from 10 houses in the affected area and submit the test report before the next date of hearing. "More than two weeks have passed... the counsel appearing for CPCB stated that samples are under analysis," said NGT in the recent May 14 order, which was shared on Thursday. However, the counsel appearing for the applicant claimed that CPCB had collected the samples on April 29 and informed DJB in advance. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Click Here Undo "CPCB had informed DJB officials; therefore, desilting by deputing a super suction machine to artificially lower the sewer load and temporarily suppress cross contamination was done to manipulate water quality in the test results by DJB officials on April 27 and 28. Therefore, these samples may not reflect the correct position," NGT was informed. He also said one of the residents was hospitalised and it was found that he was suffering from Hepatitis A and E. "The supply of drinking water, which is unfit for the residents of the city, is very serious matter, but ignoring such a seriousness, DJB has not taken expeditious action to remediate it and CPCB has not done the needful to get the water sample report expeditiously in terms of the previous order of the tribunal," said the bench headed by Justice Prakash Shriavastava. The bench directed CPCB to follow NGT's previous order and take fresh samples from 10 earlier and 10 new locations. It has been told to analyse the samples expeditiously particularly for fecal coliform E-coli and submit both reports before the next date of hearing. Though DJB had claimed that it took corrective action, NGT observed that until the water was found to be fit for drinking, it couldn't be said that corrective action was taken.
Wales Online
22-05-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
Urgent recall issued for milk with ‘do not drink' warning
Urgent recall issued for milk with 'do not drink' warning Customers are being urged to return affected bottles due to fears they have been contaminate with E-coli Bottles of milk from a farm shop have been recalled (Image: (Image: Getty) ) A farm shop brand has recalled bottles of milk over fears they may have been contaminated with bacteria. Kenneth Hanna's Farm Shop, a farm shop brand, has issued a recall for its two-litre bottles of Ken's Raw Jersey Milk. Customers who have purchased the product were advised: "Do not drink it or use it to make dairy products. Instead, return it to the place of purchase or dispose of it and any products made from it." The Food Standards Agency issued a notice stating that the milk may contain Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC). It added: "Symptoms caused by STEC organisms include severe diarrhoea (including bloody diarrhoea), abdominal pain, and sometimes haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure and can be fatal." They also advised: "If you are experiencing these symptoms, you should stay away from work, school or nursery until you have stopped having symptoms for at least 48 hours to avoid passing it on to others", reports the Express. Article continues below The recall is applicable to all use-by dates and batch codes for the item. is a bacteria found in the intestines of warm-blooded organisms, including humans. While most strains are harmless, some can cause severe food poisoning. Article continues below Common sources of STEC outbreaks include raw or undercooked ground meat products, raw milk, and contaminated vegetables. Young children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to life-threatening illness.
Daily Record
11-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Man feared brain dead after food poisoning 'from £3 supermarket sandwich'
Blake Pennell, 30, was left in a coma and feared brain dead after contracting E. Coli and suffering from a stroke. A man was hospitalised for nearly a year after getting food poisoning from what his family believe was a £3 supermarket chicken sandwich. Blake Pennell, 30, was left in a coma and feared brain dead after contracting E. Coli and suffering from a stroke. The 3D artist from Loddon, Norfolk, became 'very poorly' on June 14 last year and could barely move from the sofa. A week later, on June 22, Blake collapsed on the bathroom floor while vomiting. His partner Lauren Hale said: 'His speech was normal, his face was okay and he could put his arms above his head. 'We didn't know it was a stroke because a stroke is not always what people think it is. None of the 'FAST' symptoms were there.' FAST is an acronym to help identify the key signs of a stroke: face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulties, and time to call 999.' Blake was carried by his neighbour and rushed straight to A&E at Royal Stoke Hospital. Lauren said: 'The hospital didn't recognise it was a stroke initially either and it was an hour after he was admitted that his speech slurred. 'Everybody kicked up a gear and gave him the scan.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Blake was diagnosed with a super rare basilar artery stroke - when the basilar artery, which supplies blood to the back of the brain, is blocked. He had a thrombectomy - a procedure that physically removes a blood clot from an artery - and was sent to the stroke recovery ward. The following day, he underwent emergency surgery. He had cerebral tonsil herniation - a condition where part of the cerebellum descends into the spinal canal and causes swelling. Lauren said: 'Blake had a posterior craniotomy by one of the top neurosurgeons in the country - most people don't make it off the operating table.' He spent four and a half weeks in a medical coma while on a ventilator and with a tracheostomy and has since spent the last eight months slowly recovering in hospital after doctors originally believed he could be brain dead. Lauren added: 'We found out a few weeks after that he had E-coli in his system and it can cause a clotting disorder which can cause a stroke. There's no other reason he would have had a stroke - he doesn't drink or smoke and he's healthy. 'We believe it came from a chicken salad sandwich bought from a supermarket as he got meal deals from there all the time.' In May and June 2024, the UK experienced a major E. coli outbreak, which affected more than 270 people and led to numerous hospitalisations. The Mirror reports that several supermarkets including Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Boots, and the Co-op were affected with the outbreak initially linked to salad leaves in sandwiches. Lauren said: 'In the early days doctors said he could be brain dead. We just kept on believing that wasn't the case. I spent every day with him and I actually still do. 'I began to notice small things. Once with the nurses, I was referencing a family joke and Blake wiggled his eyebrows at me. His eyes were closed but I thought 'That's a sign'. By Christmas time, he was nodding and shaking his head.' Blake's brain damage has now been assessed as minimal and Lauren is hopeful that after rehabilitation and physio, he will be looking at a good quality of life. She currently commutes a three hour round trip by public transport to see him every day - 200 miles away from their families in Norwich, Norfolk, and has set up a GoFundMe page for his recovery. Lauren said: 'He can move his right arm and leg and he is communicating through a tablet. Blake can't sit up or stand but he does have head control in his wheelchair. 'He's started to mouth words at me including 'I miss you'. People need to know that a stroke is not just for older people and the symptoms may not be typical.'
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
IIT-Gn repurposes diuretic drug to fight resistant bacteria
Ahmedabad: Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. With more and more bacteria turning resistant against the limited arsenal of antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a serious challenge nationally as well as globally – some estimates put the number of deaths attributed to ' superbugs ' with no cure in sight at about 10 lakh annually. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In such a scenario, IIT-Gn researchers have reported a breakthrough where they have turned a diuretic and anti-seizure medicine into a potent 'antibiotic'. This chemical design potentially kills resistant E-coli , one of the most common bacterial infections worldwide. Researchers from IIT-Gn chemically married acetazolamide – a diuretic which helps flush extra fluid and salts out of the body, which is also used to treat altitude sickness and certain seizures – with octa-arginine (R8) peptides to successfully target resistant E. Coli. When merged, this combination had the ability to breach the bacterial wall and kill the E-Coli. The findings were recently published in the journal ACS Omega. The study 'Coassembly of Cell-Penetrating Peptide Octaarginine with Acetazolamide: Emergent Interactions with E. coli' is authored by Rinku Choubey, Moumita Chatterjee, Pramina Kumari Pandey, Abhijit Mishra, and Bhaskar Datta from IIT-Gn. "This research is a breakthrough in the fight against AMR. We will now undertake further trials using this novel drug delivery system to test it against clinical strains with AMR," said Bhaskar Datta, associate professor of chemistry and biological sciences at IIT-Gn. Professor Datta said that the trigger point of this research was the known ability of certain peptides called cell-penetrating peptides to create channels in human cells, through which other cargo molecules could be introduced inside the cell. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The research has proved the development of emergent antibacterial agents that combine an active pharmaceutical but non-antibacterial agent – acetazolamide – with a drug delivery strategy of using R8 peptide cell penetrating complex," Prof Datta said. "This learning is helpful as it suggests that bacterial cells could be tricked into submission by use of such entities that are more than the sum of their individual parts," he added. The researchers said that conventional drug development relies on the exploration of chemical agents to target biological substances such as specific proteins, enzymes and nucleic acids, that are directly associated with disease conditions. But they took a different approach where they created novel chemical structures not known to AMR bacteria. In simpler terms, the drug-peptide complex successfully penetrates the bacteria membrane as the bacteria does not identify it as a potential threat. The researchers said that it took them about three years to define various components of the method – physical complexes of molecules, cell-penetrating peptides, and optimal dose of pharmaceutical agents. 'Treatment of Escherichia coli with the complexes results in a distinctive pattern of membrane disruption and pore formation. The R8:AZM co-assemblies inhibit carbonic anhydrase and E. coli growth with greater efficiency compared to bare AZM. The 1:5 w/w complex leads to pronounced outer and inner membrane rupture and significantly restricts glucose uptake by E. Coli,' read the findings of the study.
