Latest news with #Illnesses
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
As COVID-19 cases rise, Kerala steps up monitoring
Kerala has stepped up monitoring and surveillance of influenza-like Illnesses (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) across the State as COVID-19 cases have begun to show an uptick . According to Ministry of Health and Family Affairs data, as on May 31, Kerala has 1,336 active cases of COVID-19. One new death, of a 59-year-old with known coronary artery disease and who had been admitted with pneumonia, was also reported. 'No doubt, case numbers will go up because directives have been given to enhance testing. Public sector hospitals will do more of RT-PCR tests because we are sending these samples for genomic sequencing too, whereas the private sector seems to be doing more of Rapid Antigen tests,' a senior Health official said. 'We are keeping a close eye on hospitalisations and ICU admissions but as the variant LF.7, which is currently in circulation, is mild, we do not expect hospitalisations to go up over 0.5%. We expect this spike in cases to run its course as a normal wave, a phenomenon that will probably recur in another six months as newer variants emerge,' he added. The new normal Public health experts maintain that COVID-19 has been part of the new normal since June 2023, when co-circulation of COVID-19, along with influenza virus began to be reported. 'It is very difficult to distinguish between influenza and COVID-19 symptoms, just by clinical signs alone. However, in the case of influenza, administration of antivirals like Oseltamivir within 48 hours has beneficial effects. Hence, in the case of people with severe respiratory infection or are hospitalised with pneumonia, we have to test for both viruses. In the case of outpatients, clinicians may test depending on the symptoms and specific circumstances if the patient belongs to the vulnerable category,' a senior clinician said. Three categories Kerala will continue to follow its ABC categorisation guidelines for treating patients with ILI. Category A patients will not need treatment and can be managed at home, whereas in the of case of B1 (severe symptoms including high fever) and B2 (mild symptoms, but those with comorbidities), patients should be tested for influenza or COVID-19 and started early on Oseltamivir. Category C patients would be the sick ones — those with fever, respiratory symptoms and red flag signs like breathlessness, chest pain, and in children, irritation and drowsiness. They have to be hospitalised, tested, and treated. Unnecessary testing — as in testing those without any respiratory symptoms prior to surgeries — or screening for COVID-19 is not recommended. The vulnerable group Health officials maintained that the variant LF.7 caused only mild illness but was highly transmissible. Hence the public needed to be aware that COVID-19 was still around and take standard precautions to prevent transmission, so that those considered to be the vulnerable population — young children, elderly, pregnant women and those with uncontrolled comorbidities — were not compromised. 'We have stepped up our surveillance for ILI and it is possible that in the next few weeks, COVID-19 cases will overtake influenza cases. But we will continue to stick to our treatment guidelines. Masking, maintaining physical distancing and hand hygiene should be maintained by the public, especially when they visit hospitals. The illness caused by LF.7 — fever lasting 2-3 days, sore throat which may be accompanied by cough and extreme fatigue — is mild and only those with uncontrolled comorbidities are being admitted in hospitals now,' Health officials said.
Deccan Herald
3 days ago
- Health
- Deccan Herald
Covid-19 surge: Tamil Nadu govt asks people to wear masks in crowded places, maintain social distancing
The circular issued said all healthcare facilities must verify the availability of essential medical supplies, including antiviral drugs such as Oseltamivir and the necessary diagnostic consumables for managing Influenza-like Illnesses.
The Independent
26-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
What we know about the illnesses that have sickened over 400 people and killed more than 50 in Congo
Unidentified illnesses in northwestern Congo have killed more than 50 people over the past five weeks, nearly half of them within hours after they felt sick. The outbreaks in two distant villages in Congo's Equateur province began on Jan. 21 and include 419 cases and 53 deaths. Health officials still do not know the cause, or whether the cases in the two villages, which are separated by more than 120 miles (190 kilometers), are related. It's also unclear how the diseases are spreading, including whether they are spreading between people. The first victims in one of the villages were children who ate a bat and died within 48 hours, the Africa office of the World Health Organization said this week. More infections were found in the other village, where at least some of the patients have malaria. Outbreaks in two remote villages Illnesses have been clustered in two remote villages in different health zones of Equateur province, which is 400 miles (640 kilometers) from Kinshasa. The first outbreak began in the village of Boloko after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours. More than two weeks later a second and larger outbreak was recorded in the village of Bomate, where more than 400 people have been sickened. According to WHO's Africa office, no links have been established between the cases in the two villages. Dr. Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center, and one of the government experts deployed to respond to the outbreak, says the situations in the two villages are somewhat different. 'The first one with a lot of deaths, that we continue to investigate because it's an unusual situation, (and) in the second episode that we're dealing with, we see a lot of the cases of malaria,' said Dr. Ngalebato. The WHO Africa office said the quick progression from sickness to death in Boloko is a key concern, along with the high number of deaths in Bomate. What are the symptoms? Congo's Ministry of Health said about 80% of the patients share similar symptoms including fever, chills, body aches and diarrhea. While these symptoms can be caused by many common infections, health officials initially feared the symptoms and the quick deaths of some of the victims could also be a sign of a hemorrhagic fever such as Ebola, which was also linked to an an infected animal. However, Ebola and similar diseases including Marburg have been ruled out after more than a dozen samples were collected and tested in the capital of Kinshasa. The WHO said it is investigating a number of possible causes, including malaria, viral hemorrhagic fever, food or water poisoning, typhoid fever and meningitis. What is being done in response? Congo's government says experts have been sent to the villages since Feb. 14, mainly to help investigate the cases and slow the spread. Ngalebato said patients have been responding to treatments that target the different symptoms. The remote location of the villages has hindered access to patients while the weak health care infrastructure has made it difficult to carry out surveillance and manage patients. Such challenges are common in disease outbreaks in Congo. In December, an unknown illness killed dozens. In the latest outbreaks, several victims died even before experts could even reach them, Ngalebato said. There needs to be an urgent action 'to accelerate laboratory investigations, improve case management and isolation capacities, and strengthen surveillance and risk communication,' the WHO Africa office has said. Is there a link to Congo's forests? There have long been concerns about diseases jumping from animals to humans in places where people regularly eat wild animals. The number of such outbreaks in Africa has surged by more than 60% in the last decade, the WHO said in 2022. Experts say this might be what is happening in Congo, which is home to about 60% of the forests in the Congo Basin, home to the largest expanse of tropical forest on earth. 'All these viruses are viruses that have reservoirs in the forest. And so, as long as we have these forests, we will always have a few epidemics with viruses which will mutate,' said Gabriel Nsakala, a professor of public health at Congo's National Pedagogical University, who previously worked at the Congolese health ministry on Ebola and coronavirus response programs. ___ ___ The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
USA Today
12-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Deadly flu season: CDC reports more deaths from flu than COVID in recent weekly data
Deadly flu season: CDC reports more deaths from flu than COVID in recent weekly data The number of deaths due to the flu has surpassed the number of deaths from the coronavirus, according to weekly data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC. According to the partial data, 2% of the deaths in the U.S. for the week ending in Feb. 1 were due to influenza, or the flu. That same week, 1.5% of deaths in the nation were due to COVID. The numbers are posted weekly. That week, public health labs reported 4,377 viruses to the CDC, and 4,264 of them were the flu. The CDC said that this season, the agency estimates there have been at least 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations, and 13,000 deaths from the flu so far. Recently, ten pediatric deaths associated with seasonal influenza were reported, bringing the 2024-2025 season total to 57 pediatric deaths, the CDC said. Recent CDC data also shows that influenza levels in the U.S. have risen to the highest levels they have been in 15 years. Flu season: Have the flu or know someone with it? Flu cases surge to highest levels in 15 years, CDC says Emergency department visits down for COVID The CDC also releases a community snapshot that categorizes data by severity. Rankings include minimal, low, moderate, high, and very high. As of Friday, overall respiratory illness activity in the U.S. is very high, seasonal flu activity is 'elevated and continues to increase across the country,' while COVID activity is 'elevated in many areas of the country.' The CDC added that while Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is declining in most parts of the nation. Among other findings in the community snapshot are emergency department visits due to the flu and other illnesses. According to the CDC, emergency department visits in the U.S. due to COVID are decreasing, while ER visits due to the flu are increasing. Visits due to RSV are also decreasing. 'When levels are high, it may indicate that infections are making people sick enough to require treatment,' the CDC said. How the flu, COVID, and other illnesses have impacted students Illnesses have led to school closures across the country, including at least 16 schools in southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky, reported the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY network. Hospital admissions for the flu have exceeded the number of admissions over the past three years, a spokesperson for the Northern Kentucky Health Department told the outlet. And also in Kentucky, a child died from the flu for the first time this year, reported the Louisville Courier Journal, also part of the USA TODAY network. Health officials said the child had not received a flu vaccine this season. 'Unfortunately, viruses like influenza and COVID-19 are serious diseases that can be deadly to some people, including children,' Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Department for Public Health, told the outlet. 'Vaccination is the best way to prevent severe illness and death.' Contributing: Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer; Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
