Latest news with #MarkWoolhouse
The Independent
25-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Health experts reveal 24 infectious diseases that could pose major threat to public health
Ebola, plague and bird flu have been added to a watchlist of 24 infectious diseases that could pose a future threat to public health, experts have said. Some viruses on the list have the potential to cause a global pandemic, like Covid, while others have no existing treatments or are thought to cause serious harm to health. Mosquito-spread illnesses and avian flu are on the list because they may become more common as temperatures rise due to climate change, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. The list has been created by UKHSA as a reference tool to help steer scientists into making new tests, vaccines and medication in preparation for a future possible outbreak. Dr Isabel Oliver, Chief Scientific Officer for UKHSA, said: 'We hope this will help to speed up vaccine and diagnostics development where it is most needed, to ensure we are fully prepared in our fight against potentially deadly pathogens.' The list is set to be updated at least once a year in hopes to avoid a repeating mistakes that were made early in the Covid pandemic. 'When Covid arrived, it took too long to adjust our response to a different threat, which was part of the reason we ended up in lockdown,' Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and Director of the Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa, University of Edinburgh, said. 'Since the pandemic, there have been many initiatives to better understand the diversity of pandemic threats that the UK and the world may face in the coming years. The UKHSA's pathogen prioritisation exercise is a welcome contribution to this global effort,' he added. Viruses on the list includes those in the Filoviridae family, such as Marburg and Ebola haemorrhagic fevers and Flaviviridae which includes mosquito-borne viruses' dengue and Zika. Viruses that cause Covid-19 and avian flu are also on the list. Some bacteria also feature, including those such as gonorrhoea where resistance to existing antibiotic treatments is becoming an issue. One family of viruses on the list is Paramyxoviridae, which includes measles. This is a virus health-agencies around the world are most concerned about. Professor Woolhouse added: 'A novel measles-like virus would pose a threat far worse than Covid. Such a virus would have a much higher R number than the original variants of Covid – making it impossible to control by even the strictest lockdown. 'It would also be considerably more deadly, and (unlike Covid) it would be a threat to children. This is the kind of pandemic that public health agencies around the world are most concerned about.' The list of 24 diseases or pathogens: Adenovirus Lassa fever Norovirus Mers Ebola (and similar viruses, such as Marburg) Flaviviridae (which includes dengue, Zika and hepatitis C) Hantavirus Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever Flu (non-seasonal, including avian) Nipah virus Oropouche Rift Valley fever Acute flaccid myelitis Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) Mpox Chikungunya Anthrax Q fever Enterobacteriaceae (such as E. coli and Yersinia pestis, which causes plague) Tularaemia Moraxellaceae (which cause lung, urine and bloodstream infections) Gonorrhoea Staplylococcus Group A and B Strep
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The four viruses that pose the biggest threat of a new pandemic in the UK
Health officials in Britain have published a first-of-its-kind list of the disease-causing viruses they believe pose the greatest risk to humans - including four viruses highlighted as pandemic risks. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) released a 'priority pathogen list' including deadly organisms such as monkeypox, ebola and norovirus. Scientists analysed the potential of the organisms to cause an epidemic (a regional outbreak) or a pandemic (a global outbreak). The idea of the new tool is to encourage scientific research and speed up vaccine development, with climate change creating new disease risks, alongside resistance to antibiotics. The UKHSA hopes to see scientific strides made on pathogen families including the coronavirus family, the norovirus family and the family of viruses which includes avian flu, alongside a virus family which includes Nipah virus. 'We live at the time of increasing challenges and increasing risks from infectious diseases," Dr Isabel Oliver, chief scientific officer for UKHSA, said. "But at the same time we have got, thanks to scientific advancement, better tools than we've ever had to protect health against these threats. 'Having said that there are areas where we still need more or better diagnostics, vaccines and medicines and therapeutics, and this tool has been designed to help inform the work of government research funders, but also our partners in industry and academia who are critical to the development of these tools that we so desperately need.'The 'Coronaviridae' family, which includes the virus that sparked the COVID-19 pandemic, still holds 'high' pandemic potential, researchers warn. The report warns of the risk of animal-to-human transmission, with a particular focus on the Middle East. 'Of the highest priority pathogens identified by the UKHSA, no one could argue with the inclusion of coronaviruses," Prof Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and Director of the Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa, University of Edinburgh, said. 'A key recommendation of the UK COVID Inquiry's Interim Report for Module 1 (Preparedness) was that prior to 2020 the UK was overly focussed on the risk of an influenza pandemic. When COVID arrived, it took too long to adjust our response to a different threat, which was part of the reason we ended up in lockdown. 'Since the pandemic, there have been many initiatives to better understand the diversity of pandemic threats that the UK and the world may face in the coming years. The UKHSA's pathogen prioritization exercise is a welcome contribution to this global effort.' The flu family (or 'Orthomyxoviridae') includes influenza viruses, as well as viruses that primarily infect birds, pigs and cattle. The flu family is described as high risk for both pandemics and epidemics. The report warns that the risk from the viruses is likely to increase due to climate change, and that Asia poses a particular risk in geographical spread. Prof Emma Thomson, Director of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said: "From a scientific perspective, the list is particularly helpful in identifying gaps in our current understanding of high-risk pathogen families and the areas where new research and countermeasure development are most urgently needed. "Many of the listed families—such as orthomixidae — are already recognised as significant threats, but the tool also highlights less well-characterised families where pandemic or epidemic potential remains underexplored." The Paramyxoviridae family of viruses includes diseases such as measles as well as Nipah virus. The UKHSA warns that the risk of such viruses is likely to grow in our warning climate, highlighting Asia as a particular risk. Nipah virus was highlighted among these viruses: the virus spreads among bats, and kills up to 75% of infected humans. While there is an effective virus against measles, immunisation rates need to be at 95% for it to work, which has seen outbreaks in areas in the U.S. high in anti-vaccine sentiment. The risks of such viruses are increasing as humans live in proximity to animals. The Picornaviridae includes virsues including the rhinovirus which is the main cause of the common cold, and enterovirus which causes polio, as well as the virus behind hepatitis A. The UKHSA report highlights that such viruses can spread through food and water as well as through breath. Picornaviridae are spread worldwide. Of particular concern is that there are few vaccines or therapeutic treatments for the viruses, with just one candidate vaccine in trial at present. The new UKHSA tool will be updated annually, but government scientists warn it represents a 'snapshot in time' and must be used alongside other information sources. But other experts have warned that focusing on 'known' threats may pose its own problems. Prof Jose Vazquez-Boland, Chair of Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh described prioritising well-known diseases as a "double-edged sword". Other experts suggested that there needs to be more focus on emerging threats - including 'Disease X', a new virus that may emerge from wildlife. Prof Emma Thomson, Director of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said: 'It is essential that this list remains dynamic and responsive to emerging threats. History has shown that pandemic risks can arise from unexpected sources. For example, coronaviruses and retroviruses were not widely regarded as major threats before SARS-CoV-1 and HIV-1 emerged, respectively. "The concept of Disease X also remains critical in this context. There are an estimated 320,000 undiscovered viruses in wildlife that could have spillover potential. Enhanced technologies for virus discovery and characterisation—such as unbiased metagenomic sequencing and improved surveillance—will be essential to ensure that novel pathogens are rapidly identified and assessed for pandemic potential."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The four viruses that pose the biggest threat of a new pandemic in the UK
Health officials in Britain have published a first-of-its-kind list of the disease-causing viruses they believe pose the greatest risk to humans - including four viruses highlighted as pandemic risks. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) released a 'priority pathogen list' including deadly organisms such as monkeypox, ebola and norovirus. Scientists analysed the potential of the organisms to cause an epidemic (a regional outbreak) or a pandemic (a global outbreak). The idea of the new tool is to encourage scientific research and speed up vaccine development, with climate change creating new disease risks, alongside resistance to antibiotics. The UKHSA hopes to see scientific strides made on pathogen families including the coronavirus family, the norovirus family and the family of viruses which includes avian flu, alongside a virus family which includes Nipah virus. 'We live at the time of increasing challenges and increasing risks from infectious diseases," Dr Isabel Oliver, chief scientific officer for UKHSA, said. "But at the same time we have got, thanks to scientific advancement, better tools than we've ever had to protect health against these threats. 'Having said that there are areas where we still need more or better diagnostics, vaccines and medicines and therapeutics, and this tool has been designed to help inform the work of government research funders, but also our partners in industry and academia who are critical to the development of these tools that we so desperately need.'The 'Coronaviridae' family, which includes the virus that sparked the COVID-19 pandemic, still holds 'high' pandemic potential, researchers warn. The report warns of the risk of animal-to-human transmission, with a particular focus on the Middle East. 'Of the highest priority pathogens identified by the UKHSA, no one could argue with the inclusion of coronaviruses," Prof Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and Director of the Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa, University of Edinburgh, said. 'A key recommendation of the UK COVID Inquiry's Interim Report for Module 1 (Preparedness) was that prior to 2020 the UK was overly focussed on the risk of an influenza pandemic. When COVID arrived, it took too long to adjust our response to a different threat, which was part of the reason we ended up in lockdown. 'Since the pandemic, there have been many initiatives to better understand the diversity of pandemic threats that the UK and the world may face in the coming years. The UKHSA's pathogen prioritization exercise is a welcome contribution to this global effort.' The flu family (or 'Orthomyxoviridae') includes influenza viruses, as well as viruses that primarily infect birds, pigs and cattle. The flu family is described as high risk for both pandemics and epidemics. The report warns that the risk from the viruses is likely to increase due to climate change, and that Asia poses a particular risk in geographical spread. Prof Emma Thomson, Director of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said: "From a scientific perspective, the list is particularly helpful in identifying gaps in our current understanding of high-risk pathogen families and the areas where new research and countermeasure development are most urgently needed. "Many of the listed families—such as orthomixidae — are already recognised as significant threats, but the tool also highlights less well-characterised families where pandemic or epidemic potential remains underexplored." The Paramyxoviridae family of viruses includes diseases such as measles as well as Nipah virus. The UKHSA warns that the risk of such viruses is likely to grow in our warning climate, highlighting Asia as a particular risk. Nipah virus was highlighted among these viruses: the virus spreads among bats, and kills up to 75% of infected humans. While there is an effective virus against measles, immunisation rates need to be at 95% for it to work, which has seen outbreaks in areas in the U.S. high in anti-vaccine sentiment. The risks of such viruses are increasing as humans live in proximity to animals. The Picornaviridae includes virsues including the rhinovirus which is the main cause of the common cold, and enterovirus which causes polio, as well s the virus behind hepatitis A. The UKHSA report highlights that such viruses can spread through food and water as well as through breath. Picornaviridae are spread worldwide. Of particular concern is that there are few vaccines or therapeutic treamtents for the viruses, with just one candidate vaccine in trial at present. The new UKHSA tool will be updated annually, but government scientists warn it represents a 'snapshot in time' and must be used alongside other information sources. But other experts have warned that focusing on 'known' threats may pose its own problems. Prof Jose Vazquez-Boland, Chair of Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh described prioritising well-known diseases as a "double-edged sword". Other experts suggested that there needs to be more focus on emerging threats - including 'Disease X', a new virus that may emerge from wildlife. Prof Emma Thomson, Director of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said: 'It is essential that this list remains dynamic and responsive to emerging threats. History has shown that pandemic risks can arise from unexpected sources. For example, coronaviruses and retroviruses were not widely regarded as major threats before SARS-CoV-1 and HIV-1 emerged, respectively. "The concept of Disease X also remains critical in this context. There are an estimated 320,000 undiscovered viruses in wildlife that could have spillover potential. Enhanced technologies for virus discovery and characterisation—such as unbiased metagenomic sequencing and improved surveillance—will be essential to ensure that novel pathogens are rapidly identified and assessed for pandemic potential."
Telegraph
24-03-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Covid lockdown unnecessary as virus was under control, says senior adviser
Britain did not need to enter lockdown because Covid was 'already under control', according to a senior government adviser on the fifth anniversary of the first national shutdown. Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Edinburgh University, said that measures such as mask-wearing and staying in family groups had been 'enough'. He claimed that statisticians had examined the data 'and it's now quite clear that the virus was already under control before lockdown came into place' on March 23, 2020, thanks to changes in public behaviour. Prof Woolhouse called lockdown 'an overreaction' caused by panic, and suggested it would not have been necessary if Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon's governments had made the right preparations. The strategy of locking down to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed had also failed, he argued, as 'we basically closed our health system' for treating all non-Covid conditions. He lambasted the decision to close schools, arguing that it was 'necessary at no stage during the epidemic', and the impact on children, especially from poorer families, had been 'just extraordinary'. Prof Woolhouse was an adviser to the Scottish Government during the pandemic and sat on the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, a sub-group of the UK Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). He had previously accused Ms Sturgeon's government of failing to understand the 'underlying epidemiology' of the disease, citing their 'naive' belief that easing lockdown restrictions more slowly than Mr Johnson would prevent another wave. The academic, who has recently written a book called The Year the World Went Mad: A Scientific Memoir, said that a lockdown 'wasn't inevitable' to control the virus. 'What caused it was the lack of preparation in the weeks and months leading up to lockdown,' Prof Woolhouse told BBC Radio Scotland. 'We didn't anticipate in time the enormity of the event or of the response needed and that's something we have to fix in the future.' He said he had been 'raising the alarm' from mid January 2020 'but somehow that concern didn't get translated through the government advisory system... into a strong call for action in February'. A a result, when the virus 'really took off' in March, the necessary groundwork had not been done to prevent a lockdown, he said. Describing the early months as a time of dithering and panic, he said: 'In the end, lockdown was clearly an overreaction to the event. We had to do something, but that something didn't have to be as severe.' He argued that earlier, less drastic action had been needed: 'It turns out that the measures we took in the first half of March enough (to avoid lockdown), but no one knew that at the time. 'We didn't have the surveillance, the testing, the genomics and all those bits of information gathering that we need to assess the state of the virus.' When asked if people wearing masks and staying in family groups had been enough without lockdown being required, he said: 'Oh, it was enough in hindsight. 'The analysis of data from that crucial period throughout March shows quite clearly that the virus was already under control before lockdown came into place. 'It was under control because people had taken their own precautions, that we'd all changed our behaviour.' Prof Woolhouse emphasised that the elderly and frail were at 'vastly increased risk' from the virus but not children. 'We had some data from China, but we didn't have enough for everyone to feel confident that we could get through this without closing schools. 'With hindsight, we could have got through it without closing schools, and in my view, we should have opened them much earlier than we did in 2020, in May, for example, when Denmark opened its schools. We didn't fully open them until August, and the damage that has been done to that generation is just extraordinary, and it's still accumulating now.' He said the poorest children suffered most, adding: 'This is the crucial thing, this wasn't necessary... It was necessary at no stage during the epidemic, and yet, we did it.' Asked whether lockdown had succeeded in its aim of protecting the NHS, he said he had recently asked senior physicians at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital. 'Their answer was interesting. It was no. And the reason it was no is because, although we coped in Scotland with Covid patients, we didn't cope with all the other needs,' Prof Woolhouse said. 'We basically closed our health system to all those other non-Covid harms, and we weren't able to keep those operations running.'
The Independent
24-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Staying prepared for future pandemics ‘absolutely vital'
It is absolutely vital that scientists and governments keep preparations 'alive and well' in case of any future pandemic, an epidemiologist has said. Professor Mark Woolhouse said it is important to keep the memory of the last pandemic alive to ensure readiness for what might happen in the future. The University of Edinburgh academic was speaking on the fifth anniversary of the UK going into the first lockdown on March 24 2020. In an interview on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Prof Woolhouse was asked whether lessons have been learned from the pandemic and whether we are prepared for another. He said: 'My view, and the view of the public health community generally, is that memories are short, but if you think about it, very few of the politicians who were in power, who were making decisions during the pandemic are still there, and some of them weren't even in ministerial posts, so they don't have the memory the academic institutions do, the public health bodies do, but we really need to keep that memory alive.' Prof Woolhouse, who advised the Scottish Government during the pandemic, said there is still a lot of discussion about related topics in Scotland and described how pandemic response is still 'ticking over' in the scientific community. He said the chief medical officer chaired a meeting last week at the Royal Society of Edinburgh where issues such as pandemic preparedness and what Scotland could do better in the future were discussed. Prof Woolhouse joined the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M-O), a sub-group of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), in 2020. The professor of infectious disease epidemiology said it is important the issue of pandemics is not forgotten, adding: 'It is absolutely vital that the scientists and the public health agencies and the machinery of government are still thinking about it and still keeping the preparedness and preparations alive and well.' Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: 'Our deepest sympathies go out to all those who have lost a loved one to Covid-19. 'Health boards continue to offer vaccination for Covid, and I urge all those who are eligible to protect themselves when the next vaccination round opens in the spring. 'We also take the issue of long Covid very seriously and recognise the impact it can have on the health and wellbeing of those affected, which is why since April 2022 we have allocated more than £6.8 million to health boards to support their response to long Covid. 'The 2025/26 budget also includes new investment of £4.5 million to deliver specialist support across the country for long Covid, chronic fatigue and other similar conditions. 'There remains a great deal to be learned about long Covid, which is why we are contributing to the worldwide research effort to better understand the condition. 'Our Chief Scientist Office has awarded around £3.1 million for 11 projects considering its long-term effects.'
