Latest news with #SARS-COV-2
Hans India
13-06-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Severe Covid infection in kids linked to heart disease risks: Study
New Delhi: While children are largely thought to be less susceptible to Covid-19's serious effects on the lungs, a global study has indicated that in children suffering from severe infection with SARS-COV-2 virus, the health risks may go beyond the acute viral infection and can harm the heart. Scientists from Harvard University (US) and Murdoch University (Australia) analysed blood samples from 147 children across different Covid. Their study identified significant metabolic disruptions that affect how the body processes fats (triglycerides and cholesterol) critical to healthy heart structure. "This research challenges the widespread assumption that children are largely unaffected by Covid-19 based on the relatively mild respiratory effects,' said lead researcher Professor Jeremy Nicholson, Director of The Australian National Phenome Centre. Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, the team measured 1,101 metabolites. The findings, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, showed that children with Covid and related MIS-C (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children) had major shifts in blood metabolic patterns, some of which include shifts in cardiovascular disease risk markers. MIS-C affects multiple organ systems and may cause considerable cardiac damage, including myocardial and vascular changes. The similarities were found between the molecular signatures of MIS-C and Covid in children, with the MIS-C patients being more severely affected. "A minority of children experience a more severe immunologically driven form of the disease (MIS-C) that is associated with longer-term gastrointestinal effects and cardiovascular disease," said Nicholson. Despite milder clinical respiratory symptoms, children's metabolic disturbances mirrored those seen in severe adult Covid patients, indicating a shared inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2, suggesting potential long-term health impacts. 'We now need to do more research into the possible longer-term effects of Covid-19 in children' added Professor Julien Wist from the varsity.
IOL News
10-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
New Covid-19 variant Nimbus raises concerns, but South Africa remains case-free
NICD says it's closely monitoring the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant, identified in several Asian countries. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says it's closely monitoring the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant, identified in several Asian countries. "The latest variant, Nimbus or NB.1.8.1, has been designated a SARS-CoV-2 variant under monitoring. "In South Africa, we have also not detected this lineage yet, and using our sentinel syndromic surveillance system, there are very few outpatient or inpatient respiratory illnesses caused by SARS-COV-2," the NICD said. According to the National Department of Health, the new variant is a descendant of the Omicron lineage.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
US, Argentina launching new ‘alternative' to WHO
The top health authorities of the U.S. and Argentina are launching what they call an 'alternative international health system' separate from the World Health Organization (WHO). On the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an executive starting the yearlong process of withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO. In February, Argentinian President Javier Milei followed suit. In a joint statement Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Argentine Minister of Health Mario Lugones remarked on the decision to withdraw from the global health authority. 'The WHO's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious structural and operational shortcomings that undermined global trust and highlighted the urgent need for independent, science-based leadership in global health,' their statement read. 'There are well-documented concerns regarding the early management of the pandemic and the risks associated with certain types of research. Rather than ensuring timely transparency, the WHO failed to provide critical access to information, impairing countries' ability to act swiftly and effectively, with devastating global consequences.' Trump had started the process of withdrawing from the global health body during his first term, but former President Biden reversed the move before it took effect. On a post on the social platform X, Kennedy said he met with Milei to discuss the creation of an 'alternative international health system based on gold-standard science and free from totalitarian impulses, corruption, and political control.' The WHO was responsible for collecting and disseminating data about the spread of the coronavirus during the pandemic, but retrospective observations have identified areas where the international group fell short. The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, established by the WHO to derive lessons from past epidemics for the future, in a 2021 report identified missed steps to mitigate or potentially prevent the COVID-19 pandemic. Their report noted that despite consistent messaging and reporting on global preparedness before COVID-19, the majority or prior recommendations agreed upon by the WHO were never implemented. 'Although public health officials, infectious disease experts, and previous international commissions and reviews had warned of potential pandemics and urged robust preparations since the first outbreak of SARS, COVID-19 still took large parts of the world by surprise. It should not have done,' the independent panel found. 'The number of infectious disease outbreaks has been accelerating, many of which have pandemic potential. It is clear to the Panel that the world was not prepared and had ignored warnings which resulted in a massive failure: an outbreak of SARS-COV-2 became a devastating pandemic.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hindu
13-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Govt. data confirms massive undercount of pandemic deaths
In 2021, an analysis of excess deaths — the increase in the death tally over expected numbers based on previous years (2015-2019) — shows that the number was nearly six times more than the reported COVID-19 death toll. This was the year when the delta variant of the SARS-COV-2 virus wreaked havoc across the country. Some States had a much higher multiple than the national average. For instance, the Gujarat government had officially reported only 5,812 COVID-19 deaths in 2021, but the excess deaths were 44 times this tally, the government data reveals. Similarly, the excess deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were a multiple of 19.5 times more than the reported toll. Chart 1 shows the total number of registered deaths in India over the years (in lakh). Over 1 crore registered deaths were recorded in 2021, a 27% increase compared to the previous year. The bump in 2021 is obvious on account of the pandemic. To estimate the multiple, we calculated excess deaths in 2021 using a three-step method. First, we analysed registered deaths in each State from 2015 to 2019 and extrapolated this trend to estimate expected deaths for 2020 and 2021. This gives a reasonable estimate of the expected number of deaths in these years, if not for an extraordinary event. Next, we compared these expected figures with the actual registered deaths revealed by the newly released data. The difference between the two gave the number of excess deaths. Most of these excess deaths are likely attributable to COVID-19 — the only major disruptive event during those years. Moreover, pandemic-related restrictions had significantly reduced deaths from other causes, such as road accidents, making it unlikely that non-COVID-19 factors were behind the surge. Chart 2 shows India's official COVID-19-related death count published by State governments in 2020 and 2021 compared to the excess deaths calculated based on the recently released reports. While the official COVID-19 death count in 2020 was about 1.5 lakh, about 3.8 lakh 'excess deaths' were recorded the same year. In 2021, while about 3.3 lakh COVID-19-related deaths were officially recorded, there were 21.5 lakh 'excess deaths' (6.5 times more). The Hindu had earlier reported on COVID-19 mortality, and had estimated an excess death multiple of 5.8 times in 11 States, based on the CRS data retrieved through RTI applications and official sources. This multiple was the highest among nations with the most recorded fatalities due to the virus. Charts 3 and 4 show the top 10 States with the highest multiple and the possible undercount (excess deaths minus reported death totals) in absolute terms. An analysis of the State-wise data shows that in 2021, COVID-19 deaths could have been undercounted by a factor of 44 in Gujarat, the highest such undercount in the country. That is, there were over 2.5 lakh excess deaths in Gujarat in 2021, whereas the State's official COVID-19 death count for that year was 5,812. In Telangana, the multiple was 18. In Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha, the multiple was over 13. While all over India, over 18.2 lakh deaths, most of them due to COVID-19, were possibly not counted, U.P. has the highest number of such deaths on account of a large population. U.P. could have possibly not counted over 2.6 lakh COVID-19-related deaths in 2021. While the State had 2.8 lakh excess deaths in 2021, U.P.'s official COVID-19 tally for that year was only 14,551 deaths. Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu had undercounted over 2 lakh covid deaths in 2021, data shows. Source: Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner and The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy Also read: Albanese re-elected by a country under economic and environmental stress
Fox News
01-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
HHS halts work at high-risk infectious disease lab following repeated safety violations
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implemented a pause on research at one of the nation's most highly secure research labs, following repeated safety incidents that a source familiar told Fox News Digital have been occurring since the Biden administration. An HHS official confirmed the pause at Fort Detrick's Integrated Research Facility, which conducts risky research on deadly infectious diseases like SARS-COV-2 and the Ebola virus, began Tuesday at 5 p.m. The facility, which is one of only a handful across North America, is part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and is located at the U.S. Army base Fort Detrick, outside Washington, D.C. The research there studies treatment and prevention of deadly, "high-consequence" diseases such as Lassa Fever and Eastern equine encephalitis. According to the HHS official who was willing to speak on the matter under the condition of anonymity, the pause stemmed from a lover's spat between researchers at the facility, which resulted in one of the individuals poking holes in the other's personal protective equipment (PPE). That individual has since been fired, the official indicated. The HHS official added that the incident is just the latest example of safety incidents at the high-risk laboratory, which they blamed on a poor safety culture at the lab enabled by the previous Biden administration. "NIH and HHS take the safety of our facilities and research very seriously," HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said. "As soon as we found out about this incident, we took immediate action to issue the safety pause until we can correct the safety culture at this facility." The latest incident, according to HHS, was preceded by a separate incident that occurred as recently as November. The facility's director, Connie Schmaljohn, was placed on administrative leave following the incident. The HHS official familiar with the matter indicated Schmaljohn did not report the incident up the chain of command immediately, causing a delay in remedying the matter. During this temporary pause, all research at the facility will come to a halt and access will be limited to essential personnel. It is unclear how long the pause will remain in effect.
