Latest news with #healthWarning
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cryptosporidium: Infections from Cowbridge petting farm reach 89
The number of people who have contracted a parasitic infection after attending calf and lamb feeding sessions at a farm in south Wales has risen to have been eight new cases of cryptosporidium confirmed by Public Health Wales (PHW), all linked to visits to Cowbridge Farm Shop at Marlborough Grange Farm in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, during March and previously said the infection led to 16 people requiring hospital care for at least one night, including a four-year-old farm shop, which the BBC has approached for comment, voluntarily suspended its feeding and petting sessions on 29 April and is cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation, PHW said. Cryptosporidium is commonly associated with contact with farm animals, and can spread easily from person to person and poses increased risk to young children and those with weakened immune typically appear two to 10 days after exposure and can last for up to two warned infection can still spread after symptoms subside and has urged those affected not to go swimming for two Mably, consultant in health protection at PHW, said: "Cryptosporidium usually clears up on its own, but it can cause more serious illness in young children and people with weaker immune systems."She added that the infection can be spread from person to person and the key is "washing your hands properly". Officials from PHW and other agencies met on 24 May for the fifth time since the outbreak began, to co-ordinate the to petting farms are being reminded to avoid close contact with animals, supervise children closely, and wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after touching animals or walking around a hand gels do not provide sufficient women are also being advised to steer clear of new-born lambs during lambing season due to a higher risk of infection. What is cryptosporidium? Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that can cause an unpleasant and sometimes dangerous illness called lives in the intestines of infected humans and animals and is passed out in their can then spread to water sources such as lakes, rivers, and swimming pools, as well as food like raw illness can affect anyone but is most common in children aged one to which can last for around two weeks, include severe watery diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps, nausea, fever, and loss of is no specific treatment but most people feel better within a month.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Little-known type of pain could be earliest sign of deadly bowel cancer, doctor warns - as cases surge in under 50s
A gut doctor has warned of a little-known red flag sign that can indicate deadly bowel cancer. While it is well known that abdominal pain is a sign of the condition, gastroenterologist Dr Joseph Salhab highlighted a specific detail that the public should pay attention to. Dr Salhab urged people to watch out for persistent abdominal pain that's 'localised in the same spot' and is associated with a new bout of constipation or diarrhoea. If the pain is bad enough to disturb your sleep, you should also see a GP, he added. 'If it wakes you up at night because it's so bad, these are not signs you should ignore,' advised Dr Salhab in an Instagram video that has been viewed over 512,000 times. Responding to a video of a 28-year-old woman whose cancer was mistaken for irritable bowel syndrome, the US-based specialist went on to list other warning signs of the deadly cancer. 'A change in your stool caliber with thin stools or even with rectal bleeding and weight loss are not signs you should ignore,' he added. He also said that if the pain does not improve with dietary changes or bowel movements, this could be a red flag sign. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr. Joseph Salhab (@thestomachdoc) Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in the stool, occurs when cancerous tumours bleed into the digestive tract. Other warning signs of the cancer include a lump in the abdomen, bloating and feeling very tired or short of breath. However, bowel cancer can also appear with no symptoms until it has spread to other areas of the body, where it becomes harder to treat. It comes as diagnoses of the disease have sky rocketed by 80 per cent in under 50s across the globe within the last 30 years, research suggests. In contrast, rates of the disease in older age groups, who are statistically more likely to get the disease overall, have either declined or remained stable in the same period. Experts have suggested a host of factors are likely behind the phenomenon — from increased pollution to rising obesity and even invisible particles of plastic in drinking water. Genetic factors are also likely to play a role, according to researchers. But diets high in ultra-processed foods, salt and alcohol and low in vitamins and minerals are the main risk factors underling the most common cancers in under-50s. In the UK, bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer, killing almost 17,000 people each year, with the number of young-onset cases continuing to rise. Analysis suggests deaths from bowel cancer overall in the UK are set to rise by 2,5000 a year by 2040. Meanwhile, the number of people in the UK diagnosed with the disease will rise by around a tenth in the same period. A 2024 Cancer Research UK analysis of 50 countries revealed that England saw the fourth fastest annual rise in the rate of early-onset bowel cancer in the decade to 2017, faster than any other country in Europe.
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Lake Hood's toxic algae levels drop - but not enough to re-open
Lake Hood remains under a toxic algae bloom health warning Photo: supplied/LDR Toxic algae levels have dropped at Lake Hood in Canterbury, but a health warning remains in place and the lake remains closed. Regional council testing showed the levels of cyanobacteria had dropped significantly, but there were recent signs of scums, which form at the surface of the lake. The popular recreation lake near Ashburton has been closed since 3 April, due to toxic algae. The threshold that triggers a health warning is a total biomass of all cyanobacteria higher than 10mm3/L. Environment Canterbury's test results showed levels dropped from 50mm³/L on 22 April to 40mm³/L on 29 April, before dropping significantly to 2mm³/L on 6 May. ECan water and land science manager Dr Elaine Moriarty said they didn't lift the health warning just when the worst areas dropped below 10mm3/L. "Two consecutive tests need to show cyanobacteria levels are less than 0.5mm3/L," Moriarty said. "Visible signs like scums can still trigger or prolong a warning." Cyanobacteria scums were observed at two locations on the lake during the 29 April testing, she said. The National Public Health Service issues or removes health warnings, with ECan only advising on its latest test results. Ashburton District Council chief executive Hamish Riach said the council was solely responsible for making the decision on when to reopen the lake. Moriarty said the heavy rain event at the start of May was probably not enough to impact the algal blooms. "Our data tells us that cyanobacteria for Lake Hood is highly dynamic and therefore difficult to predict. Water that flows into the lake from Carters Creek or the Ashburton River after heavy rain could push cyanobacteria away from the inflows, resulting in the accumulation of cyanobacteria and generate blooms in confined areas/ margins. "Rainfall and associated run-off can increase turbidity and nutrients, which could potentially increase cyanobacteria biomass and prolong blooms." As the main inflow from the Ashburton River was managed by the district council, it also meant the influence of rainfall was also managed. Moriarty said that, in terms of weather, "a cold snap with a good frost could be the best thing for the lake". Riach said that, as sediment build-up in the lake was one of the factors affecting its water quality, the intake was usually shut off when the river was in flood. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
