Latest news with #longCovid
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Art installation inspired by ME coming to Bristol and Glastonbury
An immersive art installation that invites people to "disappear" inside a mirrored box to understand life with chronic fatigue syndrome, is coming to the West by Bristol artist Alison Larkman, Mirrorbox plays messages from ME and long Covid patients explaining why a particular location is special to them, and why their condition means they cannot be there Larkman, who has ME, said the concept came from "the idea of taking up space, of being seen and heard but also being invisible at the same time".The initiative, titled 'I would be here if I could', has seen the Mirrorbox travel all over the country and it will be in Bristol and Glastonbury in the coming weeks. ME causes extreme tiredness and can be so severe that patients are left bed-bound and unable to complete even simple symptoms include problems with memory and concentration, muscle and joint pain, dizziness and sensitivity to light and her illness is at its worst, Ms Larkman can only stay awake for three-hour windows."Your imagination is huge and you can lay in bed and travel to all sorts of places and think about things whereas you can't do them," she said. "That's one of the questions I would think - 'where would I be if I could?'"For Ms Larkman, the answer is always watching the hustle and bustle of London's Victoria Station from the top of the escalators on the way to visit her sister, but for others it was as simple as being able to see their children on the swings at the park."During this project I have met so many other people trying to manage what is essentially a fluctuating condition and also the shock of realising how bad ME is," she said."You just don't see people who are bed-bound, or who are on oxygen, and because you don't see them, even though I'd had it for years, it's been a real revelation." Some participants were unable to speak to record their messages, so wrote them down or sent them by text, but others were determined to be heard."We extended the project for a month because people wanted to wait for that day when they could send a message," Ms Larkman said."Knowing how important it is for people to have their voice heard in these places, it feels like a real responsibility." People who enter the box are invited to write a postcard to the person who recorded a message they listened will be at the top of Troopers Hill, Bristol, on 1 June, under an oak tree at Ashton Court, Bristol, on 4 June, and at the top of Glastonbury Tor on 18 June.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
New Zealand not prepared for another pandemic
As winter approaches, so do the germs, and Dr Amanda Kvalsvig wants schools to clean classroom air for children. Photo: Luke Pilkinton-Ching The quality of air inside school classrooms is so poor that winter bugs quickly spread from children to their families and communities, contributing to cases of Covid-19, asthma and other illnesses at hospital emergency departments, an epidemiologist with a background in paediatrics says. Teachers are also being struck down, according to Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, who told Saturday Morning more cases of long Covid are cropping up, rendering them unable to work. It comes as health authorities brace for what is thought to be a new, more infectious subvariant of Covid following a surge in detections. Kvalsvig is a member of advocacy group Aotearoa Covid Action, which is currently petitioning to make changes to air quality in schools in an effort to control the spread of Covid-19, which it claims there is no longer a "credible plan" for. "It's as if the infections in schools is like, setting off a train of dominoes that there's this wave right through the community every winter." She said it was as if New Zealand was being tested for how well-prepared it was for the next pandemic, and "every winter we fail that test". "What that means is... [if the next pandemic] gets through our borders without our knowing it, unless we're very lucky, it's going to go straight through the schools. "And we know that because that's what happens every winter with all the other viruses; flu, Covid, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and the rest." It was a situation that needed turning around, Kvalsvig said. "If we make the air in schools safe... every classroom we do that is another building block in our pandemic preparedness." She said people had been burned out by the pandemic, and with "pandemic amnesia" setting in, air filters that were introduced at some schools in 2022 were not always remembered or switched on. "People are just so over it. They don't want to think about it even though in fact Covid is very much still with us and all those other viruses - people can't bring themselves to really think about it and address it." Kvalsvig wanted to "completely turn this situation on its head" and make school "one of the safest places a child can be". "That the air in school classrooms is clean and fresh, it's protecting them from infections, it's helping them to stay alert and learning. It's also protecting them from air pollution, which damages children's lungs and brains." Ventilation was needed to bring fresh air into the classroom and filtration cleaned the air, Kvalsvig said. Other layers of protection included staying home when sick, and using a specific UV light to kill viruses, which would be "as simple as switching a light on". It was not as simple as just opening a window, she said. Kvalsvig told RNZ presenter Susie Ferguson she was surprised New Zealand was not doing more about the issue because a 2022 government study showed teachers were at the top of professions at risk from Covid-19. "I was sorry to see that no action came out of that big study." She said there was a need for a Covid strategy to co-ordinate against it and the illnesses it can trigger. Asked whether it would be safe for under 18-year-olds to have a vaccine booster, Kvalsvig said it was "absolutely clear" in research done on millions of children and young people that it would be beneficial to their health. In the United States this week Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said the country would no longer offer Covid-19 vaccines to children and pregnant women . Meanwhile, Kvalsvig was also the lead researcher of Co-Search, a Covid-19 research collaborative led by Professor Michael Baker, as well as SYMBIOTIC, a programme that aimed to investigate the two-way relationships between infectious disease and long-term conditions. She said there was a social justice element to Covid-19 - marginalised people, those with underlying conditions and also people who had had Covid already were at risk of developing new conditions. "Pandemics tend to cast these very long shadows of ill-health in populations, so long after the emergency phase has passed, that shadow persists." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Kate Garraway's 'shock' amid £800,000 debt battle as she faces £288,000 tax bill after husband Derek Draper's death and care costs
Kate Garraway has been left 'shocked' after her latest financial woes have been revealed amid her debt struggles following her husband Derek Draper's death. The presenter, 58, has openly discussed how she has been left with debts between £500,000 and £800,000 after caring for her late husband. Political lobbyist Derek died at the age of 56 in January 2024 following a four-year battle with long Covid, with Kate paying £16,000 a month on his care. Now, a new liquidator's report has revealed the large tax costs that are yet to be paid by Derek's now-defunct psychotherapeutic company Astra Aspera. The company, which was jointly controlled by Kate, went bust owing hundreds of thousands of pounds to creditors, including a large bill to HMRC. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Filings on Companies House have revealed how Kate has been trying to pay off the debt, with HMRC now submitting a lower revised total in a small boost. HMRC's latest preferential claim stands at £288,054, which is around a third of its previous 2023 submission of £716,822, according to the documents. It is not known why HMRC dropped the payment, and the filing has claimed there are also 'insufficient funds to pay a dividend to secondary preferential creditors'. According to The Sun, Kate has so far paid back £21,000. Addressing the filing, Kate's spokesperson told MailOnline the 'shocked' TV star 'doesn't recognise these figures' and is in contact with HMRC to make sure she 'honours what is required'. Their statement read: 'Kate has met all that the liquidators of Derek's company have asked for and more over the past four years. 'She doesn't recognise these figures and is shocked that it's being presented in this way by them. 'Caring for Derek and supporting her family when Derek could no longer run his own businesses has taken a huge financial toll on her but she's determined to put things right. 'She is in constant contact with HMRC to make sure she honours what's required from Derek's now defunct company.' Derek battled long Covid for four years before his death and Kate has openly discussed the devastating financial toll of funding his care during that period. When Derek wasn't in hospital, he had to be looked after 24/7 at home by his wife and a team of carers. Derek battled long Covid for four years before his death and Kate has openly discussed the devastating financial toll of funding his care during that period. When Derek wasn't in hospital, he had to be looked after 24/7 at home by his wife and a team of carers. In January, Kate explained how she has been left with 'excessive un-payable debt' as she spoke about dealing with the funding of his care. She shared: 'The family and I have been talking about the challenges we faced this time last year, one of the overriding ones, he went back into intensive care before he passed away was dealing with the funding of care. 'At the time of his death, there were two appeals that hadn't been heard for funding. It kept being pushed back and pushed back. 'In the meantime I'm lucky I have an incredible job which is well paid. I was having to fund the situation. 'Now I've got excessive un-payable debt because of it. If I'm in that position what else are people going to be?' In March 2024, the presenter revealed that she had been spending £16,000 a month on care for her late husband. She told Good Morning Britain: 'I am ashamed of the fact I'm in debt. I have an incredible job that I love, that's very well paid. 'I'm not a carer travelling miles, paying their own transport to go and help somebody for minimum wage. 'I'm somebody that is very well paid and so I just feel a shame that I couldn't make it work.'
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Scientists say they might've finally discovered cause of long Covid... and terrifying link to dementia
People struck by debilitating long Covid have unique changes to their brains which makes it harder to think and speak. A new study found they have fewer protective proteins in their brains and higher levels of inflammation, both of which are linked to dementia. Long Covid patients also perform worse in language tests, such as finding the right word or understanding what certain words mean, which can be signs of brain fog. The study suggests, for the first time, that damage to the brain, rather than a ramped up immune system, causes the symptoms of long Covid. Though the study included just 17 people, the researchers plan to use the findings to launch larger-scale studies to find the causes of Long Covid. Dr Michael Lawrence, lead study author and neuropsychologist at Corewell Health in Michigan, said: 'To our knowledge, this is the first controlled study that shows specific self-reported neurocognitive and central nervous systems changes in long COVID patients which validates the symptoms they've been experiencing.' Long Covid is an amorphous condition made up of a constellation of symptoms from brain fog and fatigue to heart inflammation and joint pain. An estimated 17 million Americans have it. Some people may only experience shortness of breath and fatigue, while others may only experience brain fog and difficulty concentrating. Because of this, diagnosing long Covid is challenging. The study, published in the journal PLOS One, looked at 17 patients aged 25 to 60 who were previously infected with Covid at least six months prior. The participants included 10 people diagnosed with Long Covid and seven who healthy controls. All but one patient were female, and the average age was 42. Participants completed interviews about their lingering symptoms, which could have included brain fog, memory issues, fatigue, anxiety or depression. Researchers also performed cognitive tests to evaluate processing speed, language, learning and memory, problem solving, multitasking and concentration. The researchers also drew blood samples from each participant to test elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and inflammation. The experts found Long Covid patients had 33 percent lower levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) in their brains, a protein that helps maintain neurons in the brain and central nervous system. Low NGF levels have been associated with neurocognitive conditions like Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis. Long Covid patients also had 50 percent more interleukin 10, a protein that helps regulate inflammation and immune responses in the body. Though interleukin 10 normally controls inflammation, high levels can have the opposite effect and create more inflammation in the central nervous system. Nine in 10 participants in the Long Covid group had elevated inflammatory markers like interleukin 10 compared to one of out the seven healthy controls. Additionally, Long Covid patients scored 30 percent lower on tests of language processing, suggesting Long Covid triggers inflammation in the brain's language centers. The team also found Long Covid patients were 75 percent more likely than healthy patients to suffer a worsened quality of life overall. They also had a 61 percent increased risk of suffering general pain or discomfort. The findings suggest Long Covid symptoms are caused by increased inflammatory markers in the brain and lower levels of NGF, which would normally protect neurons and reduce inflammation. This increased inflammation may damage parts of the brain responsible for language processing, as well as those that regulate pain and depression. Dr Lawrence said: 'Additional services such as speech therapy, psychotherapy for stress reduction and incorporating medications that target fatigue and mental fogginess could all be elements of creating a successful treatment plan as well.' The team noted while the study is small and has several limitations, including most participants being female and white, they hope to conduct larger studies to confirm the findings. Dr Judith Arnetz, corresponding study author and professor emerita at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, said: 'Although this is a small study and more work needs to be done, from a clinical application standpoint, physicians potentially can identify individuals who are struggling sooner and provide wrap-around care that could be helpful to them.'
Bloomberg
07-05-2025
- Health
- Bloomberg
Trump's $400 Million Columbia Cuts Hit Preemies, Diabetes Care
Newborn care. Reducing maternal mortality. Treatments for long Covid. These are among the slew of research initiatives at Columbia University that lost funding and stopped work after the Trump administration pulled $400 million from the New York school, according to a university official.
