Latest news with #tuberculosis
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong student with TB forced into medical isolation after declining treatment
Hong Kong health authorities have issued an isolation order for an 18-year-old student diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and arranged screening for his teachers and classmates after he was discharged from hospital against medical advice earlier. Advertisement The Centre for Health Protection said on Friday it had been following up on the case of male secondary school student who was admitted to hospital on May 14 due to shortness of breath, persistent cough, blood in his sputum, fever and weight loss. He was confirmed to have TB. Authorities said the patient, who had not received the Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine as recommended by the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, was discharged against medical advice on May 25. He was referred to the Chest Clinic for follow-up as he needed to continue directly observed treatment, but he received insufficient treatment and did not attend the other appointments as scheduled. Despite repeated reminders from clinic medical staff, he finally received a short course of anti-TB treatment. Undergoing only brief treatment can worsen the infection and increase the risk of transmission, posing a public health threat, according to authorities. Treating the contagious disease usually takes at least six months, according to the Department of Health. Advertisement 'Given the above, the [centre] issued an isolation order today [Friday] and the patient was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital for isolation and treatment,' it said.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Champions League club announce recovery of Arsenal cult hero, 36, from tuberculosis – then release him in same statement
PSV Eindhoven striker Lucas Perez is "recovering well" from tuberculosis after being diagnosed in March. The 36-year-old has been fighting the illness for the last two months, having contracted it just weeks after joining PSV on a short-term deal. 2 2 Following his diagnosis, GGD Brabant-Zuidoost - the public health department in Eindhoven - monitored the situation to ensure that no other player was infected. But a club statement from PSV has now confirmed that Perez was the only star affected. The Dutch side also revealed that he is now out of quarantine. Perez is "recovering well" and will now fly back to Spain to continue his rehabilitation. The former Arsenal man said: "I am healthy again, I am working very hard to be in top shape next season and I am very happy to be back." Despite his recovery, Perez will not continue with PSV due to his contract expiring. That means he is set to become a free agent next month. The striker made just three appearances for PSV after joining at the end of February. His Eredivise campaign was abruptly cut short as a result of his illness. Before joining PSV, Perez enjoyed a fourth spell with Deportivo La Coruna. Lucas Perez signs for Arsenal He terminated his contract in January for "personal reasons" after requesting to leave. The striker has also played for the likes of Rayo Vallecano, Karpaty Lviv, PAOK, Alaves, Elche and Cadiz. He spent a short time at Arsenal from 2016 to 2018 after joining from Deportivo in a £17.1million deal and made 21 appearances. A one-year stint at West Ham then followed. The tuberculosis symptoms to watch out for TB is a potentially serious condition, but it can be cured if it's treated with the right antibiotics. It normally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, including the bones, brain, lymph glands, kidneys, spine, skin, and stomach. If you have TB in your lungs, the most common symptoms are: A persistent cough that lasts more than three weeks and usually brings up phlegm, which may be bloody Breathlessness that gradually gets worse Lack of appetite and weight loss A high temperature Night sweats If you have TB in other parts of your body, you may have symptoms such as: Swollen glands Body ache Swollen joints Tummy ache Dark pee Headaches Being sick Feeling confused A stiff neck A rash Source: Asthma and Lung UK
RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Solomon Islands joins WHO Executive Board
Dr Paul Bosawai, the Solomon Islands' designated official to the executive board of the World Health Assembly, standing with Regional Director of the Western Pacific Regional Office Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Permanent Secretary of Health, Pauline McNeil. Photo: Ministry of Health & Medical Services Solomon Islands - Facebook Solomon Islands has become an official member of the executive board of the World Health Organisation (WHO). At the WHO's general committee meeting last week, the list of the 12 new member countries was drawn up and transmitted to the Health Assembly for its official adoption and approval. Solomon Islands was nominated as a board member representing the Western Pacific Regional Office at a meeting last year. Health Minister Dr Paul Bosawai and his Permanent Secretary Pauline McNeil will attend their first executive board meeting this week, following the closure of the 78th World Health Assembly meeting on 27 May in Geneva, Switzerland. In Geneva, Dr Bosawai spoke at a side event called "Tuberculosis in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings: A Call to Action." He highlighted the challenges faced by Solomon Islands, including climate vulnerability, socio-economic fragility, and the rising threat of TB-HIV co-infection. "We just cannot afford another public health emergency like TB," he said. "Our children and our beautiful island nations must not be left behind in global conversations. We owe it to them to act now." Another side event for the Solomon Islands delegation was the GAVI (The Vaccine Alliance) South East Asia Regional Office and Western Pacific Regional Office Constituency meeting. Permanent Secretary McNeil acknowledged the event chair, Indonesia health minister Budi Gunadi, for representing the region's priorities and for the role he played in advocating for Solomon Islands to be granted a four-year extension of GAVI support, which was approved in December 2024. The World Health Assembly executive board comprises 34 members technically qualified in the field of health. The board plays a central role in shaping global health governance and also reviews the work of the WHO, oversees the implementation of health strategies, and manages the organisation's budget. The main meetings are held in January of each year, at which the agenda for the forthcoming Health Assembly is agreed upon and resolutions for forwarding to the Health Assembly are adopted. There is a second shorter meeting in May, immediately after the annual World Health Assembly, for more administrative matters. Eleven other new members have also been added - Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Haiti, Japan, Nepal, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Spain.
Malay Mail
22-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Jumbo task: Pakistan team hides 400 pills a day in fruit, sweets to save sick elephants
KARACHI, May 22 — A team of doctors and vets in Pakistan has developed a novel treatment for a pair of elephants suffering from tuberculosis that involves feeding them at least 400 pills a day. The jumbo effort by staff at the Karachi Safari Park involves administering the tablets — the same as those used to treat TB in humans — hidden inside food ranging from apples and bananas, to Pakistani sweets. The amount of medication is adjusted to account for the weight of the 4,000-kilogram elephants. But it has taken Madhubala and Malika several weeks to settle into the treatment after spitting out the first few doses they tasted of the bitter medicine, and crankily charging their keepers. 'Giving treatment for TB to elephants is always challenging. Each day we use different methods,' said Buddhika Bandara, a veterinary surgeon from Sri Lanka who flew in to oversee the treatment. 'The animals showed some stress in the beginning, but gradually they adapted to the procedure,' said Bandara, who has helped more than a dozen elephants recover from the illness in Sri Lanka. Mahout Ali Baloch wakes early daily to stew rice and lentils, mixed with plenty of sugar cane molasses, and rolls the concoction into dozens of balls pierced with the tablets. 'I know the pills are bitter,' the 22-year-old said, watching the elephants splashing under a hose to keep cool. From humans to elephants Four African elephants — captured very young in the wild in Tanzania — arrived in Karachi in 2009. Noor Jehan died in 2023 at the age of 17, and another, Sonia, followed at the end of 2024. An autopsy showed she had contracted tuberculosis, which is endemic in Pakistan. Tests carried out on Madhubala and Malika also came back positive, and the city council — which owns the safari park — assembled a team to care for the pachyderms. Bandara said it is not uncommon for elephants to contract the contagious illness from humans, but that Sonia — and now Madhubala and Malika — had shown no symptoms. 'It was surprising for me that elephants have TB,' said Naseem Salahuddin, head of the Infectious Disease Department at the Indus Hospital and Health Network, who was enrolled to monitor staff. 'This is an interesting case for me and my students — everyone wants to know about the procedure and its progress,' she told AFP. The team of four mahouts wear face masks and scrubs when feeding the elephants to avoid contracting a disease that infects more than 500,000 humans a year. Karachi Safari Park has long been criticised for the mistreatment of captive animals — including an elephant evacuated after a campaign by American singer Cher — but is hopeful its last two elephants will overcome the illness with a year-long treatment plan. Four African elephants — captured very young in the wild in Tanzania — arrived in Karachi in 2009. Noor Jehan died in 2023 at the age of 17, and another, Sonia, followed at the end of 2024. An autopsy showed she had contracted tuberculosis, which is endemic in Pakistan. Tests carried out on Madhubala and Malika also came back positive, and the city council — which owns the safari park — assembled a team to care for the pachyderms. Bandara said it is not uncommon for elephants to contract the contagious illness from humans, but that Sonia — and now Madhubala and Malika — had shown no symptoms. 'It was surprising for me that elephants have TB,' said Naseem Salahuddin, head of the Infectious Disease Department at the Indus Hospital and Health Network, who was enrolled to monitor staff. 'This is an interesting case for me and my students — everyone wants to know about the procedure and its progress,' she told AFP. The team of four mahouts wear face masks and scrubs when feeding the elephants to avoid contracting a disease that infects more than 500,000 humans a year. Karachi Safari Park has long been criticised for the mistreatment of captive animals — including an elephant evacuated after a campaign by American singer Cher — but is hopeful its last two elephants will overcome the illness with a year-long treatment plan. — AFP
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Outbreak fears as world's deadliest disease hits New York high school sparking panic among parents
Panic has erupted at a New York high school after more than a hundred students and staff were tested for the world's deadliest disease. A student infected with tuberculosis attended Sachem East High School in Suffolk County, Long Island, earlier this month. More than 116 students and seven teachers are now being asked to get tested for the disease to ensure that they are not also infected, with results expected later today. Principal Lou Antonetti alerted parents to the potential outbreak in a letter urging them to get their children tested. One mother at the school raised concerns to local media, saying that she felt more needed to be done to protect students and staff from the disease. The World Health Organization considers tuberculosis to be the most deadly disease in the world because it kills the most people, claiming about 1.25million lives every year — mostly in developing countries. The infection was considered to be a death sentence in the 18th and 19th centuries when there was no cure, although it can now be treated with antibiotics — and also vaccinated against. Most tuberculosis cases in the US are imported or due to migration into the country, the CDC says, with the vast majority of cases reported nationally diagnosed in people who were not born in the country. Tuberculosis is highly infectious, spread via droplets released in coughs and sneezes that hang in the air for hours after an infectious patient passes. In some cases, the disease can lie dormant in the body for years, but in others it triggers a quick infection that attacks the lungs. Symptoms begin as a cough that lasts for three weeks or more and coughing up blood before progressing in untreated cases to respiratory failure, or being unable to breathe, and death. Writing to parents of children who may have been exposed to the disease on May 16, Principal Antonetti wrote: 'We are contacting you because we have reason to believe that you had contact with this individual during the time (s)he was infectious.' Tests were carried out free-of-charge at the school on Monday, May 19, with doctors using a skin test — where a clear fluid is injected under the skin and doctors wait for hard, raised bumps to appear, which shows someone has the disease. More tests will be carried out two months later in July, covering the two-month incubation period the disease has before an infected person shows symptoms. Health officials are carrying out contact tracing to establish who had spent long periods near the infected student, which would put them at higher risk of infection. Janie Gallo, a Farmingville resident and parent at the school, blasted the authorities, telling local station news12: 'What's being done to ensure the safety of the kids when we, as parents or guardians, send them to school?!' Another resident, Anton Kovary, said: 'I've had TB before, so you can fight it. You can overcome any kind of disease that you have.' A third, called Lisa Russo, added: 'It's only one student anyway that had it, and everybody is being tested, so I'm not worried about it.' Suffolk county, which covers most of Long Island and is where the school is based, is wealthy — with the average resident earning $128,000 per year on average. Data for Sachem East High School for 2022 and 2023 shows, however, that about 32 percent of children attending the school — or 663 individuals — are considered to be economically disadvantaged. About six percent of attendees, or 119 students, are also considered to be English language learners — meaning they speak a language other than English at home and require support to learn the language. In an active tuberculosis case, symptoms begin as a bad cough that lasts for three weeks, pain in the chest and coughing up blood. In serious cases, the disease causes extensive damage to the lungs — leading to trouble breathing and, eventually, death. Tuberculosis can now be effectively treated with antibiotics, and there is also a vaccine available — called the BCG vaccine. This is not routinely offered in the US, because the disease is not common, the vaccine is less effective in adults and it can lead to false-positive test results. But parents do have the option to vaccinate their children. In developing countries, it is given to young children, but may also be administered to children under the age of 16 years. It is famous for typically leaving a small and circular scar on the arm, which is a normal response to the vaccine and a sign that it was effective. There were 10,347 tuberculosis cases detected in the US in 2024, of which about one in ten — or 1,089 infections — were recorded in New York state. Despite its high prices, New York City continues to be the most-visited large city in the US welcoming 64.3million travelers in 2024 alone. Experts say this international travel raises the risk of people bringing diseases, such as tuberculosis, from other countries into the US. At least two people died from tuberculosis in the US last year amid an outbreak in Kansas City, which became the largest in the country since the 1950s.
