All posts tagged: illnesses

How can I protect myself from illnesses on a cruise?

How can I protect myself from illnesses on a cruise?

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore As news of the outbreak of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship continues to make headlines, many travellers may understandably feel anxious about their health ahead of an upcoming holiday. According to Government guidance, hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents such as mice and rats, transmitted by their droppings and urine. However, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has stressed that the overall risk to the public remains very low. In a recent statement, Dr Meera Chand, deputy director for Epidemic and Emerging Infections at UKHSA, said: “Our thoughts are with all those affected by the hantavirus outbreak onboard the MV Hondius. “It’s important to reassure people that the risk to the general public remains very low. We are standing up arrangements to support, isolate and monitor British nationals from the ship on their return to the …

The four common illnesses on cruise ships that experts want you to know about

The four common illnesses on cruise ships that experts want you to know about

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore A deadly outbreak of suspected hantavirus on a Dutch cruise ship off the coast of West Africa this month has raised concerns about disease spread during the summer travel season. Three passengers have died and three others are receiving medical care – although health officials have only confirmed three hantavirus cases so far, according to shipowner Oceanwide Expeditions. The ship, known as the MV Hondius, has 17 Americans on board, including Boston travel blogger Jake Rosmarin. While taking a cruise is generally safe, experts say this case shows again just how easy it is for passengers to spread disease-carrying germs – especially on larger cruises containing thousands of passengers. “They are essentially dense, semi-closed ecosystems where thousands of people share space, food, air and surfaces over multiple days,” virologist Raymond Alvarez told The New York Post. And hantavirus isn’t the most …

Tick season seems to be off to a fast start, and some experts worry about future illnesses

Tick season seems to be off to a fast start, and some experts worry about future illnesses

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK — Tick season seems to be off to a fast start, with an unusually high number of bites already reported across the country. Some U.S. doctors are worried this could be a bad year for tick-borne diseases. “If you have a lot of exposures, there will probably be more cases of tick-related infections,” said Dr. Alina Filozov, an infectious-disease doctor at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, Conn. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an early advisory to the public last week to guard against ticks. Tick bites typically spike in May, but “the data are telling us now is the time to take action,” said Alison Hinckley, a CDC Lyme disease expert. “Ticks are out and people are getting bitten.” Emergency room visits for tick bites are running high Current data are very limited, but the early signs are not good. The CDC’s tracking system shows that weekly rates of emergency visits for tick bites are the highest for this time of year since 2017. That’s true in all regions of the country except …

Dr TikTok: patients diagnose chronic illnesses with anonymous commenters’ help | Technology

Dr TikTok: patients diagnose chronic illnesses with anonymous commenters’ help | Technology

Published by Sam Flores

Malina Lee, a 31-year-old wedding baker based in San Antonio, Texas, joined TikTok during the Covid pandemic lockdowns in 2020. Like many people at the time, she was bored and began using the platform to pass the time and advertise her business. She didn’t expect a cancer diagnosis. Four years after Lee joined the app, a commenter with the username “PickleFart” told her that her neck looked asymmetrical in a way that could suggest she had a goiter – an enlarged thyroid gland – and that she should get it checked out. The anonymous amateur clinician turned out to be right – Lee had thyroid cancer, received treatment quickly, and, less than a year later, was cancer free. “My oncologist actually was in awe that I had caught it so early,” Lee said. “I hate to say it, but I would not have gone to the doctor unless I had seen that comment. The process was accelerated by someone called PickleFart, what can I say?” TikTok users are increasingly reporting that the app’s hyper-specific algorithm …

Toddlers Catch Up To 19 Illnesses In First Year At Nursery – Study

Toddlers Catch Up To 19 Illnesses In First Year At Nursery – Study

Published by Sam Flores

Toddlers who start nursery for the first time can expect to catch up to 19 – yes, 19 – illnesses during that first year, a new study has found. So if it feels like you’re spending a lot of time at home with them, unable to work, you’re certainly not alone. While it’s possible for kids to still attend nursery with some illnesses (like coughs and colds), the research found children would typically have about 13 days off due to sickness. Researchers from UCL, the University of Cambridge, Cornell University and North Middlesex University Hospital, were struck by how often their own children became ill after starting nursery. So, they set about investigating how often a child starting nursery will get sick in their first year of attendance and what, if anything, can be done about it. Which illnesses do toddlers catch at nursery? The authors said a typical one-year-old starting nursery will experience: Around 12-15 respiratory infections (which explains the almost year-round cough and snotty nose) Two gastrointestinal illnesses (diarrhoea and vomiting), And one …

Your toddler is likely to get 12 or more illnesses in their first year at nursery – but they’ll build immunity, too

Your toddler is likely to get 12 or more illnesses in their first year at nursery – but they’ll build immunity, too

Published by skeptic

There’s no nice way to put it: small children are snotty. A research study that tested children for multiple respiratory viruses every week for a year found that under-fives are carrying one or more viruses 50% of the time. A child aged 15 months will have 12-15 colds per year and eight or nine of those will show symptoms, such as a runny nose. If parents feel their small children are sick with a cold half the time, that’s backed up by evidence. Our new study brings together information from different sources to understand how the immune systems of small children differ from adults, why children pass germs around so effectively and what parents can do to help. Babies and toddlers are encountering a whole host of infectious diseases for the first time, which makes them more likely to have symptoms; this can make them more likely to pass these bugs on to others. We also found that going to nursery often accelerates a natural process of building up immunity that would otherwise take place …

From coughs to chickenpox: the common nursery illnesses every parent should know

From coughs to chickenpox: the common nursery illnesses every parent should know

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Parents sending their children to nursery for the first time can expect a challenging year of illness, but new research offers a reassuring perspective: this early exposure builds crucial resilience for school. A collaborative study by experts from UCL, the University of Cambridge, Cornell University, and North Middlesex University Hospital, which analysed immunology, infectious disease genomics, and epidemiology data, indicates that toddlers and pre-schoolers are likely to encounter 15 illnesses in their initial year of formal childcare. The research suggests that during this period, children can anticipate an average of 12 respiratory illnesses, such as coughs and colds, two episodes of diarrhoea or vomiting, and at least one illness presenting with a rash. Dr Arindam Das, a Doctify-rated consultant paediatrician, confirms that frequent illness is a normal part of early childhood development. “It’s very normal, especially in the first year of …

Deadly cat coronavirus helps guide research into long COVID and other illnesses in humans

Deadly cat coronavirus helps guide research into long COVID and other illnesses in humans

Published by Jenni Sidey

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have traced a deadly cat coronavirus in a way that changes what you think you know about immune infections. Their work shows that feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, spreads through far more immune cells than scientists long assumed. The findings may also help guide research into long COVID and other lasting inflammatory illnesses in people. FIP starts with a common feline coronavirus. Most cats never get seriously ill from that virus. In some cats, though, the virus changes inside the body and turns dangerous. The result is FIP, a disease that is almost always fatal if left untreated. It can trigger intense inflammation, damage multiple organs, and bring symptoms that linger or come back. The UC Davis team focused on where this virus hides and grows. They examined lymph nodes from cats with naturally occurring FIP. Lymph nodes act like immune command centers. White blood cells gather there, share signals, and plan attacks on infections. If a virus spreads through these hubs, it can throw the whole defense …

Family of woman who died after Cape Verde holiday issue warning – as spike in illnesses revealed | UK News

Family of woman who died after Cape Verde holiday issue warning – as spike in illnesses revealed | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

The family of a British woman who died after a holiday in Cape Verde have urged travellers to take hygiene warnings seriously as UK health authorities examine a spike in serious illnesses. Four British tourists died between October and December last year after falling ill, having visited the popular winter sun destination off the coast of West Africa. Karen Pooley, 64, from Gloucestershire, was taken ill during a two-week break in Cape Verde last October. Image: Karen Pooley pictured with her brother, Keith. Pic: Family During her illness, she slipped in her hotel room and broke her leg. After four days in a clinic she was flown to Tenerife for further treatment, where she died the following day. Her sister-in-law, Kim Price, told Sky News Karen “lived the last few days on this Earth in agony”. She added: “We are heartbroken. We still can’t get over it. I am angry and I want to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.” Karen’s older brother, Keith, said: “One person [dying] is too many, if it …