All posts tagged: spread

Striking photo essay examines deadly spread of dengue fever in Nepal

Striking photo essay examines deadly spread of dengue fever in Nepal

Published by skeptic

Researchers have found Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes and their larvae in Chandannath, Nepal, a high-altitude area Yuri Segalerba These striking photographs tell a deadly story about climate change and dengue fever, generally considered the world’s fastest-spreading mosquito-borne disease. Photographer Yuri Segalerba’s photo essay The Ascent of Temperatures explores how dengue has spread to Nepal’s Himalayan districts, including Chandannath, which, at 2438 metres above sea level, is one of the highest towns where Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes and their larvae have been discovered. Previously, these mosquitoes, which transmit dengue and other diseases, had been observed only at elevations of up to 2100 metres, according to the photographer. Segalerba has been exploring “how traditional knowledge systems respond to external pressures”, and was investigating the spread of dengue into high-altitude areas in the Peruvian Andes when he learned of what was happening in Nepal. “It turned out to be the clearest setting for that question: a millennia-old medical tradition with its own framework for understanding illness, suddenly facing a disease it had never encountered …

New genetic test predicts lung cancer spread before surgery

New genetic test predicts lung cancer spread before surgery

Published by Jenni Sidey

A quiet signal inside a tumor may soon guide how surgeons treat early lung cancer. Researchers now report that hidden genetic patterns can reveal whether a tumor has already begun to spread through blood vessels, even before surgery begins. That discovery could change how doctors approach lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer in the United States. It may also help answer a painful question that many patients face after surgery: will the cancer come back? A Hidden Threat Inside Early Tumors Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death. It kills more people in the United States than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined. Even when doctors detect it early, outcomes can vary widely. Study overview and distinct gene expression changes associated with VI in stage I LUAD. (CREDIT: Nature Communications) Some tumors behave quietly and never return after removal. Others come back months or years later, often more aggressive than before. One of the strongest warning signs is vascular invasion. Vascular invasion occurs when cancer cells break into nearby blood …

Urgent travel warning issued for Easter over spread of ‘nasty disease’ | UK | News

Urgent travel warning issued for Easter over spread of ‘nasty disease’ | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Travellers heading overseas during the Easter break and spring travel period have been urged to take precautions against mosquito-borne infections. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned that while cases of dengue fever have fallen, chikungunya cases in England are at their highest point for more than a decade. Malaria cases in returning travellers also remain at a high level. Symptoms of chikungunya infection include a sudden onset of fever, usually accompanied by joint pain. While most people recover fully within one to two weeks, joint pain can persist for months or even years. In rare cases, the disease can be fatal, with the very young, older adults and those with other underlying illnesses at greatest risk. Dr Philip Veal, consultant in public health at UKHSA, said: “For some people chikungunya can be a prolonged and nasty disease and we continue to see cases in travellers returning to the UK, particularly from parts of Asia and the Indian Ocean region. “While this mosquito-borne infection is rarely fatal, it can cause severe joint and muscle pain, …

Meningitis could spread outside Kent in ‘most likely’ scenario, says health official | UK News

Meningitis could spread outside Kent in ‘most likely’ scenario, says health official | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Students in Kent could “incubate” meningitis and spread it to other parts of the UK, a health official has speculated as his “most likely” scenario. The number of cases in the county’s outbreak rose on Friday from 27 to 29, with 18 defined as confirmed and another 11 probable, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The cases include two students who have died. Meningitis outbreak latest: Health officials reveal ‘worst case scenario’ So far, all the meningitis cases have links to Kent after a so-called “superspreading event” at the Club Chemistry nightclub in Canterbury. Image: Students receiving vaccines and antibiotics from medical staff at the University of Kent. Pic: PA As health chiefs battle to contain the bacterial outbreak, Kent County Council’s director of public health Dr Anjan Ghosh has speculated on three “rough” scenarios over the next four weeks. At a briefing on Friday, he said one theory is that cases remain contained in Kent. A second scenario, which he described as the “most likely”, would involve people travelling off campus outside …

U.S. embassies ordered to ‘immediately’ review security as attacks spread

U.S. embassies ordered to ‘immediately’ review security as attacks spread

Published by Sam Flores

The State Department is ordering all U.S. embassies and consular posts worldwide to conduct security reviews without delay, according to a cable seen by NBC News. The order, which came from Undersecretary of Management Jason Evans and was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, told the embassies Tuesday to undertake the security reviews “immediately,” citing “the ongoing and developing situation in the Middle East and the potential for spill-over effects.” The cable instructed all posts to report their security practices to Washington as soon as possible and to notify U.S. citizens “where appropriate,” citing the department’s “No Double Standard Policy,” which says important security information must be made available to private citizens. The order was first reported by The Washington Post. A spokesperson said that the State Department does not comment on internal communications and that it has “continually conducted” what are known as Emergency Action Committees, which are tasked with “preparing for and responding to” potential security risks that could affect U.S. citizens. “Every embassy in the region conducted Emergency Action Committees (EACs) …

Meningitis outbreak being treated as national incident – as health secretary warns spread is ‘unprecedented’ | UK News

Meningitis outbreak being treated as national incident – as health secretary warns spread is ‘unprecedented’ | UK News

Published by skeptic

An outbreak of meningitis is being treated as a national incident after the deaths of a sixth-form pupil and a university student. Thousands of students in Kent are being urged to get vaccines and take antibiotics as health officials deal with the “unprecedented” and “explosive” outbreak. Some 15 cases have been reported to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) so far. All required hospital admission. The number of cases is expected to rise because the incubation period from infection to when symptoms appear is two to 14 days. Image: Students queue for antibiotics at the University of Kent in Canterbury. Pic: PA Around 5,000 students in university halls in Kent will be offered the meningitis B (menB) vaccine in the coming days, while four schools across the county have confirmed cases and hundreds of people are being offered antibiotics. Experts said many of those affected had attended Club Chemistry in Canterbury between 5-7 March. UKHSA chief executive Susan Hopkins said the outbreak “looks like a super-spreader” event with “ongoing spread” through universities’ halls of residence. …

Trump Accuses Iran of Using AI to Spread Disinformation

Trump Accuses Iran of Using AI to Spread Disinformation

Published by Sam Flores

SAN FRANCISCO, March 15 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald ⁠Trump ⁠on Sunday accused Iran of ⁠using artificial intelligence as a “disinformation weapon” to misrepresent its wartime successes and ​support. “AI can be very dangerous, we have to be very careful with it,” Trump said to reporters ‌on Air Force One shortly after ‌he made a post on his Truth Social platform where he accused Western media outlets ⁠without evidence ⁠of “close coordination” with Iran to spread AI-generated “fake news.” The comments come amid renewed ​tensions between the Federal Communications Commission and broadcasters after Trump took aim at media coverage of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Saturday threatened to pull licenses of broadcasters ​who did not “correct course” on their coverage. Trump has frequently accused news media outlets of lying ⁠when they ⁠run stories that he ⁠sees as critical ​of him, and he has previously called for removing the licenses of broadcast outlets he ​views as unfair. Between the social ⁠media post and his comments to journalists, Trump on …