New Zealand’s health minister resigns after virus blunders
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, July 2: New Zealand’s health minister resigned Thursday following a series of personal blunders during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sep 14: India’s southern Kerala state has shut down schools and offices and declared containment zones in parts of the state amid the risk of an outbreak of the Nipah virus following the death of two people from the rare and deadly brain-damaging viral disease.
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Chinese health officials defended their search for the source of the COVID-19 virus and lashed out Saturday at the World Health Organization after its leader said Beijing should have shared genetic information earlier.
Chinese health officials defended their search for the source of the COVID-19 virus and lashed out Saturday at the World Health Organization after its leader said Beijing should have shared genetic information earlier.
Chinese health officials defended their search for the source of the COVID-19 virus and lashed out Saturday at the World Health Organization after its leader said Beijing should have shared genetic information earlier.
Monkeypox can be contained in countries outside of Africa where the virus is not usually detected, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
MAY 24: More than 100 cases of the virus - which causes a rash and a fever - have been confirmed in Europe, the Americas and Australia.
That number is expected to rise still, but experts say the overall risk to the broader population is very low.
The virus is most common in remote parts of Central and West Africa.
"This is a containable situation," the WHO's emerging disease lead Maria Van Kerkhove said at a news conference on Monday.
"We want to stop human-to-human transmission. We can do this in the non-endemic countries," she added - referring to recent cases in Europe and North America.
The virus has now been detected in 16 countries outside Africa.
Despite being the largest outbreak outside of Africa in 50 years, monkeypox does not spread easily between people and experts say the threat is not comparable to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Transmission is really happening from skin-to-skin contact, most of the people who have been identified have more of a mild disease," Ms Van Kerkhove said.
Another WHO official added that there was no evidence the monkeypox virus had mutated, following earlier speculation over the cause of the current outbreak.
Viruses in this group "tend not to mutate and they tend to be fairly stable", said Rosamund Lewis, who heads the WHO's smallpox secretariat.
Meanwhile, a top EU health official has warned that some groups of people may be more at risk than others.
"For the broader population, the likelihood of spread is very low," said Dr Andrea Ammon of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
"However the likelihood of further spread of the virus through close contact for example during sexual activities amongst persons with multiple sexual partners is considered to be high".
Monkeypox has not previously been described as a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by direct contact during sex.
Dr Ammon suggested that countries should review the availability of the smallpox vaccine which is also effective against monkeypox.
In the UK, which has now recorded 57 cases, authorities are advising anyone who has had close contact with a confirmed case to isolate for 21 days.
A person is considered at high risk of having caught the infection if they have had household or sexual contact with someone with monkeypox, or have changed the bedding of an infected person without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).
Symptoms, which include a high temperature, aches, and a rash of raised spots that later turn into blisters, are typically mild and for most people clear up within two to four weeks.
MANANG, September 29: The Manang district administration has allowed entrance of foreign tourists to the district amid COVID-19. But it has imposed the health protocol compliance for them—they must have a COVID-19 test report, hotel bookings and fully vaccinated against the virus, said Chief District Officer Bishnu Lamichhane, adding that health safety would be increased.
"The infection has not been controlled fully. Only infection rate is decreasing. Health protocols should be followed while reviving tourism amid the infection," he said.
The decision in this regard was taken by the meetings of the district COVID-19 crisis management committee and the district administration office, he said.
Beforehand, one visiting the district needs to take permission from the district administration.
Those entering the district should be tested for the infection. In case of COVID-19 position, one needs to stay in isolation. Peak season for tourism is from September to November in general.
Some 2 million French workers in restaurants and other service jobs must now show a health pass to go to work, as part of government virus-fighting efforts.
GALKOT, May 13: A 65-year-old COVID-19 patient of Baglung Municipality-1 was in home isolation after he tested positive for the virus. Also a diabetes and high-blood pressure patient, he was too scared in the early days after the infection.
However, given the health care and psycho-social counseling services at his home for free, he not only easily defeated the virus but also received more excitements and energy. He is now fully recovered.
At present, six other infected persons in Baglung bazaar have been receiving free health care and counseling services at their homes from the volunteer nurses.
Nitu Khadka of Baglung Municipality-1, a health worker who is active in health care and social activities for long, has been providing treatment and counseling services to the COVID-19 patients.
Khadka said that she has been providing free health care to the infected ones by realizing the social responsibility after the surge in the number of infected patients after the second wave of coronavirus,
“As a health worker, I started a campaign in Facebook since May 4 planning to extend services. I have been receiving phone calls then. Now, I am treating them by visiting their doorsteps. Three of the infected defeated the virus and three others are in home isolation,” she added.
She even provides counseling services to the patients on phone calls if she could not visit the places.
As a prohibitory order is enforced in Baglung since May 4, most of the patients in the district are in home isolation.
Khadka claims that her initiative is to encourage the patients by providing them basic medical supplies and counseling to defeat the virus.
She is also providing counseling services to a patient in Bhaktapur.
In such a time, counseling is equally important besides medical treatment, she shared.
As she launched her initiative through Facebook, she has also received PPE and other health materials to treat the patients.
Khadka, also a senior nurse, is the chairperson of Wellness Group Nepal and is involved in Rotaract Club of Baglung and other social organisations.
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