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Brits are urged to stay vigilant as a plague of "monster ticks" have been invading holiday spots across Europe. The blood-sucking creatures are reportedly four times larger than regular ticks and can carry dangerous diseases.'Trustees of the Future'? World Economic Forum members discuss looming threat of "Disease X" (18 Jan 2024)
The large ticks, known as Hyalomma lusitanicum, originate from tropical climates including Africa and southeast Asia. But now it is feared they are making their way across Europe, carried by wild animals including rabbits.
Studies have shown Hyalomma to be particularly rife across Spain, the Balearic Islands and southern Italy. One investigation from 2022 revealed that the ticks were found in almost every part of Barcelona.
Tedros called "Disease X" a "placeholder for the unknown, but it's not a new idea," noting that the terminology was first used "in 2018 [and] the discussions were in 2017."Secret UK lab is making new Covid variants and working on a vaccine for 'Disease X' to "stop next pandemic in its tracks" (07 August 2023)
"Disease X" is included on the WHO's list of "priority diseases" which "pose the greatest public health risk," along with COVID-19, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Nipah and henipaviral diseases, Rift Valley fever and Zika virus.
The vaccine laboratories - housed in dark green buildings - were hastily constructed as part of the emergency response to Covid. But, as the intense demands of the pandemic have waned, the focus has shifted.UK woman diagnosed with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (Mar 2022)
The new vaccine research centre is concentrating on three types of threat:The aim is to work with the pharmaceutical industry, scientists and doctors to support all stages of vaccine development.
- known infections that are getting harder to deal with, such as antibiotic-resistant superbugs
- potential threats that might cause a problem, including bird flu and new Covid variants
- and 'Disease X' - something unforeseen, like Covid, which takes the world by complete surprise
Porton Down scientists are working on the first vaccine against Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, which is spread by ticks and kills about a third of those infected. The disease is found in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and in Asia - and could spread further with climate change.
At the other end of the process, vaccine effectiveness is evaluated. It was scientists here who spotted that the Omicron variant could bypass some of the protection afforded by Covid vaccines.
And they are still monitoring new Covid variants by growing them in the laboratory, exposing them to antibodies taken from blood samples and seeing if new variants are still able to infect.
A case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever has been identified in England, health officials have revealed.The ticks that spread the disease appeared in south-eastern France about ten years ago, but on Corsica even longer. The advisory from the French Ministry of Health recommends if translated:
The risk to the public is very low, the UK Health Security Agency said today - after the case was diagnosed in a woman who had travelled to Central Asia.
The illness is a viral disease that's usually transmitted by ticks and livestock.
It's usually found in countries where the disease is in an endemic state and the virus is endemic in all of Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and in Asia.
How to protect yourself from it?
The main way to protect yourself against CCHF is to avoid tick bites by adopting individual protection measures, in spring and summer, in places where the tick is living (dry areas of scrubland and scrubland, pastures, hiking trails, fields, crops, orchards, vineyards, etc.):
Wear clothing covering the legs and arms, preferably light colored to better see the tick;
Wear closed shoes;
Regularly inspect your body and that of children;
Have a tick remover or fine tweezers to remove the tick quickly in the event of a bite.
Since skin repellents have limited effectiveness, their use should not replace the preventive measures cited above.
What to do if you get bitten?
If you are bitten by a tick and after removing it (with a tick remover or fine tweezers) and disinfecting the bite site, photograph the tick if you can.
Within 14 days after the bite and if you suddenly experience one of the symptoms mentioned above, consult a doctor, indicating that you have been bitten by a tick and showing him the photo.
"We're seeing a lot of people getting medicinal cannabis who end up with their first psychotic episode, or we're seeing it dispensed to people who have psychotic conditions, and these people are relapsing. Part of the issue ... are these single-issue clinics which, if you ring up, it doesn't matter what you say you want. They'll provide it for you even though there is probably no indication that it will work, and the prescribers never contact the person's treating doctor.
"You find out two or three months down the track that one of your patients has been on medicinal cannabis — not prescribed by you but by some other prescriber — usually a doctor who hasn't had the professional courtesy of contacting you and letting you know."
A large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s. They are ingredients in various everyday products. For example, PFAS are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective.
- Exposure to PFAS may delay the onset of puberty in girls. This study is the first longitudinal research to include the role hormones play in the puberty delay. This delay can lead to negative long-term health outcomes, including a higher incidence of breast cancer, renal disease, and thyroid disease.
- Exposure to PFAS in adolescents was linked to a decrease in bone mineral density over time. Lower bone mineral density can lead to osteoporosis and other bone diseases. This study adds to previous research mostly focused on older populations that has linked PFAS to reduced bone mineral density.
- A long-term study showed a link between PFAS exposure and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in women.
- Studies show folate may reduce PFAS accumulation in the body, which may protect against adverse birth outcomes and boost immune health.
- A high-fiber diet may decrease metabolic disease risks associated with exposure to PFOS, a type of PFAS. Although PFOS use has been phased out, it can still be found in drinking water, groundwater, soil, and air.
- Exposure to certain PFAS may be associated with increased risk of thyroid cancer.
- A large-scale study on exposure to PFAS in humans and rodents showed consistent evidence of liver damage. PFAS are known to accumulate in body tissues such as in the liver. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a fast-growing epidemic in the U.S. that cannot be fully explained by commonly understood risk factors such as sedentary lifestyle, genetics, and diet. This situation led researchers to investigate environmental exposures, such as PFAS, and liver disease.
Comment: Who let the little gnome and his minions out of their test-tube-filled caves?