‘Mysterious’ disease alarm: Some 300 hospitalized, 1 dead in India as medics fail to identify cause of patients’ suffering

At least one person has died and hundreds more have been hospitalized due to an unknown illness that has emerged in Eluru, India. Medical authorities are scrambling to identify what is causing the health problems.

Residents of the city, which is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, have been rushed to hospital after suffering from dizziness, headaches, vomiting, and epilepsy-like symptoms. Around 300 people have been treated for the unexplained illness in total, with more than 140 patients being discharged after receiving medical care, according to NDTV, citing health officials.

Most people seem to recover from the bizarre sickness, but one patient, a 45-year-old man, died after being admitted to the hospital with symptoms of nausea and epilepsy.

Authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the unexplained illness. CT scans have not revealed anything unusual in the patients, and cerebral spinal fluid tests also came back normal. The afflicted individuals have all tested negative for Covid-19. Blood, water, and food samples have been collected and sent to a forensics laboratory, local media reported, and health officials are awaiting the results of screenings carried out to detect E. coli bacteria.

A special team of doctors has been dispatched to the city as officials conduct a house-to-house survey in an attempt to identify potential patients, as well as find clues that could reveal the source of the illness.

According to media reports, some of the patients said they had experienced convulsions and lost consciousness after drinking tap water. Water contamination was identified as the culprit behind the string of hospitalizations, but officials have insisted that there is no evidence there is anything wrong with the city’s supply.

Courtesy of rt.com

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Thousands test positive for bacterial disease after leak from Chinese factory #Bacteria #Disease #China

A gas leak at a Chinese research lab has infected over 3,000 people with a bacterial disease that can cause lifelong illness.

Staff working at China Animal Husbandry Lanzhou Biopharmaceutical Factory, which used the bacteria that cause brucellosis in animals as part of a vaccine, had used out-of-date disinfectant for cleaning.

This error allowed exhaust gases from the vaccine creation process to become contaminated with aerosolised Brucella bacteria.

The gas escaped from the state-owned plant and was blown towards the nearby Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, where over 180 people were infected in December last year.

Cases have now cropped up in Heilongjiang province, several thousand miles from the initial outbreak.

Brucellosis,is also known as Malta fever or Mediterranean fever. Mainly affecting livestock, its symptoms in humans include headache, fever, joint pain, loss of appetite and fatigue.

The infection is usually eradicated after a long course of antibiotics, but in some cases it can return throughout a victim’s life. Longer-term effects include inflammation of the heart and severe arthritis.

Health officials in Lanzhou said that 3,245 people tested positive for brucellosis after the gas leak. Preliminary tests from a further 1,401 people have also been marked as positive.

Eleven public hospitals have been earmarked to provide the infected patients with free and regular checkup and compensation payments will start in October.

The precise amount of compensation has not been made public.

Factory managers issued an official apology in February and the facility has had its brucellosis vaccine production licence removed.

Eight people who have been found responsible for the gas leak have reportedly been “severely punished.”

According to the NHS, Brucellosis is extremely rare in the UK but there have been some outbreaks across the globe in the past few decades. An outbreak in Bosnia infected about 1,000 people in 2008, making it necessary to cull infected livestock.

In the US, brucellosis is quite widespread, and endemic in wild bison, leading to billions of dollars of losses for the farming industry.

Human-to-human transmission is extremely rare, according to the US Centre for Disease Control. Most people who become infected pick the disease up by eating contaminated meat or drinking raw milk.

Courtesy of dailystar.co.uk

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Cold-related diseases affect 4,110 people in 24 hrs in Bangladesh #cold #diseases #MedicalAlert #Bangladesh

Various cold-related diseases affected 4110 people across the country in the last 24 hours, the government said on Monday.

Data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) control room showed that 644 of the patients received treatment for acute respiratory infection (ARI).

Another 1,891 were treated for diarrhoea, and 1,275 for diseases including jaundice, inflammation in the eye, skin diseases, and fever.

Fifty-seven deaths were reported across the country between November 1 and January 26 due to cold-related diseases.

Courtesy of unb.com.bd

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Thousands Displaced by #Flooding #Rivers in the #CentralAfricanRepublic

Thousands of people have been displaced and dozens of homes destroyed after rivers overflowed in the Central African Republic.

Over 6,000 people have been displaced by flooding in the capital, Bangui. Local media reported that the Ubangi (Oubangui) river broke its banks last week after a period of heavy rain.

The overflowing river flooded areas in the southwest of the city close to the river’s banks. Further heavy rain from around 20 October has worsened the situation and authorities now fear an outbreak of water borne diseases in flooded areas of the city.

Hundreds of houses have been damaged or completely destroyed. News reports said the neighbourhood of M’poko has seen the worst of the flooding, which has left around 60 houses destroyed.

Flooding has also affected other areas of the county. Radio Ndekeluka said the overflowing Ubangi river had also flooded areas of Kouango, about 170km northwest of Bangui situated in Ouaka prefecture. Over 20 homes were destroyed after flooding in Mobaye, also on the banks of the Ubangi river, in the neighbouring prefecture of Basse-Kotto.

Flooding was also reported in Bouca in Ouham prefecture and in Bambari, Ouaka prefecture, where the Ouaka River broke its banks destroying around 10 home.

At least 1 person died and almost 300 homes were severely damaged or destroyed as a result of flooding in the north west of the country in late August, 2019.

Courtesy of floodlist.com

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60 dead #birds found ‘due to disease’ in #Weymouth and #Portland, #UK

AT LEAST 60 herring gulls have been reported dead across Weymouth and Portland following a disease outbreak.

It is understood that the birds have most likely been dying due to a suspected outbreak of avian botulism.

According to the government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency, avian botulism is a paralytic and often fatal disease caused by ingestion of toxin produced by bacteria found in rotting plant and animal material.

These outbreaks are frequent in this country but are more common during hot weather and can last for weeks, resulting in several hundreds of bird deaths.

Many of the dead gulls have been found in the swannery at Radipole Lake, near to the The Gurkha restaurant in Weymouth, where there is a build up of green algae – a possible source of the outbreak.

Algae blooms are said to occur naturally in hot weather and the swannery has been affected in previous years.

Bimlashar Gurung, manager of The Gurkha restaurant, said it is starting to affect her business: “Everyone is saying it is our fault but there is nothing we can do.

“I clean up the litter and all the rubbish that everyone leaves, sometimes when our bin is full I take it home myself, but we have been told that we are not allowed to touch the dead birds.

“Customers complain that it is hot inside because of the weather but we can’t open the window because of the smell from the water and people don’t want to sit outside anymore in the summer because they can see the dead birds.

“This is supposed to be our peak season and it is costing us money that the council is not cleaning this up. There is one dead bird that has been there for a week. I’m not happy with the council and I’m really upset. They need to take action.”

She added: “We have been here 14 years and every summer it’s a problem. Last week we took down four or five dead birds off the roof.”

Although the area around The Gurkha restaurant is not part of the RSPB Radipole Lake nature reserve, staff there have tried to help find a solution to the problem.

Courtesy of dorsetecho.co.uk

https://tinyurl.com/y3tl75kg

10,000 #birds and #cattle #killed due to #disease in #QuanNgai and #KhanhHoa provinces, #Vietnam

Specifically, from early 2019 until now, bird flu has occurred in Quang Ngai and Khanh Hoa provinces. The total number of poultry must be destroyed is 8,875. Currently, there is still one outbreak of bird flu in Khanh Hoa province over 16 days.

Also in the past 1.5 months, foot and mouth disease has occurred in small groups of households that have not been vaccinated in some provinces such as Lang Son, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen, Quang Tri … Statistics show that the total number of cattle and foot and mouth disease is 757; destroyed 679 children. Notably, there are 4 provinces of Lang Son, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen and Kom Tum still infected, but not over 21 days.

For blue pig disease, African swine disease, Wild pig disease, from the beginning of 2019, no arising. However, the risk of potentially infected cattle and poultry is assessed as large and worrying. For example, for Rabies, statistics in 2018, Rabies happened in 26 provinces and cities and caused 86 deaths (up 12 number cases with 2017). However, the management of domesticated dogs in many localities is not considered strictly by MARD.

Courtesy of kinhtedothi.vn

https://tinyurl.com/y5dx5k6w

 

Hundreds of pigs dead from disease in various provinces of Vietnam

The government warned about both foot-and-mouth disease and bird flu … There are 24 foot and mouth outbreaks in 6 provinces and cities.

While Nhan Dan newspaper talked about these two epidemics in Kon Tum, the VNA newsletter said about Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hoa Binh and Ha Nam, …

Nhan Dan newspaper reported that on January 3, SDAH Kon Tum province confirmed, currently in Kon Tum province, there are three districts that have foot and mouth disease (FMD) in pigs and avian influenza A / H5N6 are Dak Ha district, Dak To district and Ngoc Hoi district with thousands of birds and hundreds of infected pigs were destroyed.

Previously, from December 28, 2016 to January 2, 2016, the local veterinary service detected FMD outbreaks in pigs in two households in hamlet 1B, Dak La commune, Dak Ha district and six households. Other livestock belonging to Block 5, Block 6, Block 8, City block 10 Dak To town, Dak To district. In Ngoc Hoi district, there are more than two thousand birds of a livestock household in Ngoc Hai village, Bo Y commune infected with influenza A / H5N6 virus.

Mr. Le Duc Hung, Head of Dak To District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station, confirmed that FMD has appeared 4/11 city blocks. In addition to the weather factor, the main cause of the occurrence of FMD outbreaks in the province is mainly due to vaccination. Currently, due to small-scale animal husbandry, most pig farmers are difficult households, pigs of these households are only vaccinated against cholera according to the State’s support program, and diseases most of them are not vaccinated, so the risk of outbreaks is very high.

Also in Dak To district, through inspection at the Centralized Slaughtering Center of the district, the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station of this district discovered eight porkers of the Purchasing Center waiting for slaughtering infected with FMD. Although these pigs have been recorded and destroyed, people in Dak To town are worried that this is one of the causes of FMD outbreaks in the area because at present, the Cattle Slaughter Center of the district Dak To is a place to supply pork for most people in the town and surrounding communes.

Courtesy of vietbao.com

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1.35 Million farmed Salmon died during 6 months, due to disease, in Macquarie Harbour, Australia

After it is revealed more than a million farmed fish died within six months in Macquarie Harbour, one salmon company effectively says “we told you so”, another says the dead fish were “replaced quickly” and the third says it has no obligation to detail its losses to the public.

Tasmania’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) confirmed 1.35 million salmon died in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast since last October.

An area management agreement report provided by Huon Aquaculture, Petuna and Tassal found the deaths were mainly due to an outbreak of pilchard orthomyxovirus (POMV), transferred from wild populations.

That report had not been made available to the public.

EPA director Wes Ford told ABC Hobart the 2017 “mixing of young fish with old fish” could exacerbate the likelihood of disease in the population.

“POMV can be exacerbated by stress caused by heat, low oxygen, and I think this summer we’ve seen some elevated temperatures and clearly some concerns about oxygen.”

He confirmed the EPA would be reducing Macquarie Harbour’s biomass limit by 21 per cent over the next two years, from 12,000 tonnes to 9,500 tonnes.

Courtesy of abc.net.au

https://tinyurl.com/ycb4ebrc

Scores of Dolphin Deaths Have Scientists Baffled in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Since late last year, four or five dolphin carcasses have beached in Brazil each day. Scientists have confirmed that a virus is to blame, but the mortalities still have conservationists baffled.

 

The Associated Press reports more than 130 gray dolphins have washed up in the Bay of Sepetiba, a coastal area about 45 miles west of Rio de Janeiro, since late November. Another 40 dolphin carcasses were found on the neighboring island of Ilha Grande. Combined, that’s more than 20 percent of the area’s known dolphin population, which, at an estimated 800, may be the highest concentration of the species in the world.

 

Local conservation NGOs like the Boto Cinza Institute and SOS Botos have examined the carcasses’ skin, blood, and bones under the suspicion that a bacterium or virus was to blame. The School of Oceanography at the State University of Rio de Janeiro confirmed that cetacean morbillivirus, which can infect dolphins, porpoises, and whales, killed the marine mammals.

 

But scientists aren’t sure what caused the outbreak, or how long it might last. They are still trying to determine other reasons for the dolphin die-off.

 

The virus attacks the animals’ immune systems, resulting in skin lesions, pneumonia, and different types of infections. Boto Cinza Institute chief coordinator Leonardo Flach told StoryTrender in early January that if a pathogen-related disease was diagnosed, 70 to 80 percent of the population could die. Cetacean mirbillivirus can spread between animals through inhalation or contact. Often living in pods of up to 200 individuals, dolphins have close relationships, and a contagious illness could be devastating.

 

“One day we will find dolphin corpses that are male and adults, and the next day, female and [young]. But most of them are skinny and with deep skin lesions,” Flach tells ABC News.

 

In the northeastern United States, strains of morbillivirus killed harbor seals in 2006 and bottlenose dolphins between 1987 and 1988. The disease caused more dolphin die-offs in the Gulf of Mexico in 1992 and 1994. There have been no documented cased of morbillivirus in people, or in the fish or shellfish we might eat.

 

Gray dolphins are listed as data deficient, but Flach says the species should be considered endangered. In the past, the mortality rate of the area’s gray dolphins was about five each month, attributed to overfishing and chemical pollution. In 2016, 69 of the marine mammals were reported dead and in 2010, 32 dolphins were found dead.

 

Flach says areas surrounding Rio de Janeiro are very polluted and illegal dolphin hunting is rampant. The Bay of Sepetiba is bordered by condominiums, shipyards, and ports, but it’s unclear how the development could be affecting the marine mammals.

 

“They are an endangered species,” Flach says, “but with now this unknown disease, we hope to be able to put more pressure on the officials to help us to save the dolphins.”

Courtesy of news.nationalgeographic.com

https://tinyurl.com/y8mf7fgk

Massive die off of catfish in the Yangtze River in China

The incidence of catfish catfish from March 18 from the sporadic death, to the late April incidence increased, the rapid growth of death, there have been 300 acres of ponds died every day 100,000 kilograms of cases, the peak of Dafeng, Sheyang, etc. The amount of dead fish per day more than 120 million pounds. 

 

Since mid-March in Jiangsu coastal catfish catfish disease since the efforts in many efforts, has come up with the prevention and treatment programs, and achieved good results, but on May 17 received the phone on the farmers, told the breeding of the channel catfish died The amount of the last few days from 100 per day to three thousand tail, I think it is necessary for the recent catfish channel for the prevention and treatment of the case to sum up, to the farmers a little reference. 

 

Channel catfish domestic consumer market is becoming more mature, the price tends to be stable, and there is considerable profit margins, in this context, Jiangsu coastal farming area gradually expanded in Yancheng formed about 40,000 acres of aquaculture concentrated area, mainly in the Dafeng’s deer fishery, Shanghai farm, Jianfeng farm, Sheyang’s Linhai farm, Sheyang salt field, Nanjing military area non-staple food base and so on. Recently the area of ​​the catfish has occurred in an acute, serious loss of disease, a large amount of death, so many farmers lose confidence.

Courtesy of shuichan.cc

http://tinyurl.com/y87rkdh3