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Category Diseases

Which part of the body does Hepatitis A affect?

Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that infects liver cells and causes inflammation. The inflammation can affect how your liver works and cause other signs and symptoms of hepatitis A.

The virus most commonly spreads when you eat or drink something contaminated with fecal matter, even just tiny amounts. It does not spread through sneezing or coughing.

Unlike other types of viral hepatitis, hepatitis A does not cause long-term liver damage, and it doesn’t become chronic.

In rare cases, hepatitis A can cause a sudden loss of liver function, especially in older adults or people with chronic liver diseases. Acute liver failure requires a stay in the hospital for monitoring and treatment. Some people with acute liver failure may need a liver transplant.

No medication can get rid of the hepatitis A virus once you have it. Your doctor will treat your symptoms — they may call this supportive care — until it goes away. They’ll also do tests that check how well your liver is working to be sure your body is healing like it should.

 

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What is Culex pipiens?

Culex pipiens is commonly referred to as the House Mosquito. It is the main vector, or carrier, of St. Louis Encephalitis, West Nile Virus, Western Equine Encephalitis, Heartworm in dogs, and bird Malaria.

The House mosquito species is also a conveyor of Rift Valley Fever, Sindbis virus, and filariasis in other regions of the world. Although its main target has been birds, the House mosquito is now targeting humans and mammals on a regular basis. The mosquito bites an infected bird and then goes to another blood meal host, whether a human or another bird, and bites that new victim, injecting it with the virus from the original bird. This process has helped to spread diseases from bird to bird, and more recently, from bird to humans and other mammals. Culex pipiens can therefore be considered a “bridge” vector as it transmits viruses between birds and mammals.

Considered to be a medium-sized mosquito, the adult Culex pipiens may reach up ¼”. The House mosquito species’ body is usually brownish or grayish brown. The proboscis and wings are usually brown.

Eggs are laid in rafts of 150-350 eggs in polluted or foul water in a variety of water-filled containers or areas. The eggs usually hatch within 2 days.

Larvae are known as wigglers since they seem to move in that manner. They feed on fungi, bacteria and other tiny organisms through straw-like filters. These larvae will undergo growth throughout the four instars of this stage.

Pupae are known as tumblers because of the way they seem to “tumble” through the water. Their rounded, comma-like shape makes this mode of movement easy. These pupae do not eat during the 1-2 days in which they will become an adult mosquito. If you suspect you have a house mosquito infestation, then an effective mosquito control system can offer protection against these pests and their mosquito-borne diseases.

 

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Which waterborne disease is common during the monsoon in India?

Typhoid, caused by S. Typhi bacteria, is a water-borne disease that spreads because of poor sanitation. Eating uncovered or spoilt food and drinking contaminated water are the two major causes of typhoid. Symptoms include fever, headache, joint pain, and sore throat.

Signs of high fever, lethargy, body pain, vomiting, poor appetite, dry cough, weight loss, and diarrhoea appear in a Typhoid infected person. Typhoid easily spreads through contaminated water/food or getting in close contact with the infected person. It lasts for 7-10 days and can be treated through antibiotic therapy.

Avoid drinking contaminated water or eating food without washing hands. Personal hygiene is a must and is always recommended. Carry a sanitizer where water is not available.

Monsoon in India comes with varieties of airborne and water-borne disease and hence, it is important to enjoy monsoons with the best health insurance policy and Arogya Sanjeevani Policy. A mediclaim insurance comes with benefits of medication, hospitalization and other covers. When sick, opt for cashless hospitals as it settles the amount directly with the insurance company or the provider.

 

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What is culling?

Denmark’s decision to cull millions of minks over coronavirus fear has shocked animal lovers around the world. While the scientific community is divided over the validity of the concern, we will take a look at what is culling and why it is carried out in the first place.

Denmark began culling millions of minks over coronavirus fear last month. A mutated form of coronavirus that can spread to humans was found among minks in hundreds of fur farms in the country. More than a dozen people were found to have caught the infection from the animals. However, there is no evidence that the mutations that originated in minks pose an increased threat to humans.

Denmark is the world’s biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong. Mink farms have been found to be reservoirs of the coronavirus with over 200 of the 1,200 farms affected. Danish scientists are worried that genetic changes in mink-related form of the virus have the potential to render future vaccines less effective. Global health officials are now considering minks a potential risk, particularly in the midst of a resurgence of the virus in the human population. Denmark decided to cull all the minks in the country (instead of just the ones in the affected farms) as a precautionary step to protect people from contracting the virus. But later rolled back the order as it did not have the legal basis to kill all the animals.

While some scientists feel the concerns over mutated strain are exaggerated, others think the virus could jump from minks to other animals. Let’s take a look at what culling is and why is it being done…

What is culling?

Culling is the organised and systematic elimination of sick or surplus farm or wild animals and birds, Culling or the selective slaughtering is carried out by authorised wildlife officials with proper permits and approvals.

Why are they culled?

• Mass killing of birds and animals are carried out when they are infected with a contagious disease. It is done to avoid the spread of the disease to other animals and humans. For instance, in the United Kingdom badger culling has been carried out for years to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Badger is a carrier of bTB.

• Aggressive invaders, such as invasive birds that take over nesting sites or attack native birds, are culled to save the local ecological balance.

• Culling is carried out to keep certain animal and bird populations in check. Unusual population growth may cause an imbalance in local ecology, disrupting food sources and other essential resources. In certain parts of Australia, kangaroos are considered vermins (pests), because they damage crops and compete with livestock for scarce resources. Kangaroos are involved in more than 80% of vehicle animal collisions there. In some places of the country, kangaroos are said to outnumber humans.

How is culling perceived by experts?

Culling has always been controversial. On one side, conservationists support it for the common good of all the species in an ecosystem. They perceive culling as a necessary means to protect native biodiversity. But on the other side, animal activists protest over the effectiveness and humaneness of different methods of culling. They oppose when governments resort to culling as a short-term measure Opposition also comes from the perception that every animal should have the right to live.

 

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In which country was the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus first identified?

The first human cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19, subsequently named SARS-CoV-2 were first reported by officials in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019. Retrospective investigations by Chinese authorities have identified human cases with onset of symptoms in early December 2019. While some of the earliest known cases had a link to a wholesale food market in Wuhan, some did not. Many of the initial patients were either stall owners, market employees, or regular visitors to this market. Environmental samples taken from this market in December 2019 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, further suggesting that the market in Wuhan City was the source of this outbreak or played a role in the initial amplification of the outbreak. The market was closed on 1 January 2020.

On 11 February 2020, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses adopted the official name “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2). To avoid confusion with the disease SARS, the WHO sometimes refers to SARS-CoV-2 as “the COVID-19 virus” in public health communications and the name HCoV-19 was included in some research articles.

The general public often call both the virus, and the disease it causes, “coronavirus”. U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the virus as the “Chinese virus” in tweets, interviews, and White House press briefings, which drew some criticism that he was stigmatizing the disease with racial or nationalistic overtones.

 

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Which are the past and present influenza pandemics?

The novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has spread to almost every country in the world ever since it was first recorded in China last year, drawing parallels with some of history’s most deadly pandemics from 1900 to now. A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease. From 1900, there have been four influenza pandemics. They are:

The Spanish flu shook the world towards the end of WWI. It was the most severe pandemic that claimed the lives of at least 50 million people between 1918 and 1919. The crowded conditions of military camps and the poor nutrition of people during wartime contributed to its spread. Initially observed in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia, it had infected nearly 500 million people, mostly youngsters. Despite its name, it did not originate in Spain. As Spain was a neutral side during the war, its media could publish uncensored reports about the illness and the name stuck. Scientists are still unsure of the source of the flu, which was caused by an H1N1 virus of avian origin.

The Asian flu claimed the lives of 1.1 million people worldwide between 1957 and 1958. It was in early 1957 that a new influenza A (H2N2) virus emerged in East Asia, which triggered the pandemic said to be a new combination of avian and human flu viruses, it subsequently spread to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, India, the U.K. and the U.S. It affected both the young and the elderly. A vaccine developed and deployed soon after slowed down its spread.

The Hong Kong flu emerged in 1968. Caused by a strain of H3N2 virus which descended from H2N2, it was largely seen as a result of the Asian flu of 1957. The third flu pandemic of the 20th Century claimed the lives of 1 million people.

The Swine flu outbreak claimed the lives of over 5 lakh people between 2009-10. It was initially detected only in people with regular exposure to pigs. Caused by a new strain of H1N1 which originated in Mexico, the Swine flu mostly affected children and youngsters. In about a year, 1.4 billion people worldwide were infected by the vines. Swine flu is a highly contagious respiratory condition. A vaccine has been developed for it.

The 1980s and AIDS: HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) leads to AIDS (acute immunodeficiency syndrome) in humans, if left untreated. This virus deeply affects the immune system, especially the cells that help the body fight off infections. HIV was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. Scientists traced its source to a virus found in the chimps in Africa, which most likely mutated and crossed over to humans. The virus steadily spread to several parts of the world. AIDS was declared a pandemic in the 1980s. It is estimated to have claimed over 30 million people worldwide, with millions more still infected. Till date, no effective cure has been developed.

COVID-19: The coronavirus outbreak emerged in Wuhan City. China, in December 2019. It is a zoonotic disease caused by the novel SARS-CON-2 which most likely came from bats. The World Health Organisation announced COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020. As the novel coronavirus causes respiratory problems and can be transmitted from person to person standard precautionary measures such as frequent hand washing maintaining social distancing and mask wearing are being followed Scientists are racing against time to develop vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 which has already claimed over a million lives.

 

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Which are the diseases that wipe out wildlife?

Chytridiomycosis

Chytridiomycosis is an infectious disease that affects amphibians worldwide. It is caused by the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), leading to deaths in frogs, toads and salamanders. A report released in 2019 revealed that it has caused declines in at least 501 frog and salamander species in the last 50 years.

Of these, some 90 species are presumably extinct in the wild and 124 are suffering serve declines due to the disease, the report said. In many species, the fungus is the main factor in the deaths, but in others, it’s a combination of the disease and other factors such as habitat loss, climate change and predation from invasive species.

Chytrid fungi that infect vertebrate species live in water or soil. They reproduce asexually and have spores that swim in the water. Amphibians contract the disease when their skin comes in contact with water containing spores or with other affected amphibians. The fungus affects their skin, making it difficult for them to breathe (amphibians use their skin for respiration). The fungus also damages the nervous system, affecting their behaviour. It doesn’t kill the amphibians immediately, which increases the odds of the pathogen spreading rapidly.

The disease is thought to have spread around the world via the pet and meat trade.

Chytridiomycosis has affected amphibian populations in more than 60 countries, with the largest die-offs in Australia, Central America and South America.

Devil Facial Tumour Disease

The Tasmanian devil, a marsupial native of Australia, has suffered a dramatic population decline due to Devil Facial Turmour Disease (DFTD). First discovered in northeastern Tasmania in 1996, the disease has since spread across 95% of the species’ range. Up to 90% of their populations have been wiped out.

The disease is spread through biting during fighting or mating. It spreads particularly when canine teeth come into contact with the diseased cells. The rough cells then settle down in their new host, developing into tumours on face, neck and other parts of the body. The devils soon find it difficult to eat and drink, and usually die from starvation and dehydration. The cancer also affects other bodily functions such as respiration and blood circulation. An infected devil dies within six months. According to some predictions, DFTD could wipe out wild Tasmanian devils in less than 40 years.

White-Nose Syndrome

White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease that has killed over six million bats in North America in over a decade. Caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, or Pd, the disease has spread to 33 U.S. States and seven Canadian provinces. Some populations have declined by more than 90 % within five years of the disease reaching a site. As of 2017, 15 bat species have been affected by WNS.

The fungus infects the skin on the nose, mouth,ears and wings of hibernating bats. The fungus thrives in cold and humid environments such as caves and mines used by bats. Bats can catch the fungus from physical contact with infected bats. The signs observed in bats with WNS include unusual winter behaviour-they experience frequent arousal from sleep and instead of continuing with the hibernation, the bats fly far out of their caves, even in daylight. As a result they quickly drain their fat reserves, and starve to death, Infected bats also show evidence of blood acidification and dehydration.

Sea Star Wasting Syndrome

Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS) has been linked to the mass die-offs of starfish and several other echinoderms (such as sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers) since 2013 in the Pacific waters from Mexico to Alaska. In 2014, it was suggested that the disease is caused by densovirus; but subsequent work revealed that an association between a viral pathogen and SSWS was unlikely.

The symptoms begin with white lesions on their limbs, decay of tissue surrounding the lesions and loss of limbs. The sea star would eventually turn into a mushy blob and die. Forty species of sea stars have been affected by this disease.

Research has shown that warming ocean temperatures could play a role in exacerbating the disease. But the actual causative agent for SSWS remains elusive.

Hemorrhagic Septicemia

One day in May 2015, a handful of saiga antelops were found dead in the steppe of Kazakhstan. The next day saw more deaths. Within three weeks, some 2,00,000 – 62% of the world’s population – were dead. This alarmed the scientists from across the globe as the species was already critically endangered in Central Asia. The reported symptoms were foaming at the mouth, diarrhoea and bloating. Initial research revealed it could be due to a disease. A 2018 report confirmed that the killar was a bacterium, Pasteurella multocida, that normally lives in the antelopes’ tonsils without causing any problems. It also revealed that unusually warm, moist weather may have triggered the overgrowth of the bacteria, which subsequently found its way into the antelopes’ tissues and bloodstream, causing haemorrhagic septicaemia or  fatal blood poisoning. Researchers say there is a high chance of the same thing happening again, given the climate change predictions for the region.

Similar die-offs were reported in 2010 and 1988. They were also linked to Pasteurella multocida. Today, roughly 50,000 saigas are thought to remain in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

 

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What can emphysema contribute to?

Emphysema is a type of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). COPD is a group of lung diseases that make it hard to breathe and get worse over time. The other main type of COPD is chronic bronchitis. Most people with COPD have both emphysema and chronic bronchitis, but how severe each type is can be different from person to person.

Emphysema affects the air sacs in your lungs. Normally, these sacs are elastic or stretchy. When you breathe in, each air sac fills up with air, like a small balloon. When you breathe out, the air sacs deflate, and the air goes out.

In emphysema, the walls between many of the air sacs in the lungs are damaged. This causes the air sacs to lose their shape and become floppy. The damage also can destroy the walls of the air sacs, leading to fewer and larger air sacs instead of many tiny ones. This makes it harder for your lungs to move oxygen in and carbon dioxide out of your body.

The cause of emphysema is usually long-term exposure to irritants that damage your lungs and the airways. In the United States, cigarette smoke is the main cause. Pipe, cigar, and other types of tobacco smoke can also cause emphysema, especially if you inhale them.

Exposure to other inhaled irritants can contribute to emphysema. These include secondhand smoke, air pollution, and chemical fumes or dusts from the environment or workplace.

Rarely, a genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency can play a role in causing emphysema.

 

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Covid-19 test in 30 seconds?

India and Israel are working together to develop a rapid testing kit for COVID-19 which can give the result within 30 seconds. Trials are conducted in Delhi on a large sampling of patients for four different technologies with the potential to rapidly detect COVID-19. The new testing process is said to make use of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.

Who are involved in the project?

Indian and Israeli defence scientists and experts are jointly working on the project to develop the rapid testing kit. The Israeli defence ministry research and development team is working with India’s chief scientist K. Vijay Raghavan and the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to determine the effectiveness of the rapid diagnostic technologies.

What are the diagnostic technologies being developed?

They are a breath analyzer, a thermal test, a polyamino acid test and a voice test. The breath analyser requires a person to blow into a sterile tube, after which a high frequency scan is used to analyse the presence of the virus in less than a minute. The thermal test requires a saliva swab and has the potential to be used at home. The polyamino acid test enables detection of coronavirus proteins in a saliva sample in 45 seconds. The voice or audio recording test which can be downloaded and used as a mobile phone app analyses the changes in a person’s voice to detect COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases.

Where are the trials held in India?

The trials which began on July 28 re conducted under the guidance of the Israeli delegation at six locations in Delhi – Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the DRDO office in Rohini, Akash Hospital and Lady Hardinge Hospital. The data collected in Delhi, along with the samples collected in Israel, will assist in developing and validating the technologies used.

What is the way forward?

The new technologies on rapid tests, if found to be successful, will be manufactured in India and marketed by India and Israel to the world. It is said that they will be made available to the masses at low rates and help achieve higher accuracy rates than the current PCR test. It’s hoped that the joint efforts could bring “good news” to the world within a few months. Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu have had telephonic conversations in which they promised mutual assistance in dealing with the virus and committed to joint technological and scientific research between the two countries.

What is the existing method of testing?

Currently, the COVID-19 testing is done through a laboratory technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in which a machine reproduces viral genetic material (DNA or RNA) by copying it over and over again so any trace of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be detected. It requires highly trained staff and takes at least a few hours to get the final results.

 

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