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☆ A factory in Japan is ramping up measures to avoid animals sneaking in after a cat fell in a toxic vat and went on the loose
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A cat snuck into a factory in Fukuyama, Japan, and fell into a toxic vat before escaping. AdvertisementOfficials in Fukuyama, Japan, put the city on alert after a cat snuck into a metal plating factory and fell into a toxic vat before then escaping. The factory, Nomura Plating, now plans to ramp up security measures to prevent animals from causing problems in the future. AdvertisementA spokesperson told AFP that it immediately alerted police, city officials, and neighboring buildings. In turn, the city's environmental division warned residents of the potential health risks, urging them to keep their distance if they spotted the toxic cat.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Nomura, Asahi Shimbun, UK Health Security Agency, Agence France, Press, Business, AFP, Agency, Toxic Substances, Japan's Nippon TV Locations: Fukuyama, Japan

☆ The Covid-19 pandemic killed off one strain of the flu, and that will change the next vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Starting this fall, however, all the flu shots distributed in the United States will probably contain only three strains, and the change is because of Covid-19. It’s not quick or easy to change how flu vaccines are manufactured, and those changes require regulatory review and approval. The committee is meeting Tuesday to discuss next steps and vote on flu vaccine recommendations for the fall. “Anytime these flu vaccines are being produced, they are – depending on which vaccines you are talking about – using live or attenuated virus, and you do have to grow it,” she said. But as the authors note, any such change would require testing and regulatory approval, and for that reason, it’s not likely we’ll see the return of four-strain flu shots any time soon.

Persons: Covid, Yamagata, It’s, We’ve, ”, Paul Offit, Offit, Jodie Guest, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Arnold Monto, Maria Zambon, Jerry Weir, it’s Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, Food and Drug Administration, Vaccine Education, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Biological Products Advisory, WHO, Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, Get CNN, CNN Health, New England, of Medicine, UK Health Security Agency Locations: United States, Victoria, Yamagata

LONDON (AP) — U.K. health officials on Monday urged millions of parents to book their children in for missed measles, mumps and rubella shots amid a sharp increase in the number of measles cases and the lowest vaccination rates in a decade. The National Health Service was launching a publicity campaign after figures showed there have been 216 confirmed measles cases and 103 probable cases in parts of England since October. Most cases were in children under 10 years old. Vaccination rates have dropped down to about 85% nationally, and far lower in parts of London, according to U.K. Health Security Agency chief executive Jenny Harries. Public health officials say that more than 3.4 million children under 16 years old are unprotected and at risk of catching the diseases.

Persons: Jenny Harries Organizations: National Health Service, Health Security Agency, World Health Organization, Public, WHO, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention Locations: England, London

British experts have previously estimated there are more than 650,000 cases of chickenpox in England and Wales. Chickenpox is a highly infectious disease that mostly affects children and can cause an itchy rash, blisters and fever. The chickenpox vaccine recommendation will next be considered by the government. Experts noted, however, that Britain's government offers the shingles vaccine to adults at risk of the disease. Dr. Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of public health programs at Britain's Health Security Agency, said the new chickenpox vaccine recommendations would “help make chickenpox a problem of the past.”

Persons: Immunisation, ”, Andrew Pollard, Pollard, Gayatri Amirthalingam Organizations: chickenpox, . Centers for Disease Control, Health Service, Britain's Health Security Agency Locations: U.S, Canada, Australia, Britain, chickenpox, England, Wales, Chickenpox

☆ Covid vaccine rollout begins early in the UK with new variant under watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

National Health Service (NHS) England said the program was brought forward based on the latest expert advice. Flu vaccines are available to all, while Covid vaccines will be offered to eligible groups including care home residents, over-65s, front-line health and social care workers and those at clinical risk. Winter vaccination campaigns also begin this month in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with Wales starting last week. The U.K. began to investigate a Covid variant with multiple genetic differences to its predecessors, BA.2.86, in August after it was linked to a "high attack rate" in an outbreak at a care home. The U.K. Health Security Agency also said there was insufficient evidence to link it to early indicators of increased Covid-19 transmission in the U.K., or to judge its severity.

Organizations: Monday, National Health Service, NHS, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Wales, Health Security Agency Locations: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland

☆ England confirms 34 COVID cases linked to highly mutated variant
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEXU Science Communication/via Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSept 8 (Reuters) - UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) said on Friday that 34 COVID-19 cases linked to the highly mutated variant BA.2.86 had been identified in England. Of the 34 confirmed cases identified as of Sept. 4, five patients were hospitalised and no deaths had been linked to the new emerging variant. The agency said 28 of the confirmed cases were identified from a single outbreak at a care home in Norfolk. Moderna (MRNA.O) and rival Pfizer (PFE.N) said on Wednesday their updated COVID-19 vaccines generated strong responses in testing against the BA.2.86 subvariant. Reporting by Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Renu Bindra, Khushi, Saumyadeb Organizations: Science, Trinity College, Reuters, Health Security Agency, Omicron, Moderna, Pfizer, Thomson Locations: Dublin, Wuhan, England, Norfolk, Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa, Israel, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ England accelerates vaccine programmes due to new COVID variant
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A nurse prepares a dose of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the University Hospital Coventry, in Coventry, Britain April 22, 2022. Jacob King/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - England will bring forward the start of its autumn flu and COVID-19 vaccination programmes as a precautionary step after the identification of highly mutated COVID variant BA.2.86, which has been found in Britain. However, Britain's health ministry said annual vaccination programmes for older and at-risk groups would start a few weeks earlier than planned in light of the variant. It is not currently categorised as a "variant of concern" in Britain, and the health ministry said there was no change to wider public health advice. "As with all emergent and circulating COVID-19 variants ... we will continue to monitor BA.2.86 and to advise government and the public as we learn more."

Persons: Jacob King, Maria Caulfield, Jenny Harries, Harries, Alistair Smout, David Holmes Organizations: University Hospital Coventry, UK Health Security Agency, Thomson Locations: Coventry, Britain, England, Denmark, COVID

☆ Fact Check-UK government job ad not proof of new pre-planned pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Are they planning another ‘pandemic’?” (here)But the UKHSA told Reuters that the advert’s wording was copied from another listing that was published ahead of the UK’s rollout of COVID vaccines in December 2020. “The copy in the February 2023 job advertisement is a legacy from the initial job ad some time ago before the COVID-19 vaccination programme had started,” the UKHSA spokesperson said via email. The 2023 job listing copied sections from an old advertisement that had not been updated since the rollout of COVID vaccines. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.

Persons: Read Organizations: UK Health Security Agency, Vaccine, Twitter, Reuters Locations: British

☆ Scientists race to understand highly mutated coronavirus variant spotted in four countries, including the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A highly mutated new variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 has countries on alert as scientists scramble to understand how far it has spread and how well our immunity will defend against it. The World Health Organization designated BA.2.86 a “variant under monitoring” on Thursday, a designation that encourages countries to track and report the sequences they find. SSI scientists stressed that it’s still too early to say anything about the severity or contagiousness of the new variant. Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. The XBB descendant EG.5 is currently the dominant variant in the US, causing an estimated 20% of all new Covid-19 cases in this country.

Persons: Jesse Bloom, ” Bloom, ”, Morten Rasmussen, Mandy Cohen, we’ve, “, ” Cohen, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, Omicron, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, World Health Organization, EG, WHO, Statens Serum Institut, US Centers for Disease Control, UK’s Health Security Agency, CNN Health, University of Michigan, White House Locations: Seattle, Israel, Denmark, United States, United Kingdom

☆ UK reports first case of new COVID virus variant
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The word "COVID-19" is reflected in a drop on a syringe needle in this illustration taken November 9, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 18 (Reuters) - The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Friday the first case of COVID-19 variant BA.2.86 had been detected in the country in an individual with no recent travel history. On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was tracking the new, highly mutated variant of the virus that causes COVID. The variant has also been identified in Israel, Denmark and the United States. Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Urvi, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, UK Health Security Agency, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Thomson Locations: Israel, Denmark, United States, Bengaluru

An aerial view shows the Bibby Stockholm barge moored at Portland Port, near Poole, Britain, August 7, 2023. Britain began moving the asylum seekers onto the Bibby Stockholm, a barge anchored off Dorset on the south coast, earlier this week as part of its high-profile strategy to deter people from arriving in the country on small boats. Ministers said they wanted to reduce the cost of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels, while human rights campaigners compared the barge to a prison ship and said its use was in inhumane. "Environmental samples from the water system on the Bibby Stockholm (barge) have shown levels of Legionella bacteria which require further investigation," a spokesperson at the Home Office, or interior ministry, said. "As a precautionary measure, all 39 asylum seekers who arrived on the vessel this week are being disembarked while further assessments are undertaken."

Persons: Bibby, Toby Melville, Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, Muvija M, Andrew MacAskill, Kate Holton, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Bibby, Ministers, Home Office, UK Health Security Agency, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Portland Port, Poole, Britain, Bibby Stockholm, Dorset

The first group of migrants has arrived on board the boat, named Bibby Stockholm, which is docked in Portland, on the Dorset coast of southwest England, PA Media news agency reported. Medical practitioners flagged safety concerns over the Bibby Stockholm, after it was called a “death trap” by the UK’s Fire Brigades Union (FBU) on Wednesday. Campaigners flagged safety concerns over the UK government's plans to house 500 asylum-seekers on the boat. Finnbarr Webster/Getty ImagesPublic health experts warned that the cramped living conditions of the barge increase the risk of respiratory infections spreading. Housing any human on a ‘floating prison’ like the Bibby Stockholm is unacceptable.

Persons: Bibby Stockholm, Jenny Harries, Harries, Bibby, Finnbarr Webster, Andrew Matthews, Ben Selby, ” Selby, Oliver Dowden, Dowden, Steve Smith, ” Organizations: CNN, Media, Bibby, UK’s Fire Brigades, UK Health Security Agency, BBC Radio, Portland Port, Sunday, Getty, Public, Andrew Matthews / Press, AP, Sky News, Conservative Locations: England, Portland, Dorset, Britain, Bibby Stockholm, France

☆ Swimmers complain of suffering sickness and diarrhea after Sunderland event
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People walk with a dog on Roker Beach in the morning, in Sunderland, Britain, February 12, 2021. REUTERS/Lee SmithAug 5 (Reuters) - At least 57 participants fell ill after competing in sea swimming events at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Sunderland, North East of England, the Guardian newspaper reported on Saturday. After a swim off Sunderland’s Roker beach last weekend, those who fell ill complained that they were suffering from sickness and diarrhoea. The triathlon event in Sunderland served as the British leg of the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Series and coincided with the qualification period for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Water companies in Britain have been facing criticism over raw sewage releases which have led to the poor quality of rivers and beaches.

Persons: Lee Smith, Jacob Birtwhistle, Tommy Lund Organizations: REUTERS, Guardian, UK Health Security Agency, Paris, British, Sunderland City Council, Thomson Locations: Roker, Sunderland, Britain, North East, England, Gdansk

☆ Fact Check-WHO did not link mother’s COVID shots to newborn heart problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The World Health Organization has not released any statement saying that vaccination against COVID is linked to babies being born with heart problems, contrary to social media posts claiming the WHO “admitted” that the vaccine leads to “severe heart defects” in neonates. Some social media accounts are sharing the claim by screenshotting an article headline, which reads: “WHO admits that fully jabbed moms are giving birth to babies with severe heart defects” here and here . The actual WHO and UKHSA reports cited - (here) and (here) - make no reference to COVID vaccines, nor does the article itself offer any evidence of a link between pregnant women being vaccinated and heart defects in their newborns, as suggested in its headline. “I can confirm that WHO has not said that fully vaccinated women give ‘birth to babies with severe heart defects’,” a WHO spokesperson told Reuters via email. The World Health Organization (WHO) has not said that fully vaccinated women give “birth to babies with severe heart defects”.

Persons: WHO “, ”, screenshotting, enteroviral myocarditis, Victoria Male, Read Organizations: World Health Organization, COVID, WHO, UK Health Security Agency, Reuters, Imperial College London Locations: neonates

☆ Bird flu alarm drives world towards once-shunned vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sybille De La Hamaide | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

"That's why every country in the world is worried about bird flu," French agriculture minister Marc Fesneau said. But the fear of trade restrictions remains centre stage for countries reluctant to vaccinate poultry against bird flu. Bird flu can also mutate rapidly and reduce the efficacy of vaccines while programmes are costly and time consuming, as shots often need to be administered individually. Ceva said it was using the mRNA technology used in some COVID shots for the first time in poultry vaccines. The global market for bird flu vaccines would be about 800 million to 1 billion doses per year, excluding China, said Sylvain Comte, corporate marketing director for poultry at Ceva.

☆ UK says norovirus cases sharply rise in England
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - Norovirus cases in England are 66% higher than the average at this time of year, official data showed on Thursday, with the biggest rise in confirmed infections seen in those aged 65 years and over. Outbreaks caused by the vomiting and diarrhoea-causing norovirus have surged in hospitals, schools and care homes, with majority of cases in care home settings, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. The UKHSA added that while elevated levels were expected in those aged 65 years and over, the number has not been seen in over a decade. "The number of people in hospitals with norovirus has risen significantly in line with what we are seeing in the community and in care homes," NHS Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said. Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fact Check-Flu vaccine study unrelated to Group A Strep doesn't show increase of illness
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is the name for bacteria that can cause infections like strep throat, scarlet fever and impetigo. However, the 2014 study examined different bacteria and found that while their numbers increased following the nasal flu vaccine, that did not lead to increased bacterial disease. A recent UK study has also found that while infections of influenza itself be linked to increased cases of Group A Strep, the nasal vaccine is associated with a reduction in bacterial infections. But it did not investigate group A strep bacteria; rather, the study investigated Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus, which Mina said in an email, are “very different” pathogens to group A strep. A 2014 study does not show the nasal spray flu vaccine causes Group A Strep.

☆ British scientists plan to expand genomic sequencing from COVID to flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEXU Science Communication/via REUTERSLONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Genomic sequencing allowed the world to track new coronavirus variants throughout the pandemic. Now British researchers plan to use it to better understand a host of other respiratory pathogens, from influenza to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The work will begin later this year by using leftover material from swabs taken for COVID-19 diagnostic purposes, sequencing SARS-CoV-2, influenza, RSV and other common respiratory viruses in a combined process. While some of the viruses targeted typically cause mild, cold-like symptoms, others can cause serious illness, particularly in vulnerable populations. The five-year initiative aims to begin work from spring this year and is funded by Wellcome.

☆ Risk of a dangerous new Covid variant in China is ‘quite low,’ U.S. health expert says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | Evelyn Cheng Is A Senior Correspondent With Cnbc. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, pointed out there were likely billions of omicron infections worldwide this year, but no new Covid variant has emerged, only subvariants of omicron. “That’s why I would put the risk as quite low that there is a dangerous new variant in China,” he said. The U.S., Japan and a few other countries this week subsequently announced new Covid testing requirements for travelers from China. China’s National Health Commission said Sunday it would stop releasing daily information on Covid infections and deaths. Covid testing is no longer mandatory in China.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday alerted the medical community to an increase in pediatric cases of invasive group A strep infections. The spike in invasive strep A was first detected in the U.S. in November, among children at a hospital in Colorado, the CDC said. NBC News reported last week that several children’s hospitals across the U.S. had detected increases in invasive group A strep infections. However, the overall number of invasive group A strep infections among children remains low and the condition is rare, according to the CDC. Generally, people over 65 and those with chronic illnesses are most susceptible to invasive strep infections.

☆ Strep A is surging in the UK and has already killed at least 19 children. Here's why it's taken so long to make a vaccine against this deadly pathogen.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Strep A is surging in the UK and has killed at least 19 kids, the UK Health Security Agency said. A vaccine would be better, but research groups have hit roadblocks during its development. Researchers have been trying to make a strep-A vaccine for decadesIf it's caught in time, strep A can be treated with antibiotics. There is no vaccine commercially available, but several research groups are working on developing one. A GSK spokesperson confirmed to Insider that it's also in the early stages of developing a strep-A vaccine but that it had not started human testing.

☆ U.S. hospitals report rise in severe strep A infections in kids after 15 deaths in U.K.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Aria Bendix | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In the U.K., at least 15 children have died from invasive group A strep since mid-September. Anyone can get invasive strep A, including healthy adults, but people over 65 and those with chronic illnesses are more susceptible. Between 1,500 and 2,300 people die of the invasive infections every year. But children's hospitals in several other states — California, New York, Illinois and Minnesota — said they have not detected any increase in invasive group A strep. It is important for kids with strep to get care right away so they can start taking antibiotics like penicillin.

Children's hospitals in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Washington told NBC News they are seeing a higher-than-average number of cases this season compared to past years. In the U.K., at least 15 children have died from invasive group A strep since mid-September. Anyone can get invasive strep A, including healthy adults, but people over 65 and those with chronic illnesses are more susceptible. Between 1,500 and 2,300 people die of these invasive infections each year. It's important for kids with strep to get care right away so they can start taking antibiotics like penicillin.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence group A strep present in flu vaccine given to children
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

“The LAIV vaccine used in the UK does not contain Streptococcus A,” an MHRA spokesperson told Reuters via email. The bacteria are not listed in the ingredients for Fluenz Tetra (bit.ly/3HesXo4), which is also marketed in the U.S. as fluMist. “Group A strep is not used at any stage of the development of the nasal flu vaccine. The vaccine does not contain Group A strep,” Pollard said via email. The MHRA and AstraZeneca told Reuters that group A strep is not an ingredient in the Fluenz Tetra vaccine, and two independent experts said there are no reports of contamination.

☆ UK health officials warn parents to be alert after 6 child deaths linked to Strep A infections
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty ImagesHealth officials in the U.K. are warning parents to be alert after a recent spate of Strep A infections resulted in the deaths of at least six children. The U.K.'s Health Security Agency issued a rare health warning Friday urging parents to monitor their children for tell-tale symptoms of the illness, which can include a sore throat, headache, fever, and body rashes. While most cases are mild and often go unnoticed, it can also lead to more serious illness and complications, such as scarlet fever. Scarlet fever is a highly contagious bacterial infection that mostly affects young children. Make sure you talk to a health professional if your child is showing signs of deteriorating after a bout of scarlet fever.

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