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☆ 2 reasons China's mysterious respiratory illness outbreak isn't the new COVID, according to the WHO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Kim Schewitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Parts of northern China have seen a surge in children with respiratory illnesses. The WHO requested more information from Chinese health officials, who said common bugs are the cause. AdvertisementCases of respiratory illness among children in northern China have surged in recent weeks, but it's unlikely this is the start of a new pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO has been monitoring an increase in respiratory illness among children in northern China since mid-October. Advertisement2) The illnesses are not caused by a new virusChinese health officials said that the outbreak of respiratory illness is caused by known pathogens.

Persons: —, Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID, Van Kerkhove, François Balloux, Hilary Brueck, pneumoniae Organizations: WHO, Service, World Health Organization, UCL Genetics Institute Locations: China

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says it has made an official request to China for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children. The U.N. health agency cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. Political Cartoons View All 1265 ImagesWHO said media reports about a week later reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. WHO said that northern China has reported a jump in influenza-like illnesses since mid-October compared to the previous three years. It is rare for the U.N. health agency to publicly ask for more detailed information from countries, as such requests are typically made internally.

Persons: David Heymann, ” Heymann, Francois Balloux, ” Balloux, China's, ___ Cheng, Wanqing Chen Organizations: GENEVA, World Health Organization, WHO, National Health Commission, London School of Hygiene, Tropical Medicine, University College London, Beijing Children’s Hospital, China National Radio, Health Commission, Xinhua News Agency Locations: China, Beijing, London

☆ So many kids are falling sick in China that a children's hospital said it saw 13,000 cases in a single day
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Matthew Loh | Kim Schewitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Northern China is struggling with a wave of respiratory illnesses among its children. Cities like Beijing and Tianjin have been hit hard by cases of flu and pneumonia, hospitals said. Children wait on the stairs at a children hospital in Beijing on November 23, 2023, with some administered with drips. "All the children have respiratory illnesses." Children receive a drip at a children hospital in Beijing on November 23, 2023.

Persons: —, Liu Wei, Liu, imploring, JADE GAO, Mi Feng, they're, It's, JADE GAOJADE, Hu Xijin, Hu, David Heymann, Francois Balloux Organizations: Service, Beijing Aviation General, Management, drips, Getty, Changjiang, Health, Business, Global Times, Health Organization, London School of Hygiene, Tropical Medicine, UCL Genetics Institute Locations: Northern China, Cities, Beijing, Tianjin, China, Tianjian, Wuhan, Hubei, Chongqing, Weibo

☆ Arcturus: WHO watching XBB.1.16 as a coronavirus variant of interest
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The World Health Organization has elevated the fast-growing Omicron sublineage XBB.1.16 as a new variant of interest, and says it is outcompeting the previously dominant XBB.1.5 in many regions. XBB.1.16 is a descendant of the recombinant XBB, which is a mashup of two BA.2 sublineages. On social media, the variant has been nicknamed Arcturus, like the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. Currently, it is the dominant variant in India, where it is causing a wave of mostly mild illnesses. The XBB.1.5 variant continues to be the dominant cause of new infections in the United States, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

☆ Studiu: Mutaţiile nu determină SARS-CoV-2 să se răspândească mai rapid
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-25 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +3 min

Într-un studiu bazat pe un set global de date cu genomuri ale virusului prelevate de la 46.723 de persoane cu COVID-19 din 99 de ţări, cercetătorii au identificat peste 12.700 de mutaţii, sau modificări, ale virusului SARS-CoV-2. "Din fericire, am constatat că niciuna dintre aceste mutaţii nu determină COVID-19 să se răspândească mai rapid", a declarat Lucy van Dorp de la Institutul de Genetică al University College London (UCL), una dintre cercetătorii care au condus studiul.Ea a adăugat, totuşi: "Trebuie să rămânem vigilenţi şi să continuăm monitorizarea noilor mutaţii, în special pe măsură ce vaccinurile sunt introduse".Despre virusuri se ştie că suferă în permanenţă mutaţii, iar dintre aceşti agenţi patogeni - cum ar fi virusurile gripale - se modifică mai frecvent decât altele.Majoritatea mutaţiilor sunt neutre, însă unele pot fi fie avantajoase, fie dăunătoare virusului, iar altele pot reduce eficacitatea vaccinurilor împotriva lor. "Ştirile din tabăra vaccinului sunt grozave", a spus el. Dintre acestea, oamenii de ştiinţă şi-au concentrat atenţia asupra unui număr de 185 de mutaţii care, după cum au constatat ei, s-au produs de cel puţin trei ori în mod independent pe parcursul pandemiei.Cercetătorii nu au identificat nicio dovadă conform căreia vreuna dintre mutaţiile comune ar creşte transmisibilitatea virusului. În schimb, potrivit oamenilor de ştiinţă, cele mai frecvente mutaţii sunt neutre pentru virus.

Persons: Lucy van Organizations: University College London, UCL, Universitatea Oxford, Universitatea Reunion Locations: Franţa, Universitatea

„Din fericire, am constatat că niciuna dintre aceste mutaţii nu determină COVID-19 să se răspândească mai rapid", a declarat Lucy van Dorp de la Institutul de Genetică al University College London (UCL), una dintre cercetătorii care au condus studiul. Ea a adăugat, totuşi: „Trebuie să rămânem vigilenţi şi să continuăm monitorizarea noilor mutaţii, în special pe măsură ce vaccinurile sunt introduse". Majoritatea mutaţiilor sunt neutre, însă unele pot fi fie avantajoase, fie dăunătoare virusului, iar altele pot reduce eficacitatea vaccinurilor împotriva lor. În cazurile în care virusurile suferă astfel de mutaţii, vaccinurile trebuie adaptate în mod regulat pentru a-şi atinge ţinta. Studiul privind mutaţiile, ale cărui constatări preliminare au fost anunţate iniţial în luna mai, înainte de tipărire şi de a fi revizuite de alţi oameni de ştiinţă, a fost publicat integral miercuri în jurnalul ştiinţific Nature Communications.

Persons: Lucy van, Ea, Francois Balloux Organizations: University College London, UCL, Communications, Universitatea Oxford, Universitatea Reunion Locations: Franţa, Universitatea

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