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☆ 'Alarmingly high': E.coli levels discovered in River Thames ahead of famous regatta
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Spectators watch a race on the River Thames at the Henley Royal Regatta in Henley-on-Thames, west of London, on June 30, 2023. LONDON — Harmful E.coli bacteria has been discovered at "alarmingly high" levels in the U.K.'s River Thames just days before elite rowers are due to compete there for the international Henley Regatta, anti-pollution campaigners have warned. River Action also found E.coli levels up to 10 times higher in March tests. James Wallace, CEO of River Action, accused the government and Thames Water, which manages water supply in the area, of failing to appropriately manage water hygiene levels. Thames Water did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment, though the BBC reported that it had dubbed the findings "alarmist" and said it was monitoring bacteria levels.

Persons: James Wallace, Sir Steve Redgrave, UKHSA Organizations: Henley Royal Regatta, Henley Regatta, River Action, Henley, —, Thames Water, BBC, CNBC, Henley Royal, Olympic, UK Health Security Agency Locations: Henley, Thames, London, Oxfordshire

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

☆ 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

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ What is Strep A, the common bacterium that has killed 6 children in the UK?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Health officials in the United Kingdom are advising parents and schools to watch for Strep A infections following the recent deaths of six children. While there is no vaccine to prevent Strep A or iGAS infections, antibiotics are usually effective at treating them. The increase in iGAS this year has particularly been observed in children under 10, the UKHSA added. For children aged 5 to 9, there were 1.1 cases per 100,000, compared with the pre-pandemic average of 0.3. The last period of high infections was between 2017 to 2018, with four children under 10 dying in the equivalent period, the statement added.

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