Page 2 - Viruses

What to know about hantavirus, illness suspected in cruise ship outbreak

A rodent-borne illness is suspected of causing an outbreak aboard a cruise ship that has killed three people and sickened others. Studies indicate hantaviruses have been around for centuries, with outbreaks documented in Asia and Europe. In the Eastern Hemisphere, it has been linked with hemorrhagic fever and kidney failure. It wasn't until the early 1990s that a previously unknown group of hantaviruses emerged in the southwestern United States as the cause of an acute respiratory disease now known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The disease gained attention last year after the late actor Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico. The World Health Organisation said in a statement Sunday that detailed investigations of the cruise ship outbreak are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing. The virus is spread by rodents and, more rarely, ...

Three dead after suspected hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship in Atlantic

A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean killed three people, including an elderly married couple, and sickened at least three others, the World Health Organisation and South Africa's Department of Health said Sunday. In a statement to The Associated Press, WHO said an investigation was underway but that at least one case of hantavirus had been confirmed. One of the patients was in intensive care in a South African hospital, the UN's health agency said, and it was working with authorities to evacuate two others with symptoms from the ship. The Dutch company that operates the cruise said the ship was now sitting off the coast of Cape Verde, an island nation off Africa's west coast, and local authorities were assisting but had not allowed anyone to disembark. It said the two sick people onboard requiring urgent medical care were crew members. Hantavirus infections are spread mainly by rodents Hantaviruses, which are found throughout

Apple warns iPhone users about security risks on older iOS versions | Virus | Cyber crime

Apple is reportedly sending urgent security notifications to iPhone users running older versions of iOS, warning them about ongoing cyber threats.

You recover, but some viruses stay: Study explains why they linger

A major study reveals how genes, immunity and lifestyle shape viral persistence and explain why some infections never fully leave the body

Hidden infections could be the missing link in long Covid, says new study

Researchers say long Covid may be fuelled by reactivated viruses and co-infections triggered by Covid-19, opening new avenues for diagnosis and treatment

Recurring throat infections on the rise as pollution, viruses collide

Doctors warn that air pollution, changing weather and overlapping viral infections are driving a spike in recurrent sore throats, with many patients returning days after recovery

WHO warns of rising Mpox cases as new 'clade Ib' strain spreads globally

WHO reports 2,862 cases and 17 deaths across 17 African nations in six weeks; new clade Ib strain detected in Europe and US, prompting renewed vigilance amid signs of local transmission

Long-Covid, viruses: New research looks for links to chronic fatigue

Medically the symptoms are known as myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The World Health Organization classifies this as a post viral fatigue syndrome

Pakistan records one more poliovirus case; countrywide tally reaches 14

One more case of poliovirus has been confirmed in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, taking the total countrywide tally to 14, officials said. The new case, a 19-month-old boy, was reported in the North Waziristan district of the province, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad said on Tuesday. With the latest case, the total number of polio cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has risen to 8. Four cases were confirmed in Sindh and one each in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan earlier this year. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. This year, Pakistan has undertaken three nationwide polio campaigns so far in February, April, and May. Polio eradication efforts in Pakistan routinely face security issues. The cas

Scientists find new 'brain-inflaming' bat viruses in China: Should we worry

Chinese scientists discover new viruses in bat kidneys linked to fatal brain diseases, raising urgent concerns about future outbreaks

Flu shot must as winter viruses may trigger heart attack or stroke: Study

People who are particularly vulnerable to a heart attack or stroke triggered by a respiratory virus are those with more than one of those traditional risk factors, especially older people

Brazil confirms first bird flu case on farm, raising global supply fears

The disease has spread around the globe in the past years, leading to hundreds of millions of poultry being culled. It has also been reported in dairy cows, cats, and humans

Kerala confirms another Nipah case in Malappuram's Valanchery district

A 42-year-old woman from Valanchery, Malappuram has tested positive for Nipah virus, marking Kerala's seventh reported case since the first outbreak in 2018

Zydus launches vaccine for protection against new strain of influenza virus

Zydus Lifesciences on Wednesday said it is introducing a vaccine for protection against new strain of influenza virus. The company is introducing country's first flu protection quadrivalent influenza virus vaccine as per WHO recommended composition, the Ahmedabad-based drug major said in a statement. Zydus's Quadrivalent Inactivated Influenza vaccine VaxiFlu-4 will offer seasonal protection against four new virus strains, it added. A quadrivalent vaccine, by covering strains of both influenza A and influenza B, provides a broader protection and significantly reduces the risk of vaccine mismatch, it said. The vaccine has been cleared by the Central Drug Laboratory (CDL), the drug maker said. "Preventives are the key to public health in both the developing and the developed world and vaccines have the potential to improve the quality of life," Zydus Lifesciences Managing Director Sharvil Patel said. In India, there is a pressing need for access to affordable, high-quality vaccines

Global survey reveals low awareness of shingles among older Indians

Shingles, caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus-the same virus responsible for chickenpox-is a painful disease that can lead to severe and long-lasting complications

Covid-like bat virus discovered by researchers at Wuhan lab in China

The study was led by Shi Zhengli, Chinese virologist from the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), where the Covid-19 was alleged to have emanated from

Tally of GBS fatalities in Pune climbs to 6 after death of 63-year-old man

The number of suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) deaths in Maharashtra's Pune district has risen to six after a 63-year-old man died, a health official has said. The man was admitted to a hospital in the Sinhgad Road area after he complained of fever, loose motions and weakness in the lower limb and was diagnosed with GBS, the official said on Thursday. "His condition deteriorated on Wednesday and he died of acute ischemic stroke," the Pune Municipal Corporation health official said. He added that of the six deaths, five are suspected GBS deaths, while one is a confirmed fatality from the rare nerve disorder. With the detection of three new cases, the number of suspected GBS cases in Pune rose to 173, a Maharashtra health department release said. "Of these, 140 have been diagnosed with GBS. Of the 173, a total of 34 patients are from Pune Municipal Corporation limits, 87 from newly added villages in PMC area, 22 from Pimpri Chinchwad civic limits, 22 from rural parts of the .

Trump admin considers order to pause virus research linked to Covid-19

The Trump administration is drafting an executive order to temporarily halt federal funding for certain 'gain-of-function' virus research, although some pathogens, like H5N1, may be exempt from this

Pondy reports first case of HMPV, child fully recovers and discharged

A three-year-old child who had been undergoing treatment for Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in a private hospital for the past few days was discharged on Saturday. Director of Health for Puducherry, V Ravichandran, told PTI, "The child has fully recovered from the disease and was discharged on Saturday. The parents were given necessary instructions on the care and precautionary measures they should take for the child's health at home." He mentioned that this was the first case of HMPV in Puducherry. Ravichandran added that the centrally administered JIPMER was testing all HMPV cases according to the standard protocol and was equipped with the necessary testing kits. He further stated that the Puducherry government was taking steps to conduct testing at the state-run Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute in nearby Kadirkamam. "The territorial government is keeping a constant vigil on the situation, and necessary precautionary steps are being taken," he said. Meanwhile

9-month old tests positive for HMPV in Gujarat, cases rise to four in state

Gujarat has reported its fourth human metapneumovirus (HMPV) case, with a nine-month-old child contracting the infection in Ahmedabad, officials said Saturday. All the cases have been reported in less than a week. The baby boy was admitted to a private hospital in the city on January 6 with a cold, cough and difficulty in breathing. He has no history of foreign or other travel, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said. On Friday, an eight-year-old boy from Sabarkantha district was confirmed to be infected with HMPV, making him the third case in the state. Two days back, an 80-year-old man tested positive for the viral infection in Ahmedabad. The patient, who has been suffering from asthma, is currently being treated at a private hospital. Gujarat recorded its first case of HMPV on January 6, when a two-month-old boy from Rajasthan was found to be afflicted with the viral disease, which has symptoms like fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, and cough. He was discharged after being .