The mpox public health emergency was declared over the summer, as the country struggled to contain the soaring number of infections. However, cases have receded since, with vaccination going strong. The United States will likely end in late January the state of public health emergency declared last summer over the large number of mpox cases. Over 29,000 people were infected in the outbreak. However, cases shrank in recent weeks, after an effective vaccination strategy. The virus was initially known as monkeypox, but the WHO changed this name to mpox earlier this week, as it searched for a "neutral, non-discriminatory, and non-stigmatizing" name. Mpox in the US is most common among men who had sex with infected men. How did the US contain the virus? The US struggle to contain the mpox outbreak started to recede in August, after the declaration of the public health emergency. The White House tasked two top health officials, Robert Fenton and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, with leading the response. The new strategy centered around targeting local clinics and Pride events with the two-dose Jynneos vaccine. The virus has killed 17 people to date in the US. The Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said on Friday that the department expected there will no need to renew the emergency declaration on January 31. "But we won't take our foot off the gas,  we will continue to monitor the case trends closely and encourage all at-risk individuals to get a free vaccine,'' Becerra said. How serious is mpox? In July, the WHO declared the worldwide mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Typical mpox symptoms include a rash, headache, fever and chills, among others. The WHO has urged gay and bisexual men to limit their number of sexual partners in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Though endemic to Africa, mpox has spread to several parts of the world this year, claiming lives.    

Germany's public health agency reports more than 7 million cases of respiratory illnesses in a month. Babies and children have been infected by a virus that could threaten lives. Why are there so many cases this year? Doctors' offices across Germany are full of coughing, sniffing patients who don't just look miserable but probably feel that way, too.  According to the Robert Koch Institute, the country's public health agency, more than 7 million people have come down with various respiratory illnesses within a month. With cases skyrocketing in such a short stretch of time, doctors are barely able to cope. It's not unusual for cases of infectious disease to increase during the winter months. But this time around, the number is extremely high, and medical and care staff are reaching their limits. Altogether, researchers have identified around 200 different cold pathogens. Four of them are particularly rife in Germany and Europe at the moment, according to the Robert Koch Institute: influenza viruses, rhinoviruses, SARS-CoV-2 and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can be be dangerous particularly for babies and toddlers. RSV can lead to serious symptoms Many of the children who have been infected by the highly contagious RSV have been sent to the hospital for respiratory support. In some regions of Germany, pediatric wards are completely full. RSV is a common virus, and occurs on a seasonal basis. It can lead to bronchiolitis, which mainly affects children under the age of 2, causing their small airways to become inflamed and swell up. The airways become narrower, reducing air flow to and from the lungs, which can result in breathlessness and pneumonia. Mucus builds up in the fine bronchioles, the smaller branches of the airways, and can leave them seriously damaged. Fever and coughing are also typical of an RSV infection. Some children develop symptoms that resemble those of whooping cough, which can also lead to a life-threatening situation. Adults, for their part, tend to get over such infections without major problems — unless they have serious underlying medical conditions or an immune system that isn't functioning as well as it could. Lax COVID restrictions leading to more cold infections During the worst phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, infections by cold viruses — including RSV — were relatively rare. Most people observed the strict hygiene precautions put in place to stop the spread of COVID: frequent hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing. This made it considerably more difficult for viruses of all types to spread far and rapidly. This year, however, the anti-coronavirus measures aren't as strict, both in Germany and many other countries. Cold viruses don't need to overcome distance or face masks to spread their infection, and all those children who escaped infection during the pandemic are now getting sick, creating many more cases than there would be in a typical year. Many of the babies and toddlers who weren't infected two years ago are now getting sick this winter. The same goes for those who avoided illness last year, and the newborns who are just now experiencing their first wave of colds. All these cases are adding up, causing the overall number to explode. All these children have not previously had a chance to build up antibodies against RSV, or many other types of cold virus. Such antibodies help the body to fight off viruses and protect itself from pathogens. The hygiene measures to combat the coronavirus meant that the immune systems of babies and toddlers have, until now, never had to deal with cold viruses — making the current wave of infections all the more serious. What should parents look out for? A major alarm signal for parents is when a child has difficulty breathing, or makes rattling breath sounds. Whistling noises in the lungs or a sort of crackling can also be an indication of a respiratory illness, such as an RSV infection. The Robert Koch Institute has said that children with RSV often don't want to eat or drink, and may vomit. Tiredness can also be a symptom; children sometimes become apathetic and lose interest in everything. Where the symptoms come from exactly, how serious the illness is or whether it could even be life-threatening for a child are best assessed by medical experts. The most important thing to do in such a case is to go to a pediatric doctor, even if making an appointment isn't all that easy at the moment. The RKI has warned that the danger of infections is far from over, with worldwide case numbers possibly rising even further. France already made an emergency plan for a bronchiolitis epidemic in early November. Other countries may soon be forced to follow its example. This article has been translated from German.

My elder brother, James, who was born in 1943 with a genetic chromosomal abnormality, Down Syndrome, and who had a severe learning disability, died in 1999 in the U.K. as a result of negligence.  He died of bronchial pneumonia because doctors who were treating him did not take the time and trouble to find out exactly what was wrong with him.  He had been suffering with diarrhoea and they treated him for that without properly examining him at the residential care home in which he lived.  He died because he was unable to communicate with the doctors and his carers supposedly trained to look after people with such difficulties.  His birthday, which he always celebrated with a lot of fun and laughter among friends, even going to a local pub for a drink, was 3rd December.  This date, therefore, has special significance for me, because, in most countries of the world, 3rd December is observed as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.  It is only right to ask ourselves if we ever take time to understand the problems, the challenges, the feelings and the aspirations of those people who live among us who, as a result of a disability or disabilities, find their lives more difficult to handle than most of us.  When we meet people with disabilities, due to our lack of knowledge, we often feel awkward and embarrassed as we do not know how to react, what to do, or what to say. I am writing down some practical advice which may help in the understanding of how people with disabilities feel. I draw on my own personal experience of growing up with a brother with a severe learning disability and later in life having a son, now 46 years old, with a similar disability. These experiences and knowing many other people with disabilities who have become close personal friends, have enriched my life and my work. Having assisted, in 1990/91, for putting together the first preliminary draft of Bangladesh’s National Disability Policy, and having seen how slowly it made progress, I am well aware of how officialdom looks at the problems of the disabled. Although, 40 years ago, 1981 was observed as the International Year of Disabled Persons, the rights of persons with disabilities have always tended to be at the bottom of most governments’ budget plans, and so, it can only be stressed that much more work has to be done. Having said that, I am pleased to see that the Government in Bangladesh has been taking a much closer interest in the difficulties faced by persons with disabilities and that the Disability Welfare Act 2001 was amended and strengthened in Parliament through the Disability Rights and Protection Act, 2013. In addition, “Protection of Persons with Neuro-developmental Disability Trust Act, 2013” was also enacted. Significantly, multilateral, bilateral and INGO donors have now adopted the slogans ‘Leave Noone Behind’ and ‘Disability Inclusion’. 30 to 40 years ago all development programmes had to address issues related to women to be accepted by donors. So very many years later, the rights of people with disabilities are now, at last, recognized! My work over the years has been enriched by many friends in Bangladesh and elsewhere who have disabilities, and all the time I try to focus on the person and not on the disability and hopefully what I write below – and I first wrote most of these words 35 years ago - will help Government Ministers and government officials better understand what they have to do and how to relate to persons with disabilities. The best advice, however, is that if you do not know how to handle your relationship with a person with a disability, ask him or her for advice.  I hope these Do's and Don'ts will enrich the lives of those who read them and some of the millions of people with disabilities in Bangladesh. -Don't treat a person with one disability as if she/he is disabled in other ways. People tend to talk in simple single syllable words to people who use wheelchairs, they shout at the deaf, and often address a blind person through someone else. -Don't focus on a person's disability, focus on the person. -Do ask if you can help- and how to help-if it looks as if help might be needed. You may be shy about offering help. The disabled person may also be shy about asking for it. And don't be offended if your help is not needed-persons with disabilities usually like to be as independent as possible. And don't be put off from offering your help at another time. -Don't say "I wouldn't try that if I were you"-a disabled person is likely to be the best judge of what she/he can or cannot do. -Don't show pity and say, "I don't know how you manage; I'd die if I couldn’t walk." It is often hurtful and, under the guise of praise, reinforces the sense of being different. -Do treat children with disabilities as normally as possible-including not allowing them to misbehave. Disabled children need to learn the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, in their own society, just as other children do. -Do identify yourself straightaway. A blind person can't always place you by a 'hello'.  It's hard for her/him to reply warmly, 'hello', if she/he doesn't know who you are. So, give a name and context; "Hello, it's Tasneem.  We met last week at Shahana’s house." -Do make a special effort to remember the name of a person who is blind. Beginning with her/his name is the only way of letting him know that you are talking to her/him. -Don't feel shy about saying things like "nice to see you" to a blind person. She/he may even say it back. It's impossible to avoid words connected with seeing-blind people aren't self-conscious about it and needn’t be. -Don't grab a blind person's arm unexpectedly. You'll startle her/him. In fact don't hold a blind person’s arm at all! Allow her/him to hold yours. She/he is then safely half a step behind you and so is forewarned of what your next move will be by the change in your position. -Don't say "here's a step”-say, "step up" or "step down." It's dangerous as well as embarrassing to be waving your foot in mid-air when the step actually leads down. Also if the step is exceptionally deep or shallow, do mention it. -Don't leave doors half open. Shut them all the way or open them flat against the wall. -Don't exclude a blind person from television. It gives her/him access to a world familiar to her/his sighted friends. -Don't exclude a blind friend from outdoor activities. Ask if she/he would like to shop with you instead of your doing it for her/him. -Don't chase a child away from a person with a learning disability (often, wrongly, referred to as 'mentally retarded') who might approach her/him.  It only perpetuates the feeling that there is something to be afraid and ashamed of if she/he reaches out to touch a child, take her/his hand and turn it into a friendly handshake-deflecting the attention away from the child and on to yourself -Don't be afraid of a person with a learning disability. Very few are violent-and if they are among people, you can assume that they are not violent. Avoidance and rejection are among the most commonly upsetting things to people with learning disabilities. -Do be honest and keep promises. Don't assume that a person with a learning disability doesn't understand or remember what you've said. As an example, my son Neil, now 46 years old, who has a severe learning disability, has a very good memory, an amazing sense of direction and a great sense of humour. -Do take time to listen to someone who is mentally ill-and don't assume that she/he has no knowledge or opinions of value. -Don't express pity for parents of 'retarded' children-their child is just as precious to them as any child is to any parent. -Don't give advice, except to point someone in the direction of professional help if none is being given and some help seems necessary. -Do remember that any practical help you offer may need to be given for a long period. -Don't tell a person who is mentally ill to "pull themselves together". If they could, they would. -Don't grab hold of a wheelchair without being asked. The occupant can easily be thrown out by an inexpert enthusiast. Remember to warn her/him if you are going to turn the chair round quickly. In fact, it's thoughtful to tell her/him whatever your next move is going to be. -Do check with the person in the wheelchair if the speed you are pushing her/him at is comfortable.  Too fast-it's unsettling. Too slow-it's plain boring. -Don't lift the wheelchair by the armrests-they'll probably come out in your hands. Do remember that the person may find it hard to hear what you are merrily chattering about-and since your voice, coming from behind, may not compete well with traffic noise. Also, from her/his vantage point, she/he may not be able to see what you are pointing to. -Do chat to a person in a stationary wheelchair with your head on the same level. It's embarrassing always literally to be "looked down upon" and uncomfortable always to be looking up. -Do ask her/him how to get a wheelchair up or down a flight of stairs-there are often simple mechanisms or techniques which the disabled person will know. -Do keep your face clearly visible when talking to a deaf person. Face the light. If you stand with your back to the light or window then you may be silhouetted, wiping out the details needed for lip reading. Don't move around-your deaf friend will miss words each time you turn your face. -Do not distort your face exaggeratedly to 'help' a lip-reader. The subtle signs she/he watches out for will be swamped by such contortions. And don’t shout-it doesn’t help and can distort hearing aids. -Do bear in mind that someone who is deaf may be nervous of going out in the dark.  Already denied one sense, she/he may be uneasy about being deprived of another. Indoors, make sure she/he has easy access to a safe light. And don't forget to take a torch if you go out at night with someone who is deaf-shine it on your face when you speak. -Don't remain silent if you can't make out what a deaf person is trying to say, or if her/his hearing aid is making a whistling noise. Be frank. How else is she/he expected to know? -Don't condescend. A deaf person's voice may sound strange. But there's no need to behave as if he she/he has a learning disability as well. -Do play music. People who are deaf can "hear" the beat through the vibrations. Deaf teenagers love records and dancing at discos-the louder the music the better.  ##  

The European Medicines Agency has given its authorization for the use of vaccines against the omicron variant of COVID-19 to both Moderna and BioNTech-Pfizer. The EU’s drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), said on Thursday that it had given the green light to two vaccines that target the omicron variant of COVID-19. The vaccines were developed by the US-German partnership BioNTech-Pfizer and by the US company Moderna. The vaccines are the first to target the omicron variant BA.1, as well as being effective against the original strain of the virus. Both also produced vaccines against the first iteration of the virus that were approved by the EMA. The European Commission must still give its final approval, but this is expected to be given fairly swiftly. What did the EMA say? The new vaccines function as booster shots for people who have already had a full dose of the original coronavirus vaccine. The EMA recommended their use for anyone aged 12 years and above. These vaccines are adapted versions of the original vaccines Comirnaty (BioNTech-Pfizer) and Spikevax (Moderna) to target the omicron BA.1 subvariant in addition to the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, the Amsterdam-based regulator said. It also said the studies of the vaccine’s effect showed that they trigger strong immune responses and that in particular, they were more effective at triggering immune responses against the BA.1 subvariant than the original vaccines. European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides welcomed the decision as important to protect Europeans against the likely risk of autumn and winter waves of infections.We need to be ready to face another winter with Covid-19, she added. What about the other omicron subvariants? Vaccines designed to tackle the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants are still being reviewed, the EMA said. A decision on these is expected in the next few weeks, Kyriakides said on Thursday. The US Food and Drug Administration greenlit the BA.4/BA.5 vaccines on Wednesday. The omicron BA.1 subvariant swept Europe last winter bringing a vast surge in cases. It has since been largely replaced by the BA.5 subvariant. While US authorities decided to directly authorize the BA.4/BA.5 adapted shots, the EU has gone instead for the BA.1 vaccines of which large quantities of doses have already been produced. German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has said that the new vaccines will be available in Germany by next week. The UK was the first country to approve a so-called bivalent vaccine the Moderna shot in August, followed then by Switzerland and Australia.

The World Health Organization has recommended the use of two drugs against the Ebola virus, which it says have "revolutionized" the treatment of what had previously been thought of as a "near-certain killer." The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said two existing treatments significantly reduced deaths from the Ebola virus, which has killed thousands in Africa and elsewhere. The organization recommended that the treatments be given to people of all ages. It said that this had revolutionized the treatment of the often-fatal disease. What does the WHO recommend for Ebola treatment?  The WHO has recommended the use of two monoclonal antibodies, Ebanga (mAb114) and Inmazeb (REGN-EB3). Janet Diaz, head of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme’s clinical management unit, said studies showed that the two treatments significantly reduced mortality. She said the use of the new drugs could save 230-400 lives for every 1,000 infections, depending on the standard of care. The organization said the two treatments were appropriate for older people, pregnant and breastfeeding people, children and newborns. Patients should receive recommended neutralizing monoclonal antibodies as soon as possible after laboratory confirmation of diagnosis, the UN health agency said in a statement. The drugs were trialed following an outbreak of the disease in 2018-2020 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to WHO figures, there were more than 3,300 confirmed cases of Ebola registered in the epidemic, of whom almost 2,300 succumbed to the disease. The WHO has recommended against using other therapeutics that have been tested for Ebola treatment, such as the monoclonal antibody ZMapp and antiviral drug Remdesivir. Access to treatments challenging The WHO warned that access to the treatments was still challenging, especially in resource-poor areas. WHO is ready to support countries, manufacturers and partners to improve access to these treatments, and to support national and global efforts to increase affordability, it said. Diaz said that, although the drugs were currently available in Congo, more needed to be done to increase their affordability. Pathways to access is a priority to work on right now, she said. Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever that was identified in central Africa in 1976. Fatality rates from the disease can be as high as 80% to 90%. Ebola virus disease used to be perceived as a near-certain killer. However, that is no longer the case, Robert Fowler, co-chair of the WHO’s guideline development group, said. He said effective use of the treatments now led to recovery in the vast majority of cases depending on the standard of care where patients receive treatment.

After the perplexing exordium of COVID-19, one of the pernicious most zoonotic viruses(from humans to animals) ever, the public might exercise their caution if any unfledged variety is found coming to view. Although many zoonotic diseases cause mild infections, some are more severe. Most of the world's large-scale outbreaks, such as the Coronavirus, Ebola, MERS, and the Zika virus, have been caused by the spread of zoonotic viruses. The world is grappling with the internecine SARS‑CoV‑2 which has claimed 6.5M lives to date. Monkey-pox is also getting a scary go. Now the situation is compounded by the appearance of a new zoonotic type virus, dubbed, Langya henipavirus (LayV), detected in 35 dissociated fever patients in hospitals in Shandong and Henan provinces of China between 2018 and 2021. This is a negative-strand RNA virus that is generically pinpointed in mammals like shrews and fruit bats. It spreads specifically or implicitly to people from shrews – a small mouse-like mammal found in an increasing proportion of occupancies. The virus was also detected in 2% of domestic goats and 5% of dogs. "There are clearly repeated transmission events from what looks to be a common reservoir in shrews," said Vaughn Cooper, an evolutionary biology professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Research suggests that the shrew may be a natural repertory of the virus. A piece of good tidings is, that the pathogen did not call forth any reported deaths still and all. Symptoms reported appeared to be mostly mild – fever, fatigue, cough, anorexia, myalgia, nausea, and headache. The researchers did not find definitive evidence of LayV spreading between people — there were no clusters of cases in the same family, within a short window of time, or in close geographical proximity. "We are hugely underestimating the number of these zoonotic cases in the world, and this (Langya virus) is just the tip of the iceberg," said emerging virus expert Leo Poon, a professor at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health. Some henipaviruses are fraught with danger; the Nipah virus, for instance, has a fatality rate between 40% and 75%.This alien virus appears to be an identical cousin of two other viruses that are instrumental in humans: the Nipah virus and Hendra virus. Communicable disease experts have long warned that the climate crisis and the destruction of nature will inflate the risk of viruses being transmitted from animals to humans, in events known as “zoonotic spillovers”. Compiled and edited from different online sources by Sazzad Hossain Shihab

Only a third of adults today can digest lactose. For many years, researchers assumed humans adopted this ability when our prehistoric ancestors started drinking milk. A new study points to a different story. There is a good chance you have lactose intolerance. You are not alone 5,000 years ago, most humans were lactose intolerant too. A new study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature by University of Bristol and University College London researchers found that people’s ability to digest lactose became common almost 5,000 years later than the first signs of human milk consumption, which date back to around 6,000 BC. They also found, using new computer modeling methods, that milk consumption wasn’t the reason for the increase in lactose tolerance. Milk didn’t help at all, study author Mark Thomas, a University College London researcher, told DW. I’m excited about the statistical modeling method that we developed. As far as I’m aware, nobody’s done that before, said Thomas. What is lactose intolerance? All babies can normally digest lactose. But for most of them, this ability will start to wane after they wean off breastmilk. Today about two-thirds of people are lactase non-persistent, which means they can’t digest lactose, the main sugar in milk. People who are lactase non-persistent can’t produce an enzyme called lactase, which breaks down lactose. When this enzyme is absent, lactose is free to travel to the colon, where bacteria feast on it. This can cause unpleasant side effects, like cramps, farting or diarrhea. Together these symptoms are called lactose intolerance. Surprising results The results of this study are contrary to a widespread belief that our prehistoric ancestors consumption of dairy led to the evolution of a genetic variation allowing them to digest lactose even after adulthood. This assumption can be partly traced to the marketing of the alleged health benefits of lactose tolerance. For years, milk companies, doctors and even nutritionists have peddled milk and dairy as important supplements of vitamin D and calcium and good sources of uncontaminated water. But the researchers quickly dismissed these ideas after analyzing a huge set of DNA and medical information of people in the UK. They found that whether or not they could tolerate lactose had little effect on people’s health, their calcium levels or whether they drank milk or not, said Thomas. Why did lactase persistence evolve? Genetic studies show that lactase persistence is the most strongly selected single gene trait to have evolved in the last 10,000 years, said Thomas. At around 1,000 BC, the number of humans with the capacity to digest lactose, which is encoded in one gene, started to increase rapidly. After discovering that milk consumption was not behind this burst of growth, the researchers tested two alternative hypotheses. One hypothesis was that when humans became exposed to more pathogens, symptoms of lactose intolerance combined with the new infectious agents could turn deadly. We know that pathogen exposure would have gone up over the last 10,000 years as population densities increase, as people live closer to their domestic animals, said Thomas. The other hypothesis had to do with famines. When the crops sowed by lactose intolerant prehistoric populations failed, milk and dairy products became some of their only options for nourishment. If you’re a healthy person, you get diarrhea. It’s embarrassing. If you are severely malnourished and you give yourself diarrhea, there’s a good chance you’re going to die, said Thomas. The researchers used the same computer modeling methods to examine whether these ideas could better explain the evolution of lactase persistence. And they did, way, way better, said Thomas. All these theories that ultimately relate to milk use don’t seem to help. The study mostly focused on European populations, and more research is needed for other continents. Unfortunately, finding ancient DNA in African countries is trickier because it’s hotter, and heat is a big determinant of whether DNA survives, said Thomas.