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Flesh-eating bacteria spreads in Japan
Rtv news
16 Jun 2024, 16:45
Photo: Bloomberg
A disease caused by a rare "flesh-eating bacteria" that can kill people within 48 hours is spreading in Japan after the country relaxed Covid-era restrictions, Bloomberg reported on Saturday.
Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is an aggressive illness that can be fatal within 48 hours of infection.
As many as 977 cases of STSS have been reported in Japan this year by June 2, higher than the record 941 cases reported last year, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, which has been tracking incidences of the disease since 1999.
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) typically causes swelling and sore throat in children known as "strep throat," but some types of the bacteria can lead to symptoms developing rapidly, including limb pain and swelling, fever, low blood pressure, that can be followed by necrosis, breathing problems, organ failure and death, according to Bloomberg.
“Most of the deaths happen within 48 hours,” said Ken Kikuchi, a professor in infectious diseases at Tokyo Women’s Medical University. "As soon as a patient notices swelling in the foot in the morning, it can expand to the knee by noon, and they can die within 48 hours,” he said.
People over 50 are more prone to this disease.
Kikuchi added that at the current rate of infections, the number of cases in Japan could reach 2,500 this year, with a “terrifying” mortality rate of 30%.
Kikuchi urged people to maintain hand hygiene and to treat any open wounds. He said patients may carry GAS in their intestines, which could contaminate hands through faeces.
Besides Japan, several other countries have experienced recent outbreaks of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, according to Bloomberg. In late 2022, at least five European nations reported to the World Health Organization an increase in cases of invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) disease, which includes STSS. The WHO said the rise in cases followed the end of Covid restrictions.
Source: in
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Study Explains Why Females Sleep Less
While caregiving roles often take a toll on women's sleep, a new study on Thursday suggested that biological factors may also play a role in why females sleep less.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, showed that women sleep less, and wake up more often. They also get less restorative sleep than men.
The findings based on experiments in mice shed new light on what may underlie sleep differences in men and women.
"In humans, men and women exhibit distinct sleep patterns, often attributed to lifestyle factors and caregiving roles," said Rachel Rowe, assistant professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, US.
"Our results suggest that biological factors may play a more substantial role in driving these sleep differences than previously recognized," Rowe added.
Sleep research has exploded in recent years, with thousands of animal studies exploring how insufficient sleep impacts the risk of diseases like diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's, and immune disorders -- and how such diseases impact sleep.
For the non-invasive study, the team used specialized cages lined with ultrasensitive movement sensors to assess the sleep patterns of 267 "C57BL/6J" mice.
They found that males slept about 670 minutes total per 24-hour period, about an hour more than female mice. That extra sleep was non-rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep -- the restorative sleep when the body works to repair itself.
Female mice were found to have shorter bouts of sleep -- essentially, their sleep is more fragmented.
The study saw similar sex differences in other animals, including fruit flies, rats, zebrafish, and birds.
Rowe said biologically, "females are designed to be more sensitive to their environment and be aroused when they need to be because they are typically the ones who are caring for the young," Rowe said, noting that stress hormones like cortisol (which promotes wakefulness) and sex hormones also may play a role.
The team hopes for more research to understand the underlying biological differences that can boost sleep treatment.
Dengue Claims 10 More Lives
Ten more people have died of dengue in the last 24 hours. 886 people have been admitted to the hospital.
This information was revealed in the dengue report of the Directorate General of Health Services on Saturday (November 23).
It said that among those admitted to the hospital in the last 24 hours due to dengue, 373 are from Dhaka City Corporation and the rest are from outside Dhaka. During this time, 938 people have been discharged from the hospital.
So far this year, 85,712 people have been admitted to the hospital due to dengue. Of these, 81,456 have been discharged. 448 have died.
Atiqur Rahman, a specialized doctor at DMCH said that dengue is no longer seasonal now, it occurs throughout the year. It increases when it starts raining. In addition to using mosquito repellents to prevent dengue, the city corporation must also conduct campaigns everywhere. At the same time, everyone must be aware of it.
Entomologist Dr Manjur Chowdhury says that not only public awareness will work to control mosquitoes. Appropriate measures must be taken by conducting proper surveys and using skilled manpower.
It is worth noting that in 2023, the highest number of dengue patients in the country's history was 3,21,179, and 1,705 people died.
Dengue Claims 47 Lives in A Week
The dengue outbreak in the country is not decreasing in any way. Along with the deaths, the number of infected people is also increasing. The pressure of patients in hospitals increasing.
According to the dengue report of the Department of Health, 47 have died of dengue this week (November 23 to November 29) and 5,968 have been admitted to hospitals.
According to the statistics of the last seven days,
November 23: 10 died, 886 hospitalized
November 24: 11 died, 1,079 hospitalized
November 25: 2 died, 934 hospitalized
November 26: 10 died, 990 hospitalized
November 27: 4 died, 888 hospitalized
November 28: 7 died, 837 hospitalized
November 29: 3 died, 354 hospitalized.
So far this year, 90,793 people have been hospitalized due to dengue. Of these, 87,281 have been discharged. 485 died.
Atiqur Rahman, a specialized doctor at DMCH said that dengue is no longer seasonal, it occurs throughout the year. It increases when it starts raining. In addition to using mosquito repellents to prevent dengue, the city corporation must also conduct campaigns everywhere. At the same time, everyone must be aware of it.
Entomologist Dr Manjur Chowdhury says that not only public awareness will work to control mosquitoes. Appropriate measures must be taken by conducting proper surveys and using skilled manpower.
It is worth noting that in 2023, the highest number of dengue patients in the country's history was 3,21,179, and 1,705 people died.
Dengue Claims 173 Lives in November
The dengue outbreak in the country is not decreasing in any way. Along with the deaths, the number of infected people is also increasing. The pressure of patients in hospitals is increasing rapidly.
According to the dengue report of the Department of Health, 173 people have died of dengue this month (November), which is the highest in a month this year. In addition, 29,652 people have been admitted to hospitals due to dengue in November.
According to the monthly statistics of this year,
14 died, 1,055 hospitalized in January
3 died, 339 hospitalized in February
5 died, 311 hospitalized in March
2 died, 504 hospitalized in April
12 died, 644 hospitalized in May
8 died, 798 hospitalized in June
12 died, 2,669 hospitalized in July
27 died, 6,521 hospitalized in August
80 died, 18,097 hospitalized in September
134 died, 30,879 hospitalized in October
173 died, 29,652 hospitalized in November
So far this year, a total of 91,469 people have been hospitalized due to dengue. Of these, 87,879 have been discharged. 488 have died.
Of the deceased, 208 people died in Dhaka South City Corporation and 89 in Dhaka North City Corporation. The rest died in different parts of the country.
Atiqur Rahman, a specialized doctor at DMCH said that dengue is no longer seasonal, it occurs throughout the year. It increases when it starts raining. In addition to using mosquito repellents to prevent dengue, the city corporation must also conduct campaigns everywhere. At the same time, everyone must be aware of it.
Entomologist Dr Manjur Chowdhury says that not only public awareness will work to control mosquitoes. Appropriate measures must be taken by conducting proper surveys and using skilled manpower.
It is worth noting that in 2023, the highest number of dengue patients in the country's history was 3,21,179, and 1,705 died.
Bangladesh Reports Highest AIDS-Affected Patients This Year
In the last year, 195 people have died of AIDS in the country. This year, 1,438 people have been newly infected with AIDS. This is the highest number of AIDS cases since the first HIV (AIDS virus) positive case was identified in Bangladesh in 1989. Of these, 55 percent are married.
This information was obtained from the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy, and AIDS Control Program (TB-L & ASP) of the Department of Health.
Today is December 1, World AIDS Day. On this occasion, the Department of Health will present various statistics related to AIDS in the country. The theme of this year's World AIDS Day is 'If rights are ensured, HIV/AIDS will go away'.
Thoughts on young people and two risk groups
This year, 63 percent of the newly infected people are between 25 to 49 years old. 21 percent are between 20 to 24 years old. Last year, 16 percent of young people were between 19 to 24 years old.
Among patients, 10 percent of the total infected people are Rohingya. Last year, the rate was 12 percent. Transgender people account for 1 percent of the total infections. Last year too, the infection rate among them was similar.
These three groups, including homosexuals, female sex workers, and intravenous drug users, are also considered vulnerable to HIV.
Dr Md. Mahfuzar Rahman Sarkar, Line Director of TB-L & ASP at the Directorate General of Health Services, said, "Globally, the younger population is considered vulnerable to HIV. We are no exception here. And while living in Myanmar, HIV infection was relatively high among the Rohingya. Testing has increased among Rohingya and transgender people than before. Therefore, more are being identified."
Dr Saima Khan, Country Director for Bangladesh at UNAIDS, said, the scope of identifying and providing services to HIV-infected people has increased. However, campaigning can be increased to prevent the increase in infections among the young generation. More awareness topics need to be added to the curriculum on this issue.
Infection is more common among married people, fear of death
Of those infected with AIDS this year, 55 percent are married. 40 percent are single. 5 percent are widowed or divorced.
Last year, the infection rate among married people was 60 percent. Among single people, it was 31 percent. Like last year, this year too, the Dhaka division has the highest number of HIV infections.
Last year, the number of deaths due to HIV was 266. This year, the number is 195. Although the number of deaths has decreased, it is still at an alarming level, says Nazrul Islam, former vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). This virologist said that the HIV treatment system is now quite advanced. The cause of death may be that the infected people are not taking regular and proper treatment. Again, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the drugs being given are becoming resistant or not.
Dhaka's Air 'Unhealthy' Today, 5 Places With High Pollution
Air pollution is increasing day by day in various cities around the world due to various reasons including climate change. Along with this, Dhaka's air has also been under the grip of pollution for a long time.
Dhaka's air is still 'unhealthy' on Tuesday (December 3) morning.
According to the data of the international air quality technology company IQAir at around 8 am, the capital Dhaka is in sixth position with a score of 186.
This air is harmful to any person. Today, pollution is high in five places in Dhaka and its surroundings. These places include Eastern Housing 2, Hemayetpur in Savar, Rob Bhaban in Gulshan-2, the US Embassy in Dhaka, and the Aga Khan Academy.
At the same time, the Indian city of Delhi is at the top of the list of the most polluted cities in the world with a score of 248. Iraq's capital Baghdad is in second place with a score of 226, Pakistan's Karachi is in third place with a score of 219, another Pakistani city Lahore is in second place with a score of 217 and China's Hangzhou is in fifth place with a score of 202.
An Air Quality Index (AQI) score of zero to 50 is considered good. 51 to 100 is considered moderate, and 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. A score of 151 to 200 is considered 'unhealthy' air.
An AQI score between 201 and 300 is called 'very unhealthy'. In this situation, children, the elderly, and sick patients are advised to stay indoors and others are advised to limit their outdoor activities. Furthermore, an AQI between 301 and 400 is considered 'hazardous', which poses a serious health risk to city dwellers.
