Children are 30 times more likely to experience Kawasaki-like disease in Bergamo, Italy’s epicentre of infections and deaths, reported a Lancet study of 29 children on Wednesday. The SARS-CoV-2 virus could trigger symptoms similar to those of a severe cardiovascular illness called Kawasaki disease. While there were 19 cases of Kawasaki disease in the past […] Continue reading ->
The raging pandemic has highlighted an urgent need to incorporate mental health into COVID-19 recovery plans and to ‘substantially’ improve mental health funding – Or the world will face a ‘massive’ mental health crisis in upcoming months, reported a United Nations policy brief on Thursday.  “The impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health is […] Continue reading ->
Countries that reopen while COVID-19 is still circulating widely will likely face strong waves of virus resurgence, and then have to reinstate severe lockdown measures. However, the cyclical relaxation and reinstatement of some public health measures, such as bans on mass gatherings or school closures, may also be normal as countries learn how to track […] Continue reading ->
Amidst the global shortage of ventilators, personal protective equipment, and diagnostics; sedatives, used to keep severe COVID-19 patients who require invasive ventilation continuously sedated, are in increasingly short supply around the United States. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Fresenius Propoven 2% (propofol 20 mg/mL) […] Continue reading ->
As countries cautiously begin to lift lockdown measures, WHO Executive Director for Health Emergencies Mike Ryan has again warned that serological studies were presenting increasing evidence that a ‘herd immunity’ approach to mitigating the effects of further waves of infection would not be effective.  Herd immunity occurs when a large enough proportion of the population […] Continue reading ->
Up to 190 000 Africans could die of COVID-19 within the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail. And up to 44 million Africans, or 26% of the African population, could be infected by the virus, according to a new modelling study  by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. A proactive […] Continue reading ->
A newly identified microbe, named Microsporidia MB, can prevent mosquitoes from being infected by malaria parasites. This microbe could be used to block the transmission of malaria parasites from mosquito vectors to humans, according to new research published by researchers from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Kenya and the University […] Continue reading ->
Research into traditional medicines for COVID-19 should be welcomed, so long as it is held to the same standards as research into other drug candidates, the World Health Organization Africa Regional Office expressed in a statement issued Monday. The diplomatically-framed WHO statement came after widespread media coverage of Madagascar’s president and other African leaders over […] Continue reading ->