Eight children taken to hospital after seizure-like symptoms at church concert
The symptoms were not life-threatening, the Cambridge Fire Department said.
About 70 other people who attended the concert at St Paul's Parish in Harvard Square were not affected.
Crews first received a call about a child suffering from a seizure. When firefighters arrived, the child was sitting outside the church but was not actively having a seizure, fire chief Thomas Cahill said.
'That quickly escalated into seven other people having seizure-like symptoms,' Mr Cahill told WCVB-TV.
The department's hazmat team 'completed a thorough survey of the St Paul buildings utilising several air sampling meters to ensure that no hazardous conditions were present', a statement said. 'Results were negative and the buildings were ventilated.'
St Paul's Facebook Page said a French youth choir was offering a free concert at the church on Tuesday night as part of its US tour.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
This fuzzy animal friend may be the key to treating schizophrenia
Llamas – likely without red pajamas – may hold the key to treating schizophrenia. The serious brain disorder causes people to interpret reality abnormally, and affects approximately 3.7 million U.S. adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years old, according to the nonprofit RTI International. But the domesticated South American woolly animal might be be able to help. French researchers said this week that they had used llama antibodies, or proteins that help to protect the immune system, to design a tiny fragment of an antibody known as a 'nanobody' that will trigger a neurotransmitter in the brain involved in regulating neural activity. Neurotransmitters are chemical molecules that carry messages or signals from one nerve cell to the next target cell, according to the Cleveland Clinic. No llamas were harmed in the study and researchers can identify nanobodies in a petri dish. In the past, llama antibodies have also proven effective in fighting Covid and other 'SARS-like' viruses. When scientists at the Institute of Functional Genomics injected the molecule into the veins or the muscles, it was able to break the blood-brain barrier and effectively reach brain receptors. The barrier is a a tightly locked layer of cells that defend your brain from harmful substances. Studying the impact of the nanobodies in two tests using mice, the researchers found that they corrected cognitive deficits that were observed. There was an improvement of cognitive function with just one shot, and a prolonged effect over one week. Clinical studies are now required to show that their findings could be a new avenue of treatment for schizophrenia. "In humans obviously we don't know [yet], but in mice yes, it is sufficient to treat most deficits of schizophrenia," molecular biologist Jean-Philippe Pin told Newsweek.. He was a co-author of the research which was published in the journal Nature. Pin said that medications currently given to schizophrenia patients "treat the symptoms well, but less the cognitive deficits." The cause of the chronic condition remains unknown, but the World Health Organization says it is thought that an interaction between genes and a range of environmental factors may be the reason. The exact prevalence of schizophrenia is difficult to measure. Some have tied cases in Canada to cannabis use. Although schizophrenia can occur at any age, people are typically diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 30. Symptoms vary from person to person. There is no cure, but it can be treated through antipsychotic medications, talk therapy, and self-management strategies, the National Alliance on Mental Illness says. The study's authors hope to add this strategy to the list. 'This research confirms the potential of nanobodies as a new therapeutic strategy for acting on the brain, with their use eventually being broadened to include the treatment of other neurological illnesses,' the institute said in a statement.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
What is chikungunya? Symptoms and travel advice as cases rise in France
Health authorities are warning travellers of a mosquito-borne virus that can cause debilitating joint pain, after cases emerged in areas of France. While the virus known as chikungunya is more commonly found in tropical areas of the world, cases have now appeared in France, a popular holiday destination for Brits, especially during the summer months. The World Health Organisation has now raised its concern about the virus, giving new guidelines to healthcare providers on how to help those who have contracted chikungunya. Diana Rojas Alvarez, a medical officer at the WHO, told reporters in Geneva that an estimated 5.6 billion people live in areas across 119 countries at risk from the virus. This year so far, France has reported 30 cases of chikungunya virus on the mainland and the French island of Corsica. Italy has reported one. While Europe is not currently experiencing a severe outbreak, health officials on the continent are making travellers aware of the virus as well as the rollout of a new vaccine in the UK. We have rounded up what travellers need to know about the virus, plus advice from a specialist travel doctor on how to best prepare for travelling overseas. What is chikungunya and how is it spread? Chikungunya virus disease is a mosquito-borne disease that is found across tropical and sub-tropical regions. It is spread to humans by a bite from an infected mosquito. It cannot be passed from human to human. Most cases have been found in the Americas, Africa and Asia. Brazil has the most cases, with over 141,000, followed by Argentina with over 2,500 so far in 2025. In total, there have been approximately 220,000 chikungunya cases and 80 related deaths across 14 countries/territories since the beginning of the year. La Réunion and Mayotte, two French islands off the east coast of Africa, have ongoing outbreaks of chikungunya, with the former recording 51,000 cases as of May 2025. The transmission of dengue and chikungunya virus in mainland Europe has been linked by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to travellers who have caught the virus outside the region, then gone to countries within Europe with mosquitoes that are able to carry the virus after biting the person. 'The risk of locally acquired chikungunya and dengue virus transmissions is therefore increasing,' the ECDC said. What are the symptoms? 'Chikungunya' comes from a word used by the Makonde people in Tanzania, where the disease was first discovered in the 1950s, which means 'that which bends up'. This describes the contorted posture of infected people who experience severe joint pain. Alongside joint pain, people can also experience an abrupt onset of fever, joint swelling, muscle pain, headaches, nausea, fatigue and rashes. The joint pain can be debilitating and usually lasts for a few days, but it has been known to last for weeks, months or even years. If an infected person does not experience joint pain, the symptoms will be mild and can go unrecognised as chikungunya. Most people will recover fully from the infection. There have been some occasional cases of eye, heart, and neurological complications, while newborns and older people with underlying medical conditions are at a higher risk of severe disease. Patients with severe disease should be hospitalised because of the risk of organ damage or death. Once someone has recovered from chikungunya, they are likely to be immune to future chikungunya infections. Is there a vaccine? The UK government has approved vaccines against chikungunya disease, containing a form of the virus that has been weakened so it cannot multiply. The vaccine works by training the immune system to recognise the virus, which will then produce specific antibodies to attack it. It can only be obtained via a prescription and given to those who plan to travel abroad where the virus is present. Last month, the government released a further announcement to say that the Commission on Human Medicines has temporarily restricted the use of the vaccine in people aged 65 and over as a precautionary measure. To prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes, the World Health Organisation advises using insecticides; wearing clothing that minimises skin exposure; using window and door screens, and insecticide-treated mosquito nets; and applying certain repellants to skin and clothing. A travel doctor's guide on being prepared Dr Richard Dawood, a travel medical specialist at Fleet Street Clinic, explained to The Independent how the vaccination can help travellers prevent getting sick from the chikungunya virus. He said: 'This is a new situation for us. Until a very short time ago, we had no vaccine, and the only approach to prevention was to make careful use of insect repellents and insect precautions. 'So now we've got this extra tool in the armoury, and because the vaccine gives long-lasting protection, it's something that could be considered if you are planning to travel over a period of time. 'It's a fairly expensive vaccine, but if you're going to be travelling over a period of years to Southern Europe and beyond, it may be something that could be considered.' When asked about getting the vaccination for a trip to France, Mr Dawood advised to look at the decision in terms of where you will be travelling over the next few years rather than in the context of a single trip. 'The risk from a one-off short trip to France is probably very small,' he said. 'There's been only a very small number of cases so far. So statistically, you're not very likely to, but over time, as somebody who loves to travel and loves going to hot countries, then I would probably want to be protected against it in the long term.' Wherever you are travelling, Mr Dawood advised holidaymakers to 'do your homework'. He said: 'If there's an actual outbreak at your destination, then I would say no hesitation, definitely have the vaccine. 'Taking a bit of time and getting some really focused travel health advice for your particular trip is very worthwhile because it can save you from getting a vaccine that you don't need or that may not be sensible for you, and it can help prioritise the really important things for your trip.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
‘Hungry aid staff fainting' as starvation spreads in Gaza and truce hopes fade
The head of the main UN agency serving Palestinians has said his frontline staff are fainting from hunger, as the number of people dying of starvation in Gaza continued to rise and hopes for a ceasefire faded as negotiations collapsed. 'This deepening crisis is affecting everyone, including those trying to save lives in the war-torn enclave … when caretakers cannot find enough to eat, the entire humanitarian system is collapsing,' Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), said on Thursday. At least 45 people have died of hunger in the last four days. The UN and aid groups blame Israel's blockade of almost all aid into the territory for the lack of food. Lazzarini said in a statement that a colleague in the territory had told him: 'People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses.' He said Unrwa had the equivalent of 6,000 loaded trucks of food and medical supplies waiting in Jordan and Egypt and urged Israel to allow 'humanitarian partners to bring unrestricted and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to Gaza'. Reports of people fainting and dropping dead of hunger have emerged in recent days. Civil defence workers have released photographs of gaunt bodies with little more than skin covering their bones. Medical sources in Gaza said two more people had died of hunger on Thursday, both of whom had been ill and had not eaten for days. As international pressure mounted for a breakthrough to end nearly two years of devastating war, Emmanuel Macron announced France would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly in September. 'True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine. I will make a formal announcement at the United Nations General Assembly in September,' the French president wrote on X and Instagram. Earlier, Israel and the US announced they were recalling their negotiators from Doha, where peace talks were being held. The US envoy, Steve Witkoff, accused Hamas of not acting in good faith. 'We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza,' he wrote on X. He said the US would consider 'alternative options' to recover the hostages and 'create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza' without elaborating on what those alternatives might be. Witkoff's announcement came after Hamas sent its response on the latest ceasefire proposal to mediators. It was an abrupt about-face to the optimism earlier in the day, when the Associated Press reported an Israeli official saying the Hamas proposal was workable. Witkoff had also been scheduled to meet the top Israeli adviser, Ron Dermer, and the Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Sardinia, which was regarded as a positive sign for the ceasefire talks. It was unclear if or when those meetings would still happen. Hamas's proposal included requests on the number of prisoners exchanged, the agencies to be allowed to distribute aid in Gaza and a permanent end to the war rather than a ceasefire, Israeli media reported. The group's demands came as global pressure mounted on Israel to stop fighting and a growing number of countries expressed horror at the scenes of starvation in the territory. A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters the Hamas response was 'flexible, positive and took into consideration the growing suffering in Gaza and the need to stop the starvation'. A Hamas source said the proposal included a fresh roadmap for a prisoner exchange, which it told Reuters was a top priority for the group. The Israeli Hostage Families Forum, representing the families of those held in Gaza, issued a statement of concern at the news that negotiators had been recalled and urged a ceasefire to be reached quickly. 'Each day that passes endangers the hostages' chances of recovery and risks losing the ability to locate the fallen or gain vital intelligence about them,' it said. The deal that was under consideration is expected to involve a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Talks would be held during the ceasefire period to reach a lasting truce and aid supplies to the besieged strip would be increased. It has only been since the end of the war between Iran and Israel last month that the serious prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza has emerged. As negotiations continued, Israeli attacks increased. At least 89 people were killed in the last 24 hours as Israeli airstrikes pounded central Gaza, health authorities said. Israel says the global media is exaggerating the scale of the hunger crisis, even though aid groups and pictures coming from Gaza show clear evidence of starvation and doctors who treat malnourished children say they are unable to get enough to eat themselves. Israel only lets a trickle of aid into Gaza, the vast majority of which is distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private US firm. GHF operates four food distribution points staffed by US mercenaries, a system which has been described as a death trap. More than 1,000 people seeking aid have been killed trying to access supplies in the nearly two months since GHF began operating in Gaza. Aid was formerly distributed through more than 400 distribution points under a UN-led system, but Israel has all but stopped UN aid into the territory since March. Israel accuses Hamas of stealing UN aid, a claim for which humanitarians say there is little evidence. Aid groups say GHF, which was meant to replace the UN, lacks the capacity to do so and that its militarised model violates key humanitarian principles. Restoring the UN aid system as a part of a ceasefire deal is a key Hamas demand. Israeli negotiators have softened their stance on the issue as pressure grows even within Israel to stop the starvation crisis, which the World Health Organization director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described on Wednesday as man-made. Thousands of Israeli demonstrators carrying bags of flour and pictures of Palestinian children who died of starvation protested in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, calling for an end to the Gaza blockade. Hamas is also calling for a ceasefire deal to include a permanent end to the Gaza war, something that Israel has refused. A ceasefire deal is unpopular among the more extreme members of Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet and Israel has sought to keep open the possibility of restarting the war after the ceasefire period.
