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Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
Killer virus symptoms as 'highly likely' it will reach UK
Killer virus symptoms as 'highly likely' it will reach UK - detected in Spain New instances of a deadly virus have been identified in popular holiday destinations frequented by Brits One of the early symptoms of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a severe headache (Image: Getty ) New instances of a deadly virus have been identified in popular holiday destinations frequented by Brits, and experts are warning it could soon reach the UK. The virus, known as Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), is currently considered the most significant threat to public health, having already caused outbreaks in Iraq and Namibia. The disease has also resulted in two reported fatalities in Pakistan and several cases have been documented in Spain. Last week, sources speaking to Parliament's Science, Innovation and Technology Committee revealed that it was "highly likely" the UK would soon see cases. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recently reported a case of CCHF in Spain, noting that the disease is 'known to be circulating among animals in this region and human CCHF cases have been previously reported in the area. "From 2016 to 2024, a total of 16 autochthonous CCHF cases were reported in Spain, with disease onset occurring between April and August. The province of Salamanca is a hotspot for CCHF, with half of the cases resulting from tick report further states that under certain conditions in Spain, people are significantly more likely to contract Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever: "This risk drastically increases for people performing activities that expose them to tick bites (e.g. hunting, forestry work, hiking, animal surveillance). The UK Health Security Agency has reported that an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 human infections occur globally each year, including approximately 500 fatalities. However, this figure is likely underestimated due to unreported cases. Confirmed cases of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) have been imported into the UK in the past, including a fatal case in 2012 and another in 2014. In March 2022, another CCHF case was reported in the UK following a positive test result, reports the Mirror. To prevent CCHF: "As a general precaution against CCHF, but also against other tick-borne diseases, people who may potentially be exposed to ticks should apply personal protective measures against tick bites. In 2023 experts speaking to Parliament's Science, Innovation and Technology Committee revealed it was " In 2023, experts informed Parliament's Science, Innovation and Technology Committee that it was "highly likely" there could soon be cases in the UK. Article continues below During the hearing, James Wood, head of veterinary medicine at Cambridge University, suggested that CCHF could reach the UK "through our ticks, at some point". The disease is caused by Nairovirus, which is spread by ticks and has a fatality rate of between 10 and 40 percent according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Typically found in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia, the disease could be expanding beyond its usual territories and moving towards countries like Britain and France due to climate change, as reported by the Express. The World Health Organisation has identified CCHF amongst its nine "priority diseases", a classification that highlights the most significant public health threats. The condition was initially documented in Crimea during 1944, affecting military personnel and farm workers, and by 1969 scientists had established that the pathogen responsible was the same virus that had been isolated from a Congolese child in 1956. Humans (and potentially non-human primates) represent the sole animal species known to develop serious clinical manifestations of CCHF. Signs of CCHF The virus presents with various symptoms including severe headaches, elevated temperature, spinal and joint discomfort, abdominal pain, and nausea. Bloodshot eyes, facial flushing, throat redness, and petechiae (small red marks) across the roof of the mouth are frequently observed. In serious instances, the WHO cautions, patients may experience yellowing of the skin, emotional instability and altered sensory awareness. As the condition advances, extensive severe bruising, heavy nosebleeds, and uncontrollable haemorrhaging at injection points may develop, typically commencing around the fourth day of the illness and persisting for approximately a fortnight. During recorded CCHF outbreaks, mortality rates amongst hospitalised individuals have varied from nine per cent to as much as 50 per cent. The lasting consequences of CCHF infection remain insufficiently researched in survivors to establish whether particular complications arise. Nevertheless, recuperation is gradual. There have been instances of human infection reported globally in at least 55 countries, either through case reports or virological or serological evidence. In Europe and its neighbouring regions, local human cases and/or outbreaks have been reported in Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine. Spain reported its first locally acquired case in August 2016, marking the first instance in Western Europe, following their initial detection of CCHFV infected ticks in 2010. Article continues below As of the end of October 2023, French officials have reported the detection of CCHFV in H. marginatum ticks collected from cattle in the eastern Pyrénées, marking the first confirmation of the virus's presence in tick populations within the country.
Wales Online
5 hours ago
- Wales Online
Common vitamin supplement warning as '100 hospitalised' in Spain
Common vitamin supplement warning as '100 hospitalised' in Spain People are being poisoned by taking far too much of a vitamin supplement - with most of those being young and athletes People going out in the sun while taking vitamin D supplements could put themselves at risk of poisoning, Spanish health officials warned (Image: Getty ) A Spanish hospital has issued a warning after patients started turning up in greater numbers with vitamin D poisoning. Officials said the poisonings are linked, in many cases, to the prolonged and uncontrolled use of supplements, either through self-medication or inadequate adherence to guidelines. The increase in severe cases of vitamin D poisoning at the Son Espases Hospital in Palma de Mallorca, which has seen patients who have even required hospitalisation, has raised alarm among health professionals in recent months. The poisonings are linked, in many cases, to the prolonged and uncontrolled use of supplements, either through self-medication or inadequate adherence to guidelines. The hospital's Clinical Analysis Laboratory recorded about a hundred poisonings from excess vitamin D in 2024. In addition, in recent months they have observed an upsurge in severe cases with hypercalcaemia and even acute renal failure that have required hospital admission. This phenomenon, they explain, is due to the use of supplements not prescribed by health professionals, and they warn that the profile of the most severely poisoned were young people and athletes. Most of them consume supplements on their own following advice they see on social networks or podcasts. And if UK tourists are going over and lapping up the sun while taking strong supplements, they could be at risk too. Endocrinologist Mercedes Codina and the lab analyst Cristina Gómez said: 'It is a fat-soluble vitamin, which accumulates in the body's fatty tissue and is not easily eliminated. If taken in excess, it can cause poisoning,' explains Maria Pastor, specialist in the area of Hormones and Vitamins at the Son Espases laboratory. Unlike vitamins C or those of group B, the body does not eliminate what it does not need. 'The excess accumulates and can alter the calcium in the blood, with serious consequences for the kidneys or heart.' Article continues below The Clinical Analysis Service, in collaboration with the medical management of Primary Care, has launched an informative campaign to curb unnecessary demand for supplements and blood tests. The initiative includes talks at health centres and informative materials aimed at both patients and health professionals. A decade ago, about 10,000 annual tests of vitamin D were requested in the Balearic Islands, while today about 150,000 are carried out just in the Son Espases laboratory. The cost in reagents has escalated to one million euros per year, not counting extraction, technical or faculty staff, or other health resources involved. In healthy people, neither routine tests nor taking supplements are recommended. Vitamin D is obtained, for the most part, through the sun. An exposure of ten minutes, two or three times a week, is enough to maintain adequate levels they said and added: 'It is essential to be advised by health professionals, as social networks can be dangerous to health due to their content without scientific evidence.' The UK is further north than Spain so there might be a need for people to get more help from supplements. From October to March, the NHS has said we may need to get vitamin D from our food and supplements. Since vitamin D is found only in a small number of foods, it might be difficult to get enough from food alone. Good sources of vitamin D include: oily fish – such as salmon, herring and mackerel red meat and offal – such as liver and kidney egg yolks fortified cereals, soya products and spreads The NHS adds: 'Taking a supplement, eating vitamin D rich foods and spending time outside in sunlight isn't a problem. Don't take more than 1 supplement containing vitamin D (including cod liver oil) as you may be getting too much. If you start taking a supplement and are already taking a different vitamin and mineral supplement then please discuss this with your GP, pharmacist or dietitian.' How much vitamin D do I need? Everyone over the age of 1 year should have 10 micrograms (mcg or µg) or 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day (Public Health England, 2016). This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women and people at risk of low vitamin D. Only take a higher strength vitamin if you have been advised to do so by your doctor. Taking more than 10 to 12.5 micrograms (mcg or µg) or 400IU to 500IU per day is not necessary and high doses could be harmful in the long-term. Article continues below What symptoms might indicate vitamin D poisoning? Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fatigue, abdominal pain or even confusion. All related to hypercalcaemia, that is, an excess of calcium in the blood, which can lead to serious kidney problems.
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Sir Keir Starmer vows to fix ‘broken NHS' by dragging it ‘from bricks to clicks' in a technological revolution
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting revealed the shock amount of Government MPs that are using fat jabs NHS TECH BOOST Sir Keir Starmer vows to fix 'broken NHS' by dragging it 'from bricks to clicks' in a technological revolution SIR Keir Starmer has vowed to fix the 'broken NHS' by dragging it 'from bricks to clicks' in a technological revolution. The Prime Minister and his Health Secretary Wes Streeting said an NHS app and local medical centres will transform healthcare. 3 Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to fix the 'broken NHS' by dragging it through a technological revolution Credit: Getty Launching a ten-year health plan yesterday, they said it was 'change or bust'. Focus will be pulled out of expensive hospitals and into community health clinics, at-home care and online booking and chat systems. Experts hailed their ambitions but warned the changes will take time and money, and that similar plans had failed. Sir Keir said: 'We need to make the NHS fit for the future with technology that is available to us now.' The 168-page plan said the NHS must stop being a 'technological laggard' and 'make the move from bricks to clicks'. Sir Keir added: 'Entire industries have reorganised around apps — retail, transport, finance, weather — why not the NHS? 'It will be like having a doctor in your pocket, providing you with 24-hour advice, seven days a week.' Health Secretary Mr Streeting said: 'People will feel the change over the course of this Parliament and of course this is also a plan for the decade. 'We know the change in our plan is possible because it's already happened. 'We toured the length and breadth of the country and scouted the world for the best examples of reform. 'We will take the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS.' Keir will ABOLISH NHS England to bring health service 'into heart of Government' 3 Labour launched a ten-year health plan yesterday Wes: Half of our MPs on fat jabs By Sam Blanchard HALF of Government MPs are using fat jabs and boast about it at work, Wes Streeting claimed yesterday. The Health Secretary said injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are 'the talk of Commons tea rooms'. He vowed to make them available from the NHS online, in pharmacies or in shopping centres as part of his ten-year health plan. Mr Streeting said: 'Weight-loss jabs are the talk of the House of Commons. Half my colleagues are on them and are judging the rest of us saying, 'You lot should be on them'. 'I'm bringing to weight loss jabs the principle of fairness. They should be available based on need and not the ability to pay.' They cost up to £200 a month, bought at chemists. Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries admit using them.
