Latest news with #HPSC
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Covid cases rise by more than 60% in last fortnight, mainly affecting the elderly
The number of Covid-19 cases notified the State has risen by more than three-fifths over the last two weeks, the infectious diseases watchdog has said. Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) data shows there were 353 cases of the virus reported in the week ending June 21st, compared to 332 the previous week and 216 during the week before. Those aged 65 or older represented the largest proportion of cases last week, though the number of cases in this cohort fell slightly when compared to the week before. During the past week 120 people were admitted to hospital with Covid, down on the 122 cases in hospital in the week before. READ MORE One patient with the virus was admitted to intensive care. There were no Covid-related deaths last week. In the previous week, there were two deaths. There were 28 outbreaks of Covid-19 last week, all of which were in healthcare and residential institutions. Of the outbreaks in healthcare settings, 13 were in nursing homes, 10 were in hospitals and four were in residential homes. There was one outbreak in a community hospital/long-stay unit. Official Covid-19 figures are acknowledged to underreport the true prevalence of the virus, due to a reduction in testing since the pandemic. The increase in cases is expected, as the virus tends to have two peaks: one during winter and another in summer. The summer peak tends to be connected to waning immunity, more transmissible variants and human behaviour such as increased travel and spending more time in air-conditioned indoor spaces. Covid variant LP8.1 represented 38 per cent of cases notified over the past five weeks. This variant began to increase in prevalence earlier this year, however the HSE said 'there is no evidence to date of an increase in clinical severity or reduction in vaccine effectiveness against severe disease among currently circulating variants'. There is also a new variant called NB.1.8.1, which was detected last January. The HPSC said NB.1.8.1 accounted for 15 per cent of cases over the past five weeks. However, its prevalence declined slightly over the past three weeks. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in May designated this strain of Covid as a 'variant under monitoring', and the public health risk posed by it was 'evaluated as low at the global level'. Earlier this month, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said NB.1.8.1 was circulating at low proportions in Europe, but was 'expected to rise in the coming weeks'. The centre said population immunity has 'most likely fallen' due to low circulation of the virus last winter, which may lead to increase in infections, 'but also of hospitalisations in the coming weeks, particularly among groups at risk of severe disease, such as older adults'.
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Nasty symptoms of new Covid variant as 180 people hit in latest wave
Covid is creeping back - and a new strain now sweeping across Ireland is bringing nasty and unexpected symptoms that some people could easily mistake for other illnesses. The variant, officially named NB.1.8.1 but dubbed 'Nimbus', has now been detected in Ireland and is spreading fast, with health officials reporting that cases are climbing across the country. According to Ireland's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), confirmed Covid cases across all variants rose sharply from 152 two weeks ago to 332 in the past week, a jump of 180 new cases in the last fortnight. Of those sequenced, Nimbus made up 14% of recent cases and has now been added to the World Health Organization's (WHO) watchlist, after global numbers went from just 2.5% in March to over 10% by late April. While the new strain doesn't appear to cause more severe illness, experts fear it may be more contagious, and its symptoms are catching many people off guard. While older variants typically presented like a bad cold or flu, NB.1.8.1 is now being linked to stomach-related issues, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea constipation, bloating, abdominal pain and even heartburn. Dr Lara Herrero, Associate Professor and Virology Research Leader at Griffith University, explained: "Common symptoms [of NB.1.8.1] include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and nasal congestion. Gastrointestinal symptoms may also occur in some cases." People in Ireland who find themselves unwell with gastrointestinal issues may actually have Covid, according to the HSE. Ireland's public health guidelines remain the same: If you have any symptoms of Covid, stay at home until 48 hours after the symptoms are mostly or fully gone. You should also avoid contact with other people, especially people at higher risk from Covid. The HSE is reminding the public of the wide range of Covid symptoms to look out for. These include:
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Slapped cheek virus cases surge in Ireland
Ireland saw a significant increase in cases of 'slapped cheek' virus last year, with numbers being almost a third higher than the previous peak in 2018, the infectious diseases watchdog has said. Slapped cheek syndrome is a virus most common in children. It causes a bright red rash to appear on both cheeks. The disease, which is highly infectious and caused by parvovirus B19, is generally mild but includes symptoms such as high temperature, runny nose, sore throat and headaches. According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), there were 656 cases of parvovirus B19 detected through DNA, nearly three times higher than the 241 cases detected during the most recent peak year in 2018. READ MORE The total for 2024 was also markedly higher than the total number during the Covid-19 pandemic years, 2020-2023, when cases were in the range of 30-61 annually. However, there was a decline in the number of detections between the third and fourth quarter of 2024 from 179 to 115. In 2024, more than 45 per cent (310) of cases were in the 6-19 age group. Ireland was one of a number of European countries that experienced a surge in cases last year. The HPSC attributes this to the natural epidemic cycle of the disease probably combining with public health measures such as social distancing during Covid suppressing the virus's circulation and having an impact on population susceptibility, leading to its upsurge across Europe. According to the Health Service Executive (HSE), people who contract the virus do not normally need to see a GP. It usually clears up within three weeks. However, it recommends those with it should rest, drink plenty of fluids, take paracetamol or ibuprofen and use moisturisers on itchy skin. Infection due to parvovirus B19 can affect all age groups but is more common in children than adults. Transmission is more likely after contact with an infectious person in a household setting than in an occupational or educational environment. In rare cases, infection during pregnancy can be harmful to the developing foetus, although most pregnant women, especially women who work with children, are likely to have immunity. Serious illness can also occur in people with chronic red blood cell disorders or whose immune system is significantly weakened. According to the HSE, most people do not know they have the virus until they get the rash, at which point it is no longer infectious – making it difficult to stop the spread of the disease. The HPSC described it as a 'seasonal' disease, with higher prevalence during late spring and early summer.
Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Surjewala alleges HPSC ‘copied' 26 questions from Bihar exam
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged Sunday that 26 questions from a recent Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) exam for the post of Assistant Professor (Geography) were copied verbatim from the exam conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) for the same post. According to Congress leaders, Haryana's 100-question multiple-choice exam was held on June 8, 2025, whereas Bihar's corresponding exam took place on April 29, 2025. Surjewala questioned the necessity of conducting a separate HPSC exam if questions were merely copied from BPSC's paper. He noted that candidates who appeared for the Haryana exam have already raised concerns with the commission. Surjewala also alleged a similar issue with HPSC's Assistant Professor (History) exam, conducted on May 18, 2025, where 22 questions were copied verbatim from a corresponding exam conducted by Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission on September 28, 2016. Additionally, he claimed that 16 questions from Haryana's History Assistant Professor exam had previously appeared in the Uttarakhand State Eligibility Test held on January 7, 2024. Highlighting alleged errors, Surjewala pointed out that incorrectly framed questions from the Chhattisgarh exam had been repeated in Haryana's paper. For instance, question number 44, related to the Saluva dynasty of Vijayanagar, had incorrect answer choices in Chhattisgarh's exam and was replicated unchanged in Haryana's paper. Similarly, question number 49 in Chhattisgarh's paper contained discrepancies in Hindi and English versions of the answer choices, yet HPSC adopted the same flawed question as it was. In response, a senior HPSC officer defended the commission, stating that it was humanly impossible to verify whether a particular question had been previously used by any recruitment agency in any of India's 28 states, apart from Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The officer added that HPSC ensures exam syllabus compliance, maintains secrecy, and conducts exams without paper leaks, emphasising that the priority is to hold a fair and transparent recruitment process.
Hindustan Times
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Surjewala demands judicial probe into recruitment of assistant professors by HPSC
Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) has now become a den of deception, fraud and mismanagement, Indian National Congress (INC) general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged on Sunday, demanding a judicial probe into the recruitment of assistant professors. In a statement the Congress MP said every day the job recruitment question papers and the entire recruitment system are coming under the shadow of suspicion, collusion and fraud. He said chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and HPSC cannot wash their hands off from it. 'The irregularities, fraud, mistakes and erroneous question papers exposed daily in the ongoing assistant professor recruitment process by the HPSC have ruined the lives of lakhs of young men and women of Haryana who had been waiting for assistant professor recruitment since 2019,' Surjewala said. 'The direct responsibility lies with the chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, and the HPSC chairman Alok Verma, who was imported from Bihar and imposed on Haryana.' The Congress leader said that in August 2024, HPSC issued an advertisement to fill 2,424 assistant professor posts in 26 subjects, and approximately 1.5 lakh youths applied. 'On May 29, 2025, the seal of the assistant professor (Political Science) papers was found broken. On June 1, 2025, HPSC conducted the assistant professor (Hindi) paper. Once again, the seal of six sets question papers were found broken, and the envelopes were found open. 27 questions in the question paper itself were wrong,' he alleged. Surjewala said that after the matter was raised, HPSC cancelled the assistant professor (Hindi) paper on June 3. 'Now the latest evidence of mismanagement and erroneous question papers emerged in the assistant professor (Geography) paper conducted on June 8 wherein 26 questions were copied verbatim from the Geography paper of the Bihar Public Service Commission, and six questions are such that they were partially copied from an earlier geography paper from the Bihar Public Service Commission's it a coincidence...?' he asked, adding that in the assistant professor (History) paper at least 22 questions were copied verbatim from the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission paper. He said if the HPSC has to copy the papers of Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand and ask the same questions, even if they are wrong, then what is the sanctity of HPSC's recruitment system? 'HPSC should be dissolved immediately while all assistant professor recruitment papers should be re-conducted in a transparent and fair manner. A judicial inquiry should be conducted into the fraud and an expert group should be formed to determine responsibility, accountability, and transparency in HPSC's question paper system. Also, action should be taken against all officials responsible for the massive irregularities in the question papers,' he said.
