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Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
Korea's softspoken COVID-19 hero poised to return as health chief
Jeong Eun-kyeong, trusted pandemic leader to face looming virus threat, aftermath of unresolved doctor-government conflict As a public health official, Jeong Eun-kyeong is a rare name that many South Koreans recognize. While Jeong had served in public health for decades prior to the pandemic, most came to know her from her leadership at the top of the country's main disease control agency as COVID-19 raged and eventually subsided. When President Lee Jae Myung named Jeong to lead the Health Ministry on Sunday, many of the public health experts who had worked with her cheered. For over two years from COVID-19's onset in February 2020, Jeong was the national doctor that South Koreans counted on for guidance as the country navigated through an unprecedented virus crisis. At least for the first year, she led briefings watched by the whole country, several times a week if not daily, on the COVID-19 situation and safety rules to follow. Jeong was the trusted face of the government's virus response, while politicians and non-experts in higher offices fumbled. The word in the community of infectious disease experts in South Korea at the time was that Jeong was the lonely voice of science in the government, while politicians attempted to meddle in efforts to fight the virus by trying to ease or drop measures too early. Aidedby high compliance with masking and other rules from the public, South Korea was, during its first few waves of infections at least, a model country to the world. Then-President Moon Jae-in and the politicians in the administration tried to claim the credit, but the true hero behind the scenes was Jeong, those with intimate knowledge of what went on agree. Jeong was so well-liked by South Koreans that she was spared by lawmakers of both sides from the annual National Assembly hearings throughout the time she was in charge of COVID-19. This bipartisan decision to let Jeong off the hook in parliamentary hearings scrutinizing the government's response to the pandemic was met by little protest at the time. When Jeong joined Lee's presidential campaign this April, it was a surprise. The softspoken COVID-19 leader, despite her level of public recognition, had made sure to keep a low profile. She rarely gave press interviews and avoided mixing with politics until she left office and disappeared from public sight in October 2022 to work at Seoul National University Hospital as a researcher. Jeong's nomination as health minister comes amid worries about the possible advent of a new virus. From the 2009 H1N1 flu to the 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome to the 2020 COVID-19, past record shows that a novel virus outbreak tends to strike every five to six years. If another such public health emergency should occur, Korea would be in experienced hands with Jeong. COVID-19 isn't the first infectious disease Jeong had battled in public office. During the 2015 outbreak of MERS, a deadlier if less contagious coronavirus than COVID-19, she headed the disease prevention division at the public health agency. There are also warning signs of a COVID-19 resurgence in the summer. According to a government report published June 10, COVID-19 cases were on the rise for two consecutive weeks in wastewater surveillance. She also inherits an unresolved standoff between doctors and the government over the medical school admissions quota and a series of reforms introduced by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. How the Health Ministry under Jeong will navigate the aftermath of a conflict that partially disrupted the medical system remains unclear. Jeong is a preventive medicine specialist trained at Seoul National University. She first set foot in the public health agency in 1995. arin@
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Why bats are a global concern for pandemics: A look at their role in past and emerging viruses
Source: YouTube Bats, the winged mammals, are essential to ecosystem pollination, to give just one example, and control of insects, among others. And in addition to their utility to ecosystems, they are also the bearers of a dark reputation: as reservoirs for an impressive variety of deadly viruses that have caused a number of human pandemics. In the past half-century, there has been a foreboding trend—most leading-impact viruses like SARS, MERS, Ebola, Nipah, COVID-19, and more have their origin in bats directly or indirectly through intermediate hosts. Bats are not villains but their unmatched viral diversity, asymptomatic shedding, and growing contact with humans position them at the heart of emerging infectious disease threats. 20 new bat viruses discovered in China Researchers have found 20 new bat viruses previously unknown to science, including two that are closely related to the lethal Nipah and Hendra viruses. Experts say this finding may pose critical global public health consequences. The viruses were found in six bats from fruit orchards in Yunnan province, which is in southwest China. The researchers discovered that the bats had unidentified pathogens in their kidneys, which was of concern for possible zoonotic transmission. Released in the PLOS Pathogens journal, the research identified that of the 20 new viruses discovered, two are part of the henipavirus family and have similar genes to Nipah and Hendra viruses both recognised to inflict extreme and usually deadly diseases on people. Why are bats linked to so many viral outbreaks Source: YouTube Tremendous species diversity and global distribution Bats represent over 22% of all mammalian species, with over 1,400 known species worldwide as per the research published in Nature. Such diversity allows for a wide range of viruses to thrive and evolve within bats. Because they occupy all continents except Antarctica, their extensive global presence increases the possibility of viruses jumping across species to humans or pets. Immune tolerance to viruses in a special way Unlike other mammals, bats have evolved an extremely specialised immune system that enables them to carry viruses without exhibiting disease symptoms. Studies show that bats often demonstrate a dampened inflammatory response, allowing viral replication without the lethal immune response. This creates bats as excellent 'incubators' of viruses to evolve, mutate, and in some cases, become more virulent or transmissible to humans. High levels of viral diversity and co-infection According to the research, thousands of novel viruses have been discovered in bats, including members of at least 28 viral families, including: Coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2) Henipaviruses (Nipah, Hendra) Filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg) Lyssaviruses (Rabies and related lyssaviruses) A single bat can be infected with multiple viruses, increasing the potential for viral recombination; the principal mechanism for the emergence of new pathogens infecting humans. Bat-origin viruses that changed the world Bats have been directly or indirectly responsible for many of the deadliest viral outbreaks of the 21st century: Virus linked to bats SARS (2002): Had its origins in horseshoe bats; civets were an intermediate host. MERS (2012): Traceable back to bats via camels. Ebola Virus: Evidence suggests fruit bats were the natural hosts. Nipah Virus: Spread by consuming contaminated date palm sap in Bangladesh. COVID-19 (2019): Close relative of bat-borne SARS-related coronaviruses. These serial spillovers strongly suggest that bats are not only passive vehicles, but active sources of high-risk viruses with the ability to adapt to infect humans. Ecological triggers behind bat-borne virus outbreaks Habitat loss and urban expansion Urbanisation and habitat loss compel bats to have increased contact with humans, increasing the risk of cross-species transmission. For instance, as forests are cleared, bats may roost in houses, fruit plantations, or agricultural fields causing the increased contact of humans with bat saliva, urine, or feces. Farming practices and livestock interactions Modern farming systems, especially high-density livestock ones, are generating "spillover hotspots." Intermediate hosts of bat-borne viruses are animals such as pigs and horses that harbor such viruses such as Nipah and Hendra viruses. Seasonal patterns and nutritional stress Bats are seasonally breeding and most often have food shortages due to climatic variations. These are stressors that can weaken their immunity and enhance viral shedding. In fact, seasonal surges of virus shedding in bat populations have been coincident with mass outbreaks of Hendra in Australia and Nipah in South Asia, as reported. Why studying bat viruses remains a scientific challenge Even with rising awareness, it remains hard to grasp how viruses interact among bats through several obstacles: Limited longitudinal data: Most studies track individual bats infrequently, making it hard to examine viral persistence or reinfection. Shortage of bat-compatible laboratory models: Human- or monkey-derived cell lines predominate that are utilized, and they are not supportive for the replication of bat viruses. Mysteries of bat immunity: Why bats can tolerate, suppress, or shed viruses is yet to be known. Until these problems are solved, the ability to anticipate or control the next bat-origin pandemic is in question. Do bats get sick from these viruses Perhaps the biggest enigma is the fact that bats rarely show signs of sickness, even when infected with viruses that kill humans. Facts suggest: Innate immunity: Bats have interferon pathways in baseline activation, which allows them to quell viruses early on without inflammation. Reduced pathological immune response: Bats, unlike humans, do not experience the pathological "cytokine storms" typically leading to acute disease during viral infection. Heterogeneity of adaptive immunity: Antibodies in bats are transient or non-neutralizing. Viral clearance in most cases is via cell-mediated immunity, rather than by long-term antibodies. These immune responses possibly facilitate chronic viral infections and asymptomatic transmission—virus persistence and spillover risk absolutely relying on these. Also Read | NASA's James Webb Space Telescope discovers new planet TWA 7b orbiting a young star 111 light-years away
India Today
25-06-2025
- Health
- India Today
Scientists discover 20 new viruses in Chinese bats, could spread to humans
In a new study, scientists have discovered 20 new viruses in bats from China's Yunnan of these viruses are genetically similar to deadly viruses called Hendra and Nipah, which have caused serious disease outbreaks in humans and animals in the research was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Pathogens. It involved collecting kidney tissue samples from 142 bats between 2017 and The scientists used genetic testing to identify viruses, bacteria, and even a new parasite -- all previously unknown to THESE FINDINGS MATTERSome of the newly found viruses were present in the bats' kidneys. This is especially worrying because the kidneys produce urine, which can contaminate fruit or water if bats urinate near orchards or water or animals who eat or drink the contaminated items could then be at risk of infection. The scientists used genetic testing to identify viruses, bacteria, and even a new parasite -- all previously unknown to science. () "These viruses are particularly concerning because they were predominantly found in bat kidneys, raising alarm about potential human exposure via contaminated fruits or water," said molecular virologist Professor Vinod Balasubramaniam from Monash University in two newly discovered henipaviruses have been named Yunnan bat henipavirus 1 and 2. They share about 52% to 57% of their genetic material with the known and deadly Hendra and Nipah past outbreaks, these viruses have caused severe brain infections and high death rates in both people and WERE THESE BATS FOUND?The bats in this study were discovered roosting near fruit orchards close to villages in rural Yunnan. This raises the risk that their urine could contaminate fruits that people or farm animals could eat, increasing the chance of a virus jumping from bats to humans, a process called STUDY BAT KIDNEYS?Earlier research on bat viruses focused on bat feces. But this study looked inside the bats, especially their kidneys, to find out what kinds of viruses and microbes live there. Two new viruses found share about 52% to 57% of their genetic material with the known and deadly Hendra and Nipah viruses. () Scientists say that this area of bat biology is not well studied, even though kidneys could play a big role in how diseases are are known to carry many viruses that can infect people. In fact, bats have been linked to the spread of diseases like Ebola, SARS, MERS, and even viruses can reach humans either directly or through other animals, often through food or water contaminated by bat NEW ORGANISMS FOUNDIn addition to the 22 viruses (20 of them completely new), the scientists also found:A new single-celled parasite, now named Klossiella yunnanensisTwo common bacterial species, including one that has never been described before, now called Flavobacterium yunnanensis Bats are known to carry many viruses that can infect people. These discoveries show that bats can carry a wide mix of micro-organisms many of which we still don't THIS MEANS GOING FORWARDThe scientists say their findings show why it's important to study the full range of microbes inside bats, not just the ones in their what lives in bat organs like kidneys can help scientists better predict and prevent future disease said the Yunnan region has a climate similar to areas where Nipah outbreaks have happened before, like Malaysia. This makes it even more important to keep a close watch on wildlife in the believe more studies like this are needed to monitor the spread of new viruses in animals before they have a chance to reach humans.- Ends
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A potentially mutating bat virus has some scientists worried about the next pandemic
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Five years removed from the onset of Covid-19's global sweep, research into another subset of the coronavirus has scientists worried about another possible pandemic. This virus originated in bats, as most scientists believe Covid-19 did, and for now, the research has stressed that it is unable to do much damage to humans. But a potential viral mutation may change that. The pathogen in question is HKU5, which is naturally found in the Japanese house bat. HKU5 is a subgroup of the merbecovirus, which is itself a subcategory of the coronavirus that causes diseases like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). A recent study published in the journal Nature Communications examined a "scalable approach to assess novel merbecovirus cell entry across the entire merbecovirus subgenus," said the study's publication. This marks a ramping up of research into HKU5, and what type of threat viruses like it could pose. In the "past two decades, scientists have cataloged the genetic sequences of thousands of viruses in wild animals," but in "most cases, little is known about whether these viruses pose a threat to humans," said the University of Washington, which helped spearhead the study. While HKU5 in its current form is unlikely to infect humans, scientists say this could change if it were to mutate. Even though most merbecoviruses are "unlikely to have the capacity to infect humans, the HKU5 subgroup can," said Newsweek. The study found that HKU5 is able to "latch onto the ACE2 receptor on target cells." This is the same method that the coronavirus strain identified in 2019 uses to transmit Covid-19. At the moment, HKU5 viruses are "only able to adequately exploit the ACE2 receptor in bats — and are far less proficient at latching onto those found on human cells," said Newsweek. Still, scientists have already identified potential mutations that "might allow the viruses to bind to the ACE2 receptors in other species, including humans." HKU5 is similar to the type of merbecovirus that has caused a MERS outbreak since 2012, so there is legitimate cause for concern. HKU5 "may be only a small step away from being able to spill over into humans," Michael Letko, a virologist at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and author of the study, said in the university's press release. While there is "no evidence they've crossed into people yet, the potential is there — and that makes them worth watching," Letko said of these viruses. This is why the study was "offering insights into mutations and potential treatments," and this "research highlights the importance of monitoring these viruses closely," said KAYU-TV Spokane. Other researchers have downplayed the idea that HKU5 could ever make its way into humans. Chinese scientists first identified the strain in early 2025, and "there is no reason to believe it currently poses a concern to public health," a spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN at the time. Even the "researchers themselves point out that this should not cause panic," Dr. Amira Roess, a global health professor at George Mason University, said to the outlet. Research "helps us understand what happens in the event that this does spill over and pose a risk. It's good to get ahead of that."
New Straits Times
20-06-2025
- New Straits Times
Elderly woman killed in house fire in Ipoh
IPOH: A fire in Kampung Sungai Rapat Tambahan has claimed the life of an elderly woman, while five other family members, including her husband, were rescued. District police chief Assistant Commissioner Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad said that the fire broke out at 9.19pm last night at a double-storey residence located along Jalan Raja Abdullah. He said emergency services were alerted through a MERS 999 call, prompting a swift response from both the police and the Perak Fire and Rescue Department. "Initial investigations revealed that six people, all from the same family, were in the house at the time of the incident. "The fire tragically claimed the life of an 84-year-old woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene. "Her husband, an 83-year-old man, was rescued and taken to Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here for medical treatment. "The other four family members, aged between 18 and 49, managed to escape the blaze without injury," he said. Abamg Zainal Abidin said the investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire. "Further investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the incident. The case has been classified as a Sudden Death Report (SDR)," he said He also urged the public to assist the police with any relevant information by contacting the Ipoh District Control Centre (DCC) at 05-254 2222.
