Latest news with #RKI
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WHO: New coronavirus variant seen only sporadically in Germany
The new coronavirus variant spreading globally, especially in parts of Asia, has not taken hold in Germany, according to the World Health Organization. The variant, known as NB.1.8.1, was first detected in January and has been classified by the WHO as a "variant under monitoring." In Germany, the variant was first detected at the end of March and has so far only appeared sporadically, according to the country's public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). "No trend can be derived here; current Covid case numbers are low, and correspondingly less sequencing is being conducted," the institute stated. University of Basel biophysicist Richard Neher said whether this variant "will establish itself [in Germany] depends on how other variants evolve. It is quite possible that NB.1.8.1 will prevail, but it is likely to be relatively insignificant." In the most recent reporting week, which ended on June 8, the RKI recorded 698 Covid cases - a slight increase - but the institute noted this is off a very low base. Many infections are likely going undetected due to limited testing. Slight increase in virus load in wastewater Wastewater monitoring also showed a slight increase in SARS-CoV-2 levels over the past four weeks – albeit still at a low level. The new NB.1.8.1 strain is derived from the XDV.1.5 lineage dominant in East Asia, according to biophysicist Neher. The state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua, citing the National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention, reported that the new strain had become China's dominant variant by the end of May. "The variant is increasing in frequency compared to other variants," Neher noted. NB.1.8.1 is therefore more transmissible in the sense that an infection generates more secondary infections than other strains. No evidence of more severe cases There is no evidence that NB.1.8.1 causes more severe illness, Chinese authorities have said. This aligns with the WHO's assessment that, despite rising case and hospitalization numbers in countries where the variant is widespread, there is currently no indication that it causes more serious illness than other circulating variants. Covid-19 vaccines currently approved are expected to protect against severe illness caused by NB.1.8.1, the WHO said.
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Official apathy behind stalled Kallakkuttykudy bridge project, says Idukki MP
Despite the swift sanctioning of ₹3.6 crore under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative (RKI) for a crucial bridge and road to Kallakkuttykudy, a tribal hamlet in Mankulam panchayat in Idukki, official indifference and contractor inaction have brought the project to a standstill. Approved on June 7, 2024, with a completion deadline of May 16, 2025, not a single brick has been laid — leaving the tribal community stranded yet again. While authorities resort to mere notices, questions arise over accountability in a project. According to sources, official apathy is behind the stalling of the dream project of the local community. According to local residents, the concrete bridge connecting the Kallakkuttykudy tribal settlement to the outside world was washed away by the devastating flood in August 2018. Afterwards, during rainy seasons, the tribal community would make temporary bamboo bridge so that the children could go to school. Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose blamed the Devikulam block panchayat, saying that he had allotted ₹20 lakh for the bridge and the block panchayat opposed it. Mr. Kuriakose alleged that the failure of the bridge project is tied to the apathy of the State government. '₹20 lakh had been allotted. But the officials blocked the administrative sanction for the project,' said Mr. Kuriakose. Under RKI Meanwhile, Devikulam block panchayat secretary Sunil Sebastian said that Mr. Kuriakose sent a proposal for the project on February 28, 2023. Based on the proposal, the block panchayat conducted an estimate for the project, and the estimated cost was ₹49.9 lakh. 'The project later changed to a footbridge, and administrative sanction was received from the district planning officer on June 19, 2023. After being approached about the final sanction from the district panchayat, it was revealed that the project was included under the RKI project. Based on the direction, the project was cancelled on January 25, 2024,' said Mr. Sebastian. The official further stated that the block panchayat never opposed the project and had completed all paperwork. Meanwhile, Vishnukumar G., project director of the Project Management Unit (PMU) of RKI, Thiruvananthapuram, stated that the government allotted ₹3.6 crore for the construction of a bridge and road in the Kallakkuttykudy tribal settlement. 'With this, ₹1.5 crore has been allotted for the construction work of the 32.46-metre-long and 4.5-metre-wide bridge. The contractor signed an agreement for the project on June 7, 2024, and the site was handed over for construction on June 17, 2024. The completion period was fixed at 11 months.' The official further stated that the contractor failed to commence construction work, and the RKI issued repeated notices to the contractor. 'After completing the agreement period, the RKI is to recover losses from the contractor's responsibility. The project will be re-tendered and rearranged,' said Mr. Vishnukumar.
Zawya
29-05-2025
- General
- Zawya
World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Robert Koch Institute (RKI) expand unique partnership to strengthen collaborative surveillance in Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced today the expansion of the successful Health Security Partnership to Strengthen Disease Surveillance in Africa (HSPA) to seven countries on the continent. The Health Security Partnership strengthens disease surveillance and epidemic intelligence across the African Continent, enabling countries to better detect and respond to public health threats – whether they are natural, accidental, or deliberate. Launched in 2023 in six countries, The Gambia, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, and Tunisia, the partnership will expand to other countries, including Rwanda, in its second phase which runs from 2025-2028. 'HSPA represents an important step forward in building stronger partnerships for health security in Africa. By bringing together global, regional and national actors, this initiative supports countries in strengthening Collaborative Surveillance through mutual exchange and practical action. WHO remains committed to working alongside Member States to ensure that these collective efforts are well-coordinated, responsive, and rooted in national priorities,' said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa; Deputy Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme. Africa experiences more disease outbreaks than any other part of the world. While significant progress has been made in strengthening disease surveillance over the past decade, no country can tackle today's complex health threats alone. 'Within the framework of this project, Africa CDC will work with the Member States in mobilizing political will for biosecurity and surveillance, establishing regional frameworks for bio-surveillance of high-consequence biological agents and toxins, and coordinating event-based surveillance. The collaboration with other partners and coordination with Member States is crucial especially in the current context of limited resources to strengthen the continent's capacity for early detection, response, and management of biological threats,'said Dr Raji Tajudeen, Acting Deputy Director General and Head, Division of Public Health Institutes and Research, Africa CDC. At the heart of the initiative is a Collaborative Surveillance approach that connects health and security sectors to reduce biological risks and strengthen surveillance systems nationally and internationally. The partnership is supporting countries to strengthen capacities in biorisk management, event and indicator-based surveillance, genomic surveillance and epidemic intelligence. This is achieved through training, guidance development, co-creation of implementation roadmaps, and hands-on technical assistance to ensure that implementation is aligned with country priorities, embedded within broader national systems, and built for long-term sustainability. 'We are proud of what this partnership has achieved so far. It has strengthened health system coordination and resilience in the African Continent, delivering tangible gains in biosecurity, disease surveillance, genomic surveillance, and epidemic intelligence. This has only been possible because of the trusted partnership between Africa CDC, RKI and WHO with countries in the driver's seat,' said Dr Merawi Aragaw, Head of Surveillance and Disease at Africa CDC. The HSPA initiative has been supported from the start by the Government of Canada through its Weapons Threat Reduction Program, with additional funding in phase two from the Government of the United Kingdom. Building on the achievements in phase one, the participating countries, with support from WHO and partners, will accelerate implementation to build a healthier, safer and more resilient Africa. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
White House website supports theory that Covid came from a lab
The White House has posted a new page on the origins of the coronavirus on its official website in which it supports the theory that Covid-19 originated in a laboratory. The page, which resembles a Hollywood film poster, displays the title "Lab Leak" in large letters. Between the two words stands a determined-looking US President Donald Trump. Under the title is written: "The true origins of Covid-19," with Covid-19 in handwriting. The page accuses the media, politicians, health authorities and US immunologist Anthony Fauci of spreading the theory that the virus originated naturally. It also claims that there is much evidence that the virus originated in a laboratory in the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan. More than five years after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, it is still unclear whether the virus jumped from animals to humans or originated in a laboratory in China. The website also criticizes the most important rules from the coronavirus period - such as social distancing, the wearing of masks and lockdowns - as wrong. In January, one of the first acts of the new director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, was to change his agency's assessment of the origin of the coronavirus, positing that it was likely a laboratory accident. The CIA assesses that a research-related origin of the Covid-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin. At the beginning of December, a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives had already presented a report supporting the laboratory theory. Lothar Wieler, the former president of Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) also considers the laboratory theory to be more likely, he recently told the Sunday edition of the German broadsheet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The RKI monitors diseases and public health in Germany.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
German police raid home of 16-year-old accused of making deadly toxin
German police in the eastern state of Saxony on Thursday raided the home of a 16-year-old boy suspected of manufacturing and storing deadly toxins. Saxony police said a search had been conducted in the town of Zeithain, some 65 kilometres east of Leipzig, and that investigations were proceeding into a suspected offence under the Weapons of War Act. The boy is said to have set up a laboratory in the attic of his parents' home, where he produced a number of ampoules containing a mixture of aconitine and ricin. Ricin, which is made from the seeds of the castor oil plant, is classified as a biological weapon under the act. The aim of the raid was to secure all toxic substances and other evidence, the police statement said. The area around the police operation, including all access roads, has been cordoned off. A kindergarten and a primary school located near the boy's home were informed of the operation but did not have to be evacuated, police spokesman Kay Anders said, adding that there was no danger to the population. Prosecutors said that no arrest warrant had been applied for and that the boy had no criminal record. Currently, there were no reasons requiring his detention, they said. However, police spokesman Anders told dpa that investigators had already discovered small amounts of toxins during a previous raid at the boy's home in December. It came following tip-offs by retailers who are required to report to the authorities when selling sensitive materials such as protective equipment and laboratory technology, he said. However, this did not seem to have stopped the teenager, who "apparently" acquired new seeds to continue manufacturing toxins, according to the spokesman. Experts from Germany's disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), are at the scene to aid investigators, the police spokesman confirmed. It was initially unclear what motivated the teenager to make the toxins, police said. Ricin is extremely poisonous and can be fatal even when consumed in very low concentrations. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the alkaloid aconitine is contained in the aconite plant, also known as wolf's bane. Around 2 to 6 milligrams of pure aconitine can be fatal for adults, according to the institute.
