Latest news with #ToddEllerin
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Botulism cases linked to Botox injections under investigation in Massachusetts
Massachusetts health officials are investigating four recent cases of suspected botulism connected to cosmetic injections of Botox. The outbreak on the South Shore prompted the Department of Public Health to warn health care providers to be alert about symptoms. consistent with botulism occurring after botulinum toxin injections. Botox is widely used for cosmetic purposes to reduce wrinkles and fine lines. 'While generally safe when administered by trained professionals, improper dosing, administration technique, or use of non-FDA-approved products may increase the risk of systemic botulism symptoms,' the DPH advisory said. Botulism, though rare, can be fatal. It occurs when botulinum toxin enters the bloodstream and can produce effects far from the injection site, according to the advisory. Initial botulism symptoms include double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and breathing problems, according to state health officials. These symptoms may progress to muscle weakness that worsens over hours to days. Anybody who is experiencing any symptoms should go to an emergency room. 'This is very rare,' South Shore Hospital infectious disease specialist Dr. Todd Ellerin told WCVB. 'We call it iatrogenic botulism, which means you get it as a complication of an injection. It is very rare.' The DPH has not released details about the condition of the four individuals involved in the South Shore cases or information about the provider or facility where they received their injections. How pink heart shaped fentanyl led to Mass. father's 18-year prison sentence ICE deportation blocked by Boston judge: Migrants now in shipping container in Djibouti Mass. State Lottery winner: Father will take children to Disney with $100K prize Former police deputy chief, school resource officer convicted of child rape Mass. casino winner: $2.50 bet won gambler jackpot prize ``` Read the original article on MassLive.
28-05-2025
- Health
Another COVID-19 variant is rising abroad. Doctors say there's no need to panic
Cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, a descendent of the Omicron variant, are on the rise in some parts of the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently, there are not enough cases in the United States to register in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID variant tracker. Symptoms appear to be similar to other variants of COVID-19 and the public health risk remains low, WHO information shows. The earliest sample of the NB.1.8.1 variant was collected on Jan. 22 and it was designated a variant under monitoring -- which may require prioritized attention and monitoring -- on May 23 by the WHO. Since the omicron variant was detected in 2021, new cases of COVID have been dominated by hundreds of its descendent subvariants, though none have led to the rise in cases once seen during the peak of the pandemic. As of May 18, there were 518 NB.1.8.1 cases detected from 22 countries, according to WHO. While still only comprising 10.7% of the global cases at the end of April, this is a significant rise from 2.5% four weeks prior. "Remember, we've seen summer surges. One thing that COVID has done is it's been able to surge in the summer, and it's been able to surge in the winter, and that's very different than respiratory viruses we've dealt with in the past. But we still don't know if this is going to be the virus that leads to a summer surge, it's just too early to know," Dr. Todd Ellerin, chief of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, told ABC News. While there are increases in reported cases and hospitalizations in some of the countries with the highest proportion of NB.1.8.1 circulating, there are no reports to suggest that disease severity is higher in this latest variant than other circulating variants of the virus. "With each new variant, what we've seen is severity doesn't really change so far, we're not seeing it have more severe complications," said John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and ABC News contributor. "What we know is that when a virus is more transmissible, it will ultimately infect more people and when you infect more people ... you'll have more cases of severe illness, hospitalization, and unfortunately death. " Data from China and elsewhere doesn't seem to show anything unique about the variant other than increased transmissibility, Brownstein added. Some of the variant's mutations found on the surface proteins of the virus could increase its transmissibility and potentially make it somewhat harder to treat compared to current variants in wide circulation, according to the WHO. Approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against this variant, according to the WHO. "This is the natural path we've seen with every variant, and so the guidance doesn't really change at the end of the day," Brownstein said. "It's making sure people are up to date with their vaccines and boosters ... and then of course, those that are immunocompromised or in high-risk groups may want to layer in other types of interventions like masking or being careful about large group settings where there could be increased risk of transmission."
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Another COVID-19 variant is rising abroad. Doctors say there's no need to panic
Cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, a descendent of the Omicron variant, are on the rise in some parts of the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently, there are not enough cases in the United States to register in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID variant tracker. Symptoms appear to be similar to other variants of COVID-19 and the public health risk remains low, WHO information shows. The earliest sample of the NB.1.8.1 variant was collected on Jan. 22 and it was designated a variant under monitoring -- which may require prioritized attention and monitoring -- on May 23 by the WHO. Since the omicron variant was detected in 2021, new cases of COVID have been dominated by hundreds of its descendent subvariants, though none have led to the rise in cases once seen during the peak of the pandemic. As of May 18, there were 518 NB.1.8.1 cases detected from 22 countries, according to WHO. While still only comprising 10.7% of the global cases at the end of April, this is a significant rise from 2.5% four weeks prior. MORE: RFK Jr. cuts COVID vaccine recommendation for healthy kids, pregnant women -- and why it matters "Remember, we've seen summer surges. One thing that COVID has done is it's been able to surge in the summer, and it's been able to surge in the winter, and that's very different than respiratory viruses we've dealt with in the past. But we still don't know if this is going to be the virus that leads to a summer surge, it's just too early to know," Dr. Todd Ellerin, chief of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, told ABC News. While there are increases in reported cases and hospitalizations in some of the countries with the highest proportion of NB.1.8.1 circulating, there are no reports to suggest that disease severity is higher in this latest variant than other circulating variants of the virus. "With each new variant, what we've seen is severity doesn't really change so far, we're not seeing it have more severe complications," said John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and ABC News contributor. "What we know is that when a virus is more transmissible, it will ultimately infect more people and when you infect more people ... you'll have more cases of severe illness, hospitalization, and unfortunately death. " Data from China and elsewhere doesn't seem to show anything unique about the variant other than increased transmissibility, Brownstein added. Some of the variant's mutations found on the surface proteins of the virus could increase its transmissibility and potentially make it somewhat harder to treat compared to current variants in wide circulation, according to the WHO. Approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against this variant, according to the WHO. "This is the natural path we've seen with every variant, and so the guidance doesn't really change at the end of the day," Brownstein said. "It's making sure people are up to date with their vaccines and boosters ... and then of course, those that are immunocompromised or in high-risk groups may want to layer in other types of interventions like masking or being careful about large group settings where there could be increased risk of transmission." Niki Iranpour, MD, is an internal medicine resident at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit. Another COVID-19 variant is rising abroad. Doctors say there's no need to panic originally appeared on
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Another COVID-19 variant is rising abroad. Doctors say there's no need to panic
Cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, a descendent of the Omicron variant, are on the rise in some parts of the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently, there are not enough cases in the United States to register in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID variant tracker. Symptoms appear to be similar to other variants of COVID-19 and the public health risk remains low, WHO information shows. The earliest sample of the NB.1.8.1 variant was collected on Jan. 22 and it was designated a variant under monitoring -- which may require prioritized attention and monitoring -- on May 23 by the WHO. Since the omicron variant was detected in 2021, new cases of COVID have been dominated by hundreds of its descendent subvariants, though none have led to the rise in cases once seen during the peak of the pandemic. As of May 18, there were 518 NB.1.8.1 cases detected from 22 countries, according to WHO. While still only comprising 10.7% of the global cases at the end of April, this is a significant rise from 2.5% four weeks prior. MORE: RFK Jr. cuts COVID vaccine recommendation for healthy kids, pregnant women -- and why it matters "Remember, we've seen summer surges. One thing that COVID has done is it's been able to surge in the summer, and it's been able to surge in the winter, and that's very different than respiratory viruses we've dealt with in the past. But we still don't know if this is going to be the virus that leads to a summer surge, it's just too early to know," Dr. Todd Ellerin, chief of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, told ABC News. While there are increases in reported cases and hospitalizations in some of the countries with the highest proportion of NB.1.8.1 circulating, there are no reports to suggest that disease severity is higher in this latest variant than other circulating variants of the virus. "With each new variant, what we've seen is severity doesn't really change so far, we're not seeing it have more severe complications," said John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and ABC News contributor. "What we know is that when a virus is more transmissible, it will ultimately infect more people and when you infect more people ... you'll have more cases of severe illness, hospitalization, and unfortunately death. " Data from China and elsewhere doesn't seem to show anything unique about the variant other than increased transmissibility, Brownstein added. Some of the variant's mutations found on the surface proteins of the virus could increase its transmissibility and potentially make it somewhat harder to treat compared to current variants in wide circulation, according to the WHO. Approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against this variant, according to the WHO. "This is the natural path we've seen with every variant, and so the guidance doesn't really change at the end of the day," Brownstein said. "It's making sure people are up to date with their vaccines and boosters ... and then of course, those that are immunocompromised or in high-risk groups may want to layer in other types of interventions like masking or being careful about large group settings where there could be increased risk of transmission." Niki Iranpour, MD, is an internal medicine resident at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit. Another COVID-19 variant is rising abroad. Doctors say there's no need to panic originally appeared on
