Tag: health emergency

  • Emergency declared amidst Congo fever outbreak in Quetta

    Emergency declared amidst Congo fever outbreak in Quetta

    Authorities in Balochistan have declared a health emergency in the province amidst an outbreak of the deadly Congo fever. An outbreak of the viral disease has claimed the life of one doctor while 44 cases have been reported.

    The decision was made by Chief Minister Ali Mardan Domki in Quetta to prevent the further spread of the disease. Local administration has been asked to stay alert, a ban has been imposed on private slaughterhouses in Quetta under section 144 and a directive has been issued to the livestock department to immediately spray disinfectants in cattle markets.

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Congo fever is caused by a tick-borne virus called “Nairovirus”, transmitted via tick bites or through infected animals’ blood. It causes Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a severe viral haemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate of 10 to 40 percent.

    Dr Shukrullah Langove, who got infected with the virus, died on Sunday while he was being moved to Karachi by road. It was claimed by the Young Doctor’s Association that his life could have been saved, had swift action been taken. About 11 more healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, have also tested positive. The caretaker setup has declared the deceased doctor a martyr and announced benefits for his family. As for the other patients, it has been decided that they will be shifted to Karachi via air ambulance.

  • WHO declares global health emergency over monkeypox outbreak

    WHO declares global health emergency over monkeypox outbreak

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) on July 23 declared monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency. WHO now sees this virus as a significant enough threat that global response is needed to prevent it from spreading.

    Last month, WHO decided to not declare it a global emergency but ever since then, cases are on the rise. So far, more than 16,000 cases have been reported along with five deaths from 75 countries. Infection rate rose by 77 per cent from late June through early July.

    The last issued global health emergency was in January 2020 in response to Covid-19 outbreak.

    Monkeypox has majorly been spreading in men who have sex with men and Europe is the epicentre now.

    This virus causes a painful pimple like rash, which then spreads over the body. People who have contact with the fluid from those blisters can catch this virus.

    According to US Centers for Disease and Prevention, symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle ache, chills, exhaustion and rash looking like pimple. If you have a rash, it is advised to stay isolated in a room. Most people recover from monkeypox in two to four weeks.

  • France accuses Apple of not helping it with COVID-19 app

    France accuses Apple of not helping it with COVID-19 app

    Tech giant Apple Inc. allegedly refused to help France in its efforts to fight the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — by refusing to make iPhones compatible with a contact-tracing app called “StopCovid”.

    Countries are increasingly developing smartphone apps and taking technical measures to keep the global pandemic in check while reopening the hard-hit economy.

    These dedicated apps use Bluetooth to allow phones to interact with nearby devices and detect when users, who are potential carriers of the deadly virus, come into contact.

    Usually, Apple’s iPhone blocks access to Bluetooth in background running apps, unless the users allow it themselves.

    According to reports, French officials want Apple to change the settings to let their app access Bluetooth in the background, however, the company refused to make the said modifications.

    “Apple could have helped us make the application work even better on the iPhone. They have not wished to do so. I regret this, given that we are in a period where everyone is mobilised to fight against the epidemic, and given that a large company that is doing so well economically is not helping out the government in crisis,” said French minister for digital technology in an official statement.

    A spokesperson for Apple in France, on the other hand, declined to comment on the matter.

    Certain speculations are, however, being made.

    Companies like Apple and Google — who are responsible for managing the data of almost all smartphones — want the data of phones to stay in the device, rather placing it in central databases that are managed by governments around the world.

    However, France and other countries want to keep contact data in the central database, which can trigger security breaches and pose threats to users.

    The French minister thinks that “oversight of the healthcare system, fighting the coronavirus, is a matter for governments and not necessarily for big American companies.”

    “The app should be ready to be deployed by June 2 regardless of Apple’s stance, and would enter a testing phase by May 11, when the country starts to unwind its lockdown,” he reportedly said.

    It merits a mention that In France, Apple’s mobile operating system accounted for 21.1 per cent of the market in the first quarter, while Google’s Android accounted for 78.8%. Britain, which is using the same centralised approach as France to store data, will start testing its COVID-19 tracing app on the Isle of Wight from Tuesday (today).

  • Did the 2011 film ‘Contagion’ predict the coronavirus outbreak?

    Did the 2011 film ‘Contagion’ predict the coronavirus outbreak?

    Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon’s 2011 film Contagion is re-appearing in movie rental charts in the UK and the US, in wake of the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China.

    According to reports, Steven Soderbergh’s terrifying thriller, which was inspired by the 2003 SARS epidemic and the 2009 flu pandemic bears striking similarities to the coronavirus outbreak that has the whole world scared.

    Contagion which starres Jude Law and Laurence Fishburne along with Winslet, Paltrow and Damon follows the story of a woman (Paltrow) who unknowingly catches what she thinks is a common cold during a “business trip” (read: secret rendezvous with her lover) to Hong Kong. Upon her return to the United States, the woman spreads her germs, and everyone who has come in contact with her — including her young son — is killed by what scientists call Meningoencephalitis Virus One (MEV-1).

    The film tracked the spread of a deadly virus from discovery through its global spread to, finally, a vaccine being created. However, in the process 26 million people died worldwide in only 26 days after the virus’s discovery, followed by instances of social disorder and widespread societal breakdown.

    The coronavirus is said to have originated in a live animal market in China’s seventh biggest city Wuhan. In the film, it is discovered in the final scenes that the virus was initially spread from a bat, disturbed by jungle clearance, which drops infected food into a pigpen. Additionally, the fictional MEV-1 and the coronavirus share similar symptoms which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

    Following the deadly outbreak, China, particularly the mainland areas have been sealed and most flights to and from the country have been suspended. The World Health Organisation has also declared it a global health emergency as scientists rush to discover a cure for it.

  • PM convenes high-level meeting on coronavirus outbreak

    PM convenes high-level meeting on coronavirus outbreak

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has convened a high-level inter-ministerial meeting to formulate a strategy for tackling the outbreak of coronavirus as it claims at least 81 lives in China, and leaves thousands of others affected.

    According to a notification issued by the PM’s Office on Monday, the meeting has been convened “in light of 2,000 coronavirus cases being confirmed across the globe amid the presence of a large number of Chinese nationals in Pakistan and frequent travel between the two countries”.

    In mid-December, some people in the central Chinese city of Wuhan began complaining of flu and pneumonia-like symptoms. Some had a high fever. Doctors were perplexed. To find out what might be causing their illness, geneticists analysed the DNA of the virus that had infected them.

    At once, the scientists realised the virus was new to science. As of January 23, experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Switzerland estimated that at least 557 people have contracted the rapidly spreading disease.

    As Pakistan remains at risk if necessary precautions are not taken, the federal-level meeting has been summoned by the premier’s office under the chairmanship of special assistant to the PM on national health services, regulations and coordination.

    Outcome of the meeting along with recommendations will be furnished to the PM’s office within one week, the notification said.