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ralfmaximus · 8 months ago

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Here's the complete list of DHS flagged search terms. Don't use any of these on social media to avoid having the 3-letter agencies express interest in your activities!

DHS & Other Agencies

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Coast Guard (USCG)

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Border Patrol

Secret Service (USSS)

National Operations Center (NOC)

Homeland Defense

Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Agent

Task Force

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Fusion Center

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

Secure Border Initiative (SBI)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS)

Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS)

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Air Marshal

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

National Guard

Red Cross

United Nations (UN)

Domestic Security

Assassination

Attack

Domestic security

Drill

Exercise

Cops

Law enforcement

Authorities

Disaster assistance

Disaster management

DNDO (Domestic Nuclear Detection Office)

National preparedness

Mitigation

Prevention

Response

Recovery

Dirty Bomb

Domestic nuclear detection

Emergency management

Emergency response

First responder

Homeland security

Maritime domain awareness (MDA)

National preparedness initiative

Militia

Shooting

Shots fired

Evacuation

Deaths

Hostage

Explosion (explosive)

Police

Disaster medical assistance team (DMAT)

Organized crime

Gangs

National security

State of emergency

Security

Breach

Threat

Standoff

SWAT

Screening

Lockdown

Bomb (squad or threat)

Crash

Looting

Riot

Emergency Landing

Pipe bomb

Incident

Facility

HAZMAT & Nuclear

Hazmat

Nuclear

Chemical Spill

Suspicious package/device

Toxic

National laboratory

Nuclear facility

Nuclear threat

Cloud

Plume

Radiation

Radioactive

Leak

Biological infection (or event)

Chemical

Chemical burn

Biological

Epidemic

Hazardous

Hazardous material incident

Industrial spill

Infection

Powder (white)

Gas

Spillover

Anthrax

Blister agent

Exposure

Burn

Nerve agent

Ricin

Sarin

North Korea

Health Concern + H1N1

Outbreak

Contamination

Exposure

Virus

Evacuation

Bacteria

Recall

Ebola

Food Poisoning

Foot and Mouth (FMD)

H5N1

Avian

Flu

Salmonella

Small Pox

Plague

Human to human

Human to ANIMAL

Influenza

Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Drug Administration (FDA)

Public Health

Toxic

Agro Terror

Tuberculosis (TB)

Agriculture

Listeria

Symptoms

Mutation

Resistant

Antiviral

Wave

Pandemic

Infection

Water/air borne

Sick

Swine

Pork

Strain

Quarantine

H1N1

Vaccine

Tamiflu

Norvo Virus

Epidemic

World Health Organization (WHO and components)

Viral Hemorrhagic Fever

E. Coli

Infrastructure Security

Infrastructure security

Airport

CIKR (Critical Infrastructure & Key Resources)

AMTRAK

Collapse

Computer infrastructure

Communications infrastructure

Telecommunications

Critical infrastructure

National infrastructure

Metro

WMATA

Airplane (and derivatives)

Chemical fire

Subway

BART

MARTA

Port Authority

NBIC (National Biosurveillance Integration Center)

Transportation security

Grid

Power

Smart

Body scanner

Electric

Failure or outage

Black out

Brown out

Port

Dock

Bridge

Canceled

Delays

Service disruption

Power lines

Southwest Border Violence

Drug cartel

Violence

Gang

Drug

Narcotics

Cocaine

Marijuana

Heroin

Border

Mexico

Cartel

Southwest

Juarez

Sinaloa

Tijuana

Torreon

Yuma

Tucson

Decapitated

U.S. Consulate

Consular

El Paso

Fort Hancock

San Diego

Ciudad Juarez

Nogales

Sonora

Colombia

Mara salvatrucha

MS13 or MS-13

Drug war

Mexican army

Methamphetamine

Cartel de Golfo

Gulf Cartel

La Familia

Reynose

Nuevo Leon

Narcos

Narco banners (Spanish equivalents)

Los Zetas

Shootout

Execution

Gunfight

Trafficking

Kidnap

Calderon

Reyosa

Bust

Tamaulipas

Meth Lab

Drug trade

Illegal immigrants

Smuggling (smugglers)

Matamoros

Michoacana

Guzman

Arellano-Felix

Beltran-Leyva

Barrio Azteca

Artistics Assassins

Mexicles

New Federation

Terrorism

Al Queda (all spellings)

Terror

Attack

Iraq

Afghanistan

Iran

Pakistan

Agro

Environmental terrorist

Eco terrorism

Conventional weapon

Target

Weapons grade

Dirty bomb

Enriched

Nuclear

Chemical weapon

Biological weapon

Ammonium nitrate

Improvised explosive device

IED (Improvised Explosive Device)

Abu Sayyaf

Hamas

FARC (Armed Revolutionary Forces Colombia)

IRA (Irish Republican Army)

ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna)

Basque Separatists

Hezbollah

Tamil Tiger

PLF (Palestine Liberation Front)

PLO (Palestine Libration Organization)

Car bomb

Jihad

Taliban

Weapons cache

Suicide bomber

Suicide attack

Suspicious substance

AQAP (Al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula)

AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb)

TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan)

Yemen

Pirates

Extremism

Somalia

Nigeria

Radicals

Al-Shabaab

Home grown

Plot

Nationalist

Recruitment

Fundamentalism

Islamist

Weather/Disaster/Emergency

Emergency

Hurricane

Tornado

Twister

Tsunami

Earthquake

Tremor

Flood

Storm

Crest

Temblor

Extreme weather

Forest fire

Brush fire

Ice

Stranded/Stuck

Help

Hail

Wildfire

Tsunami Warning Center

Magnitude

Avalanche

Typhoon

Shelter-in-place

Disaster

Snow

Blizzard

Sleet

Mud slide or Mudslide

Erosion

Power outage

Brown out

Warning

Watch

Lightening

Aid

Relief

Closure

Interstate

Burst

Emergency Broadcast System

Cyber Security

Cyber security

Botnet

DDOS (dedicated denial of service)

Denial of service

Malware

Virus

Trojan

Keylogger

Cyber Command

2600

Spammer

Phishing

Rootkit

Phreaking

Cain and abel

Brute forcing

Mysql injection

Cyber attack

Cyber terror

Hacker

China

Conficker

Worm

Scammers

Social media

SOCIAL MEDIA?!

#dhs #privacy #paranoia #security

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quotesfrommyreading · 15 days ago

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According to the popular theory of “epidemiological transitions,” first articulated by the Egyptian scholar Abdel Omran, the demise of infectious diseases in wealthy societies was an inevitable result of economic development. As societies prospered, their disease profile shifted. Instead of being plagued by contagion, they suffered primarily from slow-moving, chronic, noncommunicable conditions, like heart disease and cancer.

I confess to once being a true believer in this theory. I knew from visiting places like the south Mumbai ghetto where my father had grown up that societies that suffered significant burdens of infectious diseases were indeed crowded, unsanitary, and impoverished. We stayed in south Mumbai every summer, crammed with relatives into two-room flats in a dilapidated tenement building. Like the hundreds of other residents, we flung our waste into the courtyard, carried our own water in aging plastic buckets to shared latrines, and fitted two-foot boards over the thresholds to keep out the rats. There – as in other crowded, waste-ridde, poorly plumbed societies – infection was a constant reality.

But then, thanks to the same conditions that brought cholera to the shores of New York City, Paris, and London in the nineteenth century, writ large, the microbes staged their comeback. Development in once remote habitats introduced new pathogens into human populations. A rapidly changing global economy resulted in faster modes of international travel, offering these pathogens new opportunities to spread. Urbanization and the growth of slums and factory farms sparked epidemics. Like cholera, which benefited from the Industrial Revolution, cholera's children started to benefit from its hangover: a changing climate, thanks to the excess carbon in the atmosphere unleashed by centuries of burning fossil fuels.

The first new infectious disease that struck the prosperous West and disrupted the notion of a “postinfection” era, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), appeared in the early 1980s. Although no one knew where it came from or how to treat it, many commentators exuded certainty that it was only a matter of time before medicine would vanquish the upstart virus. Drugs would cure it, vaccines would banish it. Public debate revolved around how to get the medical establishment to move quickly, not about the dire biological threat that HIV posed. In fact, early nomenclature seemed to negate the idea that HIV was an infectious disease at all. Some commentators, unwilling to accept the contagious nature of the virus (and willing to indulge in homophobic scapegoating) declared it a “gay cancer” instead.

And then other infectious pathogens arrived, similarly impervious to the prevention strategies and containment measures we'd long taken for granted. Besides HIV, there was West Nile virus, SARS, Ebola, and new kinds of avian influenzas that could infect humans. Newly rejuvenated microbes learned to circumvent the medications we'd used to hold them in check: drug-resistant tuberculosis, resurgent malaria, and cholera itself. All told, between 1940 and 2004, more than three hundred infectious diseases either newly emerged or reemerged in places and in populations that had never seen them before. The barrage was such that the Columbia University virologist Stephen Morse admits to having considered the possibility that these strange new creatures hailed from outer space: veritable Andromeda strains, raining down upon us from the heavens.

By 2008, a leading medical journal acknowledged what had become obvious to many: the demise of infectious diseases in developed socieites had been “greatly exaggerated”. Infectious pathogens had returned, and not only in the neglected, impoverished corners of the world but also in the most advanced cities and their prosperous suburbs. In 2008, disease experts marked the spot where each new pathogen emerged on a world map, using red points. Crimson splashed across a band from 30-60° north of the equator to 30-40° south. The entire heart of the global economy was swathed in red: northeastern United States, western Europe, Japan, and southeastern Australia. Economic development provided no panacea against contagion: Omran was wrong.

— Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond (Sonia Shah)

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abhaysharmasposts · 5 months ago

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Most Common Diseases in Animals: Every Livestock Owner Should Know

Animal diseases greatly impact human health, ecological balance, economic stability, and animal health. Nowadays veterinary medicine and animal care have become an important part. This blog details all animal diseases, including their causes, symptoms, and prevention and management strategies.

Animals are susceptible to a variety of diseases that can significantly affect their health, productivity and lifespan. These diseases can be infectious, caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, or non-infectious, caused by genetic disorders, nutritional deficiencies or toxic exposure. Common infectious diseases include rabies, foot-and-mouth disease, and salmonellosis, while non-infectious problems include conditions such as hip dysplasia and rickets. Zoonotic diseases, such as brucellosis and Lyme disease, pose a threat to human health. Effective disease management includes vaccination, good sanitation, routine veterinary care and biosecurity measures to prevent outbreaks as well as ensure animal welfare.

Animal diseases can be classified as infectious or non-infectious, zoonotic diseases and diseases that affect both humans and animals are specific categories. A detailed observation of several diseases affecting animals.

Types of Animal Diseases

Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases are diseases caused by microorganisms, fungi, viruses and bacteria. Our body is home to a variety of animals. Usually neither dangerous nor helpful. However, under certain conditions, microorganisms can spread disease.

Some infectious diseases are spreading from person to person. Mosquitoes or animals disperse some. Additionally, others can become infected if they consume contaminated food or water or come into contact with organisms in the surrounding environment.

Non-infectious Diseases

Usually called diseases that are not transmissible, non-infectious diseases can't pass from person to person or be contracted by infectious agents. These are chronic illnesses that often have symptoms that persist.

Zoonotic Diseases

Zoonotic diseases are infections that can be transmitted from animals to humans, posing significant public health risks. Common zoonotic diseases include rabies, which is fatal without prompt treatment, and salmonellosis, which causes gastrointestinal illness. Other examples are Lyme disease, transmitted by ticks, and avian influenza, which can cause severe respiratory issues.

Common Diseases in Animals

1. Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant infectious disease in animals, mainly caused by Mycobacterium bovis. Public education about the risks of consuming unpasteurized dairy products and maintaining good hygiene practices when handling animals is essential for preventing zoonotic transmission.TB caused by Mycobacterium bovis remains a significant challenge in veterinary and public health.

Symptoms

Animals may develop a chronic cough that lasts for a long time.

Affected animals start losing weight.

Infected animals show fatigue and lack of energy.

Prevention

Get regular tuberculosis testing

Feeding animals a balanced diet to strengthen the immune system and body

Vaccination against TB is available and is an effective preventive measure

2. Anthrax

Anthrax is a highly contagious and fatal cattle disease caused by a relatively large spore-forming bacterium called Bacillus anthracis. Hoofed animals such as deer, cattle, goats and sheep are the main affected by the disease.

Symptoms:

Sudden death is the most common symptom;

Occasionally some animals may show high temperatures, shivering

Difficulty breathing, collapse and convulsions before death.

Preventive measures

Regular annual vaccination of animals should be done in local areas

Vaccination should be done at least one month before the expected outbreak of the disease in the local area

The carcass of an animal suspected to have died of anthrax should never be opened.

3. Ringworm

It is the most common infectious skin disease in animals. This disease is especially found in beef cattle. It is often caused by a fungus that then infects humans. Typically, the disease appears as grey patches on the head and neck area and around the eyes.

Symptoms

The appearance of round, hairless patches on the animal's skin.

The infected area may have brittle or broken hair,

Affected animals often have itchy skin,

Preventive measures

Clean and disinfect the animal's housing, bedding and grooming tools regularly to reduce the risk of fungal spores.

Ensure animals have a balanced diet and proper nutrition to support a healthy immune system,

4. Salmonellosis

Salmonellosis is caused by Salmonella bacteria and affects a wide range of animals, including poultry, cattle, pigs, horses, and reptiles. Infected animals often exhibit symptoms such as diarrhoea, fever, abdominal pain, dehydration, and lethargy.

Symptoms

Often there is a possibility of diarrhea.

Significant reduction in food intake

Dehydration: due to diarrhoea and vomiting.

Elevated body temperature

Preventive measures

Animal housing, feeding equipment and water sources should be regularly disinfected. Ensure living environment.

Isolate new or sick animals to prevent the spread of infection.

Use available vaccines for the applicable species, following veterinary guidelines.

5. Aspergillosis

Aspergillus species are the source of aspergillosis, a fungal infection that typically affects the respiratory system in animals. It mainly affects animals, such as dogs cats, and birds. Animals contract the virus by breathing in spores from contaminated habitats

Symptoms

Cough, shortness of breath, runny nose and sneezing.

Weight loss, loss of appetite and lethargy.

Sudden death, respiratory distress and respiratory tract injuries.

Preventive measures

Animal housing should be regularly cleaned and disinfected to reduce fungal spore levels.

Giving balanced feed to animals.

Ensure proper ventilation to prevent mould growth.

Get regular vet checkups to catch and treat any infections early.

6. Foot-and-Mouth Disease: A Contagious Threat to Livestock

A highly transmissible viral disease known as foot-and-mouth disease, or FMD, affects animals with cloven feet, including cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. Caused by foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), Animals may get the acute infectious sickness called foot and mouth disease.

Symptoms

Fever with 104-105o F

Strings of red saliva hang from the mouth

Vesicles are seen in the mouth and interdigital spaces

Preventive measures

Disinfect animal sheds using bleaching powder or phenol

Equipment and attendants should be separate for sick animals

Isolation and segregation of sick animals. This should be reported to the veterinary doctor immediately

7. Hip Dysplasia in Animals: A Genetic Joint Disorder

Hip dysplasia is a common genetic disorder in animals, particularly affecting large dog breeds like German Shepherds, Labradors, and also some cat breeds. It occurs when the hip joint's ball and socket are malformed, leading to instability, pain, and arthritis.

Symptoms

Decreased physical activity such as running, jumping, or climbing stairs

Animals often walk with a limp after exercise

A swaying gait can be a sign of hip discomfort.

Signs of pain when the hip area is touched or handled.

Preventive measures

Maintaining a healthy weight is important to reduce stress on the hips. Eat a proper diet to prevent obesity.

Doing regular low-range motion exercises to keep the muscles around the hip joint strong without over-straining.

Include essential nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine and chondroitin in the diet.

8.Rickets in Animals: A Nutritional Bone Disorder

Rickets is a disease of the bone growth plate that usually only affects young, growing animals. The main cause of rickets is a lack of phosphorus or vitamin D in the diet. Calcium deficiency can also cause rickets, and this rarely occurs naturally

Symptoms

bone pain

walk stiffly

Swelling in the region of the metaphyses

Difficulty getting up

Preventive measures

Be sure to include vitamin D in your diet

Sunlight is also important for the body to get D3. Daily exposure to sunlight

A high-quality commercial food designed by a veterinary nutritionist is recommended.

9. Lead Poisoning in Animals: A Toxic Threat

Lead poisoning is a severe and potentially fatal condition in animals caused by ingestion or inhalation of lead-containing materials, such as old paint, batteries, or contaminated soil. Symptoms include gastrointestinal distress, neurological issues like seizures and tremors, and lethargy.

Symptoms

Vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite.

Neurological problems: Seizures, tremors and incoherent movements.

Behavioral changes. Lethargy, depression and unusual aggression.

Preventive measures

Be careful that your animals do not come in contact with contaminated soil.

Keep it free of old, peeling paint and industrial waste.

Regular health screenings can help detect early signs of lead exposure.

10. Rabies

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted through the saliva of infected animals, typically via bites or scratches. It affects the central nervous system, leading to brain inflammation (encephalitis).

Symptoms

They change their normal behaviour and behave very strangely.

They stop eating and drinking.

Males will try to mate (mount) other animals.

Preventive measures

Getting dogs in your community vaccinated against rabies.

You should ask your veterinary service about rabies vaccinations. In the event of a rabies outbreak, livestock in your community can also be vaccinated.

11. Brucellosis

Humans can contract brucellosis, a bacterial infection brought on by the Brucella species and spread from animals such as pigs, cattle, and goats. Aerosol inhalation, eating unpasteurized dairy products, or direct contact with infected animals are the three main ways that the disease spreads.

Symptoms

Reproductive problems

Swelling of the joints, testicles (in men) and breasts (in women).

Decreased activity level, weakness and lack of energy.

In dairy animals, brucellosis can cause a significant reduction in milk production,

Weight loss due to poor appetite and general poor health.

Preventive measures

Routine vaccination of livestock.

Animal testing can help identify and isolate infected individuals, thereby preventing the spread of the disease

By maintaining clean and sanitary facilities and using protective clothing,

Understanding common diseases in animals and their symptoms is crucial for ensuring the health and well-being of your animals. By staying informed and proactive, you can effectively prevent, identify, and treat these illnesses, leading to a happier and healthier life for your furry companions.

If you have any concerns or notice any unusual symptoms in your animals, don't hesitate to consult with your veterinarian. At Solman Healthcare, we are dedicated to providing high-quality animal healthcare products to ensure your animals lead healthy and productive lives. From preventive care to treatment solutions,

Trust us to be your partner in animal health. Know more about our offerings and give your animal the best care.

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fink-le-freak · 5 years ago

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Name: Snarrl Nicknames: n/a Species: Galarian Obstagoon(homomeles foetidus), "smelly man-badger" Gender: male, male Obstagoon are larger and called boars while the smaller females are called sows, boars have thicker necks and broader chests than sows Sexuality: straight Age: 11, Obstagoon are longer lived than their Linoone and Zigzagoon pre-evolutions and healthy wild specimens have been known to live up to 40 years, captive individuals may live up to 55, longest lived specimen is a captive female named Roxanna who celebrated her 61st birthday this past August Mate: none, boars reach sexual maturity between ages 4 and 6 while sows do not typically begin ovulation until age 7, mating lasts for anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes and typically occurs between March and May but Obstagoon can mate at any point of the year, sows are pregnant for approximately 22 weeks before giving birth to 1-3 Zigzagoon cubs, Obstagoon are monogamous and mate for life Offspring: none, cubs are born completely white and blind, relying on the strong musk of their parents to get by for the first 5-6 weeks of life, cubs will suckle until around 13-15 weeks before being weaned, lower ranking sows aid in the care of the litter by cleaning them, feeding them and guarding them Height: 5'5"/1.651 m, average male height is between 5'2" and 5'7", females are between 5' and 5'4" Weight: 136.3lbs/61.82kg, average male weight is around 122-150lbs, females are between 115-140lbs General Health: good, Obstagoon are vulnerable to bovine tuberculosis, mustelid herpesvirus-1, rabies, distemper, generalized demodectic mange, pneumonia, lymphosarcoma and parasites such as tapeworms, fleas, ticks and lice, generalized demodectic mange can be caused by a weak immune system or individuals may be genetically predisposed to it and it can be treated with antibacterials, antibiotics and topical ointment, trainers with newly caught Zigzagoon are advised to have them checked for parasites at a Pokemon Center as soon as possible to prevent the spread of fleas and lice Fur: fur on the shoulders, neck, chest, forearms and shins is long and coarse with a soft undercoat and rough guard hairs, crest guard hairs are rough and bristly, underbelly fur is short and soft with pinkish grey skin being visible around the groin, fur is coarser and shorter in the summer with the deep grey forearm and shin fur being shed and the chest region resembling a vest rather than a thick jacket Skin: skin is pinkish grey in color, thick, loose and very tough to protect against Combee stings, Chewtle bites, Sizzlipede burns and all kinds of damage, skin is rubbery in texture, Obstagoon may be predisposed to mange so trainers are advised to take extra care of their partner's skin and watch for severe itching and hair loss, dermal health is good Eyes: eyes are small with deep red sclera and small dark irises, eyesight is poor and Obstagoon cannot make out details well, able to identify shapes and movement, irises range from chestnut to nearly black in color, Obstagoon have monochromatic vision and cannot see colors, optical health is good Ears: ears are small and rhomboid in shape with deep grey skin inside, trainers are advised to check inside the ears for ticks and mites, an Obstagoon's hearing is about the same as a human's, auditory health is good Nose: Obstagoon have an acute sense of smell and it serves several important functions, individuals recognize each other by their unique musk secreted by glands at the base of their short tail and on their anus, sense of smell is approximately 800 times better than a human's, olfactory health is good Teeth: adult Obstagoon have 34 teeth, they have large chisel shaped incisors and sharp canines with flat molars suited for grinding vegetation, their jaws are powerful enough to crush any bone in a Rapidash's body Claws: Obstagoon have three fingers and a thumb on each hand as well as four toes on each foot, their long shovel-like claws are adapted for digging and they put them to good use digging the shared latrines for their clan, burying their dead and poking around for tasty insect Pokemon to eat, you can get a general idea of an Obstagoon's age by looking at their claws as older individuals may have their claws almost completely worn down, claws are in good shape Level: 58, assessed by a Circhester police officer after investigating a noise complaint that turned out to be Snarrl viciously beating a trainer's Diggersby Ability: Guts, individuals with this ability are remarkably resilient and tough, where most Pokemon with burns are in too much pain to strike at full force and poisons leave them ill, Pokemon with Guts not only shrug off any damage that these effects do but become more aggressive as a result, increasing their Attack stat by 50%, however they may not outwardly express the pain these conditions are causing, inexperienced trainers may mistake their Pokemon's resilience for an immunity and unknowingly ignore the condition, causing it to worsen Status: wild ID Number: n/a Pokeball: n/a Nature: Hasty Held Item: n/a Characteristic: proud of its power IVs: 12/25/11/17/13/9 Home: a back alley in Motostoke, Galarian Zigzagoon and Linoone reside in a complex den system underground while Obstagoon live above ground outside urban areas as they no longer fear the Corviknight and Thievul that eat their young Affiliation: none, though Obstagoon are typically social creatures that reside in clans of 6-8 adults, Snarrl is a rogue individual Alignment: chaotic neutral Friends: n/a Enemies: n/a Birthday: October 8th Parents: Topper(father, Galarian Linoone) and Blaire(mother, Galarian Linoone), Snarrl was always a problem child and he'd fight with his parents all the time, was kicked out of the den after they had enough of his picking dangerous fights and getting into screaming matches, has no interest in seeing them Siblings: Maxine(twin sister, Galarian Linoone), were never close, Snarrl would beat her up regularly to show that he was the strongest and she grew to fear him W/L: unknown Battle Style: a reckless onslaught of aggressive tackles and wild punches with strong bites, graceless and lacks strategy but brute force usually gets the job done Ribbons: n/a Diet: Obstagoon are opportunistic omnivores and will eat just about anything they can get their claws on, main food source are larval pokemon such as Caterpie, Grubbin and Snom followed by larger insectoids like Sizzlipede, rodent pokemon like Morpeko and Minccino, Combee as well as their honey and comb, Bluk, Magost, Belue, Rawst, Nutpea and Tanga berries, Chewtle, medium to large avians like Corvisquire and Unfezant, Bunnelby, Morelull as well as clover, wheat, oats and grass, they may kill Wooloo and Dubwool if other food sources are scarce Energy Level: generally moderate but drops dramatically in the winter, Obstagoon and their pre-evolutions enter a state of torpor to conserve energy Willingness to Fight: very high Willingness to Surrender: low Willingness to Flee: low Willingness to Kill: moderate Threat Level to Humans: low-moderate, Snarrl avoids people and will not attempt to attack unless cornered and provoked Body Count, humans: 0 Threat Level to Pokemon: moderate, fiercely territorial and aggressive with Pokemon Body Count, Pokemon: 2, a domestic Bunnelby that escaped its cage and hopped out its owner's door only to end up in Snarrl's belly after having its throat slashed and a trainer's Thievul that caught him in a nasty mood Double Edge: Snarrl slams his powerful body into the foe with a reckless full force tackle, this attack is remarkably powerful but may leave the user with broken ribs, bruising and even internal bleeding Submission: Snarrl tackles the target to the ground and beats them down with a wild flurry of punches, this attack may leave the user with bruising around their knuckles Taunt: Snarrl goads the foe into attacking by egging them on with insults Night Slash: Snarrl uses his sharp, shovel like claws to rip and shred the target, this attack may cause the opponent to bleed out if a vital artery is severed Stamina: 6.10 Strength: 7/10 Durability: 6.5/10 Energy Projection: 2/10 Energy Resistance: 5/10 Agility: 5.5/10 Strategy: 2/10 Intelligence: 2.5/10 Previous Training(Behavioral, Socialization etc): none Previous Trainer: none Personality: gruff, rude, outspoken, prideful, selfish, cocky, aggressive, self reliant, wild, tough, abrasive, sadistic, shameless, impatient, bold, dim witted, brutish, boisterous, arrogant, simple General Description: Snarrl is a dirty punk bully that takes what he wants, when he wants. If his rotten breath and razor sharp teeth don't make them steer clear, he's more than glad to give them a thrashing they won't forget. He's egotistical and has no respect for anyone but himself. He especially loathes those who think they're in control of others and what they do. Snarrl is also terribly impatient, rude, loud and pugnacious. His joy comes from intimidating others, blasting rock music on his beat up radio and stealing goodies from domestic pokemon and their trainers. "Oi knobhead! Dontcha know who yer messin' with? The biggest baddest 'Goon this side of Circhester! I recommend ya bugger off 'fore I stop bein' so nice and start clobberin' ya!" "Reckon that belongs t'me now, heheh...snooze and y'lose, geek!" "Daww, lookit th' lil' tyke throwin' a wobbly...want ya lunch? Gotta reach fer it! Gahahaha!" "Shut yer trap, mate; this song is ace!" "Whoa, killer grub! Better than old wheelie bin burgers at least." Favorite Food: Snom, their fat bodies and defenselessness make very tasty snacks for Obstagoon Favorite Attack: Double Edge Likes: loud music, showing off his strength, dumpster diving, breaking stuff, getting on others' nerves/testing them Dislikes: goody two shoes, dancing, kids, humidity, not getting his way other facts about Snarrl -he loves to dig in garbage and see what neat stuff he can find, gets offended if you call it junk -Snarrl hates having his head and belly touched, he really like shoulder rubs though -his radio is his prized possession and he'll beat your sorry ass into submission if you break it -he is fiercely independent as well as stubborn and dumb, making for a Pokemon that will be a pain to try and cooperate with -Snarrl's favorite band is Whiteekans -he takes great pride in how nasty he smells, says it's natural for a big bad 'mon like him to reek other Obstagoon facts(headcanons) -Obstagoon use their long prehensile tongue to poke around in Combee hives and get at the sweet honey -Obstagoon are very vocal and communicate through loud shrieks, cackles, hisses, growls and whines -Obstagoon cannot digest dairy very well, avoid giving chocolate as well as it is toxic, if you want to give your buddy a tasty treat, try fresh Rawst berries or Nutpea berries -Obstagoon are cannibalistic and will eat the cubs of rivals to cut competition for food -Obstagoon, Linoone and Zigzagoon are very prominent in Galarian mythology and still today in popular culture, from the centuries old fables of shapeshifting Linoone defending a great king to a modern cartoon featuring an Obstagoon protagonist with an affinity for spicy curry -Obstagoon are generally quite docile in contrast to their more aggressive Hoennian cousins -It's a common misconception that Obstagoon are nocturnal, they're actually diurnal -Obstagoon can reach speeds of up to 35mph in short bursts, this makes them significantly slower than their Linoone brothers(60mph), Obstagoon's bodies are less adapted to speed and more for defense -The closest living relative of the Galarian Zigzagoon family is the Stunky line -Obstagoon need to scratch and keep their claws sharp, often a clan will have a designated tree to claw at, captive Obstagoon are fond of scratching posts -Obstagoon hair is used to make shave brushes -It is illegal to consume Zigzagoon, Linoone or Obstagoon meat in Galar

#pokemon #pokemon swsh #obstagoon #zigzagoon #linoone #galarian zigzagoon #galarian linoone #pokemon oc #pokemon headcanons #OC art #artists on tumblr #oc artwork #art #pixel

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

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In a Fearful China, Its Dr. Fauci Wins Hearts With Restraint China has imposed some of the toughest lockdowns in the world to stop Covid-19. One city sealed apartment doors, leaving residents with dwindling food and medicine. One village tied a local to a tree after he left home to buy cigarettes. Beijing forced people to leave their pets behind when they went into quarantine. Few officials spoke up against the excesses, given the central government’s obsession with its anti-coronavirus campaign. That hasn’t stopped Dr. Zhang Wenhong. Dr. Zhang, an infectious-disease specialist and perhaps China’s most trusted voice on Covid-19, has spoken out publicly against excessive lockdowns, though he hasn’t criticized individual cities. Fighting the pandemic, he likes to say, is like “catching mice in a china shop.” “We hope that our pandemic prevention measures won’t affect public life too much,” Dr. Zhang wrote on Jan. 24, after a second wave of infections prompted tough clampdowns. “If we pursue the goal of zero infection,” he said in a video a few days later, “life would be too hard.” Dr. Zhang may be China’s closest analogue to Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the American infectious-disease specialist who became the public face of stopping the coronavirus amid the chaos of the Trump administration. A consummate technocrat, Dr. Zhang comes across as neither political nor ideological. Yet, by offering his expert opinions straight, he pushes back against the authoritarian instinct in a system that often overreacts with draconian measures. A top academic at Fudan University in Shanghai and a member of the Communist Party, Dr. Zhang led Shanghai’s expert panel on Covid-19, giving him considerable authority over the city’s response. Unlike Dr. Fauci, who urged the Trump administration to do more, Dr. Zhang championed a more strategic approach for a country that didn’t take coronavirus half-measures. In doing so, he spoke to the Chinese public with respect, a refreshing change from the way others in authority often carry themselves. Dr. Zhang is especially popular among professionals and technocrats who admire him for his sincerity in a society plagued by propaganda, conspiracy theories and crude nationalism. “At this moment, rumors are more terrifying than the virus,” he said at the beginning of the outbreak. “We need to explain the epidemic to the public with rational data and professional knowledge.” “Zhang Wenhong leads a magical existence in China,” wrote Zhu Xuedong, the former editor in chief of the liberal-leaning magazine Nanfengchuang, on WeChat’s social media timeline. “He uses rational, scientific and civilized words to gently resist all the arrogance, greed and brazenness in this premodern society,” Mr. Zhu wrote. “He gives us warmth, consolation and hope.” Dr. Zhang did not respond to requests for comment. In today’s China, getting ahead often means speaking in the language of the Communist Party. Those who refuse to ride the ideological tide keep their independence by keeping quiet. By contrast, Dr. Zhang has earned an ability to speak freely. Shanghai, a city of 24 million people, has had only 371 local infections and seven deaths. It managed those numbers with fewer restrictions than the city of Beijing, with 21 million residents, 828 local infections and nine deaths. His forecasts — delivered in his characteristic rapid-fire Mandarin, tinged with a soft Shanghai accent — have been on the mark. He predicted early on that the pandemic could last at least one to two years. A year ago this month, when China was still virtually shut down, he said China had left its darkest hours behind. Journalists began to seek him out. Some of his responses became internet memes. A few examples: “Influenza is not a cold, just like a tiger is not a cat.” “You’re bored to death at home, so the virus will be bored to death, too.” Updated March 12, 2021, 7:49 p.m. ET “Stay away from fire, thieves and your colleagues.” His Weibo social media account, which he started in the middle of last year, has 3.6 million followers. Many of his videos have been viewed tens of millions of times. An article he co-wrote on the pandemic’s global prospects last March, when Europe and the United States were exploding with infections, was viewed more than 860 million times on his department’s official WeChat account alone. Maintaining a high profile in China often requires discretion. Late last year, Jack Ma, the technology billionaire, publicly criticized regulators. The authorities quickly swooped down on his business empire. Dr. Zhang doesn’t challenge the government, but neither does he always toe the official line. Late last year, some Chinese officials pointed to findings that the virus had been found on the packaging of imported food, suggesting that the coronavirus may have been brought to China from overseas. Dr. Zhang has told his audience not to worry about it: “The chance of catching the virus from imported goods,” he said, “is lower than dying in a plane crash.” “I’m not going to hide the information because I’m worried that I could say something wrong and cause some controversies,” he said over the summer. “We always share what we know.” Dr. Zhang, 51, was born in Rui’an, a small town by Chinese standards 300 miles south of Shanghai. He attended Shanghai Medical University, now part of Fudan University, and trained at hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Hong Kong University. He heads the infectious disease department at Huashan Hospital of Fudan, sees patients two half-days a week and teaches classes as a professor. His self-deprecating humor stands in contrast to China’s stern, self-important officials. He calls himself a “country bumpkin.” His gym membership often goes unused. When he is tired, he says, he likes to watch stupid television shows. His nicknames bestowed by his online fans include “the most courageous doctor” and “Daddy Zhang.” Roughly translated, some middle-age women call him their “Mr. Perfect.” Dr. Zhang’s comments have sometimes drawn criticism from Chinese nationalists who increasingly drive public opinion in the country. They called him a traitor who worships the Western lifestyle when he told parents to feed their children eggs and milk in the morning instead of congee, the traditional Chinese breakfast. He responded that protein helps build the immune system. Still, he has kept a high profile without drawing major ire from the government or sustained criticism from the nationalists. Some of that stems from China’s pride in quickly containing the coronavirus. Dr. Zhang, who played a role in that, has won a number of awards from official groups. In watching his speeches, I found another key to his sustained appeal. In his impromptu speech at a national teaching award ceremony in September, he said the essence of education is acknowledging human dignity. Mr. Zhang appeals to the humanity of his audience and, by admitting his own foibles, shows the authorities and the public that he is merely human, too. In one speech, he mentioned that some victims of avian flu had caught it from taking care of their infected loved ones, and that female patients were more likely to infect their doting mothers than their absent husbands. “At that moment,” he told the audience, “I lost faith in romantic love.” When he rolled up his sleeve to get a second vaccine injection, he told journalists that he hadn’t expected cameras to be there. “Otherwise,” he said, “I would have worked on my deltoid.” In an interview last June, a reporter asked him whether anybody had reminded him to be mindful of his status as an expert and the head of an expert government panel. “People are smart,” he responded. “They know whether you’re telling them truth or lies.” When he gets public accolades, he often uses the occasion to highlight his causes, like more funding for infectious-disease research and for increasing the public awareness of tuberculosis and hepatitis B, two of the most common infectious diseases in China. He also talks about people who deserved more attention, like the women among the pandemic responders whose role has often taken a back seat to the men’s in the media. “Men are on camera more,” he said at a forum on the subject, “but women did more work.” Then he turned to the female medical workers, and bowed. Source link Orbem News #China #Fauci #Fearful #hearts #Restraint #wins

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healer-777-blog · 5 years ago

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A healer's point of view about the coronavirus

We are each a consciousness in a physical body. This physical body is simply a vehicle to be functional in what we call physical reality. This consciousness is an energy, we are an energy system, and this energy flows through our being, directed by our consciousness. When we are healthy or in balance, the energy flows freely.

Everything begins in the consciousness. There are many different points of view, but this point of view puts you in the driver's seat in your consciousness, you stop seeing yourself as a victim and you take full responsibility for your creation, a responsibility without guilt.

And this point of view is in concordance with what we get from beings that we consider evolved and that tell us that we are creators.

If we consider them evolved, then it would be a good idea to listen to them. The ideas that thoughts are energy and that the vibrations we send out are coming back to us multiplied, have now become more accessible and acceptable but are still considered something strange by many people who prefer to continue to see themselves and be seen as victims. There are no victims, there are only creators who co-create this reality together, and even if someone does not believe in this, it does not prevent them from creating and manifesting what they project with their consciousness.

The flow of energy is regulated by seven energy centers, called chakras. They are the key to reading the body as a map of the consciousness within. Each chakra is associated with specific parts of consciousness and specific parts of the physical body.

In the medical physical reality, it is said that such a virus creates such a illness, such an accident will create such an injury. In the reality where everything begins in consciousness, we say: "Yes, it is true, such virus creates such illness, but only when the conditions in the person's consciousness are met. »

There are viruses everywhere, why do some people catch a virus and develop symptoms, others are carriers of the virus but have no symptoms (what medicine calls healthy carriers), and others where the virus does not settle ? We say that the difference is in the consciousness, in relation to the state of consciousness of the person. Any disease can be described as a state of imbalance in the consciousness.

When a person develops a symptom, the cause is within, in the consciousness, and the effects are produced in the physical reality. When the tensions in the consciousness reach a certain intensity, the person's spirit guides them through an experience that will manifest the symptom. This can happen through an accident, an illness, a virus.

This coronavirus is a state of imbalance that manifests itself through different symptoms:

- Headaches: tensions in the crown chakra regarding the aspects of consciousness father/authority, creating a sense of isolation. - Sore throat: tensions in the throat chakra concerning the aspects of consciousness: expression, receiving, expression of the inner being, listening to one's intuition. - Coughing (chest): tensions in the heart chakra, keeping love at a distance - Breathing difficulty: difficulty to let love in or out, air is the element connected to the heart chakra. - Fever: anger - Systemic inflammation of the blood vessels: anger reflecting tensions in the heart chakra and in the circulation of love. - There are also reports of skin problems, the skin is connected to the solar plexus chakra and the aspects of freedom, power, control. If it is a particular area of the skin that is affected, we say that it is a solar plexus energy (anger, rage) at that place. - Also in many cases there is a loss of smell - root chakra tensions - home, work, money, mother - and loss of taste - associated with the orange chakra and food, sexuality, willingness to feel the emotions.

This shows us where the tensions are in the consciousness and the way of being that is related to these symptoms. To be healed, the person needs to change the way of being that created the symptom.

It is a time of introspection, where everyone can look within themselves and look at their life, their way of living, their way of relating to others and see that humans have a way of being in relation to themselves, to others and to their environment that is not healthy.

Before a symptom manifests, there are warning signs, emotions that show us that we are going in the wrong direction. If we continue without listening, the message reaches the outermost level, the physical level. One might wonder why the virus is reaching more certain countries, certain areas, certain cities. We understand that these places reflect a strong tension in the group consciousness. We have entered a phase of change that began some time ago with symptoms that affected the immune system in a significant way, such as AIDS, H5N1 avian flu, SARS, tuberculosis, Ebola fever, and which already showed an unhealthy way for human beings to relate to each other. As the messages were neither heard nor understood, the next one comes more strongly and impacts the whole world.

From the beginning, there was a contagious alarmism that spread faster than common sense. Seeing people fighting over masks, antiseptic gel, toilet paper is the symbol of a society that is sick, in need of landmarks, in flagrant lack of love, with fear as the motivation behind the actions.

How many of us think about looking at their perceptions? How do we choose to perceive the world and others? Your perceptions create your reality, if you continue to choose a perception of fear, you create more and more such experiences in your life.

Pierre Besson, a dowser and my grandmother's nephew, was the first to point me in that direction by recommending me to read different books showing that we are creators and not victims. In fact, he had co-written a book published in the 1950's "Man or God" where it is explained that we have the choice to live like a Man and to be permanently afraid, or to recognize ourselves as creators and to go beyond our perceived limits, to do things that society considers impossible or only possible by a few beings and these things are perceived as "miracles". Paramahansa Yogananda through his book "Autobiography of a Yogi" has been another guide on the path for me and when I met Martin Brofman, I was able to put this unlimited creation into practice through the healing method he developed and the philosophy that goes with it.

What is happening in the world right now is the result of a vibration that is not harmonious. Yogananda, for example, explains „… "that as soon as one country starts fighting with another, whether it is an industrial battle or a war, as soon as there are selfish people who want to take everything for themselves, it leads to depression. And when depression starts in one place, it starts to spread everywhere because of the vibrations in the ether (the deep space, the matrix) from one place to another.“

According to the laws of the universe and karma, everything we create comes back to us multiplied. Yogananda speaks, for example, of ..."the 1st World War which first created bad vibrations in Europe, then it spread all over the world and where there was no war, the flu appeared. The agony of the people who died during the World War created the Spanish flu epidemic that immediately followed the World War and killed 20 million people, while the war itself only killed about 10 million.“

Most people are unaware of their role in the manifestation of disasters and blame others, put the responsibility on the outside, are angry, and these kinds of vibrations only add to the misfortunes that manifest themselves.

Yogananda gives the example of the Spanish War in 1936 "In the current Spanish Civil War, the struggles of thousands of men, women and children are floating in the ether, causing floods in America, storms in England and Portugal, and earthquakes in India. This is why the peoples of the world, instead of creating new wars and engaging in wars, should do their utmost to use peaceful means and non-cooperation, blockades, to stop the war.“

All evolved beings have been telling us for centuries that „… "all nations should unite to heal natural calamities caused by disease, floods, poverty, earthquakes, etc... Man should not add to natural calamities by creating avoidable, self-created calamities of poverty, want, suffering and death due to wars. It is obvious that self-created calamities and the vibrations of war and industrial egoism cause natural calamities. »

Now is the opportunity to awaken to one's true spiritual potential. An epidemic is nothing more than a disease manifesting itself as a very strong collective desire for love on the part of a society. It is a call to transform ourselves into centres of unconditional love.

There are still far too many people, hypnotized by the mainstream media, watching TV, social networks, newspapers, and constantly counting the dead, who become imbued with the fear conveyed, and these people feel even worse afterwards than before. Why continue to do this? If we continue to do something every day that makes us feel worse afterwards than before, it is called masochism and there is a danger that human beings will succumb to the fear itself and die because of it.

Paramahansa Yogananda tells the story of a town that was hit by an epidemic. The citizens visited a saint and asked him to intervene with the God of Death Yamaraja on their behalf. The saint was moved by the fate of the citizens. He entered a state of deep meditation where he met Lord Yamaraja. The saint greeted Lord Yamaraja and made a request to him. "The citizens of my town have asked me to intervene on their behalf and ask you not to take people away in large numbers. Can you help them, Lord?" said the saint. Yamaraja said he would take only three souls and move on. The saint was satisfied and returned to a normal conscience and assured people that only three to five people would die that day from the disease. However, a few hours later, the faithful were back in his humble country house. People had died by the hundreds despite his assurance. They doubted the divinity of the saint. How could the words of a saint be in vain? The saint entered a deeper consciousness and faced Yamaraja. "How could you do this?" he asked Yamaraja. "I didn't," Yamaraja explained. "I just took three lives. The others committed suicide for fear of the epidemic," he explained.

This story also illustrates why so many people die after being bitten by perfectly non-venomous snakes.

Everything happens for a reason and epidemics are no exception.

Either the fear they inspire leads many people to their death, or the fear awakens them to their higher calling, which is self-discovery. Fear is a warning signal. The Bhagawad Gita says that living in fear is a spiritual obstruction. However, intense fear brings us to the state that has been described as "vishad yoga", which is the yoga of grief. Such fear is the door to transcendence - the path to liberation. Fear is therefore a tool for ascension. Intense fear can be a prerequisite for a deep spiritual blossoming.

If people consciously raise their perceptions to the level of the heart chakra and begin to relate differently, we will have created the matrix for more harmonious experiences for all living beings. In Nada Yoga, each note of music is divided into several parts and the note E (connected to the solar plexus chakra) has 2 beats and the note F (connected to the heart chakra) has 4 beats. The chakras are a representation of human evolution and this area of change is a shock point, like a membrane that we must go through during our evolution. *

We have been entering this passage between the solar plexus chakra and the heart chakra for some time, and until now there is no stability to stay in the heart chakra and this time we are indoors should be used to meditate, to change, to recognize ourselves as creators, and imagine with clarity the world we want, aligning all our perceptions with the new state of consciousness. And as long as the majority of people do not change, we will be moving up and down between the solar plexus and the heart chakra.

Changing the level of consciousness requires us to align our perceptions with the new state we wish to experience. It is interesting to note that the sense of touch is related to the heart chakra, and that the present restrictions put in place by some governments are preventing people from touching, kissing, and hugging which is also a function of the heart chakra.

At the medical level, we can understand that it is seen as a protection in order to not contaminate others, since from this point of view, we put the causes and effects outside and fear is the motivation force.

Looking at it from another point of view, if we see our creation, we have gone so far in distancing ourselves from others, in judgment, in polluting our consciousness and our relationship with nature and animals, that we have locked ourselves up, which leads us to look at ourselves and see what we need to change. Because this moment that we have manifested, we can use it to develop our creativity, to find other forms of expression, to develop solidarity, to connect differently.

We will see if this time of isolation has been a benefit to the human being and that it will serve as a guide to build a different future, more in harmony with all that exists. It is time to go through this passage and put the focus on love, to learn to accept oneself and others. To develop one's spiritual practice, which is not just sitting and meditating. Meditation is a state of consciousness, and one can meditate while walking in the street, cooking, washing dishes, showering, etc. It means putting this meditative state into practice by looking, understanding different points of view without judging. Each moment can help us to understand ourselves and become more and more ourselves, to see the world more and more as a mirror of our consciousness that is made to understand ourselves and understand others.

There is a lot of potential in this change, let's make our response be up to the challenges that are presented to us. Meditate, feel the love for you, for the life that has been given to you. Be in the moment, let love flow in, and consciously decide to raise your perceptions in your heart chakra, a place where you do not judge, where you develop compassion and acceptance. This lock down is the result of the group consciousness creation , through a closing of the crown chakra, and can be an opportunity to find direction within oneself, to find God within oneself, to be one's own authority, to believe in oneself.

Love heals.

* For a more extensive explanation of this, I suggest you to read or reread the chapter "Passage" in the book "Anything can be healed" by Martin Brofman. Findhorn Press (UK) and Inner Traditions (USA)

Philippe Hannetelle © fondation-brofman.org

#coronavirus unity love harmony karma consciousness energy vibration thought creation mind spirit healing

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vignaniasacademy · 5 years ago

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23-04-2020 Daily Current Affairs & News Analysis

Read UPSC Current affairs and Daily News Analysis from Best IFS Academy in Bangalore Vignan IAS Academy Cabinet has approved promulgation of Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 The Union Cabinet has approved promulgation of Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 in the light of COVID-19 pandemic situation making acts of violence against the healthcare workers as cognizable and non-bailable offences.

About: Under it , there is a provision to provide compensation for injury to healthcare service personnel or for causing damage or loss to the property. The investigation into the cases of attack on healthcare workers will be completed within 30 days and judgment will be pronounced within one Accused of the attack can attract a punishment ranging from 3 months to 5 years and a fine from 50 thousand rupees to 2 lakh rupees. In case of grievous injuries, the accused can be sentenced from 6 months to 7 years and they can also be penalized from one lakh to 5 lakh rupees. If damage is done to the vehicles or clinics of healthcare workers, then a compensation amounting to twice the market value of the damaged property will be taken from the accused. Source : All India Radio (Health) Read UPSC Current affairs and Daily News Analysis from Best IFS Academy in Bangalore Vignan IAS Academy Union Cabinet gave its post facto approval for significant investments to the tune of Rs. 15,000 crore for 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package'

About: The funds sanctioned will be utilized in 3 Phases and for immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response (an amount of Rs. 7,774 Crore) has been provisioned and rest for medium-term support (1-4 years) to be provided under mission mode approach. The key objectives of the package include mounting emergency response to slow and limit COVID-19 in India throughthe development of diagnostics and COV1D-dedicatcd treatment facilities, centralized procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment of infected patients, strengthen and build resilient National and State health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks, setting up of laboratories and bolster surveillance activities etc. These interventions and initiatives would be implemented under the overall umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Source : LiveMint (Health) According to experts, the coronavirus outbreak comes from the animal world According to experts, the coronavirus outbreak comes from the animal world. It is human activity that enabled the virus to jump to people, and specialists are warning that if nothing changes, many other pandemics of this nature will follow

About Zoonoses : The name given to diseases transmitted from animals to humans is “zoonoses”, based on the Greek words for “animal” and “sickness”. They are not new — tuberculosis, rabies, toxoplasmosis, malaria, to name just a few, are all zoonoses. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), 60% of human infectious diseases originate from animals. This figure climbs to 75% for “emerging” diseases such as Ebola, HIV, avian flu, Zika, or SARS, another type of coronavirus. The list goes on. The emergence of zoonotic diseases is often associated with environmental changes or ecological disturbances, such as agricultural intensification and human settlement, or encroachments into forests and other habitats. Source : The Hindu (Health) Scientists at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research — Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) have developed a low-cost, paper-strip test which can detect the new coronavirus within an hour

About: The test, named Feluda after a fictional detective character created by Satyajit Ray, is expected to cost around Rs 500 against the RT-PCR test that costs Rs 4,500 in private labs. The test is based on a bacterial immune system protein called Cas9. It uses cutting-edge gene-editing tool Crispr-Cas9 system. The team has repurposed it for diagnosis of COVID-19 genetic material. This technology is not limited to COVID-19 and can work on any DNA-RNA or single mutations, disease mutations etc. Source : Indian Express (Science & Technology) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its approval for fixation of Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphatic and Potassic (P and K) Fertilizers for the year 2020-21 About: The approved rates for NBS will be 18 rupees 78 paise per kg for Nitrogen, 14 rupees 88 paise per kg for Phosphorus, 10 rupees 11 paise per kg for Potash and 2 rupees 37 paise per kg for Sulphur. The CCEA also approved the inclusion of a complex fertilizer namely Ammonium Phosphate under the NBS Scheme. The subsidy on the Phosphorus and Potassium will be provided on the subsidy rates approved by the CCEA to the fertilizer companies. Important Info : Background? Government is making available fertilizers, namely Urea and 21 grades of P&K fertilizers to farmers at subsidized prices through fertilizer manufacturers/importers.The subsidy on P&K fertilizers is being governed by NBS Scheme w.e.f 01.04.2010. Source : All India Radio (Economy) Read UPSC Current affairs and Daily News Analysis from Best IFS Academy in Bangalore Vignan IAS Academy Naval authorities in Mumbai feel that the number of COVID-19 cases among sailors is only going to increase as the test results of several Indian Navy personnel at INSAngre is expected any time About: INS Angre is the shore-based logistics and administrative support establishment of the Western Naval Command of Indian Navy. Located at Kala Ghoda in south Mumbai, it is the base depot ship for the Command. Source : The Hindu (Defense & Security) JNTBGRI has been selected as one of the Biological Knowledge and Resource Centres of the IIEBS The Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) has been selected as one of the Biological Knowledge and Resource Centres of the Indian Initiative on Earth BioGenome Sequencing (IIEBS) About: IIEBS is a nationwide project to decode the genetic information of all known species of plants and animals in the country. The whole genome sequencing of 1,000 species of plants and animals will be taken up in the initial phase of IIEBS to be completed over a period of five years at an estimated cost of ₹440 crore. The National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi is the coordinating centre for the nationwide project involving a total of 24 institutes. The project is part of the Earth BioGenome Project, an international initiative which aims to sequence the genetic codes of all of earth’s eukaryotic biodiversity over a period of 10 years. Source : The Hindu (Science & Technology) Read UPSC Current affairs and Daily News Analysis from Best IAS Academy in Bangalore Vignan IAS Academy Daily Current affairs and News Analysis Read more and Latest Current affairs Contact Vignan IAS Academy Enroll For IAS Foundation Course from Best IFS Academy in Bangalore Read the full article

#23-04-2020VignanIASCurrentAffairs #BestIASAcademyinBangalore #bestupsccoachinginbangalore #IASCoachingInBangalore #Top5IASCoachinginBangalore

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treasuregates · 5 years ago

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I just added this listing on Poshmark: NIOSH N95 Respirator Mask 2 Pack.

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abhaysharmasposts · 5 months ago

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Most Common Diseases in Animals: Every Pet Owner Should Know.

Types of Animal Diseases

Infectious Diseases

Non-infectious Diseases

Zoonotic Diseases

Common Diseases in Animals

1. Tuberculosis (TB)

Symptoms

Animals may develop a chronic cough that lasts for a long time.

Affected animals start losing weight.

Infected animals show fatigue and lack of energy.

Prevention

Get regular tuberculosis testing

Feeding animals a balanced diet to strengthen the immune system and body

Vaccination against TB is available and is an effective preventive measure

2. Anthrax

Symptoms:

Sudden death is the most common symptom;

Occasionally some animals may show high temperatures, shivering

Difficulty breathing, collapse and convulsions before death.

Preventive measures

Regular annual vaccination of animals should be done in local areas

Vaccination should be done at least one month before the expected outbreak of the disease in the local area

The carcass of an animal suspected to have died of anthrax should never be opened.

3. Ringworm

Symptoms

The appearance of round, hairless patches on the animal's skin.

The infected area may have brittle or broken hair,

Affected animals often have itchy skin,

Preventive measures

Clean and disinfect the animal's housing, bedding and grooming tools regularly to reduce the risk of fungal spores.

Ensure animals have a balanced diet and proper nutrition to support a healthy immune system,

4. Salmonellosis

Symptoms

Often there is a possibility of diarrhea.

Significant reduction in food intake

Dehydration: due to diarrhoea and vomiting.

Elevated body temperature

Preventive measures

Animal housing, feeding equipment and water sources should be regularly disinfected. Ensure living environment.

Isolate new or sick animals to prevent the spread of infection.

Use available vaccines for the applicable species, following veterinary guidelines.

5. Aspergillosis

Symptoms

Cough, shortness of breath, runny nose and sneezing.

Weight loss, loss of appetite and lethargy.

Sudden death, respiratory distress and respiratory tract injuries.

Preventive measures

Animal housing should be regularly cleaned and disinfected to reduce fungal spore levels.

Giving balanced feed to animals.

Ensure proper ventilation to prevent mould growth.

Get regular vet checkups to catch and treat any infections early.

6. Foot-and-Mouth Disease: A Contagious Threat to Livestock

Symptoms

Fever with 104-105o F

Strings of red saliva hang from the mouth

Vesicles are seen in the mouth and interdigital spaces

Preventive measures

Disinfect animal sheds using bleaching powder or phenol

Equipment and attendants should be separate for sick animals

Isolation and segregation of sick animals. This should be reported to the veterinary doctor immediately

7. Hip Dysplasia in Animals: A Genetic Joint Disorder

Symptoms

Decreased physical activity such as running, jumping, or climbing stairs

Animals often walk with a limp after exercise

A swaying gait can be a sign of hip discomfort.

Signs of pain when the hip area is touched or handled.

Preventive measures

Maintaining a healthy weight is important to reduce stress on the hips. Eat a proper diet to prevent obesity.

Doing regular low-range motion exercises to keep the muscles around the hip joint strong without over-straining.

Include essential nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine and chondroitin in the diet.

8.Rickets in Animals: A Nutritional Bone Disorder

Symptoms

bone pain

walk stiffly

Swelling in the region of the metaphyses

Difficulty getting up

Preventive measures

Be sure to include vitamin D in your diet

Sunlight is also important for the body to get D3. Daily exposure to sunlight

A high-quality commercial food designed by a veterinary nutritionist is recommended.

9. Lead Poisoning in Animals: A Toxic Threat

Symptoms

Vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite.

Neurological problems: Seizures, tremors and incoherent movements.

Behavioral changes. Lethargy, depression and unusual aggression.

Preventive measures

Be careful that your animals do not come in contact with contaminated soil.

Keep it free of old, peeling paint and industrial waste.

Regular health screenings can help detect early signs of lead exposure.

10. Rabies

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted through the saliva of infected animals, typically via bites or scratches. It affects the central nervous system, leading to brain inflammation (encephalitis).

Symptoms

They change their normal behaviour and behave very strangely.

They stop eating and drinking.

Males will try to mate (mount) other animals.

Preventive measures

Getting dogs in your community vaccinated against rabies.

You should ask your veterinary service about rabies vaccinations. In the event of a rabies outbreak, livestock in your community can also be vaccinated.

11. Brucellosis

Symptoms

Reproductive problems

Swelling of the joints, testicles (in men) and breasts (in women).

Decreased activity level, weakness and lack of energy.

In dairy animals, brucellosis can cause a significant reduction in milk production,

Weight loss due to poor appetite and general poor health.

Preventive measures

Routine vaccination of livestock.

Animal testing can help identify and isolate infected individuals, thereby preventing the spread of the disease

By maintaining clean and sanitary facilities and using protective clothing,

Trust us to be your partner in animal health. Know more about our offerings and give your animal the best care.

#animal disease #disease in animal #disease prevention #helthcare products #cattlehealthproduct

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juniperpublishers-jdvs · 5 years ago

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Review on Bovine Tuberculosis-Juniper Publishers

Introduction

Tuberculosis is a serious infection in bovine, usually of the lungs, caused by the bacteria

Mycobacterium bovis.

This is a serious public health problem in many regions of the world, including Southeast Asia and Africa. A Purified Protein Derivative (PPD) skin test is a test that determines if Bovine suffers from Tuberculosis (TB). When TB infects Animal body, it becomes extra sensitive to certain elements of the bacteria, such as the purified protein derivative. A PPD test checks Bovine body’s current sensitivity, which will tell whether or not Bovine have TB [1].

Bovine tuberculosis infection in cattle is usually diagnosed in the live animal on the basis of delayed hypersensitivity reactions. Infection is often subclinical; when present, clinical signs are not specifically distinctive and can include weakness, anorexia, emaciation, dyspnoea, enlargement of lymph nodes, and cough, particularly with advanced tuberculosis. After death, infection is diagnosed by necropsy and histopathological and bacteriological techniques. Rapid nucleic acid methodologies, such as the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), may also be used although these are demanding techniques and should only be used when appropriately validated. Traditional mycobacterial culture remains the gold standard method for routine confirmation of infection [2].

Mycobacterium bovis

is a zoonotic organism and should be treated as a risk/hazard group III organism with appropriate precautions to prevent human infection occurring. Bovine tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by M. bovis that affects cattle, other domesticated animals and certain free or captive wildlife species. It is usually characterised by formation of nodular granulomas known as tubercles. Although commonly defined as a chronic debilitating disease, bovine tuberculosis can occasionally assume a more progressive course. Any body tissue can be affected, but lesions are most frequently observed in the lymph nodes (particularly of the head and thorax), lungs, intestines, liver, spleen, pleura, and peritoneum [3].

Ensure on arrival (prior to contact with any livestock) that the vehicle, protective clothing and footwear are clean and suitable for the task being carried out in order to minimize the risk of transmission of disease between premises and when arranging a visit to a farm, ensure that you meet their individual bio security protocols wherever possible, e.g. freedom from contact with other livestock for a given period. However, extreme bio security requests should be refused if it makes the task on farm impossible to achieve. On completion of the task, thoroughly clean and disinfect all protective clothing and footwear before leaving the farm premises or appropriately dispose of offsite. Carry sufficient disinfectant approved under the relevant Diseases of Animals [4]. After testing and before leaving the farm, thoroughly clean and disinfect all equipment that is taken onto a farm and that has been in contact with livestock. In testing cattle, goats, pigs or sheep maintain TB syringes in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. When using disposable syringes, dispose of them as pharmaceutical waste along with all used needles and part used/opened bottles of tuberculin [5].

Materials and Methods

Study methodology

Data collection:

Questioner format was developed and all information relating to the study objectives were recorded. Data which was recorded includes type of Animal ID, dairy husbandry system, Body condition, sex, breed, and age.

Skin testing procedures

TB skin tests are carried out on two days: Day one - injection of avian and bovine tuberculin and day two - reading of test 72 hours later. The complete tuberculin test must be carried out by the same Official Veterinarian (OV) unless there are exceptional circumstances [6]. OVs therefore should not commence a test that they know.

Care to be taken in procedure:

If, for whatever reason, the test cannot be completed notify APHA. An OV is responsible for completing a risk assessment regarding their health and safety when conducting on-farm testing and inspection for APHA [7]. APHA will support OVs in any appropriately evidenced decision to withdraw from a test on health and safety grounds. It is not appropriate to cut corners on the test procedure on the grounds of health and safety. If the test cannot be conducted properly for health and safety reasons, it should be abandoned.

Care to be taken with Injection:

Cattle must not be moved off the holding between the injection of tuberculin (TT1 date) and the reading of the test (TT2 date). In all cases the same set of Digital caliper, or the same type of Digital caliper calibrated to produce identical readings, must be used on both test days. Refer to records made at the time of injection to ensure correct reading and interpretation of the test (e.g. inadvertent subcutaneous injection, unforeseen skin blemishes etc.).

How to Prepare the TB Syringe

Assembling:

Apply a thin coating of lubricating oil, recommended by the manufacturer, to the plunger and grip the pawls between your fingers, thumb to clear the ratchet teeth and extend the plunger approximately halfway out of the frame [8]. Slacken the sealing ring gland slightly to allow the plunger to enter freely and tighten the sealing ring gland until it just stops against the inner sealing ring ('o' ring), then very slightly tighten to prevent leakage. Screw the barrel onto the frame and grip the pawls and move the plunger up and down several times. Screw on the main nozzle only moderately tight, just sufficient to prevent leakage.

Needles:

Use new or sterilized needles for each herd tested and dispose of old ones safely. Change needles immediately if they become contaminated with blood or any other material during TB testing. Use Record or Schimmel needles. The Special Record needle for the McLintock syringe is particularly recommended.

Fitting record needles:

Use the special washer with a metal rim provided, do not use the soft rubber washer. The washer is used to prevent leakage and the metal rim prevents the soft interior from spreading and blowing out under pressure.

Fitting schimmel needles:

Use the Schimmel needle nozzle which is provided with two interchangeable adaptors and the shorter adaptor for a 3/8” needle which gives the recommended projection of 5/32”. When changing the Schimmel needle, screw up the needle nozzle against the 'soft' washer until the needle setting is made tight-the washer compresses and this provides friction to prevent the needle nozzle slackening.fit the needle hub properly on its seat to prevent leakage [9]. Screw up the needle nozzle, a slight resistance will be felt due to the friction of the soft washer, continue screwing until an increase of resistance is felt when the needle hub reaches its seat and further tighten to make it leak proof. Do not excessively tighten as this destroys the soft metal hub of the needle and will prevent the syringe from filling correctly.

Filling the syringe:

It is essential to ensure that there is no air left in the syringe after filling, as this can lead to incorrect doses being administered and withdraw the plunger to its fullest extent. Insert the needle through the rubber cap of the relevant tuberculin vial, with the vial inverted (so air bubbles will rise) and ensure that the needle stays under the liquid whilst filling the syringe. Keeping the vial and syringe vertical can help [10]. Injecting air into the vial equivalent to the amount of liquid to be withdrawn may help. As there is little space in some bottles this may have to be done in stages. Retract the plunger slowly to draw liquid into the syringe and remove any air present in the syringe using the methods.

Method to fill the needle:

With the syringe held vertically and vial inverted, tap the barrel vigorously with your finger, air bubbles will rise into the conical main nozzle and expel trapped air by moving the plunger two to three increments or until only liquid is being injected back into the vial i.e. no sign of bubbles from the needle. All air has now been expelled from the syringe and maintains the vertical position and slowly withdraws the plunger to its fullest extent, or alternatively to the number of doses required. Withdraw the needle from the vial and the syringe is now correctly filled and ready for use. If a droplet issues from the needle after an injection has been made, this indicates that air is present within the syringe. Repeat the process above to remove the air and if the syringe used for avian tuberculin is accidentally filled with bovine tuberculin or vice versa, empty and cleanse the syringe.

Day one testing actions

Animal identification:

All animals to be tested must be identified by the official ear number as required by the relevant Cattle Identification Regulations. Owners are required to ensure all cattle on their holding comply with the regulations for identification (ID) and recording on the Cattle Tracing System (CTS).

Record the official ear tag number or registered name on the testing record [11]. Other management numbers (e.g. freeze brands) can be recorded in the testing record but must not be given as the sole identification. Record all alternative identification marks for any animals where there is doubt regarding the official ear tag number If an animal with no approved or insufficient method of identification is presented for testing, it must either be, tagged or retagged in accordance with the requirements of the relevant Cattle.

Eligibility for test:

Owners are required to present for testing all eligible cattle on the holding appropriate for the type of test being conducted. Any doubts, particularly about the eligible animals not being presented, should be noted on the testing record to ensure any concerns are raised to APHA.

Other veterinary medicinal products:

Veterinary Medicinal Products (VMPs) should not be administered at the time of first injection unless for welfare reasons which should be noted on the test chart/report. Where VMPs are administered on day one details must be recorded on the testing record, for entering on to Sam (where necessary).

Preparation of the injection site

Careful intradermal injection of tuberculins is critical to an accurate and consistent performance of the comparative tuberculin test [12]. This is because the sensitivity of the test varies in different areas of the neck and decreases towards the shoulder. Ensure there are no skin blemishes or other pathological conditions present at the selected sites which might interfere with the skin measurement or the test. In these cases, the other side of the neck can be used. Both sites shall normally be in the border of the anterior and middle third of one side of the neck.

For Inconclusive Reactor (IR) retests, the injections should be made (if possible) on the opposite side of the neck to that used at the previous test. The upper site (avian tuberculin) should be, in the adult bovine, at least 10cm below the crest, and the lower site (bovine tuberculin) should be approximately 12.5cm from the other, on a line roughly parallel with the line of the shoulder, as in the picture below. In order to maximize test sensitivity, injection sites should be as close as possible to those indicated [13].

Injection sites shall be clipped and cleansed to physically remove debris. Clip two small areas of the neck for the intradermal injection of tuberculin ensuring that both injection sites are clearly visible and free of hair and blemishes. In young cattle, when there is not enough room to separate the sites sufficiently on one side of the neck, make one injection on each side of the neck at identical sites in the centre of the middle third of the neck. Site the avian injection on the left hand side of the neck and the bovine on the right. For calves, this is considered standard practice.

Measure skin thickness:

Raise a fold of skin at each test site, measure the thickness of the fold with the Digital callipers and record the measurements in millimeters in the testing record. The upper site should be used for the avian tuberculin (or the left hand side of the neck for young animals). In the event that this injection site protocol is inadvertently reversed, ensure that this is clearly stated in your notes.

Injecting tuberculin:

The dose of tuberculin shall then be injected by a method that ensures that the tuberculin is delivered intradermally. Inject the avian tuberculin into the upper site for the (or the left hand side of the neck for young animals) using the syringe with the red button. Inject the bovine tuberculin into the lower site (or the right hand side of the neck for young animals) using the syringe with the blue button. Avoid subcutaneous injection as this could potentially give rise to a false test result and desensitization of the site for a variable period [14]. Check that a palpable nodule is present in the skin at each injection site. This indicates that the injection has been correctly made. This should usually be about the size of a pea. If a palpable nodule is not present and it is thought that the tuberculin may have been injected subcutaneously, inject again using sites on the other side of the neck. Record this action in the testing record.

Clinical inspections and examinations:

Carry out a visual inspection of all cattle tested on day one and day two. This is to identify any animals which are showing clinical signs of tuberculosis, skin tuberculosis and any notifiable disease of cattle (e.g. Foot and Mouth Disease etc.). The purpose of this is to assist with the identification of allergic animals and animals not fit for human consumption [15,16]. Where clinical signs consistent with bovine tuberculosis are seen a clinical examination must be carried out and findings recorded on the remarks column or in appropriate place on the testing record. To know more about

journal of veterinary science impact factor

: https://juniperpublishers.com/jdvs/index.php

To know more about Open Access Publishers: Juniper Publishers

#Mycobacterium bovis #Zoonotic #Schimmel #Tuberculosis

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mindblowingscience · 8 years ago

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia was voted director general of the World Health Organization on Tuesday, the first African ever to head the agency.

The election was the first conducted by the W.H.O. under more open and democratic rules. After nearly two years of public campaigning, originally by six candidates, the voting took place in a closed-door session in which the health ministers of 186 countries cast their ballots in secret.

Dr. Tedros — a malaria expert who campaigned under his first name — ultimately beat Dr. David Nabarro of Britain after three voting rounds. The final tally was 133 votes to 50, with three abstaining or not voting. Dr. Sania Nishtar, a Pakistani cardiologist and expert in noncommunicable diseases, was eliminated after receiving 38 votes in the first round.

Dr. Tedros, 52, replaces Dr. Margaret Chan of China, who has held the post for a decade.

He is best known for having drastically cut deaths from malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis and neonatal problems when he was Ethiopia’s health minister. He trained 40,000 female health workers, hired outbreak investigators, improved the national laboratory, organized an ambulance system and oversaw a tenfold increase in medical school graduates.

As the head of W.H.O., he promised to pursue health insurance in even the poorest nations, strengthen emergency responses and make the agency more accountable and transparent.

He backs greater access to birth control and preventive care for women and is committed to having more gender and ethnic diversity in the agency. He also has promised to fight the health effects of climate change.

Dr. Nabarro, 67, has led the campaigns of various United Nations agencies against avian and swine flu, cholera, Ebola, malaria, hunger and other crises.

“It’s a joy, the continent is celebrating at last,” said Janine Barde, a Rwandan delegate, flashing a victory sign to another African representative. “I feel stakeholders are now in charge, not bureaucrats.”

#world health organization #Africa #Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus #w.h.o.#Healthcare #ethiopia #poc #people of color #people of colour #black excellence #Medicine #science #stem #UN #United Nations

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brajeshupadhyay · 4 years ago

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Emerging landscape of COVID-19 vaccines in India as of 31 July: Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute, Zydus at the helm

Over a dozen Indian companies are in partnership with other firms and institutes to bring a preventive vaccine into global markets by 2021.

Three Indian companies have begun testing vaccines for COVID-19 in humans in expeditious trials. However, there are over a dozen Indian firms in partnership with other companies and institutes – both in India and abroad – to bring a working vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus into global markets.

Here’s an overview of different candidates from Indian companies that have declared their progress (or intent) to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, as of 31 July 2020.

Bharat Biotech

Bharat Biotech, in a partnership with the National Institute of Virology, began recruiting volunteers for Phase 1 trials to test safety and neutralizing antibodies of its Covaxin (BBV152) vaccine candidate in 375 healthy volunteers as of 13 July.

Based on how volunteers respond in these trials, Bharat Biotech intends to continue with a multicentre, randomized, double-blind Phase 2 trial with 750 volunteers to see how safe and effective the BBC152 vaccine is in a larger group.

Bharat Biotech is also in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson University to develop a recombinant deactivated rabies virus containing the spike protein against SARS-CoV-2. With the Department of Biotechnology’s backing, Bharat Biotech is aiming to enter human trials with the vaccine by December 2020.

Serum Institute of India

Serum Institute of India is currently carrying out a randomized, double-blind study of a recombinant BCG vaccine (VPM1002) for severe cases of coronavirus infection. The vaccine is a further development of the 100-year-old Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine still widely used to treat tuberculosis. In the ongoing Phase 3 trials in 5,946 volunteers, Serum Institute is testing whether the vaccine reduces the severity of COVID-19 in high-risk patients.

Serum Institute has also said it will begin testing for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (AZD1222) candidate in India soon. It received a no-go from Indian regulators for its trial protocol this week, and is expected to run a revised version by Indian regulator (CDSCO) in a few days’ time. After promising results in mid-July from early trials the experimental Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, Serum announced it will manufacture a billion doses of the vaccine after seeking the required approvals.

Serum Institute, in partnership with US-based Codagenix, is developing a live attenuated COVID-19 vaccine candidate CDX-005, which is in pre-clinical trials as of July 2020.

An illustration of COVAXIN, the vaccine candidate for COVID-19 developed by Bharath Biotech. Image: Bharath Biotech

Zydus Cadila

Zydus Cadila Healthcare, backed by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), began recruiting for its phase 1/2 clinical trials on 13 July to test for safety and efficacy of its DNA plasmid ZyCoV-D vaccine candidate in 1,048 volunteers. In the pre-clinical phase, ZyCoV-D produced a strong immune response in multiple animal species including mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits, and raised no safety concerns.

A second measles vector vaccine candidate for COVID-19 from Zydus is currently in pre-clinical trials.

Panacea Biotec

Panacea Biotec has entered into a Joint Venture partnership with US-based Refana to develop, manufacture and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine candidate globally by next year. The Ireland-based joint venture is working on an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, adding in an interview with Reuters that the vaccine is currently in animal pre-clinical trials, with Phase 1 human trials likely to begin only after September 2020.

It has targeted producing 500 million doses in 2021 and one billion doses of its vaccine candidate in 2022, as per the report.

Indian Immunologicals

Indian Immunologicals and Australia’s Griffith University entered a partnership to develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine candidate that could provide “long-lasting protection with a single dose,” as per an April press release.

The company intends to take over live attenuated vaccine strain once developed, and carry out clinical trials under Indian regulators in a phased manner. The vaccine development is currently in pre-clinical stages as per WHO’s vaccine tracker as on 31 July.

The J&J vaccine, which enters Phase 2 trials in late-July after successfully protecting monkeys from COVID with a single shot. Image: JnJ

Mynvax

Indian Institute of Science-incubated start-up Mynvax has received funding and support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a series of recombinant subunit vaccines for SARS-CoV-2. The vaccine will be primarily aimed at the most at-risk groups for COVID-19 (health workers, senior citizens and people with co-morbid conditions).

Mynvax said in a May update that selection and preclinical trials have been completed for many candidates, with more being screened “over the next few months.” Mynvax has also applied for Rs 15 crores in funding from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) to scale-up and manufacture successful candidates.

Other Indian companies in pre-clinical trials

Biological E has also been backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The company is developing a protein subunit vaccine using the part of the SARS-COV-2 virus’ spike protein. The vaccine candidate is in pre-clinical trials as of 31 July 2020.

Aurobindo Pharma based in Hyderabad is also presently conducting pre-clinical tests for its replicating viral vector vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.

Premas Biotech based in Gurugram is reportedly working on a triple-antigen vaccine candidate, and has successfully identified three antigens with which to develop independent recombinant vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2.

Ahmedabad-based Hester Biosciences in collaboration with IIT-Guwahati is reportedly developing a vaccine against COVID-19 using a recombinant avian paramyxovirus vector. Primarily an animal healthcare firm, and the second largest poultry vaccine manufacturer, this will be the company’s first foray into human vaccines.

Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) has partnered with Neuberg Supratech, an Ahmedabad-based pathology lab under Neuberg Diagnostics, to develop COVID-19 recombinant vaccines and diagnostics.

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dipulb3 · 4 years ago

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This supersafe labs protects researchers as they race to develop a coronavirus vaccine | Foxton News

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/this-supersafe-labs-protects-researchers-as-they-race-to-develop-a-coronavirus-vaccine-foxton-news/

This supersafe labs protects researchers as they race to develop a coronavirus vaccine | Foxton News

As I dilute the coronavirus to contaminate cultured cells, I hear the reassuring sound of purified air being blown by my respirator into my respiratory house. There are three layers of nitrile and protecting supplies between me and the virus, and each a part of my physique is wrapped in protecting tools.

Thanks to those precautions and different options of our excessive containment lab, I am not nervous about being up shut and private with this harmful pathogen.

We do that analysis in what’s known as a high-containment biosafety level 3-enhanced lab, with stringent precautions in place to guard everybody from the doubtless lethal pathogens we work with. Along with SARS-CoV-2, researchers research the microbes that trigger ailments together with tuberculosis, anthrax and avian influenza in other facilities of this type across the US.

On account of our precautions, many colleagues have informed me they really feel safer inside the containment lab than they do looking for groceries throughout the pandemic. Here is why.

Suiting up such as you’re on an area mission

When performing a SARS-CoV-2 experiment, my days begin by coordinating with a least certainly one of my lab members — we all the time work in pairs inside containment. We define the experiment step-by-step, test we have now the entire required provides, verify and evaluation any procedures and talk with the ability workers.

Very first thing on web site, we test a number of gauges and displays to make sure the ability is functioning correctly. Then we enter the changeroom, the place we take away all of our avenue garments, together with jewellery and underwear. We do not wish to convey any probably contaminated clothes or gadgets out of containment on the finish of the day. “You enter and go away containment as you have been at delivery” is our saying.

READ MORE: Infecting a volunteer with coronavirus to develop a vaccine — here’s what consent should look like

We don scrubs, close-toed laboratory footwear, a full-body disposable go well with, shoe covers, a number of pairs of gloves and a surgical robe. Most significantly, we additionally placed on our air-purifying respirators. This machine features a Batman-style utility belt that homes a motor connected to an air filter able to filtering out any infectious brokers within the air. Powered by a battery pack that may final a minimum of six hours, the respirator blows purified air up a tube right into a hood that covers my total head and shoulders. The hood is beneath constructive strain so no air from the atmosphere can enter my respiratory house.

By means of the clear plastic face defend I can see that we appear to be astronauts in house fits. As soon as absolutely outfitted, we enter the containment facility and proceed to our designated virus tradition and animal holding rooms. This entire course of has taken between 30 and 45 minutes.

What’s inside?

The power itself is a big vacuum. All the air flows from outdoors into the lab. It exhausts via air filters that take away any stray infectious brokers. The power is designed to accommodate failures. If one filter fails, there is a second one, and all work stops till each are working once more.

Inside this house our work is split into rooms the place we develop virus in cells in plastic dishes. There are separate areas the place we home animals that we use to guage how the virus is transmitted and if our vaccines are working.

READ MORE: The fascinating history of clinical trials

After we’re carried out for the day, the supplies we used are handled with bleach or saved safely. All waste is sealed in plastic baggage and handled in a pressurized, high-heat oven known as an autoclave to make sure any remaining virus is useless.

To go away the lab, as we transfer via numerous anterooms towards the exit, at each stage we take away a layer of gloves and protecting tools. We additionally recurrently spray our fits and respirators with highly effective disinfectants. On the final step, we take away our respirator and scrubs and “bathe out” of the ability. Even the wastewater from the bathe is boiled for an hour beneath excessive strain to kill any microorganisms.

The one residing factor that leaves the ability is the scientist.

Coaching and oversight

Most of the security precautions round working in a excessive containment facility occur lengthy earlier than a researcher steps foot on the positioning. To achieve entry to this laboratory, I underwent an intensive FBI and police background test.

I used to be topic to a medical examination, and my lung capability was examined. I used to be vaccinated in opposition to influenza. I am positive when a Covid-19 vaccine turns into out there, I am going to get that shot as properly.

A rigorous coaching and testing course of made positive I understand how to deal with brokers like SARS-CoV-2 safely, in addition to issues like what to do throughout a hearth, a bomb menace and even a twister. No matter my over 10 years expertise working with viruses, everybody coming into the ability is educated from scratch.

READ MORE: How the coronavirus escapes an evolutionary trade-off that helps keep other pathogens in check

Each excessive containment lab within the U.S. is topic to common inspections by the US Division of Agriculture, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention or each. As soon as open, a facility is reinspected and authorized each three years. Through the interim, inspectors arrive unannounced to evaluation all facets of the ability, together with upkeep data, inventories of brokers and working procedures. My college additionally gives oversight.

As well as, there’s a myriad of different security measures. Certainly one of my colleagues as soon as joked that in a zombie apocalypse, the containment lab could be the most effective place to cover.

In the end, all these precautions are in place to assist us perceive how the SARS-CoV-2 virus is transmitted in animals and decide the optimum vaccine formulation that may stop transmission. The power at Penn State, like others all through the US, was constructed for such a analysis so scientists may shortly and safely reply throughout a pandemic. Expectantly, the work carried out by devoted researchers in these services will assist convey the Covid-19 pandemic to an finish, prior to later.

Troy Sutton is assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences at Pennsylvania State College. Disclosure: Sutton receives funding from Facilities of Excellence for Influenza Analysis (CEIRS), the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Ailments (NIAID) and The Huck Institutes of Life Sciences at Pennsylvania State College.

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scienceblogtumbler · 5 years ago

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Pandemics and Intensive Farming: is there a relationship?

The current pandemic caused by COV-SARS-2 is the result of the transmission of a virus from animals to humans. Today, we know the root cause was a virus found in bats. We also know that before reaching us it landed and mutated in one other species. This intermediate species remains unidentified.

The ability that some viruses have to jump amongst species is concerning because it makes us potentially vulnerable. This is why, the contact that we have with wild and domestic animals has become a source of interest for many, as we can see by the amount of articles published about this subject (here, here and here a few examples)

Figure 1: A wet market in Asia: lack of health controls, poor hygiene and placing different animals in close contact are the main causes of epidemics.

Some are pointing fingers to intensive animal production and using this pandemic to move forward their anti-farming agenda by stating that the root cause of this and other epidemics is to be found in industrial farming. According to their rationale, intensive farming is a dangerous activity, full of risks for our health, so it must be much more controlled or directly banned.

This is why we must look at the facts and see whether industrial farming has really been connected to some of the epidemics that mankind has suffered in the last decades. Besides, we will also see what is the inherent risk –if any- that farming has in the potential jump of harmful microorganisms from animals to us.

To start, we need to define intensive farming. We could say that it is a form of animal husbandry in which production benefits from economies of scale due to the high output of those operations. This means that cutting-edge technologies are used (in genetics, nutrition and veterinary care) in order to maximize the output. Those operations are highly mechanized in order to reduce labor force.

Industrial farming was born in the US and the UK in the 50’s. The synthesis and manufacturing of vitamins (especially vitamin D) allowed the administration of these compounds all year round and avoided seasonal variances.

Moreover, the development of vaccines and veterinary treatments made it possible to produce a high number of animals indoors in a way that they did not develop diseases. It also allowed to reduce costs and, as a consequence, milk, eggs and meat became much more affordable.

Today, this production system is the most common, although we should not forget that, in many regions, especially in developing countries, family farms and backyard production are very common and an important source of animal protein for a big part of the population.

Figure 2: An intensive poultry farm.

Now, we will see what impact –if any- intensive farming has had on the origin and the dissemination of epidemics. We need to understand, first, what are the risk factors that make it easier for a pathogen to jump from an animal species to humans. A recent paper from California and Melbourne Universities explains this point (the work is focused on viral transmission, but its implications are valid for all microorganisms). According to this publication, there are three conditions that a virus must accomplish in order to have better chances to jump and get to us:

The animal must be abundant and should have a relative frequent contact with humans.

That animal order must have many different species.

That species must carry many potentially dangerous viruses.

Stating the obvious, we could conclude that if an animal carries many pathogens, but the species itself is close to extinction, then, there will not be many chances that this particular species will contact with humans and that the viruses it may carry make the jump.

The paper points also out that, if this order of animals presents many species, and these species carry many potentially dangerous viruses, then, the likelihood of this virus getting into humans is considerably higher.

We have that rodents, quiropters (bats) and primates present many different species and many of them do carry potentially harmful germs. Then, we have to be especially careful with these animals.

Figure 3: Risk of a virus jumping amongst species: On the left, species according to number of virus they carry and number of species in every order of those animals. On the right, the number of viruses they carry vs. their global population.

Domestic animals do not carry a high number of potentially dangerous viruses. However, there are many domestic animals. Their sheer number together with the fact that they live close to us, could potentially increase the risk of getting diseases from them.

So, let’s see how risky industrial farming is. We see below all the epidemics with more than a thousand human fatalities since 1900.

Figure 4: Epidemics with more than 1000 fatalities since 1900 (click to enlarge)

Industrial farming started in a few countries in the 50’s. Then and today, there are still many countries in which this type of production is not the most common, with important numbers of animals being still raised in house backyards.

We can see, in the slide above that, since 1950, there have been five epidemics in which domestic animals have been involved. Below are the impact and implications of each one of them:

1957-1958 Asian flu: It caused 1-4 million deaths. The virus was the result of a combination of human and avian strains. Back then, industrial farming was not present in Asia. Conversely, the presence of birds in living rooms and apartments was common.

1958-1959 Hong-Kong flu: Its death toll ranged from 0.5-2 million people. Here, humans strains mixed with avian and swine virus Again, industrial farming cannot be blamed for the outbreak of the epidemic, as no big farms were present in the region at that time.

2009-2010 Global flu: It caused between 0.1 and 0.6 million casualties. It started in Mexico and the virus seems to have been a combination of strains from human and swine origin. As of today, there is not as a full agreement whether the outbreak was caused by imported hogs which were not properly quarantined, or whether a vaccine strain was not properly inactivated and then was used in some pig herds.

2015 Indian flu: With 1,200 deaths, it is not proven that this epidemic had its origin in animals, although it is possible due to the close contact that many people in this region have with ducks and other birds. High density of population in crowded cities seems to have had an influence too.

2017 Japanese encephalitis: It caused more than 1,300 deaths. This virus is transmitted by mosquitoes. Many animals carry the virus from horses to birds. Among domestic animals, pigs also play a role. There is a vaccine, which has been administered to farmed hogs for decades. Based on this information it is not very likely that industrial farming played a role in this outbreak. However, the role of backyard pigs cannot be discarded.

What we see here is that, since industrial farming started 70 years ago, there has only been one epidemic episode, in 2009, in which big farms may have been somehow involved, although experts do not agree on this particular point.

We are now to look at what diseases have been controlled or eradicated thanks to intensive farming. As big farms become the norm in industrialized countries, the total number of farms is trending down. In these conditions, in-farm veterinary control becomes possible and it is much more efficient than when every house had a few heads of livestock.

If we take avian influenza as an example, we have seen that this virus can jump from birds to humans and even originate pandemics. In the US, the EU and in most poultry producing countries, this disease is closely monitored with frequent analytics at avian farms. Very strict bio-protection measures are taken in all production units in order to avoid the arrival of this pathogen. Here a few examples:

Limiting visitors on the farm and minimizing foot traffic.

Avoiding contact with wild and domestic fowl.

Avoiding the sharing of farm equipment.

Having a clean and functioning footbath at each entrance to the broiler house.

Ensuring that all visitors or personnel have disinfected or new footwear before entering a house or facility.

Making sure feed and water sources are covered and free of contaminants, limiting the attraction of wild fowl and pests.

Having official signage clearly stating the farm is a biosecure zone and any unauthorized entry is strictly prohibited.

Employing effective pest and wild bird management practices.

Adequately training farmers, farm and company personnel in biosecurity and disease prevention.

All these measures are enforced thanks to the presence of many, well-trained veterinarians. Conversely, control becomes impossible and birds become a likely source of epidemics in countries where they live within houses, frequently in close contact with other species, and when contact with wild birds is likely to happen.

Figure 5: Avian influenza virus

Biosecurity measures, enforced in all intensive farms, make it extremely unlikely that an outbreak disseminates. This is a very practical and clear example of effective disease control that industrial farming allows us to do.

Producers today make huge efforts to eradicate diseases in animals. Thanks to them and to veterinary services, there are many diseases that have been eradicated from US herds, such as: brucellosis or tuberculosis. These diseases are however still present in the wildlife.

Figure 6: Disinfection of a truck before entering a farm.

There is one more reason why intensive farming protects us all against epidemics: The products that it delivers are heavily scrutinized and must get over many health controls. Besides, industrial farming bring prices of bioavailable, rich protein down.

Conversely, when access to animal products is limited is when people resort to hunting in order to get the protein they need. That is where close contact with wild species can cause the spreading of new viruses. This is how AIDS virus passed from monkeys to people, due to the close contact of humans with the fluids of primates after butchering them. It is also likely that hunting bats has caused today’s coronavirus pandemic.

Figure 7: Empty swine farm after the outbreak of African swine fever in China.

I would like to finish with a hypothesis: Recently, the virus of the African swine fever has caused havoc across Asia. This disease, harmless to people, has destroyed a big portion of the Asian pig population. I think it is likely that the deaths of millions of hogs have pushed some small farmers to find their meat in wild animals, which happen to carry coronavirus.

It is a possibility we cannot discard. In any case, it is clear that controlled, veterinary monitored animal production has virtually no connection to epidemics, quite the opposite, it is a safety net that will help us to avoid new epidemics in the future.

Bibliography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_epidemics

Kilbourne ED. Influenza pandemics of the 20th century. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006 Jan;12(1):9-14. doi: 10.3201/eid1201.051254. PMID: 16494710; PMCID: PMC3291411.

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “2009 swine flu pandemic originated in Mexico, researchers discover.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 June 2016. <https://ift.tt/2WPQzqa>.

Jones, S., Nelson-Sathi, S., Wang, Y. et al.Evolutionary, genetic, structural characterization and its functional implications for the influenza A (H1N1) infection outbreak in India from 2009 to 2017. Sci Rep 9, 14690 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51097-w

Johnson CK, Hitchens PL, Pandit PS, Rushmore J, Evans TS, Young CCW, Doyle MM. 2020 Global shifts in mammalian population trends reveal key predictors of virus spillover risk. Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20192736. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2736

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intensive_animal_farming

Kilbourne ED. Influenza pandemics of the 20th century. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006 Jan;12(1):9-14. doi: 10.3201/eid1201.051254. PMID: 16494710; PMCID: PMC3291411.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_flu

Saunders-Hastings PR, Krewski D. Reviewing the History of Pandemic Influenza: Understanding Patterns of Emergence and Transmission. Pathogens. 2016 Dec 6;5(4):66. doi: 10.3390/pathogens5040066. PMID: 27929449; PMCID: PMC5198166.

Gibbs, A.J., Armstrong, J.S. & Downie, J.C. From where did the 2009 ‘swine-origin’ influenza A virus (H1N1) emerge?. Virol J6, 207 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-422X-6-207

Mena I, Nelson MI, Quezada-Monroy F, Dutta J, Cortes-Fernández R, Lara-Puente JH, Castro-Peralta F, Cunha LF, Trovão NS, Lozano-Dubernard B, Rambaut A, van Bakel H, García-Sastre A. Origins of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic in swine in Mexico. Elife. 2016 Jun 28;5:e16777. doi: 10.7554/eLife.16777. PMID: 27350259; PMCID: PMC4957980.

Sara Jones et al. Evolutionary, genetic, structural characterization and its functional implications for the infuenza A (H1N1) infection outbreak in India from 2009 to 2017. Nature scientific reports. (2019) 9:14690 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51097-w

Karen L.Mansfield et al. Japanese encephalitis virus infection, diagnosis and control in domestic animals. Veterinary Microbiology. Volume 201, March 2017, Pages 85-92

Kayed AS, Kandeil A, Gomaa MR, et al. Surveillance for avian influenza viruses in wild birds at live bird markets, Egypt, 2014‐2016. Influenza Other Respi Viruses. 2019;00:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.12634

Alders, R., Awuni, J.A., Bagnol, B. et al.Impact of Avian Influenza on Village Poultry Production Globally. EcoHealth 11, 63–72 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-013-0867-x

https://www.animalshealth.es/rumiantes/espana-presenta-sus-resultados-de-control-de-tuberculosis-y-brucelosis

Robertson et al. Disease Control, Prevention and On-Farm Biosecurity: The Role of Veterinary Epidemiology. Engineering. Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2020, Pages 20-25

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature06536.pdf

source https://scienceblog.com/516507/pandemics-and-intensive-farming-is-there-a-relationship/

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In a Fearful China, Its Dr. Fauci Wins Hearts With Restraint China has imposed some of the toughest lockdowns in the world to stop Covid-19. One city sealed apartment doors, leaving residents with dwindling food and medicine. One village tied a local to a tree after he left home to buy cigarettes. Beijing forced people to leave their pets behind when they went into quarantine. Few officials spoke up against the excesses, given the central government’s obsession with its anti-coronavirus campaign. That hasn’t stopped Dr. Zhang Wenhong. Dr. Zhang, an infectious-disease specialist and perhaps China’s most trusted voice on Covid-19, has spoken out publicly against excessive lockdowns, though he hasn’t criticized individual cities. Fighting the pandemic, he likes to say, is like “catching mice in a china shop.” “We hope that our pandemic prevention measures won’t affect public life too much,” Dr. Zhang wrote on Jan. 24, after a second wave of infections prompted tough clampdowns. “If we pursue the goal of zero infection,” he said in a video a few days later, “life would be too hard.” Dr. Zhang may be China’s closest analogue to Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the American infectious-disease specialist who became the public face of stopping the coronavirus amid the chaos of the Trump administration. A consummate technocrat, Dr. Zhang comes across as neither political nor ideological. Yet, by offering his expert opinions straight, he pushes back against the authoritarian instinct in a system that often overreacts with draconian measures. A top academic at Fudan University in Shanghai and a member of the Communist Party, Dr. Zhang led Shanghai’s expert panel on Covid-19, giving him considerable authority over the city’s response. Unlike Dr. Fauci, who urged the Trump administration to do more, Dr. Zhang championed a more strategic approach for a country that didn’t take coronavirus half-measures. In doing so, he spoke to the Chinese public with respect, a refreshing change from the way others in authority often carry themselves. Dr. Zhang is especially popular among professionals and technocrats who admire him for his sincerity in a society plagued by propaganda, conspiracy theories and crude nationalism. “At this moment, rumors are more terrifying than the virus,” he said at the beginning of the outbreak. “We need to explain the epidemic to the public with rational data and professional knowledge.” “Zhang Wenhong leads a magical existence in China,” wrote Zhu Xuedong, the former editor in chief of the liberal-leaning magazine Nanfengchuang, on WeChat’s social media timeline. “He uses rational, scientific and civilized words to gently resist all the arrogance, greed and brazenness in this premodern society,” Mr. Zhu wrote. “He gives us warmth, consolation and hope.” Dr. Zhang did not respond to requests for comment. In today’s China, getting ahead often means speaking in the language of the Communist Party. Those who refuse to ride the ideological tide keep their independence by keeping quiet. By contrast, Dr. Zhang has earned an ability to speak freely. Shanghai, a city of 24 million people, has had only 371 local infections and seven deaths. It managed those numbers with fewer restrictions than the city of Beijing, with 21 million residents, 828 local infections and nine deaths. His forecasts — delivered in his characteristic rapid-fire Mandarin, tinged with a soft Shanghai accent — have been on the mark. He predicted early on that the pandemic could last at least one to two years. A year ago this month, when China was still virtually shut down, he said China had left its darkest hours behind. Journalists began to seek him out. Some of his responses became internet memes. A few examples: “Influenza is not a cold, just like a tiger is not a cat.” “You’re bored to death at home, so the virus will be bored to death, too.” Updated March 12, 2021, 5:29 a.m. ET “Stay away from fire, thieves and your colleagues.” His Weibo social media account, which he started in the middle of last year, has 3.6 million followers. Many of his videos have been viewed tens of millions of times. An article he co-wrote on the pandemic’s global prospects last March, when Europe and the United States were exploding with infections, was viewed more than 860 million times on his department’s official WeChat account alone. Maintaining a high profile in China often requires discretion. Late last year, Jack Ma, the technology billionaire, publicly criticized regulators. The authorities quickly swooped down on his business empire. Dr. Zhang doesn’t challenge the government, but neither does he always toe the official line. Late last year, some Chinese officials pointed to findings that the virus had been found on the packaging of imported food, suggesting that the coronavirus may have been brought to China from overseas. Dr. Zhang has told his audience not to worry about it: “The chance of catching the virus from imported goods,” he said, “is lower than dying in a plane crash.” “I’m not going to hide the information because I’m worried that I could say something wrong and cause some controversies,” he said over the summer. “We always share what we know.” Dr. Zhang, 51, was born in Rui’an, a small town by Chinese standards 300 miles south of Shanghai. He attended Shanghai Medical University, now part of Fudan University, and trained at hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Hong Kong University. He heads the infectious disease department at Huashan Hospital of Fudan, sees patients two half-days a week and teaches classes as a professor. His self-deprecating humor stands in contrast to China’s stern, self-important officials. He calls himself a “country bumpkin.” His gym membership often goes unused. When he is tired, he says, he likes to watch stupid television shows. His nicknames bestowed by his online fans include “the most courageous doctor” and “Daddy Zhang.” Roughly translated, some middle-age women call him their “Mr. Perfect.” Dr. Zhang’s comments have sometimes drawn criticism from Chinese nationalists who increasingly drive public opinion in the country. They called him a traitor who worships the Western lifestyle when he told parents to feed their children eggs and milk in the morning instead of congee, the traditional Chinese breakfast. He responded that protein helps build the immune system. Still, he has kept a high profile without drawing major ire from the government or sustained criticism from the nationalists. Some of that stems from China’s pride in quickly containing the coronavirus. Dr. Zhang, who played a role in that, has won a number of awards from official groups. In watching his speeches, I found another key to his sustained appeal. In his impromptu speech at a national teaching award ceremony in September, he said the essence of education is acknowledging human dignity. Mr. Zhang appeals to the humanity of his audience and, by admitting his own foibles, shows the authorities and the public that he is merely human, too. In one speech, he mentioned that some victims of avian flu had caught it from taking care of their infected loved ones, and that female patients were more likely to infect their doting mothers than their absent husbands. “At that moment,” he told the audience, “I lost faith in romantic love.” When he rolled up his sleeve to get a second vaccine injection, he told journalists that he hadn’t expected cameras to be there. “Otherwise,” he said, “I would have worked on my deltoid.” In an interview last June, a reporter asked him whether anybody had reminded him to be mindful of his status as an expert and the head of an expert government panel. “People are smart,” he responded. “They know whether you’re telling them truth or lies.” When he gets public accolades, he often uses the occasion to highlight his causes, like more funding for infectious-disease research and for increasing the public awareness of tuberculosis and hepatitis B, two of the most common infectious diseases in China. He also talks about people who deserved more attention, like the women among the pandemic responders whose role has often taken a back seat to the men’s in the media. “Men are on camera more,” he said at a forum on the subject, “but women did more work.” Then he turned to the female medical workers, and bowed. Source link Orbem News #China #Fauci #Fearful #hearts #Restraint #wins

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