#outbreak of diarrhea

[ricisidro]

Rwanda reports 8 deaths linked to Ebola-like highly contagious Marburg virus.

Symptoms include fever, muscle pains, diarrhea and vomiting. Fatality rate is 88%. No authorized vaccine yet.

Separately, Rwanda has so far reported 6 cases of mpox.

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3280604/rwanda-reports-8-deaths-linked-ebola-marburg-virus-days-after-declaring-outbreak

[kick-a-long]

Stuff like this is why I get so pissed off at accusations of genocide and apartheid.

Why would a genocidal country pause a war to vaccinate at least 90% of Gaza kids against polio as soon as the first case of a two year old paralyzed by type 2 poliovirus is confirmed? If they wanted gazans wiped off the earth they would keep the war going and vaccinate Israeli kids and citizens. If they wanted them dead they would never vaccinate “the enemy.” Russia wouldn’t do that.

I see you dickheads in the comments, “it’s for optics! Plus they must be worried about Jews getting it from them! That’s the only reason they want to vaccinate anyone. Plus vaccines are poison even checked by the WHO! They probably have autism in them!”

If it’s an apartheid why would Palestinians have access to the same places and bodies of water as Israelis? And if they don’t why would Israel vaccinate. The Regan administration didn’t respond to the HIV outbreak in the 80s because they hated gays and drug users and wanted them sick, spreading it, and most importantly dead. During peace time to their own citizens.

All Israel would have to do is ignore the outbreak.

Vaccines work. Polio is one of the most devastating diseases a kid can get. There’s no medication that can stop the damage once you get the virus. Lil kids die from diarrhea, are paralyzed for life and if they’re immune system doesn’t stop the paralysis at their legs it climbs up their bodies and once it hits their diaphragm (the muscle that lets you breath right under your rip cage) kids as young as a few months old to their teens will die from lack of air. Both are the absolute worst and most painful ways a person can die. Waking nightmare delusions from dehydration and low oxygen on top of the physical pain.

Nazis infected Jews with this shit intentionally to study how polio affects children. Israel is stopping in the middle of a war to end the polio outbreak when they are still trying to rescue kids so young they have spent the majority of their lives on earth in Hamas captivity. And after only one kid was confirmed with polio type 2, the one that causes paralysis.

How can it be a genocide or an apartheid when they are literally helping safeguard Palestines next generation of kids?

[agoodflyting]

Good Omens Historical Trivia That's Haunting Me Today...

So we all know A.Z. Fell & Co is located on the fictitious Whickber Street in Soho and was established in 1800.

Aziraphale has run the shop ever since then and was in contact with Crowley at least until the 1820's when they took their little jaunt to Edinburgh and Crowley got sucked down the tube slide to Hell. They meet up again no later than the 1860's, when Crowley asks for Holy Water.

Stands to reason that between the 1820's and 1860's Aziraphale was in Soho doing Aziraphale things. Running his bookshop. Eating tiny cakes

Yeah... you know what else was going on in Soho during that time?

The worst cholera epidemic in London history.

If you don't know, cholera is a deadly bacterial infection caused by drinking contaminated water. Prior to the 1850's humans weren't really sure what caused cholera, but they knew it was terrifying and also that it was absolutely epidemic in big cities.

TW: this is gross - The main symptoms of cholera are agonizing stomach pain and non-stop watery diarrhea, eventually leading to the skin turning blue due to the thickening of blood from severe dehydration. Patients can lose more than 20% of their body weight in hours as they quite literally evacuate every drop of water in their bodies until they die of heart failure. - OK gross part over

Cholera symptoms show up as short as 5 hours after infection and could kill within as little as 12 hours. Cholera was especially terrifying because of how quickly and painfully it killed you, and because the patient maintained mental clarity up until the point of death. More than half of the people who contracted cholera died within a few days after consuming the bacteria-contaminated water.

And guess what water had cholera bacteria in it?

The public water pump on Broad Street in Soho in August of 1854

And this wasn't one of those epidemics that starts slowly and drags on. It hit like a bomb. It killed 600 Soho residents in ten days.

That's roughly 60 people a day in a 3-4 block area. Most of them died at home because the disease struck too quickly for them to to make it to a hospital. Survivors described hearses stacked with coffins 4-5 high going down the street nonstop all day long during the outbreak. Entire families were wiped out overnight.

What does that have to do with Good Omens?

Aziraphale's book shop was right in the epicenter of this outbreak.

Neil Gaiman has been pretty free about the fact that Whickber Street is a thinly veiled expy of the real Berwick Street in Soho.

This is a famous map showing the 1854 Soho Cholera epidemic. I highlighted Berwick Street and the public water pump that was the center of the contagion. The black bars (I circled a few in blue) on the map designate deaths. The thicker the black bar, the more people died in that particular house.

51 people died the week of the cholera outbreak on Aziraphale's Street alone.

Cholera was one of those diseases that provoked a lot of panic, not just because of how fast and painful it was, but because of the way it didn't follow common conventions about class or age. Children died while the elderly survived (often because the elderly had no one to gather water for them). Lower class houses were spared while their middle class landlords died. Churches were packed that week, because people in Soho had no idea who would get sick next. The epidemic pretty much burned itself out in a week and a half, since by that point everyone who drank the water had already died. I have to wonder what our resident Angel was up to during that time. Obviously cholera can't hurt him, but that's his neighborhood. There's no way hundreds of people, including entire families with children, are dying painfully in his neighborhood and Aziraphale doesn't notice. That means that in between this scene:

And this one:

Aziraphale would have watched one of the worst disease outbreaks in London history play out right outside his front door. I feel like there's great potential for a good story there if anyone better than me wants to write it.

[bugs-are-buddies]

McDonald's Quarter Pounders Linked to Multistate E.coli outbreak

October 22, 2024

49 Sick, 1 dead

E.coli symptoms: Severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting.

The preliminary traceback indicates that the source of contamination was likely from the slivered onions.

[mariacallous]

Yesterday, health officials in Louisiana announced that a patient who was hospitalized with severe bird flu in December has died. The individual contracted bird flu after exposure to a backyard flock and wild birds. It is the first death recorded in the United States attributed to H5N1, or avian influenza.

The person was over the age of 65 and reportedly had underlying medical conditions. The Louisiana Health Department has not released any more details about the patient.

A total of 66 people in the US tested positive for bird flu in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In all of the other cases, people developed mild symptoms and made a full recovery. But the Louisiana case is a stark reminder that avian flu can be dangerous. And as the number of human infections rises, health experts worry about more cases of severe illness—and potentially more deaths.

“This is an ongoing game of Russian roulette,” says physician Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of the Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases at Boston University. “The more virus there is in our environment, the more chances there are for it to come into contact with humans.” It was only a matter of time before bird flu turned deadly, she says.

The US is in the middle of an H5N1 outbreak that shows no signs of stopping. The virus has infected more than 130 million birds, including commercial poultry, since January 2022. In April 2024 it spilled into dairy cows for the first time. Though not fatal for cows, the virus has sickened more than 900 dairy herds in 16 states.

Most people who come down with bird flu are farm workers or others who have direct contact with sick animals. Of the 66 confirmed infections in the US last year, 40 had exposure to dairy cows, while 23 had exposure to poultry and culling operations. In the three other cases, the exact source of exposure is unknown.

Since 2003, more than 850 human cases of H5N1 bird flu have been reported outside the United States, and about half of those have resulted in death. In a statement released Monday, the CDC said a death from H5N1 bird flu “is not unexpected because of the known potential for infection with these viruses to cause severe illness and death.” Federal health officials say the risk of getting bird flu remains low for the general public, and there is no evidence that the virus is spreading from person to person anywhere in the country.

One of the puzzling aspects of the current US outbreak is why all the human infections until now have resulted in mild illness. “It could be that they're young, healthy people,” says Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center and a professor of epidemiology at Brown University. “It could be that the way they're being exposed is different from how we've historically seen people get infected. There are a number of hypotheses, but at this point they're all just guesses.”

Nuzzo says it’s very possible that the Louisiana patient’s preexisting health conditions contributed to the severity of their illness, but also points to the case of a teenager in Canada who was hospitalized with bird flu in November.

The 13-year-old girl was initially seen at an emergency department in British Columbia for a fever and conjunctivitis in both eyes. She was discharged home without treatment and later developed a cough, vomiting, and diarrhea. She wound up back in the emergency department in respiratory distress a few days later. She was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit and went into respiratory failure but eventually recovered after treatment. According to a case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the girl had a history of mild asthma and an elevated body-mass index. It’s unknown how she caught the virus.

“What that tells us is that we have no idea who is going to develop mild illness and who is going to develop severe illness, and because of that we have to take these infections very seriously,” Nuzzo says. “We should not assume that all future infections will be mild.”

There’s another clue that could explain the severity of the Louisiana and British Columbia cases. Virus samples from both patients showed some similarities. For one, both were infected with the same subtype of H5N1 called D1.1, which is the same kind of virus found in wild birds and poultry. It’s different from the B3.13 subtype, which is dominant in dairy cows.

“Right now, the question is, is this a more severe strain than the dairy cattle strain?” says Benjamin Anderson, assistant professor of environmental and global health at the University of Florida. So far, scientists don’t have enough data to know for sure. A handful of poultry farm workers in Washington have tested positive for the D1.1 subtype, but those individuals had mild symptoms and did not require hospitalization.

“In the case of the Louisiana infection, we know that person had comorbidities. We know that person was an older individual. These are factors that contribute to more severe outcomes already when it comes to respiratory infections,” Anderson says.

In the Louisiana and British Columbia cases, there’s evidence that the virus may have evolved in both patients to produce more severe illness.

A CDC report from late December found genetic mutations in the virus taken from the Louisiana patient that may have allowed it to enhance its ability to infect the upper airways of humans. The report says the changes observed were likely generated by replication of the virus throughout the patient’s illness rather than transmitted at the time of infection, meaning that the mutations weren’t present in the birds the person was exposed to.

Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, the team that cared for the Canadian teen also described “worrisome” mutations found in her viral samples. These changes could have allowed the virus to more easily bind to and enter cells in the human respiratory tract.

In the past, bird flu has rarely been transmitted from person to person, but scientists worry about a scenario where the virus would acquire mutations that would make human transmission more likely.

For now, people who work with birds, poultry, or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk of getting bird flu. To prevent illness, health officials recommend avoiding direct contact with wild birds and other animals infected with or suspected to be infected with bird flu viruses.

[paigegonerogue]

I love all of the small but important bonding moments we get in the show. We get multiple significant bonding moments every episode—I got you baby girl, it wasn’t time that did it, you deserve a choice, diarrhea is hereditary, etc.—but also so many tiny little things that make me so 😭❤️

Ellie asking Joel if they’re gonna be okay. Joel answering her questions about the outbreak. Joking together about music. Helping Ellie up when she falls. Ellie laying on him on the horse and in the basement. Joel asking for puns because he knows it makes Ellie happy. Letting her get some rest in the car. Telling her he knows it’s scary on the wooden plank. Chef Boyardee. So, so many more.

It’s one of those things that makes TLOU so good, and something that is missing in so many other shows. The fact that we have multiple times an episode where we slow down and get to see our characters talk and bond and grow just a bit closer. The show would work without it, but it adds so much to their relationship and makes us fall in love with the characters in a really rare and special way.

[northgazaupdates]

18 April 2024

Environmental engineer Dr. Tamer Al-Najjar describes the Hepatitis C outbreak in north Gaza, with which he himself and his family are afflicted. The following was entered into a machine translation software and as such is bound to have some flaws, but the main ideas are still clear. Dr. Al-Najjar’s condition continues to worsen, and he has asked for prayers for his recovery.

He writes,

Since it has become a personal and family guest, I would like to update the official description of hepatitis C, so that the world knows it in its realistic form!

Regardless of its symptoms that I will mention, its basic definition begins with its causes. It spread among us after six months of total war and complete annihilation against us, after the complete destruction of the infrastructure, including sewage and water, and after the spread of thousands of tons of solid waste and rubbish. sanitation in the streets, roads and holes resulting from the bombing that did not stop, and after the spread of sewage among people and under their feet everywhere, and preventing any civil effort from exercising its work in reducing these massive disasters and targeting crews, devices and equipment, and killing all ideas of progress regarding this matter. After the inhuman conditions we have been living through for months...

From here, we were all infected. From here, and because of the previous set of reasons, as a result of the continuous aggression, the barbaric war, and the prevention of the entry of the necessary capabilities and tools...we were infected with hepatitis and it spread among us. And it spread everywhere!

As for its symptoms, it is a very harsh condition that we go through, old and young, in which we experience all the symptoms of the terrifying world, high temperature, severe diarrhea, severe colic, nausea and profound fatigue, fatal vomiting, blocked appetite, a feeling of suffocation to a large extent, with complete isolation from the surroundings for fear of infection.. .

[millerflintstone]

Symptoms of Listeriosis (Listeria Infection)

Symptoms usually start within two weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after. Mild symptoms may include a fever, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, vomiting, and diarrhea. If the more severe form of listeriosis develops, symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.

[follow-up-news]

Sudan has been stricken by a cholera outbreak that has killed nearly two dozen people and sickened hundreds more in recent weeks, health authorities said Sunday. The African nation has been roiled by a 16-month conflict and devastating floods. Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement that at least 22 people have died from the disease, and that at least 354 confirmed cases of cholera have been detected across the county. Ibrahim didn’t give a time frame for the deaths or the tally since the start of the year. The World Health Organization, however, said that 78 deaths were recorded from cholera this year in Sudan as of July 28. The disease also sickened more than 2,400 others between Jan. 1 and July 28, it said. Cholera is a fast-developing, highly contagious infection that causes diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration and possible death within hours when not treated, according to WHO. It is transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water. The cholera outbreak is the latest calamity for Sudan, which was plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and a powerful paramilitary group exploded into open warfare across the country.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A ballooning E.coli outbreak connected to Calgary-area daycares is sending dozens of children to hospital, some with serious complications, and sparking concern among parents and doctors alike.

According to Alberta Health Services (AHS), 128 cases of an E. coli strain that can be particularly dangerous for young kids have been identified so far and 25 children are in hospital.

In addition, three patients have already been released and three more are being treated in other provinces.

What is most worrisome, doctors say, is that nine children have been diagnosed with a severe complication that can force kids into dialysis treatment.

"This is not the typical type of E. coli that causes maybe a day or two of watery diarrhea, or 'traveller's diarrhea,' that some people talk about," said Dr. Stephen Freedman, an ER physician at Alberta Children's Hospital and professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.

This particular strain is a type of E. coli 0157. It is known as shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) because it secretes a toxin that can lead to serious organ damage, often targeting the kidneys. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada, @abpoli

[doberbutts]

Sorry you've apparently become The Rabies Guy overnight lol. But since you have, and it was absolutely a childhood special interest/fear of mine that's 👉👉 laid dormant 👉👉 for quite some time, would you happen to know (if you're not sick of rabies asks by now)-

1) why is the rabies vaccine itself so much cheaper and easier to make and administer in dogs and cats than for humans? Obviously part of the cost equation is just that demand dictates production scale and its easier to educate and avoid in the human relationship to rabies, but it's interesting to me that we don't treat it like tetanus or other relatively-rarer and somewhat avoidable/environmental risks we do still vax for, and that are produced at scale accordingly and so are cheaper. I've heard the other factor of low demand is that it's also a pretty rough vaccine for people that work in relevant professions that *do* have to get it to receive (and is even worse if you have to get it after being potentially exposed). It doesn't seem that way for pets though? I'd be interested to hear if you have any insights into all that from the vetmed side.

2) are you aware of any changes that the recent mRNA vax advancements of recent years may be bringing to the way we approach the rabies vaccine in pets or people? That'd be cool and interesting!

Thanks! Hope people aren't being too rabidly annoying in your notifs lol

1: There's a couple different factors here:

To my knowledge the human rabies vaccination and the dog rabies vaccination and the cat rabies vaccination and the hoofstock rabies vaccination are all slightly different from each other with different methods of creation and ingredients and dosing. This will contribute to the difference in cost.

Simply put, animal medicine is often cheaper than human medicine because human medicine has inflated prices due to hospital and insurance markups. In other words, if your human hospital scaled the cost of services the way your dog's hospital does, and health insurance wasn't a thing that exists, the price would be astronomical. If you ever go to an ER and get fluids, compare the "before insurance" price of just your room and bag of saline and catheter to what your vet charges for the same thing.

The animals we vaccinate for rabies do experience a lot of the same side effects, but animals are stoic and do not often complain about the side effects. Lethargy, muscle aches, low grade fever, vaccine-site soreness and localized reaction (swelling, redness), depression, and irritability are all common side effects of the rabies vaccination in our domesticated animals. Usually these side effects resolve within 24 hours but can last in rare cases up to a week. Less commonly, vomiting, diarrhea, facial swelling, and trouble breathing, but those are more allergic reactions than side effects. This is why a lot of anti-vaxxers don't want to vaccinate their pets for rabies, it does put a lot of stress on the immune system and thus can result in some pretty dramatic symptoms. It's just that "1 to 7 days of feeling shitty every couple years" is a significantly preferable outcome to "rabies outbreak".

Post-exposure prophylaxes is something else entirely- immunoglobulin is administered in addition to the vaccination to give your body a running start on the whole "don't let rabies get to my brain" thing. This is not an option for exposed domesticated animals, so not only is this very expensive but it is also human-exclusive because immunoglobulin is not cheap or easy to get ahold of and thus all of it that we have is dedicated to human cases.

Remember, in countries with robust vaccination protocols for domesticated pets and a culture of keeping their domesticated animals contained and away from wildlife, human deaths are fairly rare and are caused by rabies virus are almost exclusively caused by encounters with wildlife, which is why in those countries the chosen path is "tell people to stop touching animals they can't verify vaccine status of" and not "vaccinate everyone". The US has maximum like 5 human deaths due to rabies per year. Compare that to India, where vaccine availability is not as good and there is a very serious loose, wandering dog problem, and that number soars to 21,000 human deaths due to rabies per year. If 21,000 humans in India are dying from rabies, what percentage of them are receiving an incomplete post-exposure prophylaxes (usually incomplete due to expense) and what are the numbers for people who were able to complete the series (largely those who either can afford it or who chose serious debt over a grisly death)? We need that immunoglobulin to help the people we can still save from rabies exposure, so it's not really available in large amounts to be experimenting with pets every time a dog picks a fight with a fox or raccoon.

(Also the problem is that rabies bites tend to cause severe trauma, which you can't really deliberately cause severe trauma to an animal in a laboratory ethically, and even if you could you can't do it to easily handled animals like mice because as said before most rodents can't survive that level of trauma for very long before they just die, and researchers very do not want to deal with the potential of handling known rabid dogs, so that's sort of at a standstill as far as studies go)

(Also also, the Milwaukee Protocol costs $800,000 to attempt to save a single person and as discussed has a significant failure rate, so if people aren't getting PEP due to expense, they very can't afford the incredibly expensive experimental treatment that's more likely to kill them than save them either, so it's not like with that amount of deaths we've gotten a lot of people trying anything more than strapping that person down and waiting for them to die)

In addition, of those 21,000 deaths, over 96% of them are caused by bites from dogs. This means that if we fix the loose, wandering dog problem, rabies cases should plummet very similarly to the way they did in the US when we started enforcing our own rabies protocols. There are programs in place to fix this problem but it is multifaceted in origin and not as simple as one might think. As said before, dogs are the #1 rabies vector in the world, even if rabies is technically a "bat virus". The only reason we blame bats here in the US is because we fixed the dog problem. Not every country has been able to do that.

So... very much a complex problem with not a very easy solution. This costs a lot of money and countries just do not have the funds to pour into experiments solving a disease that's more or less 100% fatal when they could just as easily tell people to stop touching animals that aren't vaccinated.

2: The only change I'm aware of is that there's an ongoing attempt to create a single-dose rabies and chemical castration vaccine as a one-and-done to help countries like India and others with loose wandering dogs, which will both cut down on the dog population because they won't be able to breed, and also will cut down on rabies infections within the dog population that currently exists. They have not yet been successful. Again, resolving the problem of the packs of unvaccinated dogs living in close proximity to humans will significantly reduce the instance of rabies deaths in humans as well, since that is the leading cause of rabies spread to humans at time of writing worldwide.

[feminist-space]

Aug. 2, 2024 / Source: The Associated Press

By The Associated Press

"A deadly food poisoning outbreak has led to the recall of more than 7 million pounds of popular Boar’s Head deli meats made at a plant in Virginia.

U.S. health officials are investigating the outbreak of the bacteria listeria that began in May. Two people have died and nearly three dozen were hospitalized in 13 states.

Listeria poisoning is caused by a particularly resilient type of bacteria that can survive and grow even during refrigeration, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s what you need to know:

How can listeria get into deli meat?

Listeria bacteria thrive in moist environments, including soil and water and decaying vegetation and are carried by some animals. The hardy germs are typically spread when food is harvested, processed, transported or stored in places that are contaminated with the bacteria. When the bacteria get into a food processing plant, they can be tough to eradicate.

Many of the people in the outbreak reported eating meats sliced at grocery store deli counters. During the investigation, listeria was detected in an unopened loaf of Boar’s Head liverwurst at a Maryland store; the Agriculture Department said further testing showed the same strain was causing illnesses in people.

Popular Deli Meat Maker Boar Head's Recalls 7 Million Pounds Of Meat After Listeria Outbreak

Boar's Head meats are displayed at a Safeway store on July 31, 2024 in San Rafael, California. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

How does listeria make people sick?

People are sickened with listeria poisoning when they eat foods contaminated with the bacteria. Symptoms can be mild and include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. More serious illness can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.

Listeria poisoning is tricky, because symptoms can start quickly, within a few hours or days after eating contaminated food. But they also can take weeks or up to three months to show up.

Those most vulnerable to getting sick include the very young, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.

Does cooking kill listeria?

Listeria can survive and grow in food even when it’s refrigerated, but the bacteria can be killed by heating foods to “steaming hot,” or 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius), the CDC says. People who are most at risk for illness should avoid the products or heat them before eating.

Most deli meats, however, are eaten cold. Because listeria can survive under refrigeration, it’s important to clean and sanitize any surfaces, including refrigerator drawers and shelves, that may have come in contact with the products, the CDC says.

What should I do if I have the recalled deli meats?

Many of the products recalled by Boar’s Head are meats meant to be sliced at grocery store deli counters, though some prepackaged meats are included in the recall."

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil: Illegal Mining Regains Strength, and Malnutrition Becomes Part of the Routine for Yanomamis

Folha was in the Auaris region, which is near Venezuela and is one of the main focuses of the current stage of the humanitarian crisis

The reactivation of illegal mining fuels the humanitarian crisis among the Yanomamis, impacting access to food and leading to successive malaria outbreaks in the territory. The malnutrition of Yanomami children is as visible as the exploitation of gold, and they are directly proportional.

Auaris is currently one of the main health crisis hotspots. Access to communities is through two-hour flights, making it difficult for assistance and evacuations; mining is spreading in the region without repression by regulatory agencies, security forces, and the military; there is cooptation of adult indigenous people, impacting crop production. It is common for children to be malnourished and with malaria at the same time, in addition to a high incidence of opportunistic hunger-related diseases: pneumonia, diarrhea, anemia, and parasitic infections.

Continue reading.

[zhi-bde]

Cases of norovirus, which is also colourfully referred to as the 'winter vomiting bug'

'Winter vomiting bug' cases at five-year-high, experts say

Cheryl Santa Maria

Thu, January 2, 2025 at 1:56 p.m. CST·2 min read

Cases of norovirus, which is also colourfully referred to as the 'winter vomiting bug' appears to be at a five-year-high according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

“This has been noted for multiple provinces, including Alberta, Ontario, and British Columbia,” a PHAC representative told Global News.

It should be noted, however, that COVID-19 lockdowns significantly reduced the spread and reporting of norovirus incidents, bringing cases down over the past five years, and making 2024's numbers look significantly higher in comparison.

The trend isn't isolated to Canada.

By December 5, which is about a month into the normal outbreak season, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saw 91 cases of norovirus in seven days. By comparison, in 2020, the CDC reported 2 cases of norovirus during the same period.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It is sometimes referred to as the "stomach flu," although it is unrelated to influenza. Norovirus is a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide, affecting millions of people each year. Norovirus infection typically causes sudden onset of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and sometimes fever, headache, and muscle aches. It's fast-moving, with symptoms usually lasting 1-3 days, but a person can continue to infect others for two weeks after feeling better, sometimes longer.

Why is it called the winter vomiting bug?

Norovirus earned its nickname because it tends to spread more easily during the colder months.

It is highly contagious and transmits easily in places where people are in close contact, which is more common in winter because people spend more time inside. Schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and other public places tend to be hotspots.

It can circulate year-round, but usually spikes in winter months.

The virus can live on surfaces for up to two weeks and infect others. Norovirus is cold-tolerant, and hand sanitizers don't seem to offer much protection.

How norovirus spreads

Norovirus mainly spreads through direct contact with someone who is ill, by consuming food or drinks contaminated with the virus, or by touching contaminated objects and then putting unwashed fingers in your mouth.

Norovirus prevention tips

To prevent catching or spreading norovirus, the CDC recommends:

Frequent hand washing.

Staying home if you are sick.

Handling food safely. Make sure shellfish is thoroughly cooked and fruits and vegetables, and thoroughly washed.

Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces with a bleach solution that is effective against norovirus. Standard cleaners and disinfectants may not work.

Immediately laundering linens and clothes that may be contaminated. Dry laundry in a high-heat setting.

If you catch norovirus, experts say you can manage symptoms by staying hydrated, resting, avoiding others, and, when ready, eating bland foods as your stomach heals.

[mariluphoto]

BREAKING:

There is a dangerous and unusual outbreak of the "Shigella" bacteria among IDF soldiers in Gaza. Massive cases of diarrhea and intestinal disease have been recorded. They are literally shitting in their pants. I'm officially calling them the Israel Diarrhea Forces.

(via. rosypirani)

[melhindips]

Day 368

‼️🏥 Israel orders full evacuation in 24 hours of 3 north Gaza hospitals: Kamal Adwan, Indonesian & Al-Awda. IOF troops opened fire on Kamal Adwan administration office, abducted a paramedic, blocked exit of premature infants, & bombed nearby. These hospitals received influx of displaced & injured from renewed ground invasion + a full ICU & many vulnerable patients can’t evacuate (👆🎥)

‼️ 4-day ongoing IOF ground invasion of north Gaza: siege on Beit Hanoon, Beit Lahiya & Jabalia blocks water, food & medical supplies. Constant evacuation orders with no safe place, dozens of bodies lay on the streets as medical teams can’t reach, displaced Palestinians in Jabalia faced heavy IOF gunfire while fleeing

🇵🇸 43+ Palestinians killed in Gaza today

🇱🇧 36 people killed, 150 injured in Lebanon yesterday

🦠 WHO: high risk of disease outbreak in Lebanon incl. diarrhea, hepatitis A & several vaccine-preventable diseases

🇱🇧 Beirut residents shelter in tents on beaches while IOF airstrikes continue today on Beirut, Baalbek, Tyre, & Bekaa

🇸🇾 IOF bomb residence in Syria, killing 7 people

🇵🇸 West Bank: IOF tighten siege on Hebron neighborhood, blocking entry + settlers rallied shouting anti-Palestinian chants

🟡 Hezbollah fired 80+ rockets at Haifa

🚩 North Gaza: Hamas claim 1 IOF soldier killed in close combat. Israel report IOF sergeant killed yesterday