The post All you need to know about West Nile Virus appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>In light of favourable climatic conditions this year – an abundance of precipitation… a warm and long autumn, a high number of (virus) carriers could be observed in the autumn,” Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer health watchdog, said.
More than 80% of Russia’s West Nile fever cases are recorded in its southwest region.
What is West Nile Virus?
WNV is an infectious disease spread by infected mosquitoes. It spreads from birds to humans with the bite of an infected Culex mosquito. It can lead to a fatal neurological disease in humans.
The virus causes West Nile fever in around 20 per cent of cases, according to World Health Organization (WHO). It is related to the Zika, dengue and yellow fever viruses.
Symptoms :
People who get WNV usually have no symptoms or mild symptoms. The symptoms include a fever, headache, body aches, skin rash, and swollen lymph glands. They can last a few days to several weeks, and usually go away on their own.
Where did the WNV originate?
According to WHO, WNV was first isolated in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937. It was identified in birds (crows and columbiformes) in Nile delta region in 1953.
Before 1997, WNV was not considered pathogenic for birds, but at that time in Israel a more virulent strain caused the death of different bird species presenting signs of encephalitis and paralysis. Human infections attributable to WNV have been reported in many countries for over 50 years, the WHO said.
When is it dangerous?
If West Nile virus enters the brain, it can be life-threatening. It may cause inflammation of the brain, called encephalitis, or inflammation of the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called meningitis.
How is WNV diagnosed?
A physical exam, medical history, and laboratory tests can diagnose it.
Who are at risk?
Older people, children and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk.
What is the cure?
There are no specific vaccines or treatments for human WNV disease. The best way to avoid WNV is to prevent mosquito bites. Treatment is supportive for patients with neuro-invasive West Nile virus, often involving hospitalization, intravenous fluids, respiratory support, and prevention of secondary infections.
Scientists have said that milder temperatures attributed to climate change could cause diseases such as the WNV to become more widespread.
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]]>The post Here’s a brief run-down of the entire situation surrounding the Havana Syndrome appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Here’s a brief run-down of the entire situation surrounding the Havana Syndrome:
Cases
On Tuesday, US vice-president Kamala Harris delayed for several hours a trip to Vietnam after the US embassy in Hanoi reported a possible case involving “acoustic incidents” there, raising concerns she could be a target. Ultimately Harris did go to Hanoi, but the US state department said it was investigating a case of what the federal government officially dubbed an “anomalous health incident” or AHI. It was later unofficially called the ‘Havana Syndrome’ by the media.
However, it is important to understand that the ‘Havana Syndrome’ is not new. Dozens of such cases were reported by US diplomats and intelligence officers since 2016, first in Cuba, then in China, Germany, Australia, Taiwan, and in Washington, DC itself.
In July, the New Yorker magazine reported there have been dozens of cases among the US officials in Vienna, Austria since the beginning of 2021. However, the actual number of incidents reported among American officials has been kept under the wraps for security reasons.
Why is it called the ‘Havana Syndrome’?
The syndrome was first named after Havana after the administration of former US President Donald Trump pulled the country’s officials out of the Cuban capital and expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington, hinting that either its government or Russia was behind the attacks.
After Trump accused Cuba of perpetrating the attacks, the US government reduced staff to the embassy in the country to a minimum. The Cuban foreign minister, in turn, accused the US of lying about the incident and denied any involvement.
Concerns
There are concerns among officials of the US state department that a powerful rival, possibly Russia, is mounting the attacks, reported the AFP news agency.
Following Kamala Harris’ delayed trip to Vietnam, former CIA operative Marc Polymeropoulos, himself a victim of the same syndrome in Moscow in 2017, said the volume of attacks appeared to be mounting.
“This is a message that they can get at our senior VIPs,” he said, adding that the volume of attacks now includes intelligence officers, diplomats, and US military officers.
Symptoms
People who have been reported to be down with the Havana Syndrome have often mentioned hearing a “focused, high-pitched and sharp sound” that left them nauseated. In some cases, the afflicted had bloody noses, headaches, and other symptoms that resembled concussions.
Cause
At the end of 2020, the National Academy of Sciences studied the available cases and concluded they appeared to represent a distinctive set of symptoms, unlike any other known disorder. Their report noted that the symptoms vary among those affected, and not all of them were tied to a perceived sharp, directed sound.
However, the academy noted in its report that the best explanation for the syndrome would be “pulsed, directed microwaves”. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has also created a task force to study the issue in detail.
(With inputs from agencies)
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]]>The post All you need to know about World Photography Day appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is,” said another photophile.
It all makes sense because photography is something you learn to love very quickly, even if you pick up the camera only now and then. There is also a day that celebrates and recognizes the art.
World Photography Day is observed annually to celebrate the craft, art, science, and history of photography.
The objective of the day is to inspire more and more photographers, both experts and amateurs, to talk about a profession that is a fine blend of art and technology.
The camera is celebrated in all of its many forms. After all, the device has become a major part of our lives. Of course, it’s of greater significance and importance to professionals. But the influence of the camera has transcended colour, caste, religion, and region for many years now.
That’s the reason why photography became an art form that needed to be celebrated.
History :
If one looks back at the history of World Photography Day, its origins can be traced to 1837, when the Daguerreotype, a photographic process, was developed by Frenchmen Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore Niepce.
Just two years later, the French Academy of Sciences announced the Daguerreotype process. However, it wasn’t the first permanent photographic image.
Then on August 19, the French government announced the invention as a gift free to the world. And that’s how it all started.
A few years before the development of the process, Niepce captured the earliest known permanent photograph, which came to be called ‘View From The Window at Le Grass’.
Many years since then, the first-ever durable colour photograph was taken in the year 1861 by Thomas Sutton. More than 100 years later, the world got its first digital camera.
Significance :
World Photography Day celebrates the rich history of the art of photography. It brings together people who share a passion for art.
Besides a recall of history, the day raises awareness and shares ideas and nuances about the field of photography. It also shows photography aficionados some historic shots of the present and past.
From taking selfies to posting pictures of life’s events, casual photography has become a major part of our lives. Cameras are now as small as a pen that can fit into your pocket. There are also special ones that are impossible to detect.
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]]>The post All you need to know about World Elephant Day appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Over the years, the initiative gained extensive support from celebrities, politicians and others.
World Elephant Day 2021: History
On August 12, 2012, the first World Elephant Day was observed, highlighting the plight of Asian and African elephants. The Thai-based Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, in collaboration with Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims, organized the event for the day. And since 2012, The Sims has been a leader in World Elephant Day.
The day also focuses on spreading awareness about their preservation and protection. Notably, various threats including, poaching, habitat loss, mistreatment in captivity hover over elephants, especially Asian and African.
Over the years, Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims’s charitable organisation World Elephant Society has educated many and has also created awareness on an international level for elephant protection.
The Society works in partnership with 100 elephant conservation organisations. Several organisations and individuals are urged to come together to raise awareness about the challenges that elephants face.
The organization’s “unbiased” approach allows and encourages campaigns by all groups and citizens under the common umbrella of “World Elephant Day”.
World Elephant Day 2021: Significance
According to recent data of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), there are roughly 440,000 elephants left on the planet. The WWF also revealed that every year around 15,000 elephants are hunted by poachers. It is not only our responsibility to take measures for their conservation but also create awareness about the possible ‘Elephant Extinction.’
Meanwhile, despite being cultural and religious icons in India, elephants are badly treated by unschooled mahouts. Many elephants fell prey to electrocution, train accidents, poaching and poisoning.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the number of wild Asiatic elephants has dipped below 50,000, which is just 15% of its historic average. Wild Asiatic elephants are primarily found in India and in some parts of Southeast Asia.
World Elephant Day 2021: Support the cause
To observe World Elephant Day, Blue Dart will plant 1,031,170 trees for elephants on the outskirts of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in East Singhbum, Jharkhand. While Grow-Trees.com is planting millions of trees in Singhbhum Elephant Reserve, Jharkhand to repair fragmented migration routes, create sheltered and screened areas for elephants and expand habitats.
World Elephant Day 2021: Theme
This theme for this year’s World Elephant Day has not been announced, however, last year it was ‘Haathi Hamara Saathi.’
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]]>The post All you need to know about Zika outbreak appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Here’s all you need to know about the outbreak …
Kerala detected its first case of zika virus on Thursday after a 24-year-old pregnant woman near Thiruvananthapuram tested positive for the disease.
By Saturday, the cases rose to 14, with 13 more samples sent to National Institute of Virology coming out positive.
“Our department is on high alert and monitoring the situation closely. For Covid, we have always tried to keep number of cases below medical capacity. No one died in Kerala due to lack of oxygen supply,” state health minister Veena George told ANI.
George had earlier said that an action plan has been drawn up to control the spread of zika.
On Friday, the Centre rushed a team of experts to monitor the situation and aid the state government in management of the cases.
Joint secretary in the Union health ministry, Lav Agarwal, told reporters in New Delhi that “there are some zika cases which have been reported from Kerala.”
“To monitor the situation and to support the state government, a six-member team, comprising public health experts, vector-borne disease experts and clinicians from AIIMS has already been issued instructions to reach there and support the state government in terms of management of zika there,” he said.
Symptoms :
Like dengue and malaria, zZika is a kind of virus that spreads from the bite of a mosquito.
It is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day. The same mosquito is responsible for spreading dengue, chikungunya as well.
The first visible sign of zika is fever, much like dengue. However, it is very hard to diagnose at first. Many patients confuse the symptoms of the flu and hence, they do not know if they have contracted zika.
The common symptoms include fever, rashes and joint pain. The incubation period is three to 14 days.
Zika Virus in India :
The virus is not new to India. The first known case in India was confirmed by the World Health Organization back in 2017.
In February 2016, WHO had declared zika as a global health emergency.
Gujarat was the first state to report a zika virus case in India, followed by Tamil Nadu.
Can you die of zika?
Not necessarily. Like other mosquito-bitten diseases, rest and medication are the keys to cure zika. Usually, patients recover but the disease kills about 1 per cent of patients.
Is there a solution?
No vaccine currently exists to prevent zika. However, researchers in France are trying to develop a safe, effective vaccine for which trials are under way.
(With inputs from agencies)
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