Health
UK Prime Minister Urged To Speed Up Compensation For The 1980s Infected Blood Scandal Victims
LONDON — The country’s infected blood scandal, which saw more than 2,000 patients pass away after contracting HIV or hepatitis from transfusions of tainted blood in the 1970s and 1980s, has affected thousands of people, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said Wednesday that he is committed to swiftly paying out compensation to those affected.
However, when Sunak failed to provide a clear response regarding when complete payments would be sent out, survivors and families of those affected mocked him when he testified before an independent investigation investigating the public healthcare scandal.
The Infected Blood Inquiry was launched in 2017 to investigate how contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s led to the transmission of HIV or Hepatitis C to thousands of patients in the UK.
In what has been dubbed the largest healthcare catastrophe in the National Health Service’s history in Britain, an estimated 2,400 to 2,900 individuals perished.
The tainted blood was connected to supplies of Factor VIII, a clotting factor that British health services purchased from the U.S. Some of the blood products’ plasma was linked to high-risk donors, such as prisoners who were paid to donate blood samples.
On Wednesday, hundreds of survivors and impacted families—some of whom had lobbied for government compensation for decades—filled a conference room in a London hotel as Sunak testified before the panel.
The Infected Blood Inquiry was launched in 2017 to investigate how contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s led to the transmission of HIV or Hepatitis C to thousands of patients in the UK.
Sunak acknowledged that many governments had let down the victims of what he called an “appalling scandal” throughout time.
Sunak told the commission, “This is an abhorrent scandal that has been going on for decades.” “This goes beyond historical wrongs. Today, there is misery and impact on people.
“Justice has been withheld from people over a period of not just years, but decades. They haven’t gotten the respect they need and deserve,” he continued.
Last year, the government announced that grieving partners and survivors of the deceased would receive 100,000 pounds ($129,000) in compensation.
Brian Langstaff, the retired judge who led the probe, proposed in April that the scope of compensation be increased to cover more people whose lives were negatively impacted by the scandal, such as parents who lost their children.
Sunak reaffirmed that officials would wait until the entire result of the investigation was released before deciding whether to continue the victim compensation program. Later this year, the definitive report is anticipated.
The Haemophilia Society chairman, Clive Smith, stated that the agony of individuals who have been waiting for this for such a long time has only been made worse by the delays in the compensation.
“People who have waited 40 years expect to see a significant demonstration of political will and a commitment to get this done as soon as is practical,” added Smith.
SOURCE – (AP)
Health
Canada Records its First Case on Monkeypox
Canada’s Department of Public Health confirmed on Friday that the country’s first mpox (monkeypox) incidence occurred in Manitoba.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, this travel-related case is tied to a continuing mpox outbreak in central and eastern Africa.
“The individual sought medical care in Canada for mpox symptoms shortly after their return and is currently isolating,” the agency stated.
The Public Health Agency of Canada works closely with Manitoba’s public health authorities. The National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) informed the province on November 22 that the sample tested positive for mpox (monkeypox),” the agency stated.
The World Health Organization stated earlier in the day that the mpox outbreak remains a public health emergency.
In August, the WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following the spread of a new version of the virus, known as Mpox clade Ib, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring nations.
MPox is a viral illness that spreads by close contact and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled sores. It is typically moderate, but it can be fatal.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said that while the danger to Canada’s general population is low, it constantly monitors the situation. It further stated that a public health investigation, including contact tracing, is underway.
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Health
A Canadian Teenager’s Bird Flu Virus Has Mutations
(VOR News) – Health experts have warned that the Bird Flu virus identified in Vancouver has undergone alterations that may increase its transmissibility to humans, a circumstance that Canadian officials believe could occur.
“No additional cases have been identified” after monitoring many potential contacts among the adolescent’s friends, family, and healthcare providers; however, there is no indication that the single Canadian teen is the only one infected with this specific mutant H5N1. Brenda Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer,
Bird Flu
Dr. Jesse Bloom of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle told CNN that this is “undoubtedly one of the initial instances where we have observed evidence of such adaptive mutations in H5”.
Bloom observed that the teen’s symptoms began one week before hospitalization, giving the Bird Flu extra time to strengthen its capacity to infiltrate the desired cells.
Significantly, the calf is in critical but stable condition, having contracted a different strain of the virus than the one that affects dairy calves in the United States. An H5N1 strain is circulating throughout Pacific Northwest wild bird populations.
Because there was no documented link with wild birds, Canadian officials are still unsure how the adolescent contracted the illness.
The three discovered alterations in the Canadian example are determined to be at specific regions on the genome, which would improve binding to human cells.
“Numerous influenza virologists, myself included, have observed it due of certain sequences exhibiting indications of mutations that concern us,” he said.
Following a toddler in Alameda County who was exhibiting minor upper respiratory symptoms, California determined the child may have Bird Flu. According to a news release from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the young person is recovering at home following treatment.
Although the patient has had no recorded interaction with an affected animal, the CDPH reports that health officials are investigating possible exposure to wild birds. In addition, they reported, “the positive test indicated a low-level detection of the virus, suggesting the child was unlikely to be infectious to others.”
Four days later, the youngster’s next bird flu test returned negative; further research found that the child tested positive for respiratory infections, which could be causing their Bird Flu and cold symptoms. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will collect test specimens for the next investigation.
California officials emphasized that, despite the reported occurrence, the public health risk remained extremely low.
“We aim to reassure parents, caregivers, and families that, according to our information and data, we do not believe the child was infectious, and no human-to-human transmission of bird flu has been recorded in any country for over 15 years,” stated Dr. Tomás Aragón, head of the CDPH. “It is normal for people to show concern.”
According to the CDC, 53 Americans had confirmed instances of avian flu, with all but one being exposed to contaminated poultry or dairy cows.
In the California example, all of the child’s relatives tested negative, and there is no evidence that the virus moved from person to person.
Dairy cows
The virus first appeared in a pig last month. Seven states have already verified cases of avian influenza, with Oregon reporting the first human case last week. Most incidents have occurred among farmworkers.
California has the state’s largest confirmed human avian influenza infection count, with 27 cases reported (excluding the infant from Alameda County). According to CDC records, there are 11 cases in Washington and 10 in Colorado.
Recent developments have heightened public health experts’ concerns about the prospect of the avian flu virus spreading from person to person.
Since March, the disease has spread to approximately 600 dairy farms in 15 states nationwide. Bird flu has been frequent among domestic and wild birds in the United States for several years.
Dr. James Lawler, co-director of the University of Nebraska’s Global Center for Health Security, recently told the New York Times that “we should be very concerned at this juncture.” “We ought to allocate considerable resources to ascertain the situation, but at this time there is no need for alarm.”
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Health
Pancreatic Cancer Among Young People Is No Longer Alarming.
(VOR News) – Experts have voiced apprehension regarding the increasing incidence of pancreatic cancer among youth; nevertheless, a recent study reveals that this surge in diagnoses has not been paralleled by a commensurate increase in mortality rates attributed to the disease.
What is the reason? Researchers assert that contemporary, more sensitive imaging scans may identify early, non-fatal occurrences of pancreatic cancer in individuals under 40 that were previously undiscovered.
Researchers have noted growing concerns from several registries regarding the rising prevalence of pancreatic cancer among young individuals, especially women, in the United States and worldwide. “While some ascribe this trend to rising obesity rates, others have identified no discernible cause.”
Analyzing the data
The statistics on pancreatic cancer conflate endocrine malignancies and adenocarcinomas, which are two entirely different tumor forms occurring in the same organ.
The first form generally requires years to develop and increase, whereas the second type is characteristically aggressive and spreads rapidly.
The rising prevalence of pancreatic cancer among younger Americans is mostly attributed to an enhanced diagnosis of smaller, early-stage endocrine tumors rather than an escalation in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cases, the researchers noted.
The declining mortality rate of pancreatic cancer, juxtaposed with the rising incidence of new cases, implies that the recent surge in early-onset pancreatic cancer indicates the identification of previously undiagnosed disease rather than an actual rise in cancer prevalence.
Researchers, under the leadership of Dr. Vishal Patel, a surgical resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, acknowledged the increasing incidence of pancreatic cancer among young individuals. Their research, published on Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, contains the following information:
Pancreatic cancer operations
Restricting the increase of tumors in their first stages is a significant point to consider. This data indicates a phenomenon termed overdiagnosis, characterized by a rise in mortality that does not correspond with the increase in case numbers.
More dangerous adenocarcinomas are occasionally identified at an earlier stage during abdomen scans conducted for unrelated reasons. Conversely, the study’s authors assert that the prevalence of adenocarcinomas among young individuals has remained constant across all stages of the disease.
Meanwhile, the researchers indicated that CT scans and MRIs, which are increasingly sensitive and utilized for a broader range of applications than before, can identify less malignant endocrine tumors in the pancreas.
Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a senior researcher at the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, stated to the New York Times, which published the findings, “The more you are imaged, the more these issues will arise.”
Upon discovery of any issue, both individuals and medical professionals may feel compelled to act.
Dr. Folasade May, a gastroenterologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, stated in an interview with the Times, “Occasionally, we observe anomalies on imaging that necessitate further investigation.” “Ultimately, they may necessitate significant surgical intervention.”
Patients needing surgery
As indicated by the doubling of pancreatic cancer surgical interventions among patients aged 25-34, there has been a substantial increase in surgical interventions for pancreatic cancer among young patients as well.
Dr. Adewole Adamson, a specialist in overdiagnosis at the University of Texas at Austin and a co-author of the paper, stated, “Many patients express a desire for removal.” “Upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, one feels compelled to take action.”
Patients and clinicians should be aware of the following considerations in the future.
The research team states, “Pancreatic cancer may now be subject to overdiagnosis, referring to the identification of disease that is unlikely to result in symptoms or mortality.” “Overdiagnosis is particularly alarming in the context of pancreatic cancer, given that pancreatic surgery carries significant risks of morbidity and mortality.”
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