Day: May 9, 2022

Categories : Ebola Medical Research & TechnologyTags :

The Ebola Relative, Lloviu Virus, Has Pandemic Potential

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Todd Cravens on Unsplash

Researchers have helped isolate the Lloviu virus (LLOV), a close relative of Ebola virus, for the first time, showing that it could cross over into humans, highlighting the need for future research to ensure pandemic preparedness. The study is reported in Nature Communications.

LLOV is part of the filovirus family, which also includes the Ebola virus. While Ebola (and other filoviruses including the lethal Marburg virus) have only occurred naturally in Africa, Lloviu has been discovered in Europe. The filovirus LLOV, was genetically identified in 2002 in Schreiber’s bats in Spain and was subsequently detected in bats in Hungary.

As a zoonotic virus, LLOV is of public health interest to public health around the world due to our close relationship with animals in agriculture, as companions and in the natural environment. Increasing encroachment on the natural environment is creating more opportunities for zoonotic viruses to cross over into humans.

Dr Simon Scott, from the Viral Pseudotye Unit (VPU) at Medway School of Pharmacy were part of a team led by Dr Gábor Kemenesi from Pécs University/National Laboratory of Virology in Hungary. The VPU were involved in conducting all the antibody detection experiments using bat sera as part of the study, even before the virus itself was isolated. This isolation occurred in the Hungarian lab from the very last bat which tested LLOV positive.

The team discovered that Lloviu has the potential to both infect human cells and replicate, raising concerns about potential widespread transmission in Europe and urges immediate pathogenicity and antiviral studies. The VPU work also revealed no antibody cross-reactivity between LLOV and Ebola, suggesting that existing Ebola vaccines might not protect against Lloviu.

Dr Scott said that their research “is a smoking gun. It’s vital that we know both more about the distribution of this virus and that research is done in this area to assess the risks and to ensure we are prepared for potential epidemics and pandemics.”

The research revealed a considerable knowledge gap regarding the pathogenicity, animal hosts, and transmissibility of these newly discovered viruses. Dr Scott created a consortium of European bat virologists, harnessing expertise in the field, from ecology to virology, which is aiming to carry out essential further research across Europe into the risks of the Lloviu virus to humans.

Source: University of Kent

Categories : Medical IndustryTags :

Nearly Half of Care Home Nurses Report Medication Errors

On By ModernMedia
Bottle of pills
Source: Pixabay CC0

In a questionnaire-based study published in Pharmacology Research & Perspectives, nearly half of all nursing staff made at least one error within the last year when administering medications.

The aim of the study was to find out how often medication errors occur and whether they are related to training, quality assurance measures (use of the double-check principle (DCP)), and other structural conditions of home care services. 

In the study, 41.6% of nurses reported medication errors within a 12-month period, and 14.8% did not provide an answer. Medication errors experienced by patients include taking the wrong dose or quantity of a particular drug, as well as omission of a drug or taking unlicensed drugs. 

Nurses who had attended medication training within the last 2 years were less likely to make errors.  Years of professional experience, patient numbers per shift, and full time versus part time work were not statistically significantly associated with reported medication errors. 

“The study results underline the need for regularly recurring medication training for nurses to ensure a high level of patient safety – especially in the home care sector, as nurses are the only professional group on site,” said lead author Sandra Strube-Lahmann, RN, MSc, PhD, of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, in Germany.

Source: Wiley

Categories : Medical IndustryTags :

Cake Decoration Identifies Pills, Fighting Drug Fraud

On By ModernMedia
Chocolate drops covered with candy nonpareils (left), a bowl of colourful candy nonpareils (centre), pharmaceutical caplets coated with nonpareils (right). Credit: William Grover/UCR

During lockdown, UC Riverside bioengineering professor William Grover kept busy counting the colourful candy sprinkles perched on top of chocolate drops. In the process, he hit upon a simple way to prevent pharmaceutical fraud and detailed it in the journal Scientific Reports.

He calls the technique ‘CandyCode’ and uses tiny multi-coloured candy nonpareils commonly known as ‘hundreds and thousands’ in South Africa as a uniquely identifiable coating for pharmaceutical capsules and pills.

Millions of people are harmed by counterfeit or substandard medicine, a problem which costs an estimated $200 billion annually. One in 10 medical products in developing countries is fake, according to a WHO estimate.

Prof Grover’s lab has previously worked on simple, low-cost ways of verifying the authenticity of pharmaceuticals. Other researchers have tried putting unique codes onto pills, but these solutions have drawbacks.

“The inspiration for this came from the little colourful chocolate candies. Each candy has an average of 92 nonpareils attached randomly, and the nonpareils have eight different colours. I started wondering how many different patterns of coloured nonpareils were possible on these candies,” explained Prof Grover. “It turns out that the odds of a randomly generated candy pattern ever repeating itself are basically zero, so each of these candies is unique and will never be duplicated by chance.”

This gave Prof Grover the idea that the nonpareils could be applied as a coating to each pill, giving it a unique pattern that could be stored by the manufacturer in a database. Consumers could upload a smartphone photograph of a pill and if its CandyCode matches one in the database, the consumer could be confident that the pill is genuine. If not, it is potentially fraudulent.

To test this idea, Prof Grover stuck nonpareils onto Tylenol (acetaminophen) capsules and developed an algorithm that converts a photo of a CandyCoded pill into text which could be stored on a database and accessed by consumers. Using this algorithm to analyse a set of CandyCode photos, he found they serve as universally unique identifiers, even after subjecting the CandyCoded pills to physical abuse that simulates the wear-and-tear of shipping.

“Using a computer simulation of even larger CandyCode libraries, I found that a company could produce 1017 CandyCoded pills – enough for 41 million pills for each person on earth – and still be able to uniquely identify each CandyCoded pill,” Grover said.

More colours and different shapes of nonpareils could generate even more unique CandyCodes. CandyCoded capsules or tablets have an unexpected benefit for the consumer as well. 

“Anecdotally, I found that CandyCoded caplets were more pleasant to swallow than plain caplets, confirming Mary Poppins’ classic observation about the relationship between sugar and medicine,” Prof Grover remarked.

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : COVIDTags : 1 Comment

Excess Deaths from COVID Nearly 15 Million – WHO

On By ModernMedia
Source: Pixabay CC0

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID pandemic (described as “excess mortality”) was approximately 14.9 million, with a range of 13.3 million to 16.6 million.  

“These sobering data not only point to the impact of the pandemic but also to the need for all countries to invest in more resilient health systems that can sustain essential health services during crises, including stronger health information systems,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “WHO is committed to working with all countries to strengthen their health information systems to generate better data for better decisions and better outcomes.”

Excess mortality is calculated as the difference between the number of deaths that have occurred and the number that would be expected in the absence of the pandemic based on data from earlier years. 

Excess mortality includes deaths directly associated with COVID (due to the disease) or indirectly (due to the pandemic’s impact on health systems and society). Deaths linked indirectly to COVID are attributable to other health conditions for which people were unable to access prevention and treatment because health systems were overburdened by the pandemic. Excess death numbers can be influenced also by deaths averted during the pandemic due to lower risks of certain events, such as car accidents or occupational injuries. 

The estimate for a 24-month period (2020 and 2021) finds that the excess deaths (84%) are largely concentrated in South-East Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Some 68% of excess deaths are concentrated in just 10 countries globally. Middle-income countries account for 81% of the 14.9 million excess deaths (53% in lower-middle-income countries and 28% in upper-middle-income countries) over the 24-month period, with high-income and low-income countries each accounting for 15% and 4%, respectively. 

The estimates confirm that the global death toll was higher for men than for women (57% male, 43% female) and higher among older adults. A better picture of COVID mortality data comes from excess deaths per 100 000 instead of mortality counts, which can seem skewed due to population size.

“Measurement of excess mortality is an essential component to understand the impact of the pandemic. Shifts in mortality trends provide decision-makers information to guide policies to reduce mortality and effectively prevent future crises. Because of limited investments in data systems in many countries, the true extent of excess mortality often remains hidden,” said Dr Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery at WHO. “These new estimates use the best available data and have been produced using a robust methodology and a completely transparent approach.”

The production of these estimates is a result of a global collaboration supported by the work of the Technical Advisory Group for COVID-19 Mortality Assessment and country consultations. 

Source: World Health Organization

Categories : VaccinesTags :

Rollout of World’s First Malaria Vaccine in Sub-Saharan Africa

On By ModernMedia
Mosquito, a malaria parasite vector
Photo by Егор Камелев on Unsplash

The world’s first malaria vaccine will soon be available across sub-Saharan Africa, according to PATH, partners of the vaccine developers, as positive results from the pioneering jab pile up.

The vaccine, known as RTS,S/AS01E and commercialised under the brand name Mosquirix, targets children as over three quarters of malaria deaths occur in under-five-year olds, according to the latest report from the WHO.

Findings from a WHO pilot held in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, showed that the pioneering vaccine caused a significant reduction in severe malaria and hospitalisation among vaccinated children.

It means more countries in sub-Saharan Africa will soon receive the vaccine, says John Bawa, Africa lead for vaccine implementation at Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH).

These findings pave the way for an expanded distribution scheme that will see countries like Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia receive the vaccines, said Bawa during a webinar held in commemoration of World Malaria Day.

“The next is to deploy the vaccine to other endemic countries. Countries that are interested in the vaccine are expected to apply to GAVI from June to September,” he said at the webinar organised by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), PATH and Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC).

“Countries like Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Nigeria have already written officially to express interest for the vaccine,” Bawa said.

He said malaria vaccine coverage in Malawi was at 88% in 2020 and 93% in 2021. In Ghana, it was 71% in 2020 and 76% in 2021 and in Kenya, it was 69% in 2020 and 83% in 2021.

“These numbers indicate strong community demand and capacity of childhood vaccination platforms to effectively deliver the vaccine to children,” said Bawa.

Currently, 1 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have received at least one dose of the first malaria vaccine.

These vaccines were distributed in a pilot scheme organized by WHO. The organisation has now recommended the vaccine for use among children in areas with moderate to high transmission rate of malaria.

“This vaccine is not just a scientific breakthrough, it is life-changing for families across Africa. It demonstrates the power of science and innovation for health,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Vaccine procurement

In an arrangement to boost vaccine supply and coverage, GlaxoSmithKline, producers of the RTS,S vaccine, will transfer technology and patent to Bharat Biotech in India to manufacture the vaccines.

The WHO, in a press release, said more than US$155 million has been secured from to support the introduction, procurement and delivery of the malaria vaccine for Gavi-eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The organisation said it would provide guidance for countries that are considering the use of vaccines for the reduction childhood illnesses and deaths from malaria.

“For some countries, Gavi is paying about 80% [of the] cost of the vaccine, while it is expected that the country’s government would pay the [remaining] 20%,” Bawa said.

Wellington Oyibo, director of the Centre for Malaria Diagnosis, Research, Capacity Building and Policy at the University of Lagos, urged African leaders to ensure that their counterpart funds are available to purchase the vaccine.

He said the Nigerian government and the Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation malaria eradication project have applied to purchase the vaccine for Nigerian children.

Oyibo said while the initial rollout of the vaccine may not go around the country, the Nigerian government selected states with the highest malaria burden to begin with.

Reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

Source: SciDev.Net