What is Human Parvovirus B19?
Overview
Parvovirus B19 infection usually causes no symptoms or mild illness such as flu-like symptoms, rashes, and joint pains. A low blood count can result from infection in people with blood problems or compromised immune systems. Infection during pregnancy can sometimes lead to additional complications.
Symptoms
Some people who get infected with this virus will have no symptoms.
When symptoms of parvovirus B19 infection occur they are usually mild and may include the following:
Fever
Headache
Cough
Sore throat
Rashes
Joint pain
Rashes
The most common clinical manifestation linked to parvovirus B19 infection is a red rash on the face sometimes referred to as a “slapped cheek” rash. This is also known as the Fifth Disease (or Erythema Infectiosum). Usually, a few days after the fever or other flu-like symptoms this rash develops. It happens to kids more often than to adults.
Infection with parvovirus B19 can also result in a generalized rash across the arms, legs, back, buttocks, and chest. The rash may be itchy. Although it can come and go for several weeks, it normally disappears in seven to ten days. It may appear lacy as it starts to fade.
Joint Pain
Polyarthropathy syndrome—pain and swelling in the joints—can result from a parvovirus B19 infection. This is more common in adults and kids, with women experiencing it most frequently.
Adults may experience joint pain without other symptoms. Joints are affected on both sides, usually in the hands, feet, and knees. The joint pain might linger for months or longer, although it normally lasts one to three weeks. Usually, it passes quickly and causes no long-term issues.
Complications
When parvovirus B19 infection occurs in otherwise healthy children and adults it is typically moderate. On the other hand, it may result in major health issues for some individuals that impact the blood system, joints, or nerves.
It has been demonstrated that parvovirus B19 can induce anemia, or a sharp decrease in blood count, in certain patients who have compromised immune systems or blood diseases.
If you have any of the following medical problems, you may be more susceptible to complications from a parvovirus B19 infection:
Leukemia or other cancers
Organ transplant
HIV infection
Blood conditions including thalassemia and sickle cell illness
Parvovirus B19 in pregnancy
Pregnant women who contract parvovirus B19 run the risk of transmitting the illness to their unborn child. Although uncommon, this could result in miscarriage.
WHO Declares Mpox a Global Public Health Emergency
As a result of an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has spread to neighboring African nations, the World Health Organization on Wednesday designated mpox a worldwide public health emergency for the second time in two years.
A “public health emergency of international concern,” or PHEIC, is the WHO’s highest level of alert, and it can accelerate research, funding, and international public health measures and cooperation to contain the disease.
Similarly, earlier this week, Africa’s leading public health organization called monkeypox, or mpox, an emergency due to the virus’s frightening rate of transmission.
More than 17,000 suspected mpox cases and 517 deaths have been reported on the African continent so far this year, a 160% increase compared to the same period last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Africa stated. Thirteen nations have reported cases.
The two separate viral clades I and II cause mpox. Both strains can spread by direct contact with contaminated items or animals, as well as via intimate contact with an infected person.
Clade I, a strain believed to be more transmissible and endemic in central Africa, was the first to spread and spark the outbreak in the Congo. Clade I can also cause more severe infections; previous outbreaks have killed up to 10% of people who got sick.
Clade Ib, a novel strain of that strain, is currently circulating and seems to be more easily disseminated by regular intimate contact, including sexual interaction. The WHO has responded as a result of its spread from the Congo to nearby nations like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of WHO, “It is evident that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
Meanwhile, a strain of clade II was responsible for the global spread of mpox in 2022 prompting the WHO to declare a public health emergency. Infections from that clade are far milder than those from clade I—more than 99.9% of people survive, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, it can still result in serious sickness, especially in those with compromised immune systems.
Clade IIb was the form that proliferated in 2022, mostly through sex interactions between men.
Ten months later, the WHO lifted the emergency status. Since 2022, the number of mpox cases in the United States has significantly decreased. The week ending August 1st saw an average daily case count drop to zero.
Maharashtra Launches $1,500 Monthly Aid for Eligible Women
In honor of Raksha Bandhan, the Maharashtra government, led by Eknath Shinde, is scheduled to formally introduce the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ today, according to HT. This initiative aims to provide $1500 every month to more than one crore women across the state.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister will roll out the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme modeled on the lines of Madhya Pradesh’s ‘Ladli Behna Yojana. The Chief Minister has pledged that their implementation of the program will not be short-lived but rather last forever.
Eknath Shinde linked the program to the impending Raksha Bandhan celebration, stating that the “Ladki Bahin Yojana” is the program’s means of safeguarding the rights of women in the state.
How to apply?
The ‘Nari Shakti Dhoot’ application has been made available online for qualified women by the Maharashtra government.
Women will receive assistance in enrolling in the free program from local government representatives such as gram sevaks and Anganwadi volunteers.
Who is eligible?
Women need to be permanent residents of the state to be eligible for the scheme. Women between the ages of 21 and 65 may apply for the program.
The flagship program is exclusively available to women from low-income households. As per the criteria, women from families with less than $2.5 lakh household income per annum are eligible.
The officials advised the applicants to link their Aadhar cards to bank accounts to prevent delays in the verification process and the deposit of financial help. State banks have been instructed to assist with the process in the interim.
More than 3 million eligible women have already received ₹3,000 in their bank accounts as part of an early trial run.
On August 16, Eknath Shinde stated, “I just want to say that we will not only provide them $1,500; we will also make them self-sufficient and independent. To empower women to become more self-sufficient, independent, and respected, PM Narendra Modi has announced that greater financial support will be given to them through various government initiatives, according to HT.
A new blood test detects Alzheimer’s with 90% accuracy
According to a recent study, a straightforward blood test can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease approximately 90% of the time, performing better than more involved exams in this regard.
In contrast, dementia experts correctly diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease 73 percent of the time, while primary care physicians only did so 61 percent of the time. This information comes from a Swedish study involving 1,213 patients that was released in JAMA on Sunday the journal published by the American Medical Association, and presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on the same day in Philadelphia.
The positive results are part of a bigger effort to create an inexpensive, straightforward blood test that can rapidly identify Alzheimer’s patients without requiring more costly, invasive procedures like spinal taps. Blood tests are already performed in clinics, but they can cost up to $300 and are sometimes not reimbursed by insurance.
Professor Cliff Abraham of the University of Otago in New Zealand, who is not associated with the work, said, “Overall, this is a nice addition to a rapidly growing literature, is not in and of itself a game changer.”
Data from patients with cognitive symptoms, whose mean age was 74, were compiled by the study’s authors. Of them, roughly 23% had dementia, 44% had mild cognitive impairment, and 33% had subjective cognitive decline.
The amount of amyloid beta another protein thought to be a diagnostic of Alzheimer’s disease, and p-tau217, a kind of protein that accumulates and damages the brain in Alzheimer’s patients were measured by the researchers.
“The blood test provides better diagnostic accuracy than clinical evaluation which has access to only indirect information about brain health such as cognitive tests,” Abraham stated. “This is evident, but not surprising.”
Spinal taps are an invasive method of detecting Alzheimer’s disease; alternative methods include PET scans which can cost $5,000 or more and are not reimbursed by Medicare outside of clinical trials.
The study provides fresh proof that Alzheimer’s disease could soon be diagnosed more swiftly and simply. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prompt and accurate diagnoses help patients and their families better plan for future medical requirements sign up for clinical trials, and budget for medical expenses.
The most prevalent type of dementia affecting over 6 million people in the US, is Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s affects mostly the elderly while younger individuals can still get it; the CDC reports that the number of sufferers doubles every five years after age 65. By 2060, up to 14 million Americans could develop Alzheimer’s.