Biology Digest

  Auckland has seen a spike in reported stomach bugs in recent weeks. Gastroenteritis illnesses,  commonly caused by contaminated food and water , have been reported more than 100 times a week to the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS). The most common forms of gastroenteritis are Campylobacter and Salmonella. Cases of Campylobacter, more than half of which are typically linked to a bug in the gut and faeces of chickens, have more than doubled in the past two weeks. Dr Jay Harrower, a spokesman for ARPHS, said though the illness could be serious, there were ways  to reduce the risk . “Most importantly chill, prepare and cover poultry properly – store it in containers, keep it chilled, defrost it thoroughly, keep it separate, cook it fully and wash your hands regularly when preparing it,” said Harrower. “And avoid the common mistake of washing raw chicken - it’s a recipe for spreading and spraying the nasty bugs.” New Zealand has one of the highest rates of Cam...

  Here is the best Youtube show today when it comes to documentaries. Youtube channels had taken the void of what Discovery, History and National Geographic were at one point.  

 

  I remember this at one point being named as the next pandemic prior to COVID-19. However COVID-19 just grabbed attention away from this then pandemic. I hope vaccines for antibiotic resistant pathogens are out at some point.

 

 

  Brazzaville/Kinshasa –  The Ebola outbreak that erupted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s North Kivu Province in October – the second in 2021 – was today declared over, the national health authorities announced after no new cases were reported at the end of a 42-day countdown, or two incubation periods after the last confirmed case was discharged. In total, 11 cases (eight confirmed, three probable), including six deaths were reported in the outbreak that was declared on 8 October after a new case was confirmed in Beni health zone in the country’s North Kivu Province. This was the country’s 13th outbreak and occurred in the same area as the 2018 outbreak which lasted two years. More than 1800 people were vaccinated in a campaign that kicked off just five days after the first case was detected. The outbreak marks the first time the recently-licensed ERVEBO vaccine against Ebola was used in the country. ERVEBO is the same as the compassionate-use vaccine, but as a lice...