SciTech

Contagion Briefing: May ‘22 From Covid to Cronobacter Yexuan ZHU

COVID in North Korea In the turmoil of COVID-19, a population of 25 million in North Korea has stayed out of character from the beginning. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the North Korean government had created a buffer zone along the border and ordered unconditional shoot-on-sight for unauthorized entrance. However, cases of “malignant fever” reported since late April, highly likely to be a result of Omicron infection, inevitably dragged the nation into the game.

COVID-19 cases reported by the Korean Central News Agency skyrocketed in May. Over five percent of the population is showing symptoms of the infection and 50 deaths have been attributed to it, estimated Kee Park, director of Harvard’s Korean Health Policy Project. The nation has now entered a lockdown in which people are confined at home, workplace, or schools.

The future of North Korea with COVID is rather unpredictable. Alongside COVID-19, the nation is also struggling with a weak health system already burdened by other infectious diseases, food insecurity, and political tension with the international community. North Korean authority has neglected previous international aid, including the global vaccine distribution scheme Covax, leaving its population with no immunity against SARS-CoV-2.

Still a mystery: Hepatitis in Children

Three weeks into May, hepatitis cases among children are still growing, though it seems that we have gone through the peak. In the UK, 34 more cases are identified in the past to cases, bringing the total infection to 197 cases as of 20th May. Two more deaths are seen in Europe and the US. There is still a fair chance for the hepatitis to develop into considerable severity - close to 10 percent of patients across Europe and North America now require liver transplantation. In addition, scientists are working to trace more retrospective cases that might be relevant, including those developed as early as October 2021.

The cause of the hepatitis remains elusive. So far, the adenovirus hypothesis has stood among medical experts - social distancing regulations during COVID-19 prevented the development of immunity against adenovirus, which used to be a common virus causing only flu-like symptoms, among young children. Dr. Jay Butler, CDC deputy director for infectious diseases, explained that there is yet no support for a direct role of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the hepatitis. He also appears to be cautious in referring to the hepatitis as an epidemic issue, admitting that more data are needed to confirm that the hepatitis cases represent an unusual spike, as

the GBMSM (Gay, bisexual and have sex with men) community.

A rough draft of the monkeypox genome has been available from Portugal researchers. Based on this information, scientists conclude that the monkeypox cases are likely related to strains that originated in western Africa, though more

“Misfortune never comes singly - COVID-19 is clearly not the end to public health crises.

severe and idiopathic hepatitis is not uncommon among children. Misfortune never comes singly - COVID-19 is clearly not the end to public health crises.

Deja vu: Monkeypox prevalence

More than 40 years ago, on 8th May 1980, the World Health Assembly announced that humans have eradicated smallpox, thanks to effective vaccination. Forty years later, a relative of smallpox, named monkeypox, again catches our attention. Monkeypox spread was regularly detected in central and western Africa, and this makes the abrupt emergence of 120 cases outside the continent alarming.

Monkeypox is transmitted vibody fluids. Scientists observed that most cases are among men aged between 20 and 50 within contact tracing information is under examination for confirmation. Regardless, we have got several pieces of good news here. Monkeypox is not an especially deadly virus - in fact, most people recover within weeks. Plus, the smallpoxvaccine, which remains in stock, or is even mandatory, in many countries, provides some protection against monkeypox. Finally, monkeypox is a DNA virus, which means that its genome is much more stable, compared to RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. It is unlikely to see mutant strains that completely evade smallpox vaccines.

From what you eat: Salmonella in chicken and Cronobacter in baby formulas

During a routine inspection of the Cranswick Country Foods processing plant in Hull, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) detected Salmonella bacteria in several batches of cooked chicken products. So far, several products have been recalled from a total of 12 supermarket and coffee shop franchises, including Sainsbury’s, M&S, Tesco, and Pret A Manger, just to name a few. Salmonella infection typically causes gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. Special caution is advised when consuming prepared poultry products.

Across the Atlantic, cronobacter contamination of Abbott baby formula aroused great controversy. Cronobacter infection can cause sepsis and meningitis. It is rare, but deadly to infants under one year old. The first case of infant cronobacter infection after consuming Abbott baby formula was reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2021, with a total of four infections and two deaths recorded to date. FDA inspection across the following months confirmed cronobacter contamination in an Abbott factory in Sturgis, Michigan due to worker malpractice. Abbott has closed down the factory, recalled three formula brands, and promised to improve sanitary standards in manufacturing.

Misfortune never comes singly - COVID-19 is clearly not the end to public health crises. Yet at least, the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us lessons, leaving us hypersensitive to contagious diseases. All we can do is to learn from the past epidemics to continue perfecting the healthcare system and paying attention to personal hygiene. Infection and defense, this is the way of nature.

In the heart of our galaxy

The black hole at the centre of our galaxy, Sagittarius A*, has been imaged for the first time by researchers at the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration. This black hole is the beating heart of our galaxy, with a mass equivalent to 4.3 million suns. Using cutting edge techniques, the collaboration managed to create an effectively “earth-sized” telescope to capture light from the accretion disk of the black hole, which is about 26 thousand light years away. Astronomers face myriad challenges in imaging black holes, and this is only the second ever image of one circulated to the public. Although Sagittarius A* is much smaller than that which was previously imaged, the two images look very similar. What differences there are, though, are being scrutinised by scientists who seek to confirm even further Albert Einstein’s predictions of general relativity, over 100 years since his work was first published. This black hole imaging is huge news in the world of astronomy—a stellar achievement for science, and a major breakthrough in technology.

Emily HUDSON Image credit: Event Horizon Telescope.