Researchers Are Now Tracking Monkey pox in Wastewater.

 

Researchers Are Now Tracking Monkey pox in Wastewater.The past two years have taught us anything, it’s that testing for viral diseases is complicated. Sometimes, the tests are difficult to get, like in the early days of COVID-19. And even if people have access to testing, they might not feel they need it. 

 People with COVID-19 often don’t have symptoms and may not always know to get tested. And now, with the availability of at-home self-tests, most people test themselves and don’t report the results. With other diseases—such as monkey pox—stigma surrounding the disease and the group most affected can deter access to testing. These limitations hinder health authorities’ ability to learn more about infectious diseases and control their spread. If you can’t detect a problem, you can’t direct resources to help fix it. Wastewater analysis can help skirt some of these issues. 

Scientists have tracked COVID-19 through wastewater since early in the pandemic, and now they’re doing the same for monkey pox. A new program led by researchers at Stanford University, Emory University, and Verily, an Alphabet Inc. company, is monitoring monkey pox cases by analyzing sewage from 41 communities in 10 states.

 So far, they have detected the monkey pox virus in 22 of those sites. As monkey pox case numbers around the country continue to climb, such information is proving valuable as doctors and patients wrestle with testing challenges. “We have now detected monkey pox DNA in sewersheds before any cases were reported in those counties,” says Bradley White, senior staff scientist at Verily. The group is planning to publish their first findings from their monkey pox work in a preprint soon.

Importance of One Health for COVID-19 and Future Pandemics

Importance of One Health for COVID-19 and Future Pandemics. More than 400 animals from 29 countries have been reported infected with COVID-19, including nearly 300 animals in the United States, as well as thousands of mink. 

 One Health Day, a global campaign that highlights the need for a One Health approach to address shared health threats by recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, and our environment. 

This approach is more important than ever as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is a zoonotic virus, which means it can spread between people and animals.

 As more animals are reported infected with the COVID-19 virus, it becomes increasingly clear that a One Health approach is crucial to address new disease threats that affect both people and animals.

New Ebola outbreak in Congo raises alarm.

                 New Ebola outbreak in Congo raises alarm.

A new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has infected 100 people in a western province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a rapid spread that has health officials concerned about the chances of an uncontrolled epidemic.


 The outbreak in Equateur Province began in early June, when a cluster of cases were discovered in the provincial capital Mbandaka.


The number of cases has doubled in just the last five weeks.“The virus is spreading across a wide and rugged terrain which requires costly interventions, and with Covid-19 draining resources and attention, it is hard to scale up operations,” said Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s Africa regional director.

COVID-19: Research shows children are silent spreaders of SARS-CoV-2.

In the most comprehensive study of COVID-19 pediatric patients to date, researchers provide critical data showing that children play a larger role in the community spread of COVID-19 than previously thought.

 In a study of 192 children ages 0-22, 49 children tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and an additional 18 children had late-onset, COVID-19-related illness.

 The infected children were shown to have a significantly higher level of virus in their airways than hospitalized adults in ICUs for COVID-19 treatment, according to Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Mass General Hospital for Children (MGHfC).

 The study, “Pediatric SARS-CoV-2: Clinical Presentation, Infectivity, and Immune Reponses,” was published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

Findings from nose and throat swabs and blood samples from the MGHfC Pediatric COVID-19 Biorepository carry implications for the reopening of schools, daycare centers and other locations with a high density of children and close interaction with teachers and staff members.

 The researchers note that although children with COVID-19 are not as likely to become as seriously ill as adults, as asymptomatic carriers or carriers with few symptoms attending school, they can spread infection and bring the virus into their homes.

Covid-19 and African swine fever(ASF)..

There are some striking similarities between the Covid-19 outbreak and African Swine Fever.

 A different virus has taken over the headlines now ,sharing the spotlight with African Swine Fever dominating the columns online and in the paper, the Corona virus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

 The Corona virus does not affect swine but indirectly affects the swine business. There is one major difference between ASF and Covid-19, this is the fact that ASF leads to the death of virtually all pigs whereas Covid-19 would in most cases not be lethal, meaning that proper health care can play a role as well.

   Learn all you need to  know about ASF from  experts. Join us.

                                     

Lessons learnt with regard to Covid-19 and ASF, lessons learnt are threefold.

First, it’s never too early to start thinking about a virus at the other side of the planet (look at this Danish example).

Secondly, let’s hope the millions pumped into the vaccine business to find a good Covid-19 vaccine somehow lead to a positive spin-off for pig vaccine development too.

 Thirdly, countries reporting many outbreaks are not the ones having the largest problem – they in fact are the ones sharing the most information.

 The striking similarities between Covid-19 and ASF. 1) The sudden panic . 2) The absence of a vaccine now. 3) Reporting of outbreaks.


  Reporting the outbreaks is very important as there is a link between countries reporting and number of cases in such  countries.

There are many websites around the world keeping us posted about the progress of the Covid-19 virus, about the number of people infected, the number of people that died of the virus and mortality percentages, showing interesting maps.

Interestingly, however concrete those numbers appear to be, it’s good to ask questions about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind those figures and that there is a parallel with African Swine Fever outbreaks which Pig Progress has been following intensively.


 For example – can people be infected with Covid-19 yet barely notice it? If so, that would mean that the virus could be much more widespread than is actually reported, meaning that the real mortality figure is much lower.

 Extremely interesting in this context I find is the way in which authorities have behaved in recent years with the reporting of ASF outbreaks.

 It is important to understand that accurately reporting ASF outbreaks depends on a gigantic mix of components, just to name a few: 1)Availability of test kits.

 2)Presence of necessary diagnostics infrastructure, including labs.

3)Availability of funding for affected farmers.

 4)Availability of educated manpower to process all information.

 5)Knowledge about the virus.

 6)Sense of responsibility for others.

 7)Cultural attitudes with regard to transparency in case of large problems.

 8)Corruption.

 9)Protection of export interests.

 As regard to ASF, some countries have reported more outbreaks than others, in different frequencies, in different intensity, on different levels as well. Some did not report anything at all – or only occasional outbreaks.

Using the history of reporting , to have a reliable idea as to what numbers might be credible beyond doubt with regard to reporting corona virus, I’d first look at the countries that have been reporting ASF frequently, swiftly and without hesitation.
     Adopted from pig progress.

Universal testing contains COVID-19 outbreak in nursing home..

A nursing home in Pennsylvania rapidly contained a COVID-19 outbreak by implementing a universal testing strategy for all residents and staff, according to study findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.


 “We chose to publish our experience managing a COVID-19 outbreak that occurred in a local nursing home because we think that our experience in controlling the outbreak could potentially help others that work in nursing homes or long-term care facilities if they are trying to develop action plans for managing a COVID-19 outbreak in their respective facilities,” Daniel J. Escobar, MD, an infectious diseases fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, told Healio.




 According to Escobar, recently published data showed there have been more than 142,000 COVID-19 cases in nursing homes across the United States, and more than 38,000 COVID-19-related deaths. He said having a plan for management of COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities or nursing homes is essential to protect an older and more fragile population.

Covid-19: Dentists say 'mask mouth' can cause serious health complications, including strokes.

Covid-19: Dentists say 'mask mouth' can cause serious health complications, including strokes. 


Dentists are warning about the health issues tied to prolonged use of a mask to stop the spread of the corona virus.They said dental problems associated with "mask mouth," including gum disease, could lead to serious complications.

 “Gum disease — or periodontal disease — will eventually lead to strokes and an increased risk of heart attacks,” Marc Sclafani, a dentist and co-founder of One Manhattan Dental, told the New York Post about “mask mouth,” which is increasingly causing inflammation and gum disease among patients.

                  Protect yourself and loved ones with this alternative.


 Another dentist and co-founder at One Manhattan Dental, Rob Ramondi, said 50% of his patients are suffering from negative health issues due to mask-wearing.The dentists said that the face coverings increase mouth dryness and contribute to a buildup of bad bacteria.


 “People tend to breathe through their mouth instead of through their nose while wearing a mask,” Sclafani said. “The mouth breathing is causing the dry mouth, which leads to a decrease in saliva — and saliva is what fights the bacteria and cleanses your teeth.” More.

Covid-19: important potential side effects of wearing face masks that we should bear in mind.

Covid-19: important potential side effects of wearing face masks that we should bear in mind. 

 Most scientific articles and guidelines in the context of the covid-19 pandemic highlight two potential side effects of wearing surgical face masks in the public, but we believe that there are other ones that are worth considering before any global public health policy is implemented involving billions of people.

The two potential side effects that have already been acknowledged are:

 (1) Wearing a face mask may give a false sense of security and make people adopt a reduction in compliance with other infection control measures, including social distancing and hands washing.

 (2) Inappropriate use of face mask: people must not touch their masks, must change their single-use masks frequently or wash them regularly, dispose them correctly and adopt other management measures, otherwise their risks and those of others may increase.

 Other potential side effects that we must consider are: (3) The quality and the volume of speech between two people wearing masks is considerably compromised and they may unconsciously come closer. While one may be trained to counteract side effect n.1, this side effect may be more difficult to tackle.

 (4) Wearing a face mask makes the exhaled air go into the eyes. This generates an uncomfortable feeling and an impulse to touch your eyes. If your hands are contaminated, you are infecting yourself.
(5) Face masks make breathing more difficult. For people with COPD, face masks are in fact intolerable to wear as they worsen their breathlessness.

         This is a better way to stay safe


Moreover, a fraction of carbon dioxide previously exhaled is inhaled at each respiratory cycle. Those two phenomena increase breathing frequency and deepness, and hence they increase the amount of inhaled and exhaled air.

This may worsen the burden of covid-19 if infected people wearing masks spread more contaminated air. This may also worsen the clinical condition of infected people if the enhanced breathing pushes the viral load down into their lungs. BMJ

COVID-19 EXTERMINATORS.

 Consult the team for  1)fumigation services.

                                        2) sale of face shields

                                             3) sale of face masks

          

                                                      4) Hand sanitizers.

Agribusiness post Covid-19.

 Covid-19 meals on wheels project.

#

covid19, agribusiness , agriculture , food security.

 

Covid 19 and impact on food and agriculture

The impact of COVID -19 on agribusiness in Nigeria.

Turning anger to wealth.

How do you turn anger to wealth? What makes you angry is your call to solve a problem, for passion is anger and love combined.

 You need your anger. True learning takes energy, passion, and a burning desire. Anger is a big part of that formula, for passion is anger and love combined.

 You are angry about the shortage of food?

You are angry about pupils stuck up in the house?

You are angry that living in this era of the Covid-19 pandemic is challenging?

 Redirect your anger, find out how to leverage on the crisis to create wealth in agribusiness. Fuel your anger with innovative ideas. Text vet to 35818 and get started.

   #Stay safe, Be wealthy.

Meat processing facilities take action to protect workers.

Meat processing facilities take actions to protect workers. The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting all sectors of the economy but the greatest impact is in the meat /poultry processing sector.

In the wake of the Corona virus pandemic a lot of workers in abattoirs and meat processing plants had the virus which led to closure of such plants.

 A lot of biosecurity protocols was adopted in all abattoirs and meat markets to stem the spread of the virus. In Nigeria,the use of masks is compulsory, hand washing before you enter the abattoir  is also compulsory and physical distancing .

The government also  ensured supervised slaughtering such that operations in abattoirs was on elected days. see

COVID-19: HOW TO MANAGE THE NEW NORMAL.

Covid-19: HOW TO MANAGE THE NEW NORMAL. We find ourselves in strange times. The known has become the unknown, the certain, uncertain

Majority of us have to flex and adapt daily. If you’re a manager: a leader, your people are looking to you for answers and guidance

 A changed mindset and adoption of new strategies is what you need to take your organization to the next level.

 A company has put together free key resources to help you and your team manage the “new normal”. They offer advice on how to manage your and your people’s emotions, maintain team trust levels, and make sound decisions in these turbulent times.   Get the bundle now.

FARM INSPECTION POST COVID-19.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of lifestyle changes were enforces to curb the spread of the virus.
    The most important is the lock down restrictions which reduced movements within and outside states, countries and this affected farm visits.

   These restrictions is also accompanied with social distancing, wearing of masks and the washing of hands. Biosecurity protocols on farms follow these stringent rules to curb the spread of the Corona virus, now the issue of inspection on farms is a game changer.

  The Corona virus pandemic has raised the bar on biosecurity, so how will farmers engage veterinarians?

 New technologies must be employed to ensure safety of animals and farmers. Technologies designed to help farmers overcome COVID-19 restrictions may have longer-term value changing the face of farm inspections.


    This is where using phones, data, and an interactive platform will come in handy. Telecommunications is not only to ensure food security but food safety as well.

   Farm visitation, assessment and health status check of animals can be done remotely using technological innovation.  Pre- Covid-19, the use of cameras,cctv, monitors on farms was limited but post Covid-19,this will be the new norm.

   Farms can be accessed using monitors and certain sensors to check health status of animals, this will limit human and vehicular traffic. This is precision livestock farming: hands-free model to promote biosecurity.

   Read :Red Tractor innovation . Red Tractor may offer a model for others where a physical presence may no longer be possible or necessary. Standard Red Tractor assessments in the U.K. came to halt in March, but pandemic or no pandemic, the scheme needed to ensure that its members were adhering to its standards.

   It now does this through what it has termed “virtual eyes” Rather than accept an inspector on farm, members of the scheme can now be checked via one of two ways.

 One option requires members to submit documentation for pre-assessment which is then followed by a partial assessment using live-streaming technologies to produce a real-time farm inspection.

Alternatively, the entire assessment – reviewing paperwork and a visual inspection – can be streamed live with an assessor.

COVID-19 forces agrifood industries to adapt, innovate.

 This is the new norm in the face of the novel corona virus. Many agribusiness ventures are changing the way business is done.

  

  Today, a lot of the agrifood industries have a stronger presence in take-aways, deliveries at your door step . 

    This has created a  strong supply chain with emphasis on online placement of orders and door-door delivery.

    

The pandemic has shown that we need to change our model, the innovators in the food sectors raking in cash now are those with products with extended shelf-life.

       How has the Covid-19 Pandemic changed your business? share your thoughts. 

  Read Jacqueline Pieters, thoughts. Jacqueline Pieters lead finance and investment with the World Business Council of Sustainable Development at Rabobank, .

Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, recently spoke at a Women in Food and Agriculture webinar,

 “How Have Different Food and Agribusiness Leaders Addressed COVID-19 Challenges?”

    

Corona virus terminators.

WATCH...

Evolution of pandemic coronavirus outlines path from animals to humans.

Evolution of pandemic coronavirus outlines path from animals to humans.The virus's ability to change makes it likely that new human coronaviruses will arise. A team of scientists studying the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, found that it was especially well-suited to jump from animals to humans by shapeshifting as it gained the ability to infect human cells. Conducting a genetic analysis, researchers from Duke University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of Texas at El Paso and New York University confirmed that the closest relative of the virus was a coronavirus that infects bats. But that virus's ability to infect humans was gained through exchanging a critical gene fragment from a coronavirus that infects a scaly mammal called a pangolin, which made it possible for the virus to infect humans. The researchers report that this jump from species-to-species was the result of the virus's ability to bind to host cells through alterations in its genetic material. By analogy, it is as if the virus retooled the key that enables it to unlock a host cell's door -- in this case a human cell. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, the "key" is a spike protein found on the surface of the virus. Coronaviruses use this protein to attach to cells and infect them.

Farmers to access 81,000MT of seeds.

Farmers to access 81,000MT of seeds.The Federal Government has said about 81,000 metric tonnes of seeds are ready for deployment to farmers for the planting season. Director-General, National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), Dr. Philip Ojo, who made this known during a virtual press conference, noted that the seeds would ensure that agricultural activities were not disrupted as a result of the lockdown imposed across the country. According to him, “The Council will ensure subsidies only to be applicable to seed purchased from NASC approved seed companies and producers, and provide certification officers and seed companies with movement tags or permits”.

National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC Advocates Seed-Palliatives for Farmers .

National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC Advocates Seed-Palliatives for Farmers.The Director General, National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Dr. Philip Ojo, has urged both the federal and state governments to consider providing seeds as palliatives to farmers amidst the devastating impact of COVID-19 in the country. He also said the seed industry currently has about 81,000 metric tons of certified seeds of rice, maize, sorghum, soyabean, cowpea, millet, groundnut, wheat, sesame and potato that are ready for deployment and purchase by farmers for the production of food and raw materials for Nigerians during the current planting season.

Dogs sniff out coronavirus ‘far better than machines or tests’.

Research teams around the world are taking advantage of dogs’ remarkable sense of smell to train them to detect the presence of the coronavirus. At the University of Helsinki, researchers believe that the sniffer dogs Kössi and Lucky may prove to be faster and more accurate detectors of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, than any other currently available method. Using urine samples collected from patients across Finland, the research team has trained the dogs to differentiate between positive and negative samples. More encouragingly, the dogs also appear to be able to detect the presence of COVID-19 before patients display any signs of illness.