Medicine – Sector.Africa

New COVID-19 test developed in Singapore detects past infection within an hour

May 28, 2020 Sector.Africa AdministratorAntibody, Coronavirus, Countries, COVID-19, Disease, Duke–NUS Medical School, Epidemiology, Government, Herd immunity, Immunologic tests, Immunology, Infection, Infectious diseases, Interest, Lockdown, Manufacturing, Medical specialties, Medicine, National University of Singapore, Pandemic, Patient, Serology, Vaccine, Viruses, who0 comment

A new COVID-19 test that can rapidly assess if a person has been previously infected with the coronavirus is now available to hospitals in Singapore. Launched on Friday (May 15), the cPass serology test detects antibodies – formed by the body to fight off infections – in the blood or serum of patients. It is not used to check for active infection. Its main purpose rather, is for contact tracing, detecting asymptomatic cases and assessing herd immunity. Such serological tests have been used in Singapore for contact tracing. What is different about the new…

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The Coronavirus Shows Why We Have to Tackle the Obesity Crisis

May 28, 2020May 28, 2020 Sector.Africa AdministratorAmericas, Asia, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Critical care, Disease, Doctor, Europe, Flu pandemic, Health, Health care, healthcare, hospital, Immune system, Infection, Influenza, Intensive care medicine, Intensive care unit, Medicine, Members Only, Mobile, NYU Langone Medical Center, Obesity, Opinion, Pandemic, Pandemics, Patient, Public health, Scientists, security, Vaccine0 comment

Every critical care specialist attending COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit where I have been filling in as an intensive care physician for the past two weeks makes the same observation: Our patients seem almost universally obese, while most ill but stable patients elsewhere in the hospital have lower body masses. Critical care doctors in other parts of the country, as well as my colleagues in Europe, report seeing the same thing. New research backs up the anecdotal observations. Data from my institution, NYU Langone, shows that body mass…

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Why Africa is least affected by deaths from COVID-19’Nigeria

May 28, 2020 Sector.Africa AdministratorContinents, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disease, Drugs, Government, Health, Health in Africa, healthcare, Infectious diseases, Medical specialties, Medicine, MIT, Pandemic, RTT, Vaccination, Vaccine, Vaccine-preventable diseases, who0 comment

The predictions were sombre and the statistics scary. A calamity of immense proportion would hit the continent, leaving it worse off than other regions of the world. But months since COVID-19 struck, Africa with its notorious poor health infrastructure has recorded the least deaths. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) had in April predicted: “Anywhere between 300,000 and 3.3 million African people could lose their lives as a direct result of COVID-19.” The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned African countries to “prepare for the worst”, while Melinda Gates,…

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Heres How Covid-19 Immunity Compares to Other Diseases

April 18, 2020 Sector.Africa AdministratorAnimal virology, Coronaviridae, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health, Immune system, Immunology, Influenza, Medical specialties, Medicine, Paywall Exclude, Science, Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, Vaccination, Viruses, WIRED Free Access, Zoonoses0 comment

One of the many unknowns about the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is how we might become immune to it. When you get infected with viruses, along with other baddies like bacteria, your immune system fights back by producing proteins called antibodies. These stick around for the long haul, and your body is prepared to churn out more of them if you come into contact with the pathogen again. It’s how vaccines work: By introducing a dead or weakened version of a virus to your immune system, you trick it into producing…

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A Vital Hack Could Turn Medical Devices Into Ventilators

April 18, 2020April 18, 2020 Sector.Africa Administratorars technica, Continuous positive airway pressure, Coronavirus, COVID-19, cyberattacks and hacks, hacking, Health care, Intensive care medicine, Medical equipment, Medical specialties, Medical ventilator, Medicine, Positive airway pressure, Respiratory therapy, security, security news0 comment

As infections from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continue to climb, hospitals around the world are struggling with a potentially fatal shortage of ventilators, the bedside machines that help patients breathe when they’re unable to do so on their own. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of lower-grade breathing devices known as continuous positive airway pressure machines sit idle in closets or warehouses because their manufacturers say they can’t perform the same life-saving functions. ARS TECHNICA This story originally appeared on Ars Technica, a trusted source for technology news, tech policy analysis, reviews,…