Medical workers carry a patient into a hospital in New York, the United States, Dec. 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying/IANS)
Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally with increases in some parts of the country…reports Asian Lite News
There have been at least 22 million flu illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations, and 15,000 deaths from flu so far this season in the US, according to the latest data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally with increases in some parts of the country.
Eight influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported during the latest week ending February 3, bringing the season total to 74 pediatric deaths, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the CDC data.
Over 11,000 patients were admitted to hospitals with flu in the latest week, the CDC data showed.
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine as long as influenza viruses are spreading.
The Africa CDC said the AU, strongly representing the voice of around 1.4 billion Africans, now stands alongside the European Union as the second continental and regional intergovernmental organization to attain permanent membership in the G20…reports Asian Lite News
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said that it would cooperate with the Group of 20 (G20) members on health-related issues.
The Africa CDC, a specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU), hailed the decision to grant the AU permanent membership in the G20, Xinhua news agency reported.
“This development signifies Africa’s ascent as a significant player on the world stage, ready to champion causes and concerns of the continent, which is home to the planet’s largest free trade area,” the agency said.
“Per its mandate, and as the continental public health institution for Africa, Africa CDC will represent African countries to the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting,” the statement read.
The Africa CDC said the AU, strongly representing the voice of around 1.4 billion Africans, now stands alongside the European Union as the second continental and regional intergovernmental organization to attain permanent membership in the G20.
It commended the G20 for its commitment to eliminating hunger and malnutrition, fostering digital ecosystems for health, strengthening global health and implementing the One Health approach. It praised the G20 for strengthening global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with strong support for local manufacturing of vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and consumables.
“The Africa CDC is committed to leveraging this new position to advance shared values and advocate for the interests of Africa including in all other multilateral organizations. This is time for Africa to act,” it said.
Earlier on Saturday, the G20 members agreed to grant permanent membership to the AU to make the group more representative. The agreement was reached at the inaugural session of the two-day G20 summit held in the Indian capital of New Delhi during the weekend.
There is however, no evidence to suggest that this year’s Florida and Texas cases are related, the CDC said, adding that the risk throughout the country remains extremely low…reports Asian Lite News
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health alert after five cases of malaria were reported in Texas and Florida in the last two months.
The alert was issued on Monday to doctors, public health authorities and members of the public, reports NBC News.
According to the CDC, the four cases in Florida and one in Texas are the first in 20 years to be acquired locally, meaning the infections were not linked to travel outside the country.
The last such local cases were identified in 2003 in Palm Beach County, Florida.
There is however, no evidence to suggest that this year’s Florida and Texas cases are related, the CDC said, adding that the risk throughout the country remains extremely low.
“Malaria is a medical emergency,” the health body said, adding that all five patients have gotten treatment and are recovering.
Last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed the detection of the malaria case in a person who had spent time working outdoors, NBC News reported.
The person had not traveled outside the country or state.
The department advised Texas residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellant and wearing long sleeves and pants and further encouraged people to drain puddles, keep gutters clear, cover trash containers and regularly change the water in pet dishes and bird baths.
Also on Monday, the Florida Department of Health issued a state-wide mosquito-borne illness advisory, adding that all the four cases were reported in Sarasota County.
Before the Covid pandemic, the US saw around 2,000 cases of malaria each year, nearly all of which were detected in people who had traveled to other countries, the CDC said.
The number of cases was more than four times that reported in the previous largest outbreak, it said…reports Asian Lite News
The largest recorded West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak in a US county occurred in Maricopa, Arizona, in 2021, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In 2021, Maricopa County experienced the fifth, and largest, WNV outbreak reported in the county, with 1,487 cases, 1,014 hospitalizations, and 101 deaths, reports Xinhua news agency citing the CDC as saying.
The number of cases was more than four times that reported in the previous largest outbreak, it said.
The reason for the unprecedented WNV outbreak is unknown, but is likely multi-factorial, potentially related to increased rain, recent population growth and housing development, and changes in health care-seeking behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the CDC.
WNV, an arthropod-borne arbovirus, is primarily transmitted through bites of infected Culex mosquitoes and is the leading cause of domestically acquired arbovirus infections in the US, according to the health body.
Public health agencies should continually review messaging to improve awareness, said the CDC, adding that human and mosquito surveillance is essential to mounting a rapid, coordinated response and limiting further spread.
General Rawat, leading from the front, had declared that the ambitious task of forming theatre commands in three years. Consequently, he emerged as an icon for jointness in the armed forces, and a one-man army that firmly rejected the prevailing culture of working in silos … Atul Aneja and Ateet Sharma report
The passing away of Gen. Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash on Wednesday is a massive blow to the transition of India’s military into a fighting force that can fight win battles on many fronts simultaneously.
Symbolically, Gen. Rawat was part of a red-team led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is anchoring the rise of a secure and self-confident India.
Gen. Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), had been handpicked by the Modi administration to drive the formation of theatre commands. These were to be formed by pooling in the assets of the army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy to deliver a joint tri-service punch to destroy or degrade designated targets.
General Rawat, leading from the front, had declared that the ambitious task of forming theatre commands in three years. Consequently, he emerged as an icon for jointness in the armed forces, and a one-man army that firmly rejected the prevailing culture of working in silos.
The General was also the assertive symbol of a new India. He steered the cross-border strike in Myanmar against rebels—an event that triggered the use of surgical strikes as a potent deterrent following the Uri attack. No armchair thinker, Gen. Rawat was the Chief of Army staff when the Indian armed forces stared down a belligerent China in Doklam in 2017, after a 73-day standoff. He was also known for asserting that India was prepared for a fighting two-and-a-half front war, taking on both China and Pakistan, without foregoing a reserve capacity to tackle an uprising in Kashmir, in an unlikely but extreme scenario.
Last month Gen. Rawat warned that China has become India’s biggest security threat and said troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will be there for now.
At an event organised by a media house, General Rawat said, “India is prepared for any misadventure along the border and in the sea”.
Gen. Rawat’s assessment about China was not pulled out of thin air. The May 2020 transgressions in Eastern Ladakh show that PLA wanted to impose a Maoist-era 1959 line to define the LAC. China also continues to eye Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China has been upgrading its military infrastructure in Tibet and Xinjiang, posing a direct threat to India.
A strong advocate of indigenisation, Gen. Rawat was engaged in steering the Atmanirbhar Bharat drive in the defence industry, by steering the Defence Acquisition Council.
In his media interactions, Rawat had declared that The Air Defence Command, with hubs in Mumbai, Guwahati and Port Blair, combining aviation hardware drawn from the three services—Army, Navy and the Air Force–would be first to kick off as part of the formation of the theatre command systems.
Two theatre commands—the Northern Theatre Command and the Eastern Theatre Command – were expected to be formed facing China. Another two tri-service commands, including the western theatre command, could be deployed along the border with Pakistan. Analysts say that the chances of a two-front war with China and Pakistan are remote, but Indian military planners are looking at all possible contingencies.
Gen. Rawat was an advocate of the formation of a Peninsula Command, which would be formed to counter threats along the maritime borders. The Navy would have a larger role to cover the broader Indian Ocean Region (IOR) domain, starting from East Africa, the Malacca Straits and Australia.
The tri-service Andaman and Nicobar Command has already been in place since 2001, with primary focus on the IOR. The Strategic Forces Command, another tri-service institution, is in operational command of nuclear weapons.
The General who batted for New India
A former Chief of the Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat became India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on January 1, 2020. As the CDS, his main role was to be the Principal Military Advisor to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on all Tri-Services matters.
He also headed the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), playing a key role in ensuring optimum utilisation of allocated budget and also ushering in more synergy in procurement, training and operations of the Services through joint planning and integration. Facilitating indigenisation of weapons and equipment to the maximum extent possible, he formulated the overall defence acquisition plan for the three Services.
Just after assuming charge, General Rawat had vowed to work to create more synergy among the three Services.
“The CDS is mandated to facilitate integration, ensure best economical use of resources allocated to the Armed Forces and bring uniformity in the procurement procedure. I want to assure you that the Army, Navy and Air Force will work as a team and the CDS will ensure integration among these,” he said on his first day as the CDS.
An alumnus of Shimla’s Saint Edward School, the National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; Higher Command, National Defence College, General Rawat also attended the Command and General Staff Course at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, United States.
It was in December 1978 when General Rawat was commissioned in the Fifth Battalion of the Eleven Gorkha Rifles from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, where he was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’ – the most coveted recognition that a Gentleman Cadet (GC) aspires to possess.
The CDS had a vast experience in high altitude warfare and counter insurgency operations. During his distinguished career in the Army, General Rawat commanded an Infantry battalion along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Eastern Sector; a Rashtriya Rifles Sector and an Infantry Division in the Kashmir Valley, a Corps in the Eastern theatre and the Southern Command. He has tenanted instructional appointments at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and at Army War College, Mhow.
General Rawat also held important staff appointments at Directorate General of Military Operations and Military Secretary’s Branch at Army HQ besides being a Major General General Staff (MGGS) at HQ Eastern Command.
The CDS commanded a Multinational Brigade, in a Chapter VII mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and, whilst serving with the United Nations, was twice awarded the Force Commander’s Commendation.
As an Army Commander, he commanded a theatre of operations along the Western Front and was appointed the Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS).
On 31st December 2016, General Dalbir Singh handed over the baton to General Bipin Rawat who took over as the 27th Chief of the Army Staff.
In a span of over four decades in the Army, General Rawat had been awarded several gallantry and distinguished service awards, including the UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, COAS Commendation on two occasions and the Army Commander’s Commendation.
Academically inclined, he continued to author numerous articles on national security and leadership and was also awarded an M.Phil in Defence Studies from Madras University. He had a diploma in management and another diploma in computer studies. General Bipin Rawat also completed his research on military media strategic studies and was awarded Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D) from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut in 2011.
On October 31, while delivering All India Radio’s prestigious Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture, CDS Rawat had dwelled on ‘The Role of Indian Armed Forces in Nation Building’.
The Chief of Defence Staff asserted that India’s unity in diversity shall remain intact due to the virtues of sacrifice, loyalty and discipline of the Indian Armed Forces.
He highlighted that, in consonance with the Bhagwad Gita which says, “Considering your own duty, you should not waiver”, all cadets of IMA, before conclusion of their training, pledge allegiance to the oath that emphasises that the safety, honour and welfare of the nation is sacrosanct, followed by the honour, welfare and comfort of the men under command whereas individual ease, comfort and safety comes last, always and every time at the moment of reckoning.
On another occasion a few years ago, while interacting with the youth of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh as an Army chief, General Rawat had urged every Indian to rise above the “idea of microscopic identities”.
“You want to feel the oneness, join the Army, and see how we people, from different backgrounds, live together as Indians. Remember first, we are all Indians. We are proud of that, and the nation must come first. Then we can learn to live together,” General Rawat had said in 2018.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
The decision came after an independent panel of experts on the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had unanimously recommended the shots for children in a 14-0 vote….reports Asian Lite News
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued formal recommendations for children aged 5-11 to get vaccinated against Covid-19 with the Pfizer vaccine.
“Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against the virus that causes Covid-19. We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children receive a Covid-19 vaccine,” Xinhua news agency quoted CDC Director Rochelle Walensky as saying in a statement late Tuesday.
She also encouraged parents with questions to talk to their paediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine and the importance of getting their children vaccinated.
President Joe Biden described the authorisation as a turning point in the battle against the pandemic, saying in a statement that “the program will ramp up over the coming days, and fully up and running during the week of November 8”.
The decision came after an independent panel of experts on the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had unanimously recommended the shots for children in a 14-0 vote.
The vaccine is one-third the adult dose and the vaccine would be given in two doses, three weeks apart.
The lower dose was chosen to minimise side effects and still produce strong immunity, according to Pfizer.
White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeffrey Zients said on Monday that the government has purchased enough of the low-dose children’s vaccine for everyone in this age group.
A total of 172 children in the US aged 5-11 have died from Covid-19 and more than 8,300 have been hospitalised, according to the CDC’s latest data.
People wearing face masks are seen at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on Dec. 23, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua/ians)
From beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, researchers have argued that Covid-19 was not airborne. However, the view has been changing…reports Asian Lite News
Exposure to respiratory fluids — very fine respiratory droplets and aerosol particles — present in air and which carry viruses are the main reason for contracting Covid-19 infection, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
People release respiratory fluids during exhalation — quiet breathing, speaking, singing, exercise, coughing, sneezing in the form of droplets. While large droplets settle out of the air within seconds to minutes, very fine droplets can remain suspended in the air for minutes to hours. These droplets carry viruses and transmit infection, said the agency’s latest science brief as part of its public guidelines on Covid-19.
Exposure to these droplets occurs in three principal ways: inhalation of very fine respiratory droplets and aerosol particles, deposition of respiratory droplets on exposed mucous membranes in the mouth, nose, or eye by direct splashes and sprays, and touching mucous membranes with hands that have been soiled either directly by virus-containing respiratory fluids or indirectly by touching surfaces with virus on them
Further, “the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection varies according to the amount of virus to which a person is exposed,” the CDC said.
Infections through inhalation at distances greater than six feet from an infectious source are less likely than at closer distances. But, when an infectious person exhales virus indoors for an extended time (more than 15 minutes and in some cases hours), it can lead to virus concentrations in the air space.
It can be sufficient to transmit infections to people more than 6 feet away, and in some cases to people who have passed through that space soon after the infectious person left. The risk in this case is more in enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation, the agency said.
While there remains many knowledge gaps about Covid, the available evidence continues to demonstrate that existing recommendations to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission remain effective. This includes physical distancing, community use of well-fitting masks (e.g., barrier face coverings, procedure/surgical masks), adequate ventilation, and avoidance of crowded indoor spaces.
“These methods will reduce transmission both from inhalation of virus and deposition of virus on exposed mucous membranes. Transmission through soiled hands and surfaces can be prevented by practicing good hand hygiene and by environmental cleaning,” the CDC suggested.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, researchers have argued that Covid-19 was not airborne. However, the view has been changing.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), in a recent brief, said, “Current evidence suggests that the virus spreads mainly between people who are in close contact with each other, typically within 1 metre (short-range). A person can be infected when aerosols or droplets containing the virus are inhaled or come directly into contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth.”
The Lancet had, in April claimed in a new assessment that there is consistent, strong evidence to prove that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is predominantly transmitted through the air.
