(CNN) -- UK paediatrics specialists have warned that a small but rising number of children are becoming ill with a rare syndrome that could be linked to coronavirus. On Sunday the Paediatric Intensive Care Society UK (PICS) warned about a small rise in the number of cases of critically ill children, some who had tested positive for Covid-19, presenting "overlapping features of toxic shock syndrome and atypical Kawasaki disease with blood parameters." In a statement sent over the weekend to medical professionals who look after critically ill children, PICS said "abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms have been a common feature as has cardiac inflammation." So what is Kawasaki disease and how worried should parents and carers be? Kawasaki disease, also known as Kawasaki syndrome, is a rare childhood illness that causes the walls of the blood vessels in the body to become inflamed Continue reading →

ThePublic Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has identified older people, individuals with a weaker immune system and people with certain pre-existing health conditions as being more at risk of developing complications from COVID-19. But actually, there are a specific few that are more dangerous than others. Continue reading →

The risk of contracting Covid-19 is higher in older people and those with chronic conditions. KUALA LUMPUR: More than 70% of deaths in Malaysia due to Covid-19 had comorbidities of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), says exercise medicine expert Dr Lee Chee Pheng. He said the risk of contracting Covid-19 is higher in people with weak immune defences who could further be compromised in the event of chronic conditions such as heart and lung diseases as well as diabetes. Continue reading →

A chemotherapy room for cancer treatment. The Irish Cancer Society says it is concerned that people are putting their lives at risk because of a reluctance to seek medical help if they notice cancer symptoms Continue reading →

Only a month ago at the end of March, Vladimir Putin boasted to his nation that thanks to decisive measures taken by his administration, Russia had avoided being caught up in the coronavirus pandemic.However, in the last few weeks, the country has seen an explosion in infections, and now has overtaken China with over 90,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.According to statistics provided by the Russian authorities, only 867 people have died, meaning that currently the country has a mortality rate of less than one percent from the killer virus. By way of contrast, Germany, a country considered to have implemented a successful coronavirus strategy and which boasts one of the most modern and well-funded healthcare systems in the world, has a death rate approaching four percent Continue reading →

Pranav Anam, Founder, The Gene Box discusses how Indians suffering from NCDs are predisposed to COVID-19 as India is also the hub of non-communicable diseases and how the post COVID-19 world will see seismic changes to our lives Before this year, the last time we had referred to a pandemic was in course of a historical study or discussion. Few of us could have thought that we will live a pandemic as contagious and widespread as the ongoing one caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus that has affected more than a million people globally Continue reading →

The annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), a major global scientific confab about HIV and related matters that was supposed to run from March 8 to 11 in Boston, was instead held virtually this year as organizers heeded warning signs of the imminent coronavirus pandemic. Undeterred from presenting their research findings, scientists used web portals to speak to conferencegoers, who were at home rather than packed together in a Boston conference hall. To follow is a quick summary of some of the major studies presented at the conference. Continue reading →