The infected person is a 66-year-old European man who worked in an African country with an ongoing outbreak. Officials did not specify which country. The man, who has a home in Thailand, was not reported to have severe symptoms, according to the New York Times report.

It’s the second time that the new and deadlier version of the virus has been found outside Africa. Coupled with the earlier case, discovered in Sweden last week, the announcement in Thailand is likely to stir concerns that the virus is spreading more widely. The outbreak previously had been concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The new version of the virus has a death rate of 3 percent, much higher than the 0.2 percent death rate observed in a 2022 outbreak, the global newspaper added.

On the other hand, Bangladesh has already implemented precautionary measures to prevent the entry of Mpox, an infectious disease primarily affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries.

The Ministry of Health has already issued a high alert for Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, following reports of the virus in various countries.

The alert came just a day after Pakistan’s health ministry identified its first case of Mpox.

Daud Adnan, the Deputy Director of the Department of Hospitals and Clinics at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), reassured the public that no cases have been detected in Bangladesh.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved US$3.0 million more in grant assistance for procuring urgently needed medical supplies for emergency response to the Covid -19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

The Government of Japan is financing the grant assistance sourced from the ADB-administered Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund, according to an ADB press statement.

“The assistance will help alleviate the government’s urgent financial, logistical, and otherconstraints to meet immediate needs and deliver appropriate medical services,” said Country Director Manmohan Parkash.

“The grant will finance the procurement of essential medicines, medical equipment and infection control supplies required for COVID-19 emergency response”.

“ADB is committed to supporting Bangladesh to minimize the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and help accelerate the post-pandemic socio-economic recovery of the country,” Mr. Parkash added.

The new assistance builds on ADB’s previous support of around $603 million in loans and grants to contain and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

Earlier on 07 May, the ADB approved $500 million loan to bolster the efforts of the Government of Bangladesh to manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s economy and the public health.

On 30 April, ADB approved a $100 million concessional emergency loan to support Bangladesh’s efforts to address the immediate public health requirements of combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)

“Ten more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll from the pandemic to 120,” Additional Director General (administration) of DGHS Prof Nasima Sultana told a virtual media briefing at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in the city.

She said the total number of the COVID-19 cases in the country has jumped to 3772 as 390 more people tested positive for the lethal virus during the period.

Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) Director Brigadier General Mohammad Shahidullah also addressed the briefing.

Bangladesh confirmed the first coronavirus death in the country on March 18, ten days after detection of its first COVID-19 positive cases.

According to the DGHS COVID-19 infection tally, Bangladesh is witnessing a sharp rise of coronavirus cases since April 6 as 3684 people tested positive for the super contagious disease in the last 17 days, while 88 cases were recorded from March 8 to April 5.

Nasima said a total of 29,674 samples have so far been tested since the detection of first COVID-19 cases in the country, adding: “We tested the highest number of 3096 samples in the past 24 hours, 122 more than the previous day.”

As the trend of the coronavirus cases is on the rise in the country, the government is expanding testing facilities to determine the actual number of COVID-19 cases, Nasima added.

She said among the 10 deaths, seven are in Dhaka and one each in Narayanganj, Mymensingh and Tangail districts.

The health official informed that at present, there are 21 labs in the country for testing samples of COVID-19.

Total number of recovered patients has now stood at 92 as five patients were cured from the disease over the past 24 hours, she added.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)

The Dhaka Sanitation Improvement project, co-financed with the World Bank, will support government investments in sanitation infrastructure comprising sewerage systems, sewage treatment, and pilot measures for hard-to-reach areas in the Pagla catchment, one of the most densely populated areas of the Dhaka city, the AIIB said in a statement on Monday.

About 1.5 million residents in Bangladesh’s capital are expected to benefit from improved sanitation services once the project is completed. The latest investment brings AIIB’s total commitment in Bangladesh to $1.068 billion.

“AIIB is committed to ensuring that its projects improve quality of life for the most vulnerable communities. This project is expected to directly contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which is to ensure access to water and sanitation for all,” said AIIB Vice President, Investment Operations, D.J. Pandian.

The project funds will be used to reconstruct two trunk mains, build a new secondary and tertiary network and a wastewater treatment plant.

Other key components of the investment include strengthening the capacity of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority and testing the feasibility of locally adapted collection and sewage treatment solutions, the Beijing-based lending agency added.

The project is AIIB’s eighth investment in the country, all of which are aligned with the country’s top priority development plans and the SDGs.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)

“Fifteen more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll from the pandemic to 75,” Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque told a virtual media briefing at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in the capital.

The minister said 266 more people tested positive for the lethal virus in the country during the time which took the total number of coronavirus cases to 1838.

He said the total number of recovered patients have now stood at 56 as nine patients were cured from the disease over the past 24 hours.

Additional Director General (administration) of DGHS Prof Nasima Sultana and IEDCR Director Prof Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora also addressed the briefing.

The IEDCR director called Dhaka and Narayanganj COVID-19 “hotspots” as maximum number of cases were detected in the two cities. Among the 1838 COVID-19 positive cases, 46 percent are in Dhaka and 20 percent in Narayangang.

Coronavirus positive cases have sharply increased in Gazipur, Mymensingh, Munshiganj, Chattogram and Keraniganj, she said.

Flora said COVID-19 infected patients were found in almost all areas in the capital, adding Mirpur with 11 per cent positive cases topped in the list of patients, followed by Mohammadpur and Jatrabari with four percent each.

Analyzing age-wise infected cases, the IEDCR director said 21 percent patients are between 21 to 30, 19 per cent between 31 to 40 and 15 per cent between 41 and 50.

Among the total cases, she said, 68 per cent are male and 32 per cent female.

Flora said 68 per cent patients are receiving treatment from their homes, while 32 per cent from hospitals.

Referring to the WHO’s instructions, the IEDCR director said mild infected patients should take treatment from their homes and they must stay at home isolation.

In such cases, family members have to maintain safe distancing from the patients, she said.

Flora urged the COVID-19 positive patients with mild symptoms not to visit hospital or get admitted, which will eventually reduce pressure on hospitals creating a scope for providing treatment of critical cases.

China was the world’s first country which on January 11 reported the first death from the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province, while Bangladesh confirmed its first COVID-19 positive cases on March 8.

About 2,160,170 people around the world have been infected with the deadly virus and 145,593 deaths were reported globally till date.

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This financing is designed to help member countries take effective action to respond to and, where possible, lessen the tragic impacts posed by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) that has already spread more than 60 countries, according to a statement.

Through this new fast track package, the World Bank Group will help developing countries strengthen health systems, including better access to health services to safeguard people from the epidemic, strengthen disease surveillance, bolster public health interventions, and work with the private sector to reduce the impact on economies.

The financial package, with financing drawn from across IDA, IBRD and IFC, will be globally coordinated to support country-based responses.

The COVID-19 support package will make available initial crisis resources of up to $12 billion in financing — $8 billion of which is new — on a fast track basis.

This comprises up to $2.7 billion new financing from IBRD; $1.3 billion from IDA, complemented by reprioritization of $2 billion of the Bank’s existing portfolio; and $6 billion from IFC, including $2 billion from existing trade facilities.

It will also include policy advice and technical assistance drawing on global expertise and country-level knowledge.

“We are working to provide a fast, flexible response based on developing country needs in dealing with the spread of COVID-19,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass.

“This includes emergency financing, policy advice, and technical assistance, building on the World Bank Group's existing instruments and expertise to help countries respond to the crisis."

The financial package will provide grants and low-interest loans from IDA for low income countries and loans from IBRD for middle income countries, using all of the Bank’s operational instruments with processing accelerated on a fast track basis.

International Finance Corporation, the WB Group’s private sector arm, will provide its clients with the necessary support to continue operating and to sustain jobs.

The WB support will cover a range of interventions to strengthen health services and primary health care, bolster disease monitoring and reporting, train front line health workers, encourage community engagement to maintain public trust, and improve access to treatment for the poorest patients.

The WB will also provide policy and technical advice to ensure countries can access global expertise.

IFC will work with commercial bank clients to expand trade finance and working capital lines.

It will also directly support its corporate clients — with a focus on strategic sectors including medical equipment and pharmaceuticals — to sustain supply chains and limit downside risks. These solutions will leverage the lessons learned from similar events in the past with a goal to minimize the negative economic and social impacts of COVID-19 globally.

Countries face different levels of risk and vulnerability to COVID-19, and will require different levels of support.

The WB Group support will prioritize the poorest countries and those at high risk with low capacity. As the spread of COVID-19 and its impact continues to evolve, the World Bank Group will adapt its approach and resources as needed.

The WB Group is actively engaged with international institutions and country authorities to help coordinate the global response.

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Geneva, Switzerland (BBN)- There are more than 1.0 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among people aged 15-49 years each day, according to data released on Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO).

This amounts to more than 376 million new cases annually of four infections - chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis, and syphilis, it added.

Published online by the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, the research shows that among men and women aged 15–49 years, there were 127 million new cases of chlamydia in 2016, 87 million of gonorrhoea, 6.3 million of syphilis and 156 million of trichomoniasis.

“We’re seeing a concerning lack of progress in stopping the spread of sexually transmitted infections worldwide,” said Dr Peter Salama, Executive Director for Universal Health Coverage and the Life-Course at WHO.

“This is a wake-up call for a concerted effort to ensure everyone, everywhere can access the services they need to prevent and treat these debilitating diseases.”

These STIs have a profound impact on the health of adults and children worldwide. If untreated, they can lead to serious and chronic health effects that include neurological and cardiovascular disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirths, and increased risk of HIV. They are also associated with significant levels of stigma and domestic violence.
Syphilis alone caused an estimated 200 000 stillbirths and newborn deaths in 2016, making it one of the leading causes of baby loss globally.

STIs remain a persistent and endemic health threat worldwide
Since the last published data for 2012, there has been no substantive decline in either the rates of new or existing infections.

On average, approximately 1 in 25 people globally have at least one of these STIs, according to the latest figures, with some experiencing multiple infections at the same time.

STIs spread predominantly through unprotected sexual contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex. Some—including chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis—can also be transmitted during pregnancy and childbirth, or, in the case of syphilis, through contact with infected blood or blood products, and injecting drug use.

STIs are preventable through safe sexual practices, including correct and consistent condom use and sexual health education.

Timely and affordable testing and treatment are crucial for reducing the burden of STIs globally, alongside efforts to encourage people who are sexually active to get screened for STIs.

The WHO further recommends that pregnant women should be systematically screened for syphilis as well as HIV.

All bacterial STIs can be treated and cured with widely available medications. However, recent shortages in the global supply of benzathine penicillin has made it more difficult to treat syphilis. Rapidly increasing antimicrobial resistance to gonorrhoea treatments is also a growing health threat, and may lead eventually to the disease being impossible to treat.

Expanding access to prevention, testing and treatment
The WHO generates estimates to assess the global burden of STIs, and to help countries and health partners respond.

This includes research to strengthen prevention, improve quality of care, develop point-of-care diagnostics and new treatments, and generate investment in vaccine development.

More data was available from women than men to generate these global estimates, and STI prevalence data remains sparse for men globally.

The WHO is seeking to improve national and global surveillance to ensure availability of reliable information on the extent of the STI burden worldwide.

Published in the WHO Bulletin as an ‘online first’, the data provides the baseline for monitoring progress against the Global Health Sector Strategy on STIs, 2016–2021.

The strategy, adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2016, proposed rapid scale-up of evidence-based interventions and services to end STIs as a public health concern by 2030.

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Girls who menstruate before the age of 12 have a 10 per cent higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke in later life, a study has found.

Oxford, UK (BBN) - Girls who menstruate before the age of 12 have a 10 per cent higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke in later life, a new study suggests.

This is compared to women who had been 13 or older when they started their periods, reports dailymail.

Those who had them younger also faced an increased chance of having pregnancy complications, an early menopause and a hysterectomy – which are all linked to cardiovascular disease, say the researchers.

The study, by The George Institute for Global Health, University of Oxford, did not offer any explanation for the findings.

But new research has found going through puberty early – before the age of 13 – makes women twice as likely to suffer a stroke in later life and the team said it was because they are prone to reduced blood flow in the body.

This can lead to a reduced amount of oxygen reaching the brain, causing the death of tissue and leading to a potentially deadly stroke, experts warned.

Furthermore, past research suggests the onset of puberty in girls has become earlier over the last few decades – and there is strong evidence that the increasing rates of obesity in children over the same time period is a major factor.

The average age for a girl to start her periods is between 12 and 13, although there is some variation of this.

The authors of the latest study, published in the journal Heart, said their results suggest girls who are under 12 when they first menstruate should get heart check-ups more often.

'More frequent cardiovascular screening would seem to be sensible among women who are early in their reproductive cycle, or who have a history of adverse reproductive events or a hysterectomy, as this might help to delay or prevent their onset of [cardiovascular disease]' they wrote

KEY FINDINGS:

The team analyzed Biobank data, which included records of 267,440 women up to the age of 69.

Their findings show a strong link between all the conditions. Those who went through the menopause early (before the age of 47) had a 33 per cent heightened risk of cardiovascular disease.

This rose to 42 percent for their risk of stroke, after taking account of other potentially influential factors.

Previous miscarriages were linked with a higher chance of heart disease, with each miscarriage increasing the risk by six percent.

And stillbirth was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in general (22 per cent) and of stroke in particular (44 per cent).

Hysterectomy was linked to a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (12 per cent) and of heart disease (20 per cent).

And those who had had their ovaries removed before a hysterectomy were twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease as those who hadn't had these procedures.

Young age at first parenthood seemed to be another risk factor, with each additional year of age lessening the risk of cardiovascular disease by around 3 per cent.

But the association between the number of children and cardiovascular disease was similar for men and women, suggesting that social, psychological, and behavioral factors may be more important than biological ones.

The researchers explained that this is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect.

They also point out that the age of first menstruation was based on recall, which may not have always been completely accurate.

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Woman running outdoors fall park leaves exercise run jog. Photo: Shutterstock

Indiana, US (BBN) - Want an all-natural way to lift your mood, improve your memory, and protect your brain against the decline that comes with aging?

Get moving.

Exercises that get your heart pumping and sweat flowing — known as aerobic exercise, or "cardio" — have significant and beneficial effects on the brain and body, according to a wealth of recent research, including a new study published this fall.

"Aerobic exercise is key for your head, just as it is for your heart," according to an article in a Harvard Medical School blog. Here are some of the ways cardio is such a boon for our bodies, reports businessinsider.com.

CARDIO TONES YOUR MUSCLES:

It was initially believed that when it comes to building muscle, cardio paled in comparison to exercises like resistance training, which are specifically designed to help you gain strength. But a recent review of 14 studies published in the journal Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews found that on average, men who did 45 minutes of moderate to intense cardio 4 days a week saw a 5%-6% increase in leg muscle size.

“Aerobic exercise, if done properly, can lead to as much muscle growth as you’d expect with resistance exercise,” Ball State University exercise scientist Matthew Harber, who authored the study, told Men's Fitness.

IT ALSO RAISES YOUR HEART RATE, IMPROVING HEART AND LUNG HEALTH:

Aerobic workouts, especially swimming, train your body to use oxygen more efficiently, a practice that gradually reduces your resting heart rate and your breathing rate — two important indicators of cardiovascular health.

A 2008 study compared blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other heart health metrics across close to 46,000 walkers, runners, swimmers, and sedentary people. The researchers found that the regular swimmers and runners had the best metrics, followed closely by the walkers.

AEROBIC WORKOUTS APPEAR TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOUR GUT:

A small study published in November suggests that cardio exercise changes the makeup of the microbes in our gut.

Those microbes play a role in inflammation levels, which can be an early warning sign of illness.

The researchers had study participants exercise 3-5 times per week for 6 weeks, and observed increases in their concentrations of butyrate, a type of fatty acid that helps keep our guts happy by tamping down on inflammation and producing energy.

"These are the first studies to show that exercise can have an effect on your gut independent of diet or other factors," Jeffrey Woods, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois who led the research, said in a statement.

CARDIO MAY IMPROVE CHOLESTEROL LEVELS, TOO:

A large recent review of research on how cardio affects cholesterol levels looked at 13 studies on the topic. It found that aerobic exercise was tied with reductions in LDL, which is also known as "bad" cholesterol because it can build up on the walls of your arteries and raise your risk of heart disease. Cardio exercise was also linked with increases in HDL, also known as "good" cholesterol because it mobilizes the cholesterol in your blood.

"Prolonged moderate-intensity aerobic exercise should be recommended as a starting point for those who have previously been sedentary or are new to exercise," the authors wrote.

AEROBIC EXERCISE HELPS PREVENT AND MANAGE DIABETES BY IMPROVING THE WAY THE BODY USES BLOOD SUGAR:

Several studies have found that cardio exercise helps people both prevent Type 2 diabetes and manage its symptoms — mostly by improving the way the body uses blood sugar.

A large Chinese study found that even modest changes in aerobic exercise (20 minutes of mild or moderate activity, 10 minutes of strenuous activity, or just 5 minutes of very strenuous activity 1-2 times per day) cut participants' diabetes risk by close to half.

A single session of cardio has been found to increase insulin action and glucose tolerance for more than 24 hours; one week of it can improve whole-body insulin sensitivity.

CARDIO WORKOUTS MAY EVEN IMPROVE THE LOOK AND FEEL OF YOUR SKIN:

A study from researchers at McMaster University found that people over age 40 who engaged in regular cardio activity tended to have healthier skin than their sedentary peers. The overall composition of the regular exercisers' skin was more comparable to that of 20- and 30-year-olds.

It's not yet clear why our workouts appear to play a role in skin health, but the researchers found elevated levels of a substance critical to cell health called IL-15 in skin samples of participants after exercise. That finding that could shed light on why cardio seems to make our skin look better.

AEROBIC EXERCISE BENEFITS YOUR MIND, TOO — IT CAN LIFT YOUR MOOD, FOR EXAMPLE:

Aerobic exercise "has a unique capacity to exhilarate and relax, to provide stimulation and calm, to counter depression and dissipate stress," according to an article in the Harvard Medical School blog "Mind and Mood."

The reason aerobic workouts lift our spirits seems related to their ability to reduce levels of natural stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, according to a recent study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science. Activities like running and swimming also increase overall blood flow and provide our minds fresh energy and oxygen — another factor that could help us feel better.

WORKOUTS MAY REDUCE THE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION:

In addition to boosting the moods of healthy people, aerobic exercise may have a uniquely powerful positive impact on people with depression.

In a pilot study, people with severe depression spent 30 minutes walking on treadmill for 10 consecutive days. The researchers found the activity was "sufficient to produce a clinically relevant and statistically significant reduction in depression."

CARDIO APPEARS TO GUARD AGAINST SOME AGE-RELATED DECLINE LIKE REDUCED BRAIN CONNECTIVITY:

As we age, the brain — like any other organ — begins to work less efficiently, so normal signs of decline begin to surface. Our memory might not be quite as sharp as it once was, for example.

But older people who develop Alzheimer's disease often first enter a stage known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which involves more serious problems with memory, language, thinking, and judgment.

A study published in May looked at adults with MCI between the ages of 60-88, and had participants walk for 30 minutes four days a week for 12 weeks. The results showed strengthened connectivity in a region of the brain where weakened connections have been linked with memory loss. That development, the researchers noted, "may possibly increase cognitive reserve," but more studies are needed.

AEROBIC EXERCISE MAY HELP PROTECT AGAINST MEMORY DIFFICULTIES IN PEOPLE UNDERGOING CHEMO AS WELL:

In a July study, researchers examined hundreds of breast cancer survivors to see if activities like walking and swimming have an effect on "chemo brain," a commonly reported side effect of breast cancer treatment that involves memory loss and difficulties focusing.

They gave nearly 300 breast cancer survivors accelerometers to track their activity, and provided them with an iPad app that featured quizzes designed to measure their attention and memory. At the end of a week, people who'd done aerobic exercise every day were significantly less tired than those who did little to no exercise, and also performed better on the app's quizzes.

"The message for cancer patients and survivors is, get active!" Diane Ehlers, the lead author on the study and a professor of exercise psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, said in a statement.

CARDIO MAY BE TIED TO INCREASES IN THE SIZE OF BRAIN AREAS LINKED TO MEMORY, BUT MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED:

A study of older women with MCI found that aerobic exercise was tied to an increase in the size of the hippocampus, a brain area involved in learning and memory.

For the study, 86 women with MCI between 70 and 80 years old were randomly assigned to do one of three types of exercise twice a week for six months. Some did aerobic training (like walking and swimming), others focused on resistance training (like weight-lifting), or balance training.

Afterwards, only the women in the aerobic group were found to have significant increases in hippocampal volume, but more studies are needed to determine what effect this has on cognitive performance.

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Times More Germs Than A Toilet Seat Office tea bags are loaded with germs, 17 times more germs than those on a toilet seat!

New Delhi, India (BBN) - Are you in a habit of sipping a cup of tea every day at work? That one single cup of tea can help you calm down and work better than usual, right? Think again!

A new study shows that office tea bags carry germs; and that to 17 times more than what you find on a toilet seat. Gross isn't it, reports NDTV.

Scientists reveal that the average bacterial reading of an office tea bag is 3785 and compared to those on a toilet seat which is 220.

The Initial Washroom Hygiene conducted this study and found out that the staggering results were an analysis of the bacterial reading on kitchen utensils. Bacterial reading on other kitchen appliances were averaging at 2483 on kettle handles, 1746 on the rim of a mug and 1592 on refrigerator door handles.

A poll was conducted in this study of 1000 workers and it was found that 80% of them did not think of washing their hands before making beverages for their colleagues.
Dr Peter Barratt from the Initial Washroom Hygiene felt that an increased level of awareness is required for maintaining hygiene in communal kitchens. He explains that use of anti-bacterial wipes on kitchen appliances, surfaces and cleaning mugs can help in keeping your work force healthy.
Here's a list of tips to help you maintain good hygiene in your place of work.
1. Don't eat at your desk. The sponges used to clean your desk carry millions of microorganisms and are filthy enough to make you fall ill for a long period of time.
2. Wash your hands as often as possible. While you touch all sorts of surfaces all around you in office, you do not know what sort of germs might be present all around you.
3. If ill, avoid going to office. This is not just for your health, but for the health sake of your colleagues.
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