WHO clarifies remark on asymptomatic spread, calls it 'misunderstanding'

A top World Health Organization master has attempted to clear up "false impressions" about remarks she made that were broadly comprehended to propose that individuals without COVID-19 side effects once in a while transmit the coronnoavirus.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the U.N. wellbeing organization's specialized lead on the infection pandemic, demanded Tuesday that she was alluding just to a couple of studies, not a total picture, in the remarks she made Monday.
Van Kerkhove's comments on Monday brought up disarray and issues among outside specialists and wellbeing authorities who have suggested and in certain spots necessitated that individuals wear veils to attempt to keep the infection from spreading.
The explanation she gave during a WHO web based life visit demonstrated numerous inquiries stay about whether contaminated individuals who don't show side effects of disease, for example, fever, dry hack or trouble breathing can transmit the infection to other people.

Van Kerkhove stated: What I was alluding to yesterday were not many investigations, approximately a few examinations that have been distributed, that really attempt to follow asymptomatic cases. That is an exceptionally little subset of studies, she proceeded. I utilized the expression 'uncommon,' and I believe that that is (a) misconception to express that asymptomatic transmission all inclusive is uncommon. What I was alluding to was a subset of studies.

Cybercrimes in the time of Covid-19: Scamsters taking advantage of pandemic

The entire world is currently worried about containing Covid-19. But at the same time, there is an entire ecosystem that is riding piggyback on this pandemic to carry out financial frauds. And these start right from creating a fake PM CARES link for donations, equated monthly instalment (EMI) moratorium frauds, and malware in real-time apps that provide details of Covid-19 patients near you. Tragically, people are falling for these because of the overall fear. For example, a 46-year-old lost more than Rs 1 lakh after downloading a real-time neighbour-hood patient detection app.
Murali Urs, country manager, India of Barracuda Networks, says: “As much of the world grapples with Covid-19, attackers are taking advan-tage of the widespread discussion in emails and across the web.”
Mobile apps: Currently, there are many virus-related apps, which are actually malware asking for various permissions and inadvertently gain access. Raman Singh, co-founder and CRO, CloudConnect Communications, says: “The department of telecommunications recently announced a list of websites around Covid-19 with high malicious content, including fake maps showing infected users. These require the users to download software for generating counterfeit maps, making it a security concern.” In short, beware of what you download, and more importantly, the permission you give.
Tip: Ask why does the app need to read my SMSes, or permission to record/make calls from my mobile to give me a heat-map?
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Email frauds: It is the most typical route for fraudsters to reach out to you, as email database is readily available on the darknet. Himanshu Dubey, director, Quick Heal Security Labs, says: “Some of these emails claim to be from the WHO or some legitimate-sounding names, well-written, and provide information close to the WHO guidelines.” In short, the fraudster lures you into opening an attached file.” Once you open the file, a malicious virus or malware is downloaded on your device, which steals information either by key-logging or pulling browser history. The most significant risk is they can get access to your financial credentials. Urs adds: “Watch out for any communication claiming to be from sources that you normally do not receive emails from.” Phishing emails ask you to open into a very familiar looking website like your bank, but the site is fake and steals your credentials.

Tip: Never save website passwords, as they are easily accessible to info-stealing malware. Always access your financial data by typing your bank’s web address manually in the browser rather than opening links.

Coronavirus outbreak can now be classified as a pandemic, says WHO

Current Affairs
The new coronavirus episode would now be able to be depicted as a pandemic, the leader of the World Health Organization reported Wednesday.
WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was grieved by the spread and seriousness of the episode, alongside an absence of activity taken to battle it.
"WHO has been evaluating this episode nonstop and we're profoundly concerned, both by the disturbing degrees of spread and seriousness, and by the disturbing degrees of inaction," he told a news gathering in Geneva.
"We have along these lines made the evaluation that COVID-19 can be portrayed as a pandemic."
The quantity of cases in more than 100 nations around the globe has ascended to more than 124,000, with more than 4,500 passings, remembering a hop for fatalities in Iran and Italy specifically, as per an AFP count.
China remains the most noticeably terrible influenced nation with in excess of 80,000 affirmed cases and more than 3,000 passings. Tedros said that in the course of recent weeks, the quantity of cases outside China had expanded 13-overlay and the quantity of influenced nations had significantly increased.

He said he anticipated the quantity of cases and passings would develop in the coming days and weeks. "Pandemic isn't a word to utilize softly or recklessly," he told journalists, however he focused on that "depicting the circumstance as a pandemic doesn't change WHO's evaluation of the risk presented by the infection.".....Read More

Air pollution from stubble burning costing India $30 bn annually: Study

Current Affairs

Air pollution due to crop residue burning in northern India is a leading risk factor of acute respiratory infections and causes an estimated economic loss of $30 billion annually, according to a study unveiled Monday.

Researchers from the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and partner institutes found that living in districts with air pollution from intense crop residue burning (CRB) is a leading risk factor for acute respiratory infection (ARI), especially among children less than five years.

The study that estimates -- for the first time -- the health and economic costs of CRB in northern India also found that CRB leads to an estimated economic loss of over $30 billion annually.

"Poor air quality is a recognised global public health epidemic, with levels of airborne particulate matter in Delhi spiking to 20 times the World Health Organization's safety threshold during certain days," said Samuel Scott, IFPRI Research Fellow and co-author of the study.

"Among other factors, smoke from the burning of agricultural crop residue by farmers in Haryana and Punjab especially contributes to Delhi's poor air, increasing the risk of ARI three-fold for those living in districts with intense crop burning," Scott said in a statement.

The study also estimated the economic cost of exposure to air pollution from crop residue burning at $30 billion or nearly Rs 2 trillion annually for the three north Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, researchers said.


 To be published in the upcoming edition of the International Journal of Epidemiology, the study analysed health data from more than 250,000 individuals of all ages residing in rural and urban areas in India...Read More

Patiala only Indian city with clean air as new anti-pollution plan stumbles

Current Affairs:

Almost a month after the launch of a national programme for air pollution abatement, cities across India--home to 14 of the most polluted cities in the world--continued to breathe toxic air during the winter of 2018-19.

Only Patiala among 74 cities assessed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) met the national safe air standards as on February 4, 2019, said a CPCB daily bulletin.

On January 17, 2019, Ghaziabad, an industrial city bordering capital Delhi, reported a 24-hour average for toxic particulate matter (PM) 2.5 that was 14 times higher than World Health Organization’s (WHO) safe standard. The PM 2.5 average that day in Ghaziabad was six times higher than even India’s own, more lenient, safe-air standard. The national standard allows 2.4 times higher levels of particulate matter than the WHO’s.

The air quality in the world’s most polluted city, Delhi--home to 20 million people--remained above safe limits almost all days this winter between November 2018 and the first week of January 2019, IndiaSpend reported on January 17, 2019.


To fix this pollution crisis, the Indian government launched its first-ever national framework called National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) on January 10, 2019.