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Ebola Outbreak in Africa Reaches Widest Expansion Ever

22 October 2026 at 17:41
Health officials are urgently seeking answers about the origins of a case newly identified in Nigeria, the first in that West African nation.

© Marvellous Durowaiye/Reuters

Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, where the country’s first Ebola patient was admitted this week. An African health official said that if authorities could not come up with ways to stamp out the outbreak, “the whole continent can be affected.”

França registra primeiro caso humano do vírus Shamonda

22 October 2026 at 16:29

A França relatou, nesta quinta-feira (22), o primeiro caso humano do vírus Shamonda — habitualmente encontrado em animais de criação — em um paciente que veio a falecer.

As autoridades acrescentaram que, neste momento, não há risco para a população em geral.

Suspeita-se que a vítima tenha sido picada por um mosquito portador do vírus no leste da França, região onde o patógeno circulou entre animais durante a primavera e o verão, informou o governo em um comunicado.

O ECDC (Centro Europeu de Prevenção e Controle de Doenças), sediado em Estocolmo, afirmou que está acompanhando a situação.

 

“O ECDC está em contato com as autoridades francesas e parceiros europeus para investigar as possíveis implicações para a saúde pública”, declarou o órgão em um comunicado.

O paciente faleceu no início de outubro e estava em tratamento para uma doença grave, o que o tornava mais suscetível a infecções do que a população em geral, informou o centro.

“Estão em andamento investigações para determinar se o vírus causou ou contribuiu para a morte do paciente, bem como a forma como a infecção foi contraída”, acrescentou o centro.

Vírus se espalhando entre animais na Europa

A vítima era um homem na faixa dos 60 anos que vivia na região de Lyon, no leste da França, informou o jornal local “Le Progrès”.

“Com base no conhecimento disponível sobre este vírus, nenhum risco à saúde da população em geral foi identificado até o momento”, declarou o governo.

O vírus Shamonda é transmitido por mosquitos do gênero “Culicoides” e é encontrado principalmente em bovinos, embora também tenha sido detectado em cavalos, alpacas, ovelhas e cabras, segundo a OMSA (Organização Mundial da Saúde Animal).

Ele não é classificado como uma doença sob a legislação de saúde animal da União Europeia e não está sujeito a medidas oficiais de vigilância ou controle.

Identificado na Nigéria em meados da década de 1960, o vírus Shamonda foi confirmado pela primeira vez na Europa no final de julho, após testes genômicos realizados em bovinos doentes no sul da Alemanha, na Suíça e no leste da França.

O boletim semanal de vigilância em saúde animal da França informou que o vírus também foi detectado na Áustria, Bélgica, Irlanda, Itália, Liechtenstein, Luxemburgo, Países Baixos, Portugal, Eslovênia, Espanha e na ilha de Jersey (Reino Unido).

O vírus provoca diversos efeitos nos animais.

Um estudo realizado em nove fazendas leiteiras francesas constatou uma queda de até 75% na produção de leite; os bovinos afetados apresentaram diarreia, fraqueza, perda de apetite e, com menos frequência, febre, informaram as autoridades francesas de saúde animal.

O que é o vírus Shamonda que fez a 1ª. morte de um humano?

22 October 2026 at 15:36
Vírus transmitido por mosquito foi identificado num doente francês gravemente imunodeprimido, que morreu no início de outubro. Autoridades afastam, para já, riscos para a população em geral.

© NurPhoto via Getty Images

As autoridades francesas afirmam que, com os conhecimentos atualmente disponíveis, não foi identificado qualquer risco sanitário para a população em geral

Africa CDC pide apoyo internacional urgente ante expansión del ébola

22 October 2026 at 02:54
Nigeria se convirtió esta semana en el cuarto país afectado por el actual brote de ébola, el segundo más mortífero de la historia a nivel global, con más de 4.600 muertos.

No surprise and lasting anger: families of people who died in care homes react to Covid inquiry report

21 October 2026 at 19:11

Relatives recount distress and loneliness their loved ones went through in pandemic as a result of isolation policy

“At the time it felt like a devil’s bargain – it was horrible, but it was what [we thought] we had to do to keep people safe,” says Amy of the “devastating” and “terrifying” restrictions that led to her maternal grandparents being locked down in separate care homes during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eva and Eric had been married for more than 60 years when her dementia and his increased frailty meant they needed separate residential support. When the first lockdown was announced in March 2020, however, it in effect cut them off from each other and their granddaughter, to whom they had been especially close after the early death of Amy’s mother.

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© Photograph: Matt Crossick/PA

© Photograph: Matt Crossick/PA

© Photograph: Matt Crossick/PA

Virus del Nilo Occidental se propaga por Europa

21 October 2026 at 12:39

Ginebra, 21 oct (Prensa Latina) El Centro Europeo para la Prevención y el Control de Enfermedades (ECDC por sus siglas en inglés) alertó hoy que el virus del Nilo Occidental se propaga por el norte de Europa.

The post Virus del Nilo Occidental se propaga por Europa first appeared on Noticias Prensa Latina.

Atlanta's Former Mayor Is Running for Georgia Governor. The 2020 Protests Could Cost Her the Race.

21 October 2026 at 11:30
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, protesters in front of a burning structure, and Rick Jackson | Robin Rayne/Phil Mistry/ZUMAPRESS/PPI/ZUMA Press/Newscom

When Americans vote in the midterm elections next month, it seems likely that Democrats will see decisive victories across the country.

This trend seems likely to affect Georgia's two most high-profile races differently. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, is running for reelection against Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican who represents the state's 10th congressional district, while in the race to replace Gov. Brian Kemp, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms faces Republican billionaire Rick Jackson.

Ossoff and Bottoms may both be Democrats, but their prospects look very different: A recent poll put Ossoff nearly seven points ahead of Collins, but Bottoms was a point and a half behind Jackson, trailing the senator from her own party by more than five points.

Democrats hope that if Ossoff does well enough, it will boost their other candidates. But it's worth asking why Bottoms, who was feted as a possible vice presidential candidate, is struggling to break even against someone with no prior name recognition, in a year expected to be a boon for her party.

It's possible that the crime and protests of 2020 could be weighing down Bottoms' candidacy in an otherwise auspicious year for Democrats.


Mayor Bottoms and the 'COVID Crime Wave'

Bottoms' single term as mayor of Georgia's capital city would be defined by summer 2020. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, violent crime rose across the country, but it was worse in Atlanta—homicides were up 59 percent, while most other cities averaged 33 percent. Bottoms herself later called it the "COVID crime wave."

Then on May 25 in Minneapolis, a police officer killed George Floyd, an unarmed black man accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill. Footage went viral, and protesters across the country took to the streets.

In some places, including Atlanta, protests turned destructive, and the police responded in kind.

Bottoms called for peace. "If you care about this city, then go home," she exhorted rioters in a news conference. "When you burn down this city, you're burning down our community."

She won bipartisan praise. "Your passion, your composure, your balance, has been really incredible," then-presidential candidate Joe Biden told her.

But just days later, Atlanta police officers shot and killed a black man, Rayshard Brooks, in a Wendy's parking lot. Protesters gathered the next day and burned the restaurant to the ground.

Meanwhile, after the district attorney announced charges against the cops involved in Brooks' shooting, more than 170 officers called out sick in protest. Bottoms admitted that officer morale "is down tenfold."

Then on July 4, less than half a mile away from the site of Brooks' death, protesters shot into a car, killing 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.

The crime spike persisted into 2021, and in May of that year, Bottoms announced that she would not run for a second term.

Officially, she said, it was "time to pass the baton on to someone else," though her announcement "came as the city faces a homicide rate topping that of this time last year—a historically deadly one in Atlanta," Henri Hollis wrote at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Indeed, it seems the "COVID crime wave" had caught up with her: A September 2021 poll found that while 57 percent of city residents approved of the job she was doing, 53 percent also felt the city was on the wrong track, including 48 percent of Democrats. The top issue was crime, which 70 percent of respondents felt was headed in the wrong direction.

She later told New York that by stepping down, she was "putting my emotional and mental health first"—a worthy reason, though a bit odd since she now seeks an even higher office.

Then again, she also had higher aspirations. Bottoms was one of the first officeholders to endorse Biden for president in 2020, and she later made his shortlist of potential running mates. After the end of her term, she joined Biden's White House as director of the Office of Public Engagement, after which she moved over to the President's Export Council for the remainder of his term.

Bottoms announced her run for governor just four months after leaving Washington. And while she locked up the Democratic nomination easily, winning 56 percent of the vote among seven candidates, she didn't exactly fire up the base, and it seems like she just expected to coast to victory.

"It feels a lot like she gained the nomination…largely from name identification," progressive journalist Zaid Jilani tells Reason. "She really wasn't raising that much money or spending that much on television….It should be a high-profile race in many ways, but the ideas she's putting forward are fairly rehashed," and "she doesn't have that much creative advertising."


Rick Jackson's Deep Pockets and Shallow Record

Rick Jackson, meanwhile, seemed to come out of nowhere.

President Donald Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in August 2025, and Jones led the Republican primary field at the end of that year.

While Kemp famously resisted Trump's efforts to subvert Georgia's presidential election results in 2020, Jones was a willing participant in the scheme.

"I've been the Trump guy since 2015, not '16," Jones bragged. "I've taken all the battle scars and everything else. I know who ran and hid during 2020 and everything else."

Then in February 2026, just three months before the primary, Jackson entered the race. He was a septuagenarian with no name recognition, but he was also quite wealthy, so he blanketed the state with ads to introduce himself to voters.

In six weeks, he spent over $30 million—"more than any candidate has ever spent in a primary race for Georgia governor, with more than two months before the May 19 election," wrote Jeff Amy of the Associated Press.

It worked: Jackson beat Jones in a primary runoff with 53 percent of the vote. By then, he had spent $108 million on his campaign while raising less than $400,000 from donors.

Jackson has made much of his background, as a child of poverty who entered the foster system at age 13 to escape a dysfunctional household. As an adult, he started in sales and worked his way up to entrepreneurship, starting Jackson Healthcare in 2000 and growing it to more than $1 billion in annual revenues. He is also a generous donor to charitable causes, particularly those relating to foster care.

But with no political record, Jackson can be hard to pin down on certain issues.

For example, one Jackson ad criticizes Bottoms for the rise of data centers in Atlanta, even though he has also spoken positively of their economic potential.

Georgia Democrats have tarred Jackson as a Trumpian election denier, singling out a comment he made at a campaign event: When asked if the 2020 election was stolen, Jackson replied, "That was totally ridiculous what happened in 2020 and our people really let us down." ("Just as Governor Kemp did, Rick acknowledges both Biden's win and that there were issues in the 2020 election that needed to be resolved in order to ensure Georgians have faith in our electoral system," a campaign spokesperson told CNN.)

During the primaries, he even took heat from both sides on abortion: Jones accused Jackson's company of working with Planned Parenthood, while Jackson himself seemed to suggest he wanted to change the state's abortion ban to remove exceptions for rape or incest. ("Rick believes we have a strong pro-life law in place and he wants to keep it as it is," his campaign said in a statement.)

And while he made Trump-like pledges, like to "make Georgia No. 1 in the nation for criminal deportations" and keep "the religion of woke ideology" out of schools, his platform calls for an "intelligent Medicaid expansion" in the state.

Jackson has also pivoted just over the course of the campaign.

He bragged in his campaign announcement video that he "donated a million bucks to Trump," and he's said that if elected, he would be "just like" Trump but "with a southern tone."

He said Trump had "no bigger supporter" than himself, and he could not name a single Trump policy he disagreed with. When Trump endorsed Jackson at a campaign rally in July, the candidate pointed to the president and said, "I'm going to be this man's favorite governor."

But like many other Republicans, Jackson has distanced himself from the president, whose approval rating is at an all-time low. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that in campaign appearances, Jackson has stopped mentioning Trump directly, preferring to compare himself to Kemp, the sitting governor who remains popular.

He apparently also scrubbed all mentions of the president from his campaign website.

But one thing that has remained consistent in Jackson's campaign strategy is criticizing Bottoms' record as mayor.


Will the 'COVID Crime Wave' Sink Bottoms?

Some of Jackson's campaign ads feature grateful children who grew up in foster care and benefited from his philanthropy, but for the most part, they have targeted Bottoms over her record.

One ad, titled "Disaster," paints Bottoms' tenure as exactly that, with the city becoming practically unlivable during summer 2020.

"Keisha ended cash bail, gutted the corrections budget, let Atlanta burn, and unleashed a crime wave," Jackson wrote on X to accompany another ad. "Then she walked away."

"If Keisha wants to run from her record," according to a campaign email, "we're going to make sure Georgia remembers exactly what that record was."

Many Jackson ads, flyers, and mailers have featured images of Secoriea Turner, the 8-year-old girl killed by gunfire. (Turner's parents have asked Jackson's campaign to stop.)

But is it fair to blame everything on Bottoms? While Atlanta was worse than most, many major cities saw large homicide spikes: Chicago's murder rate climbed more than 50 percent that year, while New York City's went up nearly 40 percent. Murders in Columbus, Ohio, rose a staggering 67 percent.

Regardless, Bottoms was in charge at the time. And the attacks do seem to have an effect, as she's locked in a dead heat against Jackson.

Granted, Bottoms was never a particularly strong candidate. When she ran for mayor in 2017, she won the runoff election by fewer than 800 votes, even with the endorsement of the outgoing mayor.

Georgia also has not elected a Democratic governor in nearly three decades, though it has elected Democrats to the U.S. Senate three times since 2020 and seems poised to reelect one this year.

There's also the fact of Jackson's money, saturating the state with eight-figure ad buys while Democrats were spending only a fraction of that.

Of course, money alone can't buy a victory: Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams in each of the last two races for governor, despite being comfortably outraised and outspent each time.

But Bottoms currently trails Ossoff by five points in an election cycle expected to be quite beneficial to their party.

It seems the race will serve as an indicator of how fresh the summer of COVID-19 still feels for Georgians.

"To the kind of voter that Jackson is courting, it probably is true that had Democrats [instead] nominated the mayor of Macon [a smaller Georgia city], they would be in a stronger position than nominating the mayor of Atlanta, especially one who was in power during those years," Jilani tells Reason. "If he wins, it demonstrates that that is still a fairly potent line of attack."

The post Atlanta's Former Mayor Is Running for Georgia Governor. The 2020 Protests Could Cost Her the Race. appeared first on Reason Magazine.

‘Superficial damp squib’: Covid inquiry recommendations fail to impress bereaved families

Latest report paints a painful picture of the care sector during the pandemic. But timid recommendations and a lack of accountability threaten to undermine it

Of all 10 reports due to be published by the long-running Covid-19 inquiry, this week’s findings on adult social care were especially anticipated.

The impact of Covid-19 on the care sector was calamitous: tens of thousands of people died, staff were forced to wear bin bags due to a lack of protective clothing and relatives were banned from seeing their loved ones in their dying days.

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© Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

© Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

© Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

UK government failures led to Covid spreading ‘like wildfire’ in care homes, inquiry finds

Inquiry chair says failure to advise care homes to isolate people discharged from hospital was ‘significant oversight’

• UK politics live – latest updates

The care sector was “an afterthought” during the Covid-19 pandemic, and government failures caused the virus to spread “like wildfire” among vulnerable and elderly people, a public inquiry has found.

Heather Hallett, who is leading the Covid-19 inquiry, said it was a “significant omission” that the government did not advise that patients discharged from hospitals into care homes should be isolated, causing the virus to spread rapidly among residents and staff.

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© Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

© Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

© Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Filme sobre confinamento de Wuhan estreia na China

20 October 2026 at 08:49
"Heróis de Branco" recria os 76 dias de confinamento de Wuhan, entre janeiro e abril de 2020, é protagonizado pelo ator de Hong Kong Andy Lau e pela atriz chinesa Yang Zishan.

© SHEPHERD ZHOU/EPA

O anúncio da estreia provocou reações divergentes nas redes sociais chinesas, onde alguns internautas manifestaram relutância em reviver as dificuldades daquele período

“Pier Silvio Berlusconi mi ha salvato la vita. Non volevo fare la fine di mio padre, ho detto: ‘Se devo morì, voglio morì a casa mia, non rinchiuso qui dentro senza rivedere i miei figli”: il racconto di Totti nel suo libro

17 October 2026 at 15:46

“Credetemi, non so quanto resisterò ancora”. Con queste parole Francesco Totti ha riunito i suoi figli a distanza di sicurezza in una stanza della sua villa, convinto di non riuscire a superare le conseguenze del Covid-19. Nell’autunno del 2020, l’ex capitano della Roma ha affrontato una polmonite bilaterale severa, a poche settimane dalla morte del padre Enzo per la stessa malattia.

La ricostruzione di quei giorni, segnati dal crollo dell’ossigenazione e dal rifiuto categorico del ricovero ospedaliero, è contenuta nelle pagine della sua nuova autobiografia, di cui il quotidiano Leggo ha riportato gli stralci più significativi. A sbloccare il quadro clinico è stato l‘intervento di Pier Silvio Berlusconi e le indicazioni mediche a distanza di Alberto Zangrillo.

L'articolo “Pier Silvio Berlusconi mi ha salvato la vita. Non volevo fare la fine di mio padre, ho detto: ‘Se devo morì, voglio morì a casa mia, non rinchiuso qui dentro senza rivedere i miei figli”: il racconto di Totti nel suo libro proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Influenza e virus respiratori, Pregliasco: “Vaccini fondamentali per proteggere i più fragili”

15 October 2026 at 17:07

Influenza, Covid e prevenzione: l’intervista a Fabrizio Pregliasco sui rischi della stagione invernale, sull’importanza delle vaccinazioni e sulle nuove sfide sanitarie

Con l’arrivo della stagione autunnale e invernale torna alta l’attenzione sulle infezioni respiratorie, dalla influenza stagionale al Covid-19, fino ai virus che possono provocare complicanze soprattutto nei soggetti più fragili. Quali rischi dobbiamo aspettarci, quanto conta la prevenzione vaccinale e come affrontare il crescente problema dell’antibiotico-resistenza?

A questi interrogativi risponde il professor Fabrizio Pregliasco, virologo e direttore sanitario dell’IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi-Sant’Ambrogio di Milano. Un approfondimento che, partendo dalle prospettive della stagione influenzale, affronta anche il tema della preparazione alle future pandemie e dell’importanza di una corretta informazione sanitaria.

L’intervista del Prof. Placido Bramanti (Affaritaliani) al Prof. Fabrizio Pregliasco

Influenza stagionale, rischi e prevenzione

Professor Pregliasco, con l’arrivo dell’autunno e dell’inverno, quali virus dobbiamo aspettarci e come possiamo proteggerci?

Come spiega il professor Fabrizio Pregliasco, durante la stagione invernale circolano diversi virus respiratori, tra cui quello influenzale, il virus respiratorio sinciziale e il metapneumovirus. “Nelle persone giovani e in buona salute queste infezioni provocano generalmente sintomi lievi. Negli anziani e nei soggetti fragili, invece, possono causare complicanze importanti, aggravando patologie preesistenti“. Le previsioni indicano una stagione di media intensità, con circa 12-14 milioni di italiani colpiti dalle infezioni respiratorie, anche se molto dipenderà dalle condizioni meteorologiche. Pregliasco ricorda inoltre che la vera influenza si distingue per febbre elevata a esordio brusco, sintomi respiratori e dolori muscolari o articolari, mentre le forme più lievi sono spesso provocate da altri virus.

Qual è l’impatto di queste infezioni e quali sono le categorie maggiormente a rischio?

I bambini sono tra i più colpiti, anche per la minore esperienza immunologica. Nei più piccoli, il virus respiratorio sinciziale può provocare la bronchiolite, contro la quale oggi sono disponibili anticorpi monoclonali a scopo preventivo. I rischi maggiori riguardano però anziani e pazienti con patologie croniche. “Si stimano tra i 10 e i 15 mila decessi legati alle complicanze dell’influenza, soprattutto per sovrainfezioni e aggravamento di malattie cardiovascolari e respiratorie“. Nei periodi più critici dell’inverno, inoltre, i ricoveri ospedalieri tra gli anziani possono aumentare del 15-20%, contribuendo alla pressione sui pronto soccorso.

Quanto è importante la prevenzione e quale ruolo svolgono i vaccini?

La vaccinazione è fondamentale per ridurre il rischio delle forme gravi, soprattutto nelle persone vulnerabili. “Non disponiamo di vaccini contro tutti i virus respiratori, ma abbiamo strumenti efficaci per prevenire molte complicanze“. Pregliasco richiama l’attenzione anche sul Covid-19, ancora pericoloso per i soggetti fragili, raccomandando di valutare sia il vaccino antinfluenzale sia quello contro il Covid, somministrabili nella stessa seduta. “Nei pazienti fragili è importante effettuare il test Covid in presenza di sintomi respiratori: una diagnosi tempestiva consente, quando indicato, di intervenire con antivirali come il Paxlovid, riducendo il rischio di complicanze“.

Vaccini ed esitazione vaccinale

Quanto sono utili i test per distinguere influenza e Covid-19 e quali vaccini sono più indicati?

Secondo Pregliasco, i test diagnostici sono particolarmente importanti per i soggetti fragili e per chi li assiste, così da limitare la trasmissione del Covid-19. Per le comuni infezioni virali, il trattamento è generalmente sintomatico. “È importante evitare l’uso improprio degli antibiotici, che non sono efficaci contro i virus“. Il professore evidenzia inoltre la scarsa adesione vaccinale: “Tra gli ultrasettantacinquenni la copertura antinfluenzale è intorno al 50%, mentre i richiami contro il Covid-19 nelle persone a rischio sono sotto il 10%“. Per anziani e soggetti fragili sono disponibili vaccini antinfluenzali potenziati, con adiuvante MF59 o ad alto dosaggio, capaci di stimolare una risposta immunitaria più efficace. La scelta va effettuata con il medico in base alle caratteristiche del paziente.

Da cosa dipende la diffidenza verso i vaccini e come si può migliorare la sensibilizzazione?

Pregliasco osserva che, dopo la pandemia, è aumentata la sfiducia verso le vaccinazioni, anche a causa delle fake news diffuse sui social. Un fenomeno che coinvolge anche vaccini consolidati, contribuendo alla ricomparsa di malattie come il morbillo. “Accanto a una minoranza di no-vax ideologici, esiste una fascia più ampia di persone esitanti, che sottovaluta i rischi dell’influenza perché in passato l’ha superata senza conseguenze“. Il problema riguarda soprattutto chi, dopo i 60-65 anni, sviluppa patologie croniche senza percepire l’aumento della propria vulnerabilità. Per il professore, è fondamentale una comunicazione scientifica trasparente, che illustri benefici e possibili effetti avversi dei vaccini: “Occorre distinguere i rischi reali dalle fake news, aiutando le persone a compiere scelte consapevoli“.

Vaccinazioni complementari e antibiotico-resistenza

Esistono ulteriori vaccini per proteggere i polmoni? Possono essere somministrati insieme all’antinfluenzale?

Pregliasco sottolinea l’importanza del vaccino antipneumococcico, che protegge dalle infezioni causate dallo Streptococcus pneumoniae, tra i principali responsabili delle polmoniti batteriche. “L’influenza può indebolire le difese dell’organismo e favorire sovrainfezioni batteriche. Vaccinarsi contro lo pneumococco offre quindi un’ulteriore protezione, soprattutto ai soggetti fragili“. La vaccinazione antinfluenzale può essere l’occasione per programmare anche quelle contro Covid-19, pneumococco ed herpes zoster, nell’ambito di un piano vaccinale personalizzato.

È possibile effettuare più vaccini nella stessa seduta oppure è necessario attendere tra una somministrazione e l’altra?

Secondo Pregliasco, due o tre vaccini possono essere somministrati contemporaneamente, in sedi differenti, senza necessariamente aumentare gli effetti indesiderati. “Esistono alcune precauzioni per determinati vaccini vivi attenuati, ma generalmente non riguardano le vaccinazioni raccomandate agli anziani“. Quando opportuno, le somministrazioni possono essere distribuite in appuntamenti successivi, senza intervalli obbligatori per i vaccini considerati.

Quali rischi comporta l’uso eccessivo degli antibiotici e come possiamo contrastare l’antibiotico-resistenza?

Pregliasco richiama l’attenzione sull’abuso di antibiotici, spesso prescritti anche per infezioni virali o assunti autonomamente dai pazienti. “Gli antibiotici non agiscono contro i virus e non devono essere utilizzati preventivamente per evitare eventuali sovrainfezioni batteriche“. Una complicanza batterica può manifestarsi dopo un apparente miglioramento dell’infezione, con un nuovo peggioramento dei sintomi. In questi casi, il medico può ricorrere, quando indicato, a esami microbiologici e all’antibiogramma per individuare la terapia appropriata. È fondamentale, inoltre, rispettare dosi e durata della prescrizione, senza interrompere o prolungare autonomamente il trattamento. “L’antibiotico è come la lama di un coltello: ogni utilizzo improprio rischia di comprometterne l’efficacia. Ma mentre un coltello può essere affilato, un antibiotico contro il quale i batteri hanno sviluppato resistenza può diventare inutilizzabile“.

Contagio e rischio di nuove pandemie

Quando una persona con l’influenza può considerarsi non più contagiosa e tornare alla normale vita sociale?

Pregliasco spiega che la contagiosità può iniziare già uno o due giorni prima della comparsa dei sintomi e proseguire durante la malattia. “Finché persistono sintomi respiratori, soprattutto tosse e starnuti, può esserci ancora un rischio di contagio. I farmaci antinfiammatori e sintomatici alleviano i disturbi, ma non eliminano l’infezione né riducono la contagiosità“. Il professore raccomanda quindi il riposo, quando possibile, per favorire il recupero ed evitare di esporre altre persone al contagio.

Qual è la sua valutazione sul piano pandemico italiano e sulla capacità di affrontare nuove emergenze sanitarie?

Pregliasco esprime preoccupazione per alcune posizioni politiche che rischiano, a suo giudizio, di indebolire la cooperazione sanitaria internazionale e la preparazione alle future pandemie. “Il Covid-19 ci ha insegnato l’importanza dello scambio tempestivo di informazioni tra Paesi. La collaborazione internazionale è indispensabile per affrontare emergenze che non conoscono confini“. Pur riconoscendo una maggiore capacità di risposta del sistema sanitario italiano dopo la pandemia, il professore sottolinea la necessità di rafforzare prevenzione e coordinamento.

“Prima del Covid-19 temevamo soprattutto virus influenzali come H5N1. Oggi parliamo di patogeno X, cioè della possibilità che una nuova pandemia sia provocata da un agente infettivo ancora sconosciuto“. La densità della popolazione mondiale, la rapidità degli spostamenti internazionali e i conflitti possono favorire la diffusione delle infezioni, rendendo necessaria una pianificazione preventiva. “Le pandemie hanno attraversato tutta la storia dell’umanità. Dobbiamo prepararci prima dell’emergenza, investendo nella ricerca, nella prevenzione e nella collaborazione internazionale“.

Il confronto con il professor Fabrizio Pregliasco ha permesso di approfondire temi di grande rilevanza per la salute pubblica, dalla prevenzione delle infezioni respiratorie all’importanza delle vaccinazioni, fino ai rischi legati all’antibiotico-resistenza e alla necessità di prepararci alle future emergenze sanitarie. Ne emerge un messaggio chiaro: la prevenzione, un’informazione scientifica corretta e una maggiore consapevolezza dei cittadini rappresentano strumenti fondamentali per tutelare la salute, soprattutto delle persone più fragili.

L'articolo Influenza e virus respiratori, Pregliasco: “Vaccini fondamentali per proteggere i più fragili” proviene da Affaritaliani.it.

Ébola. Novo ensaio vai testar vacinas contra Bundibugyo

14 October 2026 at 00:12
Oxford e Moderna já têm vacinas em fase avançada. SAGE alerta para urgência de aprovação regulatória enquanto letalidade no Congo chega aos 48,3%.

© WHO HANDOUT/EPA

O vírus Ébola transmite-se por contacto direto com fluidos corporais de pessoas ou animais infetados e provoca febre hemorrágica grave, vómitos, diarreia e hemorragias internas

Meio milhão vacinado contra a gripe em 12 dias

13 October 2026 at 17:30
507.465 pessoas já receberam a vacina contra a gripe desde 30 de setembro. Cobertura nos maiores de 60 anos chega aos 13,8%. Covid-19 fica muito aquém.

© Carlos Ortega/EPA

A campanha de vacinação sazonal outono–inverno 2026–2027 contra a gripe e a Covid-19 vai decorrer até 31 de março e conta com cerca de 2.550 farmácias aderentes

Ébola na RDCongo chega a 4.381 mortos e mais de 9.000 casos

13 October 2026 at 16:18
Com taxa de letalidade de 48,3%, esta é já a segunda epidemia de ébola mais mortífera da história. A estirpe de Bundibugyo não tem tratamento, mas há duas vacinas em ensaios.

© STRINGER/EPA

epidemia é a segunda mais mortífera da história a nível global, embora ainda esteja longe da mais grave, que causou cerca de 11 mil mortes na África Ocidental entre 2014 e 2016

At the epicenter of the mysterious health alert in Siberia: ‘Plague? There’s no panic, people are calm’

12 October 2026 at 12:06
A street in Irkutsk, Siberia, where a woman died of pneumonia suspected to be related to plague.

“What plague?” an Irkutsk resident exclaims when the epidemiological crisis that has put this small Siberian city near Mongolia on the front pages over the past week is mentioned. “Do you see me wearing a mask?” the annoyed clerk at a pharmacy retorts when asked whether she has noticed any concern over reports of quarantines and the death of a laboratory worker. “Whatever the authorities say, we’ll obey. We all obey the authorities,” say two elderly women, carefree as they sit on swings in a park in Shelekhov, the suburb that their own governor advised people not to visit due to “a particularly dangerous infection.”

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New ‘atlas’ of respiratory infections suggests Covid is no longer just a winter virus

2 October 2026 at 09:40

A comprehensive atlas of the 18 main respiratory viruses circulating in Catalonia, produced for the first time in Spain by researchers from that northeastern region, reveals that the coronavirus that caused the Covid-16 pandemic — SARS-CoV-2 — “is currently not a winter virus. In recent years, it has shown clear peaks during the spring and summer, which is different from what was initially expected.”

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© AP

Colorized electron microscope image shows cells (pink) infected by the coronavirus (orange).

David Morens: Smoking Gun of ‘Lab Origin’ of COVID with Guilty Plea!

7 September 2026 at 12:30
Years of emphatic denials that U.S. taxpayers never funded gain-of-function work at the Wuhan Institute of Virology have met their match in a federal courtroom. On August 18, 2026, David Morens—long-time senior adviser to Anthony Fauci—pleaded guilty to conspiring to hide the very paper trail those denials tried to bury. The emails about the cancelled […]
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