Long COVID | “Further research remains a high priority”
Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, researching and understanding the virus is still one of the top priorities worldwide. By studying and learning more about the disease, we reduce the spread, lessen infection rates via vaccination and immunization, and become one step closer to normality. With the high priority investigation into the COVID-19 virus, side effects including long lasting symptoms and illness, even after a negative test result, have become apparent. It is currently being referred to as Long COVID. There have been initial investigations held into Long COVID from all over the world including the UK, America, The Netherlands
Paediatric HIV | What needs to be done?
WHO have recently released a news story stating there is, ‘stark inequalities in access to HIV prevention and treatment services for children’. In 2020, the World Health Organisations targets were not met in regards to paediatric HIV and instead numbers of infection in children have increased by 150,000 in one year. This stalling of progress will have massive implications for the monitoring and reduction of HIV cases in the children of third world countries. Paediatric HIV cases had been decreasing over recent years due to the testing and treatments being more readily available than before. This has boosted survival rates of HIV
National Immunisation Awareness Month 2021
The month of August celebrates National Immunization Awareness Month. Biorex Diagnostics is dedicated to advancing global healthcare and is celebrating National Immunization Month to help raise awareness of the importance of vaccinations and also celebrate the medical achievements that have been made since their introduction. The campaign this year focuses on the awareness of immunization and separating fact from fiction. By focusing on realities, the population will become better educated around vaccinations and how they protect our most vulnerable. Taking into consideration the current COVID-19 situation and the launch of the vaccine, it is important the public are informed accurately. Vaccinations were
World Hepatitis Day 2021
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver and is caused by a variety of viruses and non-infectious agents. There are five main strains of hepatitis, (A,B,C,D,E) and can lead to a variety of health problems. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, remaining in control of the spread of hepatitis and offering treatment options have digressed significantly. Unfortunately, like many other diseases and illnesses during the past year, hepatitis has had to wait. The World Health Organisations ‘World Hepatitis Day’ falls on the 28th July every year and encourages the global population to become more informed and aware of the potentially fatal disease in
Dengue Fever | Early Detection is Key
Dengue fever is one of the most common mosquito borne diseases in humans and is most prevalent in regions of Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific with new outbreaks occurring in European countries including France, Croatia and Portugal. The disease causes a flu-like illness which can occasionally develop into a more complicated disease known as severe dengue. Dengue is transmitted to humans via bites from infected female mosquitoes and symptoms include; a high fever, severe headache, vomiting and swollen glands. It is estimated that in recent years the number of cases has grown rapidly and
Rapid Testing, Reliable Results
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic we have witnessed the global response of governments and their efforts to protect the public and healthcare services. Naturally, this means that the need for reliable testing methods has been overwhelming, initially this was via PCR testing facilities and as the government approach evolved, the need for lateral flow devices emerged. Lateral flow or ‘rapid’ devices are an easy to use, scalable method that deliver results in under 30 minutes and they have played a key part in the UK governments’ roadmap to easing COVID-19 restrictions. Regular rapid testing programmes have been implemented in
World Immunisation Week 2021
This week is World Immunisation Week 2021 and this year’s theme is Vaccines Bring Us Together. As the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, we receive daily updates on the progress of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout across the world and statistics on how the vaccine is helping to fight against the virus. The COVID-19 vaccine was developed, tested and approved in record time in comparison to other vaccines, largely due to the danger the virus poses particularly to vulnerable people in society and the pressure placed on healthcare systems globally. For many people, the vaccine symbolises a return to
One Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Today marks one year since the UK officially went into lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. 12 months later as the UK and the rest of the world starts to administer vaccines and ease restrictions, rapid testing has become an essential part of everyday life. Rapid tests are helping the health service, schools and businesses to get back to normal life by detecting positive cases in individuals that may be asymptomatic and not aware they are carrying the virus or still in the early stages of contracting the virus. By identifying these cases, each individual positive test detected
The Importance of Blood Grouping Reagents
Blood is made up by a combination of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in plasma. A person’s blood group is identified by antibodies and antigens in the blood. Antibodies are proteins found in plasma and make up a part of your body’s natural defence system. They work by recognising foreign substances, alerting your immune system and destroying them. Antigens are protein molecules found on the surface of red blood cells. There are a number of scenarios where a person can need a blood transfusion and to ensure total compatibility between blood transfusion receivers and donors, blood grouping reagents are
Rapid Covid-19 Testing with Biorex Diagnostics
Rapid tests are one of the tools commonly being used to detect and stop the spread of the Covid-19. According to Public Health England, we now know that between one in four and one in three people are asymptomatic, meaning they don't show any symptoms of the virus, but this does not make them less infectious to others. Routine rapid testing in communities helps to identify the people who have high levels of the virus but display no symptoms and would not otherwise book a test. It's important to remember that every positive test and individual detected helps in stopping the chain