Read on for our roundup of important, interesting, or insightful microbiology news we have spotted this month.
Around 60,000 deaths have been prevented in England as a result of the Covid vaccine programme, the deputy chief medical officer has said.
68.1% of young people aged 18-19 have received there first Covid-19 Jab. It’s speculated that the chance of another lockdown happening will be significantly lower if more people aged 18-29 get there jabs.
The number of self-isolation alerts sent by the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales has risen to a new record of 689,313 in the week up to 21 July.
The figures represent an increase of over 70,000 compared with the previous week. If pinged app user are told to self isolate for 10 days.
Although the government has said it is crucial to follow the apps guidance, there is no enforcement or legal obligation to so.
One of the world’s leading centres in gastroenterology has concluded a clinical trial to investigate the use of a remote-monitoring device and app to assist clinicians in the diagnosis of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
SIBO is a very common ailment that is caused when there is an excessive amount of bacteria present in the digestive system, more specifically, in the small intestine. It is estimated that around 40%-80% of ISB sufferers also suffer with SIBO.
Robert Ganz of FoodMarble, said:
“The COVID pandemic has emphasised the need to adopt innovative tools to maintain important patient testing. AIRE enables the patient to test in the safety and comfort of their own home. AIRE also gives the patient the power to check their response to the antibiotic treatment by repeat testing. Furthermore, SIBO relapse is also very common and can occur within months of the initial clearance of infection. Therefore, monitoring with AIRE can us help identify the early the signs of relapse before the infection reoccurs.”
Results have shown the new AIRE test exceeds the performance of the usual mail-in LHBT kit and has proven itself to be the better, more reliable test.
Respiratory infections in young children have begun to rise out of season, following low infection levels in response to COVID-19 restrictions and good infection control measures that have been in place.
Parents are being advised to remain vigilant and check if their children are suffering from any of the common chest infection symptoms. This is especially the case for parent s of at risk children such as those suffering from ashma, and infants who are under two or were premature.
Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at PHE, said:
“This winter, we expect levels of common seasonal illnesses such as cold and flu to increase as people mix more and given that fewer people will have built up natural immunity during the pandemic.”
The NHS are preparing for a rise in the number of chest infections this winter. They are also preparing for a rise in illness such as cold and flu. It is believed there be a rise in the virus as people have not been out and mixing with other people and therefore will not have built up the natural immunity they would usually build up through the year.