The lawmakers in Hong Kong have appealed to the authorities to take steps to prevent bedbugs from spreading in the city after a photo was widely circulated online in which bedbugs were seen on an Airport Express train, reported South China Morning Post. 
 
The rail giant of Hong Kong, the MTR Corporation, on Friday (Nov 10) stated that a deep cleaning of the train was carried out by officials the night before after they received a report from passengers regarding bedbugs at around 9 pm (local time). 
 
However, the company stated it did not find any such insects on the train.

“The company immediately took the train back to the depot for thorough inspection and cleaning. No such discovery was made during the cleaning process,” a spokesman said.

<h2>Image of bedbugs goes viral</h2>

The image of bedbugs started circulating on social media platforms on Thursday night (Nov 9), in which an oval-shaped and brown-coloured creature is seen on a seat inside an Airport Express train. 
 
Ivy Pest Control Corporation's consultant Henry Cheng Kwok-hang said that the insect present inside the photo was a bedbug, which belonged to the Cimex lectularius species.

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“High-temperature steaming [by the MTR Corp] should suffice, but it’s hard to prevent more bedbugs from appearing on trains with so many travellers coming to the city … and no machine is capable yet of detecting bedbugs, unlike termites,” he stated while speaking to South China Morning Post. 
 
“Bedbugs can hide in suitcases, carry-on luggage, the clothes people are wearing or even belts,” he added. Cheng stated that the travellers can also spread bedbugs in the community. 
 
MTR Corp spokesperson stated that from the beginning of this week, it would carry out “high-temperature deep cleaning and pest control work” on all Airport Express, along with Disneyland line trains and high-speed rail, as well as the first-class compartments of carriages which are servicing the East Rail line.

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Lawmaker Kitson Yang Wing-kit appealed to the government to issue disinfection and cleaning guidelines to hospitals, public transport operators, cinemas and schools, as well as to carry out high-temperature deep cleaning regularly. 
 
“If there is a major outbreak, the government should send pest control teams to help underprivileged households, including elderly, low-income families and people with disabilities,” he stated. 
 
Legislator Edward Leung Hei stated that ships and flights as well as luggage on board, which are coming from high-risk areas of bedbug infestation, should be disinfected.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The lawmakers in Hong Kong have appealed to the authorities to take steps to prevent bedbugs from spreading in the city after a photo was widely circulated online in which bedbugs were seen on an Airport Express train, reported South China Morning Post.

The lawmakers in Hong Kong have appealed to the authorities to take steps to prevent bedbugs from spreading in the city after a photo was widely circulated online in which bedbugs were seen on an Airport Express train, reported South China Morning Post. The rail giant of Hong Kong, the MTR Corporation, on Friday (Nov 10) stated that a deep cleaning of the train was carried out by officials the night before after they received a report from passengers regarding bedbugs at around 9 pm (local time). However, the company stated it did not find any such insects on the train. “The company immediately took the train back to the depot for thorough inspection and cleaning. No such discovery was made during the cleaning process,” a spokesman said. Image of bedbugs goes viral The image of bedbugs started circulating on social media platforms on Thursday night (Nov 9), in which an oval-shaped and brown-coloured creature is seen on a seat inside an Airport Express train. Ivy Pest Control Corporation's consultant Henry Cheng Kwok-hang said that the insect present inside the photo was a bedbug, which belonged to the Cimex lectularius species. ALSO READ | Fusion food gone too far? Hong Kong introduces snake meat pizza “High-temperature steaming [by the MTR Corp] should suffice, but it’s hard to prevent more bedbugs from appearing on trains with so many travellers coming to the city … and no machine is capable yet of detecting bedbugs, unlike termites,” he stated while speaking to South China Morning Post. “Bedbugs can hide in suitcases, carry-on luggage, the clothes people are wearing or even belts,” he added. Cheng stated that the travellers can also spread bedbugs in the community. MTR Corp spokesperson stated that from the beginning of this week, it would carry out “high-temperature deep cleaning and pest control work” on all Airport Express, along with Disneyland line trains and high-speed rail, as well as the first-class compartments of carriages which are servicing the East Rail line. WATCH | Gravitas: Hong Kong Taps property tycoons to help attract family offices Lawmaker Kitson Yang Wing-kit appealed to the government to issue disinfection and cleaning guidelines to hospitals, public transport operators, cinemas and schools, as well as to carry out high-temperature deep cleaning regularly. “If there is a major outbreak, the government should send pest control teams to help underprivileged households, including elderly, low-income families and people with disabilities,” he stated. Legislator Edward Leung Hei stated that ships and flights as well as luggage on board, which are coming from high-risk areas of bedbug infestation, should be disinfected. (With inputs from agencies)

Hong Kong comes under attack of bedbugs, lawmakers call for precautions

India is recording a steep increase in COVID-19 cases every day with 6,050 fresh cases reported on Friday, marking a 13 per cent increase from 5,335 cases that were recorded on Thursday.

The abrupt increase in India's Covid graph is due to the spread of Omicron variant XBB.1.16, according to the experts. Covid subvariant XBB.1.16 is being closely monitored by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

On March 22, the Covid subvariant XBB.1.16 was added by WHO to its list of variants.

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"In India, XBB.1.16 has replaced the other variants that are in circulation. So this is one to watch," stated WHO's COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove during a media conference.

Symptoms of Covid subvariant XBB.1.16 include a fever that gradually increases and continues for 1-2 days, headaches, bodily soreness, abdominal discomfort and sore throat.

As of now, XBB.1.16 has not been seen causing any severe health issues to patients. However, people with respiratory conditions and underlying health concerns are advised to use extreme caution.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's circular, patients suffering from COVID-19 must remain in home isolation.

For those infected with the virus, hand hygiene, symptomatic management (hydration, antipyretics, antitussive), physical distancing and indoor mask use are some of the must-dos. Furthermore, the patients must continuously monitor their oxygen saturation and temperature.

Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) Director Dr SK Sarin, while speaking to NDTV, said that traces of the XBB.1.16 variant have been found in at least 98 per cent of the samples taken from COVID-19 patients in New Delhi.

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He added that the XBB.1.16 variant is not very lethal, however, it is quickly spreading.

"Despite the rise in infections, deaths have been low. Cough and cold are among the common symptoms found in patients infected with the XBB.1.16 variant," he stated.

Dr Sarin further advised people who are overweight or with comorbidities to take proper precautions so that they do not catch the virus. He further advised that those who have not yet taken their booster dosage must get the jab.

"Those who have been infected with the virus may face lung, heart, kidney and brain may face complications for a long time," he said.

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India is recording a steep increase in COVID-19 cases every day with 6,050 fresh cases reported on Friday, marking a 13 per cent increase from 5,335 cases that were recorded on Thursday.

India is recording a steep increase in COVID-19 cases every day with 6,050 fresh cases reported on Friday, marking a 13 per cent increase from 5,335 cases that were recorded on Thursday. The abrupt increase in India's Covid graph is due to the spread of Omicron variant XBB.1.16, according to the experts. Covid subvariant XBB.1.16 is being closely monitored by the World Health Organisation (WHO). On March 22, the Covid subvariant XBB.1.16 was added by WHO to its list of variants. ALSO READ | India: New Covid cases cross 5,000 mark in last 24 hours, highest in 195 days "In India, XBB.1.16 has replaced the other variants that are in circulation. So this is one to watch," stated WHO's COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove during a media conference. Symptoms of Covid subvariant XBB.1.16 include a fever that gradually increases and continues for 1-2 days, headaches, bodily soreness, abdominal discomfort and sore throat. As of now, XBB.1.16 has not been seen causing any severe health issues to patients. However, people with respiratory conditions and underlying health concerns are advised to use extreme caution. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's circular, patients suffering from COVID-19 must remain in home isolation. For those infected with the virus, hand hygiene, symptomatic management (hydration, antipyretics, antitussive), physical distancing and indoor mask use are some of the must-dos. Furthermore, the patients must continuously monitor their oxygen saturation and temperature. Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) Director Dr SK Sarin, while speaking to NDTV, said that traces of the XBB.1.16 variant have been found in at least 98 per cent of the samples taken from COVID-19 patients in New Delhi. WATCH | Chinese Government scientists claim infamous Wuhan market may NOT be source of Covid pandemic He added that the XBB.1.16 variant is not very lethal, however, it is quickly spreading. "Despite the rise in infections, deaths have been low. Cough and cold are among the common symptoms found in patients infected with the XBB.1.16 variant," he stated. Dr Sarin further advised people who are overweight or with comorbidities to take proper precautions so that they do not catch the virus. He further advised that those who have not yet taken their booster dosage must get the jab. "Those who have been infected with the virus may face lung, heart, kidney and brain may face complications for a long time," he said. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

India: Covid variant XBB1.16 leads to spike in cases. Know its symptoms and precautions

The mountain gorillas that live in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park have frequent encounters with humans. On any given day, the animals might come across smartphone-toting tourists, fecal-sample-swiping biologists or antibiotic-administering veterinarians.

So when the coronavirus started spreading around the world in early 2020, experts worried that people might unwittingly pass the virus to the endangered apes, which are known to be vulnerable to a variety of human pathogens.

“In the past, other human viruses have caused respiratory illness in the gorillas,” said Dr. Kirsten Gilardi, executive director of Gorilla Doctors, an international team of veterinarians that provides care for wild gorillas.

“We were on pins and needles wondering, OK, if this virus gets into the mountain gorillas, what’s it going to do?” Gilardi said.

In March 2020, in an effort to safeguard the animals, Rwanda temporarily closed Volcanoes National Park. When the park reopened a few months later, it had strict new precautions in place, including requiring tourists and researchers to wear masks and keep their distance from the gorillas. These rules, plus a general drop-off in tourism, mean that the park’s gorillas have had relatively few close encounters with humans during the pandemic, Gilardi said.

And so far, there have been no signs of the coronavirus among the gorillas. But in trying to control an extraordinary health threat, officials may have also alleviated a more everyday one: the routine transmission of respiratory diseases from humans to great apes. Since March 2020, the number of outbreaks of respiratory illness among the park’s gorillas has fallen to 1.6 a year, on average, from 5.4.

“The takeaway is these best-practice measures for protecting great ape populations appear to be working,” said Gilardi, who reported the findings in Nature this month. The report was cowritten by Prosper Uwingeli, chief warden of Volcanoes National Park.

The analysis is preliminary, and the researchers cannot prove that the gorillas’ health improved because humans kept their distance. But the findings suggest that even after the pandemic wanes, stricter controls may be needed to help protect endangered apes from catching diseases from people, scientists said.

“The same types of things that can protect wild animals that are susceptible to COVID can also protect them from other human pathogens,” said Thomas Gillespie, a disease ecologist at Emory University who frequently works with wild primates but was not involved in the new research.

Just over 1,000 mountain gorillas remain in the wild, divided between national parks in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many gorillas have been deliberately habituated to humans to help facilitate both research and ecotourism.

The apes face a variety of threats, including poaching and habitat loss, but respiratory disease is also a major concern and a leading cause of death in mountain gorillas.

Outbreaks of respiratory illnesses have become common among the animals.

“They happen with regularity,” said Gilardi, who is also a wildlife veterinarian at the University of California, Davis. “And we don’t always know what causes them.”

Bacteria and viruses circulate naturally among gorillas and other apes, some of which can cause respiratory infections. But scientists have also documented numerous instances in which human pathogens, including the rhinoviruses and coronaviruses responsible for common colds, found their way into great apes.

In many instances, respiratory viruses cause relatively mild, and familiar, symptoms in infected gorillas.

“They cough, they sneeze, they have runny noses, they might have goopy eyes, they might be off their feed, lethargic, literally not wanting to get out of bed in the morning,” Gilardi said. (Gorillas make, and slumber in, night nests.) “They look and act just like we do when we have an upper respiratory tract infection.”

But these outbreaks can sometimes cause severe illness, including pneumonia, or even death. In 2009, a human respiratory virus sickened 11 of the 12 gorillas in a single family group in Rwanda. Five of the animals required veterinary care and two others, including an infant, died.

To curb this cross-species disease transfer, the International Union for Conservation of Nature issued a set of guidelines in 2015 for scientists, tourists and other people who might encounter great apes. The recommendations include remaining at least 23 feet from the animals and wearing a face mask when near them. (Gilardi and Gillespie were both among the authors of the guidelines.)

But not all countries adopted, or enforced, the recommendations, Gillespie said. Until the pandemic hit.

“The pandemic has really brought everyone up toward full adherence,” he said.

Volcanoes National Park now requires tourists, park personnel, researchers and other people encountering gorillas to wear face masks, which had not previously been mandated. It also requires people to remain nearly 33 feet away from the animals. Tourism has not fully rebounded either, Gilardi said.

The difference has been noticeable, she said: “We’re just not seeing as much respiratory disease right now as we have in years past.’”

Other great ape sites are currently collecting their own data on how, and whether, the incidence of infectious disease has changed since the beginning of the pandemic, Gillespie said. And the same precautions can be used to help safeguard a wide range of wild primates, he added.

“Many of these best practices can be applied very successfully to other endangered and threatened species,” Gillespie said. “People need to be doing these things, COVID or not.”

The mountain gorillas that live in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park have frequent encounters with humans. On any given day, the animals might come across smartphone-toting tourists, fecal-sample-swiping biologists or antibiotic-administering veterinarians.

The mountain gorillas that live in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park have frequent encounters with humans. On any given day, the animals might come across smartphone-toting tourists, fecal-sample-swiping biologists or antibiotic-administering veterinarians. So when the coronavirus started spreading around the world in early 2020, experts worried that people might unwittingly pass the virus to the endangered apes, which are known to be vulnerable to a variety of human pathogens. “In the past, other human viruses have caused respiratory illness in the gorillas,” said Dr. Kirsten Gilardi, executive director of Gorilla Doctors, an international team of veterinarians that provides care for wild gorillas. “We were on pins and needles wondering, OK, if this virus gets into the mountain gorillas, what’s it going to do?” Gilardi said. In March 2020, in an effort to safeguard the animals, Rwanda temporarily closed Volcanoes National Park. When the park reopened a few months later, it had strict new precautions in place, including requiring tourists and researchers to wear masks and keep their distance from the gorillas. These rules, plus a general drop-off in tourism, mean that the park’s gorillas have had relatively few close encounters with humans during the pandemic, Gilardi said. And so far, there have been no signs of the coronavirus among the gorillas. But in trying to control an extraordinary health threat, officials may have also alleviated a more everyday one: the routine transmission of respiratory diseases from humans to great apes. Since March 2020, the number of outbreaks of respiratory illness among the park’s gorillas has fallen to 1.6 a year, on average, from 5.4. “The takeaway is these best-practice measures for protecting great ape populations appear to be working,” said Gilardi, who reported the findings in Nature this month. The report was cowritten by Prosper Uwingeli, chief warden of Volcanoes National Park. The analysis is preliminary, and the researchers cannot prove that the gorillas’ health improved because humans kept their distance. But the findings suggest that even after the pandemic wanes, stricter controls may be needed to help protect endangered apes from catching diseases from people, scientists said. “The same types of things that can protect wild animals that are susceptible to COVID can also protect them from other human pathogens,” said Thomas Gillespie, a disease ecologist at Emory University who frequently works with wild primates but was not involved in the new research. Just over 1,000 mountain gorillas remain in the wild, divided between national parks in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many gorillas have been deliberately habituated to humans to help facilitate both research and ecotourism. The apes face a variety of threats, including poaching and habitat loss, but respiratory disease is also a major concern and a leading cause of death in mountain gorillas. Outbreaks of respiratory illnesses have become common among the animals. “They happen with regularity,” said Gilardi, who is also a wildlife veterinarian at the University of California, Davis. “And we don’t always know what causes them.” Bacteria and viruses circulate naturally among gorillas and other apes, some of which can cause respiratory infections. But scientists have also documented numerous instances in which human pathogens, including the rhinoviruses and coronaviruses responsible for common colds, found their way into great apes. In many instances, respiratory viruses cause relatively mild, and familiar, symptoms in infected gorillas. “They cough, they sneeze, they have runny noses, they might have goopy eyes, they might be off their feed, lethargic, literally not wanting to get out of bed in the morning,” Gilardi said. (Gorillas make, and slumber in, night nests.) “They look and act just like we do when we have an upper respiratory tract infection.” But these outbreaks can sometimes cause severe illness, including pneumonia, or even death. In 2009, a human respiratory virus sickened 11 of the 12 gorillas in a single family group in Rwanda. Five of the animals required veterinary care and two others, including an infant, died. To curb this cross-species disease transfer, the International Union for Conservation of Nature issued a set of guidelines in 2015 for scientists, tourists and other people who might encounter great apes. The recommendations include remaining at least 23 feet from the animals and wearing a face mask when near them. (Gilardi and Gillespie were both among the authors of the guidelines.) But not all countries adopted, or enforced, the recommendations, Gillespie said. Until the pandemic hit. “The pandemic has really brought everyone up toward full adherence,” he said. Volcanoes National Park now requires tourists, park personnel, researchers and other people encountering gorillas to wear face masks, which had not previously been mandated. It also requires people to remain nearly 33 feet away from the animals. Tourism has not fully rebounded either, Gilardi said. The difference has been noticeable, she said: “We’re just not seeing as much respiratory disease right now as we have in years past.’” Other great ape sites are currently collecting their own data on how, and whether, the incidence of infectious disease has changed since the beginning of the pandemic, Gillespie said. And the same precautions can be used to help safeguard a wide range of wild primates, he added. “Many of these best practices can be applied very successfully to other endangered and threatened species,” Gillespie said. “People need to be doing these things, COVID or not.”

When people take pandemic precautions, gorillas breathe easier

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