United States: Healthcare providers in Minnesota received notifications because a rare flu-associated brain inflammation diagnosed a child under two years old. 

More about the news 

A warning from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) was issued because a young child under age two developed influenza A-linked acute necrotizing encephalitis (ANE). 

The swelling of brain tissue occurs because of this condition. Even though it is uncommon, it results in high death rates based on MDH observations. The disease symptoms include high fever, reduced alertness, and seizure activity, according to bringmethenews.com. 

The MDH reported an increase in pediatric doctors throughout the country who diagnosed cases of ANE associated with influenza A during a severe seasonal flu wave. 

Children suffering from this illness usually fall into the category of healthy and young individuals who skipped their seasonal flu vaccination. 

What is the notice suggesting? 

The notice by the authority reads, “Seasonal influenza activity remains high, and there is still time to promote [the] vaccine,” bringmethenews.com reported. 

Inletugena vaccine approval in Minnesota stands at 24 percentage points for children and 34 percentage points for adults. 

The 2024-25 influenza season reported 6,124 hospitalizations for influenza-related illnesses to MDH, according to their most recent statistics. 

Since the department implemented its modern tracking system, the reported number of hospitalizations stands at its peak. 

For the current season, the number of people who died from influenza reaches 238 and contains one childhood fatality. 

United States: The state released recent news about an elderly person dying from Melioidosis through water contamination that led medical services to issue flood protection warnings for North Queensland residents. 

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Townsville Public Health Unit statistics show that an older person died from melioidosis infection last week because the dengue virus caused three fresh cases. 

Dr. Steven Donohue revealed the rise of melioidosis infections across the wet season as well as throughout the major wet period after the February floods, according to a report done by Yahoo News. 

“Melioidosis is a very serious infectious disease caused by soil bacteria in northern Australia,” Dr Donohue stated. 

“It can enter the body when a break in the skin comes into contact with contaminated water or by breathing in muddy droplets, causing pneumonia,” he added. 

What are the symptoms? 

An outbreak of the infectious disease results in fever alongside cough, chest pain, weight loss, muscle pain, and headaches, which typically emerge within days or weeks after patients are exposed to the bacteria. 

Doctors identify this disease by analyzing blood or urine samples and administering antibiotics as the treatment method. 

Dr Donohue emphasized that people should exercise caution when they participate in flood cleanup tasks. 

“It’s important to wear gloves, shoes, and protective clothing when coming into contact with soil or floodwater, and you should wear a mask if you’re pressure hosing mud to prevent inhaling germs in droplets,” he continued, as Yahoo News reported. 

He also mentioned the necessary precautions against dengue fever, whereas the risk “remains low.” 

“Use a zapper or mosquito coil, keep screens shut to prevent mosquitoes entering your home, remove pooled water where they can breed, and wear protective clothing and repellent to prevent bites,” he added. 

United States: Research from a major clinical trial indicates that aggressive blood pressure management produces more health benefits than possible risks for senior-aged adults. 

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Tight blood pressure control at 120 systolic brought about positive medical outcomes for 85 percent of study participants, according to research findings. 

Study findings demonstrate that the decreased dangers of premature death and heart disease outweigh the medical complications that might stem from aggressive blood pressure reduction, including kidney-related issues and dangerously low blood pressure. 

According to Dr. Simon Ascher, the senior investigator and an assistant clinical professor at the University of California-Davis, “Almost all … participants aged 65 years or greater had a predicted net benefit that favored a systolic blood pressure target of less than 120 mm Hg over a systolic blood pressure target of less than 140 mm Hg,” US News reported. 

Systolic blood pressure refers to pressure within blood vessels during a heartbeat. 

About major findings 

The experts state that elderly patients, weak seniors, and the ones taking several different medications derived “greater absolute harms from intensive blood pressure lowering,” along with higher levels of heart disease, cognitive downfall, and death rate outcomes. 

Major US cardiology groups updated their high blood pressure definition through data collected in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) in 2017. 

Blood pressure at 130 systolic stands as the standard classification of “high” since 2018 following the initial SPRINT findings when the previous target was lower than 140 systolic. 

Regular blood pressure falls below 120 systolic, and resting blood pressure from 120 to 130 remains elevated rather than high. 

The research team performed a detailed examination of approximately 5,100 elderly individuals enrolled in SPRINT and then evaluated those on aggressive treatment versus standard target treatment (140 systolic). 

The researchers concluded, “These findings indicate that when accounting for an individual’s estimated risks and outcome preferences, the benefits of intensive BP lowering outweigh the harms for most SPRINT-eligible, community-dwelling older adults with hypertension, especially among high-risk subgroups who are often assumed to neither tolerate nor benefit from intensive BP lowering,” US News reported. 

“These findings indicate that when accounting for an individual’s estimated risks and outcome preferences, the benefits of intensive BP lowering outweigh the harms for most SPRINT-eligible, community-dwelling older adults with hypertension, especially among high-risk subgroups who are often assumed to neither tolerate nor benefit from intensive BP lowering,” researchers concluded.