Health

Without Covid-19 jab, ‘reinfection may occur every 16 months’

With winter approaching, scientists are warning that such reinfection could add to the burden on the NHS, some calling for the vaccination programme to be extended to all schoolchildren, including two doses for teenagers.

As Covid-19 infections surge in England, people are increasingly reporting catching Sars-CoV-2 for a second or even third time.

New analysis has suggested that unvaccinated individuals should expect to be reinfected with Covid-19 every 16 months, on average.

“If you’ve got high-level prevalence, and frequent exposure to the virus, as you have in schools, you are going to see more and more people getting reinfected despite having been double vaccinated,” said Stephen Griffin, associate professor of virology at the University of Leeds.

This time last year, the assumption was that although reinfections could occur this was relatively uncommon, with only two dozen or so recorded worldwide.

We now know that natural immunity to Sars-CoV-2 begins to dwindle over time. One Danish study suggested that the under-65s had about 80% protection for at least six months, while the over-65s had only 47% protection.

The arrival of the Delta variant has further complicated the situation.

“Certainly in the healthcare workers that we’ve been studying, there are many people who had moderately decent levels of antibodies who have been, in some cases, previously infected and double-dose vaccinated, who have gone down with symptomatic infections,” said Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London.

“I think it is far more common than the kinds of numbers we were used to before.”

ONS data published on 6 October says that among 20,262 Britons who tested positive for Covid-19 between July 2020 and September 2021, there were 296 reinfections – defined as a new positive test 120 days or more after an initial first positive test – with an average (median) time of 203 days between positive tests.

However, the reinfection risk appears to have been higher since May 2021 when Delta took over as the predominant variant.

Further data from the US, where various states have now started tracking and reporting on reinfection rates, supports the idea there is a substantially higher risk of re-infection with Delta.

In Oklahoma, which has a population of about 3.9 million, there were 5,229 reinfections reported during September (equivalent to a reinfection rate of 1,152 per 100,000) and reinfections have risen 350% since May.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines reinfection as a lab-confirmed case of Covid-19 occurring 90 days or more after a previously lab-confirmed case.

Dr Nisreen Alwan, associate professor in public health, at the University of Southampton, said: “With rising levels of Sars-CoV-2 infections in the UK, many of us are personally aware of children and adults who got reinfected, sometimes after a relatively short period from their first infection.

“We still don’t know much about the risk factors for reinfection but the theoretical assumption that once all the young get it the pandemic will be over is becoming increasingly unlikely.”

To help answer this question, Prof Jeffrey Townsend and colleagues at Yale University School of Medicine analysed known reinfection and immunological data from other coronaviruses, including those that cause Sars, MERS and common colds.

By combining this with antibody and other immunological data from people who had recovered from Sars-CoV-2, they were able to model the risk of Covid-19 reinfection over time.

The research, published in The Lancet Microbe, suggested that reinfections would become increasingly common as immunity waned, particularly when the number of infections was high.

“If we had no infection controls, no one was masking or social distancing, there were no vaccines, we should expect reinfection on a three-month to five-year timescale – meaning that the average person should expect to get Covid every three months to five years,” Townsend said.

Although vaccines are suppressing the level of infections, the UK reported 49,156 Covid cases on Monday, the highest figure since mid-July. Rates are highest among secondary schoolchildren, with an estimated 8.1% of this group thought to have had Covid-19 in the week ending 9 October.

“If you allow it to run amok in any age group then it runs amok in all age groups,” said Townsend.

“The major implications are that if you haven’t been vaccinated, you should get vaccinated, and if you’ve been infected, you should go ahead and get vaccinated anyway, because that will extend the duration of your protection.”

Griffin said: “If you don’t clamp down on prevalence [in schoolchildren], you’ll get the spread of infection and possibly reinfection, which will then potentially spread to parents whose vaccines may be waning, and more critically to grandparents and clinically vulnerable people.”

Health

No fewer than eight persons die from strange illness in Sokoto – NCDC

The (NCDC) has said no fewer than eight lives have been lost out of 208 suspected cases of strange illness at Sabon Birni and Isa local government areas of Sokoto State.

NCDC Centre manager in Sokoto, Dr Ibrahim Usman revealed this in the presentation he made at an interactive session with officials of Sokoto State Ministry of Health and Director General of the Centre, Dr Jide Idris, Thursday.

Usman who made the presentation alongside his team said the NCDC and Sokoto State Government have collected samples that have been transported to higher laboratories for test to ascertain the disease.

“The illness manifested with symptoms such as abdominal distension, fever, vomiting and weight loss, primarily afflicting children aged four to 13, along with some adults.

“Already, the NCDC has deployed a National Rapid Response Team (NRRT), to collaborate with the State Ministry of Health to investigate the matter,” Usman said.

He added that the affected children were taken to Specialist Hospital in Sokoto for treatment, while residents of the affected areas were sensitised on the dangers of the mysterious illness and advised to report cases promptly.

According to him, interim results indicate varying levels of lead and chromium in blood samples, prompting scrutiny of local activities such as mining and agricultural practices involving chemical usage.

“The collaborative efforts extend beyond health institutions, encompassing government agencies, research bodies and community stakeholders,” he said.

He commended the efforts of Medical Doctors and other healthcare personnel in containing the spread as well as treatment of affected persons, “who are now responding to treatment.”

Earlier, Dr Larai Tambuwal, Executive Secretary, Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SSPHCDA) told the visiting team that complications from agricultural practices was being suspected.

She said other considerations should also be centered on climatic conditions, security challenges, sources of water, open dedication, poor healthcare response, malnutrition and other surrounding issues.

“This is not the first occurrence, as a similar incident occured in Tureta local government area of the state and was documented in 2023 without a conclusive diagnosis,” she said.

She added that with similar occurrence in neighbouring Zamfara state, there was need for more clinical assessment to obtain the real outcome of the infectious origins.

The Executive Director of Sokoto State Hospital Services Management Board, Dr Bello Attahiru, assured of more proactive measures to contain the disease and treatment of those infected.

Attahiru said a ward was allocated for victims of the illness alone in the hospital and many were recuperating.

In his address, NCDC Director General said that the search for causative factors continued, including heavy metal testing and assured to establish a standard laboratory located in Sokoto state.

While investigation into the disease continued, the DG solicited for more vigilance within affected communities.

Idris stressed the need for prompt reporting of symptoms to healthcare facilities or designated authorities.

According to him, NSCDC is collaborating with other agencies such as NAFDAC to unravel the disease to argument treatment towards preventing its spread.

He said all areas were being considered for unravelling the cause of the illness and enjoined people to enhance thier healthcare seeking behaviours, improve on thier personal hygiene, surrounding cleanliness and other health issues.

The Director General explained that his coming to Sokoto was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to provide succour to the victims and end the menace.

He also extended his condolences to the families affected by the outbreak and commended the dedication of healthcare workers and partnering organisations.

NAN reports that Idris and his team paid visits to Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar and Gov. Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto state and commiserated with them over the ugly development. (NAN)

Health

NAFDAC bans sale of Dex Luxury bar soap in Nigeria

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control, (NAFDAC) has placed a ban on the sale of Dex Luxury bar soap in Nigeria.

The agency explained that the ban was due to Butyphenyl Methylpropional, BMHCA, content in the product.

This was contained in a post on the Agency’s X handle on Thursday.

According to the post, the European Union, EU, banned the product due to the risk of harming the reproductive system of users, causing harm to the health of the unborn child, and cause skin sensitization.

“Although this product is not on the NAFDAC database, importers, distributors, retailers, and consumers are advised to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain to avoid the importation, distribution, sale, and use of the above-mentioned product”, the agency added.

Health

No outbreak of Lassa fever in any local govt- Kogi Govt

Nigeria identifies three drugs for Lassa fever treatment

Kogi State Government has debunked any outbreak of Lassa fever across the 21 local government areas of the State.

Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr. Abdulazeez Adams Adeiza while reacting to a viral video of an alleged lassa fever outbreak, noted that a student who was admitted to the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja did not die of lassa fever.

According to the Commissioner, it was reported that the student died of hemorrhagic fever.

The Commissioner explained that the deceased student who was admitted at the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja presented complaints of fever and bleeding from the gum.

He added that the patient was being investigated and managed, while samples were taken and sent to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC) Abuja, but before the result was released, he had lost his life.

The Commissioner said the result came out to be negative for lassa fever.

In his words, ”the suspected case has turned out to be negative for lassa fever.

“It is not only lassa fever that can make a patient to present bleeding from the gum. Other reasons could include blood dyscrasias and bleeding disorders”.

He advised members of the public to disregard the report as no case of lassa fever has been reported in the state