Sciency Thoughts: Dublin

Showing posts with label Dublin. Show all posts

Saturday, 1 August 2020

Warnings issued to bathers after Lion's Mane Jellyfish wash up on Irish Beaches.

Warnings have been issued to bathers in Ireland after Lion's Mane Jellyfish, Cyanea capillata, washed up on beaches in two parts of the country. The first was found on Malahide Beach in Fingal County, to the north of Dublin, on Friday 31 July 2020, with the second found at Buncrana on Lough Swilly in County Donegal the following day. The Jellyfish are potentially dangerous if touched, as they can still sting when dead, though the stings are no worse than those of Bees or Wasps, and not generally dangerous unless people have an allergic reaction. The Jellyfish are far more dangerous when encountered in the water, as their tentacles can entangle swimmers, resulting in large numbers of stings, which can cause the swimmer to go into shock and drown.

A Lion's Mane Jellyfish, Cyanea capillata, on Malahide Beach to the north of Dublin on 31 July 2020. Dublin Live.

The Lion's Mane Jellyfish is the largest known species of Jellyfish, reaching over 2 m in diameter and with tentacles that can be more than 30 m in length. They are exclusively found in cooler temperate waters around the North Atlantic, North Pacific, Arctic Ocean and Baltic Sea. They are pelagic, able to swim against currents under their own energy, rather than drifting as many Jellyfish do, and spend most of their lives in open water, but they move into coastal waters towards the end of their annual life-cycle, when the (sexual) medusae produce eggs, which in turn hatch into a polyp which attaches to the seafloor in shallow waters, from which new medusae bud off asexually.

Sunday, 1 March 2020

Bitis arietans: Irish authorities struggle to find antivenom after Dublin Man bitten by Puff Adder.

Irish medical authorities are struggling to find antivenom to treat a 22-year-old Dublin man bitten by a Puff Adder, Bitis arietans, this week. The man was rushed to the Connolly Hospital, who tried to source antivenom from the Irish National Reptile Zoo, a non-government-funded zoo in Kilkenny which keeps the only supplies of Snake antivenom in Ireland. Unfortunatelly the zoo does not keep stocks of this particular type of antivenom, though it was able to source a supply from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in England. However, it is unclear if even this body has enough antivenom to treat the bite, as it only keeps has ten vials of the medicine in stock; enough to treat a minor bite, but not a fully envenomed one (Snakes can control how much venom they release), which would typically require about 30 vials of antivenom, to attempts are being made to source further antivenom from elsewhere in Europe. Doctors are also considering the possibility of airlifting the patient to England where he will be able to recieve more specialised treatment for the bite, as such incidents are almost unknown in Ireland.

A Puff Adder, Bitis arietans, at Vivarium Darmstadt in Hessen, Germany. Wikimedia Commons.

Snakes are becoming increasingly popular pets in many countries, which means that medical services are increasingly having to deal with Snake-related injuries, typically bites. However Puff Adders are considered an unusual choice of pet even among enthusiasts, which means that few places keep Puff Adder antivenom in stock. Like most Snakes, a Puff Adder will generally try to back away from a percieved threat before biting, but if they do decide to strike they are exceptionally fast, and capable of biting through protective leather gloves sometimes worn by Snake-handlers. To make matters worse they produce a powerful haemotoxic (tissue-destroying) venom, which means that even a small bite typically results in some tissue loss (this might mean a finger or two, or part of the foot), while more severe bites often result in severe organ damage.

Puff Adders are found in dry grasslands across Africa and southern Arabia, and are thought to kill more people each year than any other African snake, due to a combination of their dangerous behaviour, powerful venom, widespread distribution, and fondness for agricultural land.

Saturday, 28 October 2017

Measles outbreak in Dublin and County Meath, Ireland.

The Irish Health and Safety Executive has issued a warning to health workers in Dublin and County Meath following an outbreak of Measles in the area, with seven cases reported since 19 October 2017. Measles is a Viral Disease, that presents as a fever combined with a cough and inflamed eyes, followed by the development of a rash first in the mouth and then across the body. About 30% of cases go on to develop complications, which can include diarrhoea, blindness, inflammation of the brain and pneumonia, and the disease can be fatal. Measles is a highly infectious airborne disease spread by coughing, with un-immunised people living in close proximity to infected persons having an approximately 90% chance of catching the Virus. The disease is easily prevented by vaccination, but hard to treat once people are infected, with small children, who are least likely to have been immunised, particularly vulnerable. This makes it particularly important for health workers to be alert for new cases once the disease becomes established in an area, and ensure that all potential cases are screened for the Virus promptly.

Thin-section transmission electron micrograph of a Measles Virus. Cynthia Goldsmith/William Bellini/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Image Library/Wikimedia Commons.

Measles is caused by a single-strand RNA Virus belonging to the genus Morbillivirus, which also includes the Viruses that cause Canine Distemper and Rinderpest, as well as a variety of other diseases infecting domestic and wild Mammals. The genius Morbillivirus is in turn a member of the Paramyxoviridae, a group of Viruses that infect a wide range of Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Fish, and includes the Virus that causes Mumps in Humans.