As the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc in all nooks of the world, scientists have warned that Scarlet fever is making a comeback. It should be noted that thousands of children were killed due to Scarlet fever in the 19th century, and most of the victims were aged between 5 and 15. However, after the advent of effective antibiotics, this disease slowly died out from the planet.

And now, a new study carried out by researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) has suggested that the disease is resurging, as Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria had been infected by another virus. The study team was busy studying this disease for the past ten years after small outbreaks were reported in Asia and the UK in 2011 and 2014 respectively.

Researchers noted that there was a 68 percent rise in scarlet fever cases in the UK from 2014.

“This global re-emergence of scarlet fever has caused a more than five-fold increase in disease rate and more than 600,000 cases around the world,” said Stephen Brouwer, a researcher at UQ.

Scientists believe that the new mutation of Scarlet virus bacteria could turn deadly, as traditional antibiotic treatment may not work against this new strain.

According to researchers, the coronavirus lockdown measures are actually hindering the spread of Scarlet fever too. Researchers also suggest that the cases of Scarlet fever will rise drastically once social distancing measures get relaxed.

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The survey of 130 countries provides the first global data showing the problematic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the access to mental health services and underscores the urgent need for increased funding. It evaluated how the provision of mental, neurological and substance use has changed due to the pandemic, the types of services that have been disrupted, and how countries are adapting to overcome these challenges.

The findings was published ahead of WHO’s ‘Big Event for Mental Health’, scheduled on October 10. The events will bring together world leaders, celebrities and advocates to bring awareness on mental health and the need for mental health investments in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Previously WHO had highlighted the underfunding of mental health and said that the countries were spending less than 2 percent of their national health budgets on mental health. Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. Many people may be facing insomnia and anxiety.

Meanwhile, coronavirus itself can lead to neurological and mental complications, such as delirium, agitation, and stroke. People with pre-existing mental, neurological or substance use disorders are also more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection and may stand a higher risk of severe outcomes and even death.

As the pandemic continues, there will be a greater demand on national and international mental health programmes, especially for those countries that have suffered from years of chronic underfunding.

The WHO has issued guidelines to countries on how to maintain essential services – including mental health services – during the coronavirus pandemic and recommends that countries allocate resources to mental health as an fundamental component of their response and recovery plans.

According to studies, those who invest in mental health will have greater advantages. Pre-coronavirus studies reveal that nearly US$1 trillion in economic productivity is lost annually from depression and anxiety alone. Hence every US $1 spend on evidence-based care for depression and return US$5.

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Nike’s new commercial is creating waves in the advertising industry, nay even among filmmakers, for its brilliant editing and a great script to foot.

The Portland-based Wieden + Kennedy has come up with a stunning new Nike commercial, put together from archival video. And each frame is expertly edited, with continuous action that does not miss a beat.

The agency, working with Pulse Films director Oscar Hudson, Joint editors Peter Wiedensmith and Jessica Baclesse, researched thousands of sports action sequences to combine into 36 split-screen moments in which the action on both sides merge into one.

And it also delivers a message about the power of sport when coronavirus is playing spoil sport. Copywriter Dylan Lee has come up with top-notch script and there is the voiceover by Mega Rapinoe.

The spot features some of the top-level athletes and along with everyday athletes.

Nike has put out some remarkable advertising throughout the pandemic, beginning with the “Play Inside, Play for the World” campaign in March, followed by an April spot saluting the millions of at-home athletes in quarantine.

Wieden+Kennedy was established in 1982, when two guys quit their day jobs to follow a client that made running shoes with a waffle iron. Dan Wieden likes to say that when the agency started, no one in their right mind wanted to come to this weird little city on the banks of the Willamette River. That’s been a driving force in shaping the agency today. And thankfully it’s gotten easier to convince people to come to our little corner of the Pacific Northwest.

The agency has a variety of clients, including Airbnb, BMW, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, Converse, FOX Sports, Facebook, Ford, Formula 1, HBO, Heinz, Honda, Instagram, KFC, Lurpak, Lyft, McDonald’s, Netflix, Old Spice, P&G, Royal Enfield, Samsung and Sprite.

The agency has offices in Amsterdam, New York, Tokyo, London. Shanghai, São Paulo and New Delhi.

Watch the ad here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4dDs0T7sM

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