Category: Feature Stories

“Just in time for the beginning of the meteorological summer on June 1, summer temperatures are in sight again in many places,” says Manfred Spatzierer, the Austrian Severe Weather Center chief meteorologist. In the second half of the week, temperatures will rise more, especially in the south and east; peaks around 30 degrees are also emerging. However, the weather remains unstable, and in the increasingly muggy air, regionally strong thunderstorms, including the risk of thunderstorms, are on the horizon. Today, Monday, the sun will shine at times in the east,…

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No, monkeypox viruses won’t cause the next pandemic. The pathogen is known, only its name is still misleading: the virus is native to rodents, and monkeys, like humans, are so-called false hosts. The virus is transmitted during sexual intercourse or by droplets during physical proximity, but not by aerosol. Vaccines are available; Great Britain already uses them for ring vaccinations. And there are effective antiviral drugs. But the initial fear reflex in the face of reports of more than 160 infected people from 15 countries (as of Monday) raises important…

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For the time being, the last regular mandatory PCR tests will take place at schools in the coming week. The PCR testing program, which has been running in various forms since the beginning of the school year, will end about a month before the end of the school year. After Pentecost, antigen testing will only be used as needed when identified infections occur in a class. In Vienna, testing can continue on a limited voluntary basis. Regular PCR testing was started in September. At that time, at least one PCR…

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Since May 2022, more and more cases of infection with the monkeypox virus have been occurring worldwide. We explain where the virus comes from and how dangerous it is here. What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is a rare viral disease, usually transmitted from animals to humans, circulating mainly in African countries. The first case was identified in 1970 in a nine-month-old boy in Congo. Since then, more minor epidemics have occurred in Central and West Africa from time to time. So far, only very isolated cases have occurred outside the African…

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In light of the unusual spread of monkeypox, the World Health Organization (WHO) urges various measures but sees no reason for alarm. “This is not a disease that should cause public concern. It is not covid,” WHO expert Sylvie Briand said Friday in Geneva at a briefing for WHO member countries. Nonetheless, she said, governments should quickly capture sufferers and isolate those affected. The WHO expects most cases to be mild. However, pregnant women, children, and people with weak immune systems would be at higher risk for a severe course.…

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More than 200 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed outside Africa. They are mainly concentrated in the UK, Spain, and Portugal. Nineteen countries are affected, and the disease is endemic in eleven African countries. According to EU health authorities, more than 200 cases of monkeypox have now been confirmed outside Africa. Nineteen countries where the disease is not commonly found have secured at least one point. “Most of the cases are young men who self-identify as having sex with men. There have been no deaths,” the Stockholm-based European Centre for…

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Two liters of water a day is a general rule of thumb. However, it is not scientifically proven. Among others, the kidney specialist Heinz Valtin writes that. The former professor of physiology and neurobiology at Dartmouth University has looked for the origin of this recommendation in numerous publications. In vain. “I have found no scientific proof that absolutely everyone needs to drink at least two liters of water a day,” says Valtin. Where the myth of the two liters comes from is not clear, he adds. How much water is…

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In purely mathematical terms, all the food produced by May 26 will never be eaten – 40 percent ends up in the trash each year. This senseless waste is not only madness from an ethical point of view but also fatal for our planet. After all, food waste is responsible for around ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Added to this is the unnecessary consumption of land, water, and energy,” laments Dominik Heizmann, WWF expert on sustainable nutrition. His (eco)logical warning: “Neither given the climate and biodiversity crisis nor…

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If a bead of sweat isn’t dripping from your forehead right now, you’re probably one of the lucky ones sitting in an air-conditioned apartment. Or you don’t sweat. Ninety percent of us do; however, our 2 to 4 million sweat glands sometimes produce up to 12 liters of sweat a day in this brutal heat!  And that’s a good thing because sweating is healthy! Sweat is like a detox By sweating, our body can get rid of harmful substances. We do a free detox cure at these temperatures and get…

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