Birthdays are exciting for everyone. There's celebration, a cake, and balloons. But what if it goes wrong? This is what happened with Giang Pham, from Vietnam, who was celebrating her 33rd birthday on February 14, when a hydrogen balloon in her hand touched the flame from the candle on the cake and exploded on her face.

This incident was also captured on camera. The footage clearly shows how the balloon blew up as soon as it touched the flame. Her friends were shocked and can be heard gasping in the background as they saw this.

In the days following the incident, she also shared photos on her Instagram showing her bandaged face, and revealed the first-degree burns on her hand and second-degree burns on her face. However, the good news was that her vision was unaffected, though for her face to recover, it would take months.

She is now also warning others about the risks of using highly inflammable hydrogen balloons. The other alternative could be a helium balloon, which you could fly higher and they remain on the ceiling.

Health Update

She revealed that her doctor estimated up to six months for her skin to recover. She would still have to go to the hospital for dressing and treatment. Another such case happened with a woman named Tine from Australia, when on her son's 7th birthday, the balloon exploded and "shook her house". Her son was burned in the forearm.

Such incidents happen because decorators want to save the cost by replacing helium with hydrogen, which is highly inflammable.

In Healing

Giang shared that she experienced second-degree burn on her face and first-degree burn on her hands. As per John Hopkins Medicine, first degree burns affect only the epidermis, or the outer layer of skin. The burn site becomes red, painful, dry, however, there are no blisters. A mild sunburn could be an example of such a burn. This is also called superficial burns.

Whereas, second degree burns involve the epidermis and part of the dermis layer of the skin. The burn site appears red, blistered and could also be swollen and painful. This is also known as partial thickness burn.

Then comes the third degree burns, also known as full thickness burn. This destroys the epidermis and dermis and could also damage the underlying bones, muscles, and tendons. However, when the bones and muscles are burned, it could be referred to as a fourth degree burn. The burn sit appears white or charred and there is no feeling in the area since the nerve endings are destroyed.

How burns are treated?

The right way to treat a burn depends on its depth and how much of the body it covers. While minor, superficial burns can be managed at home, deeper or larger burns may need medical attention. Keep these essential guidelines in mind:

Do:

• Remove the source of the burn immediately – For example, take off clothing soaked in hot liquid to prevent further damage.
• Run cool water over the burn – This helps soothe the skin, except in cases of certain chemical burns.
• Keep the burn clean and protected – Cover it with a clean, non-stick bandage when possible.
• Seek medical help – If the burn is deeper than a superficial layer, larger than your hand, or full-thickness, see a doctor.

Don’t:

• Use home remedies like bleach or butter – These can make the burn worse.
• Apply ointments or creams on deep burns – They can trap heat and worsen the injury.
• Put ice on the burn – It can cause more damage to the skin.
• Pop blisters – This increases the risk of infection.

Knowing these simple steps can make a big difference in burn care and healing.

Nigeria is witnessing an outbreak of cholera, and to curb the spread of the disease, the police there have ordered sanitation measures in the northeastern state of Borno. According to the local media and authorities, about 39 people have died due to the waterborne disease. Local authorities have also reported at least 4,204 cases of infection.

According to the local health authorities, the outbreak is spreading in the Borno capital, Maiduguri, and the surrounding Jere district. The state police commissioner "has directed the full enforcement of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise." The statement added, "Residents are therefore urged to actively participate in the exercise by cleaning their homes, business premises, drainage channels, and surrounding environments."

He added, "To ensure compliance, police personnel and other relevant stakeholders will be deployed to strategic locations across the state during the sanitation period."

The nation is very cautious about the outbreak and has taken several steps to contain the disease as much as possible. The state government has set dedicated treatment centers for public convenience. Notably, cholera is spread by bacteria-tainted water and food, which can easily cause dehydration and diarrhoea.

The advent of modern sewerage systems has eradicated diseases throughout the modern world. Though war, conflict, and social unrest in nations like Nigeria and Sudan result in these unfortunate outbreaks, which take thousands of lives and affect many families.

As Ebola is spreading in African nations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, another breakout of Cholera in Nigeria is showing the vulnerabilities of how rampant it is in Africa.

What Is Cholera?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. This can be transmitted through drinking water or eating food that contains the bacteria. While most people who get cholera don't get sick, it can cause life-threatening diarrhea and vomiting.

CDC notes that each year, 1.3 to 4 million people around the world get cholera. Among them, 21,000 to 143,000 people die.

What Are The Common Symptoms?

The common symptoms include:

• watery diarrhea
• vomiting
• leg cramps
• losing body fluids
• dehydration and shock

Usually, people develop symptoms within 1 to 10 days of consuming the bacteria.

Who Is At More Risk?

People who live in areas with unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, and inadequate hygiene are at the highest risk of getting cholera. The disease can spread quickly in areas where sewage and drinking water are not adequately treated. It can also live in brackish water, which is slightly salty, or in coastal water. Thus, eating raw shellfish can also cause cholera.

COVID-19, a name that can trigger a plethora of bad memories and constant fear, a time of solitude and captivity. Though now a breakthrough in medical science connected with coronavirus is giving hope to the possible prevention of Ebola. The universal vaccine was designed entirely by artificial intelligence (AI), and more importantly, it was successful.

It was the first time an AI-designed vaccine has completed a human clinical trial. The results of the trials were published in the Journal of Infection, and according to that report, phase one of the trial was observed by 39 healthy adult volunteers aged 18 to 50 and demonstrated a 100 pc safety profile.

The study stated that this vaccine was developed by the research team at the University of Cambridge and the company DIOSynVax, and they claimed that their vaccine has strong immune responses against various coronavirus strains.

And with this very crucial discovery in medical science, there is also a hope for designing a very effective vaccine for Ebola. Essentially, offering a proactive shield against a disease that continues to pose a significant global public health risk.

How Will This Breakthrough Contribute To The Development Of An Ebola Vaccine?

The vaccines that are traditional often tend to be reactive in nature, which means they can only work on a particular strain of a virus, and as a result, when the virus mutates and evolves, it becomes obsolete.

Artificial intelligence or machine learning can make a big difference in this aspect as it scans the genetic sequences of an entire family of viruses. The development of a universal COVID vaccine followed the same process. The AI pointed out the core features common to all of them, including strains that haven't even crossed over to humans yet, and after that, it has designed the new vaccine.

Though this very vaccine will not directly work on Ebola, the same process and technology can be used to create a similar vaccine in record time for Ebola as well. As the situation of the disease worsens by the day, it has crossed 500 cases.

As of Saturday, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported that its total number of Ebola cases had increased to 488 from 452 cases and caused 86 deaths. Its neighbor, Uganda, also has reported 19 cases.

This time, the Ebola outbreak has caused most harm to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and during this mayhem, its neighboring nation, Uganda, which is also fighting to contain the disease as it is also seeing a surge in cases, has completely closed off its western border with DRC.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak an international public health emergency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the Ebola outbreak of this time could swell to become the largest Ebola epidemic in history.

The situation regarding the outbreak of Ebola is nowhere near slowing down, and the World Health Organization (WHO) said that this outbreak of Ebola is far from under control. The outbreak of the disease in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring Uganda has already reached the 500 mark.

On Saturday, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported that its total number of Ebola cases had increased to 488 from 452 cases and caused 86 deaths. Its neighbor, Uganda, also has reported 19 cases.

This time the Ebola outbreak has caused most harm to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and during this mayhem its neighboring nation Uganda which is also fighting to contain the disease as it is also seeing surge in cases thus it has completely closed off its western border with DRC.

The worsening condition of the situation is clear, as the global health monitoring organization, the World Health Organization (WHO), has already declared the outbreak an international public health emergency.

And it's not only the case with WHO, another big name in public health, but the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the Ebola outbreak of this time could swell to become the largest Ebola epidemic to date, and is likely to rival the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.

The patient number is still growing as the disease is spreading, and this spread is very hard to contain without an approved vaccine. Though work on the vaccine is in full swing, research on three different vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola still needs time, even after being set to be fast-tracked for trials.

What Is Ebola?

Ebola is a severe and deadly disease caused by a virus mostly found in Africa. The spread of the disease happens through contact with infected body fluids.

Some symptoms can indicate a possible infection. This includes fever, headache, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, sore throat, and unexplained bleeding. This eventually leads to severe complications like bleeding, organ failure, and death.

Ebola is a highly lethal viral hemorrhagic fever first identified in 1976. Over the past five decades, it has caused over 30 outbreaks, primarily in Central and West Africa. The virus takes its name from the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Three strains of the virus — Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Bundibugyo virus — have caused the largest outbreaks in Africa. Among them, the Ebola virus is considered the deadliest, with fatality rates reaching up to 90% without treatment.

These viruses have repeatedly emerged from animal reservoirs and infected humans in African countries. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone, this marks the 17th Ebola outbreak and the third linked to the Bundibugyo strain.