smell | Common News Update

Apr102021 by adminNo Comments

Saint Vincent volcano: Island awakes to ash and sulphur smell

World

Inhabitants of the Caribbean island of St Vincent have woken up to "extremely heavy ash fall and sulphur smells" after Friday's eruption of the La Soufrière volcano.Emergency management officials said the volcano's emissions had advanced to the country's capital Kingstown.Witnesses said the volcano was still rumbling and emitting dark clouds of ash thousands of metres into the air.La Soufrière, dormant for decades, started to become active in December.Thousands of people have been forced out of their homes, and on Thursday Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves urged more than 16,000 residents in "red zones" to evacuate.Ash fall has been recorded as far from the volcano as Argyle International Airport some 20 km (12 miles) away, St Vincent's National Emergency Management Organisation (Nemo SVG) sa...

Feb232021 by adminNo Comments

Not to be sniffed at: Agony of post-COVID-19 loss of smell

Technology

NICE, France -- The doctor slid a miniature camera into the patient’s right nostril, making her whole nose glow red with its bright miniature light.“Tickles a bit, eh?” he asked as he rummaged around her nasal passages, the discomfort causing tears to well in her eyes and roll down her cheeks.The patient, Gabriella Forgione, wasn't complaining. The 25-year-old pharmacy worker was happy to be prodded and poked at the hospital in Nice, in southern France, to advance her increasingly pressing quest to recover her sense of smell. Along with her sense of taste, it suddenly vanished when she fell ill with COVID-19 in November, and neither has returned.Being deprived of the pleasures of food and the scents of things that she loves are proving tough on her body and mind. Shorn of odors both good a...

Oct22020 by adminNo Comments

Coronavirus: Loss of smell may be clearer sign than cough

Health

Loss of a sense of smell may be a more reliable indicator of Covid-19 than cough or fever, research suggests. A study by University College London (UCL) of 590 people who lost their sense of smell or taste earlier in the year found 80% had coronavirus antibodies.Of those people with antibodies, 40% had no other symptoms. The research only looked at people with mild symptoms, however. Evidence that loss of smell and taste could be signs of coronavirus began to emerge from about April, and they were added to the official list of symptoms in mid-May.Current guidance states anyone who experiences a loss of, or change to their sense of smell or taste should self-isolate and apply for a test. But lead author of the UCL study, Prof Rachel Batterham, says cough a...

Jul32020 by adminNo Comments

Coronavirus: Sense of smell and taste ‘improve for most’

Health

Almost 90% of people who lost their sense of smell or taste while infected with Covid-19 improved or recovered within a month, a study has found.The study, in Italy, found 49% of patients had fully regained their sense of smell or taste and 40% reported improvements. But 10% said their symptoms remained the same or had worsened.Given the scale of the pandemic, experts warn hundreds of thousands of people could face longer-term problems.A change in - or loss of - someone's sense of smell or taste are now recognised as core symptoms of coronavirus. 'Mild illness' According to NHS advice, anyone who experiences them should isolate, together with their household, and be tested.The international team of researchers surveyed 187 Italians who had the virus but w...

May182020 by adminNo Comments

Coronavirus symptoms: UK adds loss of smell and taste to list

Health

Loss of smell or taste have been added to the UK's list of coronavirus symptoms that people should look out for and act upon. Until now, only a fever and cough were triggers for people to shut themselves away in self-isolation in case they had and could spread the infection. Ear, nose and throat doctors had been warning for weeks that more symptoms should be included. Scientific advisers told the government to update the advice. If you or someone you live with has any of these symptoms - a new, continuous cough, fever or loss of smell or taste - the advice is stay at home for seven days to stop the risk of giving coronavirus to others. Coronavirus: What should I do if I have symptoms?Loss of smell and taste may still be signs of other respiratory infect...