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Close to 1,000 cases of a deadly infection are spreading rapidly across Japan, raising alarm among health officials. The disease, known as Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), is causing severe illness and has fatal outcomes within a startlingly short period.Surge in STSS CasesSTSS cases have surged, reaching 977 by June 2nd this year. This figure has already surpassed last year’s total of 941 cases, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases."Most of the deaths happen within 48 hours""Most of the deaths happen within 48 hours," said Ken Kikuchi, a professor in infectious diseases at Tokyo Women’s Medical University. He highlighted the rapid progression of the disease, noting that patients can die within 48 hours of noticing initial symptoms.What is STSS?STSS, or Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome, is a severe illness caused by infection with group A Streptococcus (GAS) bacteria. It is characterized by the rapid onset of shock and multi-organ failure, which can be life-threatening if not promptly treated.Symptoms and TreatmentInitial symptoms of STSS include fever, chills, muscle aches, and nausea. As the disease progresses, more severe symptoms such as low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and organ failure can occur. Treatment involves high-dose intravenous antibiotics and supportive care.Preventive MeasuresPreventive measures include good hygiene practices, prompt treatment of streptococcal infections, and close monitoring of wounds and skin infections. Public health education on the symptoms and risks associated with group A Streptococcus infections is also crucial for early detection and treatment.Who is at Risk?"People with an open wound are at increased risk for STSS," according to the US CDC. This includes individuals who recently had surgery or a viral infection that causes open sores. However, experts don't know how the bacteria enter the body for nearly half of people who get STSS.Similar Outbreaks in Other CountriesOther countries have also experienced similar outbreaks. In late 2022, at least five European nations reported an increase in invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) disease cases to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO noted that the rise in cases correlated with the lifting of COVID restrictions.

Narendra Modi seized a window to end his diplomatic purgatory with the US and Canada.The Indian prime minister arrived at the Group of Seven meetings bruised by disappointing election results and facing an outcry over a pair of assassination plots allegedly backed by his government.Yet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the host of the summit, gave Modi prominent placement during Friday’s events and the Indian leader took full advantage, striding over for encounters with two leaders whose governments have accused his own of murder plots.Modi was placed at center stage for the family photo, a perch that allowed him to dart over to US President Joe Biden for a brief chat. He also shared a photo of a similar greeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.Canada has accused India of killing a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil, while the US has leveled allegations of a failed attempt on another dissident in its country. India has generally downplayed the allegations, and in the US case chalked up the plot to rogue elements of the government.But Modi’s invitation to the summit is a sign of India’s role in the emerging economic race between the G-7 and its rivals, particularly China. Biden and Trudeau meeting with him, however briefly, casts doubt on how long the outcry over the assassination allegations will linger.The US has said its position on the alleged plots hasn’t changed.“We’ve made our views known on this issue, and it will be a continuing topic of dialogue between the US and India, including at very senior levels,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, one of Biden’s top foreign affairs aides, said Wednesday.A US official said Friday that Biden and Modi only spoke briefly.On Saturday, a grim-faced Trudeau was repeatedly asked about his interaction with Modi but did not want to engage.“I’m not going to get into the details of this issue,” he told reporters in southern Italy. “There are important, sensitive issues that we need to follow up on, but this was a commitment to work together in the coming times to deal with some very important issues.”Meanwhile, the Indian prime minister looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself at the summit. Meloni posted a clip of her and Modi, laughing cheerfully behind her.Canadian police recently arrested four Indian nationals over last year’s killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in a Vancouver suburb. The case is now before the courts and could take years to wind to a conclusion.Modi’s government reacted furiously when Trudeau first accused India last September of orchestrating the assassination, rejecting the claim as baseless and expelling Canadian diplomats. Trudeau has long called on Modi to cooperate with the investigation, with the hope of moving forward constructively.Indian officials have never walked back their initial denials, but there are signs that behind the scenes, Canada and India are now cooperating more fully on sharing information about the case.That may have helped provide an opening for a conversation between the two leaders.The last time Trudeau crossed paths with Modi in person was at the G-20 in New Delhi last year, and it was a very tense meeting because Canadian officials had spent weeks privately presenting evidence to India’s government of a hit job on Canadian soil. Trudeau at the time was largely iced out by Modi at that summit and then had his departure delayed after his plane broke down.

Mumbai: The drafting of the rules for the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act is "in very advanced stages," and the government will start consultations with the industry on the subject very soon, electronics and information technology (MeitY) minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said."We will be as extensive as we can. We will not rush through and prefer a consultative process. In parallel, we are working on creating a digital by-design platform, so that the implementation can be done in a digital form," Vaishnaw said.ET reported on June 12 that the IT ministry aims to release the proposed administrative rules under the DPDP Act for public consultation before the start of the upcoming Parliament session in July to give ample time for stakeholders to deliberate on the finer nuances of the rules."We will make lots of changes based on what the industry, stakeholders, and so many other organisations, including lawyers, user groups and consultants. We will take all their views into consideration," he said.A senior government official said the platform to be used for the implementation of the DPDP Act and its administrative rules will be designed and implemented in-house, either by the National Informatics Centre or the Digital India Corporation. Over the last four months, the government has received queries from significantly large electronics component manufacturers who met officials from MeitY and sought to know the process of setting up a plant in India, among other things, he said."We have been directing them primarily to the OEM (original equipment manufacturers) so that the component manufacturers and they (OEM) have synergy. That is working well," Vaishnaw said, adding that the component ecosystem will also increase the local value-addition plans of the government.India is moving towards building a complete ecosystem of component makers along with finished product manufacturers in the next 3-4 years, another official said.Memory chips, which are an essential component of electronic products, will also get a good boost once the Micron plant being built at Sanand in Gujarat is commissioned, the official said.

JERUSALEM: Israel's military said Saturday that eight soldiers were killed in southern Gaza in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months.The troops were killed in an explosion, the army said, without elaborating. The deaths will likely fuel calls for a cease-fire and heighten Israeli public anger over ultra-Orthodox exemptions from the military.In January, 21 Israeli troops were killed in a single attack by Palestinian militants in Gaza.Last month, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered an end to government subsidies for many ultra-Orthodox men who don’t serve in the army. A new draft law hasn't been passed, but the coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week voted in favor of extending exemptions for religious men. Although the vote was only procedural, it caused an uproar by being approved during a war in which hundreds of soldiers have died and many others remain inside Gaza or on the front lines against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.Israel's coalition government contains a powerful bloc of ultra-Orthodox parties that have been longtime partners of Netanyahu.Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, who don’t give the breakdown of civilians and fighters. The war has also driven about 80% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes, and Israeli restrictions and ongoing fighting have hindered efforts to bring in humanitarian aid, fueling widespread hunger.Israel launched its campaign after Hamas and other militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. Over 100 hostages were released during a weeklong cease-fire last year in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Hamas is believed to be holding around 80 hostages and the remains of another 40.Months of cease-fire negotiations have failed to find common ground between Israeli and Hamas. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Hamas proposed changes to a U.S.-backed plan, some of which he said were “workable” and some not.Hamas has continually called for a permanent cease-fire and complete Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza as part of any deal that would see the hostages released. While the proposal announced by U.S. President Joe Biden includes these two provisions, Hamas has expressed concern about whether Israel will commit to them.