Long covid infection linked with risk of 'face blindness', warns new study

News Network
March 21, 2023

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New Delhi, Mar 21: Prolonged symptoms of Covid-19 may be associated with difficulty recognising faces, a little-known condition called face blindness, and navigational problems, according to a study.

Previous studies have shown that Covid-19 can cause a range of neurological problems, including the loss of smell and taste, and impairments in attention, memory, speech, and language, known as "brain fog".

The latest research, published in the journal Cortex, is the first to report prosopagnosia, or face blindness, following symptoms consistent with Covid-19.

The condition that can make people fail to recognise familiar faces, has been estimated to affect between 2 and 2.5 per cent of people in the world.

The researchers assessed the case of Annie, a 28-year-old customer service representative and part-time portrait artist in the US, who was diagnosed with Covid-19 in March 2020 and suffered a symptom relapse two months later.

"When I first met Annie, she told me that she was unable to recognise the faces of her family," said Marie-Luise Kieseler, a graduate student at Dartmouth College in the US, adding Annie now relies on voices to recognise people.

Annie also experienced navigational deficits after having Covid-19. She has had difficulty remembering where particular sections in her grocery store are and relies on Google maps and its pin function to remember where she parks her car.

“The combination of prosopagnosia and navigational deficits that Annie had is something that caught our attention because the two deficits often go hand in hand after somebody either has had brain damage or developmental deficits,” said study senior author Brad Duchaine, a professor at Dartmouth.

"That co-occurrence is probably due to the two abilities depending on neighbouring brain regions in the temporal lobe," Duchaine said in a statement.

Dr. Vinit Suri, Senior Consultant, Neurology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi noted that the exact mechanisms by which long Covid may cause face blindness are not yet fully understood, but there are several possible explanations.

"Firstly, long Covid can cause a range of neurological symptoms which may affect the brain regions responsible for face recognition, causing difficulty in processing visual information and recognising familiar faces," Suri told PTI.

"Secondly, Covid-19 can cause inflammation and damage to the blood vessels, which can lead to reduced blood flow to the brain. This can cause brain damage and cognitive impairments, including face blindness," he added.

The research team conducted a series of tests with Annie to evaluate her problems with face recognition and determine whether she also has difficulties with other perceptual or cognitive abilities.

In one test, Annie was sequentially presented with 60 images of celebrity faces and was asked to name them. Annie correctly identified 29 per cent of the 48 celebrities whom she was familiar with as compared to most people, who can correctly identify 84 per cent of familiar celebrities.

The second test was a doppelganger test. Annie was shown a celebrity's name and then presented with images of two faces: the face of a celebrity and that of someone similar, and was then asked to identify which face was the famous person.

She identified the celebrity in 69 per cent of the 58 trials, as compared to 87 per cent in the control group.

"Our results from the test with unfamiliar faces show that it wasn't just that Annie couldn’t recall the name or biographical information of a famous person that she was familiar with, but she really has trouble learning new identities," said Kieseler.

The research team also obtained self-reported data from 54 individuals who had long Covid with symptoms for 12 weeks or more, and 32 persons who had reported that they had fully recovered from Covid-19.

Most respondents with long Covid reported that their cognitive and perceptual abilities had decreased since they had Covid.

"It was not just a small concentration of really impaired cases but a broad majority of people in the long Covid group reported noticeable difficulties doing things that they were able to do before contracting Covid-19 without any problems," Kieseler said.

"Our study highlights the sorts of perceptual problems with face recognition and navigation that can be caused by Covid-19 -- it is something that people should be aware of, especially physicians and other health care professionals,” Duchaine added.

Dr. Atul Prasad, Principal Director & HOD Neurology, BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi said this is the first report of long Covid causing prosopagnosia.

"The more we study the virus, the more we realise how much damage it can cause during acute infection and now after infection has settled," Prasad told PTI.

Suri noted that that not all people with long Covid will develop face blindness, and the severity and duration of symptoms can vary widely.

"Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between long Covid and face blindness and to develop effective treatments and interventions for those affected," he added. 

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News Network
April 16,2025

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The United States has reportedly approved a new shipment of thousands of powerful munitions to the Israeli regime, further reinforcing its military arsenal as Tel Aviv is said to be readying for “vigorous expansion” of its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Citing unnamed Israeli officials, Hebrew-language outlet Ynetnews reported that the Israeli air force was set to receive more than 3,000 bombs from the US in the coming weeks.

According to the report, the munitions are to be delivered to “boost readiness” for a major offensive being planned by the Israeli army’s Southern Command.

Over 10,000 additional bombs are also expected to arrive in the near future, replenishing Tel Aviv’s stockpiles as it pushes forward with its regional military adventurism that has seen it escalate its deadly attacks on Lebanon and Syria, besides the war on Gaza.

The shipment is part of a broader arms package that includes MK-84 bombs, powerful 2,000-pound munitions that have already been linked to mass civilian casualties in Gaza.

A similar transfer, which was initially halted by the previous US administration, was unfrozen earlier this year under Donald Trump’s second tenure as president, enabling the Israeli regime to resume large-scale deployment of the destructive weapons.

Rafah encircled 

The regime’s minister for military affairs Israel Katz has announced that Tel Aviv was now preparing to “vigorously” broaden its assault on besieged Gaza.

As part of the escalation, Israeli forces have recently captured the so-called “Morag Corridor,” a strategic route connecting the southern Gaza cities of Rafah and Khan Younis.

Israeli military officials had declared on 12 April that Rafah, the last refuge for over a million displaced Palestinians, was now completely surrounded.

The Israeli army’s 36th Division, including the 188th Armored Brigade and Golani Infantry Brigade, reportedly advanced from both northwest and southeast axes towards the area.

Additionally, the army’s “Gaza Division” is operating along the Philadelphi Corridor, adjacent to the Gaza-Egypt border, amid the regime’s continued allegations that the stretch of land is used to transfer arms to Gaza’s Hamas resistance movement.

Death toll rises 

The intensified genocidal campaign has come at a staggering human cost. Since March 18, at least 1,630 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,300 wounded across the Palestinian territory due to relentless Israeli bombardments and ground incursions.

Entire neighborhoods in Rafah and other southern areas have been flattened, with displaced civilians again forced to flee, this time with nowhere left to go.

Across the entire territory, essential infrastructure has been decimated, exacerbating the already dire conditions for over two million Palestinians trapped under blockade.

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News Network
April 14,2025

Bengaluru: The leaked contents of Karnataka’s long-awaited caste census suggest a significant policy shift—extending the creamy layer rule to Category 1 castes under the backward classes reservation list. This category includes some of the most disadvantaged nomadic and microscopic communities.

The commission, headed by Jayaprakash Hegde, has reportedly recommended that the creamy layer policy—already applied to categories 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B—be extended to Category 1. The report notes that some groups within Category 1 have achieved considerable progress socially, economically, educationally, and politically, thus justifying the introduction of a filtering mechanism.

The panel emphasized the growing inequality within Category 1 itself, stating that children from impoverished farming and labourer families are unable to compete with the children of wealthier households in the same category.

“The competition is stiff here and there is a threat that this category may become one populated by the rich in due course if the creamy layer policy is not implemented,” the report reportedly states.

It further underlines that to fulfil the constitutional goal of equitable opportunities, the policy must be introduced across all categories of backward classes, including Category 1.

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News Network
April 16,2025

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Bantwal, Apr 16: A fatal pothole on a local road has claimed the life of a young community leader, sending shockwaves through the Bantwal region. Melroy D’Sa (25), president of the Thodambila Unit of the Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM), died in a tragic bike accident late Tuesday night.

Melroy was reportedly riding his motorcycle when he lost control after hitting a pothole. Locals who witnessed the incident rushed him to a nearby hospital, but despite swift medical attention, he could not be saved.

A beloved figure in youth circles, Melroy was known for his leadership, vibrant spirit, and active involvement in community service across the Bantwal deanery. Many had seen him as a rising leader with a bright future.

The ICYM Central Council expressed profound grief over the loss, paying tribute to Melroy’s dedication to youth empowerment and his unwavering commitment to social causes. His untimely death has left a deep void in the community he passionately served.

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