40 Years Later, Some Survivors of the First Ebola Outbreak Are Still Immune

In August 1976, a 44-year-old headmaster named Mabalo Lokela arrived back in the town of Yambuku in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after two weeks spent touring with a local mission. A few days after his return, he checked into the local hospital with nosebleeds, dysentery, and a fever. The doctors treated him for malaria, but to no avail. Lokela got worse. In early September, two weeks after his first symptoms, he died. And meanwhile, other people who had come into contact with him started getting sick.

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Flu again.


Flu Season 2017: Influenza Is Now Widespread in 12 States Including New York and California


For the first time this season, the flu is now considered to be widespread in New York and California, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday. Ten other states also had widespread flu activity last week, including Connecticut, Ohio and Missouri.

What that means is that epidemiologists in each U.S. state and territory have found that there is flu in many different places—but not necessarily that there are a lot of flu cases. (South Carolina, for example, had high levels of flu activity last week, but mostly in a few parts of the state.)

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About 220 passengers aboard a five-night Caribbean cruise, slated to return to Ft. Lauderdale Saturday morning, suffered from a gastro-intestinal illness over the past week, Royal Caribbean announced.

"Independence of the Seas is currently on a 5-night Caribbean cruise, which departed Port Everglades, Florida on December 11," Royal Caribbean said in a statement Friday to ABC News. "Over the week, 220 cases of gastro-intestinal illness were reported— representing 4.86 percent of the 5,547 guests and crew onboard."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/200-passengers-aboard-royal-caribbean-ship-stricken-stomach/story?id=51829904&cid=clicksource_4380645_1_hero_headlines_headlines_hed

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A Canadian-based manufacturer is recalling ready-to-eat salami and speck products that are sold and distributed in the U.S. over concerns of possible salmonella contamination. Piller’s Fine Foods announced on Saturday that the recall affects “Black Kassel Piller’s Dry Aged D’Amour Salami” and “Black Kassel Piller’s Dry Aged Speck Smoked Prosciutto.”

Both products are sold with a best-before date of May 12, 2018, and were shipped to distribution centers in Michigan, California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York, according to The Lansing State Journal. While no illnesses have been reported, consumers are instructed to discard the product or return it for a refund.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/12/18/company-recalls-salami-prosciutto-over-possible-salmonella-contamination.html

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The US government has lifted a three-year ban on making lethal viruses in the lab, saying the potential benefits of disease preparedness outweigh the risks.

Labs will now be able to manufacture strains of influenza, Sars and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers).

The ban was imposed following safety breaches at federal institutions involving anthrax and avian flu.

Now a scientific review panel will have to green-light each research proposal.

It will only be allowed to go ahead if the panel determines there is no safer way to conduct the research and that the benefits it will provide justify the risk.

Critics say such "gain-of-function" research still risks creating an accidental pandemic.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42426548

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Flu Vaccine and People with Egg Allergies


CDC and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices have updated their guidelines on egg allergy and receipt of influenza (flu) vaccines. Based on the new recommendations, people with egg allergies no longer need to be observed for an allergic reaction for 30 minutes after receiving a flu vaccine. Should it be required, people with a history of severe allergic reaction to egg (i.e., any symptom other than hives) can now be vaccinated in an inpatient or outpatient medical setting (including but not necessarily limited to hospitals, clinics, health departments, and physician offices), under the supervision of any health care provider who is able to recognize and manage severe allergic conditions. Previously, it was recommended that such people be given a flu vaccine only by a doctor with experience in managing severe allergic conditions and that they be observed for 30 minutes after vaccination.

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:-(


'A Hideous Milestone In The 21st Century': Cholera Cases In Yemen Pass 1 Million

It has been roughly eight months since cholera first took hold in war-torn Yemen. In that brief span, the waterborne disease has exacted a staggering toll on the country's population — and that toll only continues to rise by the day.

The number of suspected cases of cholera has crossed one million, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced Thursday. Of those who have contracted the disease since April, the World Health Organization believes more than 2,200 people have died of it — almost a third of whom are children.

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(CNN)More than 63,600 lives were lost to drug overdose in 2016, the most lethal year yet of the drug overdose epidemic, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most of those deaths involved opioids, a family of painkillers including illicit heroin and fentanyl as well as legally prescribed medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. In 2016 alone, 42,249 US drug fatalities -- 66% of the total -- involved opioids, the report says. That's over a thousand more than the 41,070 Americans who die from breast cancer every year.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/21/health/drug-overdoses-2016-final-numbers/index.html

Very sad :-(

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(CNN)More than 63,600 lives were lost to drug overdose in 2016, the most lethal year yet of the drug overdose epidemic, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most of those deaths involved opioids, a family of painkillers including illicit heroin and fentanyl as well as legally prescribed medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. In 2016 alone, 42,249 US drug fatalities -- 66% of the total -- involved opioids, the report says. That's over a thousand more than the 41,070 Americans who die from breast cancer every year.

Legally prescribed oxycodone and fentanyl and hydrocodone are also a big problem here and it's why they have now been subject to big changes brought on by Medicare and the government . They now look at where , witch , how much and whose prescribing them by looking at all the scripts lodged at chemists across the whole country .

Sometimes big Gov is necessary to control things like this maybe there is a lesson there for some . Universal Health has very good benefits and controlling certain types of drugs can only be done if you have a centralized Universal health care system ,

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I'm again thankful to be living in a place that addresses these concerns... in Ontario anyone with a health card can obtain a naloxone/Narcan kit from a pharmacy free of charge, which includes training on how to use it to save the life of someone who's overdosed. Paramedics had of course long been trained in dealing with opioid overdoses, but as of this year all active-duty police and firefighters have been issued naloxone and trained in its use as well, as they are often first responders in what turns out to be an opioid overdose.

Hope this gets implemented everywhere it's a problem.

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Hope this gets implemented everywhere it's a problem

Well our 2 country's think alike so our first respondents do this also so !!

I would advise people not to rush into the chemist if they see someone overdosing in the street that they do not know . You may not like what happens after you give them nox as the junkies call it . Call (000) or (911) what ever it is where you are . LEAVE it to professionals unless you are a relative.

Junkies do not like wasting money so you can get a lot of abuse from them when they come out of it as they can't use for 24hrs if they do nothing happens and they don't like it that they may have just spent all there cash on a fix . They usually do not care that you just saved there life . You have been warned

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That's included in the training as far as I know. :^) Should always call 911 first so the pros are on their way and as naloxone is an immediate opioid antagonist, the recipient can go into instant withdrawal! May not be too happy about it but it beats dying. Well I hope it does!

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A potentially deadly, flesh-eating bacteria has made its way around Japan. As the national media outlet Asahi Shimbun reported, more than 500 people were infected with Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome in 2017, which is the highest number since the country began tracking the issue in 1999. The figures are reported by the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases.


Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, or STSS, is caused by Group A Streptococcus bacteria, which is also responsible for common strep throat infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains. Although this bacteria (among others) can cause flesh-eating infections, STSS itself is not a flesh-eating condition. When bacteria causes a flesh-eating condition, it’s called necrotizing fasciitis, a different diagnosis than the bacteria are causing in Japan.

http://www.newsweek.com/mysterious-flesh-eating-bacteria-causes-necrotizing-fascitis-infects-hundreds-759304

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News media reported this week that the World Health Organization (WHO) is moving ahead with the inclusion of “gaming disorder” (essentially video game addiction) in the next version of their International Classification of Diseases (ICD.) This is good news for clinicians hoping to get reimbursed for treating the disorder and politicians looking for cover to regulate or censor speech and technology. Arguably, it is worse news for good science and for public perceptions of legitimate mental illnesses. Curiously, this also places the WHO in opposition with another United Nations arm, UNICEF, which, in a 2017 report, appears to caution against using the “addiction” concept to apply to technology.


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/world-health-organizations-junk-diagnosis-for-gaming_us_5a453871e4b06cd2bd03deab

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Outbreaks of influenza are getting an early start this year in part because of cold weather gripping much of the USA and a low efficacy associated with this year's flu vaccine.

It's still too early to say whether this winter will be a bad season for the flu, but epidemiologists in 36 states already have reported widespread influenza activity to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Friday. Twenty-one of those states show a high number of cases.


Flu widespread in 36 states, CDC reports

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LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambian President Edgar Lungu has directed the military to help fight the spread of cholera, which has killed 41 people in the nation's capital and made more than 1,500 others sick since late September.

The outbreak began on Sept. 28 but appeared to die down by Oct. 20, with fewer than five patients reported weekly until Nov. 5. The number of cases then surged, with 136 in the week beginning Nov. 26, the World Health Organization reported.

Presidential spokesman Amos Chanda said in a statement late on Friday that the president believed emergency measures were needed to contain the waterborne disease, including the closure of some markets.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-12-30/zambia-president-orders-military-to-help-fight-cholera-spread

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Malaysian health officials have confirmed a case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection in a returning Umrah pilgrim, according to a release from director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today (computer translated).

The patient, a 55-year-old patient from Selangor, returned home from the pilgrimage on Dec. 23. On December 24, 2017, he had symptoms of fever, cough, weakness, fatigue and leg pain. The patient sought treatment from the clinic near his home, where he had received treatment as a fever case. Later on 28 December 2017, he came to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR), Klang Hospital and he was admitted to the HTAR ward for further examination and treatment.


Malaysia: Umrah pilgram tests positive for MERS

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Orbiting satellites can warn us of bad weather and help us navigate to that new taco joint. Scientists are also using data satellites to solve a worldwide problem: predicting cholera outbreaks.

Cholera infects millions of people each year, leading to thousands of deaths. Often communities do not realize an epidemic is underway until infected individuals swarm hospitals. Advanced warning for impending epidemics could help health workers prepare for the onslaught—stockpiling rehydration supplies, medicines and vaccines—which can save lives and quell the disease’s spread. Back in May 2017 a team of scientists used satellite information to assess whether an outbreak would occur in Yemen, and they ended up predicting an outburst that spread across the country in June.


Satellites Predict a Cholera Outbreak Weeks in Advance

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E. coli outbreak possibly tied to romaine lettuce hits 13 states, including Illinois

An outbreak of E. coli infections may be tied to a bad batch of romaine lettuce, according to Consumer Reports.

Approximately 58 people in 13 states have become ill with E. coli, including Illinois. Five people have been hospitalized and one has died, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Another person has died in Canada.

Canada has identified romaine lettuce as the source of their outbreak, but the U.S. officials are still investigating and have not said whether any specific food should be avoided.

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CDC to hold briefing on how public can prepare for nuclear war

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has scheduled a briefing for later this month to outline how the public can prepare for nuclear war.

"While a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results and there would be limited time to take critical protection steps. Despite the fear surrounding such an event, planning and preparation can lessen deaths and illness," the notice about the Jan. 16 briefing says on the CDC's website, which features a photo of a mushroom cloud.

The notice went on to say that most people don't know that sheltering in place for at least 24 hours is "crucial to saving lives and reducing exposure to radiation."

Two of the people presenting at the briefing specialize in radiation studies. Robert Whitcomb is the chief of the radiation studies branch at the CDC's National Center for Environment Health and Capt. Michael Noska is the radiation safety officer and senior advisor for health physics at the Food and Drug Administration.

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