As it is a hazard to the health and lives of US citizens, I think this the best place for Cost of New E.P.A. Coal Rules: Up to 1,400 More Deaths a Year

The proposal lays out several possible pathways that individual states might use for regulating coal-fired power plants, and what the consequences would be for pollution and human health in each case. In the scenario the E.P.A. has pegged as the most likely to occur, the health effects would be significant.

In that scenario, the Trump E.P.A. predicts its plan will see between 470 and 1,400 premature deaths annually by 2030 because of increased rates of microscopic airborne particulates known as PM 2.5, which are dangerous because of their link to heart and lung disease as well as their ability to trigger chronic problems like asthma and bronchitis.

By contrast, the Obama administration’s central argument for its Clean Power Plan was that the measure protected human health as well as the climate. Specifically, it said, the plan would help avoid between 1,500 and 3,600 premature deaths annually by 2030.

The Clean Power Plan aimed to curb planet-warming greenhouse gases by steering the energy sector away from coal and toward cleaner energy sources like wind and solar. According to its calculations, the decreased coal burning also would reduce other pollutants like sulfur dioxide, which poses respiratory risk, and nitrogen oxides that create ozone, which, in the form of smog, can damage lung tissue.

Mr. Obama’s E.P.A. also estimated that, by 2030, the Clean Power Plan would result in 180,000 fewer missed school days per year by children because of ozone-related illnesses. Asthma instances would also drop significantly, according to the analysis.

By contrast, the Trump administration analysis finds that own its plan would see 48,000 new cases of asthma and at least 21,000 new missed days of school annually by 2030 because those pollutants would increase in the atmosphere rather than decrease.

Congo approves 4 experimental Ebola treatments in outbreak


Congo has approved the use of four more experimental treatments in the Ebola virus outbreak in its northeast, as health officials try to contain the spread amid the threat from armed groups in the region.






Thanks Nick.

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First case of deadly MERS virus in five years diagnosed in England


(CNN) A case of Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, has been detected in a patient in England, the first case since 2013, according to Public Health England.
The individual is the fifth person ever to be diagnosed with the disease in the country.

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More than three weeks into the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 61 people have died ― making this eruption among the nine largest Ebola outbreaks since the deadly hemorrhagic fever was first identified in the 1970s. And global health experts are concerned this may be just the beginning of the fight in an already embattled region.

The northeast region of North Kivu has now identified 105 cases of Ebola since Aug. 1 ― nearly double the count of the previous outbreak in Congo that made headlines this spring.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ebola-outbreak-congo-health-care-workers_us_5b7f0b56e4b0348585fecab5

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Congo rolls out trial Ebola treatment as death toll rises

The Health Ministry has said two people who received an experimental Ebola treatment have recovered. Yet officials are worried as the virus continues to spread into conflict areas.

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Interesting.


Mysterious new brain cell found in people




In a mysterious addition to the brain’s family of cells, researchers have discovered a new kind of neuron—a dense, bushy bundle (above) that is present in people but seems to be missing in mice. These “rosehip neurons,” were found in the uppermost layer of the cortex, which is home to many different types of neurons that inhibit the activity of other neurons.

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Seventeen people in four states have come down with salmonella-related illnesses from kosher chicken, and one person in New York has died, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said Wednesday.

The CDC said several of the ill people reported eating Empire-brand Kosher chicken before being sick.


17 People Made Ill in Four States and One Dead in New York from Empire Kosher Chicken Salmonella Outbreak

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New Directions in Mosquito Control: A Real Buzzkill
NIAID Now | August 20, 2018
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/mosquito-control-research-niaid?utm_campaign=+34035809&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on the planet, transmitting not only malaria parasites but also Zika, West Nile, dengue, and chikungunya viruses as well as other pathogens and bringing death and misery to millions every year. The most common mosquito-control techniques have traditionally involved chemical pesticides that target and kill adult mosquitoes. However, this approach has drawbacks; chemical pesticides may target more than mosquitoes, they may also be toxic to honeybees and other beneficial insects, and may harm fish, aquatic animals, and other wildlife. Additionally, mosquito populations have developed resistance to chemical pesticides over time. These concerns necessitate the development of alternative approaches for mosquito control.

As mosquitoes continue to threaten human health, NIAID is fighting back by supporting basic, translational, and clinical research on non-conventional mosquito-control methods. Through research awards to scientists at universities and small companies, NIAID supports the development of products to control mosquitoes without the limitations of traditional chemical pesticides.

ISCA Technologies (Riverside, California) is working to develop safer larvicides. One of ISCA’s newest products, SPLAT Bac, controls mosquito populations with no risk to humans or other animals. SPLAT Bac consists of the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, which is toxic only to mosquito larvae, encapsulated in a proprietary waxy substance. This wax matrix contains pheromones (molecules secreted by mosquitoes) that attract female mosquitoes. When SPLAT Bac is applied to a body of water, female mosquitoes are drawn to the area to lay their eggs. After the eggs hatch, the bacteria in SPLAT Bac kill the larvae, halting the next generation of mosquitoes.

MosquitoMate (Lexington, Kentucky) used NIAID support to develop a way to decrease mosquito populations by infecting male mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria. Male mosquitoes do not bite, and when Wolbachia-infected males mate with wild female mosquitoes they effectively sterilize them and thwart the development of their offspring. The male-infecting technology has been developed for two species of mosquito—Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus—that can spread dengue, Zika, and other viruses. Wolbachia-infected males reduce mosquito populations without chemicals or genetic modification.

NIAID also supported the development of an autocidal gravid ovitrap (AGO) by SpringStar, Inc. (Woodinville, Washington), a device that was initially designed by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. SpringStar’s AGO is a black bucket fitted with a capture chamber and grass-infused water that lures egg-laden female mosquitoes. The females enter the trap through the top screen that is large enough for them to pass through, but small enough to keep birds, squirrels, and other animals out. The mosquitoes try to reach the water to lay their eggs but are blocked by a finer-meshed screen. As they tire, the mosquitoes alight on a replaceable glue board inside the trap and are prevented from laying eggs. This trap is designed to reduce the populations of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes.

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Apr 3, 1999 - May 3, 2020

Disease X: China ignores UK request to share samples of flu virus with pandemic potential

Requests by UK experts to Chinese authorities for samples of the latest strain of a dangerous and evolving avian influenza virus, known as H7N9 have so far been ignored, the Telegraph has learned.

The news comes on the back of revelations earlier this week by the United States’ government that China has, for over a year, refused its requests to share lab samples of the same strain of avian influenza virus.

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Certain diabetes drugs must warn of deadly flesh-eating genital infection, FDA says





Certain medications used to treat diabetes have been linked to cases of a rare, potentially deadly flesh-eating genital infection, the Food and Drug Administration announced this week.

The medications affected: sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which are used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. A Wednesday release from the FDA lists more than a dozen drugs that will have to warn of the infection. Among the brand names listed: Invokana, Farxiga and Jardiance.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/31/certain-diabetes-drugs-linked-flesh-eating-genital-infection/1162730002/

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Disease X: China ignores UK request to share samples of flu virus with pandemic potential

Requests by UK experts to Chinese authorities for samples of the latest strain of a dangerous and evolving avian influenza virus, known as H7N9 have so far been ignored, the Telegraph has learned.

The news comes on the back of revelations earlier this week by the United States’ government that China has, for over a year, refused its requests to share lab samples of the same strain of avian influenza virus.

From the same referenced article:

"Under World Health Organization (WHO) rules, countries are required to share flu viruses that have the potential to cause pandemics to help other nations prepare in the case of a global outbreak."

from the article:
'Disease X' | The mystery killer keeping scientists awake at night .

It's not a pandemic yet. China has shared in the past, maybe they don't have a vaccine yet.

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The UN agency says that although efforts to stop the virus spreading are working, it is proving hard to keep track of where the virus is active.

Four new cases surfaced last week in people who did not appear to have come into contact with other infected patients, causing concern for health workers.

The official warning came just days after the death toll rose to 78 in the central African country on August 28.

Officials admit it is hard to track where the Ebola virus - which has killed 78 - is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

There are still 'substantial risks' in the area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the grip of a deadly Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organisation has warned.

Clyde wrote:
"The news comes on the back of revelations earlier this week by the United States’ government that China has, for over a year, refused its requests to share lab samples of the same strain of avian influenza virus."

Referencing "lab samples" of the virus, not a vaccine.

Why?

Don't know why. Hate to think China, no doubt, is working on a vaccine before they release the virus on the world.

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World Health Organisation (WHO) has placed Zambia among countries at risk of the Ebola disease outbreak.

This is due to Zambia’s porous borders shared with countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has recorded cases of Ebola disease.


WHO places Zambia on the list of Countries at risk of the Ebola disease outbreak.

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The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed its first Ebola death in the eastern city of Butembo, a trade hub with Uganda that is home to almost a million people. This first urban death, combined with ongoing violence in the northeastern outbreak area in DRC and some community resistance, is worrying experts that the slowing outbreak could still escalate.


World Health Organization: After Ebola Death In City, ‘No One Should Be Sleeping Well Tonight’

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Infectious Theory of Alzheimer's Disease Draws Fresh Interest

Dr. Leslie Norins is willing to hand over $1 million of his own money to anyone who can clarify something: Is Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia worldwide, caused by a germ?

By "germ" he means microbes like bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. In other words, Norins, a physician turned publisher, wants to know if Alzheimer's is infectious.

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Is It Too Soon to Get the Flu Vaccine?





After last winter’s severe flu season—and in the face of all those flu shot ads at pharmacies—you may be wondering if it's best to get vaccinated right now to safeguard yourself this winter.

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The number of people suffering from hunger has increased during the past three years, after years of decline, a UN report suggests.

According to the analysis, 821 million people globally were undernourished in 2017 - about one person in every nine.

And nearly 151 million under-fives - 22% of the global total - have their growth stunted by poor nutrition.

The authors say extreme climate events are partly to blame for the rise and call for urgent global action.


Global hunger increasing, UN warns

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Authorities in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, banned public gatherings as part of efforts to contain a cholera outbreak that has killed 21 people over the past week.


Public assembly banned in Zimbabwe capital amid cholera outbreak

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In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN has stepped up community-based efforts to tackle Ebola disease, following confirmation that the virus has reached the city of Butembo, near the Ugandan border, where it has claimed three lives.

On Friday, WHO, the World Health Organization, said that there were 137 confirmed and probable cases and 92 deaths in the latest outbreak in the east of the country.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/09/1019332

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The seat of power in Bill Gates’s empire occupies the top floor of an anonymous suburban office block overlooking Seattle’s Lake Washington. Here, in the inner orbit of the second richest man on earth, everything – down to the modern artwork and screens embedded into the walls, to the gleaming staff canteen replete with a faux wood-burning stove – is curated to the utmost precision.


Bill Gates: ‘My biggest fears about what's coming next for this world’

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