All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Sharpshot Nature .Com 02363-tod-036084 Sandhill Crane

2022-11-22 02363-tod-036084 Sandhill Crane NIKON D7500 – ƒ/6 1/400 370mm ISO800 – Crex Meadows Wildlife Refuge, WI Please help spread the content!…

Sharpshot Nature .Com 02363-tod-036084 Sandhill Crane

छुपी मुस्कान / Hidden Smile – Kaushal Kishore

 

पहले मैं रहता था इस पशोपेश में,

कि गम छुपाने का या जताने का…

लेकिन अब जाना है, छुपाने से गम 

मिलता है एक मौका मुस्कुराने का…

😊

In days gone by, I would ponder and hide,

Should I share my pain or keep it inside?

But now I’ve learned, a wisdom so true,

Hiding my sorrow, makes me smile anew…

.

–Kaushal Kishore  

Source: छुपी मुस्कान / Hidden Smile – Kaushal Kishore

CDC reports on low adult COVID-19 and flu vaccine rates – (Me: collective stupidity rates high and it threatens everyone)

Just 17.9 percent of U.S. adults have gotten a COVID-19 vaccine, and 34.7 percent have received an influenza vaccine during the 2024-25 respiratory disease season, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report, published Thursday, notes that 35 percent of adults are open to receiving an influenza vaccine, 41 percent are willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine and 40 percent are open to getting a vaccine for RSV.

Source: CDC reports on low adult COVID-19 and flu vaccine rates

Bird flu is racing through farms, but Northwest states are rarely testing workers – OPB

On a recent Monday morning, workers began their week on a large poultry farm in Franklin County, Washington, home to over 800,000 chickens.

By the end of the day, avian flu had been discovered among some of those chickens. By the end of the week, four workers came down with the illness, which had infected only a handful of other people in the U.S. And after two more days of testing by the Benton Franklin Health District, another 10 workers at the farm tested positive.

That outbreak, initially detected Oct. 14, represented the first human cases this year of the avian flu in the Pacific Northwest. The first human case in Oregon was confirmed Nov. 15, adding to mounting evidence that the flu is spreading to farmworker populations across the Western U.S. But efforts to test and monitor the disease among workers are spotty and inconsistent and leave the responsibility for getting tested on the laborers themselves, many of whom are undocumented and can’t afford to take time off if they test positive.

Meanwhile, the virus is spreading rapidly among cows and chickens, raising concerns among epidemiologists that the avian flu could merge with the regular flu and cause a pandemic, making it even more urgent to try to limit the spread among people.

Regular testing helps health officials better understand how the virus is being transmitted and how to protect workers. Without it, dozens of positive workers could be undetected, leaving them to handle symptoms on their own.

“The gold standard for public health is to be able to respond, to do surveillance and to understand what’s happening,” said Amy Liebman, chief program officer of workers, environment and climate for Migrant Clinicians Network, a nonprofit organization made up of health care workers who provide care to underserved communities. “If we don’t know that these things are happening, it’s very hard to respond.”

Source: Bird flu is racing through farms, but Northwest states are rarely testing workers – OPB

California whooping cough cases rise to highest level in years – Los Angeles Times

  • There have been 1,744 reported cases of whooping cough statewide this year, compared with fewer than 300 reported cases all of last year.
  • Infants and those who are asthmatic or immunocompromised are at the highest risk of developing severe symptoms.

Whooping cough — a highly contagious and potentially dangerous illness — has surged in California this year, staging a comeback to levels not seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Across California, there were fewer than 300 reported cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, all of last year. This year, there were 1,744 reported cases statewide as of the end of September, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Those at highest risk from whooping cough are infants younger than 1 year old, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other people at higher risk of severe illness include those who are immunocompromised or who have moderate-to-severe asthma.

Source: California whooping cough cases rise to highest level in years – Los Angeles Times