Category Archives: healthcare

Airbag Propellant Bound for Takata Factory Detonates en Route – The New York Times – what’s in your airbags?

Lucila Robles was killed in her home by the explosion of a truck carrying airbag inflaters and propellant that crashed in front of the house. Credit The Eagle Pass News GramA woman was killed in her home and four other people were injured when a truck carrying Takata airbag parts and explosives crashed and detonated on a Texas road last week, the company and local authorities confirmed on Monday.The immense blast — the victim’s remains were not located for two days — highlighted the potency of the explosives used by Takata in its airbags as a propellent to activate its bags in a car crash. It also pointed to the risks associated with Takata’s transport of the explosives across the country from a propellant factory in Washington State to Mexico.Takata’s airbags, and the explosive material used to make them, are at the center of the largest auto safety recall in history. Takata airbags installed in automobiles can explode violently when activated, and have been linked to the deaths of at least 14 drivers as well as to the injuries of over 100 people. Fourteen automakers have recalled more than 64 million inflaters over the defect.The airbags use a propellant based on ammonium nitrate, which has come under scrutiny for its tendency to break down over time and combust violently when triggered.

Source: Airbag Propellant Bound for Takata Factory Detonates en Route – The New York Times

CDC Foundation, Partners Launch Zika Contraception Access Network | News | PND

The CDC Foundation has announced the launch of an initiative in Puerto Rico to give women the option of delaying or avoiding pregnancy during the Zika outbreak in that country.The Zika Contraception Access Network (Z-CAN) will provide women with information, counseling, and a full range of same-day contraceptive options free of charge. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 65 percent of all pregnancies in Puerto Rico are unintended, and approximately one hundred and thirty-eight thousand women of childbearing age are in need of effective contraception and counseling.Initial funding for Z-CAN has been provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Pfizer Foundation, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, while pharmaceutical companies have pledged large-scale product donations. To date, the CDC Foundation has trained hundreds of physicians and staff and secured funding to provide contraception, information, and counseling to fourteen thousand women, but an additional $18 million is needed to reach tens of thousands more women.

Source: CDC Foundation, Partners Launch Zika Contraception Access Network | News | PND

WHO | Chikungunya – United States of America

WHO risk assessmentThis is the second time that autochthonous circulation of chikungunya virus is reported in the United States: autochthonous circulation of chikungunya virus was first reported in the state of Florida in July 2014 (12 cases). The risk of large-scale outbreaks of Chikungunya virus in the United States is considered to be low. Nevertheless, given the presence of the competent vectors (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) in different areas of the United States as well as the occasional reporting of cases among incoming travellers, the possibility of the establishment of autochthonous cycles of transmission cannot be completely ruled out. Furthermore, there is a risk of extension of disease transmission to other countries where the competent vectors are present. WHO continues to monitor the epidemiological situation and conduct risk assessment based on the latest available information.

Source: WHO | Chikungunya – United States of America

Localised Community Spread Of Zika Virus Infection With More Cases Confirmed | Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection in Singapore. Of these cases, 36 were identified through active testing of potentially infected persons.Aljunied Crescent/ Sims Drive Cluster2.    All the cases are residents or workers in the Aljunied Crescent/ Sims Drive area.  They are not known to have travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, and are thus likely to have been infected in Singapore. This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place.  At this point, the community transmission appears to be localised within the Aljunied Crescent/ Sims Drive cluster.

Source: Localised Community Spread Of Zika Virus Infection With More Cases Confirmed | Ministry of Health

Zika, a Formidable Enemy, Attacks and Destroys Parts of Babies’ Brains – The New York Times

The images tell a heartbreaking story: Zika’s calamitous attack on the brains of babies — as seen from the inside.With a macabre catalog of brain scans and ultrasound pictures, a new study details the devastation done to 45 Brazilian babies whose mothers were infected with Zika during pregnancy. The study, published Tuesday in the journal Radiology, is the most comprehensive collection of such images so far, and it reveals a virus that can launch assaults beyond microcephaly, the condition of unusually small heads that has become the sinister signature of Zika.Most of the babies in the study were born with microcephaly, but many of them also suffered other impairments, including damage to important parts of the brain: the corpus callosum, which connects the two hemispheres of the brain; the cerebellum, which plays a significant role in movement, balance and speech; the basal ganglia, which are involved in thinking and emotion.

Source: Zika, a Formidable Enemy, Attacks and Destroys Parts of Babies’ Brains – The New York Times

Dr. Donald A. Henderson, Who Helped End Smallpox, Dies at 87 – The New York Times

Smallpox, caused by the variola virus, was long one of mankind’s most terrifying scourges. Called the “red plague” or the “speckled monster,” it killed almost a third of its victims, often through pneumonia or brain inflammation. Many others were left blind from corneal ulcerations or severely disfigured by pockmarks.It is thought to have emerged from a rodent virus more than 10,000 years ago, and signs of it are found in the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses V of Egypt. Some terrified ancient civilizations worshiped it as a deity.It carried off many European monarchs and buried the lines of succession to thrones from England to China. Because it killed 80 percent of the American Indians who caught it, it was a major factor in the European conquest of the New World.Three American presidents survived it: George Washington, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. In the 20th century, before it was extinguished, it was blamed for at least 300 million deaths.The victory over smallpox proved the power of vaccine. Before the 18th century, some peoples, especially in Asia Minor and West Africa, inoculated themselves by piercing their skin with pus from victims or inhaling dried pox scabs. Although that sometimes produced a full-blown lethal infection, it killed much less often than epidemics did.In 1796, Dr. Edward Jenner, an English physician, infected a young boy with cowpox taken from a blister on a milkmaid’s hand. Cowpox, a mild disease, protected those who had it from smallpox, and the modern vaccine era began. The word “vaccine” come from the Latin for “cow.”

Source: Dr. Donald A. Henderson, Who Helped End Smallpox, Dies at 87 – The New York Times

Ask Well: Eating Before Exercise – The New York Times

Both runners and those lifting weights vigorously should ingest carbohydrate-rich foods or drinks within an hour after a workout, said John L. Ivy, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at Austin who has long studied sports nutrition. During that time, muscles are “primed” to slurp blood sugar out of the bloodstream, he said, replenishing lost fuel stores. If the food or drink also includes protein, the muscle priming is prolonged, Dr. Ivy has found, meaning you can store more fuel and be better prepared for your next workout. Protein also aids in rebuilding muscle fibers frayed during the workout, he said.

Source: Ask Well: Eating Before Exercise – The New York Times

Dani Garavelli: Show mercy for suffering of Ebola nurse – The Scotsman

Dani Garavelli: Show mercy for suffering of Ebola nurseCafferkey in January 2015 just before her release from the Royal Free Hospital, where the virus nearly killed her. Photograph: Lisa FergusonDANI GARAVELLI23:22Saturday 20 August 20160HAVE YOUR SAYI remember when I first heard the name, Pauline Cafferkey. It wasn’t when she became the first Scottish aid worker to contract Ebola. It was a week earlier – a few days after Christmas 2014 – when Scotland on Sunday published a diary of the vital work she was doing caring for the victims of the virus in Freetown, Sierra Leone.At the time, West Africa was in the grip of the epidemic. Every night, our TV screens were dominated by images of doctors dressed head-to-toe in contamination suits as reporters rattled off terrifying statistics about the spread of the disease.There were few images of those who had contracted Ebola; they were all in isolation. But the tales – of fever, vomiting and internal bleeding – were like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. “What kind of person would have the courage to go out and help in these circumstances?” we asked ourselves from the comfort of our living rooms.The answer, of course, was someone like Cafferkey: an ordinary woman from South Lanarkshire who was inspired to go into nursing by images of the Ethiopian famine of the 1980s and who – having acquired the requisite skills – was willing to jeopardise her own health to put them to good use.In her diary, she acknowledged the risks she faced. But she focused more on the plight of the victims; her sadness for entire families wiped out by the virus and the air of celebration that greeted each fresh discharge.Since that diary appeared, many terrible things have happened. First, Cafferkey contracted Ebola, hovering for weeks between life and death. Then, 10 months after her supposed recovery, she fell ill with meningitis as a result of the virus persisting in her brain. Four months after that, she was hospitalised again after suffering a second relapse.In interviews, she has talked about some of her long-term symptoms: thyroid problems, joint pains, her hair falling out. And she may never be able to go running again.Alongside her medical problems, however, she has been forced to endure another trauma – one that has been drawn out for far longer than seems fair or necessary: the threat of disciplinary action as the result of complaints passed from Public Health England (PHE) to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).Last week, 20 months since she first became ill, the NMC finally outlined the case against her. It claims Cafferkey deliberately tried to conceal a temperature higher than 38 degrees during a screening in Heathrow Airport. She is also accused of failing to inform medical staff that she had taken paracetamol, which lowers temperatures.If the hearing, to be held in Edinburgh next month, finds against her, she could be struck off. In the meantime, she is being abused on social media by trolls who have accused her of “turbo virtue-signalling” and of exposing other people on the connecting flight she boarded from Heathrow to Glasgow to unnecessary risk.Of course, I have not seen the evidence that will be put in front of the hearing. But you do have to wonder at the wisdom of pursuing a woman who has already suffered so much for what was – even if true (and the allegations may well be false) – a misjudgment made in extremis.I imagine months of dealing with death in the African heat plays havoc with both body and mind (in her diary Cafferkey talks about the way the oral hydration salts made her vomit). And I imagine aid workers – exposed every day to Ebola – frequently overreacted to minor symptoms; that they fretted every time they coughed or sneezed, and were consumed by the possibility the virus was already working its way through their bodies.How easy would it be to convince yourself that a slightly inflated temperature was another over-reaction – a projection of your worst fears, especially when you were so close to home?Admittedly, Cafferkey’s flight from London to Glasgow could have been catastrophic (although Ebola is spread by bodily fluids and there is no suggestion she was vomiting). Those on board had to be contacted and checked, a process which must have been inconvenient and scary for all. But no-one did contract the virus during that flight.Surely there ought to be a balance between the need to enforce the rules and an acknowledgment of the nurse’s contribution to society. After all, not only did Cafferkey save lives, she provided scientists with vital information about the way the disease behaved; by studying her medical history, they learned more about the recurrence of the disease in survivors and how to treat it.At the very least, any investigation that had to be held should have been swiftly resolved not dragged out over a year and a half. She has already spoken of the additional stress the protracted inquiry has caused her. And – let’s be blunt – t

Source: Dani Garavelli: Show mercy for suffering of Ebola nurse – The Scotsman

Puerto Rico reports first death from Zika-related paralysis | World news | The Guardian

Puerto Rico has reported its first death from a paralysis condition that developed from a Zika infection as the US territory fights an epidemic of the mosquito-borne virus.The victim was a man between 35 and 45 years old from the San Juan metro area who died from Guillain-Barré, according to state epidemiologist Brenda Rivera. The condition can cause temporary paralysis and, in rare instances, death.Rivera noted that it was unusual for the victim to be so young.“What does this tell us? That all of us are susceptible,” Rivera said as she urged Puerto Ricans to protect themselves from the virus.The man, who died last month, was obese but did not have any other health conditions, she said. No further details about the victim were provided.The US territory has a total of 13,186 confirmed Zika cases, with a total of 102 hospitalizations and 34 cases of Guillain-Barré. The number of Zika cases is believed to be much higher because eight of 10 people have no symptoms and many do not go to the doctor. Those infected include 1,106 pregnant women, which is a concern because Zika has been linked to severe birth defects.“We are not going to see the effects of Zika today,” Rivera said. “We are going to see them in the next couple of months, in the next several years.”

Source: Puerto Rico reports first death from Zika-related paralysis | World news | The Guardian

Meet Palestine’s animal rights activists | +972 Magazine

Ahmad Safi, a PAL employee, gave us a presentation about their work. I was amazed by the amount of knowledge he had on animals in Palestine. He told us about their rescue operation to save animals from Gaza’s Khan Younis zoo who hadn’t eaten for 52 days during the 2014 Gaza War, and on treating working animals: the volunteers go to villages where donkeys and horses work the land, vaccinate them and instruct the owners about treating them respectfully.They also have a campaign to raise awareness among children about their pets.“We have to break the cycle of violence,” he said. “We have to tell these kids that what they see the occupation doing – killings, incursions and raids into their villages and schools – is not a natural reality. This violence eventually comes out on defenseless animals, and kids think it’s all right because violence is king. Everybody harms the weaker, and animals are an easy target.”“We try to convey to them that we are all living creatures, and we all have feelings – animals and human beings alike, “Sham, a volunteer, explains. “The same way we fear a tank or an armed soldier, they do too. We are under the occupation together, and therefore should help every living creature.”“It says so in the Qura,” Jiwa adds.Our ancestors didn’t eat meatI ask them whether they are vegan – khudaryat, in Arabic, meaning “herbivores.”“Sort of,” says Siham. “I barely eat meat. Since I became involved in this I noticed I don’t like the taste that much.”“I am vegetarian,” says Dana. “I gradually stopped eating murdered stuff, I can’t put in my mouth something that was once living.Sham says she does not proselytize or try to enforce anything on her family. “Palestinian cooking has so many vegetables. Even if they eat meat and I eat salad and rice, I’m happy.”“So many vegetables, yes,” adds Jiwa. “And how can you open a cafeteria without falafel? It has all the iron and protein that you need. Who needs shawarma?”“But meat is a requirement at any special meal,” I say. “Look at the iftar meal after Ramadan. Is there an Arab dinner party anywhere that doesn’t have meat?”“That’s right, Safi says. “We were taught meat was prestigious. But what did our ancestors eat? Plants and vegetables. They ate meat only once a week because they couldn’t afford it. Meat-eaters were considered the rich ones, that’s why it took over our diet. The meat industry here uses hormones profusely, we learned that from Israel. The owner of one of the biggest chicken farms in Palestine said that he learned from Israelis how to feed his chickens a mixture of chicken meat leftovers, intestines, hormones, antibiotics and some seeds, instead of the regular food, to make them fat quickly, and cash in on it. Since when did Palestinian farmers start growing chickens like that? It’s all about the money. Jews and Palestinians want to be as rich as they can.”

Source: Meet Palestine’s animal rights activists | +972 Magazine