disease control and prevention Archives

Tuesday Morning News Roundup

IPhone could be good for the economy.

Has Obama been cleaning up the economic mess? Yes, he has.

Unemployment has dropped to 8.1% and the labor market added 96,000 jobs. The public sector is still holding the economy back by laying folks off.

From MaddowBlog:

Counter-terrorism: “An airstrike by an American drone missile has killed Saeed al-Shihiri, the second in command of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and five others in Yemen, U.S. officials confirmed on Monday.”

Over the weekend, six car bombs killed 51 people in Iraq, capping a day when earlier attacks killed 58 people and fugitive Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi was sentenced to death on murder charges.

New evidence for deniers to deny: “The first eight months of 2012 have been the warmest of any year on record in the contiguous United States, and this has been the third-hottest summer since record-keeping began in 1895, the U.S. National Climate Data Center said on Monday.”

Gitmo death: “Naval investigators are looking into the death of a detainee at the Guantanamo Bay base where prisoners from the war on terrorism are held.”

“Obamacare” is working: “The share of young adults without health insurance fell by one-sixth in 2011 from the previous year, the largest annual decline for any age group since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began collecting the data in 1997.”

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) voter purge has found exactly one person who voted illegally.

By ecthompsonmd|2013-11-03T18:13:20-04:00September 11th, 2012|Economy, Environment, Iraq, Terrorism|Comments Off

Swine flu is still out there

I have blogged on Swine Flu every week since its outbreak. I have a feeling that nobody is listening. There are over 21,000 cases in the US with 87 deaths. Every state from Alaska to Florida has reported swine flu cases.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is a huge problem and there is evidence that we haven’t taken the proper precautions. From DemFromCT (DailyKos):

Pay attention to swine flu:

The first study of U.S. health care workers with swine flu found that many didn’t do enough to protect themselves against the virus.

Researchers focused on 13 nurses and other health care workers who were likely infected at work in the early days of the U.S. outbreak. They found that only half always wore gloves, and even fewer routinely wore other protection around patients who might have the virus.

In late April just as U.S. cases were first mounting the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said health care workers should wear gloves, gowns, eye protection and respirator masks when dealing with patients suspected of having swine flu. The CDC also advised sick workers to stay home.

To date, about 80 health care workers have been confirmed with swine flu. The study examined the 26 cases of infected workers with detailed information as of mid-May.

The CDC discussion of the findings is here (transcript). Summer camp impact is here.

By ecthompsonmd|2009-06-19T18:47:40-04:00June 19th, 2009|Healthcare|Comments Off

Swine flu (Update)

What’s up with the Swine Flu? It seems every time I turn around there is something out there that is really, really bad and it is going to kill me.

Eight students from NY have swine flu. From CNNHealth.com:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed cases of swine flu in eight students at a New York preparatory school, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday.

The students have had only mild symptoms and none have been hospitalized, he said. Some of the students have already recovered.

More than 100 students were absent from school due to flu-like symptoms last week. New York health officials tested samples for eight students Saturday and determined the students were probably suffering from swine flu, and the CDC confirmed the diagnosis on Sunday, Bloomberg said. (more.. )

What are the facts about Swine flu? Get your answers here.

Swine flu has been declared a public health emergency. Watch the video:

From a disease a day (scary sounding web site but packed with some good information), tips on prevention:

The bottom line – How do I avoid it?

There is no vaccine at the moment that can protect you from the swine flu. There are steps you can take to lower your chance of getting it or of passing it to others –

1. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
2. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
3. Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
4. If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

Thanks for the heads up from Roy who pointed out this video from the CDC on Swine Flu:

By ecthompsonmd|2009-04-26T23:02:15-04:00April 26th, 2009|General, Healthcare|Comments Off