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☆ Mom of 5 died after ketamine injection by a paramedic, family alleges in wrongful death suit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Deon J. Hampton | Deon J. Hampton Is A National Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

DENVER — The family of a woman who died four years ago shortly after a paramedic injected her with the powerful sedative ketamine have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the health care worker and the ambulance company. LaCour's family alleges in the lawsuit that Jason Poulson, a paramedic for American Medical Response Ambulance Service, administered 400 milligrams of ketamine to LaCour despite objections from a firefighter who was also an emergency medical technician. Shortly afterward, LaCour stopped breathing, according to the lawsuit filed on behalf of her and her husband's five preteen children. LaCour died from acute alcohol and ketamine intoxication, the El Paso County Coroner's Office said in its report. Poulson and American Medical Response Ambulance Service Inc. are named as defendants in the wrongful death lawsuit.

☆ Missouri investigating hospital's denial of an emergency abortion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Missouri’s health department is investigating whether a hospital violated federal health care rules in denying a woman an emergency abortion, an agency spokeswoman confirmed Monday. But because her fetus still had a heartbeat and her condition wasn’t considered a life-threatening medical emergency at that moment, they couldn’t terminate the pregnancy in Missouri, they told her. Farmer criticized Missouri’s abortion ban in a campaign ad for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running against Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Missouri’s abortion ban includes exceptions for medical emergencies, although doctors and hospitals have said they’re unsure exactly what that covers. Additionally, physicians may also be subject to exclusion from the Medicare and State health care programs.”

☆ Florida medical board votes to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Florida’s medical board is the first in the country to pursue such a rule, but Florida is among a wave of states where officials have attempted to restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. The effort to restrict such care began in April, when DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo issued nonbinding guidance through the Florida Health Department that sought to bar both “social gender transition” and gender-affirming medical care for minors. Accredited medical groups — including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association — have supported gender-affirming care for transgender youths. The first nine attendees who spoke were in favor of restricting gender-affirming care for minors. Only one of the eight had received gender-affirming medical care as a minor.

Credible medical professionals are now able to apply for a special verification on YouTube, marking the video giant's latest effort to combat medical misinformation online. YouTube’s health product features were introduced last year but were only available to educational institutions, public health departments, hospitals and government entities. YouTube announced that health professionals can apply to have their accounts labeled an authoritative source. YouTube said it received guidance from nonprofit nongovernmental organization, the National Academy of Medicine, on how to verify credible medical professionals. The post did not specify what guidance it's using to verify medical professionals in the post.

☆ Hundreds of thousands of UK healthcare workers balloted for strikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Health workers are leaving for work that pays better and doesn't take such a toll on them and their families," Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea said in a statement. "If this continues, the health service will never conquer the backlog and treat the millions desperately awaiting care." The number of patients waiting to start treatment shot up to a record 6.8 million at the end of July. The strain on the health service is one of the pressing problems inherited by Sunak, who in his first speech as prime minister promised a "stronger NHS" on Tuesday. Unison, which is balloting workers from over 250 health trusts and boards across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said strikes were "not inevitable."

☆ Reef quietly exits Houston as the SoftBank-backed ghost kitchen continues to face operational issues and loses partnerships
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Houston officials say Reef is no longer operating in the city, where it once had 29 trailers. The ghost-kitchen startup Reef Technology is no longer operating kitchen vessels in Houston, Insider has learned. But in January this year, Reef temporarily closed about one-third of its food trailers as it focused on large chains that generate more revenue than independent restaurants. A year ago, Reef operated at least 29 food trailers in Houston, according to the city's health department, which inspects the food trailers. The startup has been cited for operating trailers without permits in several US cities.

☆ Half of Virginia high school out sick due to flu-like, gastrointestinal symptoms in mystery outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly half the student population of a Virginia high school was out of school Friday suffering flu-like or gastrointestinal symptoms, with an investigation into the source of the mystery outbreak underway, officials said. Approximately 1,000 students were absent Friday from Stafford High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with many reporting flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms, Sandra Osborn, Chief communications officer for Stafford County Public Schools said. That's nearly half of the school's population of 2,100 students. Stafford High school is open Monday and “we are reassessing conditions this morning," Osborn said. Stafford High School canceled all school related activities and athletics over the weekend, “due to the high number of student and staff illnesses reported this week,” according to their Facebook page.

☆ A multimillion-dollar war against mosquitoes is underway in Florida after Hurricane Ian
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

"The mosquitoes are out there, and they’re biting," said Eric Jackson, the deputy director of the Lee County Mosquito Control Division. The Lee County Mosquito Control District, a special district in one of the communities hit hardest by Ian, employs about 100 workers, Jackson said. Anne Askew, a biologist in the Lee County Mosquito Control District's Larviciding Department, uses a microscope to identify mosquito species. Lee County Mosquito Control DistrictIn Lee County, where Fort Myers is located, mosquito counts in the traps began to spike about a week after Ian. Florida officials don’t think federal help will be necessary, though Hurricane Ian’s damage has created challenges for mosquito control workers.

CNN —Six people who tested positive for monkeypox – two in New York City, two in Chicago, one in Nevada and one in Maryland – have died, local health departments have confirmed. The two Chicagoans who died after testing positive for monkeypox had multiple other health conditions, including weakened immune systems, according to the Chicago Department of Health (CDPH). A person with monkeypox in Houston died in August, but officials have not determined whether the virus caused the death. In late September, Ohio reported its first death of a person with monkeypox but noted that “the individual also had other health conditions.”It can be difficult to determine if someone has died of monkeypox. There were 27,884 probable or confirmed monkeypox cases reported in the US as of Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

☆ Monkeypox emergency orders are set to expire, but eradication isn't likely
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

San Francisco will not renew its monkeypox public health emergency declaration when it expires at the end of the month. Many experts are optimistic that, eventually, the U.S. could sometimes see no new monkeypox cases within a limited time frame. That’s unfortunately the reality of public health in the U.S., and it needs to change," Roess said. Racial inequities also persist in vaccine distribution, so Black and Hispanic people consequently make up a disproportionate share of monkeypox cases. Despite the delays and failings in the U.S., Morse said, the monkeypox outbreak "could have been a lot worse."

☆ Flesh-eating bacteria: What to know about Vibrio vulnificus, and how to avoid it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Vibrio vulnificus causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vibrio vulnificus is one of the bacteria that can cause what’s commonly known as a flesh-eating infection. Vibrio vulnificus infection is the leading cause of death related to eating seafood in the United States. With skin infections, a doctor will first take samples from the infected area to determine if Vibrio vulnificus is what’s causing the problem. Up to 50% of Vibrio vulnificus infections don’t respond to certain antibiotics anymore, studies show.

☆ Vermont town employee who quietly lowered fluoride in water for years resigns
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A town employee who quietly lowered the fluoride in a Vermont community’s drinking water for years has resigned — and is asserting that the levels had actually been low for much longer than believed. While fluoridating municipal water is voluntary, Vermont towns that do “shall control the level of fluoride” within the state’s specified ranges, according to the state’s water supply rule. The Vermont Health Department said it does not regulate municipal water systems. Town Manager Josh Arneson said Thursday that he will review fluoride levels monthly and that the town’s Water and Sewer Commission will also look at the report. The addition of fluoride to public drinking water systems has been routine in communities across the United States since the 1940s and 1950s.

☆ Fact Check-As of Oct. 20, no suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola in the U.S., officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Chicago Public Health Department (CPHD) told Reuters that as of Oct. 20 “no suspected, probable, or confirmed cases of Ebola” had been reported in Chicago, contrary to claims online. Bert Kelly, a spokesperson for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also told Reuters that “there are no suspected Ebola cases in the U.S.” as of Oct. 20. Health authorities in Uganda confirmed an outbreak of the Sudan strain of Ebola on Sept. 20 (here). The Chicago Public Health Department told Reuters no “suspected, probable, or confirmed cases of Ebola” had been reported in Chicago as of Oct. 20. The U.S. CDC similarly said no suspected Ebola cases in the U.S. had been reported as of that date.

☆ Florida sees rise in flesh-eating bacterial infections
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Florida has seen an increase in cases of flesh-eating bacteria this year driven largely by a surge in the county hit hardest by Hurricane Ian. The state Department of Health reports that as of Friday there have been 65 cases of vibrio vulnificus infections and 11 deaths in Florida this year. In Lee County, where Ian stormed ashore last month, the health department reports 29 cases this year and four deaths. Lee County health officials earlier this month warned people that the post-hurricane environment — including warm, standing water — could pose a danger from the potentially deadly bacteria. People with open wounds should avoid such water and seek medical care immediately if an infection is apparent.

☆ Fact Check-Monkeypox, polio and new COVID variants are not ‘planned’ as ‘scare tactics’ to affect the U.S. midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Monkeypox and polio outbreaks, or new COVID-19 variants, have not been “planned” or orchestrated as “scare tactics” to manipulate the Nov. 8 midterm elections in the United States. As laid out in a Reuters explainer (here), experts agree that the major driver behind both vaccine-derived and wild polio outbreaks remains an under-vaccinated population. “Monkeypox is nothing more than a scare tactic to make you stay home and not vote in the November elections. Experts contacted by Reuters dismissed claims that these disease outbreaks are connected to election cycles and said they would not disrupt the upcoming electoral process. There is no evidence that monkeypox and polio outbreaks or new COVID-19 variants have been orchestrated as “scare tactics” to manipulate the U.S. midterm elections.

The breakdown occurred after Jackson was pummeled by days of heavy rain and the city’s main water treatment plant failed. In an interview on Monday, he said that withholding the funds Jackson needs to ensure safe drinking water puts lives at risk. “Mississippi is one of several states that absolutely rely on the generosity of the federal government,” Thompson said. More than 200 Jackson residents and supporters hold signs as they march to the governor's mansion to protest water issues in the city. Service was restored by the next week, and most Jackson residents no longer have to boil their water, but there are lingering concerns about water quality.

☆ WHO calls for more international aide to prevent Ebola from spreading beyond Uganda
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The World Health Organization is working with Uganda to prevent a deadly Ebola outbreak in the East African nation from spreading to neighboring nations, the global health agency's chief said on Wednesday. Health authorities in Uganda have identified 74 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola across five districts, according to the WHO. Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola in late September after person from a village in the central region of the country tested positive for the virus. Ebola symptoms include unexplained hemorrhaging, bleeding or bruising as well as fever, severe headaches, muscle and joint pain, weakness and fatigue, sore throat, loss of appetite, stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting, according to the CDC. U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra last week offered his counterpart in Uganda support from the Health and Human Services Department.

☆ WHO calls for more international aid to prevent Ebola from spreading beyond Uganda
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The World Health Organization is working with Uganda to prevent a deadly Ebola outbreak in the East African nation from spreading to neighboring nations, the global health agency's chief said on Wednesday. Health authorities in Uganda have identified 74 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola across five districts, according to the WHO. Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola in late September after a person from a village in the central region of the country tested positive for the virus. Ebola symptoms include unexplained hemorrhaging, bleeding or bruising as well as fever, severe headaches, muscle and joint pain, weakness and fatigue, sore throat, loss of appetite, stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting, according to the CDC. U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra last week offered his counterpart in Uganda support from the Health and Human Services Department.

☆ Vermont town employee quietly lowered fluoride in water for nearly 4 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

And, he said, he doesn’t think the state’s recommended level of fluoride is warranted right now. “For a single person to unilaterally make the decision that this public health benefit might not be warranted is inappropriate. “Fluoride, again, is one of the most successful and important public health measures that has ever been undertaken in this country,” Knowles said. The mineral was first added to public water in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1945. In sparsely populated and largely rural Vermont, 29 of the 465 public water systems voluntarily fluoridate, and just over half of residents served by a public system get fluoridated water, according to the Vermont Department of Health.

☆ Ghost kitchen startup Reef is facing new trailer shutdowns and violations. Insiders have long said it skirts health and safety regulations.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Austin health inspectors suspended four Reef food trailers after a recent inspection. And this month, Philadelphia inspectors cited a Reef kitchen trailer for having the wrong retail operating license, food-safety inspection records show. The company has previously said its engineless mobile kitchen vessels are difficult to inspect under existing permitting frameworks. "In every city where Reef operates, Reef seeks the appropriate permits," a Reef representative said in an email to Insider. The violation occurs when a kitchen trailer has not been authorized through the inspection process to sell and prepare food.

“After years of neglect, Jackson’s water system finally reached a breaking point this summer, leaving tens of thousands of people without any running water for weeks. Lumumba said Monday that his administration intends to cooperate with federal officials. In late 2019, the state Health Department notified the EPA about concerns with the city’s water system. An inspection by the EPA raised alarms about problems, including not having enough properly credentialed staff members at the city’s water treatment plants. Mark Chalos, an attorney who filed the most recent class-action lawsuit, said many Jacksonians remain suspicious of the city’s water quality.

☆ Life after monkeypox: Men describe an uncertain road to recovery
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Benjamin Ryan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +16 min

Following recovery from this skin lesion–causing virus, people often find themselves waiting anxiously over the course of months to see whether monkeypox will leave them with permanent scarring. The marks are also signals of an infection that because it largely transmits through sex between men, can be highly stigmatized. Gerald Febles points to a scar left from his monkeypox outbreak. He founded a Zoom-based monkeypox support group for people with the virus he met mainly through social media. “I need to get back to my normal life,” said Galaise, who works for a New York City governmental agency.

☆ Is Biden correct that the pandemic is over? Not exactly.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Denis Nash | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

During a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Sunday, President Joe Biden said the SARS CoV-2 pandemic was over. If Biden was referring to the emergency phase of the pandemic being over, his statement is in some ways correct — at least for now. If Biden was referring to the emergency phase of the pandemic being over, his statement is in some ways correct — at least for now. The U.K.’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has had a model long Covid surveillance system in place since February 2021. Displaying long Covid metrics and related trends on the Covid Data Tracker would be helpful.

A second decomposed body found this week in the home of former Rhode Island mayor Susan Menard, who was identified as the other body, has been identified as her boyfriend, authorities said Friday. Daniel Grabowski also died in Menard’s Woonsocket home, according to a statement from the Office of the State Medical Examiners at the Rhode Island Department of Health. Authorities identified Menard's body earlier this week as one of the two dead in the house. Menard died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, officials said Friday. Mayor Susan Menard of Woonsocket, R.I., at her desk at City Hall on Oct. 19, 2005.

☆ Montana accepting transgender birth certificate changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

(AP) — The state health department has restored the ability for transgender people to apply to correct the gender marker on their Montana birth certificate after a judge blocked enforcement of a law that would have required them to have surgery first. The gender designation forms are available on the department’s website. Montana is required to process the applications after District Judge Michel Moses issued a temporary injunction against enforcing a state law that would have required transgender residents to have undergone a surgical procedure before changing the sex on their birth certificate. However, the state did not begin accepting applications and instead passed a rule saying that nobody could change the sex on their birth record unless there was a clerical error. No applications requesting a gender designation change had been returned to the state Vital Records department as of mid-day Thursday, Ebelt said.

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