Author Archives: Pat Turnbaugh

Hawaiian child born with birth defect was infected with Zika virus

A Hawaiian child who was recently born with a rare birth defect called microcephaly had been infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the state Department of Health announced.

Officials made the announcement on Friday, the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated travel warnings for regions where Zika outbreaks are present.

The Zika virus usually only causes a mild illness and most people typically recover in a week, the CDC says, but the virus is collecting global attention because scientists are currently working to see if it is responsible for causing birth defects such as the one found in the Hawaiian child.

According to the CDC, children born with microcephaly have smaller-than-usual heads, and the defect may lead to other issues such as seizures, developmental delays and vision problems.

The Brazilian Ministry of Health reported a significant rise in the birth defect since the virus arrived in May. The country used to see fewer than 200 cases per year, but now has about 3,500.

The Hawaiian baby’s mother was living in Brazil last May, the state Department of Health said in a news release, and likely transmitted the virus to her child while he or she was in the womb.

Microcephaly can be caused by a variety of issues including genetic changes, malnutrition, alcohol exposure and certain kinds of infections, according to the CDC, but it’s still a relatively rare defect and only surfaces in about 2-12 babies out of every 10,000 born in the United States.

“We are saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn,” Hawaii Department of Health State Epidemiologist Sarah Park said in a statement.

Hawaii health officials said neither the mother nor the child are currently at risk of transmitting Zika, nor were they ever at risk of spreading the virus throughout Hawaii. The country has yet to see a locally contracted case of Zika, the CDC has said.

However, the Hawaii Department of Health reported six people have gotten infected while visiting foreign countries and returned to the state.

The CDC on Friday sent out updated travel notices for Puerto Rico, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, where Zika is found in local mosquitos, asking travelers — especially pregnant women — to “practice enhanced precautions” to prevent mosquito bites. Previously, the CDC had only been asking travelers to “practice usual precautions.”

There isn’t any vaccine against a Zika infection, the CDC says.

“The virus is spreading fairly rapidly throughout the Americas,” Dr. Lyle Petersen, the director of CDC’s division of vector-borne diseases, told reporters during a Friday evening news briefing, according to a transcript posted on the CDC’s website. “We know in populations that it does affect, a large percentage of the population may be become infected. And because of this growing risk of or growing evidence that there’s a link between Zika virus and microcephaly, which is a very severe and devastating outcome, it was important to warn people as soon as possible.”

Petersen told the news briefing that the CDC recently found its “strongest scientific evidence to date” of a link between Zika and “poor pregnancy outcomes” like microcephaly, but more tests and studies were needed to determine the risks the Zika virus may pose to pregnant women.

Common symptoms of Zika include fever, joint pain and rash, the CDC says. However, Petersen told the news briefing that only 1 in 5 people infected with the virus will display those symptoms.

Petersen also told reporters there have been at least eight United States travelers who tested positive for Zika after traveling overseas in the past 15 months, compared to just 12 who tested positive for the virus between 2007 and 2014. And the CDC is also still receiving samples from people displaying symptoms, so that number could increase as more test results come back.

While the specific kind of mosquito that transmit the virus are present in parts of the United States, Petersen told reporters that improvements in housing construction, air conditioning and mosquito control have helped prevent large outbreaks of other mosquito-borne illnesses.

He told the news briefing it would be difficult to determine exactly how Zika may spread in the coming months.

“I think we’re just going to have to wait to see how this all plays out,” he told reporters. “These viruses certainly can spread in populations for some time. But, again, this is new. This is a dynamic and changing situation. I think it’s really impossible for us to speculate what may happen in three or four or even next month for that matter.”

Separately, Hawaii is dealing with another outbreak of a mosquito-borne illness.

The state Department of Health says there have been 223 cases of dengue fever since Sept. 11. It’s the first locally-acquired outbreak of the disease since 2011.

The World Health Organization says dengue, which can cause fevers, headaches, muscle and joint pains and rashes, has become increasingly common in the past 50 years — spreading to more than 100 countries and placing about half the world’s population at risk of an infection.

Obama declares Flint Water Crisis an emergency, allocates federal assistance

The ongoing water contamination crisis affecting an embattled city in Michigan was recently declared an emergency by President Barack Obama, and federal aid will be sent to the region.

The White House announced the development in a news release on Saturday.

Flint, Michigan, started seeing unsafe levels of lead in its drinking water after it began taking water from the Flint River in 2014, according to the city’s website. Flint switched back to its former supplier, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, in October 2015, though recent tests show the level of lead in the water of many homes remains above what is considered safe.

Flint declared a state of emergency in December 2015, according to its website, and Genesee County and the state followed suit in early January. The state’s governor, Rick Snyder, asked Obama to declare an emergency on Thursday, saying in a news release that the declaration would help the relief efforts and “protect the health, safety and welfare of Flint residents.”

The White House said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be responsible for coordinating relief efforts “to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe” in the area. FEMA will provide water filters, drinking water, testing kits and other essential supplies for up to 90 days. The relief will be federally funded, though Michigan will be required to contribute 25 percent.

“I appreciate the President approving my federal emergency request and supporting Flint during this critical situation,” Snyder said in a statement after Obama’s declaration. “I have pledged to use all state resources possible to help heal Flint, and these additional resources will greatly assist in efforts underway to ensure every resident has access to clean water resources.”

Snyder’s office said in a news release the governor had also asked Obama for a major disaster declaration, but that request was denied because the crisis doesn’t meet the criteria. Such relief is only available in the wake of fires, floods, explosions or other natural events.

The state is “actively reviewing” a potential appeal, according to Snyder’s office.

The federal emergency declaration is the latest step in an ongoing relief process.

Local officials, volunteers and American Red Cross personnel had distributed bottled water, filters and other supplies to more than 16,300 homes free of charge as of Sunday, according to a news release from the state. State officials said more than 84,000 cases of water, approximately 185,000 filters and nearly 34,000 testing kits were going to be distributed throughout Flint.

Snyder had previously sent the National Guard to Flint to assist, according to the release. The number of troops on hand was expected to more than double and reach about 70 on Monday.

Residents of Flint are still being advised not to drink any unfiltered water.

Extreme cold weather affects large portions of United States

Large portions of the United States were experiencing dangerously low temperatures on Monday morning, with wind chills poised to hit some 40 degrees Fahrenheit below zero in certain areas.

The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories in parts of 16 states, warning that gusty winds and low temperatures could lead to frostbite in as little as 20 minutes in some areas.

The warnings covered portions of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. Temperatures were expected to remain below 20 degrees in almost all of the advisory areas, and large portions were expecting sub-zero or single-digit temperatures.

Wind gusts in the high teens drove the perceived temperature down further, the service said. People affected by the extreme cold were advised to dress warmly and cover all exposed skin.

The National Weather Service said the temperatures were “below-normal” and would shift further east over the next two days. Lake effect snow warnings were in effect for portions of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, and the service said there was a chance of heavy snow before Tuesday night. Some parts of New York could receive up to 20 inches, forecasts say.

Nor’easter could bring 8 inches of snow to parts of New England

A weekend Nor’easter could hit parts of northern New England with up to 8 inches of snow before Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service warned on Friday morning.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for northern parts of New Hampshire and Maine, saying a low pressure system off the Atlantic Coast could produce heavy snow in the area. The service said snow was expected to begin falling later tonight and continue through Saturday afternoon, and between 4 and 8 inches were expected to accumulate in those regions.

The National Weather Service also said there was a chance for freezing rain, sleet and rain elsewhere in New England, but had yet to issue any specific warnings as of early Friday. Temperatures in southern New England were expected to remain above the freezing point.

A large storm was bringing rain to the southeastern United States on Friday, and the National Weather Service said it was expected to intensify as it made its way toward New England. But the storm wasn’t expected to bring significant rainfall — forecasts called for a high of about 2 inches in coastal parts of South Carolina. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for those regions.

Separately, the National Weather Service issued winter storm watches for parts of Washington, Oregon and California, as more snow was expected to arrive on Saturday. Snowfall totals were expected to reach 1 to 2 feet on Mount Rainier, according to the National Weather Service, while other mountainous areas of Washington were expected to receive between 6 and 10 inches.

Totals were expected to be lighter in Washington’s valleys, Oregon and California, but still significant. Forecasts were calling for anywhere between 3 and 6 inches of snow in watch areas.

The National Weather Service encouraged people that may be affected by the storm to keep an eye on updated local forecasts.

Zika virus confirmed in Texas traveler, health officials say

Health officials in one Texas county say they’ve received word that a traveler who recently visited Latin America contracted the Zika virus, a puzzling mosquito-borne illness that has collected lots of attention because it may be linked to a substantial rise in birth defects in Brazil.

Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services made the announcement Monday, saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the diagnosis.

Harris County encompasses Houston and is one of the country’s largest counties.

According to the CDC, the Zika virus is spread when an infected mosquito bites a person, usually triggering a mild illness that causes people to experience symptoms like fever, rashes and joint pain. Most people recover within a week, and there’s seldom any need for hospitalization.

However, the Brazilian Ministry of Health is currently investigating more than 3,000 cases of microcephaly, a disorder that causes children to be born with abnormally small heads. Brazil only saw 147 cases of microcephaly last year, but the numbers have surged since the Zika virus arrived in May and authorities are still working to see if there’s a direct link between the two.

The CDC has said there hasn’t been any indication Zika has been contracted in the United States, though there have been multiple cases of people getting infected while visiting a foreign country and returning home. Officials didn’t indicate when or where this traveler got infected.

The virus has caused outbreaks in at least 12 countries in North and South America, according to the CDC, as well as many others in Africa and Southeast Asia. In late December, the CDC issued a travel notice for Puerto Rico after the island identified its first locally-acquired Zika infection.

The CDC asks people traveling to Puerto Rico — and other countries where Zika is present — to take proactive steps to safeguard themselves from mosquito bites, like wearing insect repellant and wearing long sleeves and pants. But the organization says the virus will likely continue to reach new territories because the specific kind of mosquitos that spread it live across the globe.

That type of mosquito — the Aedes species — are present in Harris County, according to the county Public Health & Environmental Service’s website. The agency echoed the CDC’s calls for travelers to take preventative steps when they’re traveling to nations where Zika is found.

There’s currently no vaccine against the virus, the CDC says.

New York hit by stretch of lake effect storms, forecasts call for heavy snow

The latest in a stretch of powerful lake effect snowstorms was pummeling upstate New York on Tuesday, with forecasts calling for significant amounts of additional snow in the next two days.

The National Weather Service issued lake effect snow warnings for several counties in western New York, warning that some regions that border Lake Erie and Lake Ontario could see two more feet of snow fall between 10 a.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. Thursday. Totals were expected to be much lighter further inland, though some communities were expecting about 6 inches of snow.

The latest snow comes on the heels of a lake effect storm that ripped through upstate New York on Monday and dumped 38 inches of snow in Lorraine, a small town about an hour north of Syracuse, according to the National Weather Service. That was the service’s most extreme report of snowfall, though two communities in Erie County reported they received more than foot.

Officials banned all travel in five communities near Buffalo, according to a news release from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, as the service called for whiteout conditions this afternoon. Officials also barred unnecessary trips in Erie County and Genesee County, both near lakes.

According to Cuomo’s office, the state Department of Transportation and state Thruway Authority have a combined 793 snow plows, 1,793 employees and more than 188,000 tons of salt available to clear roads. But officials urged motorists to avoid the roads if possible.

While New York was experiencing the most severe storms, it wasn’t the only place impacted by winter weather.

Northern Maine was under a winter storm warning, with the National Weather Service warning that 4 to 8 inches of snow was expected to fall before 10 a.m. Wednesday. Western Michigan was also under a separate winter storm warning with up to 4 inches of snow in Tuesday’s forecast.

The National Weather Service also issued winter weather advisories in parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan as lighter snow fell across those states.

Another storm in the Pacific Northwest triggered some winter storm warnings and advisories, and National Weather Service forecasts indicated some parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and California could see up to a foot of snow before Thursday evening.

Indonesia, Japan hit by magnitude 6.0-plus quakes 30 minutes apart

A pair of magnitude 6.0-plus earthquakes occurred within 30 minutes of each other on Tuesday.

Both earthquakes were located in the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles apart. Neither earthquake produced reports of significant damage and no tsunami warnings were issued.

According to the United States Geological Survey, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred in the water between Indonesia and the Philippines at 12:38 a.m. local time. A half-hour later, the USGS reported a magnitude 6.2 earthquake deep below the Earth’s surface in the Sea of Japan.

The first quake was centered a few miles southeast of the Talaud Islands of Indonesia, and the USGS reported the tremors caused strong shaking there. While the quake was more than 100 miles away from larger cities, user-submitted data published on the USGS website indicated some people reported weak shaking approximately 200 miles away in Manado, Philippines.

The earthquake was triggered about 13 miles below the Earth’s surface, the USGS reported, while the earthquake that followed in Japan occurred at a much larger depth of 150 miles.

The Japan earthquake was centered about 46 miles northwest of Rumoi and 610 miles north of Tokyo. But because it occurred so far underground, those on the surface didn’t feel its full effect.

The Japan Meteorological Association reported most parts of the country experienced a 2 on its own seismic scale of 0-7, which usually carries only weak shaking and can be undetected by humans.

NASA creates new office to lead asteroid defense efforts

A new office will lead NASA’s efforts to protect Earth from potential strikes from asteroids and comets, along with overseeing the agency’s efforts to discover and study the celestial objects.

NASA announced the formation of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) in a news release last Thursday, saying the new creation is an improvement on the agency’s existing endeavors to detect any potential hazards to Earth and defend the planet against impacts.

NASA said the new office will supervise the agency’s research into so-called near-Earth objects — asteroids and comets that will come close to the planet — and communicate with federal agencies and foreign governments to develop an action plan if there is any chance of a strike.

The agency said none of the 13,500 known near-Earth objects pose any threat of impacting Earth, but about 1,500 new objects are discovered every year. A space rock that came within 300,000 miles of Earth last Halloween went undiscovered until three weeks before its arrival.

NASA officials mentioned that event and a meteor that entered Earth’s atmosphere in 2013 and created a massive fireball above Chelyabinsk, Russia, when announcing the PDCO. Those events “remind us of why we need to remain vigilant and keep our eyes to the sky,” John Grunsfeld, the associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement.

According to NASA, research and discovery of near-Earth objects has surged in recent years thanks to an influx of funding. The federal budget for fiscal year 2016 includes $50 million for planetary defense and asteroid and comet research, compared to just $4 million in 2010.

NASA said it believes it has discovered 90 percent of near-Earth objects that are bigger than 3,000 feet, and it’s currently focusing on discovering smaller rocks that are a little bit larger than a football field. The agency estimates it has only located about 25 percent of those mid-sized asteroids and comets, though it had been asked in 2005 to find 90 percent of them before 2021.

The agency is also developing some strategies to potentially stop problematic asteroids.

NASA is currently trying to robotically redirect an asteroid into an orbit around Earth’s moon. The agency’s success there could ultimately determine if scientists can steer an Earth-bound asteroid clear of the planet, though NASA says it will likely be the 2020s before it has its answer.

If it’s not possible to prevent an impact, the new office will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help coordinate a response. The PDCO will also issue warnings about space rocks that will pass close to Earth and any potential impacts of their close presence.

“The formal establishment of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office makes it evident that the agency is committed to perform a leadership role in national and international efforts for detection of these natural impact hazards, and to be engaged in planning if there is a need for planetary defense,” Lindley Johnson, the PDCO’s Planetary Defense Officer, said in a statement.

Government announces new anti-terrorism task force, initiative

The United States government took new steps in the fight against the Islamic State and other extremist groups on Friday, with three separate departments unveiling new measures designed to help stop terrorist organizations from spreading their radical messages to a global audience.

The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security teamed up to establish a new anti-extremism task force and the State Department created a new Global Engagement Center that will help counter terrorist propaganda, according to news releases from the departments.

“The horrific attacks in Paris and San Bernardino this winter underscored the need for the United States and our partners in the international community and the private sector to deny violent extremists like ISIL fertile recruitment ground,” National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement about the new efforts, using an acronym for the Islamic State.

Price noted the announcement came on the day that top White House and national security officials were meeting with several leading technology companies in California’s Silicon Valley.

Lawmakers and President Barack Obama have publicly called for more to be done to help prevent terrorist organizations from using social media to share information about their actions and messages. In December, George Washington University’s Program on Extremism released a report that said it identified at least 300 Islamic State sympathizers in the United States who spread propaganda or communicated with other “like-minded individuals” on social media.

Following the San Bernardino terrorist attacks, lawmakers proposed legislation that would require social media companies to report any evidence of terrorist activities to the proper authorities. The Department of Justice has said one of the San Bernardino shooters pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State on Facebook on the morning of the deadly rampage.

“Today’s developments reflect President Obama’s commitment to take every possible action to confront and interdict terrorist activities wherever they occur, including online,” Price said in a statement.

The State Department said its Global Engagement Center would “more effectively coordinate, integrate and synchronize” its anti-terrorism communications. The State Department currently runs a social media campaign called “Think Again Turn Away,” that says it offers “truths about terrorism.” Its recent Twitter postings tout victories the United States-led coalition and Iraqi military have scored against ISIS, including killing of 75 terrorists and destroying equipment.

It’s not exactly clear if or how this new effort will differ from the existing campaign.

The State Department’s news release said the Global Engagement Center will “focus more on empowering and enabling partners … who are able to speak out against these groups and provide an alternative to ISIL’s nihilistic vision.” The department said the efforts will center on things like how terrorists treat women and defectors, rather than what the groups publicize.

The Department of Justice said the Countering Violent Extremism Task Force is part of the government’s increased effort “to prevent extremists from radicalizing and mobilizing recruits, especially here at home.” The task force will aim to coordinate the anti-terrorism efforts of a variety of government agencies, bringing officials from the Homeland Security and Justice departments, FBI and National Counterterrorism Center together under one roof.

Obama vetoes efforts to repeal Affordable Care Act, defund Planned Parenthood

Republican-backed legislation that would have repealed portions of the Affordable Care Act and prevented federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood was vetoed by President Barack Obama on Friday, effectively ending the legislature’s latest efforts to eliminate Obamacare.

Obama returned the bill to Congress without his signature, according to a message to lawmakers that appears on the White House’s website. A Republican majority controls both the House and Senate and had enough votes to send the bill to Obama’s desk for the first time, but the party lacks the two-thirds majority required to override his veto and force the bill to become law.

“This legislation would not only repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, but would reverse the significant progress we have made in improving health care in America,” Obama wrote in the veto message to lawmakers. He added there have been more than 50 attempts to “ to repeal or undermine” the legislation, and criticized Republicans for continuing to pursue the goal.

“Rather than refighting old political battles by once again voting to repeal basic protections that provide security for the middle class, Members of Congress should be working together to grow the economy, strengthen middle-class families, and create new jobs,” Obama wrote Congress.

Citing data from the Congressional Budget Office, Obama wrote that the bill would have caused the number of uninsured Americans to rise by 22 million after next year, and 1.2 million people would have experienced difficulties paying other bills because of a higher cost of health care.

In sending the bill back to Congress, Obama also wrote that about 150 million Americans who obtain health insurance through their employers would have been at risk of higher premiums.

“This legislation would cost millions of hard-working middle-class families the security of affordable health coverage they deserve,” Obama wrote Congress. “Reliable health care coverage would no longer be a right for everyone: it would return to being a privilege for a few.”

Critics of the Affordable Care Act say it has actually led to increased health care costs and limited the options of many Americans since the president initially signed it into law six years ago.

In a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) said Congress would hold an override vote (which will be mostly symbolic) and vowed to continue efforts to eliminate Obamacare, adding Friday’s vetoed bill “will get signed into law” if a Republican wins the presidential election this fall.

“The idea that Obamacare is the law of the land for good is a myth. This law will collapse under its own weight, or it will be repealed,” Ryan said in a statement.

Obama also wrote the bill would “effectively defund” Planned Parenthood because it would have prevented the group from obtaining federal Medicaid funding. The group is often criticized because it provides abortions, though it also provides many other health services to women.

Obama noted there are existing laws in place that prevent using federal money for abortions, unless the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest or could endanger the mother’s life.