Nebraska’s governor has declared a state of emergency because of a bird flu strain that has contributed to the termination of 33 million birds in 16 states.
Governor Pete Ricketts declared the state of emergency on Thursday after federal officials said a second farm in the state had tested positive for the avian flu virus. The declaration is the fourth by governors after Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota.
The action by the governor would allow emergency funds to be release to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and other state agencies tasked with stopping the spread of the flu virus.
Experts say the H5 strains post little threat to human health but are on the verge of record levels in the U.S.
“Having a second farm in Nebraska confirmed to have HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) is unfortunate but not completely unexpected,” said Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Greg Ibach. “This follows the pattern we’ve seen in other states when it comes to the spread of the virus.”
Ibach said that 1.8 million birds will be destroyed. The state’s first case resulted in the destruction of 1.7 million.
The second Ebola victim treated in the United States has died.
Dr. Martin Salia died Monday morning while being treated at the Biocontainment Unit at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. A hospital spokesman said that Dr. Salia died around 4 a.m. Monday.
Officials close to the case say that Dr. Salia was already critical when he arrived at the facility, including being in kidney and respiratory failure.
“Dr. Salia was extremely critical when he arrived here, and unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we weren’t able to save him,” said Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the biocontainment unit. “We used every possible treatment available to give Dr. Salia every possible opportunity for survival. As we have learned, early treatment with these patients is essential. In Dr. Salia’s case, his disease was already extremely advanced by the time he came here for treatment.”
Salia’s wife said she was thankful the U.S. State Department worked to bring her husband to Nebraska to help him fight for his life.
“We are so appreciative of the opportunity for my husband to be treated here and believe he was in the best place possible,” Isatu Salia said.
A surgeon from Sierra Leone is being transported to Nebraska Medical Center to be treated for Ebola.
The doctor has legal permanent resident status in the United States. Officials at NMC would not confirm the Saturday arrival of the patient but admitted they would be evaluating a patient for admission.
The State Department said they had been working with the family of the surgeon.
“His wife, who resides in Maryland, has asked the State Department to investigate whether he is well enough to be transported back to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for treatment,” a State Department statement read.
Two patients, Dr. Rick Sacra and NBC cameraman Ashoka Mukpo, were successfully treated at the Nebraska facility.
It was not clear how the doctor was exposed to the virus.
Doctors treating an American doctor who rushed to Liberia to assist after two previous American health workers were infected with Ebola say his condition is stable but it’s too early to say if he will recover.
Dr. Rick Sacra is in isolation at Nebraska Medical Center and is described as “very tired and stable.”
“We are encouraged by what we see, but it’s too early to say he has turned a corner,” Dr. Phil Smith told Fox News. Dr. Smith said that Sacra is being treated with an experimental drug that is different than the ZMapp given to two previous American victims of the virus.
Dr. Smith also said that Dr. Sacra, while still very sick, has been keenly observing his condition and vital signs and is giving tips on the best way to provide his treatment.
Dr. Sacra’s family was able to visit with him through a video link for almost half an hour.
“He asked for something to eat and had a little chicken soup,” Debbie Sacra said in a statement.
The doctor had been serving with the Christian missionary outfit SIM, the same organization that previous victim Nancy Writebol had been working with in Liberia.
An American doctor who became infected with the Ebola virus while working at an OB/GYN clinic in Liberia has been flown to Nebraska for treatment.
Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, is going to be held in a special isolation unit on the seven floor of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The unit is the largest of four such units in the United States.
Dr. Sacra is from the Boston area and went to Liberia after the two other American medical missionaries became ill from the virus. He worked with the Christian charity SIM, the same group that infected nurse Nancy Writebol had served with before her infection with the virus.
The media was screened from Dr. Sacra as he was brought to the hospital about 40 minutes after leading at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha.
A team of 35 doctors, nurses and medical staff will be providing Dr. Sacra with substantive care including keeping him hydrated and vital signs stable.
Because the experimental drug ZMapp is not available, there are discussions about using blood serum from one of the other Americans who has recovered from the virus in an attempt to introduce antibodies in the system.
Two people, including a 5-year-old child, are dead after a pair of tornadoes ripped through a small Nebraska town.
Officials say the town of Pilger, Nebraska was obliterated when a pair of tornadoes about a mile apart struck the town. The National Storm Prediction Center said that the twisters appeared to be EF-2 or EF-3 with maximum cyclonic winds of 165 miles per hour.
“Pilger is gone,” Sanford Goshorn, Stanton County Director of Emergency Management told Reuters. “The tornado cut right through the center of town.” He said all the services to the town from electricity to water were gone. The entire community was evacuated under order of emergency management officials.
A meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Omaha said that two powerful tornadoes on the ground at the same time in the same location is very rare. The Storm Prediction Center said they recorded at least four tornadoes touching down in the area of the deadly supercell.
Area hospitals reported at least 16 people were hospitalized in critical condition.
Winter Storm “Q,” which has already dumped a layer of snow in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California, moves with full force into the eastern Plains and Midwest on Thursday, where it could dump a foot and a half of snow in some areas. Continue reading →
Winter Storm “Q,” which has already dumped a layer of snow in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California, moves with full force into the eastern Plains and Midwest on Thursday, where it could dump a foot and a half of snow in some areas. 
