How to help farmers during bird flu outbreak in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The bird flu outbreak has continued to hurt poultry farms across Ohio.
Since Christmas Eve, nearly 12 million birds have died from the avian flu across the Buckeye State and even one farmer in Mercer County contracted the virus. While the current risk of bird flu to the general public remains very low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said those coming into contact with dead or sick poultry should take precautions.
Lawmaker introduces 'boneless wing bill' after viral Ohio Supreme Court court ruling
This recent bird flu outbreak is just another setback for farmers in Ohio after last summer's extended drought, which also impacted crops and production.
Due to this, the Ohio Department of Agriculture has partnered with the Farm Bureau to launch 'We Got Your Back'. The new program offers free mental health resources to help farmers in the state.
'Putting together those resources that are easier, accessible is our goal and just bringing people together and again bringing more attention to this topic,' said Brian Baldridge, the director at the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
14 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Meth makes comeback in Minnesota in more dangerous and record ways
A subtle shift was happening among clients at the north Minneapolis community drop-in center. For years, people seeking substance abuse services at Anything Helps reported using just one drug of choice. Recently, staff noticed more and more users had expanded their appetite, preferring a combination of drugs at once versus 'picking a lane.' The polysubstance abuse among their regulars soon evolved almost exclusively to one pairing of drugs in the majority of their clients: fentanyl and methamphetamine. 'That's pretty new,' according to Brian Warden, the nonprofit's harm reduction director. 'That's something we traditionally see in cities like Denver, San Francisco or Seattle. That's not something we've really seen here.' To Warden, the change in the clientele's drug use pattern could stem from a number of reasons, including a correlation with a rise in homelessness in Minneapolis. But undoubtedly, he said, the phenomenon can be explained in part by the recent surge of methamphetamine in Minnesota. As the deadly fentanyl crisis demanded the state's attention post-pandemic, another was building with methamphetamine. The stimulant, long supreme in the underbelly of Minnesota's drug scene, is flooding the state - with a more dangerous dosage than meth of the past. 'The numbers are just a ridiculous amount of meth ... it just hasn't gotten enough publicity,' said Rafael Mattei, acting special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's division over Minnesota. The meth surge in Minnesota came just as the street fentanyl crisis showed signs of easing. U.S. opioid overdose deaths plummeted 41% in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and fatal overdoses of all kinds fell 27%. In Minnesota, preliminary data from the Minnesota Department of Health showed an 8% drop in overall overdose deaths from 2022 to 2023. But meth 'has never gone away,' Mattei said. No longer homemade in makeshift labs, meth is being churned out of Mexican super labs by cartels that cashed in on the lack of supply and cheaper production costs. And its price has plummeted, becoming a more lucrative option for dealers. Ken Sass, statewide drug and gang coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, recalled a pound of meth costing $3,000 to $5,000 around 15 years ago, during his tenure as a federal drug agent. Now, he estimates, the price has fallen below $1,000. The drug makes its way to Minnesota most often by snaking up the Interstate 35 corridor to be sold in droves or continue into neighboring states. Last year, federal officials announced they had busted 'one of the largest and most prolific drug organizations' in Minnesota's history following the arrest of a Twin Cities man accused of helping push a historic amount of meth and other substances from Mexico. Federal prosecutors allege Clinton Ward made ties with two of Mexico's most notorious drug cartels and funneled the substance across the border via shipping containers, private vehicles and semitrailers before breaking the drug down into smaller quantities, then delivering it to Minnesota. The U.S. Attorney's Office charged Ward under the rare 'kingpin' statute, along with 14 others in the conspiracy case that led to the seizure of 1,600 pounds of methamphetamine, 4 kilograms of cocaine, 2 kilograms of fentanyl and 30,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills. Federal officials described the bust as a success for having disrupted a major pipeline of illegal drugs in Minnesota. Yet methamphetamine is continuing to pour into Minnesota with no sign of slowing down, data from the DEA indicates. Last year, the amount of methamphetamine seized by federal agents in Minnesota increased 142%, totaling 2,080 pounds, compared with the roughly 860 pounds of meth seized in 2023. The numbers do not include drugs seized by state, local or tribal law enforcement. Federal drug agents are on track to outpace the amount of meth seized last year. They've seen a 25% increase in the amount of meth seized from January to April 2025, compared with the same time last year. More readily available meth, Sass said, 'leads to more addiction and probably a broadening market as well.' And although meth may not be as lethal as fentanyl, the drug today poses its own dangers. The meth from Mexican super labs holds higher potency, resulting in a more dangerous and addictive concoction than the meth sold in the 1990s and early 2000s. After federal legislation in 2005 cracked down on the commercial sale of products containing precursor chemicals to make meth, such as pseudoephedrine in the decongestant Sudafed, cartels pursued the chemicals overseas and became bulk buyers. The product is then cut with other hazardous materials to bring maximum profit. Users deep in the throes of meth addiction can stay awake for days, leading to paranoia and hallucinations. A hallmark sign of meth addiction is wounds on a user's skin caused by incessant scratching. People who experience withdrawals may resort to theft, robbery or other crimes to obtain money for another hit. The elevated potency can only worsen symptoms, which carry ripple effects into communities. 'Their health, their mental health, their relationships, medical conditions that arise from addiction and all the personal problems that would come from [addiction] ... they relay that to the relationships with their family,' Sass said. In some cases, law enforcement and treatment providers are seeing fentanyl added to methamphetamine. Though the risk of dying from a meth overdose is much lower than that of fentanyl, which has a deadly dose that can fit on the tip of a pencil, the drug takes its toll 'little by little.' 'There is no accident here,' Warden said, saying of the adulteration of fentanyl with meth, 'I've never seen anything like that before.' Mattei likened the difference between the meth on the streets today compared with meth of the past as that of whiskey versus beer. 'They were making beer first,' Mattei said. 'Now the meth that's out there is kind of like higher-proof alcohol. So you need less to feel.' Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
The Hill
20 hours ago
- The Hill
Lyme-disease isn't the only tick-borne threat. Doctors warn these other diseases are spreading
(NEXSTAR) – You've likely heard public health officials' repeated pleas to check yourself, your kids and your pets for tick bites, which can spread serious diseases. While Lyme disease gets the most attention – and affects the most people – there are other tick-borne bacteria and diseases that have also been found spreading in the U.S. Just last month, Connecticut researchers said they identified the first case of a longhorned tick infected with a pathogen called ehrlichia chaffeensis. Infections can give people fever chills, headaches, muscle aches and stomach issues. 'We also worry about a parasite called Babesia, which causes a disease called Babesiosis,' said Nicole Baumgarth, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in a recent briefing on tick-borne illnesses. The same ticks that carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease can carry this parasite, which then infects people's red blood cells, causing anemia and other 'very serious consequences,' Baumgarth said. Some people infected by the parasite may feel flu-like symptoms, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while others may have no symptoms at all. That's a problem if people live with the parasite and then donate their infected blood, which can cause harm to the people who receive it as a transfusion. Baumgarth also warned of viruses that can be spread by ticks, such as tick-borne encephalitis. It's an infection that can cause inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. It's a bigger problem in Europe than in the U.S., she said, but here we have Heartland virus and Powassan virus to contend with. 'Both viruses are still very rare, but we have seen our first case of Heartland virus in Maryland last year, and the fact that we are now seeing these virus infections in areas that we haven't seen them before, it probably indicates the tip of the iceberg,' said Baumgarth. Because these viruses are rarer, and their symptoms can be non-specific, doctors don't usually think to test for them, Baumgarth explained. Many cases of Heartland and Powassan virus could be left uncounted as a result. 'So it would be rare that we diagnose it because we are not looking hard enough for it right now,' she said. Both viruses can present with generic first symptoms like fever, headache and vomiting, but can cause serious illness if left unchecked. Powassan virus could lead to seizures, loss of coordination and confusion in severe cases where the brain and spinal cord are impacted. Yet another concern is the tick that can cause people to become allergic to red meat if they're bitten. It's called alpha-gal syndrome and is caused by bites from the Lone Star tick, first identified in Texas. However, this type of tick is 'very aggressively' moving north and becoming a problem in other regions of the country, according to Baumgarth. Some of these rare viruses don't have a treatment or cure, so prevention is what's most important, the CDC says. You should avoid ticks by wearing long sleeves and pants in bushy and wooded areas, using bug repellent, and doing a thorough tick check after spending time outside.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Texas Woman Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Using RV Tap Water For Sinus Rinse
A Texas woman died from a rare and deadly brain infection after using unboiled tap water from an RV's water system for nasal irrigation while staying at a campground, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 71-year-old woman, who was healthy before the infection, used a nasal irrigation device with tap water from the RV's water system several times over four days. Within four days of her last use, she developed severe neurological symptoms, including fever, headache, and altered mental status, the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report stated. She developed seizures and died eight days after symptoms began. Laboratory testing confirmed Naegleria fowleri in her cerebrospinal fluid, indicating primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a disease with a fatality rate exceeding 97%. Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the 'brain-eating amoeba,' is a free-living organism found in warm freshwater environments like lakes, rivers, and hot springs. Infections occur when contaminated water enters the nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain. From 1962 to 2022, the U.S. reported 157 (primary amebic meningoencephalitis) PAM cases, with Texas accounting for 39. While most cases are linked to recreational water activities, nasal irrigation with contaminated water is a known risk. The CDC noted that the woman had no recent exposure to natural bodies of water, suggesting the RV's water system was the likely source of infection. The RV's water tank had been filled before the woman purchased it three months before her death, but the filling location is unknown. No samples from the campsite or RV water system tested positive for the amoeba, leaving the exact source of contamination unclear. The CDC emphasized that only distilled, sterile, or previously boiled water should be used for nasal rinsing, as tap water, even if safe for drinking, may contain organisms harmful when introduced into the nasal passages. To prevent PAM, the CDC recommends holding your nose or wearing a nose clip when diving into freshwater, keeping your head above water in hot springs, avoiding digging in shallow water, and using boiled or distilled water for nasal irrigation. The specific Texas campground where the infection occurred was not disclosed. This case underscores the critical need for public awareness about safe water use for nasal irrigation to prevent such rare but devastating infections.
