The Oregon Zoo welcomes a new baby elephant
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) —
The Oregon Zoo in Portland has welcomed its newest addition, a baby elephant.
Thirty-year-old Asian elephant Rose-Tu gave birth on Saturday after 20 months of pregnancy, the zoo said in a news release. The calf appeared to be a 200-pound (90-kilogram) female, but zoo staff are giving the pair time to bond before conducting a first checkup to confirm weight and sex.
'We couldn't be happier with how everything is going so far,' Steve Lefave, who oversees the zoo's elephant program, said in the release. 'This was one of the smoothest births I've ever seen. Rose knew just what to do. She helped her baby up right away. The kid was standing on her own within 15 minutes and took her first steps soon after that.'
Rose-Tu and her baby, who is nursing regularly, are doing well, Kelsey Wallace from the zoo's communications team said Tuesday.
The calf is Rose-Tu's third baby. Her firstborn, 16-year-old Samudra, also lives at the zoo. Her second calf, Lily, passed away from a virus in 2018, just before she turned 6 years old.
It might be a while before the new baby and Rose-Tu are ready for visitors. Staff want to make sure the calf continues to do well, and that Rose-Tu is calm and comfortable with people around, Lefave said.
'Rose is a fantastic mom,' he said. 'She's so gentle and protective, and the calf is already nursing well. These are signs that they will have a strong bond, which is exactly what we want to see. We're ready to help if needed, but so far mom and baby are doing just fine on their own.'
The zoo supports a broad range of efforts to help wild elephants, and its elephant care program has spanned over 60 years, according to its statement.

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San Francisco Chronicle
20 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kennedy names 8 vaccine committee replacements, including COVID shot critic
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday named eight new vaccine policy advisers to replace the panel that he abruptly dismissed earlier this week. They include a scientist who researched mRNA vaccine technology and became a conservative darling for his criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines, a leading critic of pandemic-era lockdowns, and a professor of operations management. Kennedy's decision to 'retire' the previous 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was widely decried by doctors' groups and public health organizations, who feared the advisers would be replaced by a group aligned with Kennedy's desire to reassess — and possibly end — longstanding vaccination recommendations. On Tuesday, before he announced his picks, Kennedy said: 'We're going to bring great people onto the ACIP panel – not anti-vaxxers – bringing people on who are credentialed scientists.' The new appointees include Vicky Pebsworth, a regional director for the National Association of Catholic Nurses, who has been listed as a board member and volunteer director for the National Vaccine Information Center, a group that is widely considered to be a leading source of vaccine misinformation. Another is Dr. Robert Malone, the former mRNA researcher who emerged as a close adviser to Kennedy during the measles outbreak. Malone, who runs a wellness institute and a popular blog, rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic as he relayed conspiracy theories around the outbreak and the vaccines that followed. He has appeared on podcasts and other conservative news outlets where he's promoted unproven and alternative treatments for measles and COVID-19. He has claimed that millions of Americans were hypnotized into taking the COVID-19 shots and has suggested that those vaccines cause a form of AIDS. He's downplayed deaths related to one of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. in years. Other appointees include Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist who was a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 letter maintaining that pandemic shutdowns were causing irreparable harm. Dr. Cody Meissner, a former ACIP member, also was named. Kennedy made the announcement in a social media post on Wednesday. The committee, created in 1964, makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC directors almost always approve those recommendations on how vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration should be used. The CDC's final recommendations are widely heeded by doctors and guide vaccination programs. The other appointees are: —Dr. James Hibbeln, who formerly headed a National Institutes of Health group focused on nutritional neurosciences and who studies how nutrition affects the brain, including the potential benefits of seafood consumption during pregnancy. —Retsef Levi, a professor of operations management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. —Dr. James Pagano, an emergency medicine physician from Los Angeles. —Dr. Michael Ross, a Virginia-based obstetrician and gynecologist. Of the eight named by Kennedy, perhaps the most experienced in vaccine policy is Meissner, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, who has previously served as a member of both ACIP and the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory panel. During his five-year term as an FDA adviser, the committee was repeatedly asked to review and vote on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines that were rapidly developed to fight the pandemic. In September 2021, he joined the majority of panelists who voted against a plan from the Biden administration to offer an extra vaccine dose to all American adults. The panel instead recommended that the extra shot should be limited to seniors and those at higher risk of the disease. Ultimately, the FDA disregarded the panel's recommendation and OK'd an extra vaccine dose for all adults. In addition to serving on government panels, Meissner has helped author policy statements and vaccinations schedules for the American Academy of Pediatrics. ACIP members typically serve in staggered four-year terms, although several appointments were delayed during the Biden administration before positions were filled last year. The voting members all have scientific or clinical expertise in immunization, except for one 'consumer representative' who can bring perspective on community and social facets of vaccine programs. Kennedy, a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before becoming the U.S. government's top health official, has accused the committee of being too closely aligned with vaccine manufacturers and of rubber-stamping vaccines. ACIP policies require members to state past collaborations with vaccine companies and to recuse themselves from votes in which they had a conflict of interest, but Kennedy has dismissed those safeguards as weak. Most of the people who best understand vaccines are those who have researched them, which usually requires some degree of collaboration with the companies that develop and sell them, said Jason Schwartz, a Yale University health policy researcher. 'If you are to exclude any reputable, respected vaccine expert who has ever engaged even in a limited way with the vaccine industry, you're likely to have a very small pool of folks to draw from,' Schwartz said. The U.S. Senate confirmed Kennedy in February after he promised he would not change the vaccination schedule. But less than a week later, he vowed to investigate childhood vaccines that prevent measles, polio and other dangerous diseases. Kennedy has ignored some of the recommendations ACIP voted for in April, including the endorsement of a new combination shot that protects against five strains of meningococcal bacteria and the expansion of vaccinations against RSV. In late May, Kennedy disregarded the committee and announced the government would change the recommendation for children and pregnant women to get COVID-19 shots. On Monday, Kennedy ousted all 17 members of the ACIP, saying he would appoint a new group before the next scheduled meeting in late June. The agenda for that meeting has not yet been posted, but a recent federal notice said votes are expected on vaccinations against flu, COVID-19, HPV, RSV and meningococcal bacteria. A HHS spokesman did not respond to a question about whether there would be only eight ACIP members, or whether more will be named later. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


The Hill
22 minutes ago
- The Hill
Kennedy appoints some vaccine critics to ACIP panel
The Big Story Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his picks to replace the members of the vaccine advisory panel he fired this week, with several vaccine and COVID-19 skeptics making the cut. © AP To replace the 17 members he unceremoniously fired on Monday, Kennedy announced eight new members, representing a significant downsizing of the panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine guidance. Kennedy in a post on social platform X said the new members will meet as scheduled on June 25 to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine. They will review safety and efficacy data for the current schedule as well, he said. 'The slate includes highly credentialed scientists, leading public-health experts, and some of America's most accomplished physicians. All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense,' he added. The newly announced members are: Joseph R. Hibbeln, Martin Kulldorff, Retsef Levi, Robert W. Malone, Cody Meissner, James Pagano, Vicky Pebsworth and Michael A. Ross. Kennedy on Tuesday said none of the new ACIP members will be 'ideological anti-vaxxers' but some of the new members are well-known COVID-19 contrarians and are known for spreading vaccine misinformation. Malone, who claims to be the inventor of mRNA vaccines despite what those who've worked with him say, became a fixture of conservative media during the pandemic. He promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin for treating the coronavirus, and repeatedly claimed the COVID shots did not work. Kulldorff was one the leading authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, which pushed the argument of 'herd immunity,' along with Meissner and current NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Cramer: GOP has no 'stomach' for Medicare changes in Trump megabill Senate Republicans appear less likely to try to make changes to Medicare Advantage as part of their massive tax and spending bill, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said Wednesday. Cramer raised the idea of targeting Medicare Advantage for additional savings last week after a closed-door caucus meeting, saying the program is ideal for reform because it is rife with waste, fraud and abuse. The House-passed bill would cut more … Lawmakers urge Trump administration to clamp down on illicit GLP-1 sales A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers is calling on the Trump administration to address the continued sale of illicit, compounded GLP-1 products, warning that consumers may be accessing these drugs without knowing the product could be fraudulent. North Carolina Reps. Brad Knott (R) and Deborah Ross (D) wrote to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and … What to know about the new 'Nimbus' COVID variant The World Health Organization (WHO) is keeping an eye on a new COVID-19 variant called NB.1.8.1, or 'Nimbus,' that has spread across Europe, the Americas and the Western Pacific. Nimbus is a descendant of the Omicron variant of the virus and was first identified in late January. Its spike mutations appear to make it more transmissible than other COVID-19 variants, according to the WHO. Spike mutations … Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: What Others are Reading Most read stories on The Hill right now: Hegseth takes fire from Republicans at heated Senate hearing Republican senators came out firing during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee … Read more Where the 'No Kings' anti-Trump military parade protests are planned Organizers with the 'No Kings' movement are planning some 1,500 demonstrations across the country to protest the upcoming military parade … Read more What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
U.S.-born Asian Americans no longer the healthiest group among older adults
For the first time in two decades, older Asian Americans are no longer the healthiest U.S.-born aging racial group with the lowest rates of disability, according to a study published last month in the Journals of Gerontology. The report focused on adults aged 50 and older, and used disability prevalence as an indicator for overall health. The paper shows that while disability rates have decreased among aging adults in every racial group, it's remained unchanged among U.S.-born Asian Americans. The findings suggest that one contributor to the stagnating disability rate is income inequality, which has impacted Asian Americans more than any other group in recent years. Previous research had shown that both foreign-born and U.S.-born Asian older adults had lower mortality and disability rates than their counterparts in other racial groups. According to the new report, non-Hispanic white Americans have overtaken Asians Americans as the healthiest U.S.-born population, with the lowest disability prevalence. 'This study shows that the 'model minority' stereotype is wrong about the overall experience of U.S.-born older Asians in terms of health,' said lead author Leafia Ye, an assistant sociology professor at the University of Toronto. The report is the first to focus solely on the health of U.S.-born Asians, a group that experts say has been understudied due to its limited population size. The study drew on data from the American Community Survey, which has a sample size of more than 18 million U.S.-born adults aged 50 and older. The sample size for U.S.-born Asians is roughly 116,000, Ye said. The study authors defined disability as any chronic physical or mental health condition that limits an older adult's self-care or independent living capacity, which includes carrying out tasks like eating, bathing and grocery-shopping without assistance. Two decades ago, just 5.5% of U.S.-born Asian elders had trouble living independently — compared with 7% of white and 14% of Black elders. From 2005 to 2022, the report found, disability rates fell by at least 2% among U.S.-born non-Hispanic white, Black, Hispanic and Indigenous populations, as well as all foreign-born groups. (Black older adults experienced the largest drop from 14% to 10%.) Among native-born older Asian Americans, however, the rate has stayed at 5.5%. Ye said the trends preceded the Covid-19 pandemic, so it's unlikely that rising anti-Asian racism was a key risk factor. 'What's striking about this study is that U.S.-born Asians are the only group that hasn't experienced improved outcomes,' said Mansha Mirza, principal investigator at the Aging Services Inclusive of Asian American Networks, a national technical assistance and resource development center focused on Asian Americans older adults. Mirza was not involved with the new study. The trend could be attributed to the fact that U.S.-born Asians 'are more assimilated into the American way of life,' Mirza said, while foreign-born Asians were more likely to 'retain practices from their home countries related to nutrition and diet.' Disability prevalence varies across the racial group. Cognitive disability is more prevalent in Vietnamese, Filipino and Japanese older adults, according to a 2024 paper in Innovation in Aging. For self-care disability, on the other hand, Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino and Indian older adults have a higher prevalence. In the past, older Asian Americans have had better health outcomes than other groups because the large majority were foreign-born, Ye said. People with poorer health and lower socioeconomic status were less likely to resettle in another country, she said, so Asian immigrants became a 'very positively selected' group that's 'healthier and more successful economically compared with both the source and the destination populations.' By contrast, Ye said, U.S.-born Asians were immediately exposed to the country's cultural and political realities. Socioeconomic status has a particularly strong influence on health outcomes, as college-educated older Asian Americans saw a slight decline in disability, while those without a degree saw an increase. While the data didn't contain mental health measures, like loneliness and anxiety, Ye said it's possible that these conditions could have also contributed to stagnating health outcomes. 'In a way,' Ye said, 'U.S.-born Asians are both less selected and more exposed throughout their lifetime.' Mirza said a point of further study could be desegregated research on the impact of migration history on health outcomes. First-generation Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees, for example, survived war, famine and genocide. Research has shown that exposure to these adverse conditions could contribute to 'altered diets and physiological capacity' in their U.S.-born children, who are now advancing in age, Mirza said. Mirza also emphasized a need to study the impact of social isolation on Asian seniors, which she said is gradually emerging as a social determinant of health as much as smoking and alcohol use. 'We need to see what social isolation looks like for foreign-born Asians Americans and U.S.-born Asians Americans,' she said, 'and the extent to which social ties are preserved within these groups.' This article was originally published on