Hong Kong Sees First Mosquito-Borne Illness From China Outbreak
The patient is a 12-year-old boy who developed fever, rash and joint pain after traveling to Foshan in Guangdong Province in July, according to the city's public health agency. Hong Kong's health authorities believe the boy was infected there, and is now being treated in a mosquito-free environment with his household under medical surveillance.
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Associated Press
34 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Takeaways from AP's report on problems in the worldwide campaign to eradicate polio
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — For nearly four decades, the World Health Organization and partners have been trying to rid the world of polio, a paralytic disease that has existed since prehistoric times. While cases have dropped more than 99%, polio remains entrenched in parts of Afghanistanand Pakistan. In its quest to eliminate the virus, WHO and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have been derailed by mismanagement and what insiders describe as blind allegiance to an outdated strategy and a problematic oral vaccine, according to workers, polio experts and internal materials obtained by the Associated Press. Officials tout the successes – 3 billion children vaccinated, an estimated 20 million people who would have been paralyzed spared – while acknowledging challenges in Pakistan and Afghanistan. WHO polio director Dr. Jamal Ahmed defended progress in those two countries, citing workers' tailored response in resistant pockets. Here are some takeaways from AP's report on what's happened in one of the most expensive efforts in all of public health. Documents show major problems on polio vaccination teams Internal WHO reports reviewing polio immunization in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past decade — given to AP by current and former staffers — show that as early as 2017, local workers were alerting problems to senior managers. The documents flagged multiple cases of falsified vaccination records, health workers being replaced by untrained relatives and workers improperly administering vaccines. On numerous occasions, WHO officials noted, 'vaccinators did not know about vaccine management,' citing failure to keep doses properly cold. They also found sloppy or falsified reporting, with workers noting 'more used vaccine vials than were actually supplied.' According to an August 2017 report from Kandahar, Afghanistan, vaccination teams worked 'in a hurried manner,' reports said, with 'no plan for monitoring.' A team in Nawzad, Afghanistan, covered just half of the intended area in 2017, with 250 households missed entirely. Village elders said no one visited for at least two years. Polio workers say problems have gone unaddressed Health officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan told AP their efforts to vaccinate children are often stymied by cultural barriers, misinformation about the vaccines, and poverty. Sughra Ayaz has traveled door to door in southeastern Pakistan for the past decade, pleading for children to be immunized. Some families demand basics such as food and water instead of vaccines. Others, without citing proof for their beliefs, repeat false rumors and say they think the oral vaccine doses are meant to sterilize their kids. Ayaz said that given the immense pressure for the campaign to succeed, some managers have instructed workers to falsely mark children as immunized 'In many places, our work is not done with honesty,' she said. Some scientists blame the oral vaccine Polio eradication demands perfection — zero polio cases and immunizing more than 95% of children. But some scientists and former WHO staffers say the campaign's efforts are far from perfect, blaming in particular the oral vaccine. It's safe and effective, but in very rare instances, the live virus in the oral vaccine can paralyze a child. In even rarer cases, the virus can mutate into a form capable of starting outbreaks among unimmunized people where vaccination rates are low. Except for Afghanistan and Pakistan, most polio cases worldwide are linked to the vaccine; several hundred cases have been reported annually since 2021, with at least 98 this year. Most public health experts agree the oral vaccine should be pulled as soon as possible. But they acknowledge there isn't enough injectable vaccine — which uses no live virus and doesn't come with the risks of the oral vaccine — to eliminate polio alone. The injectable vaccine is more expensive and requires more training to administer. More than two dozen current and former senior polio officials told AP the agencies involved haven't been willing to even consider revising their strategy to account for campaign problems. Last year, former WHO scientist Dr. T. Jacob John twice emailed WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calling for a 'major course correction.' John wrote that 'WHO is persisting with polio control and creating polio with one hand and attempting to control it by the other.' Ahmed told AP the oral vaccine is a 'core pillar' of eradication strategy and that 'almost every country that is polio-free today used (it) to achieve that milestone.' Critics say there's no accountability Dr. Tom Frieden, who sits on an independent board reviewing polio eradication, said he and colleagues have urged WHO and partners to adapt to obstacles in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since 2011, the board has issued regular reports about program failures, but had little impact. 'There's no management,' he said. With an annual budget of about $1 billion, polio eradication is among the most expensive initiatives in public health. WHO officials have privately admitted that sustaining funding will be difficult without signs of progress. Roland Sutter, who previously headed polio research at WHO, said donors had spent more than $1 billion in Pakistan trying to get rid of polio in the last five years — and made little progress. 'If this was a private company, we would demand results,' he said. Ahmed pointed to the program's many successes. 'Let's not overdramatize the challenges, because that leads to children getting paralyzed,' he said. Mistrust of the vaccine persists Vaccine workers and health officials say it's hard for campaign leadership to grasp the difficulties in the field. Door-to-door efforts are stymied by cultural barriers, unfounded stories about vaccines, and the region's poverty and transience. The campaign is up against a wave of misinformation, including that the vaccine is made from pig urine or will make children reach puberty early. Some blame an anti-vaccine sentiment growing in the U.S. and other countries that have largely funded eradication efforts. In a mountainous region of southeastern Afghanistan where most people survive by growing wheat and raising cows and chickens, many are wary of the Western-led initiative. A mother of five said she'd prefer that her children be vaccinated against polio, but her husband and other male relatives have instructed their families to reject it, fearing it will compromise their children's fertility. 'If I allow it,' the woman said, declining to be named over fears of family retribution, 'I will be beaten and thrown out.' _____ Cheng reported from London. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
CBS News
7 hours ago
- CBS News
First human cases of West Nile virus detected in Denver, Jefferson County this season
The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment announced Monday that the city's first human case of West Nile virus this season has been confirmed. Officials in Jefferson County have also confirmed their first human cases of the virus, with three people infected. There have been over one dozen cases of West Nile in Colorado this year, which has resulted in one death. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, West Nile virus has been found in mosquitoes in eight of the 16 counties that have tested mosquitoes this year, including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. In Fort Collins, the West Nile infection rate in mosquitoes is currently 11 times higher than the historical average, and four times higher than it was in 2023. The DDPHE is urging residents to take precautions to avoid being bitten by an infected mosquito. Eliminating standing water where mosquitoes breed can help prevent an increase in mosquitoes. Officials said it's important to empty and scrub, turn over, cover or throw out items like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths and trash containers once a week. Cleaning out street and home gutters that may hold water can also help control the mosquito population. Wearing repellents with DEET, limiting outdoor activity at dawn and dusk and wearing long sleeves and pants outside can all help reduce the risk of being bitten. The city also advised residents to make sure windows and doors have intact screens to keep mosquitoes out and to avoid watering cement or streets, which can create puddles. Those infected with West Nile virus may feel fatigued and experience fever, headaches, body aches and rashes or swollen lymph nodes. Symptoms usually appear within 3-14 days. Officials warned that, while anyone can be infected, those over 50 or with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of developing serious symptoms. Authorities urged anyone experiencing symptoms to consult their healthcare provider immediately.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
E. coli outbreak in Florida linked to raw milk
Public health officials are warning of an outbreak of Campylobacter and E. coli-related complications linked to the consumption of raw milk from a Florida farm. The raw milk outbreak has impacted 21 people, including six children under the age of 10, causing seven hospitalizations, according to the Florida Department of Health. Two people have faced 'severe complications,' the department added. 'Sanitation practices in this farm are of particular concern due to the number of cases,' the department said in an announcement on Monday, though it did not name the particular facility. The Independent has contacted the department for more information. Raw milk can only be sold for non-human consumption in the state though some skirt the rule and buy milk meant for pets or animal feeds for their personal use. The Department of Agriculture has banned the sale of raw milk for human consumption across state lines since 1987 and federal public health officials warn that consuming the unpasteurized milk puts people at risk of exposure to germs including Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella, and Salmonella. The risk is especially high for children, the elderly, pregnant people, and those with compromised immune systems. 'Pasteurized milk offers the same nutritional benefits without the risks of raw milk consumption,' according to the CDC. 'Since the early 1900s, pasteurization has greatly reduced milk-borne illnesses.' 'While the perceived nutritional and health benefits of raw milk consumption have not been scientifically substantiated, the health risks are clear,' the FDA notes on its website. 'Since 1987, there have been 143 reported outbreaks of illness – some involving miscarriages, still births, kidney failure and deaths – associated with consumption of raw milk and raw milk products that were contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and E. coli.' Last year, California regulators recalled batches of raw milk from a Fresno farm after bird flu was detected in samples. Despite the scientific consensus on the risks of unpasteurized milks recent years have seen raw milk take on a countercultural status and become popular among some conservatives and independents. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he only drinks raw milk, and raw milk backers within his Make American Healthy Again push were initially encouraged as Kennedy put raw milk on a wish list of foods and health-related topics he hoped to tackle in office. Since taking office, Kennedy's FDA temporarily halted a quality control program for testing milk amid Trump administration staffing cuts at the health department, but the secretary hasn't delivered the kind of changes to federal milk regulation they were hoping. Mark McAfee of Raw Farm, a California dairy that counted Kennedy as a customer, has said he was initially encourage by Kennedy and his allies to assist federal officials with changing raw milk rules, but was later rebuffed when he sought a meeting with regulators. 'That's a bait and switch and that is really quite sad,' he told the Fresno Bee last month.
