Latest news with #healthofficials
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Unvaccinated child with measles visited Mall of America, exposing patrons, health officials warn
Officials say families could have been exposed to measles at the Mall of America because of an unvaccinated child. That unvaccinated child from Dakota County is one of two new measles cases reported in the state. The other case is an adult in Washington County who was exposed while traveling. Health officials say the child was not vaccinated and could have exposed others while at the theme park inside the Mall of America on the evening of May 24. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. "It is spread by talking and laughing and singing," explained MDH's Director of Infectious Disease Jessica Hancock-Allen. "And unfortunately, it can hang out in the air and infect others for up to two hours, even after that infectious child, in this case, leaves that airspace. Which is the reason that we're out here really warning the public." Hancock-Allen said the disease is potentially deadly, noting it can cause very high fevers. "It can be super miserable. It can cause brain swelling. Pneumonia," she said. "We had 70 cases in MInnesota in 2024. 40% of those cases ended up in the hospital and rarely, but it can cause death." Measles symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and full body rash. Measles cases are on the rise. MDH blames declining vaccination rates: in 2019, more than 92% of Minnesota kindergarteners were fully vaccinated. In 2024, that number had decreased to 87%. "Ultimately I am safe and they are safe because we are choosing to vaccinate, but it does pose a significant risk, the less people that are vaccinated for it," said Alexander Vechensky, who has two daughters. While the unvaccinated child with measles visited the Mall of America on May 24, symptoms may not exhibit themselves until May 31 through June 14. "Providing a clean safe environment is a priority to us, as we have extensive daily sanitation protocols for all rides, food services, and Mall common areas," the Mall of America said in a statement. So far this year, the U.S. has reported 1,088 cases of measles, with more than 720 in Texas alone.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Doctors issue urgent health warning as dangerous new covid variant from China triggers U.S. outbreak
A dangerous new strain of covid from China is surging in California, health officials have warned. The California Department of Public Health warned this week the highly contagious NB.1.8.1 strain has been detected in the state, making it the sixth US state to be exposed. The variant has also been detected in international travelers arriving in Washington state, Virginia, Hawaii, Rhode Island and New York City since March. Pictured above are people wearing face masks in China in 2023. The surge of Covid variant NB.1.8.1 has led some health experts in the US and abroad to suggest reinstating mask mandates Health officials said the variant was first detected in March and has been on the rise since May 1. Lab tests suggest the NB.1.8.1 strain, which was first detected in January in China, is more infectious than currently circulating variants, which has already led to a sharp rise in infections and hospital admissions. Since April NB.1.8.1 has risen from two per cent of Covid cases in California to 19 per cent, according to health department data. The warning comes as some physicians in California have called for the return of mask mandates to emulate countries like Hong Kong. The California Department of Public Health told The Sacremento Bee: 'COVID-19 continues to circulate in California and future seasonal increases in disease levels are likely.' NB.1.8.1 is not yet prevalent enough in the U.S, to be publicly tracked by the CDC. Strain LP.8.1 is currently the most dominant in the US, making up 73 percent of Covid infections. The latest vaccines target the JN.1 variant, which LP.8.1 is descended from. The California Public Health Department said: 'Currently available vaccines are expected to remain effective.' However, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has moved to remove access to the covid vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women. However, it is currently still on the CDC's children's vaccine schedule. Covid tests in California as of April 19, the latest data available, show 2.1 percent of tests came back positive, a steady rate compared to weeks prior. The rate of hospitalizations from covid during the week of April 19 in California was 1.3 per 100,000 people, a slight decrease from 1.6 per 100,000 the week before. There is usually a delay of several weeks for the most recent data, and infections can take several weeks to result in hospitalization. Nationally, positive covid test results have decreased from 2.9 per cent on May 17 to 2.7 per cent the following week. Covid-related emergency department visits have also decreased 6.5 percent during that time frame. In China, data shows the proportion of severely ill respiratory patients with covid has jumped from 3.3 to 6.3 per cent over the past month. The proportion of Chinese ER patients testing positive for covid had jumped from 7.5 to 16.2 per cent. Officials in Taiwan are also reporting a surge in covid emergency room admissions, with the number rising 78 per cent in a week over the seven days to May 3, according to the latest data available. And hospitalizations have risen to a 12-month high in Hong Kong, thought to be driven by the new variant. Symptoms of NB.1.8.1 are similar to other variants and include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Covid swabs cannot detect which variant you have.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Health
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israeli Forces Open Fire a Kilometer Away from Gaza Aid Site, Killing 3, Health Officials Say
Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip opened fire as people headed toward an aid distribution site a kilometer away at around sunrise on Monday, killing at least three people and wounding dozens, health officials and a witness said. The military said it fired warning shots at 'suspects' who approached its forces. The shooting occurred at the same location where witnesses say Israeli forces fired a day earlier on crowds of people heading toward the aid hub in southern Gaza run by the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots on Monday toward 'several suspects who advanced toward the troops and posed a threat to them,' around a kilometer (1,000 yards) away from the aid distribution site at a time when it was closed. The army denied it was preventing people from reaching the site. The United Nations and major aid groups have rejected the foundation's new system for aid distribution. They say it violates humanitarian principles and cannot meet mounting needs in the territory of roughly 2 million people, where experts have warned of famine because of an Israeli blockade that was only slightly eased last month. In a separate incident Monday, an Israeli strike on a residential building in northern Gaza killed 14 people, according to health officials. The Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals confirmed the toll from the strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp, saying five women and seven children were among those killed. The military said it had struck 'terror targets' across northern Gaza, without elaborating. Israel says it only targets fighters and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the group is entrenched in populated areas. Shooting in southern Gaza A Red Cross field hospital received 50 wounded people, including two declared dead on arrival, after the shooting in southern Gaza, according to Hisham Mhanna, a Red Cross spokesperson. He said most had gunfire and shrapnel wounds. Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis said it received a third body. Moataz al-Feirani, 21, who was being treated at Nasser Hospital, said he was shot in his leg as he walked with a crowd of thousands toward the aid distribution site. He said Israeli forces opened fire as they neared the Flag Roundabout at around 5:30 a.m. 'We had nothing, and they (military) were watching us," he said, adding that drones were filming them. On Sunday, at least 31 people were killed and over 170 wounded at the Flag Roundabout as large crowds headed toward the aid site, according to local health officials, aid groups and several eyewitnesses. The witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire on the crowds at around 3 a.m. after ordering them to disperse and come back when the distribution site opens. Israel's military on Sunday denied its forces fired at civilians near the aid site in the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah, a military zone off limits to independent media. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with procedure, said troops fired warning shots at several suspects advancing toward them overnight. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, said it had delivered aid on both days without incident. On Sunday night, the foundation issued a statement, saying aid recipients must stay on the designated route to reach the hub Monday, and that Israeli troops are positioned along the way to ensure their security. 'Leaving the road is extremely dangerous,' the statement said. 'Risking their lives for food' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was 'appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza' on Sunday. 'It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food.' 'I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable,' he said in a statement on Monday. Israel and the United States say they helped establish the new aid system to circumvent Hamas, which they accuse of siphoning off assistance. UN agencies deny there is any systemic diversion of aid and say the new system violates humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to control who receives aid and by forcing Palestinians to travel long distances to receive it. Palestinians must pass close to Israeli forces and cross military lines to reach the GHF hubs, in contrast to the UN aid network, which delivers aid to where Palestinians are located. No end in sight to war The Israel-Hamas war began when Palestinian gunmen stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas is still holding 58 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli pullout. Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned, and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. It has said it will maintain control of Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what it refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population. Palestinians and most of the international community have rejected the resettlement plans, viewing them as forcible expulsion.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
An Israeli strike on Gaza kills 14 Palestinians, mostly women and children, hospitals say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli strike on a residential building in the Gaza Strip on Monday killed 14 people, mostly women and children, according to health officials. The Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals confirmed the toll from the strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp, saying five women and seven children were among those killed. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Witnesses recount Israeli troops opening fire on crowd at Gaza aid hub
At least 31 people were killed and scores were wounded on Sunday as they were on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials and multiple witnesses. (AP Production by Wafaa Shurafa)
