The Water Mafia

Good morning to all.  We're in for a wet weekend here as Florence gives us a glancing blow.  We're not as bad off as Jeanette (Donna's sister) who lives in Raleigh, so keep her and her family in your thoughts.  Hope everyone else is safe and dry.   

In other news, I just attended CPR/AED training this morning.  If you fall dead on the floor in front of me, I actually have a clue of what to do :)

Here's the latest health news from the Army's Public Health Center:

• the CDC recommends that everyone get a flu shot by the end of October.  However, if you're an early adopter (like I usually am), there's a new study out that says the effectiveness of the vaccine drops 16% for every 28 days after you've been vaccinated.  So, if you get the shot this weekend for example, by 1 Jan the effectiveness of your vaccine has dropped by 50%.  The authors of the study do not necessarily recommend, however, delaying your vaccination until late November.
• if you remember last week's story about African swine flu in pig populations across the globe -- but especially in China -- then you'll be interested to hear that the Chinese Communist Party is now arresting citizens on charges of "rumor-mongering" for discussing the topic.  The virus is almost 100% fatal in pigs, but reportedly harmless for humans.  Regardless -- and here's my personal agenda here -- please stop buying goods from China...they do not have our best interests at heart.
• the FDA is fighting back against a huge 75% increase in e-cigarette use among high schoolers.
• Colorado's attorney general is suing the manufacturer (Purdue Pharma) of oxycontin for their role in causing the opioid epidemic
• positive attitude and optimism can improve your health.  Regular physical activity and a balanced diets can contribute.
• Men's sperm counts across the globe are down 50% from the last 4 decades.  The only good news from study authors is that "there is a lot of redundancy built into reproduction".  Interpret that as you will...let your imagination run riot.
• Global water security -- and access to potable water -- is an increasing concern as populations soar.  In Karachi, India, enterprising crooks started siphoning off fresh water 10 years ago from government pipes that went to residents of the city's slums residents.  Now, those residents are forced to purchase from water mafias what they should be receiving for free.  They have 2 options:  fresh water for $150 a month (more than most residents make) or polluted water for $20 a month that has to be boiled.  16 million people live in Karachi.  The city's chief water engineer estimates that they can only supply a third of the city's requirement to begin with, and about a third of THAT is stolen by the water mafia.  Child mortality is high, and many suffer severe stomach pains/diarrhea, but they spend so much on the water that they can't afford medical care.
• Life expectancy in England has gone up, but not so much the quality of that life.  Average life expectancy 79.6 years for men and 83.2 for women, but they can only expect to live 63 of those years in good health.  Smoking, heart attacks and strokes are going down, but obesity, dementia, hearing and sight loss, and muscle and joint problems are going up.
• the EPA is changing its name from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Environmental Profit Agency.  EPA seeks to ease requirements on oil and gas companies to inspect their methane production facilities for leaks.  The EPA estimates that reducing inspections will save those companies almost $500M in costs, and will only cause $54M in worsened air quality and the impact on human health.  So, unless you're one of those suffering a stroke, chronic bronchitis, or premature death from the increased pollution, be cheered that that the oil companies are making tons more money for their shareholders.
• the Trump administration is also trying to eliminate workplace inspections for 39,000 workers at plants where nuclear weapons are made and stored.  Makes me sleep better at night. 
• 7 stats now have obesity rates of 35% or higher:  Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia

For lunch, I'm going for the salad today.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. 

Microbe Wars

Happy, Happy Friday

Here's the recap from the weekly APHC newsletter:

• Remember those U.S. embassy personnel in Cuba and China that have been suffering from physical ailments from unknown origins?  The doctor leading the initial examination of those folks now says microwaves were probably used to cause brain damage to 3 dozen U.S. citizens.
• There are many microbes on and in our bodies (e.g., bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, and viruses).  Scientists are experimenting with harnessing some of the bacteria to eat other dangerous, disease-causing bacteria (pathogens).  So far, they've confirmed that one type of bacteria (Bdellovibrio) will attack 145 of the 168 human pathogens tested -- eating 99.9% of pathogens like the plague and lung infections from the inside out.  And so far, the pathogens have NOT developed resistances to the attacks.  More tests are coming, such as treating infections from wounds or burns. 
• Consider for a minute that global warming might be real (despite the current administration's arguments otherwise), and now consider what might happen if the planet warms by only 2 degrees.  Researchers at the University of Washington have thought it through.  According to their models, insect populations will explode -- along with their chemically-charged metabolisms.  By 2100 or sooner, grasshoppers, caterpillars and other insects will eaten 46% of the world's wheat crops, 19% of rice, and 31% of corn.  Combine that with the world's human population almost doubling to 11.2 billion by 2100. 
• "What's In My Food This Week?"
• Salmonella (Intestinal bacteria) in the Kellogg's Honey Smacks continues to make people sick in 36 states 
• Cyclospora (intestinal parasite) in cilantro shipments from Mexico into the U.S.; good news is that inspectors have refused to allow some shipments into the country that were also contaminated (basil, parsley, sprouts, avocados, cucumbers, peppers)
• global outbreak of African Swine Fever is requiring culling of many pigs -- no other impact on humans that I can see

• lab mice who are allowed one meal a day have longer lifespans and less age-related diseases.  In interview after interview, however, the mice all said that their quality of life sucked
• "Rut Roh" news, there's increasing evidence linking daytime drowsiness and night-time poor sleeping to Alzheimer's disease. 
• I'll leave you with this:  63% of men and 49% of women report seeing their work colleagues NOT wash their hands after using the restroom.  Ewwww

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Labor Day Weekend and the LOC National Book Festival

holiday weekend...

Saturday was the 18th Library of Congress National Book Festival.  Holly and I went downtown to the Convention Center and got about a half dozen books from Brad Meltzer, Brian Kilmeade, Deborah Harkness, Annie Prouix, and Amy Tan. Wish I could have attended a presentation or two, but opted for autographs instead.  Gonna miss these when we move.  Where Annie Prouix was a disappointment (a rude prune), Deborah Harkness was a pleasant surprise.  Holly stepped up to the table with 3 copies of A Discovery of Witches -- one for Donna, Sarah, and herself.  Harkness asked her about it and then was charming in talking to Holly for a couple minutes, despite the extraordinarily long line waiting for their turn.  Where Prouix lost a fan, Harness created a new one or two.  Otherwise, I wish the LOC would weave in a few more fiction or even SciFi authors (gasp) instead of 17 authors in the "Understanding Our World" category -- I don't even understand what that means. 


Here's the rundown on weekly health news from PHC:

• a metaphorical shit-storm hit here last week when Reuters released a story on lead in Army family housing -- 1,000 children tested positive for various levels of lead poisoning.  My agency is ultimately responsible for remediation, and from what we hear the Reuters story exposed light on an issue that Army leader were not yet ready to expose to light.  So, leaders immediately decided to start testing all pre-1978 homes, which will cost ~$386M
• In the "Well Hell, I Could Have Told You That" category, scientists are saying that the U.S. is unprepared for nuclear war.  Their focus is on medical professionals being able and WILLING to go into fallout zones and treat those exposed to radiation.  Did you know that there are only 300 doctors in the U.S. that are proficient at skin grafting -- the primary treatment for burns?
• the world's population will increase by 29% by 2015.  That's 2.3 billion people added to the table competing for water and food, to total 9.9 billion.
• air pollution kills brain cells, as the Chinese are discovering now
• Patty, Chrissy and Andy:  if you have Children's Advil Suspension Bubble Gum fluid, please dispose of it.  The dosage is mislabeled.
• As much as I've "joked" about China trying to kill us all, this is no joke.  China is withholding samples of an evolving (and dangerous) mutation of the influenza virus that will likely hit the US.  Some think it's retaliation for tariffs.
• In the perennial favorite, "What's In My Food?" report: 
• E.coli infected ground beef meat in Colorado and California 
• Salmonella in kosher chicken in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York
• if you have Fido on a grain-free diet, you're causing heart disease

• a new German study says that heart healthy foods = fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, dairy products, and meat.  Yes, those last two are not what most studies have been recommending.  This report says to stay away from refined carbs and processed meats.
• 1 in every 7 U.S. adults have used marijuana in 2017
• don't go to Africa...they have the market cornered on plagues and viruses.  And don't go to India, cause leprosy is making a come-back.
• South Africa has run out of water, despite 6 months of intensive rationing.  They're building desalination plants and limiting water for agricultural use, too
• weird news:  Saudi Arabia is sprinkling a nanotech anti-microbial agent on those large carpets used by millions of worshippers at the Grand Masque in Makkah.  They're also using the nanotech on the cloth garments worn by pilgrims.
• Congratulations U.S.!  We hit a record high number of STD cases in 2016 -- more than 2 million new cases.  Would it help if we showed teenagers medical photos of what STDs look like in full raging "bloom"?

 Hope everyone has a great week!