The Himalayas Are Melting

8 Feb 2019

Good morning.  The weekend is just about here!

The Army newsletter arrived early yesterday, signaling to me that it probably was bursting with bad news.  I wasn't wrong.  Even skipping the many stories about Africa's miseries, there's a huge freak show going on out there.

• "If 10 people without immunity walk into a room with someone with measles, 9 would get infected."  Washington state has declared a public health emergency as "exquisitely contagious" measles spread to 35 cases (mostly children).  In Oregon, 7.5% of kindergarteners in 2018 did not have vaccinations.  Atlanta has 3 cases, Texas has 1 -- even Finland has a case. 
• the temperature is rising in the Himalayas.  Glaciers there provide water to 1/4th of the world's population, but they are melting whether or not one believes in global warming.  By 2100, between 1/3 to 2/3 of the glaciers will be gone.  People that rely on glacier melt for water will go elsewhere, creating chaotic global displacement.  Most experts believe that the collective "we" have already waited too long to slow, halt or reverse the process -- no significant change is now possible.  Global temperature will rise almost 3 degrees Fahrenheit by 2040.
  
• Stroke is the #1 cause of long-term adult disability and the 5th leading cause of death in the U.S.  Learn to spot it in yourself andothers:  numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech; trouble seeing in one or both eyes; trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; and severe headache with no known cause 
• The Prez says he's taking on prescription drug prices...welcome news to all Americans (except those who work for pharmaceutical companies).  We heard this morning that Johnson & Johnson was going to voluntarily start listing the prices of drugs on TV commercials, to include common out-of-pocket costs depending on your insurer.
• You're working in the yard when you take a tumble and feel something snap in your ankle.  You can't get back up, but your shoes send out a distress call to 911.  You're vacuuming the house and feel a sharp chest pain.  Your shoes call 911 before you can sit down.  Yes, smart shoes are a "thing" and may be coming soon.
• Deer suffering from a deadly brain disease (Chronic Wasting Disease) have found their way to Tennessee.  CWD is cousin to mad cow disease, scraple in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob in humans.  All of these turn the host's brains into holey sponges -- and they are always fatal...always.  No evidence yet that CWD can infect humans, but we may find out soon enough since it's now found in 25 states. 
• What's In Your Food This Week: 
• Listeria in NY raw milk -- who the hell still drinks unpasteurized milk, anyway? 
• Q's "American Best" fish is recalled -- wasn't inspected on its way into the USA from Vietnam 
• Arsenic and lead in your fruit juices (thanks to our Pulaski reporter)

Wishing you all a great weekend!

Joe

Army Public Health Weekly Update:  https://phc.amedd.army.mil/Periodical%20Library/APHWeeklyUpdate08February2019.pdf

The Plague in LA

Posted on 4 Feb 2019
Welcome to Monday. For many of us, we've finally emerged from the ice age.
Starting the recap of last week's health news with reports from our reporter in Pulaski, who is monitoring the situation in Africa (from a distance, of course) while also avoiding chicken nuggets.

• the Ebola outbreak in the Congo (almost 500 deaths) is gathering steam and heading to the border        
• Typhus, a 'medieval' disease historically spread by rats in garbage, has hit home in Los Angeles 

 

• the measles outbreak in the Pacific northwest is officially a public health crisis thanks to vaccine "deniers".  Take a sec and read about the mom who asked for advice on Facebook on how to protect her unvaccinated 3-year old.  Warning:  she gets the sarcastic responses she deserves.
• Israeli scientists report they are within a year of curing cancer.  Not to cast aspersions, but this comes from Fox News, so try not to get too excited.  The scientists call their treatment, “MuTaTo”, which is oddly disconcerting if you’ve ever heard the "Hakuna matata" song from The Lion King.
• What's In My Food This Week?: 
• Perdue and Tysons are giving you more for your money with your chicken nuggets…more rubber and more wood.

• most people on this planet suffer from obesity, undernutrition, and climate change. The Lancet calls this “syndemic” (effectàcauseàeffectàcauseàeffectàcause). Climate change causes severe droughts, which in turn causes scarcity of fruits and vegetables through higher prices, making people buy lower priced processed foods, leading to a lack of nutrition.
• for those of you who work with doctors, you’ll want to read the story about how the medical profession needs to recalculate work/life balance if they want to keep talent instead of burning them out
• are you an early riser or a night owl?  A newstudy concludes that your genes may be controlling which one you are.  Good news is that sleep quality doesn’t change for either, nor does the risk of obesity and diabetes.  Night owls do, however, have higher rates of depression and anxiety. 

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Joe

 Army Public Health Weekly Update:  https://phc.amedd.army.mil/Periodical%20Library/APHWeeklyUpdate01Febuary2019.pdf   

Lead in School Water Fountains

Posted 25 Jan 2019:  Good morning, and please extend a hearty welcome to Friday.

Just a few notes from this week's issue, but please DO see the first entry if nothing else.

• Millions of U.S. children are drinking lead in their water from school fountains.  According to Harvard researchers, 40% of all U.S. schools have higher-than-recommended lead levels in their tap water.  Most schools are not even testing for lead.  Remember Flint, Michigan?  You may want to talk to the school or contact the EPA and request a water test:  https://www.epa.gov/waterlabnetwork
• Update on consumer inspections in the U.S. -- the Food and Drug Administration inspection program has 200 food investigators on the job, but 350 are furloughed.   Meanwhile, the USDA says that most of their 10,000 inspectors are still working (with no pay) to monitor U.S. meat and poultry products.  I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, right?  I mean, right?
• Our ace cub reporter from Pulaski continues to monitor the Ebola crisis in the Republic of Congo, which continues to worsen despite the 400 World Health Organization personnel on the ground.  There is hope, though, that a vaccine currently being tested looks promising.  Take a look at the "cases" and "confirmed death" graphs here. 
• An Iraqi scientist helped make WWI-type mustard gas for the Islamic State back when they had their caliphate.  He's on death row now, but the issue raises questions about whether all of the poisonous gas was found and destroyed, or if some of it slipped out of the country and is buried in caches in Syria...just waiting to be used.
• The Toilet Board Coalition is watching you.  Actually, they're watching your bowels.  Get ready for 'smart toilets' that will be monitoring your health by detecting abnormalities in your waste.  They will be able to spot diseases, diabetes, bladder and prostate problems.  I just hope they're not using a camera.

Have a great week out there...it's about to get cold again.

Army Public Health Weekly Update:  https://phc.amedd.army.mil/Periodical%20Library/APHWeeklyUpdate25January2019.pdf