CDC

CDC expects outbreak of a rare disease that mainly affects children this year | Poliomyelitis

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It is an acute flaccid myelitis, similar to polio, that affects the nervous system and causes weakness and even paralysis in some extremities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from the United States reported On August 4, they expect another outbreak of a rare polio-like condition this year, which mainly affects children.

The CDC reports that they do not know what causes the disease, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), which affects the nervous system and triggers weakness and even paralysis in one or more limbs. Cases of this condition have risen every two years in the United States since 2014, affecting more Americans with each outbreak.

In 2018, 238 cases of AFM were reported to the CDC, compared to 149 cases in 2016. It is the largest outbreak since the CDC began surveillance in 2014. Most of the cases were in children, at 94 percent.

CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield warned last month that clinicians and parents should be vigilant to recognize symptoms, as they can rapidly progress to a “severe paralytic condition.”

“Patients can become paralyzed over the course of hours or days and require a respirator to help them breathe. Some patients will be permanently disabled, ”Redfield said, noting that most patients develop sudden weakness in the arms or legs.

“Timing is critical for the AFM,” he added. “Delays in the recognition and care of AFM can put patients at risk.”

Since the 2018 outbreak, the CDC has been able to better recognize the signs and symptoms of the condition and respond more quickly, it said below. Two years ago, the average age of AFM patients was 5 years old, and 58 percent were male.

“As we approach these critical months, the CDC is taking steps to help physicians better recognize the signs and symptoms of AFM in children,” he said.

Other symptoms of the condition include recent or current respiratory illness, fever, pain or numbness in the extremities, difficulty walking, headache, back or neck pain, difficulty speaking or swallowing, and weakness in the neck or face. according to the agency.

Both Redfield and Thomas Clark, deputy director of the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases, underscored the importance of seeking medical attention amid the current COVID-19 pandemic if children show possible symptoms of AFM.

“AFM is a priority for the CDC as we prepare for a possible outbreak this year,” Clark said. “We are concerned that in the midst of a COVID pandemic, cases may not be recognized as AFM, and we are concerned that parents may be concerned about taking their child to the doctor if they develop something as serious as limb weakness.” .

One phenomenon the researchers observed is that the disease is particularly prevalent between August and October, a period when many viruses generally circulate, according to the CDC.

Responding to a question about the reopening of schools and a possible outbreak of AFM this year, Redfield said he wanted to underline that the condition is “a very rare event.”

“I want to emphasize that it is a very rare event. It is a very serious event when it occurs in a family. But at the same time, it is an extremely rare event, ”he added.

“We encourage parents to follow the recommendations set forth by their schools and their local public health jurisdictions and especially to emphasize now more than ever careful hand washing, cough protocol, and disinfection of high-touch surfaces to help reduce the risk of all respiratory diseases, ”Clark added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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WHO’s Chinese Communist Subversion Undermined Pandemic Response

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Doctors juggle offering science-backed information without irritating Trump

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Washington – It is almost a daily ritual: Donald trump and a series of doctors appear in a hall of the White House to talk about coronavirus and they generate an unusual show in which specialists juggle science-backed information without irritating the president.

The result can be a bewildering scene for those trying to figure out the best way to protect themselves from the virus.

On Tuesday, for example, Dr. Deborah Birx supported Trump by commenting positively on plans to reopen businesses in Georgia, saying that hairdressers and tattoo shops could safely operate with a little “creativity” to maintain. distance.

Later, however, Birx, coordinator of the White House task force on the virus, told Trump that the reopening of Georgia was rushed. The next day, Trump questioned Georgia’s plans to resume activities, saying they were doing it “too soon.”

On Wednesday, Trump launched the briefing by inviting the doctor. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to “say a few words to clarify” previous comments in which the specialist had said that the virus would reappear in the winter and could be stronger than the current outbreak.

Redfield then tried to “clarify” his comments by saying that the reappearance of the virus coinciding with the flu season would be a problematic combination, although confirming that his previous comments had been correctly reported.

The same Wednesday, the government’s top doctor said he had been removed from office for opposing efforts to promote an anti-malaria drug that Trump said, without evidence, that it was a remedy for COVID-19.

Dr. Rick Bright “was cast aside for one reason only: because he resisted efforts to facilitate unrestricted access to a potentially dangerous drug,” his attorneys said. Trump claimed to know nothing of the subject.

Healthcare experts say medical professionals are inhibited from offering candid advice to the president and the public.

“The team doctors (from the White House) and the scientists in general who respond to the pandemic They are looking askance all the time, ”said Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert at Georgetown University. “There is a bid between politicians and health officials. It is a very unhealthy dynamic. “

In addition to offering up-to-date information on the pandemic and on the best ways to combat it, doctors are involved in Trump’s efforts to present a positive image of his handling of the pandemic.

They know perfectly well that the president has a long history in which he appoints officials by highlighting their skills and then undermining or pushing them aside. That was what happened with figures like former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former Chief of Staff John Kelly and former Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Even the popular doctor Anthony Fauci, a specialist in contagious diseases, must adapt his comments to Trump’s preferences.

This month Fauci said on CNN that more lives could have been saved if the government had intervened earlier.

That did not like Trump, who published a tweet in which he left in the air the possibility of Fauci being fired.

The next day, Fauci spoke at the White House briefing and said that perhaps “he had mispronounced.” He said that “the first and only time” that he and Birx had spoken to Trump about a quarantine nationwide, the president had “listened to the recommendations and taken steps” to contain the outbreak.

Trump generally listens to his medical experts. But he sees them as subordinates and doesn’t like to be contradicted.

At Thursday’s briefing, Brix was the only medical expert present and spoke briefly.

Trump preferred to invite William Bryan, a Department of Homeland Security official who spoke of the investigations into the impact of high temperatures and the sun on the containment of the virus, to the podium.

Birx generally tries not to contradict Trump, but Fauci seems more willing to do so, so there is often speculation that he will be fired.

Kavita Patel, a public health expert who served under the government of Barack Obama, He said that the scientists who advise a president have to be seasoned people, but that serving under the Trump administration is especially tortuous, since the president sometimes ignores the information that the experts give him and lets himself be led by his instincts.

“It is clear that he is very selective in his use of information,” said Patel.

“There seems to be a revolving door for scientists and doctors who are in an awkward position,” Patel said. “It feels like these scientists are put up against a Russian roulette wheel and, depending on luck, an individual may end up publicly facing the president.”

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De Blasio presents “war” budget and demands urgent rescue from the Government – Telemundo New York (47)

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NEW YORK – Ensuring health, safety, food and a roof for all are the priorities of the budget presented this Thursday by the city of New York, some accounts of “war” in the face of the coronavirus crisis, which come accompanied by an appeal to the American president Donald Trump to allow a “rescue” of the Big Apple.

With tax revenues slumping as a result of the slowdown in economic activity, the mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced “painful” cuts of more than $ 2 billion to try to balance the budget in the year that begins in June.

According to his calculations, New York is going to lose some 7,400 million dollars in income, a “horrible” number, according to admitted De Blasio, that requires a determined intervention of the federal Government.

The mayor urged Washington to cover this deficit in full and warned that without that money, the basic needs of New Yorkers cannot be guaranteed.

“If they can find 58,000 million to rescue the airlines, surely they can find 7,500 million for the largest city in the country,” stressed the mayor.

Democrat De Blasio appealed directly to Trump, whom he asked for a clear signal of support for his hometown for Senate Republicans to give the green light to necessary aid.

As he insisted, the city is already doing everything possible on its part, with a budget of $ 89.3 billion, $ 6 billion less than the proposal that the City Council had initially made in January, $ 3.4 billion less than last year’s accounts and using the reserves he had accumulated to have “balanced” accounts.

Among other things, the budget foresees that all public activities be drastically limited and, for example, this summer the swimming pools will not be opened.

De Blasio also warned New Yorkers not to hold out too much hope about beach opening, given the risk of contagion from the coronavirus posed by the huge crowds seen in places like Coney Island.

Public resources, he insisted, will be devoted to basic issues: health, safety, food and housing.

“These are four things that people are mostly thinking about and the government has to focus on those four things. Things that would have been a priority two or three months ago cannot be now. Things we would like to focus on in times of peace cannot be the priority in times of war and these are times of war, “said de Blasio.

The Democrat also warned Trump and Republicans that their desire to restart the economy as soon as possible will be ruined if the basic needs of the population are not met or if they precipitate and cause a resurgence of COVID-19. .

Trump, De Blasio insisted, has only one chance to do this well and, if he is wrong, he will regret it for a long time.

In addition, New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea offered a video conference on Thursday to detail how the coronavirus has affected the city’s police forces to date.

Specifically, the New York police have registered 7,155 positive cases for COVID-19 among its members, about 20% of its staff and 27 officers have died from the virus.

Shea also detailed that it is estimated that between 1,400 and 1,500 of the sick police officers have returned to work.

“You start to see a little light at the end of the tunnel and it seems that the worst is over,” said Shea, who regretted the losses and asked for a moment of silence.

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CDC warns that the United States is about to reach the peak of coronavirus infections

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Atlanta – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assure that this could be the worst week in the fight against coronavirus and that the peak of contagion could be reached to make way for the beginning of a stabilization. According to CDC spokeswoman Belsie González, “We are approaching the peak because hospitalizations are stabilizing in the most affected areas and that is an indication.” Even so, the CDC recommends that the population continue with the same precautionary measures since, according to González, “the virus is still everywhere.” “We are going to have to look at the number of new cases (in different regions). This is going to help us determine in which areas the isolation measures may be eliminated and this depends on the number of cases,” he explained. Prevention measures in the United States, for now, remain the same. These include the use of masks as a protection strategy. However, González said that according to “we are approaching a stabilization, the measures will be adjusted, but we will still have to be very careful with strong hand-washing measures, keep the distance and limit the exits.” For this spokesperson, a return to normality like the one that existed before the virus cannot be considered. “It is a new normality; perhaps we are going to have more freedom to do more things, but we are still going to have to have some sanitary measures that were not what we had before the coronavirus,” he said, González said that the country is facing a new virus and if people lower their protection levels this could raise the spike in infections. “I am very concerned that people believe this concept that when the snow is over everyone goes out to play. If people relax, they themselves could raise their beaks again,” he added. According to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, the United States has an estimated 577,300 cases of COVID-19 and around 23,000 deaths have been reported.

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Where to report non-payment of sick days and unsafe working conditions? – Telemundo New York (47)

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The new coronavirus, officially called COVID-19, spreads from person to person through droplets of saliva ejected by coughing, sneezing and talking, according to the latest CDC findings.

The virus can also be spread by contacting a contaminated surface or object and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an updated guide for workplaces and employees to avoid exposure to the virus.

This is the information from the OSHA headquarters in the tri-state area:

Region 1- Boston Regional Office

(CT *, ME *, MA, NH, RI, VT *)

JFK Federal Building

25 New Sudbury Street, Room E340

Boston, MA 02203

(617) 565-9860 (617) 565-9827 Fax

Region 2- New York Regional Office

(NJ *, NY *, PR *, VI *)

Federal Building

201 Varick Street, Room 670

New York, NY 10014

(212) 337-2378 (212) 337-2371 Fax

FILE COMPLAINTS WITHOUT WANTING TO PAY DAYS OF ILLNESS

While OSHA ensures that workplaces are safe, it is the Department of Labor and state attorneys general that enforce sick day pay.

You can file a complaint for any of the following reasons:

  • If you are forced to work in a non-essential business.
  • You work in an essential business, but do not perform essential functions.
  • Your employer requires you to report to the place of employment when your job can be done from home.
  • Your employer does not follow health and safety requirements
  • You fear because you are over 70 and / or have an underlying disease.
  • Your employer has not paid you wages due for hours worked, sick leave, or time off.
  • Your employer threatens or has already fired you for reasons related to COVID-19.
  • You meet the requirements for COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave and your employer refuses to pay it
  • His employer forces him to work while he is sick.

NEW YORK

HERE you will find the form of the State Attorney to file a complaint for non-payment of sick days or any other related work matter.

You can also call 311 or visit the website of the work Department in Spanish for more information.

NEW JERSEY

HERE you will find the guide of sick days paid in Spanish.

In this link you will find the form in Spanish for unpaid wages.

You can send it by post to

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Division of Wage and Hour Compliance

P.O. Box 389

Trenton, NJ 08625-0389

Or by fax to (609) 695-1174.

You can also submit it online HERE.

For more information in Spanish open here

CONNECTICUT

You can file a complaint in Spanish and online HERE.

HERE You will find the guide in Spanish on paid sick days.

You can also call the Wage and Workplace Standards Division at (860) 263-6790 or the Program Policy Office at (860) 263-6755.

OSHA REQUIREMENTS

Employers of workers at increased risk of contagion should follow the following preventive measures, OSHA requires:

  • Assess the hazards to which workers may be exposed.
  • Assess the risk of exposure.
  • Select, implement, and ensure workers are taking protective measures to prevent exposure, including the use of physical barriers (face masks, latex gloves, face shield, coveralls) to stop the spread of
  • Germs
  • Limiting social contact and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment are required.

OSHA requires workplaces:

  • Encourage workers to stay home if they are sick.
  • Require workers to cover themselves when coughing or sneezing.
  • Provide a place to wash hands as well as hand wipes containing
  • minus 60% alcohol.
  • Limit access to the workplace to only essential personnel, if possible.
  • Establish flexibility for the workplace (work from home) and the
  • working hours (staggered work shifts) as soon as possible.
  • Discourage workers from using phones, desks, or other
  • tools and work equipment of your colleagues.
  • Frequently clean and disinfect surfaces, equipment and other items in the work environment.
  • Using cleaning chemicals with disinfectant labels approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
  • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the use of all cleaning and disinfection products.
  • Encourage workers to voice any concerns about occupational safety and health.

FOLLOW EXISTING OSHA STANDARDS

Although there is no OSHA standard that specifically covers exposure to SARS-CoV-2, some requirements may apply to prevent exposure in the workplace. Among the most relevant are:

  • OSHA standards for respiratory protective equipment (PPE) (in general industry, 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I), which require the use of gloves, eye and face protection, and respiratory protection. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
  • When masks are necessary to protect workers or when employers require their use, employers must implement a comprehensive protection program in accordance with the respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134). MORE HERE.
  • The General Duty Clause, Section 5 (a) (1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, 29 USC 654 (a) (1), requires employers to provide every worker with “a job and workplace that is free from recognized risks that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. ” COMPLETE INFORMATION HERE.

CLASSIFYING WORKERS ‘EXPOSURE TO SARS-COV-2

Workers’ risk from occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, during an outbreak could range from very high risk to high, medium, or low (caution). The level of risk depends in part on the type of industry, the need for contact with less than 6 feet of people known or suspected to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, or the requirement for repeated or prolonged contact with people. known or suspected to be infected with SARS-CoV-2.

To help employers determine appropriate precautions, OSHA has divided job duties into four levels of risk exposure: very high, high, medium, and low.

The Occupational Risk Pyramid displays the four levels of risk exposure in the form of a pyramid to represent the likely distribution of risk. Most American workers are likely to be at low (precautionary) or medium exposure risk levels. MORE INFORMATION HERE.

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“This will be the hardest week, a moment like 9-11” – Telemundo McAllen (40)

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WASHINGTON – The US public health director warned Sunday that due to the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus, “this will be the hardest week, the saddest week, in the lives of most Americans.”

Jerome Adams added: “Next week will be our Pearl Harbor moment, it will be our September 11 moment, it will be the most difficult time for many Americans in their entire lives.”

In declarations in several television programs, he indicated: “It will happen throughout the country, and I want the whole nation to understand it.”

The number of people infected with the virus in the United States exceeds 300,000 and the death toll stands at more than 8,400. More than 4,000 of those deaths occurred in New York State.

Much of the American population has orders to stay home, and authorities assert that there are indications that the population is abiding by instructions on social distancing. However, the government also emphasizes that the worst is yet to come.

In most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that disappear in two to three weeks. In some people, especially older adults and those with underlying health conditions, it can lead to more serious illnesses, such as pneumonia, and even death. Most people recover.

Although the health authorities recommended the use of masks to prevent the spread, experts ask not to let their guard down.

Some states have refused to order citizens to stay home. Adams was asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if those states should join the rest of the country.

“90% of Americans are doing their part even in states where they were not ordered to stay home,” Adams said.

“If a state cannot do it for 30 days, then give us a week, give us what they can, so that our health system is not overwhelmed this week.”

The symptoms of coronavirus, influenza, and cold are very similar, but how do you know if you have one of these?

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New Unemployment Benefits Announced for Private Employees

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The secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH), Briseida Torres Reyes, announced the availability of new unemployment benefits in Puerto Rico that, among other things, will allow covering workers on their own account, while increasing the weekly amount eligible employees may receive for these benefits.

The head of the agency confirmed that Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced signed the agreement with the United States Department of Labor that allows activation, and all that remains is for the federal government to establish the guidelines and processes for implementing the benefits, to make them effective and available to workers.

“These new benefits will allow us to serve all the workers who require the services of the unemployment program, including independent and self-employed contractors who are not usually covered by this program, and also existing beneficiaries who were close to exhaust their benefits and that they may receive an extension to them “explained Torres Reyes about the aid included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, for its acronym in English.

Among the new unemployment-related benefits for Puerto Rico stands out an increase in the weekly amount that eligible workers could receive, which would increase for four months by $ 600 the weekly maximum for up to four months, going from the current $ 190 to a maximum of $ 790 weekly . In addition, the statute grants an additional 13 weeks extension to unemployment benefits, which is currently 26 weeks, until December 31, 2020.

Likewise, Torres Reyes stressed the importance of creating a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program that will allow the same benefits to be granted to self-employed workers who require it, and who are not eligible for the unemployment insurance program. local level.

“The program covers employees of insured employers and therefore self-employed workers are not eligible. But in the face of this emergency, and as it has happened in other situations such as hurricanes and earthquakes, the federal government has extended the benefits to independent and self-employed contractors, to help them face the lack of income from their jobs during this period, and whose benefits they will be similar to those established for the regular program while the current situation lasts, ”said the DTRH secretary.

The Unemployment Insurance program is available to any full-time or part-time employee who works for an insured employer registered with DTRH, who has been involuntarily affected by income, and who is not receiving compensation or license payments . In addition, employees who continue to provide jobs remotely, and collect their wages for them, are not eligible for unemployment.

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US CDC Admits to Misdiagnosing Coronavirus Patients

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has admitted to misdiagnosing some patients with # COVID_19, this according to a tweet from Lijian Zhao, a Chinese politician and current deputy director of the Information Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. .

According to Zhao, several people were diagnosed with the flu instead of COVID-19 during the 2019 flu season.

Given this, Zhao encouraged the authorities to get patient 0 since the COVID-19 virus has been around since September of last year.

According to CDC statisticsBetween October 2019 and February 2020, the flu affected some 34 million people, of whom an estimated 12,000 died. On the other hand, the coronavirus has infected more than 300,000 and a total of 14,611 people have died. The World Health Organization (WHO) It has identified more than 150 with cases of coronavirus.

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CDC reports 15,268 coronavirus cases, 201 deaths

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(Reuters) – U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 15,268 coronavirus cases on Friday, an increase of 4,777 cases from the previous tally and said the death toll increased from 51 to 201.

The CDC reported the count of respiratory disease cases, COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, starting at 4:00 pm. ET on March 19th, compared to the previous day’s count. (Bit.ly/2IVY1JT)

Coronavirus cases have been reported in all 50 states, the district of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands.

The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect the cases reported by individual states.

Reporting of Saumya Sibi Joseph in Bangalore; Curated by Shinjini Ganguli

Our standards:Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.

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CDC reports 10,491 coronavirus cases, 150 deaths

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Healthcare workers are visited at a new coronavirus drive-thru test center (COVID-19) in the Staten Island district of New York City, New York, United States, March 19, 2020. REUTERS / Mike Segar

(Reuters) – U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 10,491 coronavirus cases on Thursday, an increase of 3,404 over the previous tally, and said the death toll increased by 53-150. , the biggest day jump so far.

President Donald Trump urged health regulators earlier in the day to accelerate potential therapies to treat COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, saying it could lead to a breakthrough while a vaccine is still in development.

Trump stressed efforts towards Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD.O) experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir and generic hydroxychloroquine.

The CDC reported the COVID-19 case count at 16:00. ET on March 18th, compared to the previous day’s count. (Bit.ly/2IVY1JT)

Coronavirus cases have been reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect the cases reported by individual states.

Reporting of Vishwadha Chander in Bangalore; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Sriraj Kalluvila

Our standards:Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.

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