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Florida Swamped by Disease Outbreaks After Bubonic Plague HITS US
America Reports First Case of Bubonic Plague - Oregon Resident Caught The Plague From Their Cat
Officials say disease, which killed millions in medieval Europe, was identified and treated early, ‘posing little risk to the community’ The Guardian 14 FEB 2024 https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/bf137...0&dpr=1&s=none A pet owner in Oregon has caught the bubonic plague from their cat in a rare example of the potentially deadly illness surfacing in the United States, local authorities have said. The plague was responsible for the Black Death in medieval Europe and elsewhere which killed millions of people and devastated the continent. In modern times it has become much rarer. Local officials said the unnamed person in rural Deschutes county, Oregon, had probably caught the plague from their pet, which was displaying symptoms of the disease. “All close contacts of the resident and their pet have been contacted and provided medication to prevent illness,” said Dr Richard Fawcett, Deschutes county health officer, in a statement. The case is the first example of the bubonic plague in Oregon since 2015. It is usually found in the area being carried by squirrels, chipmunks, mice and other rodents. Symptoms of the plague begin two to eight days after exposure to an infected animal or flea and may include fever, nausea, weakness, chills, muscle aches and visibly swollen lymph nodes called buboes, which give the plague its name. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZruDgU04mOI/maxresdefault.jpg “Fortunately, this case was identified and treated in the earlier stages of the disease, posing little risk to the community. No additional cases of plague have emerged during the communicable disease investigation,” the county said in a statement. |
Re: Florida Swamped by Disease Outbreaks After Bubonic Plague HITS US
Florida Swamped by Disease Outbreaks as Quackery Replaces Science
The state is in the grip of a measles outbreak, yet Joseph Ladapo, the surgeon general, continues to ignore medical science to stop it The Guardian 4 MAR 2024 https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/16052...0&dpr=1&s=none Ladapo, a politically appointed acolyte of DeSantis, wrote to parents telling them its fine for children to send their kids to school amid a measles outbreak The state is in the grip of a measles outbreak, yet Joseph Ladapo, the surgeon general, continues to ignore medical science to stop it Shortly before Joseph Ladapo was sworn in as Florida’s surgeon general in 2022, the New Yorker ran a short column welcoming the vaccine-skeptic doctor to his new role, and highlighting his advocacy for the use of leeches in public health. It was satire of course, a teasing of the Harvard-educated physician for his unorthodox medical views, which include a steadfast belief that life-saving Covid shots are the work of the devil, and that opening a window is the preferred treatment for the inhalation of toxic fumes from gas stoves. But now, with an entirely preventable outbreak of measles spreading across Florida, medical experts are questioning if quackery really has become official health policy in the nation’s third most-populous state. As the highly contagious disease raged in a Broward county elementary school, Ladapo, a politically appointed acolyte of Florida’s far-right governor Ron DeSantis, wrote to parents telling them it was perfectly fine for parents to continue to send in their unvaccinated children. “The surgeon general is Ron DeSantis’s lapdog, and says whatever DeSantis wants him to say,” said Dr Robert Speth, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at south Florida’s Nova Southeastern University with more than four decades of research experience. “His statements are more political than medical and that’s a horrible disservice to the citizens of Florida. He’s somebody whose job is to protect public health, and he’s doing the exact opposite.” Ladapo’s advice deferring to parents or guardians a decision about school attendance directly contradicts the official recommendation of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which calls for a 21-day period of quarantine for anybody without a history of prior infection or immunization. |
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