Medical Library: Immune System

Medical Library: Immune System

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Wikipedia: Epidemia de coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

https://ro.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemia_de_coronavirus_%282019-nCoV%29

Epidemia de coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Acest articol sau secțiune este de actualitate.
Informațiile se pot schimba rapid odată cu desfășurarea evenimentelor.Epidemia de coronavirus (COVID-19)BoalaCOVID-19Tulpina de virusCoronavirusul sindromului respirator acut sever 2(SARS-CoV-2)Primul caz1 decembrie 2019OrigineWuhan, Hubei, Republica Populară ChinezăMorți2.801Cazuri confirmate82.187Modifică date / text

Focar

Harta focarului de coronvirus Wuhan 2019-2020, cu număr de cazuri în China, Hong Kong, Macau și Taiwan.

 Suspectate

 Confirmate: 1–9

 Confirmate: 10–99

 Confirmate: 100–999

 Confirmate: ≥1000

Harta focarului de coronvirus Wuhan 2019-2020 (începând cu 24 ianuarie 2020):

 Țara de origine de unde a provenit coronavirusul (China)

 Cazuri confirmate

 Cazuri suspecte raportate pe țară

Epidemia de coronavirus 2019-nCoV, cunoscut și sub denumirea de coronavirus Wuhan, focar de pneumonie chineză sau pneumonie Wuhan (chineză simplificată: 武汉肺炎; chineză tradițională: 武漢肺炎; pinyin: Wǔhàn fèiyán) a început pe 12 decembrie 2019 în centrul orașului Wuhan, China, atunci când a apărut un grup de persoane cu pneumonie de cauză necunoscută, a fost legat în principal de proprietarii de tarabe care lucrau la piața de pește Huanan, care vindeau și animale vii. Ulterior, oamenii de știință chinezi au izolat un nou coronavirus, denumit 2019-nCoV, care s-a dovedit a fi cel puțin 70% similar în secvența genelor SARS-CoV.[1][2] Coronavirusul 2019-nCoV a fost identificat în Wuhan, provincia Hubei, China, după ce oamenii au dezvoltat pneumonie fără să aibă o cauză clară și pentru care vaccinurile sau tratamentele existente nu au fost eficiente. Virusul prezintă dovezi de transmitere de la persoană la persoană, iar rata de transmitere (rata infecției)[3] pare să fi escaladat la jumătatea lunii ianuarie, aceasta reieșind și din alte cazuri decât cele pe care China le-a raportat până acum.[4] Primul caz de coronavirus din România a fost confirmat pe 26 februarie 2020 la un bărbat din județul Gorj.[5]

Perioada de incubație (perioada de la expunere până la apariția simptomelor) este de aproximativ două săptămâni, simptomele includ febră, tuse și dificultăți de respirație și ea poate fi fatală.[6]

Pe 20 ianuarie 2020, premierul chinez Li Keqiang a cerut eforturi decisive și eficiente pentru prevenirea și controlul epidemiei de pneumonie cauzată de un nou coronavirus.[7] Începând cu 24 ianuarie 2020, au avut loc 26 decese, toate în China și există dovezi că se transmite de la om la om. Testele ample au evidențiat peste 2120 de cazuri confirmate, dintre care unii sunt angajați în asistență medicală.[8] De asemenea, au fost semnalate cazuri confirmate în Thailanda, Coreea de Sud, Japonia, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong și Statele Unite.

La 23 ianuarie 2020, OMS a decis să nu declare o urgență internațională pentru sănătate.[9] OMS avertizase anterior că este posibil un focar mai larg,[10] există temeri de transmitere ulterioară în timpul sezonului maxim al Anului Nou Chinezesc.[11][12] Creșterea bruscă a focarelor de boală a ridicat întrebări cu privire la traficul de animale sălbatice, răspândirea virusului și incertitudinile legate de virus, indiferent dacă virusul a circulat mai devreme decât se credea anterior, originea și probabilitatea de a fi super-virale, adică un eveniment de răspândire majoră.[13][12][14]

Primele cazuri suspectate au fost raportate la 31 decembrie 2019,[15]primele cazuri de boală simptomatică apărând cu puțin peste trei săptămâni mai devreme la 8 decembrie 2019.[16] Piața a fost închisă la 1 ianuarie 2020 și persoanele care au prezentat semne și simptome ale infecției cu coronavirus erau izolate. Peste 9930 de persoane, care au intrat în contact strâns cu persoane posibil infectate, au fost inițial monitorizate. După dezvoltarea unui test de reacție de polimerizare în lanț de diagnostic specific pentru detectarea infecției, prezența 2019-nCoV a fost confirmată ulterior la 41 de persoane în clusterul din Wuhan,[17] dintre care două au fost ulterior raportate ca fiind un cuplu căsătorit, dintre care unul nu fusese prezenți pe piață și alți trei membri ai aceleiași familii care lucrau la standurile de fructe de mare ale pieței.[18][19] Prima moarte confirmată din cauza infecției cu coronavirus a avut loc la 9 ianuarie 2020.[20]

La 23 ianuarie 2020, centrul Wuhan a fost plasat în carantină, în care au fost suspendate toate mijloacele de transport în comun și din Wuhan. Orașele din apropiere Huanggang, Ezhou, Chibi, Jingzhou și Zhejiang au fost de asemenea plasate în carantină începând cu 24 ianuarie 2020.[21][22]

Context

Epidemiologie

Identificare

Cauze

Diagnostic

Prevenirea

Igiena respiratorie

Cercetări privind vaccinul și terapia

Gestionarea

În cultura populară

Referințe

ANTIBIOTIC: MECHANISM OR ACTION

ANTIBIOTIC: MECHANISM OR ACTION

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Watch “Coronavirus Outbreak in China 10 Times Worse Than Reported?” on YouTube

WHO: CORONAVIRUS-2019

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Watch “Coronavirus Epidemic Underestimated? – Zooming In” on YouTube

MEDICAL Library: Immune System Cells and Their Function

MEDICAL Library: Immune System Cells and Their Function

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You’re gonna love it: List of nuclear whistleblowers

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L

List of nuclear whistleblowers

Wikimedia list article

---

There have been a number of nuclear whistleblowers, often nuclear engineers, who have identified safety concerns about nuclear power and nuclear weapons production. In 1976 Gregory Minor, Richard Hubbard and Dale Bridenbaugh “blew the whistle” on safety problems at nuclear power plants in the United States, and Fukushima in Japan. George Galatis was a senior nuclear engineer who reported safety problems at the Millstone 1 Nuclear Power Plant, relating to reactor refueling procedures, in 1996. Other nuclear power whistleblowers include Arnold Gundersen and David Lochbaum.

2000 candles in memory of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, at a commemoration 25 years after the nuclear accident, as well as for the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011.

Karen Silkwood

Main article: Karen Silkwood

The first prominent nuclear whistleblower was Karen Silkwood, who worked as a chemical technician at a Kerr-McGee nuclear fuel plant. Silkwood became an activist in the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union in order to protest health and safety issues. In 1974, she testified to the United States Atomic Energy Commission about her concerns. A few months later she died in a car crash under mysterious conditions on the way to a meeting with a New York Times reporter and a national union leader. The 1983 film Silkwood is an account of this story.

The “GE Three”

Main article: GE Three

On 2 February 1976, Gregory C. Minor, Richard B. Hubbard, and Dale G. Bridenbaugh (known as the GE Three) “blew the whistle” on safety problems at nuclear power plants, and their action has been called “an exemplary instance of whistleblowing“.

The three engineers gained the attention of journalists and their disclosures about the threats of nuclear power had a significant impact. They timed their statements to coincide with their resignations from responsible positions in General Electric‘s nuclear energy division, and later established themselves as consultants on the nuclear power industry for state governments, federal agencies, and overseas governments. The consulting firm they formed, MHB Technical Associates, was technical advisor for the movie, “The China Syndrome.” The three engineers participated in Congressional hearings which their disclosures precipitated.

Browns Ferry Unit 1 under construction

Browns Ferry nuclear power plant construction began in 1966. It was located in Alabama and in 1967 it earned a federal construction permit. The plant received new design standards which call for “physical separation of electrical cables.” There was an issue with the instructions on how to accomplish this so the AEC inspector F.U. Bower requested that the AEC elaborate; however, there was no response from the organization and installation went on. Still, no instructions were issued after five failed inspections in 1970. The lack of cable separation instructions led to the sacrifice of safety coolant systems in two of the units in order to improve one with severe safety violation. The ignorance of the AEC led to the fire that occurred on 22 March 1975, that almost led to a radiation leak. The substance separating the wires caught fire when tests to find air leaks with a candle ignited it thus resulting in damage to the control systems. With damage to the control systems, the cooling system that keeps the units from leaking radiation did not work properly. Somehow the situation was avoided and the units were put out of service. Throughout the occurrence of these events Bridenbaugh had been discussing his reservations on the safety at the plant in vain and in 1976 a year later Bridenbaugh, Hubbard and Minor resigned.

Crystal River 3 and Lou Putney

Main article: Crystal River 3 Nuclear Power Plant

Lou Putney came on the scene of the Crystal River 3 plant after receiving a call from a plant engineer. The engineer claimed that the managers hired engineers based on “good ol’ boy mentality.” The plant had experience numerous shut downs since 1978. Along with this concern, the engineer was not confident that the manager possessed the qualifications to be a manager. Although the engineer pursued nothing further with his complaint, it prompted Putney to purchase shares of stock in the company that would allow him to file “shareholder resolutions.” Putney had looked into the nuclear reactors that were built of an unsafe material for emergency cooling procedures. The NRC had placed Crystal River on the top 14 worst reactors list because of this. So, the shares were purchased in 1981, which is when Putney filed his first shareholder resolution requesting the plant be shut down. This tradition was upheld by Putney for seven years until he was required to purchase more stock in order to continue filing resolutions. Over the course of sixteen years, Putney filed a total of fourteen shareholder resolutions. All of these resolutions were ignored and were met with offers to buy out his shares so he could no longer file the resolutions. The plant was officially decommissioned in September 2009.

Ronald Goldstein

Ronald J. Goldstein was a supervisor employed by EBASCO, which was a major contractor for the construction of the South Texas plants. In the summer of 1985, Goldstein identified safety problems to SAFETEAM, an internal compliance program established by EBASCO and Houston Lighting, including noncompliance with safety procedures, the failure to issue safety compliance reports, and quality control violations affecting the safety of the plant.

SAFETEAM was promoted as an independent safe haven for employees to voice their safety concerns. The two companies did not inform their employees that they did not believe complaints reported to SAFETEAM had any legal protection. After he filed his report to SAFETEAM, Goldstein was fired. Subsequently, Golstein filed suit under federal nuclear whistleblower statutes.

The U.S. Department of Labor ruled that his submissions to SAFETEAM were protected and his dismissal was invalid, a finding upheld by Labor Secretary Lynn Martin. The ruling was appealed and overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that private programs offered no protection to whistleblowers. After Goldstein lost his case, Congress amended the federal nuclear whistleblower law to provide protection reports made to internal systems and prevent retaliation against whistleblowers.

Fernald Nuclear Incidents

Aerial view of Fernald Feed Materials Production Center

Uranium components fabricated at Fernald

Main article: Fernald Feed Materials Production Center

The Fernald Feed Materials Production Center was built in Crosby Township, Ohio in 1951, and decommissioned in 1989. Fernald processed uranium trioxide and uranium tetrafluoride, among other radioactive materials, to produce the uranium fuel cores for nuclear weapons. It was shrouded in suspicion with many manager changes and the people of the town ill-informed of the purpose of the plant. The Fernald Feed Materials Production Center also conducted an evaluation of how much material was contaminated by Radium. Using 138 pieces of the CR-39 film assays, they were able to determine that people working in the area where K-65 silos ( Underground chamber used to store missiles) had lower levels of exposure of materials contaminated by Radon than the Q-11 silos between the period of 1952-1988 Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.Throughout 1951-1995 the plant had numerous scandals including faking numbers for contamination and disregarding evidence of ground water pollution. Among the citizens affected by the pollution was Mrs. Lisa Crawford who took action. Crawford and other residents filed a lawsuit in 1985 and became president of the organization FRESH (Fernald Residents for Environmental Safety and Health). A lawsuit was then filed once again against Fernald by former employees several years later in 1990. After several years of being heavily advised not to blow the whistle, the workers earned themselves a $15 million settlement and lifelong medical monitoring. In 1992, FERMCO was hired to construct a cleanup plan for the plant and in 1996, around accusations of wasteful spending, the cleanup of ground water and soil was completed.

Mordechai Vanunu

Mordechai Vanunu 2009

Main article: Mordechai Vanunu

Mordechai Vanunu blew the whistle on the nuclear plant in Dimona, Israel in an interview with The Sunday Times that was published on 5 October 1986. According to Vanunu, this plant had been producing nuclear weapons for 10 to 20 years. It is estimated that there may be around 200 nuclear weapons in possession of Israel’s nuclear weapons program. Vanunu demonstrated his knowledge to Frank Barnaby and John Steinbach and they confirmed the credibility of his story. Frank Barnaby wrote in his Declaration of Frank Barnaby in the Matter of Mordechai Vanunu that Vanunu had the bare minimum knowledge of nuclear physics that a technician should have and accurately described the makeup of the nuclear plant in Dimona. Having served in full his 18 years prison term, ruled in closed door trial, including 11 years in solitary Vanunu has been further in and out of jail after. In 2007, sentenced to six months for violating terms of his parole, and in May 2010, again to three months for having met foreigners in violation of his release terms from jail.

Vanunu is ethnic Mizrahi Jew, born in Marrakesh Morocco, having emigrated to Israel, following its independence in 1948, like did many of the North African Jewish community did. Amnesty International issued a press release on 2 July 2007, stating that “The organisation considers Mordechai Vanunu to be a prisoner of conscience and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.”[6] Vanunu has been characterized internationally as a whistleblower[7][8] and by Israel as a traitor. Despite the whistle blown towards the operation of the nuclear weapons program in Israel, the Israeli government denied the existence of all allegations.Mordechai Vanunu is known as Israel`s Nuclear Whistleblower.

Arnold Gundersen

Main article: Arnold Gundersen

In 1990 Arnold Gundersen discovered radioactive material in an accounting safe at Nuclear Energy Services in Danbury, Connecticut, the consulting firm where he held a $120,000-a-year job as senior vice-president. Three weeks after he notified the company president of what he believed to be radiation safety violations, Gundersen was fired. According to The New York Times, for three years, Gundersen “was awakened by harassing phone calls in the middle of the night” and he “became concerned about his family’s safety”. Gundersen believes he was blacklisted, harassed and fired for doing what he thought was right.

The New York Times reports that Gundersen’s case is not uncommon, especially in the nuclear industry. Even though nuclear workers are encouraged to report potential safety hazards, those who do risk demotion and dismissal. Instead of correcting the problems, whistleblowers say, industry management and government agencies attack them as the cause of the problem. Driven out of their jobs and shunned by neighbors and co-workers, whistleblowers often turn to each other for support.

The Whistleblower Support Fund is an organization that has compiled resources for whistleblowers to access if they are considering whistleblowing. It was founded by Donald Ray Soeken, who has counseled whistleblowers for 35 years. In addition, a social network to connect whistleblowers to other whistleblowers will be implemented. It will be a private discussion where whistleblowers can safely seek support.

David Lochbaum

Main article: David Lochbaum

In the early 1990s, nuclear engineer David Lochbaum and a colleague, Don Prevatte, identified a safety problem in a plant where they were working, but were ignored when they raised the issue with the plant manager, the utility and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). After bringing their concerns to Congress, the problem was corrected not just at the original nuclear plant but at plants across the country.

Gerald W. Brown

Main article: Gerald W. Brown

Gerald W. Brown

Gerald W. Brown was the whistleblower on the Thermo-Lag scandal, as well as on silicone foam firestop issues in the US and Canada, exposing the fact that fireproofing of wiring between control rooms and reactors did not function as intended and exposing bounding and combustibility issues with organic firestops.

George Galatis

Main article: George Galatis

George Galatis was a senior nuclear engineer and whistleblower who reported safety problems at the Millstone 1 Nuclear Power Plant, relating to reactor refueling procedures, in 1996. The unsafe procedures meant that spent fuel rod pools at Unit 1 had the potential to boil, possibly releasing radioactive steam throughout the plant. Galatis eventually took his concerns to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to find that they had “known about the unsafe procedures for years”. As a result of going to the NRC, Galatis experienced “subtle forms of harassment, retaliation, and intimidation”.

Rainer Moormann

Rainer Moormann in 2004

Rainer Moormann is a German chemist and nuclear power whistleblower. Since 1976 he has been working at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, doing research on safety problems with pebble bed reactors, fusion power and spallation neutron sources. In 2008 Moormann published a critical paper on the safety of pebble bed reactors, which raised attention among specialists in the field, and managed to distribute it via the media, facing considerable opposition. For doing this despite the occupational disadvantages he had to accept as a consequence, Moormann was awarded the whistleblower award of the Federation of German Scientists (VDW) and of the German section of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA).

Setsuo Fujiwara

Setsuo Fujiwara, who used to design reactors, said he clashed with supervisors over an inspection audit he conducted in March 2009 at the Tomari nuclear plant in Japan. Fujiwara refused to approve a routine test by the plant’s operator, Hokkaido Electric Power, saying the test was flawed. A week later, he was summoned by his supervisor, who ordered him to correct his written report to indicate that the test had been done properly. After Fujiwara refused, his employment contract was not renewed. “They told me my job was just to approve reactors, not to raise doubts about them”, said Fujiwara, 62, who is now suing the nuclear safety organization to get rehired. In a written response to questions from The New York Times, the agency said it could not comment while the court case was under way. Along with the lawsuit Mr. Fujiwara filed against the agency he used to work for, he had gone to the Tokyo District Court to further write several complaints about how the JNES ( Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization) failed to follow the UN laws concerning how to properly inspect nuclear energy reactors. Mr. Fujiwara also submitted several documents and emails that dealt with how the reactor inspections were improperly handled by JNES even though JNES denies all allegations. [42]

Walter Tamosaitis

The Hanford site resulted in a number of whistleblowers during the efforts to clean the site up. Walter Tamosaitis blew the whistle on the Energy Department’s plan for waste treatment at the Hanford site in 2011. Tamosaitis’s concern was the possibility of explosive hydrogen gas being built up inside tanks that the company was to store the harmful chemical sludge they were trying to put into hibernation for its chemical life. Shortly after this Tamosaitis was demoted and two years later, fired which triggered his lawsuit for wrongful termination. A $4.1 million settlement was offered to Tamosaitis from AECOM on 12 August 2015. Tamosaitis has since been reinstated.

Donna Busche blew the whistle resulting in her 2013 lawsuit with claims that the URS “retaliated against her. She was head of nuclear safety and a URS employee around the time when she expressed her concerns.

Gary Brunson reported 34 safety and engineering violations after quitting in 2012. Brunson was federal engineering chief before he quit.

Shelly Doss earned “$20,000 in emotional distress and $10,000 in callous disregard of her rights” as well as reinstatement in 2014. Doss was an environmental specialist at the time of her firing in 2011 working for Washington River Protection Solutions.

Larry Criscione and Richard H. Perkins

In 2012, Larry Criscione and Richard H. Perkins publicly accused the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission of downplaying flood risks for nuclear plants which are sited on waterways downstream from large reservoirs and dams. They are engineers with over 20 years of combined government and military service who work for the NRC. Other nuclear safety advocates have supported their complaints.

ist of nuclear whistleblowers

Wikimedia list article

---

There have been a number of nuclear whistleblowers, often nuclear engineers, who have identified safety concerns about nuclear power and nuclear weapons production. In 1976 Gregory Minor, Richard Hubbard and Dale Bridenbaugh “blew the whistle” on safety problems at nuclear power plants in the United States, and Fukushima in Japan. George Galatis was a senior nuclear engineer who reported safety problems at the Millstone 1 Nuclear Power Plant, relating to reactor refueling procedures, in 1996. Other nuclear power whistleblowers include Arnold Gundersen and David Lochbaum.

2000 candles in memory of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, at a commemoration 25 years after the nuclear accident, as well as for the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011.

Karen Silkwood

Main article: Karen Silkwood

The first prominent nuclear whistleblower was Karen Silkwood, who worked as a chemical technician at a Kerr-McGee nuclear fuel plant. Silkwood became an activist in the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union in order to protest health and safety issues. In 1974, she testified to the United States Atomic Energy Commission about her concerns. A few months later she died in a car crash under mysterious conditions on the way to a meeting with a New York Times reporter and a national union leader. The 1983 film Silkwood is an account of this story.

The “GE Three”

Main article: GE Three

On 2 February 1976, Gregory C. Minor, Richard B. Hubbard, and Dale G. Bridenbaugh (known as the GE Three) “blew the whistle” on safety problems at nuclear power plants, and their action has been called “an exemplary instance of whistleblowing“.

The three engineers gained the attention of journalists and their disclosures about the threats of nuclear power had a significant impact. They timed their statements to coincide with their resignations from responsible positions in General Electric‘s nuclear energy division, and later established themselves as consultants on the nuclear power industry for state governments, federal agencies, and overseas governments. The consulting firm they formed, MHB Technical Associates, was technical advisor for the movie, “The China Syndrome.” The three engineers participated in Congressional hearings which their disclosures precipitated.

Browns Ferry Unit 1 under construction

Browns Ferry nuclear power plant construction began in 1966. It was located in Alabama and in 1967 it earned a federal construction permit. The plant received new design standards which call for “physical separation of electrical cables.” There was an issue with the instructions on how to accomplish this so the AEC inspector F.U. Bower requested that the AEC elaborate; however, there was no response from the organization and installation went on. Still, no instructions were issued after five failed inspections in 1970. The lack of cable separation instructions led to the sacrifice of safety coolant systems in two of the units in order to improve one with severe safety violation. The ignorance of the AEC led to the fire that occurred on 22 March 1975, that almost led to a radiation leak. The substance separating the wires caught fire when tests to find air leaks with a candle ignited it thus resulting in damage to the control systems. With damage to the control systems, the cooling system that keeps the units from leaking radiation did not work properly. Somehow the situation was avoided and the units were put out of service. Throughout the occurrence of these events Bridenbaugh had been discussing his reservations on the safety at the plant in vain and in 1976 a year later Bridenbaugh, Hubbard and Minor resigned.

Crystal River 3 and Lou Putney

Main article: Crystal River 3 Nuclear Power Plant

Lou Putney came on the scene of the Crystal River 3 plant after receiving a call from a plant engineer. The engineer claimed that the managers hired engineers based on “good ol’ boy mentality.” The plant had experience numerous shut downs since 1978. Along with this concern, the engineer was not confident that the manager possessed the qualifications to be a manager. Although the engineer pursued nothing further with his complaint, it prompted Putney to purchase shares of stock in the company that would allow him to file “shareholder resolutions.” Putney had looked into the nuclear reactors that were built of an unsafe material for emergency cooling procedures. The NRC had placed Crystal River on the top 14 worst reactors list because of this. So, the shares were purchased in 1981, which is when Putney filed his first shareholder resolution requesting the plant be shut down. This tradition was upheld by Putney for seven years until he was required to purchase more stock in order to continue filing resolutions. Over the course of sixteen years, Putney filed a total of fourteen shareholder resolutions. All of these resolutions were ignored and were met with offers to buy out his shares so he could no longer file the resolutions. The plant was officially decommissioned in September 2009.

Ronald Goldstein

Ronald J. Goldstein was a supervisor employed by EBASCO, which was a major contractor for the construction of the South Texas plants. In the summer of 1985, Goldstein identified safety problems to SAFETEAM, an internal compliance program established by EBASCO and Houston Lighting, including noncompliance with safety procedures, the failure to issue safety compliance reports, and quality control violations affecting the safety of the plant.

SAFETEAM was promoted as an independent safe haven for employees to voice their safety concerns. The two companies did not inform their employees that they did not believe complaints reported to SAFETEAM had any legal protection. After he filed his report to SAFETEAM, Goldstein was fired. Subsequently, Golstein filed suit under federal nuclear whistleblower statutes.

The U.S. Department of Labor ruled that his submissions to SAFETEAM were protected and his dismissal was invalid, a finding upheld by Labor Secretary Lynn Martin. The ruling was appealed and overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that private programs offered no protection to whistleblowers. After Goldstein lost his case, Congress amended the federal nuclear whistleblower law to provide protection reports made to internal systems and prevent retaliation against whistleblowers.

Fernald Nuclear Incidents

Aerial view of Fernald Feed Materials Production Center

Uranium components fabricated at Fernald

Main article: Fernald Feed Materials Production Center

The Fernald Feed Materials Production Center was built in Crosby Township, Ohio in 1951, and decommissioned in 1989. Fernald processed uranium trioxide and uranium tetrafluoride, among other radioactive materials, to produce the uranium fuel cores for nuclear weapons. It was shrouded in suspicion with many manager changes and the people of the town ill-informed of the purpose of the plant. The Fernald Feed Materials Production Center also conducted an evaluation of how much material was contaminated by Radium. Using 138 pieces of the CR-39 film assays, they were able to determine that people working in the area where K-65 silos ( Underground chamber used to store missiles) had lower levels of exposure of materials contaminated by Radon than the Q-11 silos between the period of 1952-1988 Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.Throughout 1951-1995 the plant had numerous scandals including faking numbers for contamination and disregarding evidence of ground water pollution. Among the citizens affected by the pollution was Mrs. Lisa Crawford who took action. Crawford and other residents filed a lawsuit in 1985 and became president of the organization FRESH (Fernald Residents for Environmental Safety and Health). A lawsuit was then filed once again against Fernald by former employees several years later in 1990. After several years of being heavily advised not to blow the whistle, the workers earned themselves a $15 million settlement and lifelong medical monitoring. In 1992, FERMCO was hired to construct a cleanup plan for the plant and in 1996, around accusations of wasteful spending, the cleanup of ground water and soil was completed.

Mordechai Vanunu

Mordechai Vanunu 2009

Main article: Mordechai Vanunu

Mordechai Vanunu blew the whistle on the nuclear plant in Dimona, Israel in an interview with The Sunday Times that was published on 5 October 1986. According to Vanunu, this plant had been producing nuclear weapons for 10 to 20 years. It is estimated that there may be around 200 nuclear weapons in possession of Israel’s nuclear weapons program. Vanunu demonstrated his knowledge to Frank Barnaby and John Steinbach and they confirmed the credibility of his story. Frank Barnaby wrote in his Declaration of Frank Barnaby in the Matter of Mordechai Vanunu that Vanunu had the bare minimum knowledge of nuclear physics that a technician should have and accurately described the makeup of the nuclear plant in Dimona. Having served in full his 18 years prison term, ruled in closed door trial, including 11 years in solitary Vanunu has been further in and out of jail after. In 2007, sentenced to six months for violating terms of his parole, and in May 2010, again to three months for having met foreigners in violation of his release terms from jail.

Vanunu is ethnic Mizrahi Jew, born in Marrakesh Morocco, having emigrated to Israel, following its independence in 1948, like did many of the North African Jewish community did. Amnesty International issued a press release on 2 July 2007, stating that “The organisation considers Mordechai Vanunu to be a prisoner of conscience and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.”[6] Vanunu has been characterized internationally as a whistleblower[7][8] and by Israel as a traitor. Despite the whistle blown towards the operation of the nuclear weapons program in Israel, the Israeli government denied the existence of all allegations.Mordechai Vanunu is known as Israel`s Nuclear Whistleblower.

Arnold Gundersen

Main article: Arnold Gundersen

In 1990 Arnold Gundersen discovered radioactive material in an accounting safe at Nuclear Energy Services in Danbury, Connecticut, the consulting firm where he held a $120,000-a-year job as senior vice-president. Three weeks after he notified the company president of what he believed to be radiation safety violations, Gundersen was fired. According to The New York Times, for three years, Gundersen “was awakened by harassing phone calls in the middle of the night” and he “became concerned about his family’s safety”. Gundersen believes he was blacklisted, harassed and fired for doing what he thought was right.

The New York Times reports that Gundersen’s case is not uncommon, especially in the nuclear industry. Even though nuclear workers are encouraged to report potential safety hazards, those who do risk demotion and dismissal. Instead of correcting the problems, whistleblowers say, industry management and government agencies attack them as the cause of the problem. Driven out of their jobs and shunned by neighbors and co-workers, whistleblowers often turn to each other for support.

The Whistleblower Support Fund is an organization that has compiled resources for whistleblowers to access if they are considering whistleblowing. It was founded by Donald Ray Soeken, who has counseled whistleblowers for 35 years. In addition, a social network to connect whistleblowers to other whistleblowers will be implemented. It will be a private discussion where whistleblowers can safely seek support.

David Lochbaum

Main article: David Lochbaum

In the early 1990s, nuclear engineer David Lochbaum and a colleague, Don Prevatte, identified a safety problem in a plant where they were working, but were ignored when they raised the issue with the plant manager, the utility and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). After bringing their concerns to Congress, the problem was corrected not just at the original nuclear plant but at plants across the country.

Gerald W. Brown

Main article: Gerald W. Brown

Gerald W. Brown

Gerald W. Brown was the whistleblower on the Thermo-Lag scandal, as well as on silicone foam firestop issues in the US and Canada, exposing the fact that fireproofing of wiring between control rooms and reactors did not function as intended and exposing bounding and combustibility issues with organic firestops.

George Galatis

Main article: George Galatis

George Galatis was a senior nuclear engineer and whistleblower who reported safety problems at the Millstone 1 Nuclear Power Plant, relating to reactor refueling procedures, in 1996. The unsafe procedures meant that spent fuel rod pools at Unit 1 had the potential to boil, possibly releasing radioactive steam throughout the plant. Galatis eventually took his concerns to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to find that they had “known about the unsafe procedures for years”. As a result of going to the NRC, Galatis experienced “subtle forms of harassment, retaliation, and intimidation”.

Rainer Moormann

Rainer Moormann in 2004

Rainer Moormann is a German chemist and nuclear power whistleblower. Since 1976 he has been working at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, doing research on safety problems with pebble bed reactors, fusion power and spallation neutron sources. In 2008 Moormann published a critical paper on the safety of pebble bed reactors, which raised attention among specialists in the field, and managed to distribute it via the media, facing considerable opposition. For doing this despite the occupational disadvantages he had to accept as a consequence, Moormann was awarded the whistleblower award of the Federation of German Scientists (VDW) and of the German section of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA).

Setsuo Fujiwara

Setsuo Fujiwara, who used to design reactors, said he clashed with supervisors over an inspection audit he conducted in March 2009 at the Tomari nuclear plant in Japan. Fujiwara refused to approve a routine test by the plant’s operator, Hokkaido Electric Power, saying the test was flawed. A week later, he was summoned by his supervisor, who ordered him to correct his written report to indicate that the test had been done properly. After Fujiwara refused, his employment contract was not renewed. “They told me my job was just to approve reactors, not to raise doubts about them”, said Fujiwara, 62, who is now suing the nuclear safety organization to get rehired. In a written response to questions from The New York Times, the agency said it could not comment while the court case was under way. Along with the lawsuit Mr. Fujiwara filed against the agency he used to work for, he had gone to the Tokyo District Court to further write several complaints about how the JNES ( Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization) failed to follow the UN laws concerning how to properly inspect nuclear energy reactors. Mr. Fujiwara also submitted several documents and emails that dealt with how the reactor inspections were improperly handled by JNES even though JNES denies all allegations. [42]

Walter Tamosaitis

The Hanford site resulted in a number of whistleblowers during the efforts to clean the site up. Walter Tamosaitis blew the whistle on the Energy Department’s plan for waste treatment at the Hanford site in 2011. Tamosaitis’s concern was the possibility of explosive hydrogen gas being built up inside tanks that the company was to store the harmful chemical sludge they were trying to put into hibernation for its chemical life. Shortly after this Tamosaitis was demoted and two years later, fired which triggered his lawsuit for wrongful termination. A $4.1 million settlement was offered to Tamosaitis from AECOM on 12 August 2015. Tamosaitis has since been reinstated.

Donna Busche blew the whistle resulting in her 2013 lawsuit with claims that the URS “retaliated against her. She was head of nuclear safety and a URS employee around the time when she expressed her concerns.

Gary Brunson reported 34 safety and engineering violations after quitting in 2012. Brunson was federal engineering chief before he quit.

Shelly Doss earned “$20,000 in emotional distress and $10,000 in callous disregard of her rights” as well as reinstatement in 2014. Doss was an environmental specialist at the time of her firing in 2011 working for Washington River Protection Solutions.

Larry Criscione and Richard H. Perkins

In 2012, Larry Criscione and Richard H. Perkins publicly accused the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission of downplaying flood risks for nuclear plants which are sited on waterways downstream from large reservoirs and dams. They are engineers with over 20 years of combined government and military service who work for the NRC. Other nuclear safety advocates have supported their complaints.

Tolontan: După ce establishmentul medical a năvălit la TV, în primul rând la „Sinteza zilei”, să ne calce în picioare, am primit un mesaj

Suntem o tara intreaga la cheremul unor psihopati! Suntem cu toti prinsi aproape fara scapare din acest cerc  vicios al coruptiei ce ne ucide lent zi de zi: Cercul sistemului putred numit Romania reala unde coruptia ucide!

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Raluca Ion
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Tolontan: After the medical establishment stormed the TV, primarily to “Daily summary” We trample, I received a message
yesterday at 17
It is known, in short, the scandal disinfectants. On long, it’s about the series of surveys that Catalin Tolontan and team of investigative journalists from Gazeta Sport showed that hospitals in Romania are widely used disinfectants from businesses Hexi Pharma, disinfectants in which the active substances have been diluted up to ten times . In short, again, it is a system. A system that fails to protect those who really matter: the patients.

“We went after a company as felt journalist Mona Dîrţu in a commentary Tuesday (nr 27 April) fb, but by the system,” wrote in one of the surveys, journalists who had series investigations about Hexi Pharma.

In an interview for Republica.ro journalist Catalin Tolontan says that it all started in December 2015 with a message.

“After we published in December 2015 testimony of a doctor from the Hospital for Burns on” biological bomb that wounded were treated at Collective ” Establishment medical jumped as burned. And rushed over to television, first on “Synthesis Day,” to trample us. Then I got a message from a man inside Hexi Pharma: “If you want to know more about another crucial factor of hospital infections, looking for me.” We met several times and gained confidence. It gave us recipes which asserted that occur diluted disinfectants. Everything seemed hard to believe because I was convinced that the state controls and that this was not possible, “says the journalist. There followed five months of investigation and interviews “Every time I talk to someone in the office is crisp, denied, saying” That’s what the law requires, more than we can not. ” Then insisted to lead us in the hallway. There took us by the shoulders and told us “- Go, please continue.” Well refers to your job! “- Nothing, please continue, do not leave.” That happens to the upper floors of the health system. Maybe it’s the hypocrisy, but there’s more: the feeling of suffocation that, come what may, must come out. It’s the feeling of doctors, directors of the ministry, “says Catalin Tolontan.

We reproduce below the full interview:

In your opinion, which is how the authorities (Ministry of Health, Prosecutor, DNA, DIICOT) ought to act after series of investigations related to the Hexi Pharma?

No journalist can provide the service that the state fails to provide. We do not know how the authorities had to act. We strive to stay within our profession.

But hundreds of hospitals are used disinfectants manufactured by Hexi Pharma?

Speaking of hospitals, we can give the audience an insight of how long the five months since the investigation began and until publication. To understand better the atmosphere. Every time you talk to someone in the office is crisp, denied, saying “That’s what the law requires, more than we can not.” Then insisted to lead us in the hallway. There took us by the shoulders and told us: “Continue, please continue.” Well refers to your job!  “Nothing, please continue, do not leave.” That happens to the upper floors of the health system. Maybe it’s the hypocrisy, but there’s more: the feeling of suffocation that, come what may, must come out. It’s the feeling of doctors, directors of the ministry.

If you put on a board, we made this experience, knew the names of institutions on documents, irregularities such firms and silent, think about what it’s called that ?! There’s a word, but you’re afraid to write it and that can be considered crazy. We may collect testimonies.

What is the right course of action that you’ve imagined when you began to publish the series of surveys? To what extent it resembles what happens now?

We expected the government to react more quickly and firmly to protecting patients. Even if the actual figure of 5%, but not 5% of hospitalized patients means of Romanians 200,000 per year, of which 40,000 are children. Know any drug in this world who have dangerous effects incidence of 5% ?! It’s enormous.

You have revealed that since 2012 authorities had information on possible crimes committed by Dan Condrea without doing anything with them.

If you put on a board, we made this experience, knew the names of institutions on documents, irregularities such firms and silent, think about what it’s called that ?! There’s a word, but you’re afraid to write it and that can be considered crazy. We may collect testimonies.

In your opinion, what were the chances that the use of substances diluted to continue as long without the connivance of men decision makers in the health system and doctors?

The investigation started that way. After we published in December 2015 testimony of a doctor from the Hospital for Burns on “biological bomb that wounded were treated at Collective” Establishment medical jumped as burned. And rushed over to television, first on “Synthesis Day,” to trample us. Then I got a message from a man inside Hexi Pharma: “If you want to know more about another crucial factor of hospital infections, looking for me.” We met several times and gained confidence. It gave us recipes which asserted that occur diluted disinfectants. Everything seemed hard to believe because I was convinced that the state controls and that this was not possible. It took us months to understand the system and all authorities to admit that the state did in the last decade, no single test concentration! It seems to us the most important thing I told the people! When the state of hospitals and doctors abdicates, anything is possible. As one commenter on the blog where we post investigation: Condrea is the trigger, but her hand rule.

Not only in Romania, but everywhere struggling against enslavement of the medical profession to the pharma industry. Even doctors have a problem with that. You do not go to medical school to be allied companies, but support patients. Doctors ethics which I am sure will win.

Investigative journalists have shown over time the relationship of dependence that doctors have towards private firms (they pay, for example, expensive trips to congresses). How can cut this link counterproductive and dangerous for the patient?

As firefighters thought it was normal to be sponsored by those that control them, and knew this Raed Arafat, as in the medical field is considered normal. It’s a wide discussion worldwide. My feeling is that these things will stop because people do not swallow it. Not only in Romania, but everywhere struggling against enslavement of the medical profession to the industry pharma . Even doctors have a problem with that. You do not go to medical school to be allied companies, but support patients. Doctors ethics which I am sure will win.

From your knowledge, how many Dan Condrea exist in Romania?

I do not know. But I know that for each Dan Condrea, there are hundreds of Romanian who work hard and respect their peers. Mirela Neag called me last night, my colleague. It was tuflită. “Are you tired?” I ask. “Not. I cried. I reread what I wrote today, I reviewed the images Astoria and I do not believe in whose hands we have left together. A whole country at the mercy of psychopaths. ”

We are aware that it is the riskiest our investigation in the last 20 years. On its own way. If you look at their biography, that some are already the second time in prison, the story rackeţii Moldovan firms in Cyprus and Bulgaria, think a little and risks. First time to seriously reflect physical hazards

What pressures on journalists have been documenting and publishing the Gazette during investigations?

There was no, but we are aware that it is the riskiest our investigation in the last 20 years. On its own way. If you look at their biography, that some are already the second time in prison , the story rackeţii Moldovan firms in Cyprus and Bulgaria, think a little and risks. First time to seriously reflect physical hazards. And there’s a reason: people so devoid of empathy and discernment are capable of anything. They do not have much to lose.

What made you continue to go as Mona Dîrţu journalist wrote after the system?

It’s the kind of investigative journalism and professional feelings that I, and other colleagues from Mirela Sports Gazette I lived many times. But it’s the first of this magnitude to our colleague Razvan Luţac. Razvan made a decisive contribution. He is 23 years old and is already 7 years in the newsroom. And I feel proud that a young journalist for 23 years has brought people so much information. When the princes and kings Health disinfectants trade will wonder where they were fired, leaving crap strangers, services, or who knows what interest. To know this: a journalist for 22 years has revealed! Changing generations and, somehow, that this investigation would not have ever existed without the Collective, it is the legacy that we leave younger journalists. They need to be motivated, it’s their time to go after the system! And I think that’s valid throughout Romania, in all professions.

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Raluca Ion
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Likeuri
Chronological
diana time
yesterday at 23
begin to believe that we also have investigative journalists true! Congratulations!
read more
Like 3
Sorin Codreanu
yesterday at 22
I think we do not know 1% of what happens in this country ‘under the table’.
read more
Like 2
Abraham Magdalena
yesterday at 22
Dl.Tolontan thank you, but it’s very hard to think of all the consequences of this investigation! Somehow or another we are all, or should be touched! I honestly feel bad, nor can comment! Nausea and revolt!
read more
Like 0
Titi Litra
yesterday at 21
I think these journalists should be protected in the rest of their days; what mess I did not get out of the house safely. but those who should protect them are also accomplices to theft, public opinion there, so were sacrificed for a nation of … guess what …
read more
Like 3
Laurentiu Borta
yesterday at 20
The word to be said is genocide!
read more
Like 1
Ion Marinescu
yesterday at 19
A simple question: how is it possible that a company which inflate the price of 70 times to win so many contracts? What’s the point to talk about product compliance. One such firm is impossible not to be involved in acts of corruption. It is obvious that this corruption is not limited to company-hospital relationship manager but is coordinated centrally from the ministry.
read more
Like 1
Agape
yesterday at 19
My question is: why so few of the “intellectuals” and journalists engage with society in which they live? Why C. Tolontan and others who theoretically should write about the joys and problems of sport, do more for uncovering corruption in Romania on Dilema Veche or contributors can read articles and knotted deznoada topic I cringe abstract metaphysics, but investigative journalist any social adevarata.Cred they do not and those who are a step or more behind them, they will not be touched by the effects of corruption Roman society? Is cheating them, life will show that you can not live in an ivory tower and maybe if you go to live in Hawaii what is happening in Romanian society do not touch directly. Remember Joseph Sava? He died of nosocomial infections.
read more
Like 2
Anton Neculai
yesterday at 18
Respect Tolontan AND SUCCESS !!! entire team
read more
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http://republica.ro/tolontan-dupa-ce-establishmentul-medical-a-navalit-pe-la-televizoare-in-primul-rand-la-zsinteza-zilei

BBC News: President Obama drinks water in crisis-hit Flint

President Obama drinks water in crisis-hit Flint – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36206897

this pressed: Public Health: Top 10 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Pictures|via WebMD

2. Whooping Cough (Pertussis) What it is: A lung infection that makes it hard to breathe due to severe coughing. How you get it: People can breathe in the pertussis bacteria when someone who has whooping cough coughs or sneezes. Why it’s serious: It can be life-threatening, especially in babies less than 1 year old. Whooping cough can lead to pneumonia, seizures, and slowed or stopped breathing. Get the WebMD list of the top 10 vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, whooping cough, flu, polio, pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease, mumps, Hib, tetanus, and hepatitis B.

2. Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

What it is: A lung infection that makes it hard to breathe due to severe coughing.

How you get it: People can breathe in the pertussis bacteria when someone who has whooping cough coughs or sneezes.

Why it’s serious: It can be life-threatening, especially in babies less than 1 year old. Whooping cough can lead to pneumonia, seizures, and slowed or stopped breathing.

Get the WebMD list of the top 10 vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, whooping cough, flu, polio, pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease, mumps, Hib, tetanus, and hepatitis B.

Source: Top 10 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Pictures|via WebMD

today’s birthday: Typhoid Mary (1869)

Typhoid Mary (1869)

Mary Mallon was the first person in the US to be identified as a healthy carrier of typhoid fever. In 1904, a typhoid epidemic was traced to homes where she had been a cook. She fled but was located by authorities and forcibly quarantined for several years. In 1910, she was released on the condition that she not take another food-handling job. Discovered cooking again in 1914, she was quarantined for life. Though she herself never had the disease, she infected about 50 people. How many died? More… Discuss

Pool parasite can live in chlorine for ten days – UPI.com

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that swimmers shower before geting in the pool to prevent them from carrying infectious bacteria into the water. Photo: Monkey Business Images/shutterstock

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that swimmers shower before geting in the pool to prevent them from carrying infectious bacteria into the water. Photo: Monkey Business Images/shutterstock

ATLANTA, June 29 (UPI) — The Centers for Disease Control is warning swimmers to shower before going into the pool in order to avoid spreading the chlorine-resistant pathogen cryptosporidium, which has caused several outbreaks in recent years.

While E. coli and norovirus are killed within hours by chemicals used for treating pools, cryptosporidium survives in pools and hot tubs for up to ten days, and can cause gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea.

“This parasite is extremely chlorine-resistant,” Michele Hlavsa, an epidemiologist at the CDC, told CBS News. “Swimmers bring it into the water when they are sick with diarrhea.”

Researchers reviewed data from 2011 and 2012, finding that 90 outbreaks related to recreational water resulted in at least 1,788 cases, 95 hospitalizations and 1 death, according to the CDC’s study, which is published on its website.

Of the outbreaks, 77 percent of them were in treated bodies of water such as pools and spas.

Cryptosporidium was responsible for 52 percent of the treated water outbreaks, and was also responsible for 54 percent of all the outbreaks cause by infectious pathogens.

“Since 1988, the year that the first U.S. treated recreational water-associated outbreak of Cryptosporidium was detected, the number of these outbreaks reported annually has significantly increased,” researchers wrote in the report.

If contracted, the parasite can be cleared from the body in about two to three weeks, however it can be fatal in a person with a weakened immune system, Hlavasa said.

“With these outbreaks, we see they disproportionately affect young children,” Hlavasa told ABC News. “They’re the ones who can go to a pool and young children tend to carry lots of germs.”

The CDC recommends swimmers shower before entering the pool, not swallow the water, and not urinate or defecate in the water while swimming; swimmers are discouraged from entering pools altogether if they have diarrhea.

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via Pool parasite can live in chlorine for ten days – UPI.com.

The Black Death

The Black Death

The Black Death was a form of bubonic plague

The bubonic plague described by Athanasius Kircher (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

that was pandemic throughout Europe, the Middle East, and much of Asia in the 14th century. Thought to have been caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, it killed between one-third and half of Europe’s population and at least 75 million people worldwide. Recently, it has been argued that the Black Death was not caused by bubonic plague, at all, but by what? More… Discuss

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today’s birthday: Sir Ronald Ross (1857)

Sir Ronald Ross (1857)

Born and raised in India, English physician Ronald Ross joined the Indian Medical Service after completing medical school and undertook the study of malaria, then a disease that was not well understood. After years of research, he demonstrated the malarial parasite, Plasmodium, in the stomach of the Anopheles mosquito, identifying the disease’s mechanism of transmission. His discoveries earned him a Nobel Prize in 1902. When is World Mosquito Day, instituted by Ross, observed? More… Discuss

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Healtth-Ebola: Ebola virus lingers in patient’s eyeball even after recovery| -ABC News

Ebola virus lingers in patient‘s eyeball even after recovery, study says: http://t.co/HyU4Ry5UIm pic.twitter.com/C5GFlD5O5W

— ABC News (@ABC) May 8, 2015

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this day in the yesteryear: First Patient Successfully Treated with Penicillin (1942)

First Patient Successfully Treated with Penicillin (1942)

Penicillin was the first antibiotic agent successfully used to treat bacterial infections in humans. Penicillin’s effect on bacteria was first observed by biologist Alexander Fleming in 1928, but it was not until 1941 that scientists purified the substance and established that it was both effective in fighting infectious organisms and not toxic to humans. The first successful treatment occurred the next year. Where did scientists find the mold that allowed them to mass produce the drug? More… Discuss

New Poll: Americans Want Mandatory Vaccines (because ignorance hurts more than oneself)

New Poll: Americans Want Mandatory Vaccines

A new poll conducted by Ipsos for Reuters found that 78 percent of Americans believe all children should be vaccinated. Just over 70 percent think schools should be able to suspend unvaccinated students during outbreaks of contagious diseases. And 65 … More… Discuss

The Ebola Diaries: Trying to heal patients you can’t touch: Goats and Soda |NPR

http://www.npr.org/v2/?i=385528882&m=385646993&t=audio/a

The Ebola Diaries: Trying to heal patients you can’t touch: Goats and Soda |NPR (click on picture to access the story and inteview at NPR)

Must read: Ebola in Liberia: According to Dr. Kwan Kew Lai’s Blog

Today is the Feast of St. Kew, a little known Welsh saint, probably of the fifth century. She was the sister of a hermit called Docco who founded a monastery at or near the village of St. Kew which is now in Cornwall, England. Nothing much is known about her except that she was able to cause some wild boars to obey her, this ability caught the attention of her said brother who condescended to finally speak to her. Why they were not on speaking terms to begin with was a mystery.What is in a name? Kew is my given name. It would be unheard of to have a saint with my name especially someone from Asia. My daughter, Cara, was told by her Confraternity Christian Development (CCD) teacher that everyone has a saint who bears his or her name. She searched in vain for a saint with her name.

via Ebola in Liberia.

***featured on by NPR: The Ebola Diaries: Trying To Heal Patients You Can’t Touch http://n.pr/1EaPxUw

health: West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus

West Nile virus is mainly found in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and typically infects birds. Mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds can then transmit the disease to humans. About one-fifth of humans infected with the virus develop West Nile fever, which is sometimes accompanied by a rash. Less than one percent of all persons infected develop serious illnesses like encephalitis and meningitis. West Nile virus was first identified in Uganda in 1937. When did it reach the US? More… Discuss

Health officials: N.Y. Amtrak passenger had measles

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A college student who rode an Amtrak train through New York to last Sunday has the measles, prompting health officials to warn anyone who came in contact with the patient to watch for signs of the illness.

The Bard College student took the No. 283 Empire line train from Penn Station at 1:20 p.m. Jan. 25. The train made stops in Yonkers and Croton-Harmon before continuing to Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff and the Albany area.

Bard, a liberal arts college in Dutchess County, has held an immunization clinic for students.

Anyone who might have come into contact with the student and is not fully vaccinated or unsure of their vaccination status is urged to see a doctor, health officials said.

The disease is highly contagious and can take several days after exposure to develop. It causes fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body.

USA TODAY

Measles has infected 84 people in 14 states this year

via Health officials: N.Y. Amtrak passenger had measles.

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Europe’s “Tuberculosis Capital” May Surprise You

Tuberculosis (TB), the lung disease that was among the most common causes of death before the advent of antibiotics, is still prevalent in England, with London known as Europe’s “TB capital.” In an effort to combat one of the highest TB rates in western Europe—nearly five times that of the US—British health officials launched an 11.5 million pound ($17.4 million) plan this week to increase TB screening and treatment. Among the challenges facing the initiative are the highly contagious nature of TB—which is transmitted simply through coughing and sneezing—and new, drug-resistant strains of the illness. More… Discuss

New Antibiotic Could Stop Superbugs

Scientists this week announced the discovery of an antibiotic that could prove to be effective against drug-resistant infections caused by superbugs like MRSA. The antibiotic, called teixobactin, works by binding to multiple targets, which may slow the resistance process. Derived from uncultured bacteria, teixobactin has been patented by NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals. Although the antibiotic has shown promise in trials on mice, experts say it is yet to be determined whether it will be effective in humans. More… Discuss

this pressed for your health: Latest measles outbreak highlights a growing problem in California – LA Times

There were more than 9,900 cases of whooping cough in California in 2014 through Nov. 26. Above, Tyree Harper, 12, receives the whooping cough vaccine during a school readiness event at Jesse Owens Park in Los Angeles in August. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
By Rong-Gong Lin II contact the reporter

There were more than 9,900 cases of whooping cough in California in 2014 through Nov. 26. Above, Tyree Harper, 12, receives the whooping cough vaccine during a school readiness event at Jesse Owens Park in Los Angeles in August. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

via Latest measles outbreak highlights a growing problem in California – LA Times.

En Argentina: Hallan hongo que mata al transmisor del dengue y del Chikungunya (Scientists find a fungus that kills the transmitter of dengue and Chikungunya): “Leptolegnia chapmanii”

En Argentina: Hallan hongo que mata al transmisor del dengue y del Chikungunya http://t.co/euf154ikfepic.twitter.com/kjnTYQdpnW /@latamsci

— Prof. Carlos López (@oikossokio) January 1, 2015

In Argentina: Hallan fungus that kills the transmitter of dengue and Chikungunya

SALUD | En Argentina

Científicos hallan un hongo que mata al transmisor del dengue y Chikungunya

Un hongo denominado “Leptolegnia chapmanii” puede sobrevivir en aguas turbias o cristalinas de temperaturas variables y es cultivable a bajo costo, por lo que aparece como una prometedora arma para destruir las larvas de los mosquitos transmisores.

EL UNIVERSAL

miércoles 20 de agosto de 2014  04:01 PM

Buenos Aires.- Científicos argentinos hallaron un hongo, adaptable a múltiples hábitat, que destruye las larvas de los mosquitos transmisores del dengue y Chikungunya, dos epidemias virales sin vacunas comerciales y cuyo control se basa en la prevención.

Este hongo, denominado “Leptolegnia chapmanii”, puede sobrevivir en aguas turbias o cristalinas, con distintos PH, a temperaturas variables y es cultivable a bajo costo por lo que aparece como una prometedora arma biológica.

Su poder mortífero probó ser efectivo en larvas de 15 especies de mosquitos, entre ellas las del Aedes Aegypti y Aedes Albopistus, vectores del dengue, una enfermedad viral tropical que puede llegar a ser mortal en su variante hemorrágica y es endémica en muchos países. >>>>>>>>>>more HERE<<<<<<<<<<

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HEALTH | In Argentina

Scientists find a fungus that kills the transmitter of dengue and Chikungunya
A fungus called “Leptolegnia chapmanii” can survive in cloudy or clear waters of varying temperatures and is cultivated at low cost, so it appears as a promising weapon to destroy the larvae of mosquitoes.
EL UNIVERSAL
Wednesday August 20, 2014 4:01 PM
BUENOS AIRES Argentine scientists have found a fungus, adaptable to multiple habitat, which destroys the larvae of mosquitoes that carry dengue and Chikungunya, two viral epidemics no commercial vaccines and whose control is based on prevention.

This fungus, called “Leptolegnia chapmanii” can survive in cloudy or clear waters with varying pH at varying temperatures and is cultivated at low cost so it appears as a promising biological weapon.

Its lethality proved effective in larvae of 15 species of mosquitoes, including Aedes aegypti and Aedes of Albopistus, vectors of dengue, a viral tropical disease that can be fatal dengue hemorrhagic fever and is endemic in many countries.

 

 

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From BBC: First Ebola case linked to bat play

First Ebola case linked to bat play http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30632453

NHL Trying to Check Mumps Outbreak

In the News

NHL Trying to Check Mumps Outbreak An outbreak of mumps is occurring in the US among a very specific population: members of the National Hockey League. More than two dozen players on multiple teams have tested positive for the disease in recent weeks, including superstar Sidney Crosby. Mumps is a contagious disease characterized by swelling of the salivary glands. Although nearly all children in the US are immunized against the disease, immunity can decrease with age. Teams are now providing booster shots to players, and all the affected players are expected to recover without any lasting effects. More… Discuss

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Les “combattants d’Ebola”, personnalités de l’année pour le “Time”

FRANCE 24

Abonnez-vous à notre chaîne sur YouTube : http://f24.my/youtubeL’hebdomadaire américain “Time” a désigné les “combattants d’Ebola” comme la personnalité 2014. Le personnel de santé paie un tribu particulièrement lourd au virus avec 340 morts sur 592 contaminations depuis le début de l’épidémie.

En savoir plus : http://f24.my/12y2v1O

Notre site : http://www.france24.com/fr/
Rejoignez-nous sur Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.videos
Suivez-nous sur Twitter : https://twitter.com/F24videos

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Double Dipping (dig-mouth-dig 2X)”| National Geographic (An experiment forces people to think about what they’re doing when they dip a chip)

Double Dipping

National Geographic

Published on Dec 1, 2014

An experiment forces people to think about what they’re doing when they dip a chip. CROWD CONTROL AIRS MONDAYS at 9P.

http://environews.tv/120114-cloaked-stericycle-whistleblower-comes-forward-with-more-shocking-allegations/

http://environews.tv/120114-cloaked-stericycle-whistleblower-comes-forward-with-more-shocking-allegations/ (check it out here)

Americans with HIV Undertreated

Only 30 percent of Americans infected with HIV have the virus under control, according to a new report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Based on statistics from 2011, the report found that the remaining 70 percent failed to achieve “viral suppression” for a number of reasons. Of those individuals, 66 percent were not getting regular care; 20 percent were unaware they were infected; 10 percent were unable to suppress the virus with antiretroviral treatment; and 4 percent were not prescribed antiretroviral drugs. According to the CDC, up to 50,000 people in the US are infected with HIV every year. More… Discuss

‘Why I Came To Help Fight Ebola’ – World Food Programme Uploaded on Nov 26, 2014

‘Why I Came To Help Fight Ebola’

World Food Programme

Uploaded on Nov 26, 2014

Moses Komakech, a warehouse manager from Uganda, recently arrived in Sierra Leone to help with WFP’s Ebola response. In this very personal interview, he explains his role and his reasons for coming to an Ebola-hit country and leaving his home behind. Although he misses his family, he says he is happy to be part of WFP’s operations.

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health: One Kiss Carries 80 Million Bacteria

One Kiss Carries 80 Million Bacteria

This latest research may make you think twice before locking lips with anyone. The mouth is home to tens of millions of bacteria, and just one 10-second kiss can transfer as many as 80 million of them. The good news, if you want to call it that, is that while bacteria in the saliva seem to change quickly following a kiss, populations on the tongue remain more stable. This finding is important to researchers, as it could help with the development of bacterial therapies and treatments. More… Discuss

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quotation: “Humans in space suits make monkeys nervous.” ― Richard Preston, “The Hot Zone…”

The Hot Zone (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Humans in space suits make monkeys nervous.”
― Richard Preston, The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus

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this pressed: 10 Shocking Things About Ebola : Discovery News

Early symptoms of Ebola can appear harmless — fever, headache, aches, chills and sore throat. They could be the stuff of a normal illness.

But as the virus progresses, victims will experience nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, rash, chest pain and cough, weight loss and bleeding. In some cases, organs will shut down and cause unstoppable bleeding.

In the last stages of the disease, in a process known as a cytokine storm, the immune system goes haywire and inflammatory molecules called cytokines attack the body’s own tissue. Technically, then, it’s not the virus that kills people but instead their own immune systems ultimately turn against them.

Show here is Dr. Kent Brantly, a doctor who treated patients in Liberia before contracting the virus himself. Fortunately, he survived.

Samaritan’s Purse

via 10 Shocking Things About Ebola : Discovery News.

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let’s not forget: Smallpox (1908). Eradicated thanks to marvels of vaccinations — Lindsey Fitzharris (@DrLindseyFitz)

Smallpox (1908). Eradicated thanks to marvels of vaccinations. cc @JennyMcCarthy. pic.twitter.com/2McEnDj98v

— Lindsey Fitzharris (@DrLindseyFitz) November 17, 2014

this pressed: Surgeon who contracted Ebola virus in Sierra Leone dies at Nebraska hospital | Fox News

In this April 2014, file photo, provided by the United Methodist News Service, Dr. Martin Salia poses for a photo at the United Methodist Church‘s Kissy Hospital outside Freetown, Sierra Leone. (AP)

 

A surgeon who contracted the Ebola virus while working in Sierra Leone died at a Nebraska hospital where he was transported for treatment, the facility said Monday.

A statement released Monday by Nebraska Medical Center said Dr. Martin Salia “has passed away as a result of the advanced symptoms of the disease.”

“Dr. Salia was extremely critical when he arrived here, and unfortunately, despite out best efforts, we weren’t able to save him,” said Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the biocontainment unit.

Salia, 44, was being treated in the medical center’s biocontainment unit. He arrived Saturday by plane from West Africa, and was transported by ambulance for treatment at the hospital, where two other Ebola patients have been successfully treated. Officials said Salia might be more ill than the first Ebola patients treated successfully in the United States. On Sunday officials had described his condition as “an hour-by-hour situation.”

via Surgeon who contracted Ebola virus in Sierra Leone dies at Nebraska hospital | Fox News.

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this pressed: Ebola virus refuses to stick to the script | Follow Ebola

English: Ebola virus virion. Created by CDC microbiologist Cynthia Goldsmith, this colorized transmission electron micrograph (TEM) revealed some of the ultrastructural morphology displayed by an Ebola virus virion. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“What has been revealed over the past two months is how skittish and profoundly insecure we feel, as individuals and as a species, and how fear is a brushfire easily fanned, by memories of best-selling books like Richard Preston’s 1994 “The Hot Zone” — soon to be a television miniseries, directed by Ridley Scott! — and by the fear-mongering of news media and politicians like New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Most unnerving is that the virus isn’t conforming to popular expectation. A doctor in the full hazmat regalia still got infected? That’s not supposed to happen. The CDC proving to be as fallible as any human organization? Who’s writing this thing?Well, no one is. That’s how reality works. Things fall apart and get put back together — or not — in ways you wouldn’t believe. Entropy happens.”

via Ebola virus refuses to stick to the script | Follow Ebola.

Pathogenesis schematic (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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this pressed for your right to know: Number of people being actively monitored for Ebola in New York has tripled to 357 — Los Angeles Times

Number of people being actively monitored for Ebola in New York has tripled to 357 http://t.co/ieu2vmuDNG

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) November 6, 2014

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this pressed: Louisiana Leper Home documents panic in the face of disease – The Globe and Mail

Baton Rouge, LA – 10/30/2014 – Mr. Simeon Peterson (aka “Mr. Pete” 86) sits in the physical therapy room at the National Hansen’s Disease Center in Baton Rouge. Mr. Peterson was relocated to the leprosy camp in Carville, LA from his native US Virgin Islands in 1951. He is one of the last living residents of the leprosy center. (William Widmer/William Widmer)

Louisiana Leper Home documents panic in the face of disease
***Omar El Akkad CARVILLE, LA. — The Globe and Mail

***Published Monday, Nov. 03 2014, 9:54 PM EST

via Louisiana Leper Home documents panic in the face of disease – The Globe and Mail.

this pressed for your right to know: BBC News – Ebola: When health workers’ duty to treat is trumped

Doctors preparing to treat Ebola patients Medical staff must wear protective suits whenever they treat Ebola patients

The president of the World Bank has urged thousands of health workers to volunteer in the battle against Ebola, invoking their duty under their oath to help patients. But is there such an obligation? Medical ethicist Dr Daniel Sokol says we should expect some healthcare staff to refuse to go to work, wherever Ebola patients are being treated.

In all major Ebola outbreaks, medical staff have fled health centres, leaving dying patients behind. This one is no exception.

Seeing colleagues succumb to the disease, many doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians have failed to turn up to work, putting even greater pressure on those who remain.

If several cases of Ebola emerged in the UK, it would be naive to assume that no healthcare worker would refuse to work.

In 2003, I worked as an intern in clinical ethics at a hospital in Toronto. That was the city most affected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) outside Asia, with about 250 people infected.

Of those, about half were health workers. Posters lined the walls of the hospital, hailing the staff as heroes.

via BBC News – Ebola: When health workers’ duty to treat is trumped.

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this pressed for your right to know: Read the State Department’s memo on Ebola policies: http://t.co/7SN1xBx8v7 — Fox News Politics

Read the State Department’s memo on Ebola policies: http://t.co/7SN1xBx8v7

— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) October 29, 2014

*******************************************
Read more>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> HERE

Internal memo pushes bringing non-citizens to US for #Ebola treatment— Ebola

Internal memo pushes bringing non-citizens to US for #Ebola treatment; State …. http://t.co/cHD2kvLn2j

— Ebola (@FollowingEbola) October 29, 2014

this pressed for your right to know: Sex and Ebola: How risky? – CBS News|

This undated file image provided by the CDC shows the Ebola virus. AP Photo/CDC

When Dr. Craig Spencer went to volunteer in West Africa with the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders, it took him far away from his home, family, friends and other people he loves, including his fiancé Morgan Dixon. Once he returned, Doctors Without Borders advised that he should monitor his health for signs of illness like running a fever, but that “as long as a returned staff member does not experience any symptoms, normal life can proceed.”

“Normal life” may presumably include sexual activity — but could that put a person’s partner at risk?

via Sex and Ebola: How risky? – CBS News.

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this pressed: Obama aides criticize Ebola quarantine rules – USA TODAY

“If you put everyone in one basket, even people who are clearly no threat, then we have the problem of the disincentive of people that we need,” Fauci said on ABC’s This Week. “Let’s not forget the best way to stop this epidemic and protect America is to stop it in Africa, and you can really help stopping it in Africa if we have our people, our heroes, the health care workers, go there and help us to protect America.”

Aides to President Obama are criticizing decisions by three states to quarantine people who are returning from Ebola-stricken West Africa.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and United Nations ambassador Samantha Power said quarantines may discourage health workers from traveling to West Africa to help block the disease at its source.

“If you put everyone in one basket, even people who are clearly no threat, then we have the problem of the disincentive of people that we need,” Fauci said on ABC’s This Week. “Let’s not forget the best way to stop this epidemic and protect America is to stop it in Africa, and you can really help stopping it in Africa if we have our people, our heroes, the health care workers, go there and help us to protect America.”

via Obama aides criticize Ebola quarantine rules.

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NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci: Returning Ebola health care workers shouldn’t face ‘draconian’ rules — NBC Nightly News

NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci: Returning Ebola health care workers shouldn’t face ‘draconian’ rules http://t.co/biBjTfZncb pic.twitter.com/YLjzoegSXx

— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) October 26, 2014

this pressed: BREAKING: NY, New Jersey governors issue quarantine for travelers who had contact with Ebola-infected people in W. Africa. — The Associated Press October 24, 2014

BREAKING: NY, New Jersey governors issue quarantine for travelers who had contact with Ebola-infected people in W. Africa.

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 24, 2014

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PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies|24/10/2014 18:34 by: Fox News

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
24/10/2014 18:34 by: Fox News

PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies

PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies

Excerpts:
“The chief Homeland Security watchdog ripped the department at a hearing on Friday for not “thinking through” its purchase of millions of dollars’ worth of pandemic response supplies, saying much of the protective gear and drugs are expired or will be soon.

Inspector General John Roth testified at a House oversight hearing on Ebola, a health crisis that has sharpened focus on the government’s preparedness for an outbreak — even though officials maintain the likelihood of an Ebola outbreak remains low. Roth, ahead of the hearing, released an August audit that found the department has “no assurance” it has enough protective equipment and antiviral medication to respond to a pandemic.

The findings prompted criticism from lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

“We spent millions of dollars for a pandemic … We don’t know the inventory, we don’t know who’s got it, and we don’t know who’s gonna get it,” Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said.

Roth responded: “You are correct.”

Roth said the department spent $9.5 million starting in 2006 on pandemic protective equipment, as well as nearly $7 million on antiviral drugs for emergency workers. However, his opening statement and audit faulted the department for not “adequately” conducting an assessment of what they needed.

The result, he said, is the department cannot be sure it has enough, and in some cases it might have far too much. For instance, he said the department has 16 million surgical masks, but could not demonstrate the need for that many.

He specifically cited the department for having a glut of supplies that is or will soon be expired. He said much of their material has a “finite shelf life” — including thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer, some up to four years expired, and 200,000 respirators that are beyond their five-year usability guarantee.

The audit also found “most” of the antiviral medication is nearing the expiration date.

“As a result, DHS and components may not have sufficient [protective gear or medication] to provide to the workforce during a pandemic,” the audit says.

DHS, in their official response to the audit, said the department agrees with the intent of all the inspector general’s recommendations, but claimed the report “has not appropriately characterized a number of issues.”

Among them, DHS disputed the finding that they had no assurance they have enough equipment and medication. DHS suggested the shelf life of their supplies is longer than the audit made it seem, and the IG was basing its conclusions only on manufacturer information as opposed to other research.

In a written statement on Friday, DHS spokesman S.Y. Lee also said the department is committed to employee safety, and is “satisfied” with the current DHS stocks to deal with any Ebola response.

“We are constantly seeking to improve our pandemic preparedness and are committed to protecting our employees in order to ensure the effectiveness of our mission,” Lee said. Lee said the IG recommendations were not addressed specifically to the Ebola response, but said the department “had already previously identified many of the issues prior to the review, and have taken comprehensive actions to address them.”

While Friday’s hearing delved into the government’s preparedness for a full-scale outbreak, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle continued to press witnesses over the measures currently being employed to prevent the handful of U.S. Ebola cases from spreading into a larger crisis.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said the latest diagnosed case of Ebola, in New York City, is “particularly distressing.”

Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant HHS secretary for preparedness and response, stressed health officials are working “24/7” to contain the outbreak in West Africa and are basing changes in U.S. policies on “lessons learned from each emergency.”

She said in prepared remarks that the likelihood of an outbreak in the U.S. is remote, and that “there is an epidemic of fear, but not of Ebola, in the United States.” The remarks were written before a fourth Ebola case was diagnosed in the U.S. — a doctor in New York City who had treated patients in Guinea. Lurie did not repeat the statements during her testimony.

Issa said it would be a “major mistake” to underestimate the virus:

“Recognize that what we don’t know could kill us,” he said.

PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies

via PANDEMIC UNPREPARED? Watchdog rips DHS for buying aging med supplies.

***The Associated Press contributed to this report.

***24/10/2014 18:34     by: Fox News

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• U.S. security agency ill-prepared to deal with pandemic -audit

this pressed for your right to know: Follow our LIVE coverage on the Ebola crisis here: — Reuters Live (@ReutersLive)

Follow our LIVE coverage on the Ebola crisis here: http://t.co/Dx4Faaf8r5 pic.twitter.com/zda1znD0RL

— Reuters Live (@ReutersLive) October 24, 2014