EPIDEMICS & PANDEMICS

[the Scribe]

Scary subject that we will be seeing more of in the near future. While global warming may not be the cause of all of them it may become the cause of most of them.

the basics

Epidemics and Pandemics

[the Scribe]

How Pandemics Spread

TED-Ed
Published on Mar 11, 2012
In our increasingly globalized world, a single infected person can board a plane and spread a virus across continents. Mark Honigsbaum describes the history of pandemics and how that knowledge can help halt future outbreaks.

[the Scribe]

62 cases of AFM, the polio-like illness, confirmed across 22 states: CDC

ABC News BOPHA PHORN,ABC News 5 hours ago .



62 cases of AFM, the polio-like illness, confirmed across 22 states: CDC originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

There are now 62 confirmed reports of acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, an illness similar to polio, across 22 states in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Sept. 20, the CDC had confirmed 38 cases in 16 states, which aren't required to report AFM cases to the CDC.

This year's numbers are similar to 2016 and 2014. Since 2014, 386 cases have been confirmed, the CDC said on Tuesday. Currently, 127 patients are under investigation. The average age of those afflicted is 4, and 90 percent of those with AFM are 18 or younger.

MORE: 6 children hospitalized in Minnesota after coming down with rare, polio-like disease

"This remains a rare syndrome, but the similarities to poliomyelitis, polio-like illness, are concerning and bear close monitoring," Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, told ABC News in an interview. "Now is it going to be as widespread as that? Hopefully not. And that's why we have to keep our eye on this."

PHOTO: A doctor is pictured with a patient in this undated stock photo. (STOCK PHOTO/Shutterstock)

Acute flaccid myelitis affects the spinal cord and can cause partial paralysis. It mostly afflicts children and young adults and can be caused by toxins in one's environment, genetic disorders or viruses such as poliovirus, West Nile virus or adenovirus.

Another potential cause of AFM is a type of enterovirus called EV D68, Todd said.

(MORE: Children partially paralyzed: Facts on acute flaccid myelitis)

"That's important because enteroviruses cause the common cold," Ellerin said. "It causes fever illnesses in the summer and fall, often associated with rashes. It causes hand, foot and mouth disease. It causes a lot of what [are] typically very mild sort of nuisance type diseases."

Typical symptoms of AFM are similar to those of a severe respiratory illness, along with a fever, but those often progress into neurological symptoms. Some with AFM will feel weakness in their arms or legs, a loss of muscle tone or slower reflexes. The most severe symptom is respiratory failure.

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People can protect themselves from contracting AFM using methods similar to preventing getting the flu, Ellerin said.

So far the disease has claimed one life in the U.S.

Ellerin said the staff at his hospital has been trained to recognize symptoms, and he encourages medical centers to train employees similarly before it's too late.

"We want to see that education," he said, "in order to have early recognition and detection."

[the Scribe]

I have a particular interest in this subject of epidemics as different ones affected me and my own family and friends in the past.


The Polio Story - The Vaccine That Changed the World

vsandu
Published on Mar 15, 2015
It was 1952, and polio gripped the world in fear. There was no known cause, no cure and no help in sight for parents desperate to protect their children. Across the ocean, eager to beat the potentially fatal condition, polio-afflicted President Roosevelt inspired the American public to send in their dimes to fund research.

In just a few years Joseph Salk, an ambitious 33-year-old scientist working from his basement lab in Pittsburgh, would bring infantile paralysis to its knees and change the course of medical history. World-renowned experts and survivors tell the extraordinary story of how Dr Salk and the legendary 'march of dimes' came together to help conquer polio.
Producer: Carl Kurlander

[the Scribe]

So how does a story about Walmart have anything to do with the epidemic subject? Easy.

The less people you come into contact with especially during flu season the better your odds are to avoid it. Walmart and many other grocery and retail stores are encouraging pick up of orders or providing home delivery.

Walmart is aggressively shifting away from its most legendary shopping format

Brian Sozzi 15 hours ago .

www.yahoo.com/finance/news/walmart-aggressively-shifting-away-legendary-shopping-format-120049155.html

The world’s largest retailer is seeking ways to get more productivity from the supercenters it does have open. Walmart said Tuesday it will have its new grocery pickup option available at 3,100 locations by the end of next year. The option allows a shopper to place an order online, park in a spot at a Walmart store and have a clerk bring out the packages and load them into the trunk.

The free service is available at more than 1,800 Walmart locations.

Walmart added that grocery delivery will be available at 1,600 locations by the end of next year, up from about 800 sites this year. The retailer only began rolling out the same-day delivery service this year using delivery agent Postmates and Spark Delivery.

check out home delivery sites like INSTACART: www.instacart.com/?ko_click_id=ko_e8845bc6b556abed1&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_source=instacart_bing&utm_campaign=ad_demand_prospecting&utm_term=instacart

Instacart offers personal shopping and delivery from Costco or other grocery stores.