120 “cold-stunned” sea turtles wash up on the shores of Cape Cod Bay

The Boston Globe

Scores of rare turtles found stranded on Cape

Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

Rescuers placed cold-stunned turtles in fruit boxes.

By Reenat Sinay Globe Correspondent  December 21, 2015

 

 

Massachusetts Audubon Society volunteers recovered about 120 “cold-stunned” sea turtles during the weekend after strong winds caused them to wash up on the shores of Cape Cod Bay.

The majority of the reptiles found on the beaches of Wellfleet, Truro, Eastham, and Brewster were Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, a critically endangered species and the rarest type of sea turtle.

It was an unusually large late-season stranding for the turtles, who most often get stuck on Cape Cod shores around Thanksgiving as they try to make their way south to warmer waters for the winter.

Young sea turtles often feed in Cape Cod Bay during the summer but can get trapped in the “hook” of the Cape and become hypothermic as temperatures drop, according to Mass Audubon.

Despite their rarity, Kemp’s ridleys are the type of turtle most often found stranded on Massachusetts beaches.

Read More Here

New cases of highly pathogenic avian flu in poultry have recently been detected in south-western regions of France,

New bird flu outbreak: More than 60 farms in France infected

Published time: 22 Dec, 2015 16:38

 

© Luc Gnago / Reuters

 

 

New cases of highly pathogenic avian flu in poultry have recently been detected in south-western regions of France, forcing authorities to step up sanitary measures.

 

The total number of confirmed cases of contamination with the virus in France has risen to 61, according to a statement from the French Ministry of Agriculture. The statement was published on Tuesday.

infos140 @infos140

GRIPPE AVIAIRE 8 nouveaux foyers identifiés dans les Landes. 61 foyers désormais touchés dans le sud-ouest

6:45 AM - 22 Dec 2015

 

Special protection zones stretching for between 3 to 10 kilometers around the farms have been set up until the epidemic ceases, a decree published in the Official Journal said.
There is currently no evidence that the virus is transmitted to humans through birds’ eggs, meat or foie gras, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease and Control (ECDC) stated.

Read More Here

London hospital says nurse is being treated for Ebola in isolation unit, in case that raises concerns for survivors elsewhere

the guardian

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey critically ill in deterioration that shocks experts

Pauline Cafferkey was admitted to the Royal Free hospital last week with a late complication of her Ebola infection. Photograph: Lisa Ferguson/Scotland on Sunday/PA

Sarah Boseley Health editor

Wednesday 14 October 2015 10.02 EDT Last modified on Wednesday 14 October 2015 19.50 EDT

Pauline Cafferkey, the nurse who suffered complications from the Ebola infection she contracted while volunteering in west Africa, is now critically ill, the Royal Free hospital in London has said.
The announcement shocked medical experts. While it is recognised that the virus can linger in parts of the body after a patient has recovered, it has never before been known to trigger potentially lethal disease months after the initial illness.

Jonathan Ball, a professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said it was “frankly staggering”. He said: “I am not aware from the scientific literature of a case where Ebola has been associated with what we can only assume as life-threatening complications after someone has initially recovered, and certainly not so many months after.”

Cafferkey was flown from Glasgow, where she lives, to London for specialised care in the tented isolation facility at the Royal Free after she fell ill last week. She spent nearly a month in the facility in January. Her family said the local medical staff had been slow to realise her illness was triggered by the infection she had successfully fought last year.

The hospital said on Wednesday afternoon that her condition had deteriorated and that she was critically ill. It has not released further details of her illness.

“We are sad to announce that Pauline Cafferkey’s condition has deteriorated and she is now critically ill. Pauline is being treated for Ebola in the high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free hospital,” a statement said.

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Biological Hazard - Nigeria, State of Cross River, Calabar : Ebola-like symptoms, death

md-health.com

Vanderbilt.edu
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October 09 2015 11:50 AM

Biological Hazard

Nigeria

State of Cross River, Calabar

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RSOE EDIS  Event Report

Biological Hazard in Nigeria on Friday, 09 October, 2015 at 11:50 (11:50 AM) UTC.

Description
The Accident and Emergency ward of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) has been shut following the death of a patient with Ebola-like symptoms. Besides, 10 people have been quarantined in Calabar, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) tweeted yesterday. The Federal Government has dispatched a team to Calabar to ascertain the Ebola scare in the Cross River State capital. The federal and the Cross River State government have dismissed the Ebola link to the case. According to the Director of the National Centre for Disease control (NCDC) Prof. Abdulsalam Nasidi, the government is awaiting the result of the laboratory investigation but it believed the patient died of hemorrhagic fever. Nasidi also assured Nigerians that there was nothing to fear as measures have been taken to protect the people and including those who might have had contact with the patient The state government said it was awaiting results of blood samples of the patient, who died with symptoms of viral haemorrhagic fever. Dr Sunday Omini, Director of Public Health in the state Ministry of Health, said: "We are aware of the situation and we have got preliminary reports from the hospital, and we are all awaiting the result of the blood samples. "But, judging from the information I have received so far, I am 90 per cent sure that it is not Ebola. "'However, we are on top of the situation; there is no cause for alarm,'' he said. The management of UCTH said it had informed the NCDC, the Federal Ministry of Health and the state government about the development. A statement by Dr Queenet Kalu, Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAG), on behalf of the Medical Director of the hospital, said the public would be informed as soon as results of the blood samples are released, adding that the hospital management had quarantined those identified to have had contacts with the patient. "Further information will be made available as soon as we receive the results of the samples sent for analysis,'' the statement said. Nigeria had its first dose of Ebola disease on July 20, 2014 when Liberian Patrick Sawyer, sneaked into the country after been afflicted with the deadly disease. But the country's medical team rose up to the occasion to curtail its spread with minimal casualty.
Biohazard name:	Ebola-like symptoms death
Biohazard level:	4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:	Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:
Status:	suspected

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Public Emergency Declared Over Elevated Lead Levels In Flint's Water

It's not the water supply. It's the plumbing.

By COREY WILLIAMS

Posted: 10/02/2015 11:35 AM EDT

ASSOCIATED PRESS In this Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015 photo, Genetha Campbell carries free water being distributed at the Lincoln Park United Methodist Church in Flint, Mich, Since the financially struggling city broke away from the Detroit water system last year, residents have been unhappy with the smell, taste and appearance of water from the city’s river as they await the completion of a pipe to Lake Huron. They also have raised health concerns, reporting rashes, hair loss and other problems. A General Motors plant stopped using the water, saying it was rusting its parts. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

DETROIT (AP) -- A public health emergency has been declared in cash-strapped Flint after tests showed the Michigan city's water supply is causing elevated levels of lead in children and following months of complaints about the smell and taste. Gov. Rick Snyder this week questioned the switch to the Flint River from the Detroit water system in 2014, a decision that was made as a cost-saving move while a new regional pipeline is built to Lake Huron. And on Thursday, the Genesee County health department declared a public health emergency, recommending that people not drink the water unless it has been filtered and tested to rule out elevated levels of lead. More steps will be announced Friday. The problem: Although the river water is treated, it is corrosive and releasing lead from old plumbing in thousands of homes. A coalition of residents and national groups petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to order the state to reconnect Flint to Detroit water. Read More Here

A Record Number of Mexico-Based Seals Are Washing Up Dead in California

Guadalupe fur seal

..............................................................................

October 2, 2015

The threatened Guadalupe fur seal could be the latest victim of the unusually warm waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Oct 1, 2015

Taylor Hill

is an associate editor at TakePart covering environment and wildlife.

The threatened Guadalupe fur seal is getting stranded on California’s coastline in record numbers, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Total number of Guadalupe fur seal strandings in California. (Chart: Courtesy NOAA)

The marine mammals typically spend their time off Mexico’s coast, but at least 80 of the pinnipeds have ended up on California’s shore emaciated, dehydrated, or dead. That’s a rate eight times higher than what’s documented in a typical year.

Of the 80 fur seals, 42 were found dead, and only 16 of the 38 found alive survived.
The unprecedented occurrence has led NOAA to declare an unusual mortality event for the seals, meaning its scientists will devote more time to studying the species, and more samples from rescued animals will be evaluated.

The fur seal’s struggles come during the same year that a record 3,500 California sea lions have washed ashore along California’s coast.

Read More Here

Biological Hazard : Iraq , Capital City, Baghdad - Cholera Outbreak

 

Photo via

9/21/2015 10:53:12 AM

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RSOE EDIS Event Report

Biological Hazard

Iraq

Capital City, Baghdad

.........

Biological Hazard in Iraq on Monday, 21 September, 2015 at 02:36 (02:36 AM) UTC.

Description A Baghdad official on Sunday said cholera cases in the area of Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad are on the rise. "Suspected cholera caused the death of four women and 48 cases were diagnosed with the illness across the country," the Iraqi Ministry of Health said. "There are, so far, 141 suspected cholera cases, including 37 cases diagnosed with the illness in Abu Ghraib, all of them are currently under treatment in the town's hospital," Osman Almaadidi, mayor of Abu Ghraib town, told Anadolu Agency. "The lack of pure drinking water in Abu Ghraib caused the outbreak." Meanwile, Qutaiba al-Jubouri, a member of the Iraqi parliament's health and environment committee, on Sunday called on the government to declare a state of emergency in the country because of the growing number of cases. "This deadly epidemic requires the government to declare a state of emergency and to take all necessary measures to contain its outbreak as soon as possible," Jubouri said, appealing to the World Health Organization, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to help the Iraqi government fight the outbreak. This is the third cholera outbreak in Iraq in less than eight years, according to a WHO report. Biohazard name: Cholera (outbreak) Biohazard level: 2/4 Medium Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. "Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures", see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents. Symptoms: Status: suspected

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Biological Hazard - Nepal, Central Region, Rautahat : Cholera

Earth Watch Report  -  Biological Hazards

Scanning electron microscope image of Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which infect the digestive system.
Zeiss DSM 962 SEM
T.J. Kirn, M.J. Lafferty, C.M.P Sandoe and R.K. Taylor, 2000, "Delineation of pilin domains required for bacterial association into microcolonies and intestinal colonization", Molecular Microbiology, Vol. 35(4):896-910
Ronald Taylor, Tom Kirn, Louisa Howard
Source: http://remf.dartmouth.edu/images/bacteriaSEM/source/1.html
Wikimedia.org

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Biological Hazard

Nepal

Central Region, Rautahat

.....

RSOE EDIS

Biological Hazard in Nepal on Thursday, 15 May, 2014 at 17:58 (05:58 PM) UTC.

Description Sample test of stool of patients thought to be suffering from diarrhea in Rautahat district has confirmed the disease to be deadly cholera instead. After the District Health Office failed to do anything about the fast spreading problem in the region, a special team of doctors had been deployed to identify the illness. National Public Health Laboratory has confirmed the disease as cholera. People had started to fall sick with the symptoms of diarrhea since the past four weeks in Gaidatar village of Rautahat. A team of four doctors led by Dr Pranil Man Singh Pradhan had taken stool sample of the patients three weeks ago, result of which was revealed on Thursday. The team was deployed by the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division and Patan Health- Science Academy. According to Dr Subash Chaudhary of the District Health Office, doctors had taken stool of seven people for sample test. "It has been confirmed that that was not diarrhea but cholera," he said. In the village, 435 people have been complaining about gastroenteritis complications over the recent weeks. Govinda Timilsina, operator of a local 'Timilsina Clinic' in Rautahat said that the disease in spreading fast despite efforts made to control it. "Ten new patients were added only on Thursday," he said. On Thursday, Maya Bal, Kajiman Waiba and Rakesh Kachhadiya, among others were given saline drip and few have been provided with medicine, Timilsina informed. Last time, cholera was detected in the village five years ago, and it has claimed life of two and affected over hundred people. Locals are enraged that the government has not taken it much seriously even when over 400 people have already been affected this time. Moreover, a government team led by Duryadhan Chandra Banshi, which was sent out for inspection of the situation has earlier reported that the disease is already coming under control. According to Chaudhary, contaminated drinking water is the foremost reason for the spread of the deadly disease. "The drying up of rivers and destruction of Chure ecosystem have contributed to the pollution and unhealthy environment," he added. Biohazard name: Cholera Outbreak Biohazard level: 2/4 Medium Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. "Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures", see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents. Symptoms: Status: confirmed

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Cholera Claims one life in Rautahat, dozens affected

Diarrhoea claims one in Rautahat

Added At:  2014-05-19 8:44 AM

Last Updated At: 2014-05-19 10:49 AM

THT Online/File

In this file photo a diarrhoea patient is undergoing treatment at Chandranigahapur Hospital, Rautahat.

PRABHAT KUMAR JHA

RAUTAHAT: Diarrhea claimed life of a child at Gaidatar VDC here on Sunday.
The deceased has been identified as Mohisang Maya Sitan. Mohisang who was suffering from diarrhea died as she could not get proper medical treatment, her family members said.

Read More Here
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Related articles

• Diarrhoea claims one in Rautahat

Saudi Arabia has reported five new deaths from the MERS respiratory virus,

Saudi Arabia reports five new MERS deaths

May 18, 2014 09:19 AM 

Particles of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus that emerged in 2012 are seen in an undated colorized transmission electron micrograph from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). REUTERS/National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases/Handout via Reuters
...

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has reported five new deaths from the MERS respiratory virus, bringing the death toll in the world's worst-hit country to 168.
In its latest tally, issued Saturday, the Health Ministry said the total number of infections in the kingdom from the coronavirus since it first appeared in 2012 now stood at 529 people.
Among the latest fatalities were two men aged 67 and 55 and an 80-year-old woman in Jeddah, the port city where a spate of cases among staff at King Fahd Hospital last month led to the dismissal of its director and the health minister.
In addition, a 71-year-old man and another aged 77 died in Riyadh and Medina respectively, the ministry website reported.

Read More Here
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Al Jazeera

Saudi Arabia records more MERS deaths

Three more people die from coronavirus, days after an emergency WHO committee called on countries to improve prevention.

Last updated: 17 May 2014 10:16

The World Health Organisation called for better prevention measures [AFP]

Health authorities in Saudi Arabia have reported three more fatalities from the MERS respiratory virus, taking the death toll in the world's worst-hit country to 163.

The health ministry website also revealed on Saturday that 520 cases have been recorded in the country since MERS appeared in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

It said three women died on Friday; a 48-year-old in Riyadh, a 67-year-old in Taif, and woman in Jeddah whose age was not disclosed.

A spate of cases among staff at King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah last month sparked public panic and the dismissal of its director and the health minister.

Other nations including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, the UAE and the US have also recorded cases, mostly in people who had been to Saudi Arabia.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation said its emergency committee, which includes global medical and policy experts, had flagged mounting concerns about the potentially fatal virus.

Read More Here

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• Saudi Arabia reports five new MERS deaths
• Saudi MERS death toll rises to 163
• Saudi Arabia: Five genera of MERS found in Kingdom
• Another 10 Cases Of MERS Found In Saudi Arabia
• Saudi reports five new MERS deaths

Biological Hazard - United Kingdom, Capital City, London [Heathrow Airport] : MERS-CoV ( Novel Corona Virus)

Earth Watch Report  -  Biological Hazards

Transmission electron micrograph of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Wikimedia .org
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Biological Hazard

United Kingdom

Capital City, London [Heathrow Airport]

.....

RSOE EDIS

Biological Hazard in United Kingdom on Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 at 12:10 (12:10 PM) UTC.

Description A second passenger who travelled through Heathrow Airport been diagnosed with a potentially fatal Sars-style virus. The latest case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, MERS-CoV, involves a person flying from Jeddah to America via London. The passenger, who travelled on Saudi Airlines flight 113 on Thursday, May 1, tested positive for the virus after arriving in the US. It follows a similar case involving a passenger who travelled from Riyadh to Chicago and transferred in London on Thursday, April 24. Checks on other passengers on the flight have proved negative, according to Public Health England. Tourists travelling to the Middle East, especially those with chronic medical conditions, are being urged to avoid contact with camels as experts believe they may help to transmit the virus. PHE say the incubation period is around 14 days, but stress the risk of transmission is extremely low. The new type of coronavirus was first identified in a Middle Eastern patient in 2012. According to World Health Organisation figures, 111 people have tested positive in the Jeddah area of Saudi Arabia in the last two years - resulting in 31 deaths. Worldwide the number of cases is thought to be 401, with 93 fatalities. Three people have died in the UK as a result of the infection. PHE said the last case to be detected was in February 2013. Other cases have also been reported in France, Germany, Italy and Greece, across the Middle East in Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman and in other countries such as Malaysia, Philippines and Tunisia. Professor Nick Phin, head of respiratory diseases for Public Health England, said: "As with the incident earlier this month, the risk is very low. “We will be following up with any UK passengers who were sitting in the vicinity of the passenger with MERS-CoV, as a precautionary measure. "Any UK-based travellers who become unwell with a fever, cough or shortness of breath within 14 days of being in the Middle East, should make sure they call their doctor and tell them where they have travelled. "Although the source of MERS-CoV is unknown, there is growing evidence of the possible role of camels in transmitting it to humans. "We advise travellers, particularly those with underlying or chronic medical conditions, to avoid contact with camels in the Middle East. "All travellers should practise good hand and respiratory hygiene to reduce the risk of respiratory illness." Biohazard name: MERS-COv (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)) Biohazard level: 4/4 Hazardous Biohazard desc.: Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release. Symptoms: Status: confirmed

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• The Telegraph

Second MERS case detected in passenger flying through London

The deadly MERS virus has been diagnosed in two air passengers passed through London in transit in a matter of weeks

A worker wears a mask next to camels in Saudi Arabia. There is growing evidence of the possible role of camels in transmitting MERS-CoV to humans Photo: AFP/GETTY

By Hayley Dixon

8:37PM BST 12 May 2014

A second case of the deadly MERS virus has been diagnosed on a flight through London.

The passenger was flying from Jeddah to the USA and transiting through Heathrow exactly one week after a person flying from Riyadh to Chicago who stopped at the London airport was found to have the new deadly respiratory virus that has spread through the Middle East.

The risk to anyone on the Saudi Airlines flight 113 on May 1 is thought to be low, but Public Health England warn anyone who has have since become unwell or experienced respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath, to seek medical advice.

No other passenger on the April 24 British Airways flight 262 from Riyadh to London was found to have contracted Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

Experts say the risk to fellow travellers is low as although the mortality rate from the disease is high, it is not easily spread between humans.

Read More Here
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• Second Heathrow Mers case identified
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