EBOLA’S BACK! OUTBREAK ALERT After 21 Cases And 17 Deaths Reported In Last 5 Weeks

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been alerted to an outbreak of Ebola.  In the past five weeks, there have been 21 cases of the infection reported, and 17 of those are now deceased.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo declared the outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, a rare and deadly disease, on Tuesday, the World Health Organization reported.  The declaration of an outbreak came after laboratory results confirmed two cases of the disease in the province of Bikoro in the northwestern part of the country. Bikoro is situated on the shores of Lake Tumba near the border with the Republic of the Congo. The new cases were reported from a small health facility about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Bikoro.

The average case fatality rate for Ebola hemorrhagic fever is around 50%. The deadly virus most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees) and is caused by one of five Ebola viruses.

“We will gather more samples, conduct contact tracing, engage the communities with messages on prevention and control, and put in place methods for improving data collection and sharing,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s regional director for Africa. “WHO will work closely with health authorities and partners to support the national response.”

Upon learning of the confirmed cases, the WHO alerted neighboring countries and set up its Incident Management System to fully dedicate staff and resources to the response. A government statement released Tuesday stated that the Ministry of Health has “taken all necessary measures to respond promptly and effectively to this new epidemic of Ebola in the DRC’s national territory.”

Unfortunately, the DRC has a history with the Ebola virus. This is its ninth outbreak of Ebola virus disease since the discovery of the virus in the country in 1976. The last outbreak, in 2017, was quickly contained.  There are hopes that a quick response will all see this recent outbreak contained rapidly as well. WHO has also released $1 million from a contingency fund to support its activities in the containment efforts of this outbreak for the next three months.

Speaking on behalf of the Democratic Republic of Congo Minister of Health, Lambert Matuku, the Minister of State and Labor, said, it is “a worrisome sanitary situation.”

Tropical Dengue Fever Could Now Be Transmitted Not Just By Mosquito Bite

Tropical dengue fever is most often spread through the bite of a mosquito, but scientists recently discovered the disease elsewhere. Dengue is usually transmitted by biting insects or in some medical procedures, but now it’s feared it can be sexually transmitted.

An estimated 390 million dengue infections occur worldwide each year, with about 96 million resulting in illness. Symptoms include a sudden onset of fever, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, and joint and muscle pain.

There is currently no cure for the virus and it is most commonly caught by people traveling to hotter climates such as southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, and South and Central America.  Previously it was believed that the virus was normally transmitted through a biting insect such as a mosquito or a tick, although some medical procedures and breastfeeding could also spread the virus. But scientists have now, for the first time, found the virus in the semen of a recovered Italian man.

The study, published in journal Eurosurveillance, documented the case of an Italian man in his 50’s diagnosed with dengue fever after returning from Thailand in January. The man was otherwise healthy but suffered from joint pain, fatigue, and nausea during the illness. He was admitted to the National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome after feeling ill for nine days.

Researchers reported that this has never happened before, according to The Daily Mail.   “To our knowledge, the presence and persistence of DENV [dengue fever] in the male genital tract has never been reported so far. Our findings highlight the possibility of sexual transmission of DENV that could play a role in the spreading of infection in non-endemic areas,” they said.  “However, no such events have been reported to date despite that fact that in 2016 alone, 2,601 travel-associated dengue cases were reported to The European Surveillance System at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.”

Scientists did say that further studies were needed to assess this new information and the possible new way for the dengue virus to spread.   The best way for travelers to protect themselves from the dengue fever is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes by covering up with loose clothing and using a mosquito repellent. Dengue fever outbreaks are usually spread when people are bitten by mosquitoes that have bitten other people with the fever. They are not uncommon in popular tourist destinations and there was an outbreak in North Queensland in Australia last month, and in the Canary Islands in December.

Ebola vaccine is a fear-driven product, global health professor warns

(INTELLIHUB) — One university study shows that more than 50% of people are people willing to pay for an Ebola vaccine after the 2014 West African outbreak was highly publicized by western media causing a contagion scare.

A recent piece published by EurekAlert gives the details:

George Mason University researchers conducted a study during the height of the epidemic and found that a majority of participants (59.7 percent) would pay at least $1 for an Ebola Vaccine. Those who were willing to pay at least $1 had typically traveled internationally in the last 12 months, were interested in getting an Ebola vaccine, and believed that the U.S. government should spend money to control Ebola and assume worldwide leadership in confronting emerging epidemics.

The nationally representative survey of U.S. adults was published in January in Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics. It included questions on Ebola-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors as well as background information (e.g., demographics, international travel) to test for indicators of willingness to pay for a vaccine.

Dr. Julia Painter, an assistant professor in Mason’s Department of Global and Community Health (GCH) led the study with support from assistant professor Dr. Michael von Fricken; graduate student Suyane Viana de O. Mesquita (now an alumna of the Master of Public Health program); and professor Dr. Ralph J. DiClemente from Emory University.

“We believe this is the first study to assess willingness to pay for an Ebola vaccine in the United States,” Painter explains. “This is important because previous studies conducted in West Africa are not generalizable to the U.S. population. Once developed, a licensed vaccine against Ebola “We were unsure of what to expect. The actual risk of Ebola infection among the general U.S. population was low, which could have led to lack of willingness so spend money on a vaccine. On the other hand, the outbreak garnered extensive media coverage, leading to a national contagion of fear. This fear could have driven people to be willing to pay for a vaccine.”

The professor’s statements are profound and will likely one day become a reality.

Will the powers-that-be release the Ebola virus onto the U.S. populace in order to sell hundreds-of-millions of vaccines?

Will the powers-that-be release the #EbolaVirus onto the U.S. populace in order to sell hundreds-of-millions of vaccines? #contagion

— Intellihub (@intellihubnews) March 12, 2018

Please take the poll, comment below, and share!

Related Tweet:

It"s manmade! https://t.co/ZTQeBfnalZ pic.twitter.com/Y5gwtlVA1z

— Aldo Raine (MAGAforce) (@Tabertronic) March 11, 2018

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Military industrial complex prepares mass graves for U.S. citizens

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Shepard Ambellas is an opinion journalist, analyst, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Intellihub News & Politics (Intellihub.com). Shepard is also known for producing Shade: The Motion Picture (2013) and appearing on Travel Channel’s America Declassified (2013). Shepard is a regular contributor to Infowars. Shepard is the leading journalist covering the Las Vegas Massacre, logging over 1100+ hours, 160+ reports, during his ongoing investigation. Read more from Shep’s World. Follow Shep on Facebook. Subscribe to Shep’s YouTube channel.

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OUTBREAK ALERT: Yellow Fever Death Toll Triples In Brazil

The yellow fever outbreak in Brazil has taken a backseat to the flu outbreak spreading globally.  But, the death toll from yellow fever has now tripled and travelers are being warned.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday there are 35 confirmed cases of the disease, including a case confirmed in the Netherlands for a traveler who had recently visited Sao Paulo state. Sao Paulo even closed its zoo and botanical gardens Tuesday as the yellow fever outbreak that has led to 70 deaths is picking up steam.

The big Inhotim art park, which attracts visitors from all over the world, also announced that all visitors would have to show proof of yellow fever vaccination to be allowed to enter. The park said the measure was preventative only and that so far, no case of yellow fever had been found there.

Yellow fever is a potentially life-threatening viral disease that is transmitted to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. Yellow fever is a very rare cause of illness in U.S. travelers. The degree of sickness ranges in severity from a self-limited febrile illness to severe liver disease with bleeding, and even death. The virus has killed 20 people since July.

Health officials have said the disease could quickly spread and become an epidemic in crowded areas, but immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci told Daily Mail Online that getting the yellow fever shot is the best way to prevent travel-related cases of yellow fever. Brazilians stood in lines for hours to get yellow fever vaccinations in the country’s largest states, including Sao Paulo, last week.

The WHO said 777 human cases of yellow fever had been reported in eight Brazilian states since December 2016 and that 261 people had died from the virus.  WHO officials said the confirmed cases of yellow fever are likely to have been contracted in areas where there have been yellow fever outbreaks among primates. “There is an ongoing threat of an outbreak related to the fact in non-human primates,” D. Fauci explained. “There is an ongoing reservoir of yellow fever.”

Cold or Flu? Here’s How to Tell (And Why You Need to Know)

You know the feeling. Your throat is dry. You feel tired, and perhaps a little stuffy. Then, a little cough starts, followed by that unmistakable taste in the mouth that screams “respiratory infection!” How do you know when that stuffy nose and scratchy cough is just a cold, and when it is something more serious, like influenza? Cold or flu? Here’s how to tell the difference.

Cold or Flu? What’s the big deal?

With the more virulent H3N2 influenza strain being widespread in almost every state in the US, it is so important to be able to tell the difference between the common cold and the flu. The H3N2 strain is a subtype of Influenza A that is particularly hard on less robust populations. This would include young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system, such as diabetics and cancer patients.

This year, H3N2 is proving deadly to healthy adults in addition to the more at-risk groups just mentioned. In my neck of the woods, this 51-year old mother of two died from complications to influenza. This sadness shocked her family, as she was generally healthy, and they all thought it was just a cold. A 21-year old fitness buff and a healthy 20-year old mom have also died from the flu.

While the flu can pose a potentially life-threatening risk to anyone, these are not your usual influenza death demographics. The fact that this is the 100-year anniversary of the “Spanish Flu” of 1918, which targeted healthy adults, is not lost on me either. The anniversary itself is not an indicator of a pandemic. But, it is a sobering reminder of how easily influenza can mutate.

To complicate matters, this year’s flu vaccine has proven less than effective at preventing infection. It is estimated that this year’s flu vaccine is only 10% effective at preventing the flu.  Influenza A strains are generally more serious than Influenza B or C strains and mutate more frequently. A higher rate of mutation means a greater chance our immune systems will be unprepared to fight it.

Cold or Flu? Here’s How to Tell

The tragedy is that most people who end up hospitalized or worse think they just have a bad cold. Both ailments start off with the same lousy, uncomfortable symptoms, so it can be hard to tell one from the other. They don’t realize the seriousness of their situation until it is too late.

When Is It a Cold?

The “common cold” is a group of over 200 different viruses that cause symptoms we call a “cold”. Approximately 40% of these are different strains of rhinovirus. Coronaviruses cause 20%. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RVS) and Human Parainfluenza (HPIV) cause another 10%. Finally, the remaining 30% are caused by unknown viruses.

A cold is typically less severe than the flu. A cold has less intense symptoms and has a shorter duration. Some of these symptoms include:

• A stuffy or runny nose (One or the other, generally not both)


• Sneezing


• Sore throat (mild to moderate)


• Cough


• Body aches


• Fatigue (mild to moderate)


• Fever somewhat common in children, generally absent in adults.


• Duration – three to four days, and up to a week in those with weak or compromised immune systems

When Is It the Flu?

Three types of influenza virus cause the flu: Influenza A, B, and C. Influenza C is typically not a severe illness, and may look like a moderate to bad cold. Influenza A and B, however, do cause serious illness in humans.

The flu is more serious than a cold due to the secondary, bacterial infections possible after the flu. Bronchitis and pneumonia are the most common of these secondary infections.

Common flu symptoms include:

• A stuffy and running nose at the same time.


• Sore throat (moderate to severe)


• Deep hacking cough, frequent, dry, and non-productive


• Severe body aches


• Severe fatigue


• Fever with chills common to both children and adults


• Duration – up to two weeks

Does Color Matter?

This is a little gross, but we need to talk a little bit about phlegm. Doctors always ask if the phlegm you cough up, assuming your coughs are productive, have any color to them. I had always been told that if it was clear, it was just a cold. If it were yellow or green, it was a bacterial infection, and I was given antibiotics. Unfortunately, that isn’t accurate.

In truth, the color of your phlegm is an indicator of how hard your immune system is working. The color is produced by a large concentration of infection-fighting white blood cells called neutrophils. Neutrophils have an enzyme that lends the green color. The color can be more noticeable because the mucus has become thick, and more concentrated.

The yellowish, green is an indicator that your immune system is really working hard. It is not a way to distinguish between a viral or bacterial infection. However, if you are seeing thick, yellow or green mucus, it is a good indicator that you have a serious infection and should get checked out ASAP.

When Is It Neither a Cold or Flu?

There are a few situations where symptoms may be similar to a cold or flu but are something else entirely. A sinus infection has the same congestion as most colds. Sinus infections are caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, nasal polyps, deviated septum, and allergic rhinitis.

Fungal lung infections are another possibility. While fungal respiratory infections are rare, if your illness has lasted over three weeks, it is time to consider if a fungal infection is to blame.

Bacterial infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia mentioned above, are usually secondary illnesses. They can, in some cases, be the primary infection. A good example of this is tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that shares many symptoms of influenza.

Seasonal allergies (ex. hayfever) and indoor allergies (ex. pet dander) can look and feel like a cold.

Making Sense of It All

When you start to feel sick, start assessing yourself. Ask yourself:

• Are my symptoms severe?


• Do I have difficulty regulating my body temperature because of fever or chills?


• Is my phlegm yellow or green?


• Do I have a deep, hacking cough (as opposed to a cough from post nasal drip, or a dry “tickle”)

If you answered yes to any of these, you are more likely to have influenza than the common cold.

Only a laboratory test can tell you definitively if you have influenza or not. Even then, most doctors do not test for the flu unless you ask for it. It will be recorded as an “Influenza-like illness”, or ILI. By paying attention to your symptoms early, however, you can spot a potentially dangerous infection early.

Here are some home remedies that can help relieve the symptoms, regardless of which ailment you have.

The post Cold or Flu? Here’s How to Tell (And Why You Need to Know) appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

OUTBREAK ALERT: ‘Eye Bleed Fever’ Kills 4 As Virus Sweeps Through Uganda

Panic is setting in after a nine-year-old girl died suddenly of “eye bleed fever” in Uganda.  This new virus is said to be even more dangerous than the “Black Death,” killing 40 percent of those who contract the disease, and four have died already.

East Africans are fearing this will be a health crisis of epic proportions.  Health officials rushed to put the body of the deceased girl in a bag and to decontaminate the home she lived in not long after the disease took her life. This particular illness, known as the “eye bleed fever” is said to be even more deadly than the horrific bubonic plague that ravaged Madagascar late last year. 

The feared outbreak comes only months after hundreds of people were killed by the plague in Madagascar in what was described as the worst bout in 50 years. The symptoms of this new disease include headaches, bleeding, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle pains, according to the Daily Star Sunday. The virus also leaves people bleeding from their eyes, mouth, and anus. Symptoms escalate when a person infected with the virus comes down with a fever, then begins vomiting blood.

This virus is thought to be spreading through South Sudan.

This viral disease was first identified in 1944 and more than 5,000 cases of the deadly bug have been reported worldwide since then.  The widespread disease is caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) and a total of 52 countries have reported a substantial number of cases each year. The disease has made its presence known in Russia, throughout the Mediterranean, northwestern China, central Asia, southern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.

Unlike the Black Death, which is a bacterial infection and can be effectively treated with antibiotics, “eye bleed fever” has no cure. So far, four people have died in the worsening outbreak in Uganda.  Health Chiefs continue to warn that the spread of this disease could be “catastrophic.” Around 60 people have now been infected in East Africa.

The viral disease is transmitted to humans through tick bites, or through contact with the blood of infected animals, especially during slaughter. Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with bodily fluids.

Authorities at the hospital said the body would be buried by health teams because of “sensitivity” about the disease spreading. The three victims in South Sudan, who died in late December, had no history of close contact and unlike the young girl who died, their burials were unsupervised.

FLU OUTBREAK: Dallas County Flu Deaths On The Rise, Now At 18

This year was projected to be a rather tough year for the flu. Coupled with this year’s ineffective vaccine, this season’s flu outbreak is shaping up to be one of the worst.

All of the patients who have succumbed to the flu in Dallas County have had other health conditions that complicated their body’s ability to fight off the virus. But that doesn’t change the fact that 18 people have now died. And it isn’t just Dallas that has struggled to fight this year’s flu. California is experiencing a medication shortage while the outbreak is taking lives in Oregon and Idaho as well.

“Older adults, individuals with chronic health conditions, pregnant women, young children and infants are more vulnerable to flu illness,” said Dr. Christopher Perkins, DCHHS health authority/medical director. “With influenza activity on the rise, individuals in these groups should take special precaution as we continue throughout the season.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the flu season nationwide is far worse than what they saw last year at this time. The virus is also affecting areas of Great Britain and Australia, which is complicating the outbreak when considering global travel.

Because of the number of patients with flu-like symptoms, Methodist Dallas Medical Center started rerouting some ambulance patients so it can care for those in emergency situations. “This measure is so we can still take care of emergency patients such as trauma, stroke and sexual assault,” the hospital said in a written statement Monday, noting that it is at critical capacity but not turning away patients.

MedStar, the ambulance provider that serves Fort Worth and 14 other Tarrant County cities, has taken more than 300 people likely suffering from the flu to area hospitals from November through January 5, spokesman Matt Zavadsky said.

Even though the flu shot doesn’t always prevent the flu, and can make one sicker in subsequent years, health and government officials still want you to pay for ineffective vaccine this year.

“As flu season escalates it’s important that all individuals take precautions to prevent and reduce the severity of the flu,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. “Prevention is truly the best medicine and it’s not too late to get your flu shot. If you have flu-like symptoms, please help protect yourself and others by staying home from work or school and calling your doctor as soon as possible to discuss anti-viral medication.”

Flu Outbreak: Medicine Shortages And A Rising Death Toll In California

A severe flu outbreak has struck California making the medicine used to treat the illness sparse, and filling emergency rooms with those suffering from the symptoms. The death toll is also rising rapidly as more and more people are succumbing to the virus.

According to the LA Times, health officials said Friday that 27 people younger than 65 have died of the flu in California since October, compared with three at the same time last year. Nationwide and in California, flu activity spiked sharply in late December and continues to grow. For example, the emergency room at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica typically treats about 140 patients a day, but at least one day this week had more than 200 patients mostly because of the flu, said the ER’s medical director, Dr. Wally Ghurabi. “The Northridge earthquake was the last time we saw over 200 patients,” Ghurabi said.

The flu season normally peaks in February, but experts claim that this year, it’s peaking early, and that’s why there have been so many flu victims.  The flu season is typically worst around February but can reach its height anytime from October to April. Though influenza had only killed three Californians at this time last year, it had taken 68 lives by the end of February, according to state data.

Many California doctors, however, maintain that the recent surge has been unusually severe. “Rates of influenza are even exceeding last year, and last year was one of the worst flu seasons in the last decade,” said Dr. Randy Bergen, clinical lead of the flu vaccine program for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California.

State health officials also said Friday that there was no region of the state where people were being spared from the flu. In Riverside and San Bernardino counties, ambulance services have been severely strained because of the number of flu calls coming in, local health officials said. “The ambulances have to wait … and if they’re waiting there, they can’t be out on calls,” said Jose Arballo Jr., spokesman for the Riverside County Department of Public Health.

Plus, emergency rooms are so crowded that ambulances arriving at hospitals can’t immediately unload their patients, so they’re unable to leave for incoming 911 calls.

Outbreak Alert: Hepatitis A Continues To Worsen In Michigan

More than 600 Hepatitis A cases have been reported in Southeast Michigan as the outbreak continues to ravage the communities. Public health officials are continuing to see these numbers elevate, and warn that it will continue to worsen as we approach the holidays.

According to Voice News, more than 80 percent of those who have contracted the highly contagious liver disease have required hospitalization. Another 20 people have died after becoming infected with the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that symptoms can be mild or severe depending on the health of the person who contracts the virus. The elderly and those with existing liver conditions are the most at risk. Those infected can be contagious for up to two weeks before showing any symptoms, which include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal and joint pain, yellowing of the skin, dark urine and light-colored stools.

The virus is spread through direct person-to-person contact, contaminated food and beverages, and illicit drug use. But this outbreak is difficult for health officials to contain since no common source of the outbreak has been identified, health officials said.  Washing your hands after going to the bathroom and before preparing meals for yourself and others, using your own towels, toothbrushes and eating utensils, and not sharing food and drinks with other people are all good ways to prevent the spread of the disease.

An increased number of hepatitis A cases has been seen in recent months. In the fall of 2016, possible hepatitis A exposure related to frozen strawberries that were recalled nationwide was identified at four locations in St. Clair County and one location in Macomb County. In May, a confirmed case was discovered at the St. Clair County Detention and Intervention Center in Port Huron.

In October, an employee at the Algonac Flaming Grill was found to have hepatitis A, leading local health officials to recommend vaccinations to those who ate at the restaurant between Oct. 6 and 20. The St. Clair County Health Department offered the vaccine at several recent walk-in clinics.

Food workers with the disease have the ability to infect a large number of people rapidly and are encouraged to get vaccinated.

The holidays also pose an increased risk of exposure to hepatitis A as families and friends come together to celebrate. –  Voice News

A national shortage of the vaccine has complicated efforts to contain outbreaks, but the St. Clair County Health Department reports an adequate local supply of the adult vaccine. Health officials state that the best way to prevent contraction of the hepatitis A virus is by getting two doses of the vaccine. Protection will begin two to four weeks after the first injection.  The second injection will offer protection for a longer period of time.

San Diego Continues Desperate Attempt To Control Hepatitis A Outbreak

San Diego is desperately trying to control a Hepatitis A outbreak brought on by the homeless problem plaguing the state of California. The city has now opened the first of three giant tents meant to contain the outbreak of the deadly virus.

The first of three industrial-sized tents to house the homeless as part of the city’s efforts to contain a hepatitis A outbreak.  The outbreak itself stems from the deplorable conditions people were living in on the streets – mainly, the fecal matter that is left from those who live on the street.  Of course, the government isn’t going to climb off the backs of their residents in California, instead, they will continue to raise taxes and create more homeless people while desperately and frantically trying to stop the problems that their overbearing government has caused.

About 20 people made their way to a bunk bed Friday in the tent that will house 350 single men and women. Two other giant tents will open later this month — one specifically for families and one for veterans. The tents will house a total of 700 people with an attempt to keep them from defecating on the street and spreading the Hepatitis A virus. 

More than 3000 people are homeless in San Diego, and risk contracting the disease which has killed 20 people so far.  The city had to divert $6.5 million budgeted for permanent housing to fund the operation of the tents for seven months. The tents will provide an array of services from mental health care to housing navigators. But the city still faces an acute housing shortage for the poor. Faulconer has earmarked more than $80 million in stolen (taxpayer) funds to address the problem. So the city wants to fix poverty by taking more from earners and creating more poverty.  Bravo, California.

Local residents are concerned that the homeless will simply bring their disease with them.  Gemma Librado lives a block away from the tent that opened Friday. Last Sunday, a homeless man high on drugs and with a bleeding hand ran into her apartment when she opened the door and locked himself in her bathroom. She and her 6-year-old son ran out of the apartment and called the police. The man broke things in her bathroom, left bloodstains on her floor, and scared her and her child. “If this makes things more orderly than I support this,” she said. “But I’m worried. I don’t want this to bring in more homeless to the area and people using drugs. There are families with children around here.”

 

Outbreak Alert: Hepatitis A Outbreak In Salt Lake City Expected To Last MONTHS

Salt Lake City, Utah is only one of three major cities in the United States experiencing a Hepatitis A outbreak. And now health officials are warning residents to protect themselves against infection, as the outbreak is expected to last for “months.”

There seems to be no end in sight for the cities grabbling with Hepatitis A outbreaks. Spurred by over-regulation and taxation, homelessness is now the norm in many US cities, Salt Lake City being no different. And Health officials in Utah now believe they could continue to see new cases of Hepatitis A for the next several months.

The first outbreak of Hep A began in back in May in San Diego, but Salt Lake City started to notice serious issues in August. Since then, at least 75 cases have been reported statewide. With at least 3-4 new cases being discovered each week. The normal amount of Hepatitis A cases is around 2-4 per year.

Nicholas Rupp of the Salt Lake County Health Department said one of the main contributors to the outbreak among those experiencing homelessness is a lack of access to hygiene needs. “Places to use the restroom, places to wash their hands, and those things all contribute to the transmission of Hepatitis A,” said Rupp. “Hepatitis A is not killed effectively by alcohol-based hand sanitizers,” said Rupp. “We always say hand sanitizers no matter what you’re trying to accomplish are not a substitute for hand washing.”

Hepatitis A is often spread because of fecal matter getting on someone’s hand. If a person does not wash their hands properly with warm soapy water, they can spread the infection to surfaces they touch. With temperatures dropping outdoor hand washing stations are not an option in Salt Lake City, and although many people often use hand sanitizers, as Rupp noted, it’s not always effective.

Salt Lake County hasn’t had to use bleach washes on the sidewalks just yet though like San Diego did. The 4th Street Clinic has also been suggesting vaccines and improved hand washing to all of their clients. Medical Director Dr. Michele Goldberg said patients are responding well. “Most people are totally for it,” said Dr. Goldberg. “They want to get a vaccine and would rather get a vaccine than be in the hospital.”

The clinic has given out more than 350 vaccines, and the state is helping other organizations distribute more. The reason the outbreak could take months to get under control is the virus’s long incubation period, which is about 28 days. It can take weeks or months to show symptoms and the virus has normally spread to others by then.

Dr. Goldberg knows they have a long way to go to stop the outbreak, but said their staff is going to remain vigilant in getting people the information and help they need. “You don’t lose the steam that you had initially,” said Dr. Goldberg. “Really just every patient that comes in the door, every medical accident says OK have they had their vaccines.”

San Diego Begins Bleaching Streets To Contain Outbreak Of Hepatitis A

Authored by Mac Slavo via SHTFplan.com,

A Hepatitis A outbreak has killed 16 people in the southern California city of San Diego. In order to combat the disease, the city has literally begun spraying the streets with bleach.

An article by NPR said that the Hepatitis A was first identified in the area in early March, according to the county, and declared a public health emergency earlier this month. Nearly 400 people have been infected with the disease.

The majority of those sickened by this viral infection outbreak have been homeless people. A letter from San Diego County health officials stated that hepatitis A is being spread through contact with a “fecally contaminated environment” as well as person-to-person transmission. A big part of the problem is an apparent lack of public restrooms in areas where the homeless population congregates.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious viral infection, which can prove fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the virus attacks the liver. Adequate personal hygiene and sanitation can help prevent the spread of the virus.

On August 31, the county issued a directive which has forced the city to wash the streets and expand public restroom access, adding that “failure to immediately follow this directive will endanger public health and safety.” Last Friday, the city agreed to the orders and began bleaching the streets on Monday.

According to NPR, the process is lengthy and must be repeated every two weeks to combat the outbreak.

The procedure, as prescribed by the county, involves first spraying down hazardous items such as human waste or needles, waiting 10 minutes, removing the contaminated items, then spraying the area again with bleach. After that, it calls for pressure-washing the area with water.

It is set to be repeated every two weeks, with weekly “spot maintenance,” according to county guidelines. –NPR

Contractors started spraying down certain areas on Monday with a diluted household bleach solution. They continued spraying bleach Wednesday, and are set to hit the final zone of downtown San Diego by Friday, according to a city spokesperson.

Mike Saag, a professor of medicine at the University of Alabama, Birmingham focusing on infectious diseases, told NPR that he finds San Diego’s street washing approach reasonable for stemming the spread of hepatitis A. “If there’s a sanitation problem, then the thing to do is clean up the area, and bleach is probably the best disinfectant that we have for this type of viral infection,” Saag said. He added that “once hepatitis A starts to be transmitted in a community like this, it’s kind of hard to stop.” He also recommends getting everyone the vaccine for the virus. But he also admits that that could be an uphill battle since most of those at risk for contracting the disease because of this outbreak live on the streets. “The issue is getting people, especially those who might be living on the street, into care and getting the series [of shots],” Saag adds.

There have been more than 250 mass vaccination events, and nurses have been deployed to areas which have a large homeless population, according to the county. Dozens of hand-washing stations have been installed, with more on the way. But this all began with the city’s skyrocketing poverty and homelessness.

The number of people living on the streets downtown is up some 27 percent to nearly 1,300, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. It’s particularly visible in the 104% increase in the number of tents and hand-built structures, the newspaper adds.

A lack of affordable housing is contributing to the problem and the continual raising of taxes makes it harder on those already struggling financially.

“Seventy-seven percent of unsheltered people said they became homeless in San Diego,” the Union-Tribune reports.

Councilwoman Lorie Zapf recently told member station KPBS that she is concerned about the amount of waste in her area as a result of illegal encampments of homeless people.

 “I went down there myself in July and what I saw with my own eyes was an insane amount of trash,” Zapf said.

“I saw human feces, meth cookers, syringes, stolen property — and all of this will flow right to the ocean if it is not cleaned up, and it will spread hepatitis A virus.”

Scientists Model Spread of Zombie Apocalypse: “Just 100 Survivors Remain Uninfected After 100 Days”

The future tends towards the path of greatest destruction, perhaps, because the system has been set up for such a fall.

It has indeed been rigged to extract wealth from the body politic. The people have been squashed down economically into revolutionary masses, and as the system is cracking apart, and all the corruption is spilling over at the centers, out in the mainland, the people have become easily provoked, yet quick to follow and slow question the reality of what is going on.

One way or another, society is being ‘shocked’ and then goaded into submission by a succession of catastrophes, terror events and dismal news stories. Only a relative few would be prepared to avoid the worst of the crisis, and outlive whatever may spread through fear and desperation.

Unsurprisingly, it seems to be an almost-real possibility that a wave of humanity could be zombified by the creeping malaise of collapse, or an outbreak caused by biological warfare, mishaps in lab research, a mutation in vaccines or some other derivative cause of our own doing…

Apparently, the possibility is real enough that scientists have calculated and modeled the frightening rapidity with which humanity would be culled by such a disaster. And for that matter, you could add an EMP, a massive seismic event, or even a hacking event.

Humans have become very fragile, and vulnerable to devoured by their own kind.

According to the Daily Mail:

Zombies could exterminate humanity in less than six months, according to recent research.

Researchers developed a complex new formula which calculates that 100 days into a zombie outbreak, just over 100 survivors will be left uninfected.

And within six months, these stragglers will also die or become zombies themselves.

Students at Leicester University … developed a mathematical model for disease that predicts how an infection will spread through a population over time. It predicts the rate at which infections spread and die off as humans come into contact with one another.

In their model, for instance, they did not account for humans killing zombies.

Could a global pandemic of epic proportions descend upon humanity? It seems that there are all too many scenarios where this could indeed occur, and there are clearly preparations for it.

The CDC, Homeland Security, FEMA, the Pentagon and other agencies have all used simulated zombie outbreaks to model their emergency responses.

Though the scenarios themselves are fictional, the plans to seize hard power via martial law is no joke:

Military planners assigned to the U.S. Strategic Command … looked for a creative way to devise a planning document to protect citizens in the event of an attack of any kind.The officers used zombies as their muse.

[…]

“Given the rapidity at which zombie outbreaks spread, decisive, overwhelming, and possibly unilateral military force may be required to negate the zombie threat.”

“Given the likelihood of an all out threat to ‘human survival’, it is likely that this plan will be executed with a declaration of martial law with CONUS and U.S. territories. (source)

Though there are a few particulars that are best left to Hollywood, the basics of preparing to survive if/when all of the population becomes a danger is solid enough to go on – and would generally apply to nearly any major crisis.

A UK researcher found that a decent number of people are relatively prepared for basic survival and basic medical responses, but would be inadequately prepared to rebuild society after the crisis has passed – for the few who made it, as the Daily Mail notes:

People were reasonably confident that they could handle basic first aid if disaster were to strike, with 68 per cent rating themselves as average to good, but just over half (53 per cent) thought that they had the skills to grow crops or rear animals. 

While food, medical supplies and mobiles phones were top of the list for a survival pack…

Professor Lewis Dartnell, a UK Space Agency research fellow based at the University of Kent, advised that a survival bag should contain: ‘a fire-starting kit, water bottle, small knife, rope and food’… only 22 per cent thought to include matches in their survival kit, while only 10 per cent would take a bottle, which could be used to disinfect water.

‘Clearly we shouldn’t be worrying twenty four seven about a potential apocalypse but it’s interesting to take a snap shot of where we are now and how we’d fare – individually and as a society,’ said Professor Dartnell. “People’s survival instincts are strong but without a greater focus on STEM skills, the speed at which we’d return to ‘society as we know it’ would be seriously impeded.”

For those who manage to survive the apocalypse and wish to start re-building society, the research scientist and author says that ‘electricity, soap, charcoal, a lathe to craft things with, and glass’ are the most important things to make.

Here’s one recommendations for the kind of weapons and equipment you may need. Remember, staying warm and covering the basics is just as important as any fighting force that you may stock up on:

Zombie Apocalypse Survival Kit

“Zombie Preppers” was even turned into a Discovery Channel episode – though it is questionable if it encourages prepping, or seeks to ridicule it once again.

Nonetheless, it’s theme is: “Zombies are real, they’re just not what you think they are.”

In other words, society is poised to unravel during widespread collapse and unrest, so you should be ready if you don’t want to be dragged down with them.

The bottom line is, only a few people are going to survive a disaster this big. Are you one of them?

Read more:

The Prepper’s Blueprint: How To Survive Anything… Even Zombies

The Pentagon’s Counter-Zombie Martial Law Plan: ‘Concentrate Firepower to the Head’

The Walking Dead: 7 Mistakes That Would Get Somebody Killed in a Real Zombie Apocalypse

How to Prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse

What Do You Prep For: The Zombie Apocalypse: “Assume The Just In Time Infrastructure That Supplies Our Society Breaks Down”