Month: January 2022

Five people died of rabies in the U.S. in 2021, three of them within a five-week period in the fall, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This follows two years of zero rabies cases reported in the U.S. and is the highest number reported per year in over a decade, according to the CDC. The three cases, including one child, were all exposed to bats in or around their homes between Sept. 28 and Nov. 3, and none of them sought out post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a series of vaccines vital for preventing rabies after exposure. Rabies deaths in the U.S. are rare, with typically one to three cases reported annually. But the recent uptick prompted the CDC to raise awareness about the risks of the fatal disease. Since the number of rabid bats...

WEST NORRITON TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Montgomery County Department of Public Health on Friday released the name of the Italian restaurant possibly linked to a deadly Hepatitis A outbreak. Gino's Ristorante & Pizzeria in West Norriton will be closed until further notice while the investigation continues, officials said. Health officials said 11 total cases are under investigation, with nine confirmed cases of Hepatitis A and two potential cases. Of the nine confirmed cases, seven people were hospitalized. To date, one death is confirmed and one additional death is under investigation. The front window of Gino's now has a yellow sign that states the establishment is closed by the Montgomery County Department of Health. "This can be a deadly disease but it's extremely rare wit...

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Health officials in Orange County confirmed its third COVID-related pediatric death. According to an update issued by the OC Health Care Agency on Thursday, the child was younger than 5, though they did not say whether the child was a boy or a girl. Health officials also didn't say when the child died. "We have lost another precious young life to this terrible virus; it is our third pediatric death in Orange County since the start of the pandemic," said HCA Director and County Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau. "This is yet another somber reminder that we must continue to do everything we can to protect our loved ones, especially our little ones under 5 years of age who are not able to be vaccinated." Meanwhile, hospitalizations have eclipsed the peak of the fir...

Five people in the United States died from rabies last year, the highest number in a decade, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. Three of those deaths, including that of a 7-year-old child, involved direct contact with bats and occurred over a five-week period starting in late September. The deaths occurred in Idaho, Illinois and Texas, and all three people experienced symptoms three to seven weeks after contact with bats. They died two to three weeks after symptoms began, according to a C.D.C. report. Rabies is caused by a virus that is usually transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal through a bite. It has one of the highest mortality rates of any disease, but death is preventable: Vaccines taken before symptoms appear are nearly 100 percent eff...

After this omicron wave subsides, he suggests, so many people would have some level of immunity to the virus that it would not subsequently deliver the same level of pain and suffering. In an interview, he said that in the past he would have submitted his thoughts to a peer-reviewed journal, a process that probably would have taken three months. In this health emergency, he went straight to Twitter.