Pentagon to Offer Plan to Store Eggs and Sperm to Retain
Young Troops - NYTimes.com
Zika virus:
this story is growing -- I'm seeing news about it every day. It will be more connected to our course when we talk about research in week 8.
*new 7 Feb* Microcephaly, Spotlighted by Zika Virus, Has Long
Afflicted and Mystified - NYTimes.com
You nurses especially will appreciate this story about how and who figured out what was going on.
*new 2 Feb* Zika Virus a Global Health Emergency, W.H.O. Says -
NYTimes.com
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/02/02/health/zika-virus-world-health-organization.html?emc=edit_th_20160202&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=25414714&_r=0&referer*new 9 Feb* Here's a update/solicitation from Partners in Health, a global medical relief organization
Dear Catherine,
Last spring, the Zika virus arrived in Brazil and quickly reached epidemic proportions. Now it's spreading north—first striking Haiti last month.
My colleagues in Haiti have reached out to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to form a plan for the people we serve—especially pregnant women, whose babies risk devastating birth defects from this mosquito-borne disease.
I hope you'll take a moment now to read more about the Zika virus—and how PIH plans to respond.
Every year, we care for 32,000 expectant mothers in Haiti's lush Artibonite district and Central Plateau.
These pregnant women face particular danger, as Zika is potentially linked to babies born with very small heads and underdeveloped brains—a condition known as microcephaly.
With your partnership, we'll work to educate the people we serve about the Zika virus, equip families with potent bug repellent, and ramp up family planning services—so every woman can prevent pregnancy while Zika afflicts her home.
We're also connecting people with the care they need across the large network of PIH-supported hospitals and health centers across Haiti—whether for complications of Zika or prenatal screenings to help ensure a healthy pregnancy.
Please read more about the Zika virus here:
http://act.pih.org/zika
In solidarity,
Joia
Dr. Joia Mukherjee
Chief Medical Officer
Partners In Health
Flint's Water
*new 9Feb* As Flint Fought to Be Heard, Virginia Tech Team Sounded
Alarm - NYTimes.com
When the Water Turned Brown - NYTimes.com
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/us/when-the-water-turned-brown.html?emc=edit_th_20160124&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=25414714&referer=
I've followed a few stories on this Flint, Michigan water crisis, and we touched base on it again last night in Nursing class. I'm flabbergasted and in disbelief. I know the officials said they had no idea of the possible health implications, but I wonder just how clueless they really were??? I also wonder where those who voted yes on it live, and where their water supply comes from? Did they feel comfortable enough to ever drink the water in Flint before the studies come out. I think we could possible just their true intentions and just how valid their claim they had no idea is by evaluating their actions once the study was presented and revealed such shocking, critical results. Instead of having concern and wanting to assess, they immediately tried to discredit it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Its easy to act clueless when there are so many negative effects from their decision. Clueless, misinformed, or negligence. Im sure the ones making the call were not drinking the water!
DeleteIt truly does make you wonder doesn't it? It also makes me strongly question the officials involved. It is sad to think we live in a country in which corruption exists. A country that has sacrificed so much for freedom and integrity but yet, issues such as this arise and are handled in such a way.
DeleteI actually am terrible and don't follow the news that much. I don't watch much TV and when I do it is definitely not the news. So when I heard about Flint it was not as soon as everyone else. I was honestly in disbelief just like everyone else. I agree with ashley, the ones making the call probably were not drinking that water they were probably more on the wealthy end and had other resources. It is just scary to think if it happened there it could be happening other place s.
DeleteThere could be thousands of stories on the horizon like the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. We trust our government to have our best interest at heart, but this goes to show you, it's all about the almighty dollar. It is just sad that children have to suffer greatly because of a decision made about their livelihood was taken so lightly.
DeleteI feel like one of the most awful things about the crisis in flint is that fact that they didn't listen to the community of flint largely based upon the fact that they are a poor community. When we think about our own community can we say with certainty that this wouldn't happen in say for example Dayton or price hill? I can assure you it wouldn't happen in edgewood or indian hill.
Deletehttp://nyti.ms/1ONxM4H
ReplyDeleteI was reading the article above regarding sending troops from Brazil to other areas going door to door handing out information about the Zika virus. My thought is, why send healthy men and women to contaminated places for them to get sick and expose their healthy families as well? Should we not be eliminating exposure to the virus?
I guess it is important to get out information regarding the disease, maybe the areas are not equipped with the availability to spread the word on tv, news, social media, ect. However, I definitely agree with your statement, It seems we are putting more at risk by doing so. They will be spreading more than just the information regarding Zika.
DeleteIn regard to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, I feel that this is a definite ethical issue. The officials claim that they did not know anything of the implications, but once finding out, it appears their discrediting of the whole situation is breach of ethics. It is such an atrocity that is affecting the people and children of their community.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/02/01/464905786/researchers-test-microbe-wipe-to-promote-babies-health-after-c-sections
ReplyDeleteWorking in labor and delivery for 12 years I have seen many all natural "fads" come and go. Some being from noteworthy medical studies, some being "thats what my momma and momma's momma did". Using a mothers microbes to protect cesarean babies is something I just recently experienced at work. Two weeks ago a mother that had to have a c-section to deliver her baby asked the nurses to swab her vaginal and then rub it on the babies mouth. You can imagine the look on all our faces when she asked us that. No one in the operating room had heard of that before. She stated she read in an article that it was good for the baby. We did oblige her and did as she asked, then promptly googled this after the case was over. I can see the potential good in this after reading the articles, but what did stick out to me was that they do not recommend doing this in everyday practice yet because they need to study these children for at least a year or more to be able to confidently say these microbes are beneficial. The women they swabbed had been tested for any harmful bacteria or STD prior to the microbe swab. My fear now is women will start requesting this without having been properly tested and the infants will end up with eye infections from group beta strep (GBS) or potential STD's introduced to the mouth or eyes. So ethically do I do what the mother asks if I know that she hasn't been properly tested and I know the potential harm that can come to this infant? I can't stop her from doing it herself, but at least I can warn her of the possible repercussions should she not be properly tested.
Very interesting. I have never heard of this. I can imagine my face would have looked like all of yours! Somethings requested can be so bizarre but important to be respected. It does arise for some very interesting ethical issues and internal self struggle over doing our job and what we feel is right or wrong.
DeleteVery valid point Jocelyn. I heard of this situation a couple of weeks ago and like you, have given it much thought. I agree, as long as the mother has been properly tested and educated on the potential risks of GBS and STD's ethically it seems okay however, like you said, what do we do in the case of the women who have not been tested and educated who still insist on this practice. I wonder if this is a fad that will fade or become more popular?
ReplyDeleteI read the article on the whooping cough vaccine. This article sparked my interest because as a labor and delivery nurse I am offering and/or administering this vaccine almost daily. The article states that the USA switched the vaccine types in the 1990’s and now studies have shown that the effectiveness of the new vaccine (DTaP) is 69% effective after the first year but drops to less that 9% after two-three years. The article does not mention for the reason of the switch in the 90’s. Ethically, if a stronger vaccine was being used or is needed, then why are we not using it? The article also suggests that possibly changing the schedule of when vaccines are administered may be a solution as well. I will definitely continue to follow this issue as it pertains directly to my line of work. I want to be able to educate my patients and their families with the most accurate and up to date information.
ReplyDelete