Wednesday, February 3, 2016

EXTREME WEATHER: Severe Storms Threaten Southeastern United States - Blizzard Winds Down Across Plains; Monster Wedge Tornado Touches Down In Alabama; Infrastructure Collapse; Widespread Power Outages And Travel Disruptions! [PHOTOS + VIDEOS + LIVE UPDATES]

(Twitter Photo/@LadyGolfer)

February 3, 2016 - UNITED STATES - Despite snow tapering off across the Upper Midwest, strong winds will continue to produce blizzard conditions through Wednesday morning. The heaviest snow occurred from south-central Nebraska into northwest Iowa with totals over a foot.

The combination of strong winds and/or snow will continue to disrupt travel on major highways including interstates 29, 35, 40, 70, 80, 90 and 94. Some major and many secondary roads have closed.

Air travel will also be a major problem throughout the region during the early part of Wednesday.

Meanwhile, thunderstorms became severe over the lower Mississippi Valley later Tuesday into Tuesday night. The threat for damaging winds, hail and perhaps an isolated tornado will focus on the Southeast on Wednesday.

For archived storm reports, click here.



 UPDATES: (All times are listed in CST)4:32 a.m. CST Wednesday: Line of storms preparing to move into the Atlanta metro area.
4:25 a.m. CST Wednesday: An apartment complex is being evacuated due to flood waters in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, near the Tennessee state line, Catoosa County Emergency Management Agency reports.
4:14 a.m. CST Wednesday: Storm damage reported in Cookeville, Tennessee.




3:47 a.m. CST Wednesday: Numerous roads are flooded in Bledsoe County, Tennessee, according to the county's 911 call center.



3:33 a.m. CST Wednesday: More than 160 flights, mostly at Minneapolis airport, are canceled so far Wednesday, FlightStats reports.

3:23 a.m. CST Wednesday: Thunderstorms with possible damaging winds, flooding rains are moving through Tennessee and Mississippi valleys, AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said.




3:09 a.m. CST Wednesday: I-80 near Shelby, and I-35 near Williams, are blocked due to jackknifed tractor-trailers, IowaDOT reports.
3:00 a.m. CST Wednesday: More than 10,000 Alabama Power customers are without power as a result of the storms.




2:42 a.m. CST Wednesday: Interstate signs knocked down on a wet I-59 near Birmingham, Alabama, ABC 33/40 reports.




2:38 a.m. CST Wednesday: As of 1 a.m. CST Wednesday, Jackson, Mississippi, received 5.14 inches of rain.

2:33 a.m. CST Wednesday: Iowa DOT snow plow works on Iowa Route 376 near Dakota City.




2:20 a.m. CST Wednesday: 8.2 inches of snow has fallen 5 miles north of Earlham, an NWS-trained spotter reported.
1:51 a.m. CST Wednesday: Numerous roads remain closed due to whiteout conditions in southwestern Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported.




1:33 a.m. CST Wednesday: Denver Public Schools are on a 1-hour delay for the second straight day.
1:31 a.m. CST Wednesday: Heavy rain falling in Vestavia, Alabama.




1:26 a.m. CST Wednesday:1:07 a.m. CST Wednesday: Disruptive travel conditions continue in northern and western Iowa, according to the Iowa DOT.


1:23 a.m. CST Wednesday: Mason City, Iowa, broke its Feb. 2 snowfall record with 10.0 inches; old record was 6.3 inches, set in 2004.
1:03 a.m. CST Wednesday: Tuesday's snowfall in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was a record-breaker for the day.




1:00 a.m. CST Wednesday: Storms cause major damage in Pickens County, Alabama.




12:39 a.m. CST Wednesday: Line of storms that moved through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is now moving toward Birmingham.
12:33 a.m. CST Wednesday: Alpena, Michigan, broke its Feb. 2 snowfall record with 6.3 inches; old record was 4.3 inches, set in 1930.
12:26 a.m. CST Wednesday: Power outages starting around Huntsville, Alabama.
12:19 a.m. CST Wednesday: About 9 inches of snow has fallen so far in Minneapolis.
12:07 a.m. CST Wednesday: Flash flooding occurring in Sulligent, Alabama, fire officials reported.
12:02 a.m. CST Wednesday: Line of storms will move into Tuscaloosa, Alabama, within the next 30 minutes, AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said.




11:54 p.m. CST Tuesday: Flight delays of more than six-and-a-half hours are reported at Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport, Minneapolis, the FAA said.
11:45 p.m. CST Tuesday: 7.8 inches of snow has fallen at Gile, Wisconsin, an NWS-trained spotter reported.
11:42 p.m. CST Tuesday: Minneapolis police investigate a fatal vehicle-pedestrian accident on a snow-covered street late Tuesday afternoon.




11:30 p.m. CST Tuesday: Muskegon, Michigan, broke its Feb. 2 rainfall record with 1.25 inches; old record was 0.57 inches, set in 1968.
11:17 p.m. CST Tuesday: Radar-confirmed tornado on the ground near Reform, Alabama, the National Weather Service at Birmingham said.
10:55 p.m. CST Tuesday First Baptist Church in Collinsville, Mississippi, was severely damaged after a tornado hit the community on Tuesday afternoon.




10:47 p.m. CST Tuesday: 18.3-inch storm total in Grand Island, Nebraska, is the second-highest two-day snowfall total on record, and 15.7 inches in Hastings, Nebraska, is the fourth-highest two-day total on record.
10:41 p.m. CST Tuesday: Thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado is located east of Marion, Alabama.
10:38 p.m. CST Tuesday: Road closures continue in south-central Minnesota.
10:33 p.m. CST Tuesday: Snow emergency issued in Minneapolis.
10:31 p.m. CST Tuesday: About 8 inches of snow has fallen near Maple Grove, Minnesota.




10:16 p.m. CST Tuesday: Storms caused damage in five Mississippi counties, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency reported. Damage included homes and East Central Community College in Kemper County; homes and West Lauderdale High School in the Collinsville area of Lauderdale County; and Reed Elementary School in the Shuqualak area of Noxubee County.
10:10 p.m. CST Tuesday: Snowy travel on I-35E at Roselawn Avenue, Minneapolis, according to Minnesota DOT webcam.
10:02 p.m. CST Tuesday: About 75 people left homeless in Aliceville, Alabama, after reported tornado, the Alabama Red Cross said.
9:50 p.m. CST Tuesday: Snowy conditions on U.S. Route 31 at Charlevoix, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, according to Michigan DOT webcam.
9:47 p.m. CST Tuesday: Poor visibility in Aurora, Nebraska, emergency management reported.




9:44 p.m. CST Tuesday: White-out conditions force plow crews to regroup in Iowa until Wednesday morning, the Iowa DOT said.
9:34 p.m. CST Tuesday: The GOES-East satellite captured the storm front that brought a tornado near Carrolton, Alabama, late Tuesday afternoon.




9:23 p.m. CST Tuesday: Tornado near Beaverton, Alabama, according to Lamar County emergency management.
9:18 p.m. CST Tuesday: More storm damage reported in western Alabama.




8:22 p.m. CST Tuesday: Storm chaser Mike Scantlin captured footage of a massive wedge tornado near McMullen, Alabama, earlier today.

WATCH: Large Wedge Tornado in Aliceville, Pickens County, Alabama.






7:59 p.m. CST Tuesday: Significant damage reported in the town of Aliceville, Alabama.
7:38 p.m. CST Tuesday: Flash flooding reported in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
7:16 p.m. CST Tuesday: Some roads remain snow covered in Kansas, while others are beginning to reopen.
6:57 p.m. CST Tuesday: Blizzard conditions are still ongoing in parts of Nebraska:





according to FlightStats. At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, nearly 270 flights have been canceled.
6:23 p.m. CST Tuesday: So far today, there have been seven reports of tornadoes according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.
6:18 p.m. CST Tuesday: An emergency manager reports damage to a roof of a house and store along Highway 145 on the north side of Shuqualak, Mississippi.
6:12 p.m. CST Tuesday: A look at the road conditions across Wisconsin as snow continues to move through the Upper Midwest:





5:54 p.m. CST Tuesday: The baseball field at East Mississippi was also damaged as a result of the severe storms.
5:33 p.m. CST Tuesday: Damage was reported in Collinsville, Mississippi, around 3:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday.




5:25 p.m. CST Tuesday: Through 4:30 p.m. local time, there were 287 crashes and 28 injuries in Minnesota today.
5:11 p.m. CST Tuesday:This photo indicates a tornado on the ground near Dancy, Alabama, earlier this evening.
4:56 p.m. CST Tuesday: A confirmed tornado on the ground near Carrollton, Alabama. A tornado emergency has been declared.
4:45 p.m. CST Tuesday: Possible tornado damage reported at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi.




4:40 p.m. CST Tuesday: Deep snowdrifts near Pierce, Nebraska.
4:28 p.m. CST Tuesday: Thick storm clouds near the NWS office in Memphis.
4:26 p.m. CST Tuesday: The snow is causing travel delays throughout southeast South Dakota.
4:19 p.m. CST Tuesday: A confirmed tornado was on the ground 5 miles northwest of Electric Mills, Mississippi, an NWS trained spotter reports.
4:04 p.m. CST Tuesday: Limited visibility in Grand Island, Nebraska.
3:45 p.m. CST Tuesday: Emergency manager reports tornado damage in the town of Collinsville, Mississippi. First Baptist Church, located in town, was heavily damaged. There were also reports of barns damaged and trees down across roads.
3:39 p.m. CST Tuesday: Whiteout conditions reported in Hays, Kansas.




3:21 p.m. CST Tuesday: The Nebraska Department of Roads had to pull snowplows off of the state highways in District Three due to extremely low visibility. Blowing and drifting snow is making the roads impassable. For an update on the highways across the state, click here.
3:03 p.m. CST Tuesday: A car was buried in snow in Boone County, Iowa, earlier this afternoon.


(Photo/Twitter user @MVEofficerDave)

2:09 p.m. CST Tuesday: Reed Timmer is broadcasting live from North Sioux City, South Dakota.
2:00 p.m. CST Tuesday: A look at some of the highest snowfall totals by state:



 1:41 p.m. CST Tuesday: Motorists are encouraged to avoid travel in much of northern Iowa.
1:23 p.m. CST Tuesday: Road closures are anticipated across southern Minnesota due to the snow.
12:26 p.m. CST Tuesday: Heavy snow has moved into the southern Twin Cities area in Minnesota:



12:17 p.m. CST Tuesday: Storms will continue to intensify east of the Mississippi River today, potentially bringing a tornado, AccuWeather Meteorologist Logan Poole said.
"A band of strong-to-severe storms will develop in south-central Mississippi early this afternoon and progress northward through the evening," he said. "The storms will be isolated in nature and pose an enhanced risk of producing tornadoes."
12:14 p.m. CST Tuesday: University of West Alabama will close at 2 p.m. CST in advance of severe weather.
11:52 a.m. CST Tuedsday: Inbound flights to Denver International Airport and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are facing more than 60-minute delays due to snow and ice, the FAA reports.
10:50 a.m. CST Tuesday: Nearly 7,000 Alliant Energy customers are without power in eastern Iowa, the utility reports.
10:48 a.m. CST Tuesday: More than 120 flights have been canceled at Denver International Airport so far amid wintry weather, according to FlightStats.
10:33 a.m. CST Tuesday: Conditions are becoming increasingly hazardous across parts of Iowa as snow falls:




10:16 a.m. CST Tuesday: Emergency management in Emmet County, Iowa, reports visibility is less than a quarter of a mile due to strong winds and heavy snow. Travel is not advised in the county, they said.
10:08 a.m. CST Tuesday: Snow continues to pile up in Lincoln, Nebraska:


(Twitter Photo/@LadyGolfer)

(Facebook Photo/Cindy L Condreay)

10:04 a.m. CST Tuesday: Snow is blanketing Ogallala, Nebraska:


- AccuWeather.





Posted by at No comments: Links to this post
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: The Latest Developments On The Zika Virus - World Health Officials Mobilize; South America Fumigates; Brazil Says Virus Outbreak Is Worse Than Believed; Brazil Authorities Forced Entry To Private Property To Fight Disease; Athletes In Rio Stay Inside, Slather On Repellent; Aussie Diagnosed With Infection After Bali Monkey Bite, Expert Warn Of Missed Cases; Sexually-Transmitted Zika Case Confirmed In Texas; First Case Confirmed In Jamaica!

The World Health Organization says a surge in cases in South America of microcephaly is likely caused by the mosquito-borne Zika virus
(AFP Photo/Christophe Simon)

February 3, 2016 - HEALTH - World health officials mobilized with emergency response plans and funding pleas Tuesday as fears grow that the Zika virus, blamed for a surge in the number of brain-damaged babies, could spread globally and threaten the Summer Olympics.

World health officials mobilize on Zika threat

The World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak an international emergency Monday, said it had created a global Zika response unit to contain the virus and get to the bottom of a corresponding rise in severe birth defects and a potentially crippling neurological disorder.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescents Societies joined the WHO in calling the outbreak an "emergency," and appealed for 2.4 million Swiss francs ($2.36 million) to fund the response.
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi meanwhile announced it had begun research into a vaccine for Zika, for which there is currently no specific treatment.

Developing a vaccine could however take years, experts say.

Zika, which was first identified in Uganda, causes relatively mild flu-like symptoms and a rash. But the apparent link to birth defects and a potentially paralyzing neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome is causing worldwide alarm.
In Brazil, which has been hardest hit by the outbreak sweeping Latin America, Olympics organizers said they are concerned but downplayed fears -- one day after the government warned pregnant women not to attend the Games.

"We are sure we will win this battle and it will not affect the Games," said Rio 2016 organizing committee spokesman Mario Andrada.


FActfile on the zika virus (AFP Photo/Gustavo Izús, Adrian Leung, Anella Reta)

The Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro from August 5 to 21, during the southern hemisphere winter, which means there will be fewer of the mosquitoes that transmit the disease, organizers underlined.

WHO expert Anthony Costello emphasized the urgency of rapid action, stressing there was no reason to believe the crisis would remain limited to Latin America, where 25 countries so far have reported Zika cases.

"We are worried that this could also spread back into other areas of the world where the population may not be immune, and we know that the mosquitoes that carry Zika virus... are present through most of Africa, parts of southern Europe and many parts of Asia, particularly south Asia," he said.
Underlining Costello's point, Thai officials announced a man had contracted the virus in the country.

Cape Verde, off the coast of west Africa, and Indonesia have also reported domestic Zika cases.

- Free abortion pills -

Jitters over the virus have spread far beyond the affected areas to Europe and North America, where dozens of cases have been identified among travelers returning from Latin America.

Costello, an expert in microcephaly -- a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and brains -- said health officials worldwide needed to adopt a standard definition and measurement of the condition in order to respond to suspicions it is being caused by pregnant mothers catching Zika.

"The development of diagnostic tests is absolutely critical," he said.


The World Health Organisation has declared a global emergency in response to the spread of Zika - but which countries are currently affected by the virus?


"At the moment we believe the association is guilty until proven otherwise."

UNICEF for its part said it was working with governments to get information out to pregnant women on how to protect themselves from mosquito bites -- currently the only way to prevent the virus.

A Dutch women's rights group meanwhile offered to send free pills to trigger an abortion to pregnant women in Latin America, a region known for its restrictive abortion laws.

"We are extremely worried that (the outbreak) might cause increasing unsafe abortions," said Rebecca Gomperts, founder and director of Women on Web.

Latin American countries, particularly Brazil, have reported a surge in babies born with microcephaly since the Zika outbreak was declared in the region last year.

Since October, Brazil has reported some 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, of which 270 have been confirmed -- up from 147 in 2014.

Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico have all warned women not to get pregnant.
Ecuador said Tuesday it had registered its first pregnant woman infected with Zika, saying her baby was at low risk for microcephaly because she was already near the end of her second trimester.

Zika panic also spread to the auto industry, as Indian carmaker Tata Motors announced it would rebrand its new Zica hatchback -- which stood for "zippy car." - Yahoo.

Brazil says Zika virus outbreak worse than believed

The World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the explosive spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas,
calling it an "extraordinary event" that poses a public health threat to other parts of the world.
Brazil's top health official said on Monday that the Zika virus outbreak is proving to be worse than believed because most cases show no symptoms, but improved testing should allow the country to get a better grip on the burgeoning public health crisis.

Health Minister Marcelo Castro told Reuters that Brazil will start mandatory reporting of cases by local governments next week when most states will have labs equipped to test for Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that has quickly spread through Latin America. The virus has no vaccine or cure at present.

On Monday, the World Health Organization declared the Zika outbreak to be a global emergency, a decision that should help fast-track international action and research priorities.


WORKING WITH U.S. ON VACCINE

Castro, a psychiatrist from Rio, said the virus cannot be transmitted from person to person, only by mosquito, addressing fears that it could be spread through saliva, semen or urine.

By next week, labs in all but three of Brazil's states will be able to test whether a person has had Zika or not, he said.

And by next month, the labs will have a test that can detect all three viruses borne by the Aedes aegypti mosquito - dengue, chikungunya and Zika. The test, however, will only be effective during the initial infection period of five days.

Castro said Brazilian researchers are convinced that Zika is the cause of the 3,700 confirmed and suspected cases in Brazil of microcephaly in newborns. Ninety percent of children born with the condition will have retarded mental and physical development, experts say.

"The microcephaly cases are increasing by the week and we do not have an estimate of how many there will be. The situation is serious and worrying," Castro said.

Brazilian biomedical research centers are joining forces with U.S. counterparts to try to find a Zika vaccine in record time, Castro said. A partnership between the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Brazil's Butantan Institute will seek to develop a vaccine by adding a gene to an existing one for dengue, he said.

Until there is a breakthrough on a vaccine, Brazil's only option is to try to eradicate the mosquito that spreads the virus, Castro said, with the government mobilizing all its possible resources and people, including tens of thousands of soldiers, to go door-to-door seeking places where the insect breeds.

Rousseff signed a temporary decree on Monday that makes it obligatory for residents to allow health workers to inspect their homes and properties for still water deposits where the Aedes aegypti mosquito lays its eggs.

Asked if Brazil would ease its restrictions on abortion to allow women with Zika to terminate pregnancies, Castro said it would be up to Congress to make that change. The government, he said, is sticking with the current law that makes abortion in the world's largest Roman Catholic country illegal except in cases of rape and risk to the mother's life.

Brazil will follow the U.S. decision last week to prohibit blood donations from people who have been infected with Zika, Castro said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, has said it is planning to require people who have traveled to an affected country to defer giving blood, but details on how that might work are still being determined. - Yahoo.



South America fumigated

Zika Virus: officials in Dominican Republic take drastic precautions.
GETTY
The 2016 Rio Paralympics site is among thousands of public spaces being disinfected by frantic officials trying to get a grip on the Zika virus.

Graveyards, homes and schools are also being fumigated to try and kill off the mosquitos spreading the virus, which was yesterday declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

With no current vaccine, officials are turning to preventative measures, including fumigation.

Currently the most important protective measures are the control of mosquito populations and the prevention of mosquito bites, health experts said.

Eerie photographs have emerged of officials in full body suits and face masks smoking out public spaces which are usually bustling with people.

Classrooms still with lessons written on the white boards are abandoned as smoke surrounds pupil desks.

Gardens, warehouses and homes are also filled with fumigation gases to try and reach the bugs.

The WHO made its decision to declare the outbreak an emergency after an urgent meeting in Geneva to discuss the "explosive" nature of the virus.

WHO officials have predicted as many as 4million people could be infected with the virus this year.

The last time a global emergency was declared was for the Ebola outbreak, which is thought to have led to more than 11,000 deaths.

Zika has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil.

Colombia has also seen a rise in the number of patients diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis

Following a meeting of an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan warned the causal relationship between infection during pregnancy and microcephaly in babies is "strongly suspected" but not scientifically proven.

The committee advised the association between the virus and microcephaly - a condition where the child has an underdeveloped brain - constitutes an "extraordinary event". - Express.



Brazil authorizes forced entry to private property to fight Zika

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff authorized health officials to enter private properties by force if necessary in an effort to control the spread of the mosquito-borne virus Zika, which the government has dubbed an "imminent danger to public health."

The presidential decree was published in the government's official gazette on Monday and allows the forced entry by health officials into public and private properties if they have been abandoned or the owners are not present.

Officials are looking for breeding grounds for mosquitoes that can carry the virus, which has spread rapidly over the Americas and particularly in Brazil. - Yahoo.


Athletes in Rio stay inside, slather on repellent for Zika

Aline Silva has had the dengue fever twice, and she's not taking any chances with the Zika virus.Silva is a Brazilian wrestler who hopes to win an Olympic medal in just over six months in Rio de Janeiro. At a test event on Sunday for the games— at a venue in Rio's new Olympic Park — she wasn't alone in being concerned.

Several non-Brazilian athletes talked about slathering on mosquito repellent, staying in their hotel rooms and away from the water and the beaches in order to avoid mosquitoes.

Brazil is an epicenter of the rapidly spreading Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease that Brazilian scientists say is linked to a rare birth defect.

The growing international health emergency around Zika could scare athletes and fans from coming to South America's first Olympics as organizers prepare for hundreds of thousands of visitors.

"For me it's very worrying," said Silva, who said she applies repellent about every 90 minutes when she's away from home.

"Really, the biggest problem is in training and competing — when I can't use it (repellent)," she said. "I have had dengue twice, so I am aware about all of this. Maybe I am more worried than most."

Asked if other Brazilian athletes were concerned about Zika, Silva replied: "Yes, of course."

American wrestler Adeline Gray, a three-time world champion who will be an Olympic favorite for gold, raised the issue of Zika's link to birth defects and cases of babies being born with unusually small heads and possible brain damage.

"I think if I was planning to have a child next month, I would be extremely uneasy about this," said Gray, who competes in the 75-kilogram class. "Maybe that would have changed my decision (to come here)."

Gray said her coaches have banned her from going swimming in Brazil during her short stay.

"Unfortunately we're not spending too much time outside. We're wearing long sleeves, long pants and just making sure we have on as much bug spray as we can."

Gray said she's trying to avoid the distraction. As several reporters kept asking her questions, she politely stepped away to watch an on-going match at the new Carioca Arena 1.

"This anxiety has to kind of subside so you can focus on what you are doing," she said. "If you are worried about that in the back of your mind, then you're not doing your job well enough."

Japan coach Shigeo Kinase gave similar advice to his wrestlers about staying indoors.

"We are trying not to leave the hotel too often," he said. "If my athletes go out shopping, I go with them."

Rio organizers have been scouring Olympics venues daily for two weeks, looking for standing water where mosquitoes breed. Rio spokesman Mario Andrada said the inspections would continue daily until the games open on Aug. 5. That will be in Brazil's winter when it's cooler, drier and the mosquito population is smaller.

Andrada emphasized that no one is publicly talking about cancelling or postponing the games.

"This has never been mentioned. No way," Andrada said. "It's impossible to do that. There is no reason to do that." - Yahoo.



Aussie diagnosed with Zika after Bali monkey bite, experts warn of missed cases

Tame monkeys roam freely at Ubud Monkey Forest in Bali. Photo: AP
The fast-spreading Zika virus is likely being under-diagnosed in South-East Asia, infectious disease experts have warned in several reports, including that of an Australian who was infected after a monkey bite in Bali.

The virus, which is being investigated for links to potentially fatal defects in unborn babies in South America, is believed to have been transmitted primarily by mosquitos, with only rare reports of exceptions.

But the authors of a report into the case of a 27-year-old Australian man last year have proposed that a monkey bite he received at the Ubud Monkey Forest could have been to blame.

The authors of the report, including doctors from the hospital and academics from the Victorian Diseases Reference Laboratory and the Menzies School of Health Research, wrote that while mosquito-borne transmission was possible,the monkey was a plausible route of transmission.

They also noted the virus has similar symptoms to other viruses, such as dengue fever, and the limited availability of the test to detect Zika virus in Indonesia.

"Transmission of Zika virus by monkey bite or other (non-mosquito) routes, and attribution of illness to dengue or other infections, may be more frequent than the absence of prior reports suggests," says the report, published in the Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health in May 2015.

Meanwhile, researchers studying an outbreak of dengue fever at Jambi Province in central Sumatra in early 2015 also pointed out the possibility Zika was being under-diagnosed due to similarities with the common symptoms of other diseases.

While the recent links between Zika and birth defects is causing alarm, experts say 80 per cent of people do not experience sickness when they get the virus. When people are affected, the symptoms are usually mild and include a rash and fever. Most people clear the virus from their blood within a week.

They had stumbled on a 27-year local man who contracted the disease despite having never travelled outside of Indonesia. A report into the case was this week uploaded to the Eijkman​ Institute for Molecular Biology Indonesia's website ahead of publication in a Centre for Disease Control journal in May.

Frilasita Aisyah Yudhaputri​ from the institute's virus research unit said while the virus was believed to have existed in Indonesia for some time, the Asian strain of Zika was "mild" and not believed to cause birth defects.

"The one we found is the Asian strain, … the same found in Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia.It is not the one related to microcephaly (a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development.)," she said.

A 2013 report into a previously healthy 52-year-old Australian woman who returned home from Jakarta with Zika misdiagnosed as Dengue also suggested it is possible many cases were being missed.

The report said that at the time, this was the first case of a Zika virus infection reported in a returned traveller to Australia although evidence of the virus had been reported in Java, Indonesia.

"However it is likely that many cases are either undiagnosed (because of mild symptoms) or misdiagnosed, presumably most commonly as dengue fever, given their clinical similarities," the report in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene stated.

Dr Mike Catton, from the Doherty Institute's Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, said it was difficult to know whether Zika was being under-diagnosed in Indonesia but said he believed it was unlikely that a "large outbreak" like that being experienced in South America could be overlooked.

He said of 1500 Australians the institute had tested after returning from overseas with an illness, only seven tested positive for Zika since 2012.

"I think that testing is likely to be picking up Zika if it's there in Australian return travellers," he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not adjusted its travel advice for Indonesia because the transmission of the virus is not considered to be "ongoing" there, a spokeswoman said. - SMH.



Sexually-transmitted Zika case confirmed in Texas

Health officials on Tuesday reported that a person in Texas has become infected with the Zika virus through sex in the first case of the illness being transmitted within the United States amid the current outbreak in Latin America.

The unidentified person had not traveled but had sex with a person who had returned from Venezuela and fallen ill with Zika, Dallas County health officials said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a statement saying lab tests confirmed the non-traveler was infected with Zika.

While Thompson told the television station that the case of sexual transmission is "a game-changer," he added that he didn't want people in Dallas County to overreact. Health officials and Thompson noted that sexual partners can protect themselves by using condoms to prevent spreading sexually transmitted infections. - AP.


First Zika virus case confirmed in Jamaica

The Jamaica Ministry of Health has confirmed the Caribbean country’s first case of the Zika virus.

A ministry statement released on Saturday says a 4-year-old child has recovered after contracting Zika.

It adds that authorities have stepped up prevention and detection efforts in the Portmore, St. Catherine area where the child lives.

Caribbean Public Health Agency lab tests for the virus came back positive on Friday afternoon.

Authorities are investigating the case in hopes of determining the source of infection.

The child began showing symptoms on Jan. 17 and had earlier travelled to Texas.

Jamaica’s Minister of Health will provide a full update at a news briefing on Monday.

Pregnant women and others on the island are being urged to take precautions to avoid the mosquito that transmits the disease. - The Star.






Posted by at No comments: Links to this post
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FIRE IN THE SKY: Meteor-Fireball Streaks Over The Skies Of Wisconsin And Michigan - American Meteor Society Received Over 160 Reports! [PHOTOS + VIDEOS]

© YouTube/TODAY’S TMJ4 (screen capture)

February 3, 2016 - UNITED STATES - Multiple sources have reported seeing some sort of fireball or meteor over the skies of southern Wisconsin Monday evening.

The Muscoda Police Department caught video of the fireball on a squad dash cam facing east: That wasn't the only sighting.

University of Madison's Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences school also caught the spectacular display from one of their rooftop cameras.





The fiery space bolide was captured at 6:27 pm.

A professor from the school told TODAY'S TMJ4 fireballs like the one spotted in the sky Monday night are pretty common, although it's not common that they're actually visible.

WATCH: Fireball over Wisconsin.






According to the professor, the fireball could have been a meteor, a small piece of rock, or even space junk burning up in the atmosphere.

The American Meteor Society (AMS) received 160 reports yesterday about a fireball seen over Wisconsin and neighbouring states.


American Meteor Society

On January 30th 2016 there were 880 reports of meteor fireball sightings over Northeast US and Canada. - WTMJ.





Posted by at No comments: Links to this post
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PLANETARY TREMORS: Second Earthquake Hits Cornwall, UK Within A Week - British Geological Survey!

A map of Britain shows the location of all minor earthquakes in the last 50 days. 
© British Geological Survey

February 3, 2016 - UNITED KINGDOM - A second earthquake has hit Cornwall in a week - leaving residents a little shaken by the minor tremor.

The British Geological Survey confirmed a signal at 12.04pm between Falmouth and Helston.

The data is now due to be analysed to determine its strength.

Kim Kimber, who lives near Falmouth, said: "Initially thought it might be thunder but there was not enough cloud. It felt wrong too.

"The whole house shook and the windows were rattling. I felt the vibration through the floor.

"If we lived near a quarry I might have thought they were blasting but nearest live quarry is a couple of miles away."

Last week, an earlier earthquake struck parts of Cornwall - sending a low rumble through houses around the area.

But far from any fears of a major seismic shift, perhaps splitting Cornwall from the rest of mainland Britain, the quake measured only 0.8 on the Richter Scale.

Seismographs may have started scratching out a recording of the tremor, but a slight shock of this magnitude is known as a microearthquake, so minor that they are often not even felt except by specialist sensitive equipment.

Some residents in the area around Penryn in Cornwall - which was recorded as the epicentre by the British Geological Survey and private sites such as the Newquay Weather Station - reported the low rumble sound and slight ripples of shaking in their homes but the magnitude of the earthquake was too minor to cause any significant damage or concerns.

The earthquake struck the area around Penryn at 11.28pm on Wednesday night.

There have been minor tremors recorded in the UK in the past, with one of the biggest in 2008 when the highest magnitude quake recorded in 25 years hit parts of Newcastle, Yorkshire, Cumbria and the Midlands, measuring a 5.2 magnitude with an epicentre in Lincolnshire. - Western Morning News.






Posted by at No comments: Links to this post
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)