Day: March 11, 2025

VOA Creole: MSF reports 150 new cholera cases in Haiti  

Medecins Sans Frontiere says cholera is on the rise in Haiti. The nongovernmental health organization, also known as Doctors Without Borders, says 150 Haitians were treated for cholera between Feb. 15 and March 6. The Cite Soleil neighborhood reported 19 infections. MSF expressed concern about the trend as Haitians have less access to clean water at a time when gang violence victims are living on the streets in unsanitary conditions.  
Click here for the full story in Creole.

more

Measles cases rising in southwestern US as more states report infections

Measles outbreaks in West Texas and New Mexico are now up to more than 250 cases, and two unvaccinated people have died from measles-related causes.
Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that is airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.
Texas state health officials said Tuesday there were 25 new cases of measles since the end of last week, bringing Texas’ total to 223. Twenty-nine people in Texas are hospitalized.
New Mexico health officials announced three new cases Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 33. The outbreak has spread from Lea County, which neighbors the West Texas communities at the epicenter of the outbreak, to include one case in Eddy County.
Oklahoma’s state health department reported two probable cases of measles Tuesday, saying they are associated with the West Texas and New Mexico outbreaks.
A school-age child died of measles in Texas last month, and New Mexico reported its first measles-related death in an adult last week.
Measles cases have been reported in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an outbreak as three or more related cases — and there have been three clusters that qualified as outbreaks in 2025.
In the U.S., cases and outbreaks are generally traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. It can then spread, especially in communities with low vaccination rates.
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
People at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago may want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with an outbreak, said Scott Weaver with the Global Virus Network, an international coalition. Those may include family members living with someone who has measles or those especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions.
Adults with “presumptive evidence of immunity” generally don’t need measles shots now, the CDC said. Criteria include written documentation of adequate vaccination earlier in life, lab confirmation of past infection or being born before 1957, when most people were likely to be infected naturally.
A doctor can order a lab test called an MMR titer to check your levels of measles antibodies, but health experts don’t always recommend this route and insurance coverage can vary.
Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says.
People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from killed virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. That also includes people who don’t know which type they got.
There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.

more

New vision of architecture popping up across US deep South

The American South has long been associated with white-columned mansions, rustic farmhouses, and aging structures steeped in history. But an exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington is showcasing the vibrant, modern and forward-thinking architecture emerging from the region today. Maxim Adams has the story. Video editor: Sergii Dogotar, Anna Rice

more

The Roosevelt Hotel: A window into New York City’s history

The Roosevelt Hotel, a New York City landmark for over a century, once again faces an uncertain future. Last month, city officials announced plans to stop using it as a migrant shelter and processing center beginning this summer.
Opened in 1924 to cater to passengers using the nearby Grand Central Terminal, the iconic hotel has weathered Prohibition, the Great Depression, a World War and 9/11.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, however, forced the hotel to close its doors to guests due to financial losses before its short-lived reincarnation in 2023 as a hub for undocumented migrants flooding the city.
Through it all, the Roosevelt, affectionately known as the “Grand Dame of Madison Avenue,” became a favorite movie backdrop featured in countless Hollywood classics and TV shows.
While its fate remains in question, the Roosevelt’s past, captured in photographs and movies, serves as a microcosm of New York City and American history. Here are seven images that capture key moments in the hotel’s history.
1924: Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, the hotel opened just four years after the start of Prohibition, the 13-year national ban on alcohol in the United States. While Prohibition forced some city hotels to close, the area around Grand Central flourished in the postwar years, attracting commercial developers, including those behind the Roosevelt. While not among New York’s most opulent hotels, the four-star property stood as a towering presence in Midtown Manhattan, rising 19 stories into the skyline. Because of Prohibition, the Roosevelt broke with tradition and featured storefronts instead of lounges and bars on its street level. It was also among the first hotels in the world to offer pet service, child care and an in-house doctor.
1929: With alcohol off the menu, the Roosevelt became a magnet for tourists and music lovers. At the height of Prohibition, famed bandleader Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians performed their first live show at the hotel’s Roosevelt Grill, continuing to entertain fans for the next three decades. Their rendition of “Auld Lang Syne,” a Scottish song about old friendships and loves, became a New Year’s Eve tradition. Variety magazine later hailed Lombardo as the “only Canadian ever to create an American tradition,” cementing his legacy at the Roosevelt.
1943: Hotel magnate Conrad Hilton bought the Roosevelt, along with The Plaza hotel, calling the Roosevelt “a fine hotel with grand spaces,” and took up residence in its Presidential Suite. The acquisition established Hilton as the first coast-to-coast American hotel chain. Four years later, the Roosevelt made history again when it became the first to offer a television set in every room. But Hilton’s ownership ended in 1956 when his company was forced to sell the property as part of an antitrust lawsuit brought by the government.
1948: The Roosevelt became a political hub in the mid-20th century, serving as the campaign headquarters for Republican presidential nominee Thomas Dewey in 1944 and 1948. Dewey lost both elections and conceded them from the hotel. In the years that followed, the hotel hosted other high-profile political events.
1970s-2010s: Starting in the 1970s, the Roosevelt, with its neoclassical facade and old- world interior, became a favorite filming location for Hollywood studios. Among the more than a dozen movies filmed there: “The French Connection” (1971), “Wall Street” (1987), “Presumed Innocent” (1990) and “Maid in Manhattan” (2002). Several TV shows have also been filmed there, among them: “Mad Men” and “Law & Order.”
1979: The hotel changed owners multiple times before Pakistan International Airlines, with backing from Saudi Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud, took over its management from a New York real estate family. The agreement came with the option to buy the hotel for $36.5 million after 20 years — a deal the airline finalized in 2000. Considered a national asset by the Pakistan government, the Roosevelt became the preferred lodging place for visiting Pakistani prime ministers and other dignitaries to New York. In the late 1990s, the hotel hosted a live performance in the Grand Ballroom by Junoon, Pakistan’s biggest rock band.
2020-2023: In recent decades, the Roosevelt has struggled financially. In 2020, it closed its doors to guests, citing the “unprecedented environment” stemming from the pandemic. It received a fresh start when New York City signed a three-year, $220 million lease in 2023 to use it as a migrant shelter and processing center. But the lease proved a mere Band-Aid for the struggling hotel. In February 2024, Mayor Eric Adams announced the city was canceling the lease, marking the end of an era in New York history.

more