Author: Uponsci

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — A village in the densely populated Philippine capital region launched a battle against dengue Wednesday by offering a token bounty to residents for captured mosquitos — dead or alive.

The unusual strategy adopted by the Addition Hills village in Mandaluyong City reflects growing concern after the nearby city of Quezon declared an outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness over the weekend. Eight more areas reported an upsurge in cases of the potentially deadly viral infection.

At least 28,234 dengue cases have been recorded in the Philippines this year up to Feb. 1, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year, according to health department statistics. Quezon City declared a dengue outbreak Saturday after deaths this year reached 10 people, mostly children, out of 1,769 residents infected.

A urban village of more than 100,000 residents living in crowded neighborhoods and residential condominium towers, Addition Hills has done clean-ups, canal declogging and a hygiene campaign to combat dengue. But when cases spiked to 42 this year and two young students died, village leader Carlito Cernal decided to intensify the battle.

“There was an alarm,” Cernal told The Associated Press. “I found a way.”

Residents will get a reward of one Philippines peso (just over 1 cent) for every five mosquitos or mosquito larva they turn in, Cernal said.

Critics warned the strategy could backfire if desperate people start breeding mosquitoes for the reward. Cernal said that was unlikely because the campaign would be terminated as soon as the uptick in cases eases.

As the campaign began, about a dozen mosquito hunters showed up at the village office. Miguel Labag, a 64-year-old scavenger, handed a jug with 45 dark mosquito larvas squirming in some water and received a reward of nine pesos (15 cents).

“This is a big help,” Labag said, smiling. “I can buy coffee.”

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and rashes, and in severe cases can cause breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure. While there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person’s fluid levels is seen as critical.

Officials in another village in Quezon City were considering releasing swarms of frogs to eat mosquitoes.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said it’s crucial to clean up mosquito breeding sites, and for anyone who might be infected to seek immediate medical attention. Despite an increase in dengue infections, the Philippines has managed to maintain low mortality rates, he said.

Dengue cases surged unexpectedly ahead of the rainy season, which starts in June, likely because of intermittent downpours that have left stagnant pools of water where dengue-causing mosquitos can breed, Health Undersecretary Alberto Domingo said, adding that climate change was likely contributing to off-season downpours.
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CAIRO — A cholera outbreak in a southern Sudanese city killed nearly 60 people and sickened about 1,300 others over the last three days, health authorities said Saturday.

The outbreak in the southern city of Kosti was blamed mainly on contaminated drinking water after the city’s water plant stopped due to an attack by a notorious paramilitary group, the Health Ministry said. The group has been fighting the country’s military for about two years.

The ministry said in a statement the disease killed 58 people and sickened 1,293 others between Thursday and Saturday.

The ministry said it has taken a series of measures to fight the outbreak, including launching a vaccination campaign against cholera in the city.

The disease killed more than 600 and sickened over 21,000 others between July and October last year.

Cholera is a highly contagious disease that causes diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration and could be fatal if not immediately treated, according to WHO. It’s transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water.
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CAIRO — A cholera outbreak in a southern Sudanese city killed nearly 60 people and sickened about 1,300 others over the last three days, health authorities said Saturday.

The outbreak in the southern city of Kosti was blamed mainly on contaminated drinking water after the city’s water plant stopped due to an attack by a notorious paramilitary group, the Health Ministry said. The group has been fighting the country’s military for about two years.

The ministry said in a statement the disease killed 58 people and sickened 1,293 others between Thursday and Saturday.

The ministry said it has taken a series of measures to fight the outbreak, including launching a vaccination campaign against cholera in the city.

The disease killed more than 600 and sickened over 21,000 others between July and October last year.

Cholera is a highly contagious disease that causes diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration and could be fatal if not immediately treated, according to WHO. It’s transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water.
…

JABALIA, GAZA STRIP — A third mass polio vaccination campaign began in Gaza on Saturday, AFP journalists reported, with the aim of delivering the first dose to nearly 600,000 children across the Palestinian territory.

Scores of children under the age of 10 received the dose at a mosque in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, where a blistering Israeli military assault last year reduced many buildings to rubble.

The vaccination campaign involves multiple U.N. agencies, including the Israeli-boycotted U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees, or UNRWA, and comes at a time when Israel and Hamas are observing a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting.

The United States, United Kingdom and other Western nations designate Hamas as a terror group.

The World Health Organization said the campaign aims to vaccinate more than 591,000 children by Feb. 26.

“Over 1,700 UNRWA team members will take part in this campaign,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X. “This campaign follows a recent detection of polio in wastewater, putting the lives of children at risk.”

The previous two drives were conducted in late 2024 after the highly contagious disease resurfaced in Gaza for the first time in over 20 years.

After more than 16 months of war between Israel and Hamas, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire.

Even before the hostilities began, the territory had been struggling under an Israeli-imposed blockade for more than 15 years.

Much of the water infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving sewage to stagnate in open pools near densely populated neighborhoods — conditions that contributed to the reemergence of the virus last autumn.

The WHO reported on Feb. 19 that traces of poliovirus had again been detected in wastewater samples.

Polio is highly contagious and can cause paralysis, primarily affecting children under the age of 5. The disease has been nearly eradicated worldwide.

Hoping for a lasting truce, Bassam al-Haou, a resident of Jabalia, brought his daughters to receive the vaccine.

“I also hope for stability for our innocent children so they can remain safe from violence,” he told AFP.

The war erupted following Hamas’s unprecedented terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. A fragile ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19.
…

JABALIA, GAZA STRIP — A third mass polio vaccination campaign began in Gaza on Saturday, AFP journalists reported, with the aim of delivering the first dose to nearly 600,000 children across the Palestinian territory.

Scores of children under the age of 10 received the dose at a mosque in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, where a blistering Israeli military assault last year reduced many buildings to rubble.

The vaccination campaign involves multiple U.N. agencies, including the Israeli-boycotted U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees, or UNRWA, and comes at a time when Israel and Hamas are observing a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting.

The United States, United Kingdom and other Western nations designate Hamas as a terror group.

The World Health Organization said the campaign aims to vaccinate more than 591,000 children by Feb. 26.

“Over 1,700 UNRWA team members will take part in this campaign,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X. “This campaign follows a recent detection of polio in wastewater, putting the lives of children at risk.”

The previous two drives were conducted in late 2024 after the highly contagious disease resurfaced in Gaza for the first time in over 20 years.

After more than 16 months of war between Israel and Hamas, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire.

Even before the hostilities began, the territory had been struggling under an Israeli-imposed blockade for more than 15 years.

Much of the water infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving sewage to stagnate in open pools near densely populated neighborhoods — conditions that contributed to the reemergence of the virus last autumn.

The WHO reported on Feb. 19 that traces of poliovirus had again been detected in wastewater samples.

Polio is highly contagious and can cause paralysis, primarily affecting children under the age of 5. The disease has been nearly eradicated worldwide.

Hoping for a lasting truce, Bassam al-Haou, a resident of Jabalia, brought his daughters to receive the vaccine.

“I also hope for stability for our innocent children so they can remain safe from violence,” he told AFP.

The war erupted following Hamas’s unprecedented terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. A fragile ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19.
…

The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 90 cases across seven counties, the state health department posted online Friday, and 16 people are hospitalized. 

In neighboring eastern New Mexico, the measles case count is up to nine, though state public health officials said Thursday there’s still no evidence this outbreak is connected to the one in Texas. 

The West Texas cases are concentrated in eight counties in West Texas.  

Texas state health department data shows that most of the cases are among people younger than 18. Twenty-six cases are in kids younger than 4 and 51 are in kids 5-17 years old. Ten adults have measles, and three cases are pending an age determination. The Ector County Health Department told the Odessa American its case was in a child too young to be vaccinated. 

State health officials have said this outbreak is Texas’ largest in nearly 30 years. Health department spokeswoman Lara Anton said last week that cases have been concentrated in a “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community — especially among families who attend small private religious schools or are homeschooled. 

In New Mexico, all of the cases are in Lea County, which borders Gaines County in Texas. The state health department has said people may have been exposed at a grocery store, an elementary school, a church, hospital and a pharmacy in Hobbs, New Mexico. 

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. 

The vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella is safe and highly effective in preventing measles infection and severe cases of the disease. 

The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. The vaccine series is required for kids before entering kindergarten in public schools nationwide. 

Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the U.S. saw some 3 million to 4 million cases per year. Now, it’s usually fewer than 200 in a normal year. 

There is no link between the vaccine and autism, despite a now-discredited study and health disinformation. 

In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity.” 

But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. 

The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60.  

Gaines County has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% of K-12 children in the 2023-24 school year. Health officials say that number is likely higher because it doesn’t include many children who are homeschooled and whose data would not be reported. 

Health workers are hosting regular vaccination clinics and screening efforts in Texas, as well as working with schools to educate people about the importance of vaccination and offering shots. 

New Mexico health officials are also hosting several vaccination clinics in Hobbs next week. 
…

PARIS — Ice loss from the world’s glaciers has accelerated over the past decade, scientists said on Wednesday, warning that melting may be faster than previously expected in the coming years and drive sea levels higher.

The world’s glaciers, which are important climate regulators and hold freshwater resources for billions, are rapidly melting as the world warms.

In a first-of-its-kind global assessment, an international team of researchers found a sharp increase in melting over the past decade, with around 36% more ice lost in the 2012-23 period than in the years from 2000-11.

On average some 273 billion tons of ice are being lost per year — equivalent to the world population’s water consumption for 30 years, they said.

The findings are “shocking” if not altogether surprising as global temperatures rise with humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions, said Michael Zemp, a professor at the University of Zurich, who was a co-author of the assessment published in the journal Nature.

Overall, researchers found that the world’s glaciers have lost around 5% of their volume since the turn of the century, with wide regional differences ranging from a 2% loss in Antarctica to up to 40% in the European Alps.

Zemp said that regions with smaller glaciers are losing them faster, and many “will not survive the present century.”

The research — coordinated by the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), The University of Edinburgh and research group Earthwave — was an effort to bring together field and satellite measurements to create a “reference estimate” for tracking ice loss.

Zemp, who leads the WGMS, said the team’s observations and recent modelling studies suggest that glacier melt this century will be faster than projected in the most recent assessment by United Nations IPCC climate experts.

“Hence, we are facing higher sea-level rise until the end of this century than expected before,” he told AFP, adding that glacier loss would also impact fresh water supplies, particularly in central Asia and the central Andes.

Glaciers are the second-largest contributor to global sea-level rise — after the rise caused by the expansion of seawater as it warms.

The nearly 2 centimeters of sea level rise attributed to glacier melt since 2000 means almost 4 million more people on the world’s coasts made vulnerable to flooding, scientists have estimated.

‘Survival strategy’

So far smaller glaciers are the main contributors to sea level rise, but Martin Siegert, a professor at the University of Exeter who was not involved in the study, said the research was “concerning.”

That is because it predicts further glacier losses and could indicate how Antarctica and Greenland’s vast ice sheets react to global warming.

“Ice sheets are now losing mass at increasing rates — six times more than 30 years ago — and when they change, we stop talking centimeters and start talking meters,” he said.

Glaciers have been a key bellwether for human-caused climate change for decades, with WGMS data going back more than a century.

In the 20th century, assessments were based on field measurements from some 500 glaciers — involving scientists digging a hole on the top to record the amount of fresh snow that year and then assessing ice amounts lost on the “tongue” where the melting ice flows.

More recently, satellites have allowed scientists to better track changes across the world’s 275,000 glaciers — using cameras, radar, lasers and methods to assess the Earth’s mass.

In January, the United Nations said saving the world’s glaciers was an important “survival strategy” for the planet.

To do that, “you have to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, it is as simple and as complicated as that,” said Zemp.

“Every tenth of a degree warming that we avoid saves us money, saves us lives, saves us problems.”
…

An asteroid heading toward Earth will likely miss its chance to wipe out the planet. Plus, a possible new source of fuel for future flight. And the northern lights as only seen from above. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space.
…

WASHINGTON — A German study shows that the cancer detection rate improves by almost 18% when doctors get help from artificial intelligence.  

For the study, radiologists — doctors who analyze the results of mammograms and other diagnostic tests — used artificial intelligence to examine the mammograms of more than 460,000 German women between the ages of 50 and 69. They found one more cancer for every 1,000 women than humans alone did, according to researchers. It was the largest real-world exploration to date into the use of AI to help detect breast cancer.  

“The breast cancer detection rate is better, and this is really strong evidence,” said Dr.  Alexander Katalinic, of the University of Lubeck in Germany, who was the study’s principal investigator. “And based on this evidence, we should start to use more AI in breast cancer screening, and in the end, this should be standard.”  

The mammograms of 463,094 German women were examined between July 2021 and February 2023. About half were reviewed by two radiologists, which is standard procedure in Germany. In just over half of the cases, the humans were assisted by AI.  When AI was involved, the breast cancer detection rate was 6.7 per 1,000 women, compared to 5.7 per 1,000 women screened solely by humans. 

“AI really is suitable for replacing human readers to a certain extent,” Katalinic said. “But how far do you want to go? This is not only a question of science, it’s also a social question. How is the society’s trust in AI?”  

The study found that AI also helped reduce the number of false positive results. Artificial intelligence, however, did miss some cancers. 

“The AI is not perfect in the same way that the humans are not perfect,” said Stefan Bunk, cofounder of Vara, a health care technology company in Berlin that developed the artificial intelligence used in the study. “There were 20 cases in our study where the AI said this case is normal but actually a radiologist found cancer.”  

Humans, however, missed a malignancy 10 times more than the AI, according to the study results.  

“AI, unlike humans, doesn’t get tired, right?” Bunk said. “AI works in the same way at 2 a.m. in the morning like in the middle of the day. So, it’s definitely an advantage, and it’s also one of the reasons why I think AI finds cancers that otherwise humans would miss.” 

AI could help reduce the workload for radiologists, freeing them to focus on more complex cases, according to Bunk, who added that increasing reliance on AI could lead to the risk of losing human expertise over time. 

“Those complex cases — those cases where you need to take into account multiple angles, where you need to talk to the patient, right — is something where expertise and an actual radiologist is very important and should continue to be trained,” Bunk said.   

Dr. Wei Yang, a professor in breast radiology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, believes increased use of AI could energize radiologists. 

“I think that the advent of AI is an opportunity and a trigger for us to become more excited about our field so that highly trained radiologists will have the open space, the time and the concentration to focus on more complex tasks,” Yang said. 

Using a human radiologist along with artificial intelligence offers the best of both worlds, according to Katalinic. 

“The combination of a human together with AI is much better than only having the human reading,” he said. 

Yang, who was not involved in the study, is encouraged by the results.  

“The data is very compelling,” she said. “The increased cancer detection rate, the reduction in the false positive callbacks and the potential impact this can have on the workforce and burnout. So overall, very, very positive.” 
…

A recent study found doctors were able to detect breast cancer more often when they used artificial intelligence to help read mammogram results. As VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports, AI helped boost the breast cancer detection rate by more than 17%.
…

Measles is making a comeback in the United States. 

Fifty-eight cases of the highly contagious disease were reported Tuesday by health officials in rural West Texas, while eight cases were confirmed in neighboring eastern New Mexico.  

Texas officials say the outbreak there, the largest in almost 30 years, is mainly confined to Gaines County, with 45 infections, but four other counties account for an additional 13 cases.   

The Texas measles cases, according to health officials, have occurred mainly among a “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community. 

Authorities say at least three of the New Mexico cases are in counties that border Texas’ Gaines County. 

Earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 14 measles cases across the country.  

Mayo Clinic describes measles as “a childhood infection caused by a virus. Once quite common, measles can now almost always be prevented with a vaccine … measles spreads easily and can be serious, and even fatal, for small children.” 

Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for two hours. As many as nine out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the CDC.  

However, in recent years, the necessity and safety of the vaccinations designed to prevent the disease have come under question, with some parents citing a now-discredited study that linked the measles vaccine to autism.  

Another unfortunate development in the fight against measles happened during the COVID-19 pandemic when many children missed their vaccinations. Los Angeles Cedars Sinai said in a statement in February 2024 that 61 million fewer doses of the measles vaccine were distributed nationwide from 2020 to 2022.  

Before the MMR vaccination, which addresses not only measles, but also mumps and rubella, was introduced in the U.S. in 1963, there were 3 million to 4 million measles cases every year.   

Now there are usually fewer than 200 cases per year, but pockets of measles persist in areas that still resist the vaccinations. The shots are first given to toddlers between 12 and 15 months and then again at 4 to 6 years of age.   
…

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to study how to expand access to in vitro fertilization and make it more affordable. 

The order calls for policy recommendations to “protect IVF access and aggressively reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for such treatments,” according to the White House. On the campaign trail, Trump called for universal coverage of IVF treatment after his Supreme Court nominees helped to overturn Roe v. Wade, leading to a wave of restrictions in Republican-led states, including some that have threatened access to IVF by trying to define life as beginning at conception. 

Trump, who was at his Florida residence and club Mar-a-Lago, also signed another executive order and a presidential memorandum. The second executive order outlined the oversight functions of the Office of Management and Budget, while the presidential memorandum called for more transparency from the government, according to White House staff secretary Will Scharf, who Trump called to the podium to detail the orders. 

The order called for “radical transparency requirements” for the government, requiring it to detail the “waste, fraud and abuse” that’s found as the Department of Government Efficiency, overseen by Elon Musk, looks to cut government spending. 

DOGE has often fallen short of the administration’s promises of transparency. Musk has taken questions from journalists only once since becoming Trump’s most powerful adviser, and he’s claimed it’s illegal to name people who are working for him. Sometimes DOGE staff members have demanded access to sensitive government databases with little explanation. 

According to a fact sheet provided by the White House, Trump’s IVF order will focus on prioritizing whether there are any current policies “that exacerbate the cost of IVF treatments.” 

Last year, Trump declared public support for IVF after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. The decision, which some Republicans and conservatives cheered, touched off immediate backlash. 

Families ‘appreciative,’ says Trump

On the campaign trail, IVF quickly became a talking point for Trump, who said he strongly supports its availability. 

In vitro fertilization offers a possible solution when a woman has trouble getting pregnant. The procedure involves retrieving her eggs and combining them in a lab dish with a man’s sperm to create a fertilized embryo, which is then transferred into the woman’s uterus in an attempt to create a pregnancy. IVF is done in cycles, and more than one may be required. 

“I think the women and families, husbands, are very appreciative of it,” Trump said in brief remarks on the order, before he took questions on a variety of topics. 

Trump, who spent the morning at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, spoke to reporters hours before his first joint TV interview with adviser Elon Musk airs in prime time. 

Trump and Musk gave their first joint interview to Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel. The interview was taped on Friday at the White House and is set to air as Musk leads Trump’s effort to cut federal spending and slash the federal workforce. 

Musk has drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress and others for the methods he and his team at DOGE are using to cut spending, including foreign aid, and eliminate jobs across the bureaucracy. 

The Fox News interview also follows Musk’s appearance with Trump in the Oval Office last week, when both defended Musk’s approach to federal cost-cutting. 

In an excerpt from the interview that Fox News released on Sunday, Musk said he “used to be adored by the left” but “less so these days” because of the work he’s doing at Trump’s direction. 

“They call it Trump derangement syndrome. You don’t realize how real this is until you can’t reason with people,” Musk said, adding that normal conversations with Democrats about the president are difficult because “it’s like they’ve become completely irrational.” 

Event celebrates ‘American Exceptionalism’

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club is the setting Tuesday night for an awards program by America’s Future, a conservative group led by Mike Flynn, who briefly served as national security adviser in the Republican president’s first term. The program aims to preserve individual rights and promote American values and traditions, according to its website. The event, called Celebrate American Exceptionalism 2025, will honor one member from the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force and the Space Force. 

The event includes a poolside reception, musical performances and dinner in Mar-a-Lago’s Grand Ballroom, where other award presentations are expected from a lineup that includes such names as comedian Russell Brand, singer Ted Nugent and former pro boxer Mike Tyson. 

It’s unclear whether Trump will participate in the event. 
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KAMPALA — Uganda discharged on Tuesday the last eight patients who recovered from Ebola, health authorities reported, and there were no other positive cases in the outbreak declared last month. 

World Health Organization described the recoveries as a milestone that “reflects the power of Uganda’s quick and coordinated response.” 

Most of the Ebola patients were treated at the main referral facility in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. 

The lone Ebola victim was a male nurse who died the day before the outbreak was declared in Kampala on Jan. 30. His relatives are among those later hospitalized with Ebola. 

Tracing contacts is key to stemming the spread of Ebola, which manifests as a viral hemorrhagic fever. Ugandan officials documented at least 265 contacts, and at least 90 of them have completed a period of quarantine during which they were monitored for signs of Ebola, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng told reporters in Kampala. 

There are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola in Uganda’s outbreak. But authorities have launched a clinical study to further test the safety and efficacy of a trial vaccine as part of measures to stop the spread of Ebola. 

The last outbreak of Ebola in Uganda, which began in September 2022, killed at least 55 people by the time it was declared over four months later. 

Ebola is spread by contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding. 

Scientists suspect that the first person infected in an Ebola outbreak acquires the virus through contact with an infected animal or eating its raw meat. Ebola was discovered in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, where it occurred in a village near the Ebola River, after which the disease is named.
…

Los Angeles — On a recent Sunday, Tracy Quinn drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to assess damage wrought upon the coastline by the Palisades Fire.

The water line was darkened by ash. Burnt remnants of washing machines and dryers and metal appliances were strewn about the shoreline. Sludge carpeted the water’s edge. Waves during high tide lapped onto charred homes, pulling debris and potentially toxic ash into the ocean as they receded.

“It was just heartbreaking,” said Quinn, president and CEO of the environmental group Heal the Bay, whose team has reported ash and debris some 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the Palisades burn area west of Los Angeles.

As crews work to remove potentially hundreds of thousands of tons of hazardous materials from the Los Angeles wildfires, researchers and officials are trying to understand how the fires on land have impacted the sea. The Palisades and Eaton fires scorched thousands of homes, businesses, cars and electronics, turning everyday items into hazardous ash made of pesticides, asbestos, plastics, lead, heavy metals and more.

Since much of it could end up in the Pacific Ocean, there are concerns and many unknowns about how the fires could affect life under the sea.

“We haven’t seen a concentration of homes and buildings burned so close to the water,” Quinn said.

Fire debris and potentially toxic ash could make the water unsafe for surfers and swimmers, especially after rainfall that can transport chemicals, trash and other hazards into the sea. Longer term, scientists worry if and how charred urban contaminants will affect the food supply.

The atmospheric river and mudslides that pummeled the Los Angeles region last week exacerbated some of those fears.

When the fires broke out in January, one of Mara Dias’ first concerns was ocean water contamination. Strong winds were carrying smoke and ash far beyond the blazes before settling at sea, said the water quality manager for the Surfrider Foundation, an environmental nonprofit.

Scientists on board a research vessel during the fires detected ash and waste on the water as far as 100 miles (161 kilometers) offshore, said marine ecologist Julie Dinasquet with the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Things like twigs and shard. They described the smell as electronics burning, she recalled, “not like a nice campfire.”

Runoff from rain also is a huge and immediate concern. Rainfall picks up contaminants and trash while flushing toward the sea through a network of drains and rivers. That runoff could contain “a lot of nutrients, nitrogen and phosphate that end up in the ash of the burn material that can get into the water,” said Dias, as well as “heavy metals, something called PAHs, which are given off when you burn different types of fuel.”

Mudslides and debris flows in the Palisades Fire burn zone also can dump more hazardous waste into the ocean. After fires, the soil in burn scars is less able to absorb rainfall and can develop a layer that repels water from the remains of seared organic material. When there is less organic material to hold the soil in place, the risks of mudslides and debris flows increase.

Los Angeles County officials, with help from other agencies, have set thousands of feet of concrete barriers, sandbags, silt socks and more to prevent debris from reaching beaches. The LA County Board of Supervisors also recently passed a motion seeking state and federal help to expand beach clean ups, prepare for storm runoff and test ocean water for potential toxins and chemicals, among other things.

Beyond the usual samples, state water officials and others are testing for total and dissolved metals such as arsenic, lead and aluminum and volatile organic compounds.

They also are sampling for microplastics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, that are harmful to human and aquatic life, and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, a group of man-made chemicals shown to cause cancer in animals and other serious health effects. Now banned from being manufactured, they were used in products like pigments, paints and electrical equipment.

County public health officials said chemical tests of water samples last month did not raise health concerns, so they downgraded one beach closure to an ocean water advisory. Beachgoers were still advised to stay out of the water.

Dinasquet and colleagues are working to understand how far potentially toxic ash and debris dispersed across the ocean, how deep and how fast they sunk and, over time, where it ends up.

Forest fires can deposit important nutrients like iron and nitrogen into the ocean ecosystem, boosting the growth of phytoplankton, which can create a positive, cascading effect across the ecosystem. But the potentially toxic ash from urban coastal fires could have dire consequences, Dinasquet said.

“Reports are already showing that there was a lot of lead and asbestos in the ash,” she added. “This is really bad for people so it’s probably also very bad for the marine organisms.”
…

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Chad health officials have sealed several dozen schools, sent thousands of children and their teachers home, and restricted movements to and from the Bologo district — 400 kilometers south of the capital, N’djamena — to contain a measles epidemic. Officials blame vaccine hesitancy for the rapid measles spread within the past two weeks.

State TV reports that thousands of children in Chad’s Bologo district have been ordered to stay home for a week as their schools remain closed to prevent measles from spreading. Many churches and mosques in the district are closed too.

About 50 cases of measles were confirmed within the past two weeks, said Oumar Mahamat Traore, chief health official in Bologo, appointed by Chad’s central government in N’djamena.

He said the situation is very concerning because all seven of the hospitals in Bologo district have at least five children receiving treatment for measles. He said parents should make sure all children having high fever, runny nose, red and watery eyes and rashes on their faces and bodies accompanied by small white spots inside the mouth are immediately rushed to the nearest hospital, where they will receive free treatment.

Traore spoke to VOA on Saturday by telephone. He said it is difficult to know the number of children affected by the measles epidemic because more than 80% of civilians in Bologo prefer African traditional medicine and go to conventional hospitals only in critical circumstances.

Hospitals have not reported any deaths, but some affected children are in critical condition, according to government officials.

Chad’s government said health workers have been dispatched to Bologo and surrounding towns and villages to educate civilians against popular beliefs that the viral disease is divine punishment for wrongdoing and can be treated only by offering traditional sacrifices to the gods.

Health workers are raising awareness that measles can be treated with conventional medicine.

The United Nations reports that measles is one of the main causes of death among children in Chad. Outbreaks occur often because vaccination coverage remains low throughout the central African state.

Chad’s Health Ministry says vaccine hesitancy is to blame for millions of children not being inoculated against childhood diseases including measles.

In 2023, Doctors Without Borders reported that more than 1.3 million children between the ages of 6 months and 10 years old were inoculated against measles.

Chad said there were plans with its international partners to inoculate at least 4 million children in the country of close to 18 million people.

But armed conflicts and tensions triggered by elections to end a three-year transition that followed the death of President Idriss Deby Itno in 2021 made it impossible for humanitarian agencies to continue vaccination drives.

Officials hope that with peace returning and constitutional order reestablished — with the election of Mahamat Idriss Deby as president and the new parliament — more vaccine campaigns will be organized.

Measles is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory system that can lead to severe complications and death. The U.N. says it is one of the most contagious diseases in the world.

In the absence of specific treatment, vaccination is the most effective medical tool against measles, the World Health Organization said. The vaccine is safe, effective and inexpensive, according to the U.N.  
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U.S. health officials have banned Red Dye No. 3 from American foods, decades after the synthetic coloring was banned in Europe. As VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports, studies have linked the bright red color additive to cancer in male laboratory rats.
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BALTIMORE — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19.

The judge’s ruling came after a lawsuit was filed earlier this month on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children who allege their health care has been compromised by the president’s order. A national group for family of LGBTQ+ people and a doctors organization are also plaintiffs in the court challenge, one of many lawsuits opposing one of the many executive orders Trump has issued.

Judge Brendan Hurson, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, granted the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order following a hearing in federal court in Baltimore. The ruling, in effect for 14 days, essentially puts Trump’s directive on hold while the case proceeds. The restraining order could also be extended.

Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order directing federally run insurance programs to exclude coverage for gender-affirming care. That includes Medicaid, which covers such services in some states, and TRICARE for military families. Trump’s order also called on the Department of Justice to vigorously pursue litigation and legislation to oppose the practice.

The lawsuit includes several accounts from families of appointments being canceled as medical institutions react to the new directive.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue Trump’s executive order is “unlawful and unconstitutional” because it seeks to withhold federal funds previously authorized by Congress and because it violates anti-discrimination laws while infringing on the rights of parents.

Like legal challenges to state bans on gender-affirming care, the lawsuit also alleges the policy is discriminatory because it allows federal funds to cover the same treatments when they’re not used for gender transition.

Some hospitals immediately paused gender-affirming care, including prescriptions for puberty blockers and hormone therapy, while they assess how the order affects them.

Trump’s approach on the issue represents an abrupt change from the Biden administration, which sought to explicitly extend civil rights protections to transgender people. Trump has used strong language in opposing gender-affirming care, asserting falsely that “medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex.”

Major medical groups such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics support access to gender-affirming care.

Young people who persistently identify as a gender that differs from their sex assigned at birth are first evaluated by a team of professionals. Some may try a social transition, involving changing a hairstyle or pronouns. Some may later also receive puberty blockers or hormones. Surgery is extremely rare for minors.
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NEW YORK — A new study shows that bird flu has silently spread from animals to some veterinarians.

The study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoes two smaller ones that detected evidence of infection in previously undiagnosed farmworkers. In those studies, several of the infected workers remembered having symptoms of H5N1 bird flu, while none of the veterinarians in the new paper recalled any such symptoms.

The new study is more evidence that the official U.S. tally of confirmed human bird flu infections — 68 in the last year — is likely a significant undercount, said Dr. Gregory Gray, an infectious-disease researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

“This means that people are being infected, likely due to their occupational exposures, and not developing signs of illness and therefore not seeking medical care,” Gray said.

He said it shows that officials cannot fully understand bird flu transmission by only tracking people who go to medical clinics with symptoms.

Evidence of antibodies

CDC researchers went to an American Association of Bovine Practitioners veterinary conference in September 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. They recruited 150 vets from 46 states to fill out a questionnaire and agree to have their blood drawn. None said they had suffered red eyes or other symptoms associated with bird flu.

Testing found three of the vets, or 2%, had evidence of antibodies to H5N1 infection. All three worked with dairy cattle, as well as other animals. None had worked with a herd known to be infected, although one had worked with a flock of infected poultry.

Gray and some colleagues did a study last year of 14 dairy farmworkers and found that two, or 14%, had evidence of past infections. Both had experienced symptoms but were never diagnosed.

Another study published last year by the CDC checked 115 dairy workers. The researchers found that eight of them, or 7%, had evidence in their blood of recent infection. Half recalled feeling ill.

The studies were far too small to use as a basis to provide a solid estimate of how many undiagnosed human infections are out there, Gray said. But even just a very small percentage could translate to hundreds or thousands of Americans who were infected while working with animals, he noted.

That’s not necessarily a reason to be alarmed, said Jacqueline Nolting, an Ohio State University researcher who helped CDC with the latest study.

Available studies suggest people who are infected mount antibody responses and may develop natural immunity, which is “good news,” she said.

However, if the virus changes or mutates to start making people very sick, or to start spreading easily from person to person, that would be “a completely different story,” Nolting said.

Caution around sick birds 

The H5N1 bird flu has been spreading widely among wild birds, poultry, cows and other animals. Its escalating presence in the environment increases the chances people will be exposed and potentially catch it, officials have said.

Right now, the risk to the public is low, the CDC says. But officials continue to urge people who have contact with sick or dead birds to take precautions, including wearing respiratory and eye protection and gloves when handling poultry.

“No one’s really questioning that the virus has been moving around the country more than has been reported,” said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. 

He said he expected to see stepped-up information reminding veterinarians across the country to protect themselves with gloves, masks and other equipment to halt infection.
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