Archive | January 21, 2015
Highly contagious measles virus strikes employees at Disneyland, USA
The happiest place on Earth just got a bit sadder for some of its employees.
Due to a recent measles outbreak, several Disneyland workers are being tested for the virus.
Five employees were diagnosed with measles, and three of them have fully recovered, Disneyland says.
“The measles outbreak exposure period of December 17-20 at the Disneyland Resort is over, and all cases from this exposure should have occurred by January 10, 2015,” the California Department of Public Health says. “No new cases have been identified in guests who visited after that time period.”
Disneyland said it was informed of measles cases among employees on January 15.
Previously, public health officials in California and Utah confirmed nine cases among visitors to either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park.
After Orange County health officials notified Disneyland of that on January 7, “We immediately began to communicate to our Cast to raise awareness,” the theme park’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pamela Hymel said in a statement. Disneyland refers to its employees as cast members.
“In an abundance of caution, we also offered vaccinations and immunity tests. To date, a few Cast Members have tested positive and some have been medically cleared and returned to work. Cast Members who may have come in contact with those who were positive are being tested for the virus. While awaiting results, they have been put on paid leave until medically cleared.”
It’s not clear how many of the theme park employees were vaccinated.
So far, five children and 13 adults have been diagnosed with measles in Orange County, according to the county health agency. Before Tuesday’s announcement, the California Department of Public Health said on its website that 36 measles cases had an epidemiologic link to the Disney outbreak, 41 total in the state.
One school in Huntington Beach has barred children who could not prove that they were vaccinated for measles from going to school until January 29, according to the county health agency.
A highly contagious virus
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, measles is a respiratory disease caused by a virus and spread through the air. It was considered eradicated in the United States in 2000, though 2014 saw a record-breaking number of confirmed cases: 644 from 27 states, according to the CDC. That’s “the highest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000,” the CDC says on its website.
“Travelers to areas where measles is endemic can bring measles back to the U.S., resulting in limited domestic transmission of measles,” read a statement from the California Department of Public Health. “Disney and other theme parks in California are international attractions and visitors come from many parts of the world, including those where measles is endemic.”
As for symptoms, “measles starts with a fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes and sore throat,” according to the CDC.
Those showing such symptoms shouldn’t be bashful about seeing their doctor, because a full body rash is likely to break out next. “If you have symptoms, and believe you may have been exposed, please contact your health care provider,” said Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the state health department.
Chapman says prevention is the key.
“The best way to prevent measles and its spread is to get vaccinated.”
CNN’s Kevin Conlon contributed to this report.
Courtesy of Fox8
MAGNITUDE 5.7 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000thwt#general_summary
Subject To Change
Depth: 54 km
Distances: 74km (46mi) SE of Madang, Papua New Guinea
114km (71mi) ENE of Goroka, Papua New Guinea
139km (86mi) NNW of Lae, Papua New Guinea
175km (109mi) NNW of Bulolo, Papua New Guinea
430km (267mi) NNW of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
MAGNITUDE 5.1 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=423550
Subject To Change
Depth: 70 km
Distances: 424 km N of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea / pop: 283,733 / local time: 05:52:57.5 2015-01-22
85 km SE of Madang, Papua New Guinea / pop: 27,419 / local time: 05:52:57.5 2015-01-22
MAGNITUDE 4.7 EASTERN TURKEY
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=423498
Subject To Change
Depth: 4 km
Distances: 214 km N of Al Mawşil al Jadīdah, Iraq / pop: 2,065,597 / local time: 16:58:03.4 2015-01-21
53 km SW of Van, Turkey / pop: 371,713 / local time: 15:58:03.4 2015-01-21
15 km N of Bahçesaray, Turkey / pop: 3,731 / local time: 15:58:03.4 2015-01-21
MAGNITUDE 5.3 PAGAN REG., N. MARIANA ISLANDS
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000thqq#summary
Subject To Change
Depth: 77 km
Distances: 104km (65mi) E of Pagan, Northern Mariana Islands
324km (201mi) NNE of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
326km (203mi) NNE of Northern Islands Municipality – Mayor’s Office, Northern Mariana Islands
354km (220mi) NNE of JP Tinian Town pre-WW2, Northern Mariana Islands
531km (330mi) NNE of Yigo Village, Guam
MAGNITUDE 5.4 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=423443
Subject To Change
Depth: 80 km
Distances: 136 km S of Davao, Philippines / pop: 1,212,504 / local time: 13:20:28.2 2015-01-21
101 km SE of Koronadal, Philippines / pop: 125,502 / local time: 13:20:28.2 2015-01-21
14 km N of Kalbay, Philippines / pop: 4,339 / local time: 13:20:28.2 2015-01-21
Severe snow storm of the season on the way to New Mexico, USA
The largest snow event of the winter will hit New Mexico this week, First Alert meteorologist Eric Green said.
Both rain and snow showers are expected to hit Wednesday across New Mexico, and where the snow hits, it will be heavy.
Temperatures in the lower 40s and upper 30s are expected Wednesday in the Albuquerque area, meaning it will be too warm for snow. Expect off and on rain showers throughout the day.
Snow chances will increase overnight when the temperature drops, but strong east winds may eat away at most of the snow. Albuquerque could see 1 to 2 inches of snow.
Most of eastern New Mexico is under a winter storm warning. Some of the affected cities are Santa Fe, Taos, Raton and Tucumcari. Expect 3 to 6 inches of snowfall. Snowfall of 6 to 10 inches is possible on the mountains and some localized areas could see more than a foot of snow.
Travel conditions will be deteriorating throughout the day, and there could be major interstate and highway closures as the storm gets worse.
Courtesy of KOAT
Severe Drought hits Brazil very hard
Brazil faces its worst drought in 80 years amid a heatwave that has forced the authorities to take measures in several states of the South American nation.
According to the National Center for Monitoring and Disaster Alert (Cemaden) if the rains in the regional Cantareira system, which supplies 8.8 million people in Sao Paulo, remain 50 percent below average, this source could dry in four months, released today the newspaper Jornal do Brasil.
Speaking to this newspaper, specialist Adriana Cuartas said that five scenarios that take into account the possible impact of the rain were elaborated, and the results were compared with the time series of rainfall since 2004.
In statements to this Brazilian newspaper, Cuartas said it rained only 60.9 milimeters from the beginning of the month, equivalent to 22.5 percent of the historical average for January.
“We are monitoring, evaluating and seeing what happens to renew the projections,” she said .
Eight states and the federal district were affected by blackouts yesterday after the National Electric System Operator asked some suppliers to cut supply to prevent further crises because of the heatwave and a qualified unprecedented drought.
Among the most affected areas there were Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Parana, Santa Catarina, Espíritu Santo and Goias, where there was a high consumption of air conditioning use.
In Sao Paulo, for example, the temperature may attain the 36.5 Celsius degrees.
Courtesy of Prensa Latina
MEGA DIP SPIKES ON THE MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 17:30, 18:15 hrs UTC
**VERY URGENT**
MEGA DIP SPIKES ON THE MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 17:30, 18:15 hrs UTC. FURTHER EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANO ACTIVITY & ADVERSE WEATHER PATTERNS WILL BE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY THE COSMIC RAYS STRIKING THE EARTH’S CORE
***BE ALERT***
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