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General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

H1N1 UPDATE – MAY 18, 2009

The World Health Organization Health Assembly began today and will go through Friday, five days less than normally held because health ministers are monitoring H1N1 outbreaks in their own countries. 

As of Sunday, 8,480 persons have been ill from the virus in approximately forty countries.  Seventy-five deaths have resulted so far, most in Mexico.  Chile announced its first case Sunday.  Japan’s Health Minister confirmed more than 120 definite cases today. 

There have been 6 deaths in the United States: 3 in Texas, 1 each in Washington and Arizona. In New York City, a beloved Assistant Principal died last night.  He had had symptoms of the virus for a week before his school was closed last Thursday.  He was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator.  It is suspected that the virus, as well as complications all played a part in his death.

The World Health Organization’s main focus will be combating the outbreak of the virus as well as holding discussions on developing a vaccine.  In Southern Hemisphere countries, the annual flu season will soon begin.  If a new vaccine is to be developed for the H1N1 strain, production for seasonal flu would be switched to production for the H1N1 virus vaccine.

In the U.S., we are not hearing of as many cases, and school closings have slowed down.

However, we must remain alert to the symptoms of many types of flu:

  • High fever
  • Coughing
  • Sneezing
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea

If symptoms persist, see your doctor, stay away from others, and wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or alcohol sanitizers.

Source: AP

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

H1N1 UPDATE – FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2009

Although the majority of confirmed cases of H1N1 have been relatively mild, persons need to still be careful if they come down with symptoms of flu, like high fever, coughing, sneezing, etc.  It was announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday evening that three schools in Queens have been closed for a week, following the information that hundreds of students at Susan B. Anthony middle schools and one elementary school had been sent home sick this week.  Four students and an assistant principal have been diagnosed with confirmed cases of H1N1 virus.  Fifty-five year old assistant principal Mitch Wiener is in critical condition and on a breathing tube.  He is experiencing dehydration, kidney failure and a lung infection.  His case is the most serious illness in New York City since the beginning of H1N1 cases began in April.  The only underlying illness he has experienced before is gout, according to his sons.

The Susan B. Anthony schools are approximately two miles from St. Francis Preparatory School, where an estimated 1,000 students, their relatives and staff became ill following a trip to Mexico, taken by several of the students.  Most of the cases were mild and very similar to seasonal flu.

In a related story, the World Health Organization warned today against a false sense of security from the apparent mild and waning outbreaks, as the worst may not be over.  The WHO bases its alert scale on the way the virus is spreading in a sustained way throughout countries, not the severity of its effects.

Thus far, approximately 7,520 cases of H1N1 virus have been confirmed in 34 countries.  It contains a strain of genetic mixtures of bird, swine and human viruses.  Several countries are sharing samples of the cases in their areas with scientists in order for a vaccine to be developed that will be successful in preventing this virus, that spreads through coughs, sneezes, and air droplets, the same as seasonal flu.  Most persons suffer only mild symptoms and the many are able to recover without drug treatment.  Tamiful and Relenza have been effective against the strain.

We continue giving the same advice as major health organizations: wash your hands, cover your face when you cough or sneeze, and stay at home if you become ill.

Remain aware of the symptoms and don’t ignore them, just in case it could be something more serious.

General Safety Issues, Hearing Protection, Uncategorized

COMING UP – THE INDIANAPOLIS 500!

It’s almost time for one of the biggest car racing events in the U.S., the Indianapolis 500!  The largest single-day sporting event in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a permanent seating capacity of 257,000 and additional infield seating, which raises the capacity to approximately 400,000.  Thousands more race fans look forward to watching it on television during the Memorial Day holidays.  This year’s race will be held Sunday, May 24th.

The Indianapolis 500 was first run May 30, 1911, which drew an astonishing 80,200 spectators, who paid $1 each to see this open-wheel race.  The winner of the race was Ray Harroun, who drove a Marmon “Wasp”, which was equipped with his invention – a rear-view mirror!  He was the only driver in the race to drive without a riding mechanic.  It was the responsibility of the mechanic to let the driver know when traffic was coming and keep a check on the oil pressure of the car.  The “Wasp” sits on display with approximately 75 other interesting and historic race vehicles at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, on the grounds of the speedway.

There is a fascinating history behind the race.  Here are two of the many traditions of the Indy 500:

  • Gasoline Alley.  The garage area is still known as Gasoline Alley, even though gasoline hasn’t been used since a 1964 terrible crash that killed drivers Dave MacDonald and Eddie Sachs.  In 1965, they were fueled with safer, less volatile methanol.
  • Milk.  This tradition began in 1933, when winner Louie Meyer hurried to his garage and grabbed a bottle of buttermilk from an icebox.  A photographer just happened by and snapped a picture of Louie enjoying the milk.  Indiana dairy people thought this would be a great publicity idea and sold the idea to the speedway, who has let them provide a bottle for the winner every year since then.

Speedway historian Donald Davidson believes that the pace car was introduced in the 1911 race.  According to Mr. Davidson: “they thought there were too many cars for a standing start, that it would be safer to lead them with a passenger car and release them with a flag.  We think that’s the first mass rolling start for a race anywhere.”

This year’s pace car (safety car) will be a Chevrolet Camaro, to be driven by Josh Duhamel.  The pace car or safety car limits the speed of cars during a caution period, which is caused by debris, collisions, or weather.  At the end of the caution period, the pace car exits at the proper place on the track and the cars may resume racing.

If you are among the lucky ones to see this great event, be sure to take some noise protection earplugs and sunscreen!  Probably one of the most exciting parts of the day will be the traditional “Lady/Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!”

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET THE “MESSAGE”?

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The National Safety Council is working to encourage businesses to adopt policies regarding their employees’ use of cell phones while driving.  They are also asking legislators in all fifty states to ban the use of cell phones and messaging devices while driving.

Accidents happen almost every day involving cars, but other means of transportation are just as dangerous, when in the hands of someone who is more concerned with a phone conversation or text message than doing their job.

Friday, May 8th, fifty people were hurt in a trolley collision!  The conductor admitted he was “texting” at the time of the collision.  Although the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bans operators from using cell phones, it seems this person who was responsible for the safety of others was using his cell phone anyway.

Last September, twenty-five persons were killed and more than 135 injured when a train collided head-on with another train.  The engineer was using his cell phone to send and receive text messages on both morning and evening shifts that he was working.  Reports from the National Transportation Safety Board indicated that during a two-hour period, he sent 24 messages and received 21; later that day, he received 7 more and sent 5- the last one less than 25 seconds before the crash.  The Federal Railroad Administration is developing a coast-to-coast monitoring system that will furnish a positive train control system to save lives by having the capability to intervene in the case of human error.  This system will take approximately five years before being ready.

Is there any cell phone conversation or text message that can’t wait until you get out from behind the wheel?  It seems such a simple thing: to call someone rather than wait until you are home, but think about the cost to yourself, or maybe others if you become distracted.  If you are a passenger in a car, bus, plane, or train, do you want your life to be in the hands of a person whose attention is diverted by some phone conversation?

The next time you get behind the wheel, we hope you will give this message some thought.  Pay attention to the road and other drivers.  That message can wait.

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

MESSAGE FROM TEXAS

This message comes from Dr. David Lakey, Commissioner of Department of State Health Services and Commissioner of Health for the State of Texas.  His message applies to every person in every state that is affected by the H1N1 influenza strain.  We want to pass along Dr. Lakey’s advice to Texans:
“We wanted to share with you some basic principles you can utilize to protect your health. Obviously, there is a lot of concern out there related to what we hear in the media with this new swine flu, but we want to put that in perspective, and again give you some tools to use to protect your health.  Every year we have seasonal influenza. We’re used to that. We take our shots to help protect us, and seasonal influenza is dying out this part of the year. Unfortunately, there is this new strain, and our hope is like the seasonal influenza it will also go away, but we can’t count on that. So we need to do things to protect our health.
There are very simple tools you can use to protect your health. First, flu is spread when we cough on each other. When we cough on our hand and we touch our mouth and touch our eyes, we can spread the disease. So it’s very important right now that if you are coughing, to cover your mouth and cover your nose.  It’s also very important to wash your hands. We spread diseases by our hands. If you don’t wash your hands, you can pass on germs or pick up germs and then touch your eye or mouth and you can become infected.
It’s also very important that we stay home when we are sick. A lot of us go to work no matter what condition we’re in. This is not the time to do that. If you’re sick you need to stay home. It’s not time to go for your perfect attendance record at school. It’s not time to worry about sick leave. If you are sick, you need to stay home. If you don’t, you could spread this to other individuals.
It’s also very important that you understand that throughout the state of Texas, we’re taking some specific measures to prevent the spread of this disease into your community. In communities where we have identified swine flu, we’re asking the communities to do specific steps. We’re asking them – at certain times when they have the disease in their schools – to close their schools. We’re asking them to implement their Pandemic Influenza Plan so we are ready, and the community is ready, for whatever comes their way. We’re working with health care providers throughout the state so they know what they need to do in order to protect your health.
Again, I appreciate your time. Again, I advise you to do those basic precautions to protect your health, wash your hands, cover mouth when you cough, cover your sneeze, and if you are sick you need to stay home.”
Texas Department of State Health Services

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

TOO MUCH HYPE?

Your first answer will probably be “yes”, when being asked whether or not there was too much hype from the media, regarding the H1N1 influenza A virus that caused the World Health Organization to raise the pandemic threat alert to a level 5.  The virus resulted in several deaths in Mexico, and two in the United States.  Thanks to modern-day travel, the virus spread to several other countries, because people who were unaware they were sick and had been in Mexico later became ill, and the rest is history.

This H1N1 influenza A virus has caused a major inconvenience to parents, and students, whose schools were closed, school sporting events were cancelled, and graduation ceremonies postponed or cancelled.  But in the big picture, was it over-hyped by the media, or were they doing their job: warning the public of the honest concerns of the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Prevention and Control?

This virus remains a mystery to scientists, as it is still spreading, and they realize there could be potential as a killer virus.  Infectious disease specialists worry that persons will ignore the next warnings of a flu pandemic, since this one seemed milder than they feared it would be.  Dr. Robert Daum, University of Chicago infectious disease expert, thinks authorities acted properly when the news first broke.  He also says that since the United States situation is not dire at this time, authorities should “downshift”.

Some scientists worry that H5N1 (bird flu) and H1N1 (swine flu) could combine into a new bug.  H5N1 has not established in pigs; however, it is endemic in parts of Asia and Africa. H1N1 is now being confirmed in South Korea and Hong Kong.  WHO Director-General Margaret Chan warns health officials in Bankok, “do not drop the ball on monitoring H5N1”.

Persons should continue to pay attention to what is happening with this new virus in the coming months.  Some medical experts fear that it may return in the fall.  Regardless of the hassle it caused those who were not sick, think about how bad it could have been if proper warnings had not been given.

Source: AP

Uncategorized

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ASSESSMENTS

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To help you understand how the WHO assesses the potential for a global influenza outbreak, we have listed:

  • Phase 1. No viruses circulating among animals have caused infections in humans.
  • Phase 2. Virus among animals have caused infections in humans; considered a threat.
  • Phase 3. Animal virus/animal-human virus causes some cases or small clusters of flu; doesn’t spread easily.
  • Phase 4. Human-to-human transmission of flu causes sustained outbreaks in community.
  • Phase 5. Flu spreads to at least two countries, causing bigger outbreaks.
  • Phase 6. More outbreaks in at least two world regions; pandemic underway.

This latest declaration of Phase 5 by the World Health Organization indicates that a pandemic could be imminent.  New cases and deaths finally seem to be leveling off in Mexico, but the threat is serious enough to step up all efforts to produce a vaccine for this type of influenza.

An unknown factor also playing out is the economic impact this will have.  Mexico, in addition to dealing with the illness, is also seeing a decline in tourism and having to close many of their gyms, restaurants, swimming pools, and other places.  Companies such as Honda, Caterpillar, and Xerox have restricted their expatriate workers from traveling south of the border at this time.

Many economic analysts feel that the economic fallout for the U.S. will be limited.  If the swine flu threat is contained, hopefully, it will have only short-term effects.  Knowing that the disease has not been terribly virulent outside of Mexico adds to the idea that it will not be a major epidemic.  Better advances in medicine and public health policies enhance the ability to monitor emergency illnesses, thereby preventing the world from being advanced to Phase 6.

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

H1N1 INFLUENZA A UPDATE, MAY 5, 2009

The Texas Department of Health Services has reported the first death of a Texas resident from this virus:  a woman from Cameron County.  However, she also suffered from chronic underlying health problems as well.

The CDC has ceased recommending school closings, as the virus has resulted in less serious cases of the influenza as was first feared.  Numbers of confirmed cases have increased daily; however, the treatment of symptoms has been successful.  Problems of daycare and other issues have put a burden on parents of school children.  Local schools will make the final decision in regard to school closings.

Persons are still encouraged to take precautions to avoid catching or spreading this virus by continuing to take the common-sense approach, as is recommended by the experts:

  • Cover your mouth when coughing;
  • Cover your nose when sneezing; use your sleeve if you don’t have a tissue;
  • Stay away from crowds
  • Go to the doctor if you begin to have high fever and other flu-like symptoms;
  • Stay at home if you are sick.  Do not spread the germs at work or school;
  • Don’t use other persons’ phones, computers, or other equipment if they are ill.
General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

MAY 2009

We’ll make this short and sweet, featuring the highlights of celebrations and observations of May:

  • May 1st – May Day.  An international working class holiday, in honor of worker’s rights, celebrated worldwide.  (I think we still work that day, right?)
  • Kentucky Derby – 1st Saturday in May. Most famous horse race in the United States.
  • Cinco de Mayo – May 5th.  Anniversary of Mexican victory over French at Puebla in 1862, celebrated by Mexican Americans in U.S., and an official holiday in Mexico.
  • Mother’s Day – 2nd Sunday in May.  First observed in 1908, officially recognized by the President and Congress in 1914.
  • Armed Forces Day – 3rd Saturday in May.  U.S. honors men and women of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.  Previously, these branches had separate celebrations, but were combined in 1950.
  • Indianapolis 500 –Sunday before Memorial Day. (Start your engines!)
  • Memorial Day – Last Monday of May.  This legal holiday pays tribute to the memory of those who died while serving the United States in war.  It was first observed in 1866.

The month of May also brings many health awareness focuses, such as: Mental Health Awareness, National Stroke Awareness, Arthritis, Lupus, High Blood Pressure Education, Cancer Research, Correct Posture Month, and Nubrofibromatosis Awareness Month.  These are all worthwhile causes, and merit our investigation and assistance. Volunteering a little time to promote these issues, or making donations could mean a difference in someone’s life.

Please enjoy your May days, whether it’s to take your mom out on her special day, purchase a fancy, new hat for the Kentucky Derby, or buy those ear plugs for the Indianapolis 500, we hope this will be a wonderful part of your spring and usher you right into summer fun!  Just always stay safe!

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

H1N1 Influenza A Update – May 4, 2009

Dr. Richard Besser, Acting Director of Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, today appeared on some early morning television shows and reports that he is “precautiously optimistic” about the trends of the virus that are now surfacing.  He is hopeful that this strain is not more serious, as feared, than any ordinary flu.  “We’re not out of the woods, but we aren’t seeing severe cases that we had been concerned about”, Dr. Besser commented.

The Associated Press count is 274 confirmed cases in 35 states in the U.S.  CDC count is 226 confirmed cases in 30 states.  Time lapse in state reporting to the federal agency accounts for the difference.  Totals as of today are:

  • New York – 63
  • Texas – 43
  • California – 29
  • Arizona – 18
  • South Carolina -15
  • Delaware – 10
  • Louisiana, New Jersey, and Massachusetts – 7
  • Colorado – 4
  • Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia ,Wisconsin – 3
  • Connecticut, Kansas, Michigan – 2
  • Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah – 1

As of today, May 4, the state of Texas is reporting 13 counties have confirmed cases.  Texas has 254 counties.

Cautionary measures remain the same: cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, stay out of crowds, and stay at home if you are sick.  Do not attend work or school until your symptoms are gone.  Wash your hands often with soap and water, or alcohol sanitizing gel.