Virus found in Iowa hog population, possibly beyond
WASHINGTON |
(Reuters) – A potentially fatal hog virus, porcine epidemic diarrhea, has been found in the United States for the first time, government and private industry officials said on Friday, posing a new threat for the country’s struggling pork producers.
PEDV, an incurable condition that causes diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration in hogs, has been identified in Iowa, the largest producing state, and possibly beyond. The severity of the outbreak is not yet known.
The virus exists in much of the world but has not previously occurred in the western hemisphere.
The USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories has detected the virus in the Iowa hog population, a Department of Agriculture spokesman said.
Cindy Cunningham, spokeswoman for the National Pork Board in Des Moines, Iowa, said: “It may be a little bit more widespread than just with Iowa at this point … we’re still trying to understand that and determine where it all is.”
Hog futures in Chicago fell sharply on Friday as rumors swirled the disease had been detected in Iowa and Minnesota.
PEDV is not a food safety concern and does not affect humans, the USDA spokesman said.
Officials with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) held a call with livestock industry representatives on Friday to discuss the situation. There are currently no interstate trade restrictions related to PEDV for U.S. hogs and pigs.
PEDV has been seen in England, much of Europe, China, Taiwan and South Korea, according to Iowa State University.
“We don’t know the orientation of this particular disease (PEDV) and how it first got here to the United States,” Cunningham said.
Tom Burger, executive director of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, said his group was getting “conflicting reports” on how the virus might have arrived.
There is no effective treatment for the virus other than good care and the provision of adequate water to combat dehydration, according to the university. Sanitary and quarantine measures can help to slow the spread of the virus.
“All ages of the swine can be affected. But the most severe clinical signs are seen in the very young and nursing baby pigs, the baby pigs that are still nursing,” said Burger.
The current outbreak could be short lived. Pig herds typically develop a strong immunity to the virus over two to three weeks, at which point the virus disappears spontaneously.
Depending on how widespread the incidence, the virus could tighten U.S. pork supplies in about five to six months by causing the deaths of baby pigs, said Steve Meyer, president of the consulting firm Paragon Economics.
But Meyer said exports of U.S. pork would probably not be effected.
U.S. pork producers have been fighting back from record-high feed costs that followed the historic 2012 drought, which hurt their operating margins. Grain prices are headed down, giving incentives to producers to expand their herds.
(Additional reporting by Theopolis Waters, Tom Polansek and P. J. Huffstutter in Chicago; Editing by Chris Reese and Andre Grenon)
Her vision: Better, clearer sight
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Marguerite McDonald performed the world’s first laser vision correction surgery
- She also conducted the first custom laser surgeries in the United States
- Several pharmaceutical and medical device companies also use McDonald as a consultant
(CNN) — Dr. Marguerite McDonald has a clear vision for helping people see better.
Throughout her career, McDonald, an ophthalmologist at Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (New York), has performed several pioneering eye surgeries.
In 1987, she performed the world’s first excimer laser treatment, a procedure that eliminates or reduces the need for contact lenses. She used this technique in 1993 — for the first time anywhere — to treat farsightedness. An excimer laser is a type of laser used in eye surgeries.
McDonald was also the third physician in the world to perform a procedure called conductive keratoplasty — a noninvasive surgery for farsightedness that involves using radio-frequency energy to heat small spots around the cornea. She served as the medical monitor of clinical trials of the procedure in the United States, which led to Food and Drug Administration approval.
In addition, McDonald conducted the first wavefront-based laser surgeries in the United States. Wavefront technology allows doctors to customize surgeries for individual patients.
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In September 2003, she was the first in North America to perform Epi-LASIK — a relatively new procedure that may avoid some of the risks associated with LASIK — in September 2003.
“Along with being noted for performing the first laser vision correction procedure… (McDonald) takes an active role in advancing women’s careers through mentoring,” Jan Beiting, president of Ophthalmic Women Leaders, said in a statement. “She is a trailblazer in every way.”
Ophthalmic Women Leaders announced in 2012 that she had won the organization’s Visionary Woman Award.
McDonald served as the director of the Southern Vision Institute in New Orleans from 1993 to 2005.
Today, she is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU School of Medicine, and an adjunct clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
Several pharmaceutical and medical device companies also use McDonald as a consultant.
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Up to 1 in 5 children suffer from mental disorder: CDC
NEW YORK |
(Reuters) – Up to 20 percent of children in the United States suffer from a mental disorder, and the number of kids diagnosed with one has been rising for more than a decade, according to a report released on Thursday by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the agency’s first-ever study of mental disorders among children aged 3 to 17, researchers found childhood mental illnesses affect up to one in five kids and cost $ 247 billion per year in medical bills, special education and juvenile justice.
Children with mental disorders – defined as “serious deviations from expected cognitive, social, and emotional development” – often have trouble learning in school, making friends, and building relationships later in life, the report said.
They are more likely to have other chronic health problems, such as asthma and diabetes, and are at risk for developing mental illnesses as adults.
“This is a deliberate effort by CDC to show mental health is a health issue. As with any health concern, the more attention we give to it, the better. It’s parents becoming aware of the facts and talking to a healthcare provider about how their child is learning, behaving, and playing with other kids,” Dr. Ruth Perou, the lead author of the study, told Reuters in an interview.
“What’s concerning is the number of families affected by these issues. But we can do something about this. Mental health problems are diagnosable, treatable and people can recover and lead full healthy lives,” Perou added.
The study cited data collected between 1994 and 2011 that showed the number of kids with mental disorders is growing. The study stopped short of concluding why, but suggested improvements in diagnoses as one possible explanation
“Changes in estimated prevalence over time might be associated with an actual change in prevalence, changes in case definition, changes in the public perception of mental disorders, or improvements in diagnosis, which might be associated with changes in policies and access to health care,” the study said.
Perou told Reuters more research was needed to determine the specific causes of mental disorders, and that greater awareness could lead to an uptick in diagnoses. A host of environmental factors, including chemical exposure and poverty, can also affect a child’s mental health, she said.
Lead, for example, is known to be “one of the biggest toxins to impact behavior and learning,” Perou said. Poor children are at a higher risk for developing certain conditions, according to the study.
The most prevalent mental health diagnosis, as reported by parents, was Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which affects 6.8 percent of children. Also common were behavioral conduct problems (3.5 percent), anxiety, which consists mostly of fears and phobias (3 percent), depression (2.1 percent) and autism spectrum disorders (1.1 percent). Many of these disorders occur together, the report said.
Boys were found more likely to have most of the listed disorders except for depression and alcohol abuse, which affect more girls.
The study also noted that suicide, which can be precipitated by an untreated mental illness, was the second leading cause of death (after accidents) among children 12 to 17 years old.
The CDC report was based on multiple other studies that collected data and interviewed children and their guardians about their diagnoses, habits, behaviors and other factors.
(Reporting by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Bob Burgdorfer)