All Healthy News

Clean Air. Pure Water. Healthy Home.

HEALTH BEGINS WITH:
Clean Air. Pure Water. Healthy Homes.

Staff Reporter

Water Vendors Blame Blackout, Fuel Scarcity For Increase In Charges

by

 Many Nigerians are groaning under acute water scarcity as vendors in several parts of the country have increased charges as a result of persistent power blackout and fuel scarcity making access to water for domestic needs difficult for many families.

While boreholes, wells and even streams in cities and rural communities are being overcrowded by families in need of water, LEADERSHIP Sunday observed that one might mistake them as car owners queuing for fuel or those waiting to collect souvenirs from events.

Abuja, Abia, Kaduna, Ekiti, Lagos, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kwara and Gombe are reported to be worst hit. Over 70 per cent of residents in the aforementioned states rely on solely on commercial water vendors who prior to the hardship sold a 20 litre jerry can of water for N10 as against the new rate of N50.

Further findings by our correspondents revealed that the scarcity has affected the production and distribution of sachet water (pure water) as many manufacturers used to source their water from public supply sources and private boreholes.

Consequently, a cart containing twelve 20-litre jerry cans which was sold for N250 now sells for N500.

LEADERSHIP Sunday also observed that most taps in city centres have gone dry without a drop of water for a couple of weeks.

Some borehole operators in Abuja told our correspondent that they were currently running at a loss, and they all agreed to add only N50 to the initial fixed price of N70 for which they sold a cart of 12 cans of 20-litre jerry cans.

Borehole operators in Kubwa, Nyanya, Karu, Kado and Gwarimpa and other suburbs of Abuja told LEADERSHIP Sunday that their facilities were crowded because domestic users who purchase water directly from them get it for as cheap as N20 for the 25-litre jerry can.

They said the price increase was due to the prolonged power outage and exorbitant fuel price, especially among black marketers which has remained at N400 per litre.

They said, “The electricity situation in Abuja as you can see is affecting our business; most people with boreholes aren’t even selling because most fuel stations  where they used to buy petrol from to pump their generators  are not willing to sell fuel in jerry cans. Worse is that soldiers often seize plastic containers, sometimes with already purchased fuel, leaving us frustrated.

Asked why water vendors popularly known as ‘mai-ruwa’ were selling at exorbitant prices, the borehole operators said; “They are independent and we cannot regulate their prices or decide for them. They are just hot cakes now, that too, they have seen that families that are lazy are patronising them.”

They said youths who are supposed to utilise the opportunity to make money for their families  have chosen to be parasites to their parents and relatives, while foreigners from neighbouring Niger and Mali were making brisk business after which they would travel back home for their farm work.

Some water vendors who spoke to LEADERSHIP Sunday said they were Nigeriens and Malians who came into Nigeria in search of greener pasture. They said most borehole operators who use power generators to sell water to them do so at higher rates.

They said; “We have no choice but to pass the cost to our customers, although they complain, we also explain to them, it is not easy to push a truck loaded with water around.

“This is because we do not find it easy to cope with the high demand this dry season; the job of ‘mai-ruwa’ (water vendor) is energy sapping. Every day, you have pains all over the body, so what we do is to rest when the sun is much.

“We even charge higher for those who stay upstairs. We don’t always like to carry water to such customers, we charge like between N60 per jerry can for people that stay on the first floor, while we take N70 for higher floors.”

Many residents said they spend between N500 and N700 daily on the average on water due to lack of public water supply in their areas.

Mrs Linda Ogbe, a housewife, said she now spends over N300 daily on water compared to N60 she spent before now for the same quantity of water due to the fuel scarcity.

She prayed to see the end of the prolonged power outage and fuel scarcity.

Mrs Ogbe said, “This water thing has not been easy for us in the past three weeks and the additional cost is becoming unbearable; we want the government to provide water for residents. Water boards nationwide should be begged to pump water, they should be reminded that their job doesn’t stop at distributing bills.

Another resident said; “Even of more concern is the quality of water, the vendors source from shallow wells which might not meet acceptable public health standards.

“The current water situation can lead to an epidemic should any waterborne disease break out, it is God that has been keeping us,” she said.

A school proprietress, (names withheld) told LEADERSHIP Sunday that until the ugly development, they depended solely on the water board for water. She expressed fears about the health of her pupils as she emphasised that water is hygiene.

“My dear, I fear for my learners. Reason is that we now patronise water vendors but the question is how many trucks can we buy in a day? Our toilets, in fact, I can say most school toilets are not properly flushed. We are handicapped. This isn’t healthy. No light, no fuel and no water. We hardly can convey school pupils using the school bus and after all the stress, one cannot get water to freshen up. I fear for Nigeria, if nothing is done to address this mess, families, schools and in fact, all public places might be forced to stop people from using public rest rooms,” she said.

Like most states of the federation, prices charged by water producers and vendors in Ekiti State have increased. The association of water producers, particularly sachet water, about a week ago, increased the price of water by around 70 per cent.

The leadership of the association in the state after a series of meetings with members even before the fuel crisis had announced their resolve to increase the price.

A bag of sachet water formerly sold between N130 and N140 is now sold for N200. A water producer in the state, Mr James Adamolekun, said they had no option than to increase the price in order not to run at a loss.

He said; “The cost of maintaining our distribution vans, micro filters, water facilities, fuel and diesel have skyrocketed so we are left with no option.”

In the Benue State capital Makurdi, though there is the River Niger, water scarcity has remained a major challenge. The story is the same in Abia, Kaduna, Gombe, Plataeu, Kwara, Nasarawa and other states.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Eureka shigella spread greater than first believed – Times-Standard

by

The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services is alerting medical providers in the Eureka area to be vigilant of a possible local shigella outbreak as the spread is believed to be greater than first thought.

The Friday update for the medical community sent out by Humboldt County Health Officer Ian Hoffman states the series of confirmed and suspected shigella cases have been linked to locations on Eureka’s U.S. Highway 101 corridor. The update also alerted medical providers to consider testing and treating for shigella in an effort to get a handle on the situation.

“Based on current and ongoing investigations we suspect the spread may be greater than our current understanding. Therefore, we are alerting medical providers in the area to consider testing for and treating shigella to help both understand the extent of the problem and to help stop the spread of this highly contagious bacterial illness,” the update reads.

Health care providers who have patients exhibiting acute diarrheal illness or living in the Highway 101 corridor area are advised to order PCR testing of stool to determine whether they are infected with the bacterial disease. The document states that a lack of access to lab orders should not be a barrier to ordering stool tests.

In a DHHS video released Friday afternoon, public health nurse Daniel Tran confirmed five local individuals have been infected with shigella and the county is investigating 11 more possible cases in Eureka’s greater waterfront area.

In the video, Tran also provided basic information on the disease.

“Shigella is a gastrointestinal bacteria, which is really just a fancy way of saying that it causes diarrhea, upset stomach, gas, and that kind of stuff. Typically this bacteria is found within a person’s feces or stool and even though that’s where it’s typically found, you could still spread it if you’ve made contact with different surfaces that are not clean and disinfected,” he said.

Shigella is transmitted by oral ingestion, meaning it must travel into the body through food or drink. The bacteria can come into contact with food and drink through contact with surfaces where the bacteria is located.

“That means you do not have to worry about it being transmitted through the air, like if someone sneezed on you or any of that. This is really a surface problem,” Tran said.

Kawsar Talaat, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and shigella therapy researcher, told the Times-Standard the bacteria causing this disease often appears in low- and middle-income nations. Sporadic cases do pop up in the U.S., however.

“Generally, it’s in places where there’s poor hygiene and lack of access to adequate water and sanitation,” she said.

Humboldt County DHHS first made a public statement regarding shigella on Feb. 25, stating public and environmental health officials had been working to contain three lab-confirmed shigella cases and two more suspected cases identified in Eureka in the previous month. The bacteria causing this disease is believed to have possibly spread through laundromats in Eureka where an infected person is believed to have washed contaminated clothing.

As reported by the Times-Standard, two laundry facilities in Eureka linked to the first shigella cases were sanitized in the days after the Feb. 25 announcement.

The Self-Serve Laundromat in Eureka was one of two laundromats named as potential vectors for a local shigella outbreak, but the laundromat has since been cleaned and disinfected. (Jackson Guilfoil/Times-Standard)

Talaat explained that detergent is enough to kill the shigella bacteria, but a laundry facility used by people without access to sanitation can still be a vector for shigella.

“If you don’t have access to adequate water and sanitation, you could have your person and your belongings contaminated with stool and shigella is incredibly infectious. You only need a few bacteria to make you sick … so if somebody doesn’t have access to say hand-washing and then they use the bathroom they could contaminate themselves, their clothing or the environment,” Talaat said.

She also added homeless people are in a vulnerable position during outbreaks of similar diseases propagated through fecal matter, such as hepatitis A.

“Homeless people in the United States have some of the same challenges as people living in the poorest areas of other parts of the world in terms of access to adequate clean water and sanitation. And so, if we improve conditions for them, these things would be greatly improved,” Talaat pointed out.

To prevent further spread, people with shigellosis should not share food with others, abstain from entering pools and hot tubs, abstain from sexual intercourse for at least two weeks after symptoms clear and, if possible, stay home from school or jobs in the healthmcare, childmcare and food service industries.

Both medical professionals encourage basic cleanliness to prevent contracting infections.

“We are heavily emphasizing that everybody have really good hand hygiene and if you have door knobs or anything that has a high traffic, where lots of people are using it, then disinfect regularly with bleach or high-content of alcohol solution,” Tran said.

“Just wash your hands,” Talaat emphasized.

More information on disinfecting after any shigella exposure is available online at https://www.cdc.gov/shigella/shigella-toolkit.html.

Mario Cortez can be reached at 707-441-0526.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

First All-Electric Cargo Equipment implemented at Tacoma’s South Intermodal Yard – The Suburban Times

by

Northwest Seaport Alliance announcement.

TACOMA – The South Intermodal Yard (SIM) in Tacoma will be the first location for all-electric yard handling equipment in The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) gateway. The SIM Electric Truck Project represents a $2.2 million investment for equipment purchase and infrastructure installation supported by funding from Tacoma Power, Rail Management Services and DERA grant funds.

“The NWSA is very excited to welcome the first all-electric yard handling equipment to Tacoma”, stated NWSA Managing Member Co-Chair and Port of Tacoma Commission President Don Meyer. “This is delivering on our commitment to reduce maritime emissions through the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy while also increasing operational efficiency and demonstrating the effectiveness of zero-emission equipment in our gateway.”


“Partnerships like this move our community forward toward a clean energy future,” said Clay Norris, Power Manager for Tacoma Power. “Transportation is the top polluter in our region, and we can help combat that by transitioning the fueling of vehicles to our clean, renewable hydroelectric energy.”

In 2020, the NWSA was awarded $732,000 in Diesel Reduction Act (DERA) grant funding which supported the purchase of six electric yard trucks by Rail Management Services. The project has been further supported by Tacoma Power’s Cargo and Material Handling Equipment and Hostler Trucks program with $132,000 for infrastructure components of the project.

Each electric yard truck will be used to move containers on chassis to and from container stacks and rail cars. Rail Management Services has experience successfully deploying zero-emission cargo handling equipment in other locations around the country.

Funding College Project

Over the lifetime of the equipment and with grant funds included, purchase and operational costs of the electric trucks will be near that of current diesel cargo equipment models, making this investment a strategic environmental benefit to surrounding port areas.

The SIM Electric Yard Truck project is expected to reduce GHG’s and diesel particulate matter in the NWSA gateway by approximately 259 tons per year and 1.41 tons per year, respectively. Electricity is not only cleaner than traditional diesel equipment, but has operational advantages such as being less expensive to operate and requiring less maintenance due to fewer moving parts.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Solar farm project could harm Kingston’s drinking water – Daily Freeman

by

Dear Editor,

Protecting our drinking water is of utmost importance, even when it comes to siting renewable energy projects that may reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

The Ulster County Legislature is on the verge of awarding a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement to SG Pioneer PV to build a giant 20-acre solar farm directly next to the Binnewater Reservoir, which provides water to 23,000 Kingston residents.

The project will require 20 acres of forest to be razed that is directly next to our source of drinking water. According to the Center for Watershed Protection, there are many natural connections between protecting water from pollution and tree cover.

Additionally, metals like lead and cadmium used in solar panels may leach out and get into groundwater, as well as affect plants. These metals have a detrimental effect on human health. Lead impairs brain development in children, and cadmium is a carcinogen.

Waste from used solar panels is going to be a huge problem by 2050, because solar panels only last five to 25 years and can easily be damaged by weather events and crack open. The decommissioning agreement SG Pioneer PV has signed with the Town of Ulster only accounts for the removal of the panels and remediation of the panels after 25 years; it has no timeline or duty for the company to replace panels or to report how long panels were damaged before they replace them.

The Legislature has a duty to the people of Kingston to look further into this project before it is awarded a PILOT. It has not been in the newspaper once. It requires tax breaks and grants to be financially viable. It is directly next to our sole source of drinking water. The public must be thoroughly informed about the tradeoffs and risks of siting this project directly next to our drinking water.

Alex Panagiotopoulos

Kingston, N.Y.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Adapting to the ‘new normal’ with UV-C

by

Sponsored content: As we learn to live with the Covid-19 pandemic, UV-C disinfection technologies can help

Covid-19 is here to stay and as we open up our societies, we must learn to do one thing: live with the new normal.

But this is difficult when cases remain high and vaccine uptake wanes. We need to introduce technologies and policies that support masks, social distancing, and jabs, without replacing them entirely.

The obvious solution to living with an airborne disease is ventilation, but this can be energy-inefficient and costly, with heating bills rising as schools and offices are forced to keep windows open to encourage airflow.

Healthy, and efficient, buildings are essential in addressing infectious diseases as we spend much of our time living, working, and socialising indoors, and to reduce transmission, we must improve ventilation through new engineering techniques – that’s where UV-C comes in.

Ultraviolet-C is a type of radiation that breaks down the DNA and RNA of microorganisms including viruses and bacteria, and effectively renders them harmless. The technology is a well-established method of disinfection of air, water, and surfaces, but it’s only since Covid-19 that it’s true potential has been realised.

Research by the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) at Boston University conducted research on Signify’s UV-C light sources and found that the virus was completed inactivated on previously contaminated surfaces after only seconds of exposure.

“Boston University has validated the effectiveness of our light sources as a preventive measure for companies and institutions as they seek ways to provide virus-free environments,” said Eric Rondolat, CEO of Signify.

“Given the potential of the technology to aid the fight against the coronavirus, Signify will not keep the technology for its exclusive use but make it available to other lighting companies,” he added.

The technology can be used to disinfect objects as small as handheld supermarket scanners to entire buses with disinfection chambers and lamps. Additionally, luminaires are being used to disinfect the virus in the air while people are present in the room, with fixtures designed to shield those from the light’s radiation.

Ultimately, this means that we can bring back face-to-face teaching, business, and play.

Recently, the Royal Theater Carré in Amsterdam and the Theater De Ruchte in Someren have been installed with UV-C technology and are welcoming back their guests to a safer space.

For the former, 75 Philips UV-C upper air luminaires now disinfect the building’s foyer, dressing rooms, and offices, while the latter is adding another 20 luminaires to it’s existing pilot installation.

“We are just as happy as our guests and performers to be open again,” said Thomas Groen, manager of sales & partnerships at Royal Theater Carré, “among other measures, these UV-C luminaires will minimise the risk of infection for our guests, performers and our colleagues.”

While standard HVAC solutions help to improve ventilation and overall air quality, they can be seen as uncomfortable and costly. Further, most systems in offices and schools provide up to two air changes per hour (ACH) which, themselves, aren’t capable of providing sufficient air quality that a suggested 20 ACH gives.

The energy required for such a speed would be vast, and so UV-C disinfection upper air luminaries remove this issue and disinfect the environment, delivering the required air changes per hour, in a quiet, comfortable, and unobtrusive manner.

“I think we should use UV-C disinfection equipment more broadly,” said Roxanna van Nispen-Dobrescu, a pulmonologist at GGD Breda, the city’s municipal health service.

“Before we began to use UV-C devices, some of our staff would get infected with TB by our clients. We haven’t seen any infections since we installed the luminaires as a preventative measure more than ten years ago,” she added.

Of course, UV-C should, and can, complement existing actions. It may even increase vaccine uptake as it can encourage those individuals who do not want to visit medical institutions for fear of catching the disease.

“Some of our clients are hesitant to come in as they’re afraid of getting infected by harmful viruses or bacteria during their visit, said Liesbeth Huizer, a medical technician at GGD Rotterdam, adding that the UV-C lights “really helps reassure them.”

“I’m surprised that even 1.5 years into this pandemic, we’re not making broader use of a technology that we have been using for 20 years and which has proven itself against TB and SARS CoV-2. It’s such an obvious measure.”

This post was sponsored by Signify. See our editorial guidelines for what this means.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Dangerous levels of lead found in water of almost Half of schools tested in Montana | National News

by

About half of Montana schools that had tested their water by mid-February under a new state rule had high levels of lead, according to state data. But the full picture isn’t clear because less than half of the state’s school buildings had provided water samples six weeks after the deadline.

For many schools with high lead levels, finding the money to fix the problem will be a challenge. The options aren’t great. They can compete for a dwindling pool of state money, seek federal aid passed last year, or add the repairs to their long lists of capital improvement projects and pay for the work themselves.

“We prioritized emergency needs and then will follow up with the next-most-serious thing,” said Brian Patrick, Great Falls Public Schools’ director of business services and operations. “Obviously, this is something we want to get addressed right away. We want safe water for our kids.”

Lead, a toxic metal long known to cause lasting organ and nervous system damage, can make its way into drinking water through pipes and fixtures. Children are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can slow development and cause learning, speech, and behavioral problems. Although federal rules require that community water sources be tested for lead, schools have largely been free from that oversight and can decline to be tested.

The rule in Montana, created by the state Department of Public Health and Human Services in 2020, requires schools to check at least every three years for lead in the water of any sink or fountain used for drinking or food prep. Schools’ initial deadline to get that done was Dec. 31, 2021. According to the rule, any faucet whose water has a lead concentration of 5 parts per billion or higher must be fixed or routinely flushed. Fixtures that test higher than 15 ppb must immediately be shut off.

“There is no safe level of lead,” said health department spokesperson Jon Ebelt. “And that is why schools, DPHHS, and [the Department of Environmental Quality] are taking actions to remove sources of lead in children’s environment.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that school water fountains not have water lead concentrations higher than 1 ppb, according to a 2016 policy paper.

State officials have said 589 school buildings need to meet Montana’s new rule. Of the 222 schools that had turned in samples by Feb. 18, 110 had at least one water fixture with lead levels higher than 15 ppb, according to a KHN analysis of state data. Almost a third of all fixtures tested so far across the state had dangerous levels of lead in their water, according to state data.

The highest test result so far came from Skyview High School in Billings, where a sink in a theater control room tested at 7,800 ppb — federal environmental regulators classify lead concentrations over 5,000 ppb as hazardous waste. That sink and any other that had levels higher than 15 ppb were blocked off from use, said Scott Reiter, director of facilities at Billings Public Schools.  

Montana’s rule mandates that schools’ results be publicly posted but doesn’t require schools to tell parents when students have been exposed. For many Montana schools, this is the first time they’ve tested for lead.

In some cases, schools with a long list of high lead numbers must wait for solutions, with some sinks and fountains blocked from use. At Billings West High School, more than 40 fixtures tested in the red — higher than 15 ppb — out of 139 samples taken. As of mid-February, repair work hadn’t begun at Billings West as district officials prioritized projects that keep access to drinking water for students and employees in other schools, whether that’s applying filters or replacing fixtures.

“We’re just taking it one school at a time,” said Billings Public Schools Superintendent Greg Upham. “In some cases, it will fall to our general funding facilities budget, which is unfortunate, but, you know, on the safety side of it, that’s what we need to do.”

Greg Montgomery, who manages DEQ’s new monitoring program, said he’s still reaching out to schools that haven’t finished sending in water samples. “This rule rolled out right as covid hit,” Montgomery said. “And schools have also had a lot of turnover. I’ll get calls from new facility people saying they just heard about the program and how do they get started.”

Although DEQ helps oversee the program, the rule’s enforcement falls to DPHHS. Ebelt said the deadline was set before the pandemic and covid slowed that work for many schools.

He said a total of 308 schools had submitted an inventory of their buildings’ plumbing fixtures and more samples had been coming in. As of Feb. 28, 293 schools had provided samples. Not all results have been posted.

“We plan to be flexible with the deadline and will continue to work with schools,” Ebelt said.

Classroom and bathroom sinks were more likely than any other type of fixture to have high levels of lead. Of all the drinking fountains tested, 20% tested high enough to need flushing or get turned off, according to state environmental officials. Schools don’t have a deadline to make repairs, though some have taken anything whose water tested over 5 ppb out of service.

Nationwide, no one has tracked how many lead pipes deliver water to homes, schools, and businesses, let alone tested every faucet for traces of the neurotoxin. At least seven states — California, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Virginia — require school districts to test for lead and report elevated levels to parents, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Last year, Washington state mandated that schools test drinking water for lead if the buildings went up or pipes went in before 2016. And in 2020, Virginia lawmakers instructed school boards to submit plans to test for lead and to make fixes if needed.

Patrick, with Great Falls Public Schools, said that in some cases, the district brought in water bottle fill stations with filters to replace old hallway drinking fountains. The district already had plans to use part of the proceeds from a bond issuance to replace the internal piping at Lewis and Clark Elementary School, where 23 fixtures had lead levels of 5 ppb or higher.

He said that the district had considered testing in the past but that the estimated cost was too high. With the new rule, the state covers the cost of lab tests and supplies for taking samples.

However, if repairs are needed, many schools may be left to foot the bill themselves. The state set aside $40,000 to help schools fix problems, but that money is first come, first served. As of Feb. 18, about $15,000 remained.

Patrick said that as schools calculate total repair costs, they’re submitting that information to state officials. He hopes that more than $40,000 will be set aside for repair projects the next time schools submit samples. For now, the gap in funding may mean delaying other projects. “It just means a project that we’re going to do, like re-asphalting part of a playground or something like that, gets postponed for another year,” he said.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill that Congress passed late last year included $55 billion to expand access to clean drinking water. But the money hasn’t been disbursed to states yet, it’s not limited to school repairs, and how much of that funding will land in Montana isn’t clear yet.

Montgomery, of DEQ, said that if schools don’t have the money to make fixes, some may qualify for rural development grants or low-interest loans.

In Troy, 27 of the 58 water fixtures tested at the elementary school came back above the state’s allowed limit of less than 5 ppb, with five in the red. The rural school district now faces the cost of repairing those water sources after incurring the hidden cost of the staff time it takes to inventory and sample every water source — no small expense for a small district with limited cash and workers.

“We’re just going to chip away at it with the general funds that we do have, and there may be some areas that we just shut down different water sources too,” said Jacob Francom, superintendent of Troy Public Schools. “Fixtures are very expensive — and testing regularly, I mean, it starts to add up.”

KHN data editor Holly Hacker contributed to this article.

Subscribe to KHN’s free Morning Briefing.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Ramanome technique devised to spot ‘sleeper’

by

image: D2O-probed Single-Cell Raman Microspectroscopy is a promising approach in quantitatively assessing disinfectants’ antimicrobial efficacy via metabolic activity
view more 

Credit: LIU Yuhan and YU Ningfu

A Chinese research team has devised a ramanome-based technique to catch pathogens that are still present and metabolically active in a tooth about to undergo root canal treatment even after they appear to have stopped growing.

The technique could limit re-infections while reducing the amount of disinfectant required, in turn dialling down the chance of side-effects.

The technique and its application to both bacterial infection and fungal infection are reported, by scientists from Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University and Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), across a pair of papers appearing in the Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology on February 23 and the Journal of Raman Spectroscopy on January 17. 

A common case of microbial infection in teeth occurs when as a result of tooth decay or damage, the pulpy mass of nerve tissue and blood vessels inside the tooth become home to the growth of pathogenic microbes. At this point, root canal surgery becomes necessary, which involves removal of the pulp tissue and a disinfection of the inside of the tooth with antibiotics. 

The bacterium Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is frequently encountered in such dental infections. E. faecalis has become resistant to many antibiotics. When re-infections occur in the teeth, E. faecalis is typically the culprit, responsible for up to 90 percent of reinfection cases. 

Meanwhile, Candida ablicans (C. ablicans) is a fungal species that poses a risk of oral infection more broadly than just the teeth. 

In root-canal treatments, sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) mouthwashes are used to disinfect the mouth from, and rid it of both E. faecalis and C. ablicans.

Although microbes stop multiplying at the ‘minimum inhibitory concentration’ (MIC) of an antibiotic disinfectant, this does not mean that they are not still metabolically active (i.e., still alive but not growing).

This “nongrowing but metabolically active” (NGMA) state, which can lead to recurring infections, is a real clinical challenge. “To fix this problem, the clinician needs to know not just whether the microbes are still growing, but also whether they are still metabolically active,” said YANG Fang, Deputy Director of Stomatology Center at Qingdao Municipal Hospital and the senior author of both papers. “So, we devised a technique to allow such an assessment to happen.” 

They applied the ramanome approach, which is based on single-cell Raman spectroscopy (SCRS), to tackle the task, with the help of Clinical Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test Ramanometry (CAST-R), a novel instrument developed at Single-Cell Center, QIBEBT, CAS. This permits the identification of metabolic activities at a remarkable resolution of just one cell (of bacteria or fungus, or indeed any type of cell) rather than at the level of billions of them.

SCRS uses laser ‘tweezers’ to manipulate single cells, while the broader field of Raman spectroscopy enables identification of those molecules. After feeding the microbes with heavy water (D2O), SCRS can track the microbe’s uptake of D2O, which in turn can be used as a proxy for metabolic activity.

If even a tiny handful of microbes are still metabolizing, the technique can detect it.

Next, the researchers used the D2O-based SCRS technique to assess and compare metabolism inhibiting abilities of three antimicrobial agents: the aforementioned NaClO and CHX, as well as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). They found that by doubling the MIC doses, they could achieve the more rigorous complete inhibition of their metabolic activity (MIC-MA).

Better yet, they found that if they combined two of the three options rather than just using one, a lower concentration of the disinfectants could suffice to elicit the same metabolism-inhibiting effect, which could reduce side effects. 

Like the MIC dose, the MIC-MA dose is not intrinsic to the drug, but also depends on unique attributes of the infected person. Thus, moving forward, the researchers hope to develop their technique to be able to identify the relevant disinfectant level that is personalized to the patient.

Such lower need for the antimicrobial drugs to achieve the same effect could also reduce overuse of antibiotics, as no more is applied than necessary.

Journal

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Article Title

Assessing Efficacy of Clinical Disinfectants for Pathogenic Fungi by Single-Cell Raman Microspectroscopy

Article Publication Date

23-Feb-2022

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

5 Homes for Sale Equipped With Underground Bunkers

by

After Russia recently raised the threat of using nuclear weapons in its conflict against Ukraine, sales of backyard bunkers jumped. Those threats also led to corresponding search spikes on terms such as “fallout shelter,” “bunker,” and “underground bunker.”

During the Cold War, bomb shelters were considered a near necessity by forward-thinking homebuilders. After the demise of the Soviet Union, these backyard bunkers were considered relics of a bygone era. They became the domain of doomsday preppers and homeowners with apocalyptic visions.

As noted by the agent representing the Las Vegas Underground House (still available for $5.9 million), it’s doubtful that any home could sustain a direct nuclear blast. However, with well-built structures, air purification systems, and plenty of supplies, subterranean bunker dwellers have a fighting chance.

But the bunkers’ recent resurgence isn’t simply about geopolitical concerns. In the Midwest, they can provide protection from devastating tornadoes. And as climate events continue to wreak havoc across previously “safe” parts of the country, these underground environments are a hedge against calamity.

Scouring nationwide listings, we found five homes for sale outfitted with underground shelters. For a full look, just scroll on down.

Price: $679,900
Undergrounded: Way out in the Mojave Desert, the Joshua Tree area has been favored by rugged individualists and preppers for decades.

So it’s no surprise that this compound—built in 1951 during the Atomic Age fervor—has a cement-block bunker buried beneath it. It’s a three-room basement that’s wired and plumbed.

The listing suggests it could be used as a shelter, storage space out of the desert heat, second living space, “or just a cool conversation space for when your friends visit.” The latter seems to make the most sense, as the skylight in one of the rooms provides natural light (but dubious protection).

The main house has three bedrooms and two baths. The 3.4-acre property also comes with an assortment of outbuildings, including an aviary, workshop, and various porches and patios.

Joshua Tree, CA

(Realtor.com)

Cement brick underground bunker

(Realtor.com)

Price: $5,600,000
‘Security in an uncertain world’: This massive 14,000-square-foot mansion features a 5,000-square-foot underground bunker “built for maximum security.”

It’s also built for maximum sustainability as it comes with a greenhouse complete with soil boxes and grow lighting.

Above ground, the 323-acre property is sustainable, luxurious, and safe. It features video surveillance throughout the property, a 9-acre private lake that’s stocked, plus rolling timberland full of wildlife.

The multilevel main residence has opulent features like marble and hardwood floors, a two-story closet with a winding staircase in the primary suite, and a home theater with stadium seating.

Michigan estate

(Realtor.com)

Underground garden room

(Realtor.com)

___

Watch: In These Uncertain Times, Take Shelter in This Prepper Palace

602 Lovvorn Mill Rd, Bowdon, GA

Price $999,899
Playful above, serious below: Indian Creek Farm is the perfect family compound for nearly any scenario. Spanning 14 acres, the property includes a professionally designed miniature golf course, a resort-style pool, and a tennis court.

Underground, there’s a fortified bunker complete with a turret. It is stocked with food, water, and bedding.

Back on terra firma, the 3,068-square-foot home features three bedrooms and fancy finishes throughout, including a chef’s kitchen.

Georgia estate

(Realtor.com)

Bunker beneath Georgia family compound

(Realtor.com)

Price: $1,395,000
It’ll take a village: You’d never suspect this unassuming suburban home has a huge bunker that can accommodate 20 to 60 people.

This subterranean bunker has its own microgrid and comes with 18 bunks, a primary bedroom, two kitchens, and multiple bathrooms.

The 1-acre property includes a 4,500-square-foot, five-bedroom home and a 2,800-square-foot detached garage with a studio apartment. In the backyard, there’s a custom pool and spa with waterfalls, a grotto, and a concrete rock bar with a barbecue and kitchen.

Menifee, CA, home

(Realtor.com)

Bunker underneath

(Realtor.com)

Price: $1,600,000
Well-hidden: Self-sufficiency is the name of the game on this Southern Colorado cabin property that spans 148 acres. There’s a “nuclear bunker complete with battery-powered lights” out there somewhere, the listing notes. But it fails to give any more details—perhaps discretion is the best policy.

There’s a well, water tanks, and power sources throughout the property. A huge, temperature-controlled barn there is currently set up for hydroponic growing and is equipped with a fire compression system.

For everyday living, there’s a 4,312-square-foot, three-bedroom main house with a wrap-around porch. For recreation, there’s a full-sized shooting range with gun storage.

Colorado cabin with bunker

(Realtor.com)

Garage with hydroponic growing system

(Realtor.com)

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Cases may be coming down, but you still need a mask

by

Dr. Noha M. Aboelata is a family medicine doctor and the founder and CEO of Roots Community Health Center in Oakland.

At the beginning of the year, when omicron was surging and information about the new variant was rapidly changing, we had a conversation with UCSF’s Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo to get our questions answered.

Since then, a lot has changed: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new tool for tracking COVID-19 transmission levels (Alameda County’s transmission level is categorized as “low”), California lifted its mask mandate, and a newer variant, BA.2, was detected in the Bay Area. During Tuesday night’s State of the Union, President Biden also announced that as of next week, households can request an additional set of four free COVID-19 tests to be delivered to their home.

With COVID-19 restrictions and the virus itself in so much flux, we reached out to Dr. Noha Aboelata, the CEO of Roots Community Health Center in East Oakland, to talk about the current state of the pandemic as it reaches the end of its second year.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Two weeks ago, Gov. Newsom unveiled the state’s new COVID-response strategy, which they are calling the SMARTER plan, and said that California is entering a “new phase” of the pandemic. What do you think of the plan, and do you agree we’ve entered a new phase? 

California’s SMARTER Plan focuses on what has worked in the fight against COVID-19: shots, masks, awareness, readiness, testing, education & Rx treatments.

We will continue applying the lessons we’ve learned to save lives & keep California moving forward. pic.twitter.com/4531XFm6n6

— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) February 17, 2022

I haven’t had a chance to read the entire plan but from what I’ve seen of it, there’s really no new phase. In some ways, it’s kind of an old phase. We’ve been here before where cases are coming down, and we can expect to have a time when they come down to a reasonable baseline. We would all be wise to prepare for a summertime surge and probably another wintertime surge. So I think we’ve been through this a few times. I don’t see any demarcation that says this is a new phase, per se.

On Twitter last week you noted that the governor’s plan doesn’t include improving indoor ventilation and filtration systems. Can you explain why this is important? 

When I saw the SMARTER acronym, I said to myself, “Where’s the V for ventilation?” Ventilation and filtration are such a key part of how we can improve our infrastructure to be more pandemic-proof as it relates to an airborne virus. The pandemic has shown us that maybe we haven’t paid enough attention to indoor air quality in general. There’s a huge variation that we could see between the building infrastructure even across different schools, buildings, and businesses. 

This is an opportunity that we have to take to improve ventilation for businesses. And absolutely, our small businesses need that type of help and support. I just have not seen that front and center of any plan. And in fact, the plan is sort of concerning in that, in the way that it reads, it’s moving responsibility to individuals for what really is a collective problem. It feels premature to say we’re moving into a new phase where we cannot say that everyone has access to all the different tools.

 When it was announced that households were going to get COVID-19 tests for free, there were valid concerns over whether residents would be able to get access to them and whether the federal government would work with local organizations to make sure severely impacted communities.

It was announced in October, and we felt good that the tests would come in time for the holidays before the winter surge. It was disappointing that the distribution was too late. I do think that this combination of reacting too late to distributing resources, and lifting protections prematurely, has proven to not be a good combination for our pandemic response. We need to reflect on those things and do what we can to correct them.

When they finally did come about, it was clear that there was no equity strategy to ensure that the people who needed them the most got them, and maybe the people who didn’t need them so much could waive them, or give them to someone else. We know that not everyone has an address where they can securely receive the mail. We are so far behind other countries in terms of making this available to people. We need to take a more equitable response, especially if we’re going to start trying to shift responsibility to individuals, we have to make sure those individuals have equal access to the resources.

As of today, only 60% of Alameda County residents are fully vaccinated and boosted. What’s a realistic goal, as we approach year two of the pandemic?

“What I worry about is that, I’m still hearing people say, ‘Oh, they haven’t gotten vaccinated by now; they’re not going to.’ And that just simply is not true. We are seeing people change their minds all the time, for their own reasons.”

The goalpost has to move because of the new variants. As the vaccine effectiveness gets lower, the number needed to be vaccinated in order to really slow transmission is going to be much higher. We’re going to potentially need newer vaccines that are more effective, maybe against multiple variants, and so on. 

We are concerned about people who have never been vaccinated and never caught COVID-19 that are still completely vulnerable. These are the people that we’re still losing, unfortunately. There’s no question from an individual perspective, that the best way to protect yourself from the severe outcomes is to get fully vaccinated and boosted. In terms of reaching that threshold that will stop transmission — I think that that is a much more elusive kind of a goal.

The Black and Latinx community are still under-vaccinated compared with white residents. What else can be done to incentivize getting vaccinated and boosted?

We can’t give up. We don’t get to give up on people when maybe they don’t always follow our advice 100% of the time. We have to continue to educate. The conversation around vaccines has gotten so contentious and politicized that it can make those conversations difficult. I just encourage everyone to keep the lines of communication open always, and make sure that people don’t feel like they’re being stigmatized, targeted, or attacked because of their decisions. 

It may take our community a little bit longer sometimes to be able to trust and feel that they have enough information to take action. What I worry about is that, I’m still hearing people say, “Oh, they haven’t gotten vaccinated by now; they’re not going to.” And that just simply is not true. We are seeing people change their minds all the time, for their own reasons. 

If we were to say “Well, they didn’t want to quit smoking, stop talking to them about it,” that would be negligent. We have to understand this is an important clinical intervention. But people are changing their minds every day. 

Our readers keep asking: Should we continue wearing masks even as restrictions are lifted? Is it safe to go indoors without a mask?

What’s most concerning about the lifting of the mask mandates is that it sends a message that we don’t need to require it anymore. It’s human nature to think that if you impose a restriction when things are bad, and then remove the restriction, it means things must be good. And that is, of course, not at all the case. We have to be better about giving people tools to understand all of that and do their own risk calculations. 

What has been really challenging to get people to understand is that a blanket policy, first of all, is typically based on averages. It will impact people very differently. It is then up to schools and businesses to go above and beyond and interpret the policies. We’ve been here before with relaxing restrictions prematurely. 

Are you personally going to continue wearing masks? Do you feel comfortable not wearing a mask when going to a store or being indoors with strangers?

I definitely am wearing a high-filtration mask if I’m going to be indoors with people I don’t know. That has not changed at all. There’s no objective reason why it would. We have to remember that even with cases coming down so quickly, they are still quite a bit higher than they were — even at the worst point of last summer’s surge when we were concerned about delta. The mask mandates were prematurely lifted then, and we had to quickly reverse and go back to wearing masks again. 

Doing your own personal risk assessment is important. I’m definitely going to be continuing to wear my high-quality mask until cases get down to a lower level. I’m still modifying some of my activities. I’m not doing as much indoors. I’m still doing more things outdoors. Because there’s still quite a bit of SARS-CoV-2 swirling around in our environment right now.

Do you recommend KN95 or N95 masks for all environments, including the outdoors? Or should the mask type depend on the situation? 

So when you’re outdoors, we’re not as worried about the aerosol transmission because of course, aerosols disperse very quickly outdoors. This means that it’s probably not necessary to wear a high filtration mask like an N95 when you’re outside. However, we still do worry about droplet transmission because if someone else is yelling or singing in your proximity, then you still can get those kinds of larger droplets that don’t have a chance to disperse, and you can actually catch COVID that way. In those kinds of settings, a cloth mask is sufficient because you’re really just trying to cover up your mucous membrane so that those droplets don’t land on you. I’ll often [carry a mask], even when I go for a walk where I don’t know if there’s going to be a lot of people. It’s good to have a mask on you just in case until you’re alone. 

I think it’s important that we’re making these decisions based on facts, and being well-grounded in reality. This notion that we need to “get back to normal,” there’s personal responsibility that comes with that. If you feel like a particular gathering is something you want to be able to go to and not wear a mask, then be really thoughtful about what you’re doing for the next week. I’m not going around someone who’s immunocompromised or who’s elder who may be at risk. Thinking about your own personal risk also has to do with them. Who are you going to be exposing, potentially unbeknownst to them? We’re having to do these risk assessments with normal everyday activities, and that can be fatiguing. But I think that is going to be part of how we have to really move in order to avoid continuing to spread it or get someone else sick.

There’s a new omicron variant, BA.2, that’s been detected in the Bay Area. Do you worry about it spreading?

BA.2 is here. It is taking hold in different places at different rates. Will we be protected from it or not? There are still a lot of questions that I don’t think we have the answers to. So far, it’s at least looking like BA.2 is quite a bit more transmissible than the others. There are some people who are saying that it is so different from omicron that it should get its own alphabet letter.

“We’ve been here before with relaxing restrictions prematurely.” 

Fortunately, the monoclonal antibody … is working against omicron. Unfortunately, BA.2 is evading [that antibody]. It remains to be seen whether it’s truly going to take hold in the United States. But you know, this won’t be the last variant. Until we really get global vaccine equity, until we, frankly, can get some better vaccines that can handle all these new variants, we’re going to just keep seeing more of them. 

You mentioned the monoclonal antibody, which is an emerging COVID-19 treatment that can block SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from entering our cells. Who is eligible and how are patients being screened to see if they qualify?

There are so many people who are eligible for monoclonal antibody treatment that I’m afraid have not gotten it. I wonder all the time about how many people we’ve actually lost who could have potentially been saved with timely treatment. Unfortunately, the eligibility criteria have had to fluctuate a bit based on availability. When we don’t have enough of a supply, it goes to the most at risk: In general, anyone with underlying conditions, anyone who’s over 65, anyone who is either unvaccinated or may not have mounted a good response to the vaccine. These are all people who may be eligible for either the monoclonal antibody treatment, which has to be started within 10 days of symptoms or Pfizer’s Paxlovid, which has to be started within five days. [Paxlovid] is a pill, so it’s much more convenient than the monoclonal antibody, which is an infusion. 

We’re urging people to get a primary care doctor if they don’t have one [because] if you get an antigen test that you do at home and it’s positive, and you don’t have someone to call, you’re not going to be able to get access to that medication. If we are going to even begin to talk about the “next phase,” then everyone has to be able to get treated if they’re at risk of dying from this. 

The other thing I will quickly mention, too, is that there is a treatment for people who are immuno-compromised that will give them six months of protection. It’s called AstraZeneca’s Evusheld, and it is a type of monoclonal antibody, but it’s one that you take pre-exposure to COVID, and I don’t think people know about it.

You’ve also been vocal about wastewater sampling being underutilized as a way to monitor virus transmission. Can you explain what that is?

From my understanding, it’s been a really good tool, especially for places like dorms or prisons where you have a closed system with wastewater, and where you can detect the shedding of SARS-CoV-2 happening days before people get symptoms. 

People infected are already shedding SARS-CoV-2 through fecal matter. It’s possible that when one person catches COVID, you can then [detect] it in the water, and then you can go ahead and test everyone. That would be the ideal case scenario of how it could work. Now, we have municipalities that are actually implementing it [although] there’s a lot of variation on how it’s exactly being used. Ideally, it would be a way to communicate with the public that we may be heading into another surge or that we detected a new variant.

COVID isn’t the only health crisis in East Oakland. What are the other health concerns keeping you up at night?

We are bracing ourselves [for] people having long COVID and starting to have health consequences from that. 

In terms of other things that are not COVID-related at all, we are definitely concerned about people having put off things for the last couple of years: screenings for cancer, maintaining the regular chronic medical conditions that they may have, like high blood pressure or diabetes. I know people have understandably been avoiding hospitals because we know that they were crowded and overwhelmed at times. But, as things seem to be retreating, this is a great time to go ahead and schedule routine screenings—checking out your blood pressure and sugar and all the things that we normally check. We’re worried about seeing health conditions that are more advanced than they needed to be. And so we want to make sure that people are attending to the usual things that we see a lot of in our community in East Oakland.

Featured image: Azucena Rasilla

Before you go… 

Can you help us make a difference? 

The reporters and editors at Berkeleyside are dedicated to covering our city and providing you with the information you need to be an informed citizen. If you value what you get from Berkeleyside, please join us with a tax-deductible donation so we can continue doing the local reporting that matters to you. 

Will you chip in to Berkeleyside today? 


[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

New Data Shows Public Health Benefit to Closing Indoor Dining

by

Closing indoor dining during the first two waves of the pandemic was associated with a 61% decline in new COVID-19 cases over a six-week span, preventing an estimated 142 daily cases per city, compared with cities that reopened indoor dining during that period, according to recently published data from experts at the Dornsife School of Public Health. The team looked at data from March to October 2020 in 11 U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas. The results were published last month in the journal Epidemiology.

The authors are not suggesting that any specific U.S. cities should close indoor dining at this time but suggest it could be a tool worth employing down the road – in addition to social distancing, improved ventilation, vaccination and other measures – to curb the spread of new variants around the globe.  

“This clear association between indoor dining and COVID infections can help inform policies that limit indoor dining to slow the transmission of this disease,” said study lead author Alina S. Schnake-Mahl, ScD, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Dornsife School of Public Health’s Urban Health Collaborative. “We must learn from what worked in the early months of the pandemic, especially with the Omicron variant now in the United States and Delta rapidly causing more COVID-19 cases in countries around the globe.”

The Drexel study is among the first to isolate the role of indoor dining in transmission of this coronavirus. This contrasts with previous studies on “on-premises” dining (that included both indoor and outdoor dining together and COVID).

“Reducing transmission is key to saving lives and preventing serious illness, and of course helps prevent long -term financial and social costs,” said Schnake-Mahl. “Effective policy must be met with a public willing to work together and help us all get through this time and build stronger, more innovative cities for this and the next public health crisis.”

Philadelphia’s City Council passed a bill this month that aims to help those in Philadelphia dine out at less risk – by making outdoor dining structures indefinite fixtures in some areas of the city. 

The street-based three-walled boxes that hug the sidewalk in front of many of center city’s popular restaurants, often replete with hanging flowers, strong lights and heat lamps or fans – are one of the more publicly noticeable innovations by the restaurant industry to help keep businesses open during the pandemic and allow diners to feel more comfortable dining out during more months of the year.

Indoor dining may also contribute to racial disparities in coronavirus cases, as higher rates of occupational exposure are experienced disproportionately by Black and Hispanic populations working in those settings, researchers say.

“Our data suggests that closing indoor dining can help prevent transmission and may also send a message to the broader public about the severity of the pandemic,” said senior author Usama Bilal, PhD, MD, an assistant professor in the Dornsife School of Public Health. “It might also encourage other policies and regulations aimed at ensuring social distancing and improving indoor air ventilation and filtration that we know can help reduce transmission.”

The authors add that the challenge of protecting public health while preventing layoffs and restaurant closures is especially difficult considering this data, and the inherent limitations of the data available.

For example, the current study measures associations between cases and indoor dining policies, but it’s possible that opening indoor dining sent a message of reduced risk to city residents, thus leading to additional higher-risk behavior overall (such as not social distancing, not wearing masks in large indoor gatherings, etc.) in those cities. If future studies look at data pertaining to closing indoor dining from December-February, that might yield additional context as well.

Overall, the researchers report that closing indoor dining is not a substitute for other public health measures, such as masking and vaccination, but may be another way to help stem the spread of COVID-19 and prevent more widespread closures and lockdowns.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

In addition to Schnake-Mahl and Bilal, other others on this study include Gabriella O’Leary, Pricila H Mullachery, Vaishnavi Vaidya; Gabrielle Connor, Heather Rollins, Jennifer Kolker, and Ana V. Diez Roux of the Dornsife School of Public Health.  The full study is available here: https://journals.lww.com/epidem/Abstract/9000/The_impact_of_keeping_indoor_dining_closed_on.98205.aspx.  

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here