MERS Virus Targets Lungs

The lungs are the main target of the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), according to the results of the first autopsy performed on a victim of the disease. Since it was first reported in September 2012, there have been 1,638 cases of infection by the MERS coronavirus in 26 countries, including 587 deaths, the World Health Organization said. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/56065?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-08&eun=g721819d0r

Contaminated Water Found In Colorado.

reported that traces of PFOS and PFOA, “two compounds once used in nonstick cookware coatings, firefighting foam and other materials,” were found “in three drinking water systems in Colorado, prompting officials to shut down three wells and start looking for the source.” The EPA said the compounds were detected in water systems serving about 69,000 people. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DRINKING_WATER_CHEMICALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Current Tdap Booster Fails To Protect Older Children Efficacy drops off markedly after a year in kids 10 and older, study finds

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Vaccines/56044?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-06&eun=g721819d0r

Influenza infection may increase atrial fibrillation risk but vaccine helps

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Arrhythmias/56042?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-06&eun=g721819d0r

Florida Expands Zika Emergency As First Reported Case From Blood Transfusion Emerges.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/nyregion/new-york-state-to-offer-free-zika-testing-for-pregnant-travelers.html?ref=world&_r=0 In its lead story, the CBS Evening News (2/4, lead story, 2:30, Pelley) reported there are now at least 51 cases in the US. Correspondent Mark Strassmann added that with 80 percent of Zika patients showing no symptoms, “it’s likely there are many more cases than the official numbers indicate.” NBC Nightly News (2/4, story 6, 0:25, Holt) reported that Florida expanded its state of emergency to five counties as Gov. Rick Scott said on Thursday there are now 12 confirmed Zika cases in the state, all from people infected outside the US. ABC World News (2/4, story 5, 1:35, Muir) added that that Scott has requested “thousands more” kits to be tested for Zika, as the state currently has less than 1,000. Meanwhile, Linzie Janis reported that the first case of Zika infection from a blood transfusion was reported in Brazil. Jon LaPook, MD, reported on the CBS Evening News (2/4, story 2, 2:10, Pelley) that donated blood is “not yet tested” for the virus in Brazil. Donors instead “are asked if they’ve recently been ill,” but since most don’t show symptoms, “self-reporting misses most infections.” LaPook added that there is a test that can detect Zika virus in blood samples, “but it’s not government approved in Brazil or in the United States where about 21 million units are transfused each year.”

Some People With BMIs Categorizing Them As Overweight Or Obese May Be Quite Healthy, Study Suggests.

reports in “Science Now” a new study published online Feb. 4 in the International Journal of Obesity suggests that “some 54 million Americans who are labeled as obese or overweight according to their body mass index [BMI] are,” upon “a closer look, actually healthy.” The study’s findings “reveal that employers could potentially saddle people with unfairly high health insurance costs based on a deeply flawed measure of actual health.” Shots” blog, physicians “contend that BMI’s usefulness ends at a rough indication that a patient should be checked for things like high blood pressure or cholesterol.” BMI was not invented as an “individual health metric.” Professional athletes, for example, “often have BMIs that could get them in trouble with a workplace wellness plan,” and “that mismatch between BMI and health is true not just for athletes,” the study found. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-bmi-does-not-measure-health-20160204-story.html

Florida Declares Health Emergency Over Zika Cases.

eported Florida declared a health emergency after at least nine cases of Zika virus were reported in four counties, bringing the total to 50 cases across 13 US states. Meanwhile, one of the world’s “most prominent ethicists,” Arthur Caplan, PhD, Director of Medical Ethics, NYU, urged Brazil to cancel the Olympics, stating “I don’t know if [Brazil’s] up to doing the Olympics and epidemic control at the same time.”