News Roundup 02/11/20
Bill to Provide Service Dogs for Veterans with PTSD Passes House Unanimously
On Wednesday February 5, a large hurdle was cleared after a decade as the House of Representatives passed a bill for the Department of Veterans affairs to provide service dogs to veterans with PTSD and other service related mental health issues. With twenty veterans a day committing suicide, this bill could have a large impact on the lives of thousands as most veterans cannot afford a service dog themselves. The bill is now being passed onto the Senate, who has many related bills on its plate. One soldier said that having a service dog allowed him to fly in a plane for the first time in ten years.
Source: Military.com
Will the New Coronavirus Keep Spreading or Not? You Have to Know One Little Number
With the recent spreading of the Coronavirus in China and around the world health professionals are working to understand the infectivity of the virus as well as how many people could be infected within the foreseeable future. To calculate the infectiveness from one person to people around them epidemiologists, find the basic reproduction number where anything less than one will fizzle out and anything greater than one will continue. Epidemiologists estimate this coronavirus to be at a two or three while the original in 2003 was two to four and measles was a twelve to thirteen. However the actual reproduction number is probably lower than estimated.
Source: The Scientific American
“Unprecedented” Locust Invasion Approaches Full-Blown Crisis
Across vast areas of Africa and Southeast Asia there have been extremely large swarms of locust threatening crops. This has alarmed international officials as the concern of famine in the insect’s wake grows with the UN saying that food supplies in Eastern Africa are endangered. Officials in Rome have noted that the situation could devolve into a complete crisis. he U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has made this their first priority. The swarms were brought on by the Arabian Peninsula being struck by cyclones which created the perfect breeding conditions for the insects. It is estimated that the swarm that grows with each generation could reach India by June.
Source: E&E News
Hepatitis A outbreak declared in San Bernardino County
On Thursday February 6, health officials declared that San Bernardino county had seen a vast increase in the number of Hepatitis A cases particularly in San Bernardino and Redlands, where they say that clusters of cases have appeared. From January 1 of last year until February 6, there have been forty two confirmed cases across the country compared to the three recorded cases in 2018. Health officials are warning the public to take the needed precautions and get the vaccine. The virus affects the liver and causes fatigue, low appetite, nausea, stomach pain, and jaundice which happen within two months of the initial infection.
Source: The Sun
Veteran actor Orson Bean, 91, struck and killed by vehicle in Venice, California
Friday night in Venice California, actor Orson Bean was struck by two cars and killed. The ninety-one year old had over one hundred appearances in both film and television since the mid-1950’s. His wife of twenty-seven years, was at the crash site along with a friend of the late actor who confirmed that it was Orson that had been struck. Bean was clipped by a vehicle heading westbound causing him to fall, he was then struck by a second car who bystanders couldn’t warn in time which proved fatal. Both drivers stayed at the scene and the police have labeled the incident as a traffic fatality.
Source: ABC 7