Report from the air travel front in the US:
Here in Phoenix, everyone seems to be sick with a #respiratory and/or #gastrointestinal disease. No one has a #mask on (except me and spouse). Is it #flu? #COVID #birdflu ? No way to know. For now, it is business as usual, but I forecast more trouble ahead.

Oh, and flight attendants no longer refer to them as “masks”. They are “face coverings.” Since this is related to wearing an oxygen mask in case of emergency, it is true that veils, balaclavas and sacks over your head would also hinder the oxygen mask so “facing covering” would be sufficiently specific. But it still sounded weird.

#Ottawa, #Ontario, #Canada Virus Update:

Ottawa updated its #respiratory #virus data again after a break for the holidays, respiratory related ED visits are up especially in kids 0-3, then 4-11 and age 80+. Quite a mixture of different viruses testing positive in the lab right now so people can pick up a variety of bugs in the air. 1/

Safety first! Was at a friend's place for dinner last night. Dinner burnt in the microwave while we were around the corner in the living room. We smelled smoke, dashed into the kitchen where there was so much smoke you couldn't see across the room. Smoke billowed down the hall and into their bedroom -- but not much made it to the living room. The smoke alarm, located by the living room, never went off.
Friends! Make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are near the source of most fires and dangerous smoke -- near the kitchen (and by rooms with fireplaces, and not far from the furnace).
Sure, it might go off once in a while when you're cooking. But the point is for it to go off before things get really bad so you have a chance to deal with it. To be alerted in another room, or to wake you up while you can still escape.
Smoke alone is dangerous and causes the most common injuries from home fires. In this case there was no fire, but really bad levels of smoke --I woke up this morning still a bit congested.
And test those alarms a couple times a year to make sure the battery. etc. is still good.
UPDATE. Sources added. Note the section about the dangers of burning microwave popcorn.
https://www.chefsresource.com/faq/is-smoke-from-a-microwave-dangerous/
#fire #safety #home #smoke #lung #respiratory

Population rate vs raw numbers

This is a good example of why it is useful to understand the importance of population *rate* and not just look at raw numbers. The first graph shows raw numbers and the second graph population rate. 1/ #ED #Respiratory #Virus #Population #Ottawa

Did we really need hospital masking during #COVID19? Study says yes https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-hospital-masking-covid.html “Massachusetts General Brigham hospitals-led research has reported a significant increase in hospital-onset #respiratory viral infections following the cessation of universal #masking and #SARSCoV2 testing policies. Researchers found fewer infections when masking policies for #healthcareworkers were reinstated during a winter viral surge.”

From Time Magazine: "#Seniors and people who are #immunocompromised should get not just 1 but 2 #COVID19 shots this #respiratory #virus season. That's the new recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (#CDC)." https://tinyurl.com/jttbt7f3

‘The @WHO report removes the aerosol/droplet dichotomy but does not move us forward in infection control strategies. Prof Jonathan Reid [@BristolUni] et al.
#COVIDisAirborne #Respiratory #Aerosol provides a nuanced, accepted, scientifically rigorous term.’
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02786826.2024.2387985

Why don’t we issue refill canisters for inhalers?

We don’t need to replace every mouthpiece every month. Heck.

Wild anti-capitalist radicalism here: MAKE INHALER MOUTHPIECES INTERCHANGEABLE.

Cheaper for manufacturers and wholesalers and patients and our shared biosphere and —.

Ah smoked but Ah did nat inheyl. (“I smoked but I did not inhale.”)

How Does #BirdFlu Spread in #Cows? Experiment Yields Some ‘Good News.’
Scientists say that findings from a small experiment lend hope the #outbreak among dairy #cattle can potentially be contained
Scientists failed to find evidence that the #virus can spread as a #respiratory infection. Juergen Richt, a virologist at Kansas State University, said that the results suggested that the virus is mainly infectious via contaminated milking machines.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/29/health/bird-flu-dairy-cows-infection.html
https://archive.ph/FPZFS #H5N

#US #CDC Confirms Second #Human #H5N1 #BirdFlu Case in #Michigan; Third Case Tied to #Dairy #Outbreak, https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/p0530-h5-human-case-michigan.html

This is the first human case of H5 in the #USA to report more typical
#symptoms of acute #respiratory #illness associated with influenza virus infection, including A(H5N1) viruses.

Whooping cough (pertussis) cases still rising in the PH. "As of April 13, there have been 1,566 pertussis cases recorded nationwide."

#Philippines #Asian #Filipino #PublicHealth #PhilStar #Disease #Health #Respiratory #Airborne #TootSEA

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/04/24/2350086/pertussis-cases-still-rising-philippines-doh

#Cystic #fibrosis is a #genetic disease that causes serious and sometimes fatal #respiratory and #digestive disorders. A new treatment, available since 2020, improves lung function and quality of life. However, it does not always eradicate the #bacteria responsible for respiratory infections.
#Biomolecular #Genetics #CF #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2024/04/bmol04042402.html

#Cooking on your #gas #stove can emit more nano-sized particles into the air than vehicles that run on gas or diesel, possibly increasing your risk of developing #asthma or other #respiratory illnesses, a new Purdue University study has found.
#Engineering #Environmental #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2024/02/eng02272401.html

Unhealthy, unnatural gas | #BritishColumbiaMedicalJournal https://bcmj.org/council-health-promotion/unhealthy-unnatural-gas “#FossilFuel emissions are not only heating our planet but also polluting the air.[1] Burning these fuels releases a hazardous mixture of pollutants that cause #respiratory and #cardiovascular diseases, contributing to an estimated 15 300 #PrematureDeaths per year in Canada.[3] Reducing fossil fuel emissions, also known as #decarbonization, is imperative to protect people from these harms.”

Media should ask public health *how* measles virus transmits

With all the attention on #measles #outbreaks recently, the media should ask public health how the measles #virus can catch a ride in #aerosols to help it stay #airborne for hours and infect people but somehow no other virus like #COVID or #respiratory viruses (#Flu, #RSV) can use the exact same transportation method and fall to the ground. 1/

Some lots of #Robitussin #cough syrup have been recalled due to microbial contamination #ProductRecall #unsafe #medicine #flu #respiratory #ProductSafety

Robitussin Honey CF Max Adult

https://www.cnet.com/health/medical/robitussin-recall-how-to-find-effective-and-safe-cold-medicine/

Risk of #death 3 times higher in Brazilian #kids with #COVID-19 than with other #respiratory viruses, study finds

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/risk-death-3-times-higher-brazilian-kids-covid-19-other-respiratory-viruses-study-finds