CDC •

Study Finds Public Pools Unsafe

May 21, 2016 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

Study Finds Public Pools Unsafe

STATES CHRONICLE – A recent report deemed the majority of public pools to be unsafe for the health of the unaware users. Nearly eight in ten pools violated at least one safety rule.

A study called “Immediate Closures and Violations Identified During Routine Inspections of Public Aquatic Facilities — Network for Aquatic Facility Inspection Surveillance” has been published yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The study covered the year 2013 (we’d love to find out how many of that year’s findings have changed three years later) and inspected 48,632 public pools a total number of 84,187 times in New York, California, Florida, Arizona, and Texas.

As much as 12 percent of the inspections found serious issues that resulted in the immediate closure of the pool facility. They discovered volatile chemicals that irritate the eyes and respiratory tract, fecal matter, and the “wonderful” parasite Cryptosporidium, which causes diarrhea, malaise nausea, and in severe cases weight loss.

Small children who don’t yet dominate their toileting skills and people suffering from diarrhea are probably the ones infecting the water. The agency advises people not to go swimming while they are still recovering from diarrhea and parents to take their children often to the bathrooms.

The majority of the public pools had problems with pH level, safety equipment, and the concentration of disinfectants. The worst news is that only 68 percent of the local US health agencies license and inspect public aquatic facilities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise us to purchase test stripes that could measure the pH and disinfectant levels of the water. A safe and healthy water would have a pH level of between 7.2 and 7.8, and the concentration of chlorine should be three parts per million in a hot tub and one ppm in regular pools. The bromine level must be 4ppm in a hot tub and 3ppm in a pool.

These test stripes can be bought from a regular pool supply and hardware store.

Swimming is a popular pastime in our country. The Census Bureau reported that while more than 50 million Americans are going swimming at least six times a year, the infected public pools could make a lot of people suffer serious consequences.

Image source: Wikimedia

Black Americans Receive Less Medication Against HIV Than White Citizens

February 6, 2016 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Latest news reported that black Americans receive less medication against HIV than white citizens.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US declared that African American people with the HIV virus are given less treatment and care than white individuals.

It was established that since 2005, the HIV diagnoses rate decreased by 19 percent in the United States. Among African American women the infection rate has minimized in the last period. However, black communities are still facing racial prejudice.

38 percent of black individuals were positively diagnosed with HIV. In spite of this, in 2014 only 12 percent of the black population was given medical care.

On the contrary, between 2011 and 2013 the ongoing medication against HIV was received by 50 percent of the white citizens with HIV.

African American women infected with the virus had a higher rate of medical care. For them, the figure was around 44 percent, while black men who received medical care only rose to 35 percent.

The head of the CDC’s Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Eugene McCray said that the CDC has been trying for many years to fight against racial discrimination in black communities.

The safest way to help individuals with HIV is by giving them continuous care in order to prevent other new infections. According to the CDC, HIV is often spread by people who don’t receive proper treatment. Moreover, individuals who are unaware of their infections are also a cause for the virus’ propagation.

McCray stated that their focus is to give an early diagnosis to people who live in the US. He also added that it’s the CDC’s duty to provide patients with consistent care so as to improve their life quality. According to the CDC, the US is making huge efforts in order to bring the disease under control. Their plan is to implement effective HIV prevention strategies, especially for black communities.

In addition, the department announced that State health agencies will receive extra funds in order to extend prevention plans as well treatment for black citizens. They also added that will focus more on gay, bisexual and transgender individuals who are often being disgraced.

The fact that black Americans receive less medication against HIV than white citizens means that racial divergences are a problem that will need even more time to be resolved.

Photo Credits: Wikimedia

Average Age for New Mothers Is Higher

January 17, 2016 By Sebastian Mc’Mannen Leave a Comment

The average American woman has her first child at the age of 26.

STATES CHRONICLE – Latest statistics show that the average age for new mothers is higher than it has ever been. It seems that American women have their first child around the age of 26. The average age is considerably higher than it was 40 years ago.

T.J. Mathews, a representative of the CDC, declared that the spike in the average age of first-time mothers is due largely to the impressive drop in teen pregnancies. But older women who decide to have their first child contributed too.

There are lots of programs in the present in America that are meant to educate young women about the risks of teen pregnancy and the ways in which a young woman can get pregnant. Thanks to this educational efforts, the rate of young adult women that are with child lowered considerably.

The American government started to track the age of women that are pregnant for the first time in the 1970’s when the average age of conception was 21. Ever since then, the numbers only climbed higher and higher. But sexual education isn’t the only factor, another important cause for this high rates is the busy lifestyle that modern women have.

The idea of a picket white fence and, at least, two children has been replaced with the desire of becoming a team manager, or CEO, or another time consuming leading position. Women have become more business oriented, the fight to equal rights leading them towards a busy life in which children are not a priority until much later on. This is not a bad thing at all, but it contributed to the fact that the average age for new mothers is higher than ever.

Mathews also says that after the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973 the average age increased by a few units in just a year or so. It seems that the optimization of birth control methods was also a decisive factor in the average age’s increased levels.

Since the 2000’s, it seems that the most impressive rise was recorded among African American women and West Coast mothers. The increase measured a few units in only a couple of years.

The highest values are recorded in the big cities, Colombia has an average of 29, and New York and Connecticut an approximate of 28.

While there is nothing wrong with following your career before thinking about having a child, or waiting for the perfect man to do it with, doctors advise women that are pushing 30 and are thinking about their first child to be extra careful in the process because at this age the pregnancies start to get tricky and complications can appear more often.

Image source: www.flickr.com

The CDC Predicts that Ebola Cases Could Exceed Half a Million by January

September 25, 2014 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

Yesterday we’re reported how the WHO declared that the present Ebola outbreak has killed more people than all the Ebola outbreaks combined and now we’ve got the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) making its predictions about the Ebola situation in West Africa and the numbers are not good. The CDC predict that Ebola cases could exceed half a million (550,000 more exactly) by January of 2015.

The US CDC has made public their latest report and they are urging for interventions to take place, otherwise the cost of delay will be devastating. The CDC has predicted that if the current trends are going to continue without any drastic measures being implemented, then the number of Ebola cases could exceed half a million by January 2015 in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The CDC has made its estimate based on the reported cases, but they’ve also taken into account the one that aren’t reporting and based on those unofficial numbers (also an estimate), then the cases are likely to reach 1.4 million Ebola cases. Many people in the West African countries do not believe that Ebola is a real threat and choose not to go to the hospital when sick.

Naturally, the CDC is aware of the fact that no guarantee can be offered along these numbers, but they do say that:

If conditions remain unchanged, the situation will rapidly become much worse, [and they serve as] a warning and a call to action.

All these numbers and calculations done by the CDC are published in their latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). You can visit their website if you want more insight into the matter.

What are your thoughts on the fact that Ebola cases could exceed half a million by January? Do you fear a global Ebola pandemic? Share your thoughts and comments with us in the comment section below. We love hearing from our readers.

Over 23,000 Americans falls prey to antibiotic-resistant infections every year, says CDC report

September 18, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Over 23,000 people die of antibiotic-resistant drugs every year in the United States, a new CDC report says.

The glaring exposure was made in the latest report of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report says more than 2 million people get antibiotic-resistant infections every year, and around 23,000 die because current drugs no longer stop their infections.

Notably, for the first time the department has started categorizing antibiotic-resistant organisms by threat levels.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the estimates to underline the growing threat of germs that are hard to treat because they’ve become resistant to drugs.

Antibiotics are used to kill or suppress the bacteria behind illnesses ranging from strep throat to deadly diseases. These drugs are considered to be one of the greatest advances in the history of medicine and have saved countless lives. But with the passing time and advancement in the field of medicine some antibiotics grew ineffective and obsolete. Experts say their overuse and misuse have helped make them less effective.

“If we’re not careful, the medicine chest will be empty” when doctors need infection-fighting drugs, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said.

CDC warns against antibiotic resistant bacteria

September 17, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Sounding the alarm a new way, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has started categorizing antibiotic-resistant organisms by threat level for the first time. The CDC has initiated the measure in the light of their conservative estimates which says more than 2 million people get antibiotic-resistant infections each year, and at least 23,000 die because current drugs no longer stop their infections.

Health officials have been warning us about antibiotic overuse and bacteria resistance for a long time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the number to spotlight the growing threat of germs that are hard to treat because they’ve become resistant to drugs.

Antibiotics are designed to kill bacteria that cause infection. However, in the process they can also kill so-called good bacteria. Notably, the human body hosts about 100 trillion such bacteria.

“If we’re not careful, the medicine chest will be empty” when doctors need infection-fighting drugs, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said.

200,000 deaths due to cardiovascular diseases, heart strokes are preventable every year, says CDC report

September 4, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

In a big sigh of relief for those affected with the cardiovascular diseases, a government report says such diseases can be easily avoided with few lifestyle changes.

The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that about 200,000 deaths a year from cardiovascular diseases could be avoided by bringing changes in our daily habits.

About 800,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease. But as many as 200,000 of the deaths from heart disease and stroke could be prevented if people make healthy changes including stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, engaging in physical activity, eating less salt and managing their high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, said the CDC report.

Although the rate of death (deaths per 100,000 people) from cardiovascular disease declined by 29% between 2001 and 2010, it’s still the leading cause of death in the USA, says the report. One out of three deaths in the United States is caused by cardiovascular diseases.

“These findings are really striking because we are talking about hundreds of thousands of deaths that don’t have to happen when they happen,” says Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC.

Preventable/avoidable deaths

The current life expectancy in the USA is age 78 so if people died sooner than that it is considered early or premature, says the lead author Linda Schieb, a CDC epidemiologist. Preventable/avoidable deaths are the deaths from heart disease and stroke in people under age 75. If their risk factors (smoking, blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity) had been under control they should have lived longer. Such risk factors can be easily avoided by bringing changes in lifestyle and hence these deaths can be easily prevented.

D.C. registers highest preventable deaths in US

In D.C., the findings are more startling. The CDC report finds there were 580 preventable deaths in D.C. from heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure in 2010. That translates to a rate of 99.6 preventable deaths per 100,000 population.

The state with the second highest rate of heart disease-related preventable deaths was Mississippi with a rate of 95.0 per 100,000 population, followed by Oklahoma with a rate of 89.8 per 100,000 population. Virginia experienced a rate of 54.6 preventable deaths per 100,000, and Maryland had a rate of 65.1 preventable deaths per 100,000 population. But, both Maryland and Virginia are among the top four states that saw a greater variance in preventable deaths from county to county, according to the CDC.

Reality Check

•Rates of preventable death from heart disease and stroke are highest in the South.

• About 56% of preventable deaths from cardiovascular disease (112,000 deaths) in 2010 occurred in people under 65 years old. That number remained about the same between 2001 and 2010.

• The number of preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke decreased by 25% between 2001 and 2010 for people ages 65 to 74.

• Still, the highest overall death rate from cardiovascular disease was in the 65-74 age group with 401.5 deaths from cardiovascular disease per 100,000 people.

• Men have the highest risk of death from heart disease and stroke across all races and ethnic groups. Black men are most at risk.

• Blacks are nearly twice as likely as whites to die early from heart disease and stroke.

• Compared with whites, blacks have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity, low consumption of fruit and vegetables and poor control of bad (LDL) cholesterol.

Categories