STATES CHRONICLE – Just when she was delivering a woman’s baby, a pregnant resident doctor from Iowa noticed something unusual with her. Soon after she left the room, she realized she had actually gone into labor, even though she wasn’t due until a month later. Fortunately, a friend and colleague of hers delivered her own baby, who is now healthy and happy with his parents.

The pregnant resident was helping with another woman’s delivery

On July 28^th, Emily Jacobs, a resident in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Iowa Hospital, was right in the middle of a birth, as she was helping a woman deliver her child. Suddenly, she noticed something which looked like amniotic fluid.

Initially, she didn’t give too much attention to it but, soon after she left the delivery room, she realized that was her water which had broken. This came unexpectedly, as the woman wasn’t due until August 24^th.

Also, she had recently started her residency, and had spent many hours in the hospital, especially during night shifts. At first she felt really good, but the high amount of work and tiredness might have affected her pregnancy, triggering it long before the term.

The pregnancy went alright, as the baby is now in good health

Fortunately, Jacobs’ colleague and friend, resident Keely Ulmer, was on the same shift that day. She came and checked up on the pregnant woman, and helped her with the delivery. Besides them was one of their professors, who made sure everything went fine.

Although the baby was born prematurely, the entire delivery went perfectly fine, and the boy had no serious complications. Jett Eric Jacobs had to be kept under close supervision, as he was still weak, and had low blood pressure and jaundice. Fortunately, he recovered quickly, and could go home with his parents.
Image Source: Pixabay

STATES CHRONICLE – Two new parents from Greenville, South Carolina decided to celebrate the total solar eclipse in a unique way. Their second baby girl was born several hours before the astronomical phenomenon became visible, and they decided to name her Eclipse.

Baby named after the eclipse

Eclipse Alizabeth Eubanks was born on August 21^st at 8:04 a.m. at Greenville Memorial Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds and 3 ounces, and measured 19 inches. Her mother, Freedom Eubanks, wasn’t expecting to have the baby right on the eclipse day.

The woman’s due date was September 3^rd, but baby Eclipse couldn’t wait any longer and she came into the world on this magical day. Her mother thought this must have been a sign, and that her baby girl was meant to be born when the sun gets obscured by the moon.

This is what convinced the parents to let their baby bear the name of the phenomenon. Initially, they thought of calling her Violet, but the amazing coincidence convinced them to change their mind. Their family found this idea crazy at the beginning, but now they have gotten used to it and came to enjoy it. Freedom and her husband are planning to call the baby girl Clipsey.

The hospital staff gave souvenirs to all babies born on August 21^st

South Carolina is among the 14 US states which get to see the eclipse in its totality. These states are all placed in a path measuring 70 miles in width stretching from the west coast to the east coast. Eubanks was getting ready to watch the eclipse with her other daughter and her husband, but baby Eclipse wouldn’t have it.

The woman went into labor around midnight, so she had to be rushed to the hospital. At 8 in the morning, she gave birth. Eclipse was among 10 other babies who were born at the Greenville Memorial Hospital on August 21^st. To celebrate their unique birth date, the staff offered each of them a souvenir onesie with a cute sun on it.
Image Source: Pixabay

In an unexpected twist to the U.S. presidential campaign the FBI uncovered potentially significant material in the Hillary Clinton server case.

New emails sent through Hillary Clinton’s private server surfaced after the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized devices belonging to Huma Abedin and her husband, Anthony Weiner, in an unrelated case.  The shocking revelation was announced through a letter sent to Congress members.

“In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation.”

The initial investigation into Hillary Clinton’s unauthorized use of a private email server concluded in July with a recommendation of no criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. However, in light of recent events, the FBI has decided to take investigative steps to determine if the newly discovered emails contain any classified information.

“Although the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant and I cannot predict how long it will take to complete this additional work, I believe it is important to update your Committees about our efforts in light of my previous testimony” declared James Comey, FBI’s director, who previously criticized Hillary Clinton as being careless. 

With less than 11 days before the US presidential election, the FBI’s decision to reopen the investigation shows how serios the discovery is. Several lawmakers questioned the timing of the letter, seeing as there is currently no evidence that Mrs Clinton or the State Department withheld information.

“Why would FBI reopen Hillary investigation unless there is evidence of more than extreme carelessness in handling classified information?” tweeted John Cornyn, second-ranking Republican in the Senate

A senior law enforcement official declared that Comey’s letter was sent out of extra caution. Although FBI’s director provided no details about the nature of the mails, the politically explosive development raises serious questions about the Democratic presidential candidate. The shocking revelation seems to have caught the Clinton campaign by surprise. Tim Kaine, Clinton’s VP running mate, said he has to “read a little more” about the situation before giving an official statement.

GOP nominee Donald J. Trump, realizing that the new development in the Hillary Clinton server case may represent a turning point in the race, was quick to add fuel to the fire. Despite the fact that he has repeatedly called the FBI corrupt and inept, during a campaign event in New Hampshire, he went on to praise the law enforcement agency.

“I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the DOJ are now willing to right the horrible mistake that they made. This is a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understand.” Donald J. Trump declared.

Comey, who is also a Republican, endured severe criticism in July after he decided not to charge Clinton. The language used by the FBI in the letter made it clear that agents will be going through the newly discovered emails to determine any intent to violate the law. Only time will tell how the Hillary Clinton server case will unfold.

STATES CHRONICLE – The state Department of Human Resources said that the child abuse hotline from  Pennsylvania has been improved. This comes after the auditor general reported some issues there, in May. It seems that the authorities tried their best to solve the issues and now things are more efficient.

It all started in 2015 when it was discovered that 42 percent of calls to the statewide child abuse call center were abandoned or deflected. The audit started in May, when Ted Dallas, Human Services Secretary, was sure that the number have been reduced to 12-percent. The good news is that now there is only 2 percent abandoned calls.

Moreover, he said that there are times when no call is missed. However, there are some people who call and then hang up on a few seconds. This could happen because they do not like to wait on the line or just because they changed their mind. With just 2 percent of missed calls, the child abuse hotline from Pennsylvania is a good customer service. The authorities promised to make more investments. They said children have to be protected, so the hotline can be used at any hour of the day, any day of the week.

Officials from the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance were impressed by the improvements. They also hope that the secretary will continue their work and protect children even better. The changes they made can be the reason why a child’s life is saved. Of course, there will always be more things to improve. One missed call and nobody will know that a child is in danger. The child abuse hotline is the only hope some children have.

There will also need to be done some improvements in technology. Having better computers and phones will make their jobs easier. This way, the employees will be able to track faster the calls and more children will be saved.

There are hundreds of kids who suffer from child abuse every year. Most of them are too afraid to say something to the authorities or to a relative. If you hear about a child being abused, you have to call the child abuse hotline before it is too late. You can really save a kid and make him have a better future. The authorities should pay more attention to child abuse because it happens more times than we could think.

Image source: Flickr.com

STATES CHRONICLE – A few days ago, 52 dogs were euthanized after it was discovered they suffered from distemper. Even though the dog shelter was reopened on Monday, after being closed for the weekend, adoptions are not possible. They want to be sure that the dogs which were exposed to the disease, have no health issue. Now eight more dogs were euthanized because they have the same respiratory disease.

Officials are expecting more dogs to have this issue, which means that there should be more animals euthanized. Until now, 60 dogs died because they were infected with this disease. The shelter has now two areas: one for dogs that could have been exposed to the anger and for new dogs, that will be adopted starting this week. From all the 223 dogs that were at the shelter, 163 of them are in isolation.

Even though the shelter officials said they are working with rescue groups to protect the dogs, not all the people agree with them. More than 200 people stayed outside the Franklin County administrative building to protest for the dogs that were euthanized this weekend. They think that the shelter has not done enough things to save the animals and that it is their fault more dogs are now infected with the disease. Luke Westerman, the man who organized the protest, said that all they want is honesty and compassion for the dogs.

The situation is not getting better as there are dogs which were taken from the shelter to receive medical care. People who protest against this, said that the shelter has too many dogs, which are exposed to distemper. However, the shelter has to receive animals because it is a public one. All the dogs that are found on the street, in that area, are brought there.

Officials said it was a hard decision to get those dogs euthanized, but it was the best for the dogs. Distemper is a dangerous disease that kills the animals. Those who manage to survive, have brain issues and they will never be the same. The decision was made because most of the dogs would have died due to this respiratory problem.

We are expecting more dogs to be euthanized if the shelter will not manage to solve its issues. If there are too many dogs in there,  there will be more animals exposed to the danger.

Image source: Public domain pictures

 

 

STATES CHRONICLE – The Ohio Department of Health confirmed the first 2016 West Nile virus death in a human. The patient was a man, 84-year-old and had been hospitalized with encephalitis. Unfortunately, it seems that this virus is starting to make victims among people. There have been other three human cases reported this year in Ohio, but the patients seem to feel better.

This state is already known for having West Nile virus human cases. There were 35 people who suffered from this disease in 2015, 24 in 2013 and 122 in 2012. It is very hard for the authorities to kill all the mosquitoes and there is still no official treatment for this virus. The best way to avoid West Nile virus is to avoid mosquito bites. Of course, we know that you can’t be aware all the time of what happens around you. The most important thing is to pay more attention if you see mosquitoes near your house.

There were thousands of people who have been infected with the West Nile virus and 1600 of those people died.  What is really important to know is that those were only the reported cases. There could have been more people who died because of this virus,  but the relatives did not talk with the authorities.

The West Nile virus was found in 48 states. The only places in the United States where the virus was not present are Hawaii and Alaska. The virus, spread by mosquitoes, is more dangerous for people over 50 years old and for those who suffer from chronic diseases.  If you want to prevent West Nile virus death, you have some options.

First of all, there are insect repellents. They are really effective and kill all the mosquitoes in the area. Look for those that have been approved by the  Environmental Protection Agency. You will find a repellent, no matter where you live or how much money you want to spend on it. People can also apply insect repellent to their clothes. However, they should pay attention because  can be harmful to their skin.

Try to wear long clothes and not spend so much time outside during the night. Even though the authorities are trying to kill mosquitoes, you can protect your family by doing these simple things. Doctors are expecting more human deaths due to the West Nile virus, especially in states where there are a lot of infected people.

Image source: Wikipedia

 

 

Students need to go back to school and it seems there are some surprises prepared for them.  Brown University will provide women and men free tampons in its bathrooms. This initiative was led by the school’s student body president, who wanted all students to have menstrual hygiene products, no matter what gender they are.

Free tampons are supposed to have benefits on female students’ attendance and ability to be productive. There are a lot of students who do not have enough money for things like food or menstrual products. Some of them have to take more jobs because they are not able to buy the things every girl needs. Women from Brown University will not have to worry because, from this year, they will find free tampons all the time in the bathrooms.

What is really important is that the menstrual products will be available also in men bathrooms. This in an evidence that Brown University has respect for transgender men and their rights. The student body president said that they did not forget that these people are an important part of the population. There were many incidents when transgender people were ignored or had problems when they tried to use public bathrooms. Brown is an example for all the universities regarding how they should  treat them.  There were students who asked why they put free tampons in male bathrooms. Even though it was confusing at first, people understood and agreed with this idea.

Brown University followed the decision made in New York, to include free menstrual products in bathrooms of all public school, in shelters and jails. For a transgender student, this means more than we could ever imagine. Brown assured all the students they are welcome on campus and they will have a good time, no matter what gender they are. The university also hopes that more colleges around the country will follow their example.

Of course, there will be people who will not agree with this decision because they are against the transgender people. However, it is important for students to understand that every person it’s different and we make our own decisions. Moreover, free menstrual products are good for all those students who are having problems with money.

We have to say that Brown University made a surprising decision. We hope, in the future, more universities will introduce these products in their bathrooms and treat transgender students with respect.

Image source: Wikipedia

 

 

STATES CHRONICLE – Things are not going so good for the Allina Health. Their nurses decided they will go on strike on Labor Day.This comes after many months of negotiations about a new three-year contract. There was a one-strike in June because the nurses did not want to the contract Allina offered to them. Union leader announced the strike at a news conference and they are ready to be out as long as it takes.

Allina Health could not get along with the nurses. It seems that they wanted concession on health benefits before taking care of the nurses’ request to improve staffing and make the workplace safer. Nurses could not agree with that. They said that the company wanted them to concede on issues and after than they might talk about what nurses want.

There are more than 4800 nurses that will go on strike, from five hospitals. (Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis, United Hospital in St. Paul, Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and Unity Hospital in Fridley). What did Allina say about this strike? They are disappointed because they think nurses are walking away from patient care. The company wants a settlement, but first they want the nurses to come back to work.

The real problem is what patients will do. They don’t have to worry because Allina has to hire temporary nurses to maintain patient care. The company is already used to it because they had to hire 1400 replacements in the first week nurses went on strike. Moreover, the cost of this event is more than 20 million dollars for the health system.

We do not know how long it will take for the nurses to come back to work. The two sides agreed to retain two of the union plans, but there were other problems who lead to this strike. Allina officials do not like the union plans while nurses have their own ideas about how they should be treated. Nurses want also safety training on how to behave with violent patients and a guarantee of a security guard that will stay in the emergency rooms if something happens.

We will see what will happen and how long nurses will continue the strike. It would be better for them to negotiate again with Allina Health. This strike affects the patients and the health system.

Image source: Flickr.com

 

STATES CHRONICLE – There have been some amazing people during the last century, who managed to make the impossible and find treatments for diseases or invent devices that will change our world. Donald Henderson was one of them. He died last week and will be forever knows as the doctor who managed to save us from smallpox.

He was assigned by the authorities and the World Health Organization to end one of the biggest threats to humanity. Henderson began an effort to identify where smallpox was making more victims and rush vaccines to the location. He also isolated everyone who came into contact with the infected patient. Donald Henderson dedicated 14 years of his life to make this disease disappear and he achieved its goal. The last case of smallpox was identified in 1977. In 1980,the authorities said that smallpox was gone and no other case was identified after that.

Henderson could not do this by himself. There were other doctors, such as William H. Foege and J Michal Lane along with volunteers who managed to kill smallpox. However, we must say that without a leader like Donald Henderson, we are not sure things would have solved so fast. He created a new technique called the “ring vaccination” and  it has been used for many others diseases since then.

Smallpox was one of the most dangerous threats to humanity. It began even since people were living in caves and made victims until Donald Henderson and his team stopped it. Smallpox killed 300 million people. The virus could be spread to another person just by using the same clothing or blanket. The diseases killed most of the children who struggled with it and more than 60 percent of the adults.

Its symptoms were bad, but its effects were worse. Patients had intense pain, fever, muscle aches, and convulsions. People who were infected, but they managed to survive, could be blind or disfigured. At this moment, smallpox does not exist, but there are other diseases like rubella that can be transmitted. We hope that brave people will find a way to kill those viruses, just like Donald Henderson did at his time.

We are grateful for how he made the world a better place. He is an example for those of you who want to help people. There could be a day when your actions will make a difference. Imagine what would happen if smallpox was still a threat for us.  Millions of people are alive now due to Donald Henderson.

Image source: Wikipedia

 

STATES CHRONICLE – Do you remember Titanic? Its story is not possible anymore because the ice is melting and this allows ships to cruise in the Arctic region. This happens due to climate change. The Crystal Serenity     cruise ship has begun its journey that will go to the Northwest Passage and will end in New York, on Sept. 12.  It is the first time when a cruise ship of these measures goes in the passage.

The ship has a weight of 69, 000 tons and it cost 350 million dollars. There can be more than one thousand guests and the crew is made of more than 650 people. We are waiting to see how the journey will be and what people on the ship will think about it. Even the ice melted, the journey can be dangerous as many people lost their lives while navigating to the Arctic region. It is easy for a ship to get caught in the ice, but people are not worried because the climate change effects are helping them regarding this matter.

Moreover, Crystal Cruises  said that this ship was designed for ice and there were sailors who have years of experience in the Arctic region. It will also have two helicopters on the board and more safety measures. People should have no reason to worry as the company wanted them to feel safe during this new trip. They knew that Northwest Passage is not the safest place to make a cruise, so they had to face the potential for a ship disaster. If something will happen, there will be not only many deaths, but also the sea will be in danger with all that pollution. We hope this journey will be fine and everyone will enjoy the Arctic.

What was the price for this cruise? People paid between 22 000 and 120 000 dollars for it. They were also asked to pay 50 000 dollars in evacuation insurance. All the seats were sold and the company has already said that they will this router again next year.

While this journey is very interesting, we should pay more attention to climate change. Even though now we can enjoy its effects by visiting places we were not able to, in the future things will change. The ice will melt and the sea level will rise. Our houses will be in danger and must do something if we want our children to have a better place to live.

Image source: Wikipedia