Young Mother’s Struggle Continues Amidst Dwindling Baby Formula

Major recalls from a top baby formula producer in the United States are causing a national crisis among young mothers trying to provide for their infants. The cause of this significant shortage of baby formula across the nation began in February as Abbott Nutrition started a voluntary recall in response to the death of two infants who contracted a bacterial infection after consuming their formula products. 

The bacterial infection is also responsible for hospitalizing at least two other infants and was traced back to the factory in Sturgis, Michigan. The Michigan factory was immediately shut down, and all production was halted as the company began a full-scale investigation into the cause of the contamination. The crisis began to spiral nationwide because baby formula production is only controlled by four main contributors: Abbott Nutrition, Reckitt Benckiser, Nestle USA, and Perrigo. Abbott is the largest producer, responsible for approximately half of the United State’s total formula production. 

As the situation continues and production has been unable to recontinue, many consumers and stores are seeing formula products absent from their shelves. By the first week of May, stores had already observed a 43 percent decrease in formula stock, and the declines continued. Mothers across the nation have responded to the shortage by stocking up on as much formula as possible. The struggle has forced families to drive long distances in search of the critical nutrients, causing further strife due to the inflated gas prices reaching more than $6 per gallon in states like California. 

The unfortunate overlapping of price inflation for gas has left many struggling families without many options. The crisis has disparagingly affected low-income families as Abbott is the predominant contractor for families receiving government assistance like Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The crisis also poses the most significant impact to at risk infants and vulnerable children that require specialized nutritional support. 

While there has yet to be any resurgence of supply to the market, families are trying their best to cope by diluting formulas, extending rations, and resulting in breastfeeding as much as possible. However, these resources are not available to every person as breastfeeding may not be a viable option for mothers with health conditions, adoptive parents, or infants with allergies. 

President Biden has planned to invoke the Defense Production Act, which would provide formula producers priority to vital ingredients and accelerate international shipping from suppliers. As far as Abbott’s production resolution, they have finally made agreements with the Food and Drug Administration to restart its factory operations at its large Michigan location. However, it may take up to two weeks before the production begins. Abbott has clarified that although its production is slated to start by the end of the month, it may take as long as two months before formula products reappear at stores across the country. 
While times still look bleak for young parents, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement among many guidelines and warnings that parents without any options can feed their babies until production begins again. So while the crisis is ongoing, there seems to be hope on the horizon and a plan to provide necessary resources as soon as possible.

Did You Know The Black Plague is Still Around?

Amidst the global pandemic and coronavirus outbreak these last few years, something not discussed often in the media is the continued presence of the black plague. Many people think the bubonic plague is a thing of the distant past, but that is not true, and there are reported cases every year. If you did not know it was still around, do not worry because it is unlikely to be the cause of any future pandemics due to advances in medical technology and our understanding of disease transmission. 

The bubonic plague, also known as the black death, originated in central Asia, where climate change forced many rodents out of grasslands into more populated areas. These rodents carried fleas infected with the Yersinia pestis bacteria responsible for the disease. The disease was spread through flea bites or exposure to an infected person’s open wounds. In the incredibly overcrowded cities across Europe, frequent exposure was widespread and aided the rapid spread of the disease. After being infected with the bubonic plague, a person could expect an 80 percent probability of mortality within eight days. 

The disease killed millions of Europeans during the middle ages of the mid-1300s. This disease spread rapidly through crowded cities of Europe, which were often extraordinarily unclean and full of rodents that quickly transmitted it to people. In the 1300s, very little was known about how diseases were transmitted, and there were few treatment options available to compromised people. This plague is responsible for the most significant death toll compared to any other epidemic throughout human history, killing between 75 to 200 million people worldwide. Those numbers are significant because the world population was around 370 million people and faced constant reductions by other factors like natural disasters, famines, and war. The people of Europe did not recover to their former status until almost 200 years later, in the 16th century. 

Symptoms from the bubonic plague caused a person to grow tumors around lymphatic systems in the neck, groin, and armpit. The tumors continued to spread, resulting in large blackening spots across a person’s body accompanied by fevers, vomiting blood, and ultimately death. Less common forms of the plague also appeared in pneumonic and septicaemic variations, killing their host even quicker with 90 to 100 percent mortality rates. Pneumonic plague symptoms infected the lungs leading to respiratory problems, fever, and cough. Septicaemic plague symptoms had a mortality rate close to 100 percent, progressing so rapidly the infected person may not have enough time even to develop the characteristic lymphatic tumors before death. 

Most people consider the black death to be an eradicated disease, but did you know it is still active, with hundreds of cases per year and isolated flare-ups around the world. The disease is still carried by prairie dogs, chipmunks, moles, squirrels, rabbits, and mice. Most modern cases of the bubonic plague occur in central Asia and Africa, but yearly cases are also reported from states across the southwestern United States. Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado have the highest reported cases in the US, with most deaths only occurring after complications from the disease or lack of treatment. 

The black death is best treated with antibiotics after 24 hours of exposure, but infected people can still make a complete recovery as long as they receive treatment. Fatalities usually only occur when the disease is left untreated. It can run its course carrying a 30 to 90 percent fatality rate compared to less than 10 percent with treatment. 

Understanding past pandemics and epidemics are vital for preparing for and treating future events. If the coronavirus mortality rates were similar to the bubonic plague, the world’s population would have been irreversibly damaged. For comparison, covid19’s case fatality rate is approximately 1.2 percent for the 497 million people that have contracted the disease, an almost minuscule statistic among the global population now totaling more than 7.9 billion people.

Correlation Between Marijuana Legalization and Increased DUIs

Marijuana and the use of Cannabis have long been touted to offer certain health benefits for the immunocompromised and chronically ill, except it is still illegal in most of the world. Countries like the Netherlands, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Spain, and a few others have legalized the sale of recreational marijuana among rising public popularity. The main psychoactive component of cannabis is THC which produces the high sensation and can be inhaled or ingested. Users exposed to THC experience relaxing effects, including heightened sensory perception, euphoria, and an altered perception of time. THC can also be directly ingested, delaying the effects by more than 30 minutes. The effects of cannabis usually last up to 3 hours, although evidence of THC can remain in the body for days after initial use. 

Each person reacts differently to THC ingestion, but increased popularity and legalization around the world have contributed to concerns about its impact on driver safety. In the United States, more than 1.5 million people are arrested for driving under the influence each year. Studies in Colorado suggest an increase of marijuana-related DUIs by more than 48% last year, with an increasing trend over the last five years. The rising frequency DUIs is concerning because a large percentage may correlate with areas that have legalized marijuana. In recent years, the same study also identified increased frequency in marijuana-impaired drivers’ roles in deadly car accidents. 

Assessing impairment from a marijuana user is much harder than in individuals under the influence of alcohol. Despite recent increases in legalization and recreational use of marijuana, law enforcement has yet to identify an accurate and reliable test to determine a driver’s level of intoxication. The equivalent test for alcohol impairment is the breathalyzer test used to determine the blood alcohol content as it corresponds to legal limits. There are blood tests used for THC identification, but they do not provide an accurate assessment of an individual’s level of impairment because of the chemical’s varying effects with each person. New developments in law enforcement have focussed on creating behavioral tests to assess individual impairment, similar to methods used to confirm alcohol intoxication. 

Developing accurate tests is vital for driver’s safety and the ability of law enforcement to assess impaired individuals. Regular marijuana users have produced blood profiles that indicate stores of THC can remain detectable in the blood for 30 days in some cases. These THC levels are often higher than local DUI limits, even though the individual has not recently ingested marijuana. 

Factors impacting DUI statistics include regional THC blood limits, driving laws, past offenses, and law enforcement discretion. The consequences of driving under the influence are also different depending on the region but can implicate an individual up to a year in jail. 

Understanding the use of marijuana as it impacts drivers’ abilities and law enforcement methods for impairment detection are quickly becoming an increasingly vital area of research. Investments will continue to increase as recreational use becomes legalized in other parts of the world.

Drastic Changes to India’s Air Pollution During the Pandemic

While the world faced unprecedented lockdowns amidst the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, many environmental scientists observed significant beneficial impacts the lack of human activities caused on Earth’s natural systems. Urban areas were inhabited by local wildlife species that had not been seen in decades, water resources began to purify and significantly reduce air pollution. India’s large cities are well known for their environmental pollution, and the lockdowns created the opportunity for numerous improvements for India’s atmospheric status. 

Air pollution is rampant across India because of its enormous population size and concentrated city infrastructure. Air pollution results from too many greenhouse gases like aerosols, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide collecting in the atmosphere. These gases lead to increased temperatures as they capture and hold solar radiation. They also increase cloud retention of particulate matter that can be detrimental to surface resources and human health. 

The World Health Organization’s study of global air pollution indicates it poses a significant health risk, responsible for killing 7 million people a year and impacting many more. The COVID-19 outbreak is only responsible for 2.5 million deaths per year to place that statistic into context. In India, contributing sources of atmospheric pollution include vehicle byproducts, industrial power generation, material kilns, and suspended particulate dust contaminants. A report by IQAir identified the top 10 most polluted cities globally, and 9 of them were in India. 

India’s urban areas previously blanketed in smog and pollution experienced substantial reductions, extending views to the horizon in many places. Indians in Punjab could see the Himalayas more than 100 miles away! India’s Central Pollution Control Board found more than 85 cities across India with significantly reduced air pollution in only the first week of the pandemic. The report also measured New Delhi, the capital of India, with a more than a 44% reduction in only the first day of restrictions! It is estimated that more than 90 percent of road and transportation activities across the country were halted at the start of the pandemic.

Restrictions were lifted as the early pandemic lockdowns concluded, and life in India seemed to go back to the levels of pollution it created before. This is incredibly worrying because high levels of pollution in the air can highly damage a person’s health. If pollution levels do not rescind, ailments like headaches, respiratory issues, and virus susceptibility will become rampant. Toxic pollution also increases susceptibility to contracting COVID-19 because of its involvement in damaging respiratory cells, severely impacting at-risk demographics. 
Parents are forced to keep children home from school many days throughout the year because the overlying smog is too dangerous to breathe in. This saw many schools respond with waning attendance rates even after restrictions were lifted.

Navy’s Accidental Water Contamination Affects Over 400k Hawai’i Residents

Recent water quality tests at containment facilities near Pearl Harbor on Oahu in late November uncovered extreme levels of petroleum fuel contamination, forcing the shutdown of a major well for island residents. The petroleum-contaminated water was recorded with more than 350 times the safe level of possible hydrocarbon contaminants forcing the shutdown on December 3rd.

Hundreds of military families in the impacted area were affected with reported cases of mouth and body sores, pet sickness, stomach issues, and other attributable illnesses. Preliminary concerns were first warranted when residents reported their water smelling and tasting like gasoline, corroborating the recent illnesses. This shocking public health threat has forced the relocation of at least 3,000 Pearl Harbor-Hickam military families and posed risks to several day cares, schools, and hundreds of businesses. 

Investigations into the contamination suggested wells were originally contaminated after jet fuel spilled into access tunnels on November 20th. The spill was immediately cleaned and responded to, but not before contaminants could leach through to underground water wells. 

Residents are rightly upset due to the Navy's knowledge about the spill, potential health threats, and their inability to take necessary preventative steps until a week after the initial fuel accident. Governor David Ige described the contamination as a crisis, and state health officials have since suspended activities at the Red Hill well and ordered the Navy to clean up all impacted water systems. 

The Navy has taken full responsibility for the accident and plans to clean up the petroleum spill by completely flushing the Red Hill well with more than 25 million gallons of clean drinking water before assessing other potentially affected systems. Nevertheless, the event has put a bad taste in many Hawaii residents’ mouths and added extreme caution in regards to the cleanliness and safety of their water. 

Closing the major well near the state’s capital Honolulu has also elicited a response from the state department telling residents to conserve water to mitigate potential future shortages. The Halawa well directly contributes water to more than 400k residents and local businesses, and the cleaning process is expected to take several weeks.