Published7 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Max MatzaBBC NewsUS health officials are warning of a rise in a strain of a drug-resistant stomach bug that infects thousands of Americans each year.Shigella bacteria causes fever, diarrhoea and stomach pain. Since 2015, officials have noted a rise in cases linked to the drug-resistant strain. The inability to treat infections with medication led health officials to call it a “serious public health threat”.Without effective treatment, it could cause severe illness or even death. In a statement on Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that while none of the infections recorded in 2015 were tied to the Shigella XDR strain, 5% of cases were linked to it in 2022. In 2019, 1% of all US cases were linked to the strain, which is resistant to the five antibiotics that are most commonly used to treat it.Drug-resistant infections killing millions – studyShigella spreads “easily” through direct and surface contact with an infected person’s faeces, the CDC says. It can lead to a form of dysentery named shigellosis, which is considered one of the leading causes of death linked to diarrhoea around the world.Many cases can be managed through proper hydration and rest. Officials say it can be prevented by frequent hand washing. Currently, it causes less than five deaths in the US per year. The increase in the XDR strain has most commonly been seen in homeless people, international travellers, men who have sex with men, and immunocompromised people, the CDC said. “Given these potentially serious public health concerns, CDC asks healthcare professionals to be vigilant about suspecting and reporting cases of XDR Shigella infection to their local or state health department and educating patients and communities at increased risk about prevention and transmission,” the agency said.Officials in the UK also warned last year of a “unusually high number of cases” linked to the XDR strain. More on this storyDrug-resistant infections killing millions – study20 January 2022

Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Max MatzaBBC News, SeattleCanada’s province of British Columbia is starting a first-in-the-nation trial decriminalising small amounts of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin.From Tuesday, adults can possess up to 2.5g of such drugs, as well as methamphetamine, fentanyl and morphine.Canada’s federal government granted the request by the west coast province to try out the three-year experiment. It follows a similar policy in the nearby US state of Oregon, which decriminalised hard drugs in 2020. Ahead of the pilot’s launch, British Columbia and federal officials outlined the rules under the federally approved exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.While those substances will remain illegal, adults found in possession of a combined total of less than 2.5g of the drugs will not be arrested, charged or have their substances seized. Instead, they will be offered information on available health and social services.The other public health crisis killing CanadiansCanada wrestles with euthanasia for the mentally ill Federal minister of mental health and addictions Carolyn Bennett on Monday called the move “a monumental shift in drug policy that favours fostering trusting and supportive relationships in health and social services over further criminalisation”.Some 10,000 residents have died from drug overdoses since British Columbia declared drugs to be a public health emergency in 2016, officials said. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.”Decriminalising people who use drugs breaks down the fear and shame associated with substance use and ensures they feel safer reaching out for life-saving supports,” said Jennifer Whiteside, the British Columbia minister for mental health and addictions.Thousands of police officers in the province have been offered training on the rule change, including those in Vancouver, the largest city in the province. The programme will run from 31 January 2023 until 31 January 2026, unless it is revoked by the federal government.Some experts have questioned the 2.5g limit, saying that it is not enough to account for the habits of many addicts. The other public health crisis killing CanadiansThere are some exemptions to the scheme.The sale of drugs remains illegal. It is also illegal to possess drugs on the grounds of schools, childcare facilities and airports.Canada legalised the use of recreational cannabis for adults nationwide in 2018.But the four drugs now allowed in small quantities remain prohibited, meaning there are no plans to sell them in stores, unlike marijuana. Trafficking them across borders also remains illegal. You may also be interested in:What happened after Portgual decriminalised all drugs?More on this storyThe other public health crisis killing Canadians2 September 2020The city where addicts are allowed to inject7 August 2017Canada trials decriminalising cocaine and MDMA1 June 2022

Published8 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Max MatzaBBC NewsThe US Supreme Court has been unable to determine how a controversial draft decision regarding abortion was leaked before it was formally announced. On Thursday, investigators said that they still do not know whether the leak was deliberate or unintentional after eight months of opening the probe.In May, a draft opinion of the court’s decision to overturn the national right to abortion was published by Politico. The Chief Justice ordered a probe into the “egregious breach of trust”.The court’s chief security officer Gail Curley has found that 82 court employees, as well as the nine court justices, had access to electronic or paper copies of the draft decision. Investigators have so far “conducted 126 formal interviews of 97 employees, all of whom denied disclosing the opinion,” the court said in a 23-page report on its website. Several employees had to amend their initial statements in order to admit that they broke confidentiality protocols by telling their spouses about how the court voted and what the draft opinion said. What happens now Roe v Wade has been overturned?But the report did not make clear whether the justices themselves were interviewed by investigators. When the actual opinion was published, it varied only slightly from the draft.The leak revealed that five justices planned to overturn Roe v Wade, which established the constitutional right to abortion in 1973. The decision in the case that was leaked – Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization – threw it back to states to decide how to regulate abortion. The unprecedented leak shocked court-watchers, and outraged liberals opposed to the conservative-majority court’s decision. It also led to round-the-clock security outside the homes of Supreme Court justices amid protests against the draft verdict. Image source, Getty ImagesIn June, a man carrying a gun, knife and zip ties was arrested near the home of conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He told police that he was upset about the Dobbs decision. Investigators scoured court computers, networks, printers and call logs for forensic evidence, but found nothing to indicate a possible culprit. “If a court employee disclosed the draft opinion, that person brazenly violated a system that was built fundamentally on trust with limited safeguards to regulate and constrain access to very sensitive information,” the report said.The report also called it “unlikely” that the “public disclosure was caused by a hack of the court’s IT systems”.The report’s findings have been criticised by both liberals and conservatives. The document “reflects the chief justice’s utter failure in the administrative aspect in his role,” said Carrie Servino of the conservative Judicial Crisis Network.The co-founder of the liberal legal group Demand Justice said that investigators must reveal whether the judges were questioned, especially considering that one their spouses could have been the source of the leak. “The idea that the justices themselves may have been excluded from the inquiry undermines the credibility of the whole undertaking,” said Brian Fallon. “Ultimately, it looks like the Supreme Court may be more interested in protecting its own members than actually solving this whodunit.”Michael Chertoff, the former Department of Homeland Security chief, was also tasked with independently assessing whether the investigation was probing every possible source of the leak. The court also released a short statement from him calling the probe “thorough”, and saying that investigators had taken every possible step to find the source. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.More on this storyAbortion ruling leak is genuine, says top US court4 May 2022Why this is a seismic day in America24 June 2022What happens now Roe v Wade has been overturned?29 June 2022

Published14 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Max MatzaBBC NewsAn outbreak of measles in the US state of Ohio has infected 82 children so far – the biggest eruption of the disease in the county since 2019.The first cases were reported on 9 November near the city of Columbus at a nursery. By the end of the month, cases were seen at a market, mall and church. Nearly all of the cases have been in young children who are not fully vaccinated against the disease. Child vaccinations against measles fell amid the Covid pandemic, experts says. Measles is highly contagious – more so than Covid – and can cause serious illness.The figures reported over the past two months in Ohio are more than for the whole of the US in the previous two years. In 2022, 117 measles cases were reported, compared to 49 cases the previous year and 13 cases in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.So far, 32 of the infected children in Ohio have been admitted to hospital. As well as a distinctive rash, measles can lead to severe complications, such as pneumonia and brain inflammation, and sometimes can be fatal.Vaccination can remove almost all of these risks.All of the Ohio cases have been reported in children 17 or younger, with 94% affecting infants, babies and children under five years old. It appears that all of the children are at least partially unvaccinated, meaning that they have not received the necessary two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, known as MMR. Four of the children do not have a known vaccination status, according to local health officials. Children are recommended to get their first dose between 12 and 15 months of age, and the second round between 4 and 6.A recent report from the World Health Organization found that in 2021, nearly 25m children worldwide missed their first vaccination, while nearly 15m children missed their second dose. Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but has seen a resurgence in the years since, though the number of cases is below past historic highs.More on this storyChild measles warning as MMR jab rate drops1 FebruaryWhy is the UK seeing a rise in measles cases?20 August 2019Children at risk of measles due to Covid focus10 July 2021European rights court backs mandatory child jabs8 April 2021

Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Max MatzaBBC NewsUS federal drug agents say they seized enough fentanyl in 2022 to kill every American. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says they intercepted 379m potentially deadly fentanyl doses, which is just two milligrams. The DEA described the highly addictive substance, which is 50 times more powerful than heroin, as the deadliest drug threat facing the US. The agency says most of the fentanyl is trafficked into the US from Mexico.The DEA says it seized more than 10,000lb (4,500kg) of fentanyl, as well as over 50.6m fentanyl pills that were made to resemble different prescription painkillers. That is more than double what they seized in 2021.Fewer US teens use drugs – but more are dying Most of the drugs were mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico by the Sinaloa and Jalisco drug cartels, which use chemicals sourced in China, the agency said. The drug is so powerful that a lethal dose is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil. More than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, and two-thirds were attributed to fentanyl. The amount of fentanyl seized this year was enough to kill all 330 million residents of the US, said the drug agency.”DEA’s top operational priority is to defeat the two Mexican drug cartels – the Sinaloa and Jalisco (CJNG) Cartels – that are primarily responsible for the fentanyl that is killing Americans today,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said.In addition to the fentanyl, the DEA also seized 131,000lb of methamphetamine, more than 4,300lb of heroin, and over 444,000lb of cocaine.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.More on this storyFewer US teens use drugs – but more are dying16 OctoberHow Vancouver is saving addicts’ lives8 January 2019The deadly truth of new drugs cocktail. Video, 00:09:55The deadly truth of new drugs cocktail26 November 20189:55

Published9 hours agoSharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Max MatzaBBC News, WashingtonThe Florida county that was devastated by Hurricane Ian last month has seen a surge in cases of flesh-eating bacteria illnesses and deaths. Officials say Lee County, where the category four storm made landfall on 28 September, has recorded 29 illnesses and four deaths owing to the bacteria. All but two cases were diagnosed after the hurricane.Vibrio vulnificus infections can be caused after bacteria enters the body through open cuts.The bacteria lives in warm brackish water, like standing floodwaters. “The Florida Department of Health in Lee County is observing an abnormal increase in cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections as a result of exposure to the floodwaters and standing waters following Hurricane Ian,” a spokesperson at the county health department said on Monday.The statement called on residents to “always be aware of the potential risks associated when exposing open wounds, cuts, or scratches on the skin to warm, brackish, or salt water”.”Sewage spills, like those caused from Hurricane Ian, may increase bacteria levels,” the statement continued. “As the post-storm situation evolves, individuals should take precautions against infection and illness caused by Vibrio vulnificus.”Collier County, just south of Lee County, has also recorded three confirmed cases that officials say are storm-related.Image source, Getty ImagesAcross Florida, there have been a record 11 confirmed deaths attributed to the bacterium this year, and a total of 65 cases, according to state health data. Officials estimate that nearly half are related to Hurricane Ian. In 2021, 10 deaths were recorded and 34 cases in Florida. Seven deaths were attributed to the bacteria in 2020. Vibrio vulnificus is known as “flesh-eating” because it can develop into necrotising fasciitis, a condition that causes tissue to break down. It is not the only bacteria that can cause necrotising fasciitis.According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around one in five Vibrio vulnificus patients dies, sometimes within only a day or two of becoming ill. It can cause sepsis if it enters the bloodstream, and can sometimes lead to amputations to prevent its spread to other parts of a patient’s body. More on this storyFlesh-eating bug after graze almost killed DJ31 JulyThey stayed for the storm – what happens now?2 OctoberHurricane Ian death toll climbs to 99 in Florida4 October

SharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingimage copyrightGetty ImagesUS headlines abound of average Americans crowd sourcing funds for their medical treatment, or selflessly forgoing necessary medicine in order to save money for their families. Why are these stories so popular? Dillon Hooley was a 17-year-old high school senior when he began cutting back on insulin, a life-saving drug necessary to manage his diabetes. The decision nearly caused him to die in his sleep.”I wasn’t thinking right, but my parents work so hard to give me what I need, and I didn’t want to put more financial stress on them,” he told CNN in a 2019 article about the skyrocketing costs of insulin.The family’s insurance deductible required them to spend $5,500 (£4,000) before receiving any benefits, forcing them to pay $800 per month for Dillon’s insulin. The coverage was provided by his father’s job at a steel mill in Utah.image copyrightFamily handoutCutting back his dosage to life-threatening levels was an illustration of how the teen “wanted to help out any way he could,” said the article’s introduction.”My son really didn’t like the CNN story and how he was portrayed,” says his mother, Mindie Hooley, who saved his life by waking him up and bringing him to hospital after he almost slipped into a coma due to a lack of insulin in his blood.”The story made him seem like a ‘hero’ who rationed his insulin to save his family and this wasn’t the case at all. He felt he had no other choice other than to ration,” she says, describing how the family had suffered financially.”Our family wishes that the article would have emphasised more about why he felt he had to ration. We wish that the emphasis was on why so many are to blame for why insulin is so expensive,” Mrs Hooley told the BBC.Manufacturers have raised costs sky high in order to give steep discounts to middlemen acting on behalf of insurance companies, says Mrs Hooley, who now advocates for affordable insulin access with the group T1 International. The family’s insurance company does not pay for Dillon’s continuous glucose monitor, test strips, or other supplies, also costing him thousands of dollars each month. To save money, he orders insulin through an online pharmacist, leading to batches that sometimes arrive late or spoiled.Now 20, Dillon has gone to work at the same company as his father, doing 12-hour graveyard shifts to earn enough money to fill in the gaps that health insurance will not cover.Dillon’s story of medical financial struggle being painted as a positive is not unique. Critics say it misses the point – but some say it can be life-saving if the appeal resonates.image copyrightGetty ImagesResearcher Alan MacLeod refers to these types of stories, depicting triumph over adversity, as “perseverance porn”.MacLeod, who is based in Scotland and represents the group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, says stories of working-class people persevering against all odds have been told throughout history, and speak to the public’s desire for human interest stories that put their own lives into perspective.”These sorts of stories about persevering through tough times are really sort of relevant to pretty much anyone,” he says, adding that they are growing in popularity as people struggle amid the global pandemic.’I hope I make it’The story of a seven-year-old girl from Birmingham, Alabama, selling lemonade to fund her brain surgeries went viral earlier this year.Liza Scott’s appeal raised nearly $400,000 (£290,000), allowing her to fly to Boston for a series of potentially life-saving operations.Her mother, Elizabeth Scott told the BBC in an email that “it’s amazing that [her story] has reached folks around the world”.MacLeod says that “kids selling lemonade are a classic example” of the “perseverance porn” that he has documented. He has seen several cases of children setting up lemonade stands to pay for their parents’ or their own medical treatment.”It’s never truly acknowledged that if these children lived in a more humane society, their perseverance would not even be necessary.” “If that girl lived in Nova Scotia, Norway or New Zealand she wouldn’t have to desperately try to sell lemonade on the street to afford her medical bills.”Crowd-sourcing website GoFundMe says that at least one third of its fundraisers are for medical treatments. Healthcare costs are also the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US.’My TikTok fans saved my life’Jescenia Ramos is a type-one diabetic with multiple chronic illnesses who uses TikTok to spread awareness about disabilities – and stay alive.Whenever Ramos has been kicked off private insurance, which has happened repeatedly and for varied reasons, the 21-year-old jewellery designer has relied on TikTok followers to help pay for insulin.”If it wasn’t for the fact that I had a really large TikTok following, I would have been dead. Because nobody would have seen that GoFundMe,” Ramos tells BBC News.The human cost of insulin in AmericaThe lengths Americans go to for cheap medicineRamos identifies as two-spirited, a third gender in Native American tradition, and uses they/them pronouns.They have around 60,000 followers under the name @quiibunnie, and says that being a “failure of the foster system” is the most recent reason that they lost their healthcare coverage.image copyrightJescenia RamosRamos’ non-biological parents, who raised them since they were 17 months old, did not ever legally adopt them despite being their legal guardians. For that reason, the family’s insurance company decided that Ramos is not considered a dependent – not actually their child – and must purchase a separate coverage plan. Ramos, who uses a wheelchair, now pays about $375 per month to the insurance company, and still has to pay another $700 per month for medications. That is still cheaper than buying the insulin without any insurance.After their most recent fundraising campaign, the third they’ve been forced to do, Ramos felt pressured to lie and tell their followers: “It’s okay, guys. I’m fine.””My story got shared around on TikTok and people had been asking for a positive update on the story, and I wish I could give them a positive update on the story, but I really can’t,” Ramos says.”Because I’m still definitely struggling incredibly financially,” they continue, adding that diabetes will probably cause further health problems in their future. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to tell my platform, like, ‘Oh this will never happen again. I’ll never need your help again’.””But the reality of the situation is I will. I will always need help again,” Ramos says, adding that “the reality of medical care in America is you have money or you die.””I am exhausted from trying to get people on the internet to care enough about my life to donate five dollars,” says Ramos.image copyrightGetty ImagesLaura Marston says that stories of diabetic Americans losing their insulin access or being forced to ration the life-saving medicine are extremely common across the country.”If you really think down to the bare bones of the concept of paying for insulin, its very akin to this: If three companies own all of the world’s oxygen and every breath you needed you had to pay for,” says Marston, who is also diabetic.The 38-year-old IT lawyer lost her own health insurance after her employer died expectantly and the law firm where she started her career was dissolved. “It always kind of baffles me that people who are dealt a genetic hand – in this country at least – are told to work harder and make more money to pay not just the cost of our medical care but to prop up the industries like pharma,” she says.’This is awesome!’Even for families with employer-provided health insurance, the benefits may not sufficiently provide for the medical need, and the system often seems designed to be as confusing as possible.When two-year-old Logan Moore’s medical condition made it impossible for him to walk, his family decided that the boy couldn’t wait for a needed medical device to be approved by the family’s insurance provider.So they did it themselves.One afternoon in 2019, Logan and his mum went to Home Depot hardware store in Georgia and asked where to find the parts they would need to build a walker, which they had researched how to make themselves on YouTube.Instead, the employees told the family to get some ice cream while they assembled a personalised walker for Logan on the company’s dime.THIS IS AWESOME! Two-year-old Logan Moore needs a walker to get around but his family didn’t know if insurance would cover for one, so his local Home Depot found parts to make it themselves. 🥺❤️ MORE: https://t.co/V0YoW3FHuk pic.twitter.com/8QLHa2a8Mq— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) May 28, 2019
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on TwitterThe image of young Logan was widely shared online, but many found the story to be heartbreaking and “dystopian”.”This is awesome!” tweeted a Fox TV affiliate in Washington DC, alongside a picture of the smiling boy.”This is horrific,” one person responded. “This isn’t heart-warming. It’s an indictment of the US healthcare system,” replied another.”Regular people being lovely, generous, and creative is good. Making marginalised people depend on them for basic survival is not,” tweeted another user.You may also be interested in: