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Why You Shouldn t Panic About The Swine Flu Strain With pandemic Potential

2020-07-08T19:13:47Z

ReneAfe568175746:

id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> A new strain of influenza has sent social media into a bit of an apocalyptic panic. Getty/China Photos The [ coronavirus pandemic] isn't even close to being over, and, if you read the latest headlines, there's a potential new pandemic right around the corner. This one's caused by influenza -- the virus that causes the flu -- and the culprit was discovered circulating in pigs in China. [ Even the Fonz himself was concerned]. But the headlines are overdoing it a little, and the panic is unnecessary. Let's set the record straight. [ Various] [ reports] about a study [ published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences] have sent social media into a bit of a panic with apocalyptic endgame scenarios, worrying many that we're staring down a double pandemic that will end it all and have us running to our bunkers in the hills. Some posts suggests people already believe this new virus is emerging and spreading through China. CNET Science From the lab to your inbox. Get the latest science stories from CNET every week. The study examined pig populations in China from 2011 to 2018, taking thousands of swabs from slaughtered farmed pigs and testing them for influenza viruses. The research team discovered a strain that contains genetic material similar to H1N1 influenza, the virus that caused a pandemic in 2009, has become more dominant in Chinese pig populations since 2016. Researchers showed the strain, dubbed G4, was the major influenza strain in the pig population they tested and that it has the ability to infect human epithelial cells in the airway. It has also infected some farm workers, with around 10% of those exposed to the animals showing antibodies to the strain. However, the virus has been circulating in swine since 2016 and when jumping to humans it is yet to cause significant illness. It's unclear whether the strain can do that. There's also no evidence it has spread from human to human. For a pandemic to kick off, the virus needs to achieve both these things by picking up new genetic information. Could that happen? Yes. Should you panic? Well, no. "it's something that still is in the stage of examination," said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a senate hearing on Tuesday. "It's not a so-called immediate threat, where you're seeing infections, but it's something we need to keep our eye on." And although current flu vaccines don't protect against this strain, the next batch could be designed to provide protection if this virus did reach pandemic proportions. But that remains a big if. "No immediate threat to public health." Carl Bergstrom, biologist, University of Washington Surveillance of influenza strains is a valuable tool for epidemiologists and public health authorities, allowing them to screen vulnerable populations and better understand if the virus is evolving to become more virulent. The researchers suggest G4 should be closely monitored in pigs and in human populations now. It's well worth reading Twitter threads [ composed by Angela Rasmussen], a virologist at Columbia University, and [ a similar thread by Carl Bergstrom], a biologist at the University of Washington, Seattle. Both break down where some of the misunderstandings come from by detailing the experiments and how they relate to the headlines. "The bottom line is that our understanding of what is a potential pandemic influenza strain is limited," Rasmussen writes. "Sure, this virus meets a lot of the basic criteria, but it's not for sure going to cause a hypothetical 2020 flu pandemic, or even be a dominant strain in humans." "I think the key context is that there are ALWAYS strains out there with pandemic potential," Bergstrom added, via email. "Identifying one is just that—it's identifying something we need to watch. It doesn't much change my estimate of the risk of seeing a pandemic in say the next four or five years." Reading into 'pandemic potential' It's important to pull back the curtain a little here, [https://themomsite.bookmark.com/cheap-gifts-for-coworkers-under-5 themomsite.bookmark.com] too. The journal this work was published in, PNAS, sends out a weekly list of embargoed journal articles it will publish in the following seven days to media. In this week's email, there was reference to a study headlined with "Swine influenza virus with pandemic potential." It's a fairly eye-catching headline and not exactly incorrect, but it's written to attract media to get interested in telling the story of the research. And that's where some of the panic begins. The journal article itself references the idea pigs are particularly good "mixing vessels" for flu viruses because they enable different influenza strains to swap genetic information with each other. These swaps could result in viruses that are more likely to infect humans and cause disease. It is the only reference to "pandemic potential" made in the paper. The journal article exists behind a paywall, so the full seven-page article isn't freely available to the public. A similar situation occurred in May with a paywalled article by New Scientist being dredged up to claim NASA had found a parallel universe where time runs backward. Spoiler: [/news/no-nasa-didnt-find-a-parallel-universe-where-time-runs-backward/ It (sadly) hadn't], and we're stuck with this universe. During the coronavirus pandemic, scientists, researchers, the media and the public have had to grapple with an "[ infodemic]," as the World Health Organization calls it. An infodemic is an overabundance of information, both accurate and not so accurate, that makes it extremely difficult to find trustworthy sources. Would we have seen the "pandemic potential" flu pick up so much steam if we weren't already in a pandemic that's turned everything on it's head? My guess would be no. It will be important to keep track of this virus -- and other influenza viruses -- so we can better prepare for potential pandemics. But we will also need to remain vigilant when discussing these studies. Now playing: Watch this: How to follow the pandemic with online tools 1:47 Added June 30: Links to the Fonz tweet, statement by Fauci. Added July 1: Correspondence with Carl Begrstrom. [#comments Comments] [/topics/sci-tech/ Notification on Notification off Sci-Tech]

Olive Garden Hostess 16 Resigns And Plans To Sue The Chain

2020-07-08T17:43:20Z

ReneAfe568175746: Created page with "A 16-year-old student has resigned from her job as an Olive Garden hostess after she says she was harassed by her coworkers for calling out workplace discrimination. ..."

A 16-year-old student has resigned from her job as an Olive Garden hostess after she says she was harassed by her coworkers for calling out workplace discrimination. Amira Donahue and an unidentified server both claim they were targeted with racial discrimination last month when a white woman at the restaurant in Evansville, Indiana, demanded 'a server that wasn't black' - and the manager granted the request. The chain revealed that that they had fired the location's manager after learning how they handled the altercation. But Amira says that after the manager was terminated, her co-workers began making derogatory comments about her. Donahue's lawyers announced on Saturday that she was no longer employed with the Evansville eatery. Scroll down for video Amira Donahue's lawyers announced on Saturday that she was no longer employed with the Evansville Olive Garden 'After Amira spoke up about being discriminated against by an Olive Garden customer, she has been harassed by and retaliated against by her coworkers and superiors,' local law firm Danks and Danks said in a release. 'Amira told her superiors about the harassment and retaliation by her coworkers, and Olive Garden failed to stop it from continuing.' The release states that Amira tried to 'overcome the adversity' she experienced at Olive Garden. But she says following the firing of the manager, the work environment became 'intolerable.' The lawyers shared that the final straw came on March 6 when Amira alleges she overheard her coworkers talking about her to each other, making comments including 'black people will do anything for money' and 'I' don't like her.' The lawyers said they stood by Amira and hold Olive Garden 'responsible for its treatment of employees.' The release states that Amira tried to 'overcome the adversity' she experienced at Olive Garden but following the firing of the manager, the work environment became 'intolerable' 'If there are any other employees harmed by Olive Garden's or Darden restaurants' employment practices or conditions, we are asking them to come forward now and stand with Amira,' the lawyers concluded. The lawyers shared that the final straw came on March 6 when Amira overheard her coworkers talking about her to each other, making comments 'black people will do anything for money' and [https://themomsite.bookmark.com/cheap-gifts-for-coworkers-under-5 https://themomsite.bookmark.com/cheap-gifts-for-coworkers-under-5] 'I' don't like her' In an interview with [ ][ Donahue shared that the woman's fury then got directed towards her. 'She stood in the middle of the restaurant and started screaming at me in front of all of the customers,' said the hostess. 'The lady also made comments about me to another coworker saying that I am not family-friendly and that I should go work at a strip club instead of an Olive Garden. '(She asked) am I even black, am I from here, am I from America, just like offhand comments like that and referring me to the 'other one'. ' RELATED ARTICLES][# Previous] [# 1] [# Next] [/news/article-8074125/Father-31-used-baby-shield-disobeying-commands-Florida-Deputies.html Father, 31, 'used his baby as a SHIELD while disobeying...] [/news/article-8074999/Canadian-boy-8-wins-200-worth-cannabis-products-hockey-tournament.html Pot luck! Canadian boy, 8, wins $200 worth of cannabis...] Share this article Share Donahue shared that the woman's fury then got directed towards her Olive Garden spokesman Hunter Robinson said the company does not tolerate discrimination of any type and added that senior leadership would be investigating the incident. They also confirmed that the manager at the eatery was fired. It is not clear the race of the manager. NAACP President Reverend Gerald Arnold stressed that they had not received a formal complaint but added that they too were investigating the incident. Donahue is still shaken up from the incident. 'I would never expect it to be so apparent in public like it's 2020, not 1920 and I feel like it should take more than social media to get a problem like this out there,' Donahue said. data-track-module="am-external-links^external-links"> Read more: [ ][ Olive Garden Hostess Pushes for Change - 44News | Evansville, IN] DM.later('bundle', function() DM.has('external-source-links', 'externalLinkTracker'); );

Man Accused Of Yanking A Muslim Woman apos;s Hijab Faces Charges

2020-07-06T17:13:35Z

ReneAfe568175746: Created page with "A New Hampshire man is wanted by police after he brazenly walking up to a Muslim woman and yanking on her hijab while she was out at a bar with coworkers. Police are now se..."

A New Hampshire man is wanted by police after he brazenly walking up to a Muslim woman and yanking on her hijab while she was out at a bar with coworkers. Police are now searching for the man and say he faces assault charges. The victim, identified as Riman Douedari, posted about the incident on her [/sciencetech/facebook/index.html Facebook] writing that she was at Farm Bar Grille in Manchester on June 22 when a stranger approached her and [https://themomsite.bookmark.com/cheap-gifts-for-coworkers-under-5 https://themomsite.bookmark.com/cheap-gifts-for-coworkers-under-5] pulled on her hijab - a traditional headdress many Muslim wear. 'I always thought I had a plan on how to act when I face such a situation, but when this happened I was shocked and suddenly froze up and didn't know what to do,' she wrote in a now-deleted post, according to [ ]. Police released two photos of the man and are seeking the public's help in identifying him after they say he yanked a Muslim woman's hijab The 25-year-old said she did not know the man, and he did not say anything to her before or after he grabbed her hijab. She said he fled the bar after her coworkers confronted him. One of Douedari's coworkers snapped a photo of the man as he was leaving. He's described as white, about 40 to 45 years old and about five feet six inches tall with dark hair, police said. 'I can't be more thankful for having such great people in my life, who actually care about me and my personal beliefs' the post read. Mike Cappock, the assistant manager at the bar, said the man who did it is not a regular at the establishment. RELATED ARTICLES [# Previous] [# 1] [# Next] [/news/article-5912283/England-fans-shake-nerves-rally-Three-Lions.html Nation erupts in celebration as hero goalkeeper helps...] [/news/article-5914385/Former-Birmingham-prison-officer-says-jail-control-run-inmates.html Former Birmingham prison officer says jail is out of control...] Share this article Share The woman, identified as Riman Douedari, posted on Facebook that she was at a Manchester bar with some of her coworkers when the unidentified man grabbed her hijab 'It's deplorable what happened,' he told Fox. Police released two photos of the man, and are seeking the public's help in identifying him. Authorities say he is wanted on simple assault. According to Fox, the man pulled on the Douedari's hijab long enough to 'cause discomfort to her chin and head'. Anyone with information is asked to call the Manchester Police Department at 603-668-8711 reference case No. 18-9416. data-track-module="am-external-links^external-links"> Read more: [ Man who pulled woman's hijab at restaurant faces assault charges, cops say | Fox News] DM.later('bundle', function() DM.has('external-source-links', 'externalLinkTracker'); );

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2020-07-06T17:13:32Z

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