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Rare 'polio-like' disease reports in California
- thrush 13y agoAnyone else think this is weird being reported by the BBC?
- nodata 13y agoNo.
- deanclatworthy 13y agoNot really. They are one of the more reputable news agencies in the world.
- k-mcgrady 13y agoWhy is it weird for a news organisation to report news?
- bertil 13y agoNot really: BBC has one of the best record when it comes to scientific and medical news. In this case, they seem to be getting in front of the panic.
- drtse4 13y agoI guess he meant "they reported it first, instead of any other major US news outlet"
- dalke 13y agoThe LA Times is a major US news outlet which reported it: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-polio-like-paralysis-california-20140223,0,4064386.story http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-polio-like-paral... . It's being distributed through the AP. There are 18 newspapers listed on Google News which reported on this in the last 24 hours: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0&q=polio-like&oq=polio-like&gs_l=news-cc.3..43j43i53.243.1911.0.2397.12.4.1.6.6.0.245.530.1j2j1.4.0...0.0...1ac.1.GlCOtSJgBVQ https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0... . For what it's worth, West Nile virus can cause polio-like paralysis( http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20140211-west-nile-triggered-millions-in-hospital-costs-lost-productivity.ece http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20140211-west-nile-trig... and http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2014/02/the-limbo-between-a-life-worth-living-and-death.html http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2014/02/the-l... ).
- thrush 13y agoI guess he meant "they reported it first, instead of any other major US news outlet" This is exactly what I meant. In hindsight, I hadn't checked other news outlets (it's clearly evident that they had already reported on the topic), and I suppose it's not all that strange because there may well be BBC representatives in California, or at least in touch with people in California. It was a very poorly thought out comment, and I apologize.
- dalke 13y agoIt appears that the news articles (Google News now reports 149 hits for the term "polio-like") are due to the following: https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/1246 https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/1246 (EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, February 23, 2014) > PHILADELPHIA – UPDATE: The research study authors related that there are now between 20 and 25 reported, suspected cases of this polio-like syndrome. Researchers have identified a polio-like syndrome in a cluster of children from California over a one-year period, according to a case report released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014. There's no reason to have a physical presence in California. For example, the writer might be on a mailing list for announcements from the AAN, and perhaps even access to the embargoed information. Make a few phone calls (including to the researchers in California) and the article is done.
- agumonkey 13y agoSo we may rephrase this as 'why nobody else talks about this?'
- Fomite 13y agoThey're really not the only ones talking about it.
- chiph 13y agoActually, I'd be surprised if CNN, MSNBC, etc. reported any real news. "Breaking Stories" seem to be reserved for politics and Hollywood antics.
- kordless 13y agoIt was on the morning news here this morning, so there's not a media blackout, if that's what you are implying.
- sveit 13y agoI heard this reported on Fox News Channel this morning.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- tosseraccount 13y agoReminder that vaccines may not always be safe. Often when vaccine safety comes up, people with concern are "voted down".` The fact is, not all immune systems are the same and some cannot handle particular vaccines. An attitude of "most scientists think it's safe" is not real science; it's a appeal to authority. We need to figure out why some are endangered by some vaccines.
- josephpmay 13y agoThe attitude towards vaccine safety isn't "most scientists think it's safe," it's "extensive research has shown that the societal benefits of this vaccine outweigh the potential risks". In this article, it's clear that the infected weren't "endangered by the vaccine." The reason why it mentioned that the children were vaccinated against polio was to show that the outbreak was likely a different virus, not to say that the vaccination in any way caused the infection.
- epochwolf 13y agoThe number of people harmed by the vaccine is much lower than the number harmed by an infection. Vaccines are ineffective if even a small percentage opt out.
- kordless 13y agoThat's not necessarily always true. The halo effect varies depending on the transmissibility of the disease AND the number of people vaccinated. Even small numbers of vaccinations can decrease the spread of an infectious disease.
- bsder 13y ago> Even small numbers of vaccinations can decrease the spread of an infectious disease. Only of the vaccine is particularly effective in individuals (95%+). Pertussis seems to be a good counterexample. You really do need the herd immunity to keep it under control since individual immunity seems to be below 70% or so. In addition, non-vaccinated people tend to be clustered since anti-vaccination is a function of shared social situation (shared belief, religious affiliation, or low socioeconomic status). Consequently, you need MORE people vaccinated to control it, not fewer.
- allochthon 13y agoKind of scary. Here in the San Francisco Bay area I had a bad cough a few weeks ago for the first time in a long time. I felt bad for taking BART into SF and potentially getting others sick. A lot of people have been sick, working from home. Probably not related.
- digitalzombie 13y agoAre you a kid? Cause the article implies that only children are affected.
- allochthon 13y agoNo. But what's affecting kids might be spreading among adults as well, without causing symptoms.
- comrade1 13y agoMaybe you have lupus?