Currently browsing tag

united

Double joy as mother of only giant panda twins in U.S. pregnant again

By David Beasley ATLANTA (Reuters) – The mother of the only giant panda twins in the United States may soon deliver a second set of twins, Zoo Atlanta said on Tuesday, capping off an eventful month for lovers of the fluffy black and white bears across the globe. Three years ago, mother bear Lun Lun gave birth to female cubs Mei Lun and Mei Huan, who are still at the Georgia zoo but could be returned this fall to China, which owns them, zoo spokeswoman Rachel Davis said. An ultrasound on Monday confirmed that Lun Lun, who turns 19 years old on Thursday, is once again pregnant with twins, the zoo said.

Up to 270 microcephaly cases expected in Puerto Rico due to Zika: officials

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. health experts estimate that as many as 270 babies in Puerto Rico may be born with the severe birth defect known as microcephaly caused by Zika infections in their mothers during pregnancy. The estimate is the first to project the potential impact of Zika on Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory located in the Caribbean that has borne the brunt of the outbreak in the United States. Puerto Rico had 10,690 laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika, including 1,035 pregnant women, as of Aug. 12.

How can the world improve the lives of women and girls by 2030?

With women and girls facing discrimination and violence in every part of the world, the United Nations last year committed to work toward gender equality in the next 15 years as part of a new set of global goals. The Women Deliver conference, billed as the largest women’s event in a decade, is being held from May 16-19, organized by a global advocacy organization fighting for girls’ and women’s health, rights and wellbeing.

White House urges Congress to move on Zika funding

By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two senior Obama administration officials wrote congressional leaders on Tuesday to urge legislation be passed to fund the fight against the Zika virus, as concerns mount the United States will soon face locally transmitted cases of the disease. U.S. health officials concluded this month that the virus, spreading rapidly in the Americas, was a cause of microcephaly, a rare birth defect defined by unusually small head size that can hamper development. Zika is also linked to other health problems.

WHO seeks $56 million for Zika; Brazil microcephaly cases rise

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Wednesday for $56 million to combat the Zika virus, a disease that has been linked to severe birth defects in Brazil and has spread to nearly 30 countries and territories. A public health expert, Lawrence Gostin, said the United Nations health agency had “grossly underestimated” the need as the virus, which has spread rapidly across the Americas, will likely spread to many other regions. The WHO declared the outbreak a global public health emergency on Feb. 1, noting the association of the virus with two neurological disorders: microcephaly in babies and Guillain-Barre syndrome that can cause paralysis.

Exclusive: Top U.S. airlines offer to re-assign crew from Zika-hit routes

Top U.S. airlines United and Delta have offered to re-assign certain flight crew concerned about contracting the Zika virus from routes to Latin America and the Caribbean, the companies told Reuters on Wednesday. In an internal memo on Jan. 28, seen by Reuters, United said expectant flight attendants as well as those seeking to become pregnant could switch routes to avoid Zika-affected regions without repercussions. The airline has similar options available for pilots, said Charles Hobart, spokesman for parent United Continental Holdings Inc. Delta Air Lines Inc has also let flight attendants and pilots switch assignments since Jan. 17, and “a small number of crew members have swapped trips to date,” spokesman Morgan Durrant told Reuters.

Emotions Impact Your Work — So Why Don’t Companies Take Mental Health Seriously?

This story is part of our monthlong “Work Well” initiative, which focuses on thriving in the workplace. You can find more stories from this project here.One somewhat unfortunate reality of living in the United States is that health care is inexorably tied up with employment, for better or for worse.On the plus side, employers generally…

Out of the cave and onto Facebook – the life of a modern hermit

By Neil Hall and Angus Berwick MARKET RASEN, England (Reuters) – Like any good hermit Rachel Denton rises early in the morning to tend to her vegetable garden, feed her chickens, and pray. Unlike other hermits, such as a man discovered in 2013 living in a wood in the United States having spent 27 years without any human contact, Denton has embraced the Internet age. “The myth you most often face as a hermit is that you should have a beard and live in a cave, none of which is me,” she said, sat in her simple red-brick house near Market Rasen, a Lincolnshire village ringed by rolling green countryside.

California adopts tough rules for antibiotic use in farm animals

By Lisa Baertlein LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday signed a bill that sets the strictest government standards in the United States for the use of antibiotics in livestock production. The move from California, known for its leadership on public health and environmental issues, comes amid growing concern that the overuse of such drugs is contributing to rising numbers of life-threatening human infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as “superbugs.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 2 million people in this country are infected with drug resistant bacteria each year and that 23,000 die as a direct result. “This puts California at the forefront of U.S. efforts to address the overuse of antibiotics in meat production,” said Avinash Kar, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

British anti-slavery chief enlists Vatican in global pact to end slavery

By Chris Arsenault VATICAN CITY (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Britain’s anti-slavery commissioner received the backing of the Catholic Church on Saturday for a campaign to push for a global pact vowing to eradicate slavery in the next 15 years. Kevin Hyland, who took up the new role last year, is lobbying world leaders to support a commitment to end forced labor and slavery of all forms in a set of global development goals to be adopted at the United Nations in September. While slavery is illegal in every country on earth, an estimated 36 million people are trapped in modern slavery.