California
California and Illinois declare monkeypox emergencies
California and Illinois on Monday declared well being emergencies of their states relating to the monkeypox virus.
The governors’ proclamation will speed up the administration of vaccines, the work of contact tracing, and prevention efforts, officers stated.
The White Home on Monday night time bolstered its footing in opposition to the virus by confirming Bob Fenton and Demetre Daskalakis will likely be introduced Tuesday as nationwide monkeypox coordinator and as deputy, respectively.
Fenton helped lead the nation’s mass vaccination effort for Covid-19 because the Federal Emergency Administration Company performing administrator. Daskalakis is director of the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention’s HIV prevention division.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White Home’s high medical adviser, stated the pair represents “a extremely good mixture” to sort out an sickness that also presents some mysteries, together with whether or not the virus can unfold when a service has no signs.
The day’s strikes observe declrations of emergency final week in New York state, New York Metropolis and San Francisco.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s workplace stated in a press release Monday that his transfer would convey to the struggle “a whole-of-government response” that may assist fund vaccination outreach and analysis.
“We’ll proceed to work with the federal authorities to safe extra vaccines, increase consciousness about lowering danger, and stand with the LGBTQ group combating stigmatization,” he stated.
The proclamation will permit emergency medical providers employees to manage monkeypox vaccines, the governor’s workplace stated.
The state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic will function a information to launch vaccine clinics in focused communities, in accordance with Newsom’s assertion.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, the writer of a number of legal guidelines relating to LGBTQ+ points, welcomed the declaration on monkeypox. “We have to use each software we now have to regulate it,” he stated in a press release.
In Illinois, Pritzker stated in a press release that his declaration will likewise give the Division of Public Well being the complete energy of the state to distribute vaccines and to tell the general public concerning the virus.
The sickness “requires the complete mobilization of all out there public well being sources to forestall the unfold,” he stated within the assertion.
The Illinois declaration offers the state the power to obtain vaccines on an pressing foundation, the governor’s workplace stated.
The governor’s transfer “will open environment friendly traces of communication and cooperation throughout state traces, a necessary step in monitoring monkeypox and enhancing instruments and processes to forestall and deal with it,” Illinois Division of Public Well being Director Sameer Vohra stated within the governor’s assertion.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot stated the declaration was a lot wanted.
“This emergency declaration brings a needed, elevated focus to the Monkeypox (MPV) outbreak we’re seeing right here in Chicago, throughout our state, and across the nation,” she stated in a press release.
The states with essentially the most monkeypox instances are New York (1,390), California (827), and Illinois (520), in accordance with the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
The overwhelming majority of instances worldwide have been amongst males who’ve intercourse with males, in accordance with the World Well being Group. Nevertheless, anybody can get it from on a regular basis contact with others, and even with animals, consultants say.
Frequent signs embrace a rash with lesions, malaise, fever and swollen lymph nodes, well being officers say. Chills, headache and muscle ache have additionally been reported for the sickness, which often lasts two to 4 weeks, in accordance with the CDC.
Lindsey Pipia and Related Press contributed.
California
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says state will provide rebates if Trump removes tax credit for electric vehicles
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will provide rebates to residents if President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration does away with a federal tax credit for electric vehicles.
In a news release issued Monday, Newsom said he would restart the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which provided financial incentives on more than 590,000 vehicles before it was phased out late 2023.
“We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California,” Newsom said. “We’re not turning back on a clean transportation future — we’re going to make it more affordable for people to drive vehicles that don’t pollute.”
The federal rebates on new and used electric vehicles were implemented in the Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. When Trump’s second term in office begins next year, he could work with Congress to change the rules around those rebates. Those potential changes could limit the federal rebates, including by reducing the amount of money available or limiting who is eligible.
Limiting federal subsidies on electric vehicle purchases would hurt many American automakers, including Ford, General Motors and the EV startup Rivian. Tesla, which also builds its automobiles in the United States, would take a smaller hit since that company currently sells more EVs and has a higher profit margin than any other EV manufacturer.
Newsom also announced earlier this month that he will convene a special session “to protect California values,” including fundamental civil rights and reproductive rights, that he said “are under attack by this incoming administration.”
“Whether it be our fundamental civil rights, reproductive freedom, or climate action — we refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked,” Newsom said on X on Nov. 7.
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This isn’t the first time California will be taking action against the Trump’s administration concerning clean transportation legislation.
In 2019, California and 22 other states sued his administration for revoking its ability to set standards for greenhouse gas emission and fuel economy standards for vehicles, The Associated Press reported.
California sued the Trump administration over 100 times during his first term, primarily on matters including gun control, health care, education and immigration, the Los Angeles Times reported.
California
45 Years Later, California Murder Mystery Solved Through DNA Evidence
A 45-year-old cold case of a 17-year-old girl brutally raped and murdered has been resolved, bringing closure to the family. On February 9, 1979, Esther Gonzalez walked from her parents’ home to her sister’s in Banning, California, roughly 137 km east of Los Angeles. She never arrived. The next day, her body was discovered in a snowpack near a highway in Riverside County, California. Authorities determined she had been raped and bludgeoned to death, leading to an investigation that spanned decades.
The lab was able to match the DNA to a man named Lewis Randolph “Randy” Williamson, who died in 2014. Williamson, a US Marine Corps veteran, called authorities on the fateful day to report finding Ms Gonzalez’s body. At the time, he claimed he could not identify whether the body was male or female. Described as “argumentative” by deputies, Williamson was asked to take a polygraph test, which he passed, clearing him of suspicion in the pre-DNA era. He had faced assault allegations in the past but was never convicted of any violent crimes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Despite limited leads, the Riverside County cold case homicide team didn’t give up. A semen sample recovered from Ms Gonzalez’s body in 1979 was preserved but remained unmatched in the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) for decades.
In 2023, forensic technology finally caught up. The homicide team collaborated with a genetic lab in Texas that specialises in forensic genealogy. A sample of Williamson’s blood from his 2014 autopsy provided the DNA match needed to confirm him as the 17-year-old’s rapist and killer.
The Gonzalez family had mixed emotions—relief at finally having answers and sadness knowing Williamson would not face justice, as he died in Florida ten years ago. Ms Gonzalez, remembered by her family as a shy yet funny and mild-mannered young woman, was the fourth of seven children. Her oldest brother, Eddie Gonzalez, wrote on Facebook, “The Gonzalez family would like to thank the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department on a job well done. After 40 years, the Gonzalez family has closure.”
“We are very happy that we finally have closure,” Ms Gonzalez’s sister, Elizabeth, 64, shared with CNN. “We are happy about it but, since the guy has died, a little sad that he won’t spend any time for her murder.”
California
Bird Flu Virus Identified In Raw Milk Sold In California
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has detected the avian influenza or “bird flu” virus in a sample of a raw milk product. The product which was for sale at retailers at the time of the testing has now been recalled by the producer after the state of California requested it’s withdrawal from sale.
The affected product is cream top, whole raw milk produced and packaged by Raw Farm, LLC of Fresno County with lot code 2024110. The best buy date of the batch is 11. Nov, 2024 meaning consumers could still have it in their homes. No illnesses have currently been reported from this batch of milk, but people can take several days to develop bird flu after exposure. According to the World Health Organization, most people develop symptoms within 2-5 days, but can take up to 17 days to develop.
According to the CDC, bird flu symptoms may include fever or feeling feverish or chills, eye redness or irritation, and respiratory symptoms, such as cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and tiredness.
Customers should not consume any product matching the description above and should return the product to stores or dispose of it. The CDPH is also in the process of informing re also in the process of informing retailers about the infected product to notify them to remove it from their shelves. The CDPH has since visited both locations of the company’s farms and has found no further evidence of bird flu. The CDPH will continue to test the farm’s milk twice a week.
The CDPH stresses that there is no risk of consuming pasteurized milk as the milk is heated to temperatures which inactivate bacteria and viruses. However raw milk does not go through this process, meaning any bacteria or viruses in the milk can be transferred to the consumer. Public health departments, as well as the CDC have long warned against the dangers of consuming raw milk, which has been responsible for outbreaks of Listeria, E. coli, Campylobacter and Salmonella, among other microbes.
California has been hit with bird flu outbreaks in both dairy cow herds and poultry farms with over 400 dairy herds affected as of 22. November. Twenty-nine human cases have also been recorded in the state, mostly individuals who have had close contact with infected livestock. The numbers of infected individuals are likely to be under reported and very little is known about the severity of disease in humans so far. Just two days ago, the CDC confirmed a case of H5N1 bird flu in a child in California with no known contact with livestock.
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