D I S E A S E S  :   cause and effect.




A field can be more than one thing; "turf" can have more than one meaning, too!

DeLauro slams commission, says turf study ‘flawed’
New Haven REGISTER
By Abram Katz, Register Science Editor
8/11/2008
 
U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro , D-Conn., has fired off a salvo of letters to the U.S. Consumer Protection Agency and the Environmental Proctection Agency for performing a perfunctory study of artificial turf, including crumb rubber that contains traces of potential cancer-causing chemicals.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced that the fields are safe, after testing small samples of four artificial fields for lead.

Late last week DeLauro sent a lengthy criticism of the study to the acting chairwoman of the CPSC, Nancy A. Nord, contending that the analysis was circumspect, inadequate and failed to look for the most dangerous compounds.

“It is my understanding that the methodology used by the CPSC study may have been flawed,” DeLauro wrote.

“As such, the report’s conclusion may have been premature, providing less than adequate rationale to conclude that children are safe ... Clearly, additional study is needed before synthetic turf fields can definitively be declared safe,” DeLauro wrote.

Specifically, all four of the fields tested appear to have been made by a single manufacturer, DeLauro wrote.

“It seems questionable for the CPSC to characterize to the American people that all synthetic turf fields in the country are safe,” she said.

Many of the 3,500 artificial turf fields nationally consist of a synthetic fiber underpinning that contains grass-like tufts.

To make the surface feel more like natural ground, tons of crumbled tires are placed between the tufts. The small granules of used tires find their way into players’ clothes, and onto their hands, and inside mouths, noses and ears.

The fields also become extremely hot under a summer sun, and the high temperature makes playing difficult, and increases out-gassing from the crumb rubber.

Nancy Alderman, president of Environment and Human Health Inc. said, “With the Consumer Product Safety Commission having just tested only four synthetic turf fields — and then only for lead — and then declaring all fields in the United States safe to play on — I would say the CPSC needs reforming.”

Late last month the CPSC issued a report, saying, “CPSC staff evaluation showed that newer fields had no lead or generally had the lowest lead levels. Although small amounts of lead were detected on the surface of some older fields, none of these tested fields released amounts of lead that would be harmful to children.”

Preliminary tests by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station found traces of benzothiazole, (an skin and eye irritant); butylated hydroxyanisole (a carcinogen); phthalates, (endocrine analogs that may cause reproductive problems) and other irritating compounds.

“I urge the CPSC to continue to look into all the potential health effects of synthetic turf fields,” DeLauro concluded.

DeLauro also renewed a request to the EPA to complete an in depth study of crumb rubber and its possible toxicity.

DeLauro and state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal issued a joint statement in April calling on the EPA to initiate an independent study.

In June, EPA administrator Stephen L. Johnson wrote to DeLauro, assuring her that the CPSC study would be sufficient.

DeLauro reiterated her request for an EPA study, citing the apparently flawed findings of the CPSC review.
Effort made to renew turf debate
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Brian Lockhart, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 08/04/2008 01:00:00 AM EDT

A lawmaker plans to ask the General Assembly to halt the installation of artificial turf for one year in Connecticut, even as Norwalk High School athletes begin practicing on their new field this month.

State Rep. Kimberly Fawcett, a Democrat whose district includes Fairfield and Westport, wants a moratorium on new fields until the state Department of Environmental Protection concludes an analysis. Nationwide there are concerns that the ground-up tires used to make the fields release harmful substances.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission last week released a study that concluded that children who play on the fields are not at higher risk for ingesting lead. Older fields posed a greater risk of lead ingestion but did not exceed the threshold, the study found.

But concerns remain that the fields expose children to other heavy metals and to chemicals that can cause cancer.

"The state has been messing around with this for a very long time," said Stacy Prince, a Westport parent. "And this is at least a one-year study. At the same time, kids are playing on these fields - little kids. It's frightening."

But not all parents agree.

In Norwalk, the Common Council backed the installation of artificial turf at the high school with support from parents. Officials are considering installing a second field for Norwalk High School.

Sharon Cadden, a Norwalk High parent, said city officials did their research.

"The field was really worn out. We were experiencing injuries," Cadden said. "There were so many reasons to move forward, and we couldn't find anything concrete to tell us to hold off."
If the DEP study finds cause for concern, the city will respond, Cadden said.

"If they say don't be on it when the temperature of the field exceeds high degrees, then we don't go near it. If the study finds if you breathe in the fumes from the rubber for 40 hours a week it's dangerous, then we don't let the kids on it for 40 hours," Cadden said. "But had anybody seen anything that indicated it was a danger to the students - and we're the parents - we certainly would have said no . . . let's check more. . . . I don't think Connecticut has any great resources that we're going to get a different result."

Fawcett, who plans to ask for the moratorium when the General Assembly convenes in January, prefers caution.

"We shouldn't be putting more of these fields in until we know what they're doing to our environment, our children and our water supply," Fawcett said.

The DEP, state Department of Public Health and attorney general said there is not enough evidence to support a moratorium.

"We have looked at a wealth of data (and) studies that have been done on this topic and did not find there was evidence of significant health risks," health department spokesman William Garrish said. "That said, there were some data gaps, so it's certainly a good idea to study the issue further. But there's no indication to (call for) a moratorium."

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who helped secure the $200,000 for the DEP study and whose children play on artificial turf in Greenwich, agreed.

"The state should not be issuing calls for a moratorium when it has reached no conclusion," Blumenthal said.

DEP spokesman Dennis Schain said the agency will hire a company to test fields in Connecticut, though there is no timeline yet.

"We don't want to rush into anything and get something that isn't credible," Schain said.

State Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, co-chairman of the legislature's Environmental Committee with state Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford, said a moratorium may not be the way to go.

"I think there's a feeling that the issue of toxicity is controversial enough that it would be viewed as pretty drastic for the state to pre-empt the towns with a moratorium," Meyer said. "I think a moratorium by the state would not be well-received."

It would be tough to order a moratorium on projects that are under way, Roy said.

Both sides have strong arguments, Blumenthal said.

"Local governments have to make their own assessments based on the information available to them, which is more or less what's available to us," he said.
Report goes over like a lead balloon in Westport...
Feds say it's OK for children to play on artificial turf fields
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Wynne Parry, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 07/31/2008 02:42:30 AM EDT

STAMFORD - Playing on artificial turf doesn't put children at risk of ingesting dangerous amounts of lead, according to a study released yesterday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Elevated lead levels found in two fields in New Jersey prompted Stamford officials to test the 11-year-old field at Boyle Stadium behind Stamford High School and shut it down when results came back high.  The field has been reopened to all but young children.  The pigment of the synthetic fibers in the turf contains lead, particularly in older fields.

Many have opposed proposals for new turf fields in lower Fairfield County, and the study hasn't changed their minds.

Many say lead is not among their concerns because the way the fields are manufactured has changed. They think the real problem lies with the fine tire crumbs used to cushion the fields.  The study looked at about 40 fields around the country to see if a child ingested more than 15 micrograms of lead, the threshold, while playing, said Julie Vallese, a commission spokeswoman.  The older fields posed a greater risk of lead ingestion, but did not exceed the threshold.

Lead was not used in some of the newer fields evaluated, Vallese said.  The fibers in the fields planned for Westhill High School, Lione and West Beach parks will be polyethlene, not nylon like those found to contain lead in New Jersey, according to DeRosa Tennis Contractors Inc., the contractor on the projects.

"We're very pleased they're not finding lead, but the ground-up rubber tires that we're most concerned about never had lead," said Nancy Alderman, president of Environment and Human Health Inc., a New Haven nonprofit group that called for a moratorium on installations of artificial turf fields in Connecticut. "You wouldn't tell children to start smoking just because cigarettes don't have lead."

A study by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven found the tire crumbs released at least four compounds under slightly elevated temperatures that can irritate eyes, skin and mucous membranes. The tire crumbs were found to leach heavy metals, including zinc, into water.  Shippan resident Mary Uva became concerned about the fields after she found tire crumbs in her daughter's shoes, clothes and hair after a soccer game.

"The kids are very exposed. They are breathing in the dust," Uva said. "It is a different issue than the lead in the fibers."

Stacy Prince, a Westport parent who has spoken out about the installation of turf fields, said she is more worried about lesser-known harmful substances in the tires.

"They're taking a waste product that is banned in many areas and mulching it up," Prince said. "There's a lot right now that would suggest it's dangerous. No one wants to look at it because it's new."
Battle over home turf
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Lisa Chamoff, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 06/09/2008 01:00:00 AM EDT

In Fairfield County, some parents have contested plans to install artificial turf athletic fields because of worries about the safety of the ground-up tires used as cushioning.

But last month, the Norwalk Common Council approved a $500,000 project to replace Norwalk High School's 8-year-old field with little objection. Parents and school officials in Norwalk said research does not indicate the fields pose a serious health risk, and some say the poor condition of the field, made with the first generation of artificial turf, might be more of a danger.

Marge Costa said her daughter, Sara, a sophomore, tore her anterior cruciate ligament while playing lacrosse in April. It was a pristine spring day, but when Sara planted her foot on the field to change direction during a game, she heard a pop.  In 2006, Sara broke her foot at the beginning of soccer season. Costa said she can't prove that field conditions caused her daughter's injuries, but it gives her more reason to support replacing it with the controversial turf.  Some research indicates the rubber fragments can release carcinogens and heavy metals.

"I'm not concerned about that at all," Costa said. "I'm very happy for the athletes' sake that this field has been approved."

Norwalk High Athletic Director Wayne Mones said the existing artificial field compacted. Soccer balls travel too fast and often go out of bounds.

"You're almost on a rubber surface with no grass," Mones said. "It's bald."

Norwalk High parent Sharon Cadden said she has gone through research, most of it provided by FieldTurf Tarkett, the company that will install the new field.
"We've looked for any research that says this stuff is bad, but we haven't found that it is," Cadden said. "It's probably more dangerous to drink out of heated plastic water bottles than play on these fields."

In Stamford, residents who live near West Beach called for a moratorium on installing two artificial turf soccer fields, and two lawsuits have been filed to stop construction.  New fields are proposed for Westhill High School and Lione Park, but those have caused little controversy.  In Westport, parents last year demanded that the health district end or limit play on artificial turf.

A study by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven released a year ago found that under laboratory conditions, the tire crumbs released at least four compounds under slightly elevated temperatures that can irritate eyes, skin and mucous membranes, including one recognized carcinogen. The small pieces were found to leach heavy metals into water.  FieldTurf Tarkett published a booklet that says those tests were not done in conditions under which the turf is used.

At the recommendation of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the state Department of Environmental Protection will study artificial turf fields. The study will be funded with $200,000 from a $750,000 settlement of environmental violations by the developer of a Montville shopping center.

Norwalk resident Diane Lauricella, an environmental consultant, did not speak up when the Common Council discussed the turf because she did not look at the data. But she was concerned that much of the information given to council members was from the manufacturer.

"In the past, we've found that manufacturers try to put on the best face of whatever it is they're selling," Lauricella said.  There shouldn't be a rush to install the new field, and the Health Department and the council's Public Health and Welfare Committee were not given the opportunity to look into it, Lauricella said.

"This issue is so controversial that our attorney general thought it was important to get some clear answers," she said.

Nancy Alderman, president of Environment and Human Health Inc., a New Haven group that called for a moratorium on installations of artificial turf fields, said that besides the worries about the tire crumbs, Latex in the tires can cause allergies. In summer, the fields can heat up to 150 degrees.

"We are getting parents that are concerned everywhere," Alderman said.

Stacy Prince, a Westport parent, said the health effects on young children will not be felt for decades. She said she understands that parents want to make sure their children are not at risk of injury on old fields, but they should not assume the material is safe.

"I don't fault the parents," she said. "I just think people are very naively trusting of the corporate world and the government's ability to monitor it."
Another link on this issue...
West Haven officials to consider testing artificial turf 
DAY
Posted on May 17, 4:48 PM EDT

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- Health officials in West Haven are concerned about possible health risks at a stadium that uses artificial turf following the recent closings of athletic fields in New Jersey.

Eric Triffin, West Haven's health director, asked high school officials about the surface of its 19-year-old Ken Strong Stadium. He was told the stadium's field is made from the same nylon-based material that was found to contain lead in the New Jersey fields.

Triffin said school and city officials are considering testing the turf.

Two fields in New Jersey were closed last month after state health officials detected what they said were unexpectedly high levels of lead in the synthetic turf. The discovery raised fears that athletes could swallow or inhale fibers or dust from the playing surface.

Pigment containing lead chromate is used in some surfaces to make the turf green and hold its color in sunlight. But it is not clear how widely the compound is used.

West Haven's field is one of four in Connecticut with old artificial turf found to contain high levels of lead. But new artificial turf has been installed in about 80 municipalities in the state and more is on the way.

The new turf is made of a type of rubber created by shredding recycled tires. However, some environmental advocates say the so-called crumb rubber could be hazardous to public health and the environment.

"My guess is when they pull that older field out, they're going to put in the crumb rubber. It means they're trading lead for all the components of crumb rubber," said Nancy Alderman, president of Environment for Human Health Inc. of North Haven.

That puts West Haven officials in a bind.

"Do you spend a lot of money replacing the field, when the surface you're replacing it with has dubious prospects?" Triffin asked. "It's just not simple."

Stamford officials last week closed a stadium after tests showed high levels of lead in samples taken from the old turf. City officials said the field will remain closed until a federal agency can study it further.

Artificial soccer, baseball and football fields are popular because they are durable and eliminate the need for watering, pesticides and mowing. Costs start at about $300,000 and go up depending on the type of turf, the size of the field and other factors.
Turf Testing A Waste Of Time, Money 
By Mike DiMauro, Day Assistant Sports Editor    
Published on 9/6/2007 
   
YOU ARE ABOUT TO HEAR from four local college athletes, two of whom major in environmental studies, who spend five afternoons a week playing sports on artificial turf.

You are about to read from a two-year study from a French environmental agency.

You are about to hear from a state epidemiologist, who studies the transmission and control of epidemic diseases.

After you process what they say, we'll discuss whether state attorney general Richard Blumenthal's pledge of $200,000 for additional testing to turf fields is warranted — or just grandstanding for the cameras, all while shielded by the words, “in the name of public safety.”

A primer: Tests conducted at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station showed that compounds are being released into the air from the rubber pellets from ground-up tires that form the fill material of artificial turf, the same kind found on fields at Montville High School, Connecticut College, Coast Guard Academy and scores of other towns through the state and country.

The nonprofit group Environment and Human Health Inc. (EHHI) conducted the study, calling for a moratorium for any towns to install any new turf fields and for individuals to have limited exposure to such fields pending more research.

There is evidence that field turf is safe.

And still, Mr. Blumenthal pledged $200,000 for more testing.

So now you can decide:

I asked two Coast Guard football players and two Connecticut College field hockey players whether they, or anyone they've ever known, have suffered from “eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, dizziness, liver, kidney and central nervous system damage.” The study reported that those are possible effects of the volatile compounds from the pellets released into the air.

Football player Lance Lynch: “I've never heard of that and I've never heard of anyone affected by it.”

Football player John McDonald: “The only thing I notice about the turf is that it's usually hotter. But as far as (the possible effects), I've never heard of anyone affected by it.”

Field hockey player Linnea Camerota, an environmental studies major: “Aside from turf burns, I've never experienced anything like that. Absolutely not. I've never heard of rubber pellets being an environmental threat.”

Field hockey player Jill Mauer, an environmental studies major: “The turf we have has been a major step up. When we had a grass field, we had animal feces, seagull feces ... it was an absolute mess and always flooded. Teams actually came here and turned away. From an athletic standpoint, the turf is more healthy and I feel more safe.”

Mauer and Camerota estimated that they spend five to six days a week on the turf at Conn and at least three to fours hours a week when field hockey is not in season. They believe that a school as environmentally conscious as Conn would never put its athletes at risk.

“I'm proud to say our school would take a stance,” Mauer said. “If something ever stepped on this campus that wasn't right environmentally, there would be red flags all over the place. This is a liberal, liberal campus that definitely puts the environment first.”

Meanwhile, school officials in Enfield read the EHHI report and initially balked at installing synthetic turf fields at its two high schools. Assistant director of public works Colleen Brand e-mailed Brian Toal, an epidemiologist with the state's Department of Public Health (DPH), for an opinion. Toal's response, dated Aug. 15:

“We have reviewed a great deal of the literature on potential human health risk from rubber used in synthetic turf fields. We have not seen any information that would lead us to recommend against installing such fields based on potential chemical exposures or health risk from those using the fields.

“At this time we do not plan on issuing a recommendation against installation of synthetic turf fields. We feel that the information backing up the statements made about compounds being released by turf fields does not warrant immediate concern.”

Finally, a two-year study by ALIAPUR, a French company responsible for used tires (certainly with an interest here) and the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management found “no cause for concern to human health.” The study focused on the quality of water that was transferred to the environment after passing through the rubber pellets and gas emissions from the fields.

There is no denying that erring on the side of safety isn't merely prudent, but the responsibility of lawmakers and elected officials. But to err on the side of safety presupposes that there must be a safety issue in the balance. Based on the evidence — a two-year study, the state Department of Health's opinion and the good health of athletes who participate on synthetic turf — there is no safety issue here.

Any city or town that thinks “further testing” is needed just isn't paying attention.

Such a city or town would have that in common with Mr. Blumenthal, whose heedless waste of $200,000 is a gross swing and a miss.
An explanation for how depression might be cured - go playin the dirt!!!
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/070411_happy_bacteria.html

Inspirational story here.
Brain tumor often a mysterious, silent enemy
NORWALK HOUR
By JILL BODACH, Hour Staff Writer
August 9, 2008

Larry Johnson said he didn't know much about brain tumors until his brother was diagnosed with the affliction three years ago.  Frank Johnson Jr. was 53 years old when he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and 56 when he died just a few days ago. He was buried Friday.

"Usually you don't recognize signs or symptoms of something like this when a person is constantly working like my brother was," Johnson said. "It wasn't until recently that he seemed sick at all."

Within the past year, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and journalist Robert Novak were both diagnosed with brain tumors. It isn't until a well-known figure or a loved one is diagnosed that most people think about brain tumors, said Dr. Kesav Nair, an oncologist with the Whittingham Cancer Center.

"A tragic event such as this, striking a prominent figure, has national interest piqued in an ailment we normally do not think about," Nair said.

Of the approximately 41,000 brain tumors diagnosed in the United States each year, about 21,000 are benign; the rest are malignant, according to Nair. He added that brain tumors are the most common malignancy in childhood, and the vast majority of malignant brain tumors occur after age 45 and peak after 65.  There are three types of tumors that present themselves most frequently: meningiomas (tumors in the lining of the brain that are often located on the surface of the brain); glioblastomas multiforme (tumors of the supporting cells of the brain); and malignancies that develop elsewhere -- such as the breast or lung -- which then travel to the brain.

Even benign tumors can be dangerous, said Dr. Eric Mazur, chairman of the department of medicine for Norwalk Hospital.

"Benign tumors can be dangerous because the head has a fixed volume, so you can only put so much in there," Mazur said. "If a tumor is growing in the brain and it cannot be reached, it can put pressure on the brain and cause damage, even if it's not cancerous."

Signs and symptoms of brain tumors vary. Kennedy's tumor was diagnosed after he suffered a seizure. For Novak, the diagnosis followed a car accident where he struck a bicyclist because he said he could not see the bicyclist. With Johnson, he had visual impairment and difficulty walking.

"It started with visual problems, and then one day, maybe about a year and a half ago, he called me because he was feeling numbness in his legs and told me he was having trouble walking, so I called 911," Johnson said.

All of these are symptoms of brain tumors.

"The most common symptoms are headaches and seizures, occurring in more than 50 percent of patients," Nair said. "Other symptoms include visual disturbances, language and expressive difficulty, loss of memory, one-sided weakness and personality changes reflecting specific areas of the brain being affected."

Other brain tumors may not present themselves with any signs or symptoms at all.

"Some can grow and be quite large and be asymtotic," Mazur said. "Compared to other types of cancers, these are pretty uncommon tumors."

The treatment for benign, low-grade and high-grade tumors is primary surgical resection. Frank Johnson's tumor was removed surgically and doctors thought they had removed it entirely. It was later discovered that there was another tumor growing in his lung.  Some tumors are not able to be surgically removed.

"The brain is so densely packed with important things that if the tumor is in the wrong area, it can be inaccessible to surgical resection," Mazur said. "I can't think of another part of the body that is as difficult to get to as the brain."

Another option is chemotherapy or radiation, but these treatments don't always work for brain cancer.

"Chemotherapy doesn't get into the brain tissue as well as it does elsewhere because there is something called the blood brain barrier, which is a protective mechanism that prevents certain fluids from entering the brain," Mazur said.

On a more positive note, the brain does tolerate radiation better than other areas of the body, Mazur said.  There are few known causes for brain tumors, although rare genetic disorders may predispose people to the development of brain tumors.

"Usually if people have one of these disorders, they know it and they know that it might cause a brain tumor," Mazur said.

There are other supposed causes, including geographic location.

"The overall incidence of the disease is rising throughout the industrialized countries, which raises the question of environmental factors, but in the vast majority, the cause is unknown," Nair said.

Recently there has been discussion about the link between cell phones and brain tumors, but there isn't much actual data to support this hypothesis.

"I haven't read all the data, but the information is particularly persuasive as far as I'm concerned," Mazur said. "To put it in perspective, brain tumors are a pretty low likelihood in anyone's life."

BRAIN CANCER SURVIVORSHIP
Via e-mail, we received this release on July 5, 2007:

YOUNG CANCER SURVIVOR MATTHEW ZACHARY APPOINTED TO GOOGLE HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL
Zachary to Advocate on Behalf of 1 Million Young Adults Affected By Cancer


BROOKLYN, NY – July 5, 2007 – Matthew Zachary, Founder and Executive Director of The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation For Young Adults (i[2]y) has been appointed as a member of the newly formed Google Health Advisory Council. Zachary will share i[2]y's experience in engaging its youth culture and young adult constituents through the organization's advocacy innovations, social networks and comprehensive website portal, www.ImTooYoungForThis.org.

The Google Health Advisory Council was created to help Google better understand the problems consumers and health providers face in the healthcare system today. Council members will offer Google feedback on ideas for new products and services to empower consumers with their health care decisions. Zachary joins other experts from provider organizations, consumer and disease-based groups, physician-based organizations, research institutions, and health care policy foundations.

"We are at a tipping point for social change in cancer advocacy and this is a profound opportunity to represent the voices of more than 1 million young adult survivors as Google defines its vision for a global consumer healthcare revolution," said Zachary.

i[2]y has earned accolades from the oncology community for establishing a global presence and filling gaps to rectify public health inequities faced by the young adult population, aged 15-39, now estimated at over 1 million survivors by the National Cancer Institute. The i[2]y initiative, launched in January 2007, has quickly developed an affiliate network of 200 cancer centers, mobilized thousands of survivors into an international social network, organized the first arts coalition of young musician/survivors and produced a pioneering live, weekly, interactive social radio broadcast–The Stupid Cancer Show. i[2]y is widely regarded as the next big thing in advocacy for a grossly underserved, but motivated, population.

"What Matthew and his foundation have achieved in such a short time, clearly indicates the demand to fill an expansive gap in our healthcare continuum," says Dr. Kevin Oeffinger, Director, Living Beyond Cancer: A Program for Adult Survivors of Pediatric Cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. "In concert with their relationship with Google, I am optimistic that the opportunity to fill those gaps is now more tangible than ever."

About i[2]y
The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation For Young Adults is a global support community for young adults affected by cancer. Our mission is to improve quality of life by providing 'one-stop' access to hard to find resources, peer support and social networks. We use music and the arts to make it hip to be a survivor and talk about stupid cancer by advocating on behalf of more than 200 young adult support resources and more than one million survivors aged 15-39 who are currently living with, through and beyond cancer worldwide. For additional information, please visit www.ImTooYoungForThis.org.
-------------------------------------------------


http://www.stepsforliving.org
In concert at Norfield Church Parish Hall, Matthew Zachary, award-winning pianist and composer, introduced Weston to his organization...

Official website, http://imtooyoungforthis.org.

Want to hear from Matthew as a motivational speaker and 'cancertainer'. Here are those links:
http://matthewzachary.com/speaking.html
http://bureau.espeakers.com/simp/viewspeaker7285


A Cure-All for Jet Lag? Try Caffeine and Naps
NYTIMES
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: April 30, 2008

GOOD news! Last June, researchers in Argentina identified a promising potential treatment for jet lag: sildenafil. You might know the drug by its more common brand name, Viagra.

The study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that our circadian rhythms, the body’s inner clock, could be shifted with the little blue pill. Sounds as if we will have that jet lag problem solved in no time, right? Or, at least, travelers will have a new excuse to ask their doctors for Viagra.

The press had a grand time with this, of course, but the news is not as clear as the reports might make it seem. The single study only showed effectiveness of sildenafil in hamsters. Will the results be borne out in further studies? Will the drug have the same sleep-shifting effect on humans? Nobody knows. And besides, isn’t that particular drug more closely linked to vacations than to negotiations?

That’s why Mark R. Rosekind, a sleep expert and a founder of Alertness Solutions, a consulting firm in Cupertino, Calif., that helps businesses deal with issues like shift-work alertness and jet lag, said that he is cautious whenever he hears of a purported miracle cure — from over-the-counter homeopathy to hot-off-the-presses research. “I’m open to everything, but I’m a scientist,” he said. “Show me the data.” He wants to see solid scientific evidence to support any product’s promise of being good for what ails travelers...

In fact, experts said, for most trips it might be best to make the most of the alertness you can muster when you need it. That comes down to “naps and caffeine,” Dr. Rosekind said. Studies of pilots showed that a 26-minute nap in flight — while a co-pilot took the controls, of course — increased performance by 34 percent and overall alertness by 54 percent.

Using simple caffeine to raise alertness in conjunction with naps during a trip is a winning strategy, Dr. Rosekind said. Caffeine takes 15 to 30 minutes to work, and an effective nap should be less than 45 minutes, to avoid going into the kind of deep sleep that leaves people groggy. So drinking a cup of coffee just before a nap, he said, can ensure that you will awaken with a little extra zip. The caffeine and nap working together “can actually show a performance boost greater than either one alone,” he said. “It’s not rocket science.”


GO TO COOL NEW WEBSITE HERE

April Weston  FORUM article below gives a different perspective on the same thing...
Teen pill parties growing in town
Greenwich TIME
By Meredith Blake, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 05/25/2008 02:30:14 AM EDT

Placed next to the chips and salsa is a bowl filled with prescription pills. This is how casually some teens view using pain killers or mood-altering drugs at parties.  And although "pharming" or "bowling" parties are not new, they have become a growing problem in town and throughout Fairfield County, according to Stephanie Paulmeno, community health planner for the town Health Department.

"This is a significant public health issue," she said.

The department has been aware of prescription pill misuse for more than two years, working closely with agencies monitoring the problem, but not until recently had the concerns been confirmed by police departments, Paulmeno said.  Richard Stook, a town neighborhood resource officer, said it is difficult for police to uncover the drugs, since pills like OxyContin and Ritalin are easily concealed or disposed of by the time officers arrive at parties. But Greenwich teens themselves have reported their use, he said.

"We're not seeing it ourselves, but when we interview the kids, they are telling us there is a high volume of prescription drug use," Stook said.

In a recent survey conducted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, one out five teens said he or she had used prescription drugs recreationally.  The highest rate of use is among 18 to 25 year olds, with the numbers increasing significantly each year among 12 to 17 year olds, according to the survey.

"This is an emerging problem," said Wayne Dailey, spokesperson, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

One of the major problems is that many teens believe prescription drugs are a safer alternative to illegal drugs, since they have been distributed by a doctor or taken by parent.

"The myth is that it is OK, it's not the same level of danger of other drugs, but that is not the case," said Ingrid Gillespie, director Lower Fairfield County Regional Action Council Stimulants, such as Dexedrine, if taken in high doses can cause paranoia, high body temperatures or an irregular heartbeat. Opioids, like Vicodin, if taken over a long period of time, can lead to physical dependence and addiction, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Many prescription drugs labels state the dangers of taking more than one medication at a time, or using with alcohol, but most teens ignore this, Paulmeno said.

"Who knows what they are mixing at these parties. The interactions of these drugs can be catastrophic," Paulmeno said.

Teens readily have access to these drugs, either from their parents or friends' medicine cabinets. Many people keep old prescriptions, but this can have dire consequences.

"Parents should keep their prescriptions locked up and dispose of the bottles after use," and Paulmeno.

But teens are becoming more savvy and finding new ways to access these medications, whether its online purchasing, or recycling old prescription bottles, and refilling them, according to Kyle Silver, executive director of the Arch Street teen center.  Silver hears teens frequently talking about using prescription drugs and said they know where to get them, how to transport them and how to conceal them.

"If parents were more aware than it wouldn't be as easy for students to get," he said.

The difficulty town agencies face is determining how widespread the problem is. There has been no town-wide survey conducted and a state-wide survey is outdated by two years, according to Dailey.

In 2005, prescription drug misuse was rated the sixth most common drug problem in Connecticut, after use of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, tobacco and alcohol, according to a survey conducted by the State Epidemiological Workgroup.  But there is evidence that it is growing and surpassing cocaine and heroin, because it is so easily accessible, but there is no direct statistical information to substantiate this, Dailey said.  Officials work closely with drug and alcohol treatment providers, emergency room doctors, parents and even schools who tell them that this is becoming a more serious problem, said Dailey.

Despite the lack of specific data, statistics show that individuals in a higher- socioeconomic status are the ones most often abusing prescription pills, making Greenwich a community at risk, according to Gillespie.

The Health Department and other agencies are looking to survey teens on this issue and find out who and why they are engaging in this behavior. If officials can learn more than perhaps more can be done to prevent the rise of teens hospitalized for this emerging problem, Paulmeno said.

"If we have more information, than more can be done to address it," she said.
Weston teens tell parents what's on their minds
Weston FORUM
by Patricia Gay
Apr 30, 2008

Weston teens want parents to listen more and offer support without being intrusive.  So said a panel of Weston High School students at a parent-teen discussion forum on Wednesday, April 23 at the Norfield Church Parish Hall.  The forum was held in an effort to help bridge the gap between parents and children to create a safer, more open environment; and to educate parents on what it is like to grow up in this day and age.

The panel was comprised of members of the Youth Leadership Council of the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program (ADAP) of Weston, and included Danny Goldberg, Dylann Katz, Jordan Masarek, Danielle Tolkin, Ryan Seymour, Khadija Lalani, Meg Sanborn and Ross Karlan.

ADAP has approximately 80 student members in the Weston schools.  John McGeehan, who oversees the youth leadership council, served as moderator of the forum.  He thanked Mike Foster, the president of the Booster Club, for the club’s support in sponsoring the forum.

The panel answered a series of questions posed by Mr. McGeehan and parents in the audience on the topics of transition from middle school to high school, social pressures and expectations, the parent-child relationship, and drug and alcohol use.

Transition

The first topic was about social and academic changes students face in the transition from middle school to high school.

Danny said being in a new school was a bit awkward at first. But he said it gave him a greater sense of maturity.  He also noticed things are more competitive in high school and there are greater challenges than there were at the middle school.

Jordan said being with older kids opened her up to new things. She encourages new students to take part in a high school sport because being part of a team is like being part of a family.

Danielle said in high school, kids have an opportunity to become themselves and meet new people. “There is more diversity in high school,” she said.  Academically, there is a more intense workload and competition in high school, said Ross. He said kids are often comparing their grades and grade point averages. “But, there also is an opportunity to choose your own classes,” he said.

Khadija said there is more pressure on students to do well, and sports are more competitive, too. “There are also social pressures and a lot of influence from upper classmen,” she said. She also noticed more drinking in high school than middle school.

Social pressures

The panel discussed the pressures they face in high school and how they deal with them.

Dylann said she felt pressured in choosing who to hang out with. “You find the kids you have things in common with. High school is not all about the work. You need time to have some fun too,” she said.

Meg said teens learn pretty quickly in high school that teachers won’t hold their hands during the academic process. “They won’t remind you to turn in your work,” she said.

Ross said parents can help by promoting independence. “Allow your kids to explore who they are. Pushing kids just adds to pressure,” he said.  Jordan said one of the things she likes is that her friends feel comfortable talking to her parents.

Ryan suggested that one way parents can keep tabs on their kids is not to approach them. “Let the kids approach you to discuss things,” he suggested.  From the audience, Dawn Egan asked what would be a reasonable curfew for freshmen.

Danielle suggested 11 p.m. “Parents should also use discretion and let kids stay out later if the occasion warrants it,” she said.

Another parent asked what students think about the possibility of changing the start time of school a half hour or 45 minutes later to allow them more time to sleep.  Ryan thought the extra sleep time in the morning would be good because he sometimes has trouble going to sleep at 11:30 and then getting up early.

Khadija, wasn’t so keen on it if meant after school activities such as sports would run later.  Danny said kids should adjust their schedule to get more sleep.

Parent-Child relationship

The next issue was how parents could become more approachable and relate better with teens.

Ross said his parents support what he does and aren’t judgmental. “If I fail a test, they say try to do better next time.”

Ryan said his parents allow him to have free time on the weekend.  Time management is an issue for Jordan, so she said she is a big supporter of “Mental Health” days. She said her parents also encourage her to take power naps when her workload becomes overwhelming.

Danielle said teens put a lot of pressure on themselves. “Treat kids as individuals. Just listen to them without making judgments. Ears are the most important thing you can give to your child,” she said.

Jordan said one way to get kids to talk is be their friend. “Remember, you were once a teenager also,” she said.

Danny said some parents fail to realize there is a lot of pressure on students and they make kids ashamed of themselves. “It is better to support them than criticize them,” he said.

“Don’t compare older and younger siblings. Let each child be different,” said Dylann.

The panel said parent gossip — when parents tell others about things the teens tell their parents in confidence — can be damaging to the child-parent relationship.

Drugs and alcohol

The discussion then turned to the topic of drugs and alcohol.

Ryan said there is a lot of peer pressure during freshman and sophomore years on kids to drink or use drugs. He said he sees younger kids drinking in order to impress older kids.  The panel said children are affected by their parents’ behavior with drugs and alcohol.  Danny said when kids are growing up, what their parents do sets their comfort level.

“Adults have a great influence on kids,” said Ross. “If adults are drinking heavily, it sets an example.”

Dylann said parents need to look at where they keep alcohol in the house. “How available is it? Do they lock it away?” she asked.  Members of the panel also said they have been to or heard about unsupervised and supervised parties in Weston where alcohol was served, and it was not that uncommon.

A parent asked what illegal substances kids were experimenting with in Weston.

The panel collectively responded that marijuana use was big, along with alcohol, and prescription medication such as Ritalin and Adderall, which are prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder.  Teens also take energy drinks along with Ritalin and Adderall for extra stimulation.

At the end of the discussion, parents thanked the teens for being candid and helpful.

Great article by Patty Gay!
Students give the straight dope about drug use in Weston
Weston FORUM
by PATRICIA GAY
Jan 17, 2007
 
Nikki Phillips was a beautiful star athlete, bright and personable, who seemed to have everything going for her. Yet in a moment, she was gone.

A popular member of the Weston High School class of 2006, Nikki, 18, died accidentally from an apparent drug overdose in November while in her dorm room at Florida Atlantic University. The news came as a huge shock to Nikki’s family, friends, and classmates.

A memorial service was held at the Unitarian Church for Nikki on Saturday, Jan. 6. While the service provided some closure, there are still many grieving Nikki’s loss.

Among those trying to get a handle on things are Weston High School students who belong to a group called ADAP (Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program).

After Nikki’s death, the group, which has about 50 members, met to discuss their feelings. “We wondered if there was something we could or should have done,” a friend of Nikki’s said.

The Forum recently spoke with several ADAP students about drug use among Weston teens. For purposes of this story, the students will be referred to as Adam, Beth and Carol (not their real names).

Carol is quick to point out that ADAP is not a drug or alcohol abstinence group. “As the name implies, ADAP is an awareness program; it helps raise awareness about the effects of alcohol and drugs on teens,” she said.

Drug of choice

Although an exact number is unquantifiable, Adam, Beth and Carol said a lot of Weston teens regularly use drugs and drink alcohol. According to Adam, hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin are used by only a small percentage of the population. More common is marijuana and alcohol use.

But all three agreed there is one drug that is even more popular with Weston teens these days.

“Adderall is the drug of choice in Weston,” Beth said.

Adderall?

Yes, Adderall — an amphetamine-based stimulant prescribed by doctors to treat attention deficit disorder.

It comes in pill form, and, when taken responsibly by patients who need it, Adderall helps improve attention span and decrease impulsivity.

“It’s the ideal Weston drug. It keeps you up so you can study. It curbs your appetite. And it’s legal,” said Carol.

But Adderall has also been called “Ivy League crack.”

Teens abuse Adderall by taking more than the recommended dosage and mixing it with alcohol, or crushing and snorting it like cocaine. It helps them stay awake through crunch times as they prepare for placement tests like the SATs and school exams. They can easily obtain Adderall through a prescription, or buy it illegally for $5 a pill.

Because it is a prescription drug, Adderall abuse often flies right under the radar of parents.

“There are so many kids in Weston who go to psychiatrists, it’s really easy to get a prescription for Adderall,” Beth said.

But while Adderall may have some benefits initially to the teens, its abuse has nasty side effects and a profound downside. “It really messes up my friends,” Beth said. “They become like machines. They don’t talk and they stop eating.”

Adderall is also the drug of choice of girls with eating disorders who often take it in order to stop eating and lose weight. “Adderall is Weston’s crystal meth,” said John McGeehan, facilitator of the ADAP group.

Why?

So why are Weston teens taking drugs in the first place? In an affluent town that boasts home sales that average more than a million dollars, and a school system where a large number of seniors get early college admission decisions, what is the appeal of drugs?

While there is no definitive answer, the students had several insights.    

“Parents have no idea what their kids are doing,” Adam said. “Adults are often so caught up into their own little worlds that teens are unsupervised and feel neglected. Some kids don’t have a good relationship with their parents, and parents turn a blind eye to what the kids do,” he said.

When a teen is caught using drugs, Adam said, the typical reaction in Weston is to send the kid to a drug rehabilitation program, often out of state. “A lot more kids go to rehab in this town than anyone knows,” he said.

Another reason for drug and alcohol use, according to Carol, is boredom. “There’s not much to do in Weston, and alcohol is a social lubricant,” she said.

And there’s a feeling of invincibility that most teens have. Carol has noticed that “designated drivers” are not common these days. “Most kids just take a chance and drive drunk,” she said.

Drugs also help teens deal with the stress of feeling as if they must achieve top test scores. The college admission process puts a lot of pressure on the students to perform.

“Almost all kids in Weston have private tutors,” Beth said. “That’s why we do so well on the tests. It’s not what we are taught in schools, it’s how the tutors teach us to take tests like the SATs.”

“The downside to tutoring,” said Adam, “is that you forget what they taught you, you don’t retain it.”

All three said they had horror stories about how the pressure to perform and get top grades badly affected someone they knew. “This is why some kids take Adderall, this is why some girls get eating disorders. The pressure is horrible,” Beth said.

Teens also learn by example. In some Weston households, there is heavy marijuana use by parents, Carol said. “They not only use it, the parents grow it, too,” she said.

Awareness

There is help available in Weston for teens trying to cope with drugs. Currently, 50 students, half boys and half girls, in grades nine through 12 participate in ADAP.

The group is facilitated by John McGeehan, a clinical social worker and substance abuse specialist. He meets with the students monthly on such topics as tobacco, prescription medicines, legal and illegal narcotics, eating disorders, substance abuse, drug dependency, and how to help others.

Each year, the group holds the Mountain Laurel Dance, a sober dance with a Breathalyzer test administered at entry. ADAP also sponsors Red Ribbon Week, a national alcohol prevention program, in which students get shopping discounts at Weston stores with red ADAP cards.

Last year, ADAP and Weston High School hosted Grim Reaper Day to promote alcohol awareness. Students took on the roles of real teen victims of alcohol-related deaths.

Beth said ADAP has helped her become much more educated about the pitfalls of drugs. “I have information I can pass on to someone that may prevent them from making a bad choice,” she said.

Mr. McGeehan is hoping to set up an ADAP parents group in the spring to address parental concerns. He is also opening a private practice in Weston in mid-February that will specialize in adolescents and individual and family counseling.

In the schools

Lynne Pierson, superintendent of Weston schools, acknowledged there are drug issues at Weston High School. “If we have one student abusing substances, it is one student too many from my perspective,” she said.

She is very thankful for organizations like ADAP. “I think we as adults are responsible for our students and have a responsibility to think more seriously about whether we are doing enough to address this issue. It is time for us to reflect and give thought to the efforts we have made and perhaps redouble our efforts and think of additional strategies to keep kids safe,” she said.

She credited the Weston Police Department and the town’s social services staff for assisting with teen drug issues. “It’s a collective effort. We have some good interventions and programs,” Dr. Pierson said.

Weston Detective Carl Filsinger said there have not been many drug arrests in Weston over the last four years.

“From 2002 to present, there have been a total of 28 narcotics complaints. Of those, 18 resulted in arrests, and of those, 11 were for kids under the age of 18,” he said.

In 2004, three juveniles were arrested at the high school for marijuana possession.

Detective Filsinger was also aware of a recent arrest in Westport, where two 18-year-olds and one 16-year-old, all from Weston, were arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

When it comes to teen drug use, he believes Weston has problems like every other town and the schools are doing a good job handling drug awareness.

“The health teachers and counselors have a great deal of knowledge, and the high school principal, Rose Marie Cipriano, has taken a very proactive approach by encouraging things like Grim Reaper Day,” Detective Filsinger said.

Detective Filsinger was involved with ADAP for more than 20 years, before recently joining the Commission on Children and Youth. His commitment to teens and drug awareness stems back to an incident that happened in 1981.

“A 16-year-old boy had too much to drink and died in his sleep. That memory sticks with me,” he said. 



Neurofibromatosis
Ending neurofibromatosis through research - help to solve this puzzle.  A disease beginning at birth for those afflicted...help find a cure!


Breast Cancer:
At the right, 4th place finisher of the Iditarod 2006, DeeDee Jonrowe, a breast cancer survivor;  she started the '03 race three weeks after finishing chemotherapy!  Finished #4 in Iditarod 2006!

 An enemy that never relents and gets closer all the time - please click on the picure-link above to read of events nearby Weston (Sunday, October 16, 2005 in Westport).  Also, Avon will contribute to research (10 cents) every time you click HERE.


...Aided by global warming and globalization, Castiglione di Cervia has the dubious distinction of playing host to the first outbreak in modern Europe of a disease that had previously been seen only in the tropics.

As Earth Warms Up, Tropical Virus Moves to Italy
NYTIMES
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Published: December 23, 2007

CASTIGLIONE DI CERVIA, Italy — Panic was spreading this August through this tidy village of 2,000 as one person after another fell ill with weeks of high fever, exhaustion and excruciating bone pain, just as most of Italy was enjoying Ferragosto, its most important summer holiday.

“At one point, I simply couldn’t stand up to get out of the car,” said Antonio Ciano, 62, an elegant retiree in a pashmina scarf and trendy blue glasses. “I fell. I thought, O.K., my time is up. I’m going to die. It was really that dramatic.”

By midmonth, more than 100 people had come down with the same malady. Although the worst symptoms dissipated after a couple of weeks, no doctor could figure out what was wrong.

People blamed pollution in the river. They denounced the government. But most of all they blamed recent immigrants from tropical Africa for bringing the pestilence to their sleepy settlement of pastel stucco homes.

“Why immigrants?” asked Rina Ventura, who owns a shop selling shoes and purses. “I kept thinking of these terrible diseases that you see on TV, like malaria. We were terrified. There was no name and no treatment.”

Oddly, the villagers were both right and wrong. After a month of investigation, Italian public health officials discovered that the people of Castiglione di Cervia were, in fact, suffering from a tropical disease, chikungunya, a relative of dengue fever normally found in the Indian Ocean region. But the immigrants spreading the disease were not humans but insects: tiger mosquitoes, who can thrive in a warming Europe.

Aided by global warming and globalization, Castiglione di Cervia has the dubious distinction of playing host to the first outbreak in modern Europe of a disease that had previously been seen only in the tropics.

“By the time we got back the name and surname of the virus, our outbreak was over,” said Dr. Rafaella Angelini, director of the regional public health department in Ravenna. “When they told us it was chikungunya, it was not a problem for Ravenna any more. But I thought: this is a big problem for Europe.”

The epidemic proved that tropical viruses are now able to spread in new areas, far north of their previous range. The tiger mosquito, which first arrived in Ravenna three years ago, is thriving across southern Europe and even in France and Switzerland.

And if chikungunya can spread to Castiglione — “a place not special in any way,” Dr. Angelini said — there is no reason why it cannot go to other Italian villages. There is no reason why dengue, an even more debilitating tropical disease, cannot as well.

“This is the first case of an epidemic of a tropical disease in a developed, European country,” said Dr. Roberto Bertollini, director of the World Health Organization’s Health and Environment program. “Climate change creates conditions that make it easier for this mosquito to survive and it opens the door to diseases that didn’t exist here previously. This is a real issue. Now, today. It is not something a crazy environmentalist is warning about.”

Was he shocked to discover chikungunya in Italy, his native land? “We knew this would happen sooner or later,” he said. “We just didn’t know where or when.”

It certainly caught this town off guard on Aug. 9, when public health officials in Ravenna received an angry call from Stefano Merlo, who owns the gas station.

“Within 100 meters of my home, there were more than 30 people with fevers over 40 degrees,” or 104 Fahrenheit, said Mr. Merlo, 47. “I wanted to know what was going on. I knew it couldn’t be normal.”

August is not the season for high fevers, Dr. Angelini agreed, and within days of interviewing patients she was intrigued.

“The stories were so similar and so dramatic,” she said. “But we had no clue it was something tropical.”

Hard-working shopkeepers could not get out of bed because their hips hurt so much. Able-bodied men could not lift spoons to their mouths. (Months later, many still have debilitating joint pain.)

From the start, doctors suspected that the disease was spread by insects, rather than people. While almost all homes had one person who was ill, family members seemed not to catch the disease from one another.

They initially focused on sand flies, since the disease clustered on streets by the river.

Canceling their traditional mid-August vacations (in Italy, a true sign of panic), health officials sent off blood samples, called national infectious-disease experts, searched the Internet and set out traps to see what insects were in the neighborhood. The first surprise was that the insect traps contained not sand flies but tiger mosquitoes, and huge numbers of them.

The scientific survey confirmed what residents of Castiglione had come to accept as a horrible nuisance, though not a deadly threat.

“In the last three or four years, you couldn’t live on these streets because the mosquitoes were so bad,” said Rino Ricchi, a road worker who fell ill, standing at the entrance to his neatly tended garden, where mosquito traps have now replaced decorative fountains. “We used to delight in having a garden or a porch to eat dinner. You couldn’t this year, you’d get eaten alive.”

Said Dr. Angelini: “They were treating the mosquitoes like an annoyance. They knew that mosquitoes could spread tropical diseases but they had peace of mind because they knew this didn’t happen in Italy.”

Ravenna immediately set about killing the bugs in the hopes of containing the epidemic. Workers sprayed insecticides and went into each family’s garden, emptying flower pots, fountains and the rainwater collection barrels to remove the mosquitoes’ breeding ground.

By early September, there were no new cases in Castiglione di Cervia. But there were a number of mini-epidemics in the region — in Ravenna, Cesena and Rimini — set off by tiger mosquitoes there. Each was controlled in the same way.

By that point, the doctors had cataloged the patients’ symptoms and tried to match them to mosquito-borne diseases.

“We realized,” Dr. Angelini said, “we were seeing a photocopy of an outbreak on Réunion,” a French island in the Indian Ocean where more than 10,000 people have contracted chikungunya in the last two years. Blood tests confirmed the diagnosis. By summer’s end, home-grown chikungunya had been diagnosed in nearly 300 Italians.

Chikungunya is spread when tiger mosquitoes drink blood from an infected person and, if conditions are right, pass the virus on when they bite again. Tiger mosquitoes first came to southern Italy with shipments of tires from Albania about a decade ago but their habitat has expanded steadily northward as temperatures have risen.

But the doctors were baffled by how chikungunya made its way into mosquitoes in northern Italy since no one in Castiglione di Cervia had been abroad. In the past two years France, especially Paris, has had a number of imported cases of chikungunya, in travelers returning from Réunion. But the disease has never spread in France, because the mosquito cannot thrive there yet.

Eventually investigators discovered a link: one of the first men to fall ill in Castiglione di Cervia had been visited by a feverish relative in early July. That relative, an Italian, had previously traveled to Kerala, India. Chikungunya traveled to Italy in his blood, but climatic conditions are now such that it can spread and find a home here.

Now it is winter in Castiglione di Cervia, near freezing as the sun went down on a recent evening and Christmas lights glowed across the piazza. There are no mosquitoes now.

But dozens of residents still suffer from arthritis, a known complication of chikungunya.

Mr. Ricchi, the road worker, says he still has trouble clenching his fists, and his left ankle has horrible pains. Three people in the town died after getting the virus, Mr. Merlo said, although all of those victims had other illnesses as well.

From the start, townspeople noticed that the very elderly never got the disease. Now it makes sense: “If all you do is walk the 50 yards from your home to the church, there’s not much chance to get bitten,” said Mr. Ciano, the retiree.

But the biggest mystery is whether chikungunya will emerge here next summer. In the tropics, it is a year-round disease, since the mosquitoes breed continually. But the virus can winter over in mosquito eggs, too, and no one knows if there are reservoirs of sleeping eggs in some pool of water in Italy.

With climate change at hand, Dr. Bertollini said, chikungunya will surely be back somewhere in Europe again.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2005/bird_flu/default.stm


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4723688.stm


Something lurking beneath the ripples on this man-made lake on the Colorado River.

6 die from brain-eating amoeba in lakes
By CHRIS KAHN, Associated Press Writer
Sat Sep 29, 12:59 AM ET

PHOENIX - It sounds like science fiction but it's true: A killer amoeba living in lakes enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds until you die.  Even though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it's killed six boys and young men this year. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future.

"This is definitely something we need to track," said Michael Beach, a specialist in recreational waterborne illnesses for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better," Beach said. "In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."

According to the CDC, the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri (nuh-GLEER-ee-uh FOWL'-erh-eye) killed 23 people in the United States, from 1995 to 2004. This year health officials noticed a spike with six cases — three in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona. The CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s.

In Arizona, David Evans said nobody knew his son, Aaron, was infected with the amoeba until after the 14-year-old died on Sept. 17. At first, the teen seemed to be suffering from nothing more than a headache.

"We didn't know," Evans said. "And here I am: I come home and I'm burying him."

After doing more tests, doctors said Aaron probably picked up the amoeba a week before while swimming in the balmy shallows of Lake Havasu, a popular man-made lake on the Colorado River between Arizona and California.  Though infections tend to be found in southern states, Naegleria lives almost everywhere in lakes, hot springs, even dirty swimming pools, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment.

Beach said people become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom. If someone allows water to shoot up the nose — say, by doing a somersault in chest-deep water — the amoeba can latch onto the olfactory nerve.  The amoeba destroys tissue as it makes its way up into the brain, where it continues the damage, "basically feeding on the brain cells," Beach said.

People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers. In the later stages, they'll show signs of brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes, he said.  Once infected, most people have little chance of survival. Some drugs have stopped the amoeba in lab experiments, but people who have been attacked rarely survive, Beach said.

"Usually, from initial exposure it's fatal within two weeks," he said.

Researchers still have much to learn about Naegleria. They don't know why, for example, children are more likely to be infected, and boys are more often victims than girls.

"Boys tend to have more boisterous activities (in water), but we're not clear," Beach said.

In central Florida, authorities started an amoeba phone hot line advising people to avoid warm, standing water and areas with algae blooms. Texas health officials also have issued warnings.  People "seem to think that everything can be made safe, including any river, any creek, but that's just not the case," said Doug McBride, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Officials in the town of Lake Havasu City are discussing whether to take action. "Some folks think we should be putting up signs. Some people think we should close the lake," city spokesman Charlie Cassens said.

Beach cautioned that people shouldn't panic about the dangers of the brain-eating bug. Cases are still extremely rare considering the number of people swimming in lakes. The easiest way to prevent infection, Beach said, is to use nose clips when swimming or diving in fresh water.

"You'd have to have water going way up in your nose to begin with" to be infected, he said.

David Evans has tried to learn as much as possible about the amoeba over the past month. But it still doesn't make much sense to him. His family had gone to Lake Havasu countless times. Have people always been in danger? Did city officials know about the amoeba? Can they do anything to kill them off?

Evans lives within eyesight of the lake. Temperatures hover in the triple digits all summer, and like almost everyone else in this desert region, the Evanses look to the lake to cool off.

It was on David Evans' birthday Sept. 8 that he brought Aaron, his other two children, and his parents to Lake Havasu. They ate sandwiches and spent a few hours splashing around.

"For a week, everything was fine," Evans said.

Then Aaron got the headache that wouldn't go away. At the hospital, doctors first suspected meningitis. Aaron was rushed to another hospital in Las Vegas.

"He asked me at one time, 'Can I die from this?'" David Evans said. "We said, 'No, no.'"

On Sept. 17, Aaron stopped breathing as his father held him in his arms.

"He was brain dead," Evans said. Only later did doctors and the CDC determine that the boy had been infected with Naegleria.

"My kids won't ever swim on Lake Havasu again," he said.


Bridgeport mourns principal as state investigates 2nd Legionnaire's case
LINDA CONNER LAMBECK lclambeck@ctpost.com
10/04/2006 09:26:27 AM EDT

BRIDGEPORT — Garfield School Principal Howard Reed lost his battle with Legionnaires' disease late Monday as state health officials announced a second case of the disease had been reported in West Haven, where Reed lived.
State officials would not identify the second person but said that individual is hospitalized.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Tuesday asked Public Health Commissioner J. Robert Galvin to seek assistance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate.  Galvin will comply, said state health department spokesman William Gerrish, but there are no plans to test Garfield School for the bacteria.

Legionnaires' disease is a bacterial respiratory illness spread through the air from a soil or water source. It has been reported 30 times in Connecticut, resulting in six deaths.  The diagnosis of two West Haven residents within a week is regarded as unusual, state officials said.  Rell said her request for CDC support is not an indication of a suspected outbreak, but rather a prudent step because two cases have been identified in one town.

The disease is not spread from person to person and is uncommon in children. Most susceptible are older adults with underlying health conditions.  Reed, 56, was a cancer survivor who also had diabetes.

The flag at Garfield School was lowered to half-staff Tuesday upon the news that Reed had died.  Reed's son, Matthew, who was with his father when he died late Monday, went to the school early Tuesday to break the news to staff, who, in turn, told their students.

"I felt this overwhelming responsibility for my dad to go to each classroom. I always heard he was in every classroom two to three times a day," he said. "I kind of wanted to take that walk that he would. It was important that I could do that for my dad."

In one classroom, he went in to comfort crying sixth-graders and ended up being the one comforted.

"Everyone picked up their heads. I sat down and talked with the kids. It was a very, very important moment. It's something my father would have wanted me to do," he said.

Luis Canales, head of the Parent-Teacher Association at Garfield, said Reed was an awesome man.

"Nothing short of inspiring. He was very calm. He dealt with situations on an individual basis. He had a very easy touch," he said.

Canales added that he was comfortable sending his son to the Garfield School because the state approved it.

"If the state says it's OK, then you have to take their word for it," he said.

Services for Reed are planned Saturday at noon at St. Peter's Church in Milford. Matthew Reed is trying to hire a school bus to transport students who want to attend the service.  Matthew Reed said his father came home sick on Sept. 22. Two days later, he was having problems breathing. The next morning, his wife convinced her husband to go to the hospital. Several hours later, he was on full life support, his son said.  That evening, they got the diagnosis of Legionnaires' disease.

Matthew Reed, 33, who lives in Indiana, expressed frustration with the apparent lack of response to his father's case by local and state health officials and by the school system.  Reed said that when Supt. of Schools John Ramos and Robert Henry, the superintendent's chief of staff, called him while his father was ill, the gist of the message was, "Please do not speak to the press."

Henry said his message was misinterpreted. "It was the simple indication that given the family situation, they should concentrate on their family," he said.

Matthew Reed talked briefly with Mayor John M. Fabrizi on Tuesday and requested a face-to-face meeting. Fabrizi went to the schools at lunchtime to talk to teachers and parents. He said Reed made a significant impact on everyone in the school.

"It's a huge loss for the school, district and city. He was a sensational guy," Fabrizi said.

Through a spokesman, Ramos said the school district was deeply saddened by the loss of Reed.

"He was a professional who loved his job and the Garfield community. He was trained as an attorney and brought a lot of wisdom, a sense of humor and dedication to the mission of our school district," he said.

Henry said while there are no plans to test the school, the district will put Garfield on the top of the list of schools where a new air-quality testing program will begin.  The program trains teachers, parents and staff on how to improve air quality in the schools by identifying, among other things, faulty ventilation systems.  The 95-year-old building does not have central air conditioning, but an air-conditioning unit cools its office suite. Officials insist it is not the type of air conditioner that would breed the Legionnaires' bacteria.

Matthew Reed can't understand the resistance to testing.

"I'm frustrated because I know that the only concern my father would have is the kids, and staff," he said. "And, yes, Legionnaires' is rare and for most people not deadly, but I have begged the health department to test [my parents'] home, church and the school."