(NEW YORK) — Although still confident the risks of avian flu to the human population are low, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention senior official told ABC News they are taking seriously dairy cows being infected in at least 11 farms and, most recently, a human dairy farmer in Texas.
Public health officials have been “working on avian flu and preparing for it [in humans] for 20 years,” the senior CDC official told ABC News. “We’ve invested in our ability to test for it, to prevent it, to treat it.”
“These are the things that reassure me: 20 years of preparation, no genetic changes to this virus, no human-to-human spread and nothing in the virus in terms of adaptations that would make us think it is more adaptive to human spread,” the official said.
The official said the human who contracted avian flu, discovered last week in Texas, works with dairy cows. They “had mild symptoms; they’re doing well and recovering,” the official said.
The official went on to say that the CDC and the U.S. government were “taking this situation very seriously and closely monitoring it.” The federal agency is working with local health departments, state health departments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and has, over the last two decades, invested in the ability to prevent and treat the disease, the official added.
There is still no evidence of human-to-human transmission of bird flu, called H5N1, within the United States, the official said. The latest evidence shows the virus did not adapt to infect a human.
The fact that the virus does not appear to be passing from person to person is one reason that the CDC feels confident that, at this moment, the risk to the public is low.
The official said current tests and treatments still work, and, if needed, there is a capacity to increase manufacturing of Tamiflu, an antiviral medication, millions of doses of which are in the national stockpile. Additionally, vaccines could be developed in an accelerated timeline, the official told ABC News.
The official dismissed any comparison to the COVID-19 pandemic for reasons including the fact that avian flu is not a new virus, medications already exist to treat it, there is no evidence of human-to-human spread and no evidence of the virus having mutated.
While the sick person in Texas was presumed to have been infected by a cow, it remains possible that a bird was also the culprit as both cows and birds were sick and present on the farm, the official said. Local health departments are set to test symptomatic individuals exposed to infected livestock, a CDC spokesperson confirmed.
Infection can occur between animals and humans due to the virus getting into a person’s eyes, nose, mouth, or if inhaled, according to the CDC. Respiratory transmission in close proximity is believed to be the most likely way the virus is passed on. People who are in close proximity to infected animals may be at greater risk of infection.
There are currently 11 dairy herds with confirmed positive cases in cattle, according to the USDA. This includes seven in Texas, two in Kansas, one in Michigan and one in New Mexico.
(NEW YORK) — Four years since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, new data shows how severely the pandemic impacted young people’s mental health, particularly girls.
During the pandemic, there was an increase in severe emergency room psychiatric visits for children and teens, including for conditions like bipolar disorder, substance abuse disorders, and schizophrenia, according to research published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine.
In addition, mental health-related emergency room visits increased “beyond expected rates” for girls near the end of the pandemic, from 2021 to 2022, according to the research.
“We observed a unique vulnerability for girls during the pandemic, which indicates that girls’ mental health requires more attention,” the study’s lead author, Jennifer Hoffmann, MD, MS, emergency medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, said in a statement.
The newly published data, which looked at emergency room visits across nine U.S. hospitals, builds on existing data showing an ongoing mental health crisis among young people.
In the last months of 2021, the U.S. surgeon general described the pandemic’s impact on youth mental health as “devastating,” and organizations representing child psychiatrists, pediatricians and children’s hospitals declared a national emergency for youth mental health.
A study published in 2022 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 1 in 3 high school teens dealt with poor mental health during the pandemic, and 1 in 5 reported considering suicide.
The same study found that nearly 3 in 4 teens reported at least one adverse childhood experience — such as bullying, loss of a parent, or violence — during the pandemic.
Prior research has established a link between adverse childhood experiences and an increased risk of chronic health conditions, changes in behavior, depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors.
In addition, the pandemic also brought on social isolation for many teens, which can also impact their mental health, according to Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent and a board-certified OBGYN and obesity medicine specialist.
“This is a vulnerable group. Their premise for development is actually social connectedness, so that explains why the pandemic had such a negative impact on them,” said Ashton, who was not involved in the research. “And anatomically, the prefrontal cortex, those connections are immature and subject to significant consequences based on environment, so again, there’s actual anatomy and physiology to explain why this is happening.”
Ashton said it’s important for parents and healthcare providers to remember that mental illness may present differently in kids than it does in adults.
Symptoms of mental health struggles in kids may look like social isolation, changes in sleep patterns, abusing alcohol or drugs, hurting other people or engaging in self-harm, exercising or dieting obsessively, and feeling sad and hopeless, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Ashton noted that a child’s mental health should be prioritized as much as their physical health. And just like a child would go to a doctor for a physical health condition, there are resources available for professional help with mental health as well.
According to the CDC, schools are important resources for help with mental health, as well as medical doctors, including psychiatrists, and mental health counselors and psychologists.
“You have to understand that you don’t have to navigate this by yourself,” Ashton said. “If you have concerns, if you have questions, ask for help. Mental health professionals, your child’s pediatrician, this is their wheelhouse and they can help.”
If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
(NEW YORK) — Four years since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, new data shows how severely the pandemic impacted young people’s mental health, particularly girls.
During the pandemic, there was an increase in severe emergency room psychiatric visits for children and teens, including for conditions like bipolar disorder, substance abuse disorders, and schizophrenia, according to research published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine.
In addition, mental health-related emergency room visits increased “beyond expected rates” for girls near the end of the pandemic, from 2021 to 2022, according to the research.
“We observed a unique vulnerability for girls during the pandemic, which indicates that girls’ mental health requires more attention,” the study’s lead author, Jennifer Hoffmann, MD, MS, emergency medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, said in a statement.
The newly published data, which looked at emergency room visits across nine U.S. hospitals, builds on existing data showing an ongoing mental health crisis among young people.
In the last months of 2021, the U.S. surgeon general described the pandemic’s impact on youth mental health as “devastating,” and organizations representing child psychiatrists, pediatricians and children’s hospitals declared a national emergency for youth mental health.
A study published in 2022 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 1 in 3 high school teens dealt with poor mental health during the pandemic, and 1 in 5 reported considering suicide.
The same study found that nearly 3 in 4 teens reported at least one adverse childhood experience — such as bullying, loss of a parent, or violence — during the pandemic.
Prior research has established a link between adverse childhood experiences and an increased risk of chronic health conditions, changes in behavior, depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors.
In addition, the pandemic also brought on social isolation for many teens, which can also impact their mental health, according to Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent and a board-certified OBGYN and obesity medicine specialist.
“This is a vulnerable group. Their premise for development is actually social connectedness, so that explains why the pandemic had such a negative impact on them,” said Ashton, who was not involved in the research. “And anatomically, the prefrontal cortex, those connections are immature and subject to significant consequences based on environment, so again, there’s actual anatomy and physiology to explain why this is happening.”
Ashton said it’s important for parents and healthcare providers to remember that mental illness may present differently in kids than it does in adults.
Symptoms of mental health struggles in kids may look like social isolation, changes in sleep patterns, abusing alcohol or drugs, hurting other people or engaging in self-harm, exercising or dieting obsessively, and feeling sad and hopeless, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Ashton noted that a child’s mental health should be prioritized as much as their physical health. And just like a child would go to a doctor for a physical health condition, there are resources available for professional help with mental health as well.
According to the CDC, schools are important resources for help with mental health, as well as medical doctors, including psychiatrists, and mental health counselors and psychologists.
“You have to understand that you don’t have to navigate this by yourself,” Ashton said. “If you have concerns, if you have questions, ask for help. Mental health professionals, your child’s pediatrician, this is their wheelhouse and they can help.”
If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
(NEW YORK) — Rebel Wilson is getting candid about her weight loss journey.
During her interview with The Sunday Times, the Pitch Perfect star shared she has tried weight loss drug Ozempic as one of the methods to help maintain her size.
Discussing the medication, which use has skyrocketed in popularity over the past year, Wilson told the outlet, “Someone like me could have a bottomless appetite for sweets, so I think those drugs can be good.”
Noting that she is no longer using the drug, the Australian actress explained her decision to slim down came after her fertility doctor shared it would help increase her chance of success at in-vitro fertilization.
“Basically no one apart from my mom wanted me to lose weight,” Wilson said. “People thought I’d lose my pigeonhole in my career, playing the fat funny character, and they wanted me to continue in that.”
Ozempic is one of a class of drugs called GLP-1 RAs that help people produce insulin and lower the amount of sugar in the blood. The drugs work by slowing down movement of food through the stomach and curbing appetite, thereby causing weight loss for some.
Ozempic’s active ingredient is semaglutide, it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, and can be prescribed off-label for weight loss, as is allowed by the FDA. The same medication is approved under the name Wegovy and is approved to treat Obesity or weight loss for someone who has a comorbidity like high blood pressure.
Wilson has shared previously that she transformed her life after committing to a “year of health” in 2020.
At the time, Wilson said she had also committed to working on her mental health in addition to her physical health.
“I’m like, ‘I need to do a really holistic approach this time,'” the actress said during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in November 2020. “I think what I mainly suffered from was emotional eating and dealing with the stress of becoming famous internationally … There is a lot of stress that comes with it and I guess my way of dealing with it was eating doughnuts.”
Earlier this year, Wilson shared in an Instagram post that she recently gained 30 pounds, noting that she has been busy working on new movies and a new memoir, which has led to stress.
“Working really hard has meant that, coz of all the stress, I’ve gained 14kg’s (30 pounds)! It makes me feel bad about myself…it shouldn’t…but it does,” Wilson wrote alongside a short video and photo of herself. “I’m really proud of the work I’ve been doing on new movies and my memoir, it’s just been a LOT and I’ve lost focus on my healthy lifestyle.”
Wilson’s relatable struggle with regaining some of the weight that she lost seemed to resonate with her followers on Instagram, where her post has received over 150,000 likes, and supportive comments.
Wilson later updated her post at the time to thank her followers for their support, writing, “Update: I woke up this morning and read all your comments – they bring a tear to my eye. Thanks everyone!”
“Eclipse Across America,” will air live Monday, April 8, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu as well as network social media platforms.
Millions of people across North America will soon be gathering to watch the historic total solar eclipse on April 8.
While it may be enticing to observe the sun slowly covered, and eventually completely blocked, by the moon, doing so with the naked eye can lead to long-lasting, or even permanent, eye damage.
“The sun is a really powerful star,” Debra Ross, co-chair of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Solar Eclipse Task Force, told ABC News. “What that means is our bodies are not conditioned to look at the sun. It causes eye damage if we ever tried to stare fixedly directly at the sun.”
“It’s tempting to try to do that during the partial phases of a total solar eclipse, because you want to see what’s happening,” she continued, adding that looking at the sun without proper glasses will undoubtably cause retinal damage.
Experts explained why viewing an eclipse can damage the eyes, what type of glasses you’ll need to watch the “Great American Eclipse” and when is the only time you can take those glasses off.
What is ‘eclipse blindness’?
Looking at the sun during the eclipse without proper eye protection — even for just a couple of seconds — can lead to “eclipse blindness,” or solar retinopathy.
This refers to the retina, which is the layer at the back of the eye. Photoreceptors, which are cells inside the retina, convert light into electrical signals. Those signals are sent by the optic nerve to the brain to create the image a person sees.
However, staring at the sun during an eclipse can burn the retina. Mild symptoms can include watery eyes, eye soreness, headaches and light sensitivity but more serious symptoms include blurry vision, blind spots, dim vision, distorted vision and eye pain.
“There have been people who have had pictures taken of the retina and you can see a crescent-shaped burn in the retina from where the image of the sun got burned onto it,” he added.
If you believe you have suffered a retinal burn, experts say to immediately visit an eye doctor, such as an ophthalmologist or optometrist, to monitor the condition.
Can I watch the eclipse with sunglasses?
Typically, sunglasses protect the eyes from harmful rays with mirror coating and ultraviolet (UV) coating to protect your eyes from UV light and anti-reflective coating to limit reflections.
However, when it comes to the eclipse, regular sunglasses will not offer proper protection, nor will stacking several pairs of sunglasses on top of each other.
“Unfortunately, sunglasses are not enough, because you need them to actually be 1,000 times darker than regular sunglasses,” Dr. Nicole Bajic, an ophthalmologist and assistant professor at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute, told ABC News. “So, we are looking specifically for the eclipse glasses, and these have a special filter called the ISO 12312-2.”
ISO 12312-2 is the international safety standard for solar viewers, or products designed for direct viewing of the sun. This does not apply to solar filters that fit on the front of devices such as camera lenses.
Because counterfeit glasses, which claim to be ISO-compliant but actually have not been thoroughly tested, can be easily found online for sale, it is advised to check the AAS website for vetted vendors.
“When you get the eclipse glasses, I want everyone to inspect them just to make sure they’re free of any scratches, holes or tears that would allow direct sunlight through,” Bajic said.
How do I use solar eclipse glasses?
When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse, when the moon is only partially covering the sun, the experts advise keeping the eclipse glasses on.
Similarly, if you are watching through a camera lens, binoculars or a telescope, make sure it has a special-purpose solar filter according to NASA.
The only time it is safe to take the glasses off is during the brief period of totality, when the sun is completely covered by the moon, which will last at most four-and-a-half minutes.
As soon as the moon starts to move, it’s time to put the glasses on again.
“You will see a bright spike of light coming out from behind the moon,” Ross said. “You know that that is your signal to go and put them back on and then you’ll get to watch the second partial phase of the eclipse.”
Complete totality will occur only along a narrow path, and most of North America will have a partial solar eclipse. As such, most viewers will require special-purpose safe solar filters to view the eclipse, according to the AAS.
What if I don’t have eclipse glasses?
If you don’t have eclipse glasses, there are still creative ways to view the clips. One is through a pinhole viewer.
Poke a hole in a piece of cardboard and look down to see the shadow of the sun in the shape of a crescent projected onto the ground.
“You can also do that with a regular spaghetti strainer,” Ross said. “You’ll see lots and lots of little suns being slowly eclipsed by the moon. We advise doing that instead of ever trying to look at the sun without approved solar filters.”
To use the viewer, position yourself with your back to the sun so that you do not look directly through the pinhole at the sun and use the pinhole viewer at your own risk as these are not officially reviewed for safety.
Mpox virus particles. Via CDC/ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
(NEW YORK) — Mpox cases are on the rise in the U.S., increasing to almost double what they were at the same time last year, according to new CDC data.
There is a national year-to-date estimate of 511 cases as of mid-March, compared to 287 cases during the same period last year. New York City has been dealing with over 100 cases so far this year, whereas last year, the city only had 30.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a disease that is rarely fatal, and its symptoms are similar to smallpox but milder, according to the CDC.
While historically found in central and west Africa, cases began popping up in the U.S. in May 2022. Since then, over 32,000 cases have been reported, as well as 58 deaths in the U.S., according to the CDC. The outbreak led the Biden administration to declare a public health emergency in 2022, and the outbreak was contained largely due to vaccination uptake in high-risk groups.
“Our fight against mpox relies heavily on our collective action to get vaccinated, especially in high-risk scenarios. The increase in cases is a stark reminder of the virus’s presence and the ongoing need for vigilance and preventive measures,” said Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor.
Public health experts say the mpox virus does not discriminate. It will spread between any two people. However, gay and bisexual men and certain other groups have a higher risk because the virus started spreading in this community first. The mpox virus — characterized by a painful rash and deep lesion — primarily spreads via skin-to-skin contact..
The Jynneos vaccine is recommended for those at high risk of infection, including those who have been exposed to someone with mpox, according to the CDC. Others eligible for the shot are those who identify as gay, bisexual, or a man who has sex with other men who have had more than one sexual partner or been diagnosed with more than one sexually transmitted disease in the past six months. Those with HIV or other immune-compromising conditions are also eligible.
The vaccine consists of two doses and may be given intradermally or between the top layers of your skin. There are currently no recommendations for an annual booster. Locations offering the vaccine can be found on the CDC website.
Mpox typically spreads through intimate and close contact with a person who is infected with the monkeypox virus, including via sex, kissing, or prolonged face-to-face interactions, according to the CDC. One of the most common signs of infection is a rash on the hands, feet, chest, face, mouth, or near the genitals. Other symptoms mirror those of respiratory illnesses, including fever, chills, exhaustion, and headache.
(NEW YORK) — Videos and images of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore have become ubiquitous in the past few days and may cause strong emotions in some – but mental health professionals say there are some things you can do to help protect your mental health and cope with this tragedy in a healthy way.
“People can be vicariously traumatized from watching videos of disasters over and over again, especially kids and adolescents,” states Dr. George Everly, an associate professor of psychiatry and adjunct professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University.
For some people, witnessing an event that is particularly rare or out of the ordinary can be especially traumatizing, and can lead to conflicting messaging from different parts of the brain- such as the limbic system, which deals with memory and emotions like fear and anxiety, versus the pre-frontal cortex, an area that processes facts and logic.
“Over time, the human brain gets use to everyday threats, but when something novel and spectacular like this happens, it can go into survival mode, which is a protective mechanism,” Everly said. “But it’s important to slow down and look at the facts- let your brain see the numbers that show that this event, while spectacular and very tragic, is also exceedingly rare.”
For example, experts say it can be helpful to understand the statistics. From 1960 to 2015, there were only 35 bridge collapses in the entire world, leading to 342 deaths, as compared to the 3700 people that are killed daily in car crashes around the world, according to 2018 reports from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure and the World Health Organization.
“Also, try to resist the urge to look for someone to blame,” Everly said. “That is the brain trying to make sense out of something that, right now, doesn’t make sense, but ultimately only accentuates pessimism and doesn’t help us regain any control.”
Putting the bridge collapse into context for children and adolescents is also important, as they “might catastrophize the event in ways such as believing they must happen all the time, or that bad things might happen to them or their parents,” says Dr. Jyoti Kanwar, a psychiatrist with the University of Maryland Medical Center and assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Decreasing their exposure to the images and videos by limiting screen time, and talking openly with kids about the facts of the disaster, are important first steps. Kanwar also recommends that parents show “comfort, support, and demonstrate resilience in the face of tough situations by going through your daily routine.”
The same advice holds true for adults who may be tempted to re-watch the tragic video and worry about bridges in their own communities: try to limit your screen time, review the facts and stick to your daily routines as much as possible, experts say.
If feelings of worry or anxiety are starting to impact wellness or daily functioning, Kanwar recommends talking with someone supportive about your fears and concerns.
“If you already have anxiety, talk with a psychotherapist to learn more strategies like exposure response prevention, cognitive behavioral therapy, developing mindfulness and being grateful for all the wonderful things in life despite this catastrophic event,” Kanwar said.
Everly adds, “Don’t surrender your happiness or your wellbeing to an event that is especially tragic, but remarkably rare.”
Dr. Julie Kollar MD, MPH is the Chief Resident of the Johns Hopkins General Preventive Medicine Residency Program, and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
Aedes aegypti mosquito, a known trasmitter of dengue. Photo via CDC
(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency as the number of dengue fever cases continues to rise.
So far this year, there have been 549 cases reported with the plurality occurring in San Juan, according to the island’s health department. There has been a 140% increase this year in cases from Jan. 1 to March 21, compared to the same period last year, the department said.
“This year, dengue cases have exceeded historical figures,” Dr. Carlos Mellado López, the secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Health, said in a statement. “The teams have been working on the integrated plan for prevention and control in response to arbovirus and we are going to expand the implemented response. It is important to note that the increase in cases has not only been reflected in Puerto Rico, but we have seen it throughout the region of the Americas.”
The public health emergency order will remain in place for 90 days.
The department says its response will include early detection, epidemiological surveillance and providing educational material on dengue. Dr. Melissa Marzán, an epidemiologist with the health department, also emphasized the importance of collaboration with municipalities.
“Municipal leaders have played a crucial role alongside the Department of Health, recognizing the impact that dengue has on population,” Marzán said. “We are deeply grateful for your support and we urge you to empower your communities so that they can carry out cleaning efforts around the home and thus eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.”
Dengue viruses are spread through bites from infected Aedes species mosquitoes, mostly found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These mosquitoes are also responsible for spreading Zika and chikungunya viruses.
Dengue can be caused by dengue virus 1, 2, 3 or 4, the health agency said. A person can be infected multiple times over the course of their life.
About one in four people develop symptoms lasting two to seven days, but symptoms are usually mild and include fever, rash, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, joint pain and bone pain.
Because symptoms are not specific to dengue, they’re often confused with other illnesses, according to the CDC.
There are no specific medicines to treat dengue aside from supportive care, which includes rest, drinking fluids and taking acetaminophen. The CDC warns not to take aspirin or ibuprofen, because it can trigger gastritis or bleeding.
However, about one in 20 will develop severe dengue, which can lead to shock (damage to the body’s organs), internal bleeding and even death, although deaths are rare, the CDC said.
A dengue vaccine is approved for children between ages 9 and 16 who have a laboratory-confirmed previous dengue virus infection and who live in areas where dengue is endemic, according to the CDC. It is available in Puerto Rico and is part of the territory’s routine childhood immunization schedule, the CDC said.
Aedes aegypti mosquito, a known trasmitter of dengue. Photo via CDC
(NEW YORK) — Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency as the number of dengue fever cases continues to rise.
So far this year, there have been 549 cases reported with the plurality occurring in San Juan, according to the island’s health department. There has been a 140% increase this year in cases from Jan. 1 to March 21, compared to the same period last year, the department said.
“This year, dengue cases have exceeded historical figures,” Dr. Carlos Mellado López, the secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Health, said in a statement. “The teams have been working on the integrated plan for prevention and control in response to arbovirus and we are going to expand the implemented response. It is important to note that the increase in cases has not only been reflected in Puerto Rico, but we have seen it throughout the region of the Americas.”
The public health emergency order will remain in place for 90 days.
The department says its response will include early detection, epidemiological surveillance and providing educational material on dengue. Dr. Melissa Marzán, an epidemiologist with the health department, also emphasized the importance of collaboration with municipalities.
“Municipal leaders have played a crucial role alongside the Department of Health, recognizing the impact that dengue has on population,” Marzán said. “We are deeply grateful for your support and we urge you to empower your communities so that they can carry out cleaning efforts around the home and thus eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.”
Dengue viruses are spread through bites from infected Aedes species mosquitoes, mostly found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These mosquitoes are also responsible for spreading Zika and chikungunya viruses.
Dengue can be caused by dengue virus 1, 2, 3 or 4, the health agency said. A person can be infected multiple times over the course of their life.
About one in four people develop symptoms lasting two to seven days, but symptoms are usually mild and include fever, rash, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, joint pain and bone pain.
Because symptoms are not specific to dengue, they’re often confused with other illnesses, according to the CDC.
There are no specific medicines to treat dengue aside from supportive care, which includes rest, drinking fluids and taking acetaminophen. The CDC warns not to take aspirin or ibuprofen, because it can trigger gastritis or bleeding.
However, about one in 20 will develop severe dengue, which can lead to shock (damage to the body’s organs), internal bleeding and even death, although deaths are rare, the CDC said.
A dengue vaccine is approved for children between ages 9 and 16 who have a laboratory-confirmed previous dengue virus infection and who live in areas where dengue is endemic, according to the CDC. It is available in Puerto Rico and is part of the territory’s routine childhood immunization schedule, the CDC said.
It is a little-known mission within the United States Air Force that operates almost entirely underground, shrouded in secrecy – and is critical to national security.
Those tasked with the job are known as missileers. Their work requires them to be on alert 24/7, and they are responsible for the maintenance, security and operation of the United States’ arsenal of Minuteman III nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles. Their mission is one component of the U.S. nuclear “triad,” which includes land, air and sea-based nuclear weapons.
The weapons are monitored by the missileers who operate in what are known as “launch control centers,” or LCCs, attached to three Air Force bases: F.E. Warren in Wyoming, Malmstrom in Montana and Minot in North Dakota. LCCs are essentially trailer-sized capsules positioned far beneath the earth’s surface, protected from threats and surveillance.
Now, a mysterious threat has potentially emerged, which has prompted investigations by the Air Force and Department of Defense. These latest investigations were launched after reports emerged of cancer among dozens of former missileers, who believe there is a potential link between their cancer diagnoses and their time spent working inside the LCCs.
Searching for possible connections
Retired Lt. Col. Jason Boswell was a missileer assigned to Malmstrom Air Force Base between 2006 and 2007. Eight years later, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Boswell’s discharge papers state that his cancer was considered a presumptive condition based on his time serving at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
But after joining the Wounded Warrior Project as a mentor to others, he was paired with a fellow missileer he knew from Malmstrom, Lt. Col. Daniel Sebeck, who was also suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Boswell told ABC News that he and Sebeck quickly began searching for other cancer diagnoses within the missileer community.
Boswell said they found through talking with friends that several other former missileers also said they had non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He says they immediately thought to themselves, “This is not insignificant, and we need to start voicing this and get people to listen.”
Sebeck began digging deeper.
According to a presentation he gave to his superiors in 2023, which ABC News has reviewed, in all, he initially documented nine cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among hundreds of missileers he said he researched who had served in a 10-year span that overlapped Boswell and his service years. The median age of diagnosis was 42, according to Sebeck’s findings.
More than half of people are 65 or older when they are first diagnosed, according to the American Cancer Society.
The latest Air Force study
In 2001, the Air Force conducted a study looking into similar claims of a possible cancer link to work exposure among missileers serving at Malmstrom.
The findings, which were released in 2005, concluded Malmstrom was “environmentally safe.” Sebeck’s presentation, along with pressure from Montana Sen. Jon Tester, led the commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, to commission another medical study, called the “Missile Community Cancer Study.”
The commander ordered U.S. Air Force Medical Service researchers to undertake a comprehensive look at all aspects of missileers’ work, to include epidemiological and environmental surveys.
“Our leaders do not have to be a cancer survivor, like me, or be a parent of a child currently serving, like me, to take this issue incredibly seriously. That certainly helps with my motivation, but I want the leaders in the field to treat our people like they are their own son or daughter,” Bussiere said in a statement.
Sebeck’s findings also prompted a group of fellow missileers to start the Torchlight Initiative, which is asking those in the missileer community to self-report their cancer diagnoses. To date, they say they have received reports of 56 cases of various types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with nearly a third of them involving former missileers from Malmstrom.
A possible carcinogen is found
The Air Force told ABC News its study is ongoing and “finding a causation is difficult.” But one year in, the Air Force says its study so far has led to the discovery of polychlorinated biphenols, or PCBs, on some surfaces within launch control centers at all three bases – Malmstrom, Minot and Warren.
Two samples at Malmstrom and two at Minot were found above the EPA limit, prompting cleanups within those LCCs.
“All sites were immediately closed for safety and a multidisciplinary team of experts was gathered to include medical, EPA, engineers, etc., to develop and institute cleanup and mitigation procedures and retesting. Mitigation efforts continue to ensure we keep our airmen and guardians safe,” the Air Force said in a statement.
The EPA lists PCBs as a “probable carcinogen,” although a direct link between PCBs and non-Hodgkin lymphoma has not been established. In the 1970s, the U.S. banned the production of PCBs, which were widely used in electronics manufacturing at the time.
The Department of Defense has expanded the study to now include investigating 14 additional types of cancer.
Is there a cancer link to missileer work exposure?
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, with more than 2 million people expected to be diagnosed this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Still, Dr. William Dahut, ACS’s chief scientific officer, said it’s hard to know if any two people’s cancers are connected, and proving an official cancer cluster with non-Hodgkin lymphoma is even more difficult because of the complexity of the disease.
“Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is not really one disease. It’s a combination of diseases which can manifest in similar ways, but actually are very different biologically. Some you can live with for years without actually needing treatment,” Dahut said.
He continued, “Oftentimes the cancers in the cluster are not as closely related biologically as it’s seen at first blush.”
Air Force leaders in a recent virtual town hall said in addition to the ongoing environmental survey, the first of five epidemiological review phases has been completed. They said they have not found an increased rate of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in this initial batch of data.
However, the Air Force said there is data that “appears to show trends suggesting a potential increased incidence for breast and prostate cancer in the missile community,” while emphasizing that, “That picture will not be complete until we complete all phases of this Epidemiology Review.”
The results of the study aren’t expected until the summer at the earliest, officials said. Some missileers and their families who spoke with ABC News said they continue to hope those results will give them the answers they have been hoping for.
The loss of a missileer Jenny Holmes’ late husband Mark was a second-generation Air Force missileer. She tells ABC News of the grueling shifts, called “alerts,” her husband and his fellow missileers were required to work in the LCCs.
“Before we were married, even before I was in Montana with him, he did, I believe, 36-hour alerts,” Holmes said. “That’s one shift.”
“By the time we were married and he still had two and a half years left, they switched him to 24-hour alerts.”
Mark’s father, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel named Dan Holmes, was a missileer in the 1970s. “I said to Mark that I thought the missile operations career field was the best non-rated career field in the Air Force,” he told ABC News.
But after hearing from Mark about how little had changed with the system and the then-grueling shifts that were required of him, something Dan hadn’t experienced, he says his opinion of the field has changed. “Had I known then what I know now, I would have told him, ‘don’t get anywhere near the missile business’ because my experience 40 years ago had absolutely no relevance to what Mark would experience,” he said.
But the worst experience was yet to come. In 2019, years after leaving active duty to become a reservist, Mark began to feel ill after a family vacation.
“He was jaundiced. And that’s what triggered me to call the doctor’s office immediately. Something is wrong,” Jenny Holmes said.
Mark was diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He endured several rounds of chemotherapy, which gave the Holmes family hope. But in January 2020, the cancer began to overwhelm his body.
“I remember him calling [from the hospital] and saying, ‘I just want to come home,’” Holmes said. “I was crying, and my two older kids were asking me, ‘What’s wrong? Is Daddy going to be OK?’ And I think that was the first time that I told them, ‘Daddy’s coming home and I think God is going to take him soon.’ And we just cried. That was really the first time that we just all broke down because I think we all envisioned a life without dad.”
Mark Holmes passed away in May of 2020, leaving behind Jenny and their three children.
A widow’s hope
Holmes has since tried twice unsuccessfully to receive survivors’ benefits from the Veterans Administration. Two of her husband’s doctors wrote letters saying his cancer was, in their opinion, caused by his exposure to carcinogens while working as a missileer, but proving the cancer was linked to his service has been difficult, she said.
A recent VA expansion of health care benefits does not specifically cover a veteran simply for serving as a missileer.
Holmes said she now hopes the Missile Community Cancer Study will finally yield the missing link she has been searching for, and hopes it will ultimately protect other missileers from suffering the same fate.
“If we can save one person, right? Then it would be worth it,” she said.
