First reported US swine-flu death occurs in Houston

The first reported death in the United States from the swine flu outbreak was that of a 23-month-old Mexican toddler who fell ill in Brownsville and was transported for treatment in Houston, where the child died Monday, city officials said.
Kathy Barton, spokeswoman for the Houston Department of Health and Human Services, did not say which hospital treated the child or give any other details about the toddler.

There still have been no reported Houston-area cases of the disease, which is thought to have begun in Mexico but is being detected around the world. However, Barton said Houston should expect to see cases originate here.
She added that hospitals that handle any flu cases, swine or otherwise, take precautions to prevent its spread, such as masks, frequent handwashing and other sanitation measures.

"Even though we've been expecting this, it is very, very sad," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who made the initial announcement of a Texas death on several nationally televised morning shows today. "As a pediatrician and a parent, my heart goes out to the family."

Germany today reported its first three cases of swine flu. The number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States before today rose to 66 in six states, with 45 in New York, 11 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one each in Indiana and Ohio, but cities and states suspected more. In New York, the city's health commissioner said "many hundreds" of schoolchildren were ill at a school where some students had confirmed cases.

The world has no vaccine to prevent infection but U.S. health officials aim to have a key ingredient for one ready in early May, the big step that vaccine manufacturers are awaiting. But even if the World Health Organization ordered up emergency vaccine supplies — and that decision hasn't been made yet — it would take at least two more months to produce the initial shots needed for human safety testing.
"We're working together at 100 miles an hour to get material that will be useful," Dr. Jesse Goodman, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration's swine flu work, told The Associated Press.
The U.S. is shipping to states not only enough anti-flu medication for 11 million people, but also masks, hospital supplies and flu test kits. President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion in emergency funds to help build more drug stockpiles and monitor future cases, as well as help international efforts to avoid a full-fledged pandemic.

"It's a very serious possibility, but it is still too early to say that this is inevitable," the WHO's flu chief, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, told a telephone news conference.
Cuba and Argentina banned flights to Mexico, where swine flu is suspected of killing more than 150 people and sickening well over 2,000. In a bit of good news, Mexico's health secretary, Jose Cordova, late Tuesday called the death toll there "more or less stable."

Mexico City, one of the world's largest cities, has taken drastic steps to curb the virus' spread, starting with shutting down schools and on Tuesday expanding closures to gyms and swimming pools and even telling restaurants to limit service to takeout. People who venture out tend to wear masks in hopes of protection.
New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Britain, Canada and now Germany have also reported cases. But the only deaths so far have been Mexican citizens, baffling experts.
The WHO argues against closing borders to stem the spread, and the U.S. — although checking arriving travelers for the ill who may need care — agrees it's too late for that tactic.

"Sealing a border as an approach to containment is something that has been discussed and it was our planning assumption should an outbreak of a new strain of influenza occur overseas. We had plans for trying to swoop in and knockout or quench an outbreak if it were occurring far from our borders. That's not the case here," Besser told a telephone briefing of Nevada-based health providers and reporters. "The idea of trying to limit the spread to Mexico is not realistic or at all possible."
"Border controls do not work. Travel restrictions do not work," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva, recalling the SARS epidemic earlier in the decade that killed 774 people, mostly in Asia, and slowed the global economy.

Authorities sought to keep the crisis in context: Flu deaths are common around the world. In the U.S. alone, the CDC says about 36,000 people a year die of flu-related causes. Still, the CDC calls the new strain a combination of pig, bird and human.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

First reported US swine-flu death occurs in Houston

The first reported death in the United States from the swine flu outbreak was that of a 23-month-old Mexican toddler who fell ill in Brownsville and was transported for treatment in Houston, where the child died Monday, city officials said.
Kathy Barton, spokeswoman for the Houston Department of Health and Human Services, did not say which hospital treated the child or give any other details about the toddler.

There still have been no reported Houston-area cases of the disease, which is thought to have begun in Mexico but is being detected around the world. However, Barton said Houston should expect to see cases originate here.
She added that hospitals that handle any flu cases, swine or otherwise, take precautions to prevent its spread, such as masks, frequent handwashing and other sanitation measures.

"Even though we've been expecting this, it is very, very sad," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who made the initial announcement of a Texas death on several nationally televised morning shows today. "As a pediatrician and a parent, my heart goes out to the family."

Germany today reported its first three cases of swine flu. The number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States before today rose to 66 in six states, with 45 in New York, 11 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one each in Indiana and Ohio, but cities and states suspected more. In New York, the city's health commissioner said "many hundreds" of schoolchildren were ill at a school where some students had confirmed cases.

The world has no vaccine to prevent infection but U.S. health officials aim to have a key ingredient for one ready in early May, the big step that vaccine manufacturers are awaiting. But even if the World Health Organization ordered up emergency vaccine supplies — and that decision hasn't been made yet — it would take at least two more months to produce the initial shots needed for human safety testing.
"We're working together at 100 miles an hour to get material that will be useful," Dr. Jesse Goodman, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration's swine flu work, told The Associated Press.
The U.S. is shipping to states not only enough anti-flu medication for 11 million people, but also masks, hospital supplies and flu test kits. President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion in emergency funds to help build more drug stockpiles and monitor future cases, as well as help international efforts to avoid a full-fledged pandemic.

"It's a very serious possibility, but it is still too early to say that this is inevitable," the WHO's flu chief, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, told a telephone news conference.
Cuba and Argentina banned flights to Mexico, where swine flu is suspected of killing more than 150 people and sickening well over 2,000. In a bit of good news, Mexico's health secretary, Jose Cordova, late Tuesday called the death toll there "more or less stable."

Mexico City, one of the world's largest cities, has taken drastic steps to curb the virus' spread, starting with shutting down schools and on Tuesday expanding closures to gyms and swimming pools and even telling restaurants to limit service to takeout. People who venture out tend to wear masks in hopes of protection.
New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Britain, Canada and now Germany have also reported cases. But the only deaths so far have been Mexican citizens, baffling experts.
The WHO argues against closing borders to stem the spread, and the U.S. — although checking arriving travelers for the ill who may need care — agrees it's too late for that tactic.

"Sealing a border as an approach to containment is something that has been discussed and it was our planning assumption should an outbreak of a new strain of influenza occur overseas. We had plans for trying to swoop in and knockout or quench an outbreak if it were occurring far from our borders. That's not the case here," Besser told a telephone briefing of Nevada-based health providers and reporters. "The idea of trying to limit the spread to Mexico is not realistic or at all possible."
"Border controls do not work. Travel restrictions do not work," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva, recalling the SARS epidemic earlier in the decade that killed 774 people, mostly in Asia, and slowed the global economy.

Authorities sought to keep the crisis in context: Flu deaths are common around the world. In the U.S. alone, the CDC says about 36,000 people a year die of flu-related causes. Still, the CDC calls the new strain a combination of pig, bird and human.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Industrial Job Fair In Alvin Thursday

ALVIN, Texas -- Are you looking for work?

You might want to head out to Alvin on Thursday.

The Alvin Community College and other community partners are hosting an industrial job fair at the Knights of Columbus Hall on County Road 146 and Highway 6.

The fair will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Bring your resume and dress for success – interviews will be given on the spot!

Lady Lions Get New Coach

Alvin Living Stones pitcher Samantha De La Rosa has experienced a couple of TAPPS state championships in volleyball, and now the junior right-hander would like to do the same in softball.

“Of the two sports, softball is definitely my favorite, and this year, we feel like we have the team that can go all the way,” she said. “Some of the players know what it takes to get to state and win, and we hope that carries over into softball.
“But even though we’re confident, we’re not looking too far ahead or only concentrating on state because if we do that, we could be tripped up.”

The Lady Lions are first trying to capture a TAPPS District 4-2A/A title against co-members Bellville Faith, Dickinson Pine Drive, Huntsville Alpha Omega, Kingwood Northeast and Victoria Faith, and during the first round, Bellville Faith handed Living Stones a 12-2 loss.

“We beat ourselves in that one with numerous errors, but we tried to learn from it and move on,” first-year coach Michael Anne Bryant said. “We’re still in a good position to finish in the top two, and then we can really focus in on the playoffs.
“The players are working very hard to make it happen, and we’ve had the entire team out there even during optional practices. Their mindset is state, they break every huddle by saying ‘state,’ and that’s where we want to end up.”
De La Rosa gets nearly 100 percent of the starts in the circle, but freshman Kaitlyn Anderson can also pitch when not holding down second base.

“De La Rosa is our No. 1 pitcher, and Anderson is so valuable to us at second, so that’s where they are most all of the time,” Bryant said.

Living Stones has no seniors in a lineup that has juniors Taylor Dillard (shortstop), Megan Pena (right field), Korina Moore (catcher), Shelby Young (left field) and Ashley Kubeczka (first base), sophomores Bailey Wagner (CF/SS) and Janelle Bullock (courtesy runner/OF), and freshmen Kristen Freeman (third base) and Dani Dudley (utility).
“Dillard has a gun for an arm, Bullock is our fastest player, and Young has a great attitude while always giving 100 percent, and she can play just about anywhere,” Bryant said.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Students learn important skills at ROTC

The Facts
Published April 20, 2009

CLUTE — Brandon Jones isn’t sure why he joined Brazoswood High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program, but he knows why he stayed.

“You make a lot of friends and it teaches you a lot about life,” he said.

Jones, a 17-year-old junior, has learned more about leadership and responsibility from the Reserve Officers Training Corps than he would have learned in any other classroom, he said. The skills he has learned will help him not only in the future, he said, but are helping him succeed in school now.

“I would have probably failed other classes without ROTC,” Jones said.

These experiences are common among ROTC students as instructors work to make leaders out of all of the cadets, Chief Master Sgt. Larry Ceaser said.

“We instill values of citizenship, service to the United States and personal responsibility for actions,” Ceaser said.

Cadets take a class every semester that is about 40 percent aerospace science, 40 percent leadership and 20 percent physical fitness and drills, Ceaser said. But being a member of ROTC doesn’t stop there.

Junior ROTC members also participate in many community service projects and the drill teams attend competitions.



LEARNING TO LEAD

Natasha Ruiz, a 17-year-old Brazoswood senior, has learned a lot about how to lead thanks to the efforts of her instructors. Ruiz is the Corps Commander this semester, a position that puts her in charge of all 87 members.

Ruiz plans to attend Texas A&M University and get a degree in forensic science, she said. She knows the leadership skills she learned in ROTC will serve her the rest of her life.

Discipline is another characteristic cadets learn, said Justin Duncan, a 16-year-old Brazoswood junior.

The hardest requirement to be in ROTC is students must wear their uniform once every week, Ceaser said. If they don’t wear their uniform three times, they will fail the class, he said.

“It’s not very popular because the uniform isn’t considered cool,” Ceaser said.

Cool or not, Ceasar understands why the uniform requirement matters.

“Right now they don’t see the importance,” Ceaser said. “But no matter what you do in life, there will be some type of uniform.”

Little things like this are how ROTC instructors ensure students learn all they need.

“It’s better to learn how to be organized and do things in a structured way now,” Ceasar said.

They will be better off as adults and in college, he said.

JOINING THE MARINES

At Alvin High School, which affiliates its Junior ROTC program with the Marine Corps, different students joined for different reasons, but they all learn the same principles.

Alvin sophomore David Hinojosa joined to be different from his family, he said. He didn’t want to get into trouble as his older siblings had done.

Amanda Choate, also sophomore, joined because her family members were in it before her, she said. But through the program she has learned to be herself, she said.

“It teaches them to be leaders in their home, school and community,” said Major Jim Spakes, an instructors with Alvin’s ROTC program. “We’re making more responsible citizens.”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.