Tag Archives: Child

Haiti finds case of microcephaly linked to Zika virus

Public Health guy for Haiti

By Makini Brice

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Haiti has identified its first case of the birth defect microcephaly linked to the Zika virus, a senior health ministry official said on Tuesday.

Gabriel Thimothe, director general at the ministry of public health and population, said the case was confirmed on Saturday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Haiti has confirmed 14 cases of the birth defect since March, up from previous reports of two cases, Raymond Grand Pierre, the director of the Department of Health and Family in the Ministry of Health, said.

In the other 13 cases, authorities have not established a link to microcephaly although the number may indicate Zika is more widespread in Haiti than previously thought.

According to a chart provided by the Centers for Disease Control, Haiti has recorded nearly 3,000 Zika cases.

But the World Health Organization says the overwhelming majority of cases of the virus in the island nation are suspected and not confirmed.

Thimothe said the baby with Zika-linked microcephaly was born in the city of Mirebalais earlier this summer.

Boston-based Partners in Health and its sister organization, Haiti-based Zanmi Lasante, said in a statement on Aug. 9 that two babies had been born with microcephaly in their University Hospital Mirebalais.

U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly. The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.

Haiti’s healthcare system is still suffering from the fallout of the 2010 earthquake that killed about 300,000 people and a still-ongoing cholera epidemic that began shortly afterward, killing about 8,600 people and infecting 707,000.

Health facilities were also paralyzed this year by a months-long strike by medical residents over pay and working conditions, which Thimothe said had largely ended.

(Reporting by Makini Brice in Port-au-Prince; Editing by Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman)

Boy’s body found after gator attack at Florida Disney resort

search boats at Disney World

By Barbara Liston

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) – Police using boats, divers and a helicopter on Wednesday recovered the body of a 2-year-old boy who was grabbed by an alligator in front of his family during a vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, officials said.

The child was snatched by the alligator as he played at the water’s edge on Tuesday night and dragged into a lagoon despite his parents’ effort to save him.

Officials told a news conference the boy’s body had been found and was intact.

The alligator was believed to be between 4 and 7 feet (1.2 and 2 meters) long. Wildlife officials earlier caught and killed five alligators from the lagoon to examine them for traces of the boy but found no evidence they were involved, said Nick Wiley, head of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The resort closed its beaches and recreational marinas on Wednesday as search teams had scoured the Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake reaching 14 feet (4.2 meters) in depth.

The family, which was vacationing from Nebraska, was not named.

The dozens of sheriff’s deputies and wildlife officials searching for the boy on Wednesday, numbering as many as 60, had used sonar technology, helicopters and a team of divers.

There are signs prohibiting swimming at the lagoon but the boy was grabbed while his family relaxed nearby on the shore, authorities said.

The boy’s father rushed into the water and suffered minor cuts on his arm as he fought to wrestle his child from the alligator’s grasp, said Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

“The father did his best,” he said. “He tried to rescue the child, however, to no avail.”

Authorities said the boy’s mother tried to rescue him too. A lifeguard on duty also was unable to reach the toddler in time.

Alligators are not uncommon in the Seven Seas Lagoon, Wiley said. Alligators have killed five people in Florida in the last 10 years, according to official state data.

Wiley said the wildlife commission works with the resort to remove “nuisance alligators” – classed as those which have lost their fear of humans – whenever they are reported.

Disney has operated in the area for 45 years and never had this type of incident occur before, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings told a news conference.

“Disney has a wildlife management system that is in place and they have worked diligently to ensure that their guests are not unduly exposed to the wildlife here in this area,” he said.

The Walt Disney World Resort is the world’s most-visited theme park. About 20.5 million people visited the park’s Magic Kingdom in 2015, according to the Themed Entertainment Association.

(Additional reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee, Laila Kearney, Amy Tennery and Jeffrey Dastin in New York, and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by W Simon, Bill Trott and Bill Rigby)

‘No question’ boy dead after gator attack at Florida Disney resort

A search boat is seen in the Seven Seas Lagoon, in front of a beach at the Grand Floridian, at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida

By Barbara Liston

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) – Authorities searched for the body of a 2-year-old boy on Wednesday after the toddler was dragged into a lagoon by an alligator in front of his family during a vacation at Walt Disney World resort in Florida.

The boy was snatched as he played at the water’s edge on Tuesday night, despite his parents’ effort to save him, by an alligator believed to be between 4 and 7 feet (1.2 and 2 meters) long.

Wildlife officials captured and euthanized five alligators from the lagoon to examine them for traces of the child but found no evidence they were involved, said Nick Wiley, head of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The resort closed its beaches and recreational marinas on Wednesday as search teams worked the Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake reaching 14 feet in depth.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, speaking at a news conference about 15 hours after the boy was taken, said, “We know that we are working on recovering the body of a child at this point.

“Our ultimate goal is to try to bring some closure to the family,” he said.

The family, which was vacationing from Nebraska, was not named.

There are “no swimming” signs at the lagoon but the alligator grabbed the boy while his family relaxed nearby on the shore, authorities said.

The boy’s father rushed into the water after the alligator struck and fought to wrestle his child from its grasp, Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said earlier.

“The father did his best,” he said. “He tried to rescue the child, however, to no avail.”

The father suffered minor cuts on his arm in the struggle with the gator. Authorities said the boy’s mother tried to rescue him too. A lifeguard who was on duty by the lagoon also was unable to reach the toddler in time.

“The gator swam away with the child,” Williamson said.

SEARCH INCLUDES HELICOPTERS, SONAR

Dozens of sheriff’s deputies and wildlife officials were searching for the boy on Wednesday and expected to use sonar technology, helicopters and a team of divers.

Alligators are not uncommon in the Seven Seas Lagoon, Wiley said.

The wildlife commission works with the resort to remove “nuisance alligators” when they are reported, Wiley said.

Demings said Disney has operated in the area for 45 years and has never had this type of incident occur before.

“We know this is Florida and alligators are indigenous to this region,” Demings said. “Disney has a wildlife management system that is in place and they have worked diligently to ensure that their guests are not unduly exposed to the wildlife here in this area.”

Shares in the Walt Disney Company <DIS.N>, which were up about 0.5 percent in afternoon trading at $98.86, did not appear to have been affected by the incident.

A spokeswoman for Walt Disney World Resort said everyone there was devastated by the tragic accident. “Our thoughts are with the family and we are helping the family,” she said.

The upscale Grand Floridian Grand Resort and Spa is described by Disney as a lavish property combining Victorian elegance with modern sophistication, just one stop away from the Magic Kingdom on the resort’s monorail. Rooms start at $569 per night, according to its site.

Guests can rent motorized boats for cruising or hire a private cabana on shore. Children between 4 and 12 years of age also can embark upon “pirate adventures” on the lagoon.

Despite the prevalence of alligators in fresh water around Florida, Wiley said it was very rare for humans to be attacked.

In May, a Florida man was hospitalized after an alligator bit off his hand and forearm as he sought to elude authorities by running into a lake, according to police.

The alligator incident comes as the Orlando area reels after a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub there on Sunday before dying in a gun battle with police.

It also follows an incident on May 28 when a 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, causing zookeepers to kill a gorilla to protect the child.

Wednesday’s incident was trending on social media where it reignited a spirited debate over responsible parenting, although some users expressed sympathy for the toddler’s family.

“Dear Internet, can we please have a bit more compassion for a family who saw their son dragged away by an alligator?!! #DisneyGatorAttack,” tweeted Jamie Lapeyrolerie (@jamielynne82).

(Additional reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee and Laila Kearney and Amy Tennery in New York; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by W Simon and Bill Trott)

Alligator drags toddler into lagoon at Disney resort in Florida

Early morning view of the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa located in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando

(Reuters) –  Recent press conference update: There is “no question” that a 2-year-old boy who was dragged by an alligator into a lagoon at Walt Disney World resort in Florida is dead, the local sheriff said on Wednesday.

“We know that this is a recovery effort at this point,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings told a news conference, about 15 hours after the child was attacked by the gator.

(Editing by Daniel Wallis)

Walt Disney World resort in Florida closed its beaches on Wednesday as law enforcement officials hunted for signs of a 2-year-old boy who was dragged by an alligator into a lagoon at the resort despite his father’s rescue attempt, according to officials and CNN reports.

The boy was attacked by the reptile about 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday at the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista near Orlando, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

The boy was playing in the water while his family, vacationing from Nebraska, relaxed on the shore nearby, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings told a news conference.

“The father entered the water and tried to grab the child and was not successful,” Demings said.

The mother also tried to rescue the boy and the father suffered hand injuries, he added. The family has not been named.

“As a father, as a grandfather we are going to hope for the best in these circumstances but, based on my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know we have some challenges ahead of us,” Demings told reporters.

He said the animal was thought to be between 4 and 7 feet (1.2 and 2 meters) long.

Wildlife and marine officials were drafted into the search, which ran through the night.

“We’re putting every effort into locating the child and trapping this alligator,” Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer Chad Weber told reporters.

A spokeswoman for Walt Disney World Resort said everyone there was devastated by the tragic accident. “Our thoughts are with the family and we are helping the family,” she said.

On May 28, a 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, causing zookeepers to kill a gorilla to protect the child.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee and Laila Kearney in New York; Editing by Fiona Ortiz, Andrew Heavens and W Simon)

Brain Eating Amoeba Results in the Death of 14-Year-Old Athlete

The deadly brain eating amoeba has taken another life.

The family of 14-year-old Michael Riley, Jr. confirmed their son died from naegleria fowleri, or the “brain eating amoeba”, at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

“It is with a heavy heart, that we let everyone know that Michael John Riley Jr. lost his battle on this earth but won a victory for his place in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ,” the family said in a statement on their Facebook page.  “Michael fought a courageous fight over the past week, allowing him to move on to be with the Lord for future heavenly tasks, a beautiful set of wings, and a pair of gold running shoes.”

The death is the fourth this month from someone contracting the deadly amoeba.

Riley was also the second child to die at Texas Children’s Hospital from naegleria fowleri this month.

Riley’s family said their son fell ill after a trip with his track team to swim at San Houston State Park.   Doctors couldn’t figure out why the young athlete was suffering from headaches that continued to worsen until they were unbearable until one doctor at Texas Children’s recognized the symptoms from the previous victim.

“It is unknown why certain persons become infected with (Naegleria fowleri) while millions of others exposed to warm recreational fresh waters do not, including those who were swimming with people who became infected,” the Centers for Disease Control said.

Only 3 of the 133 Americans known to be infected with the amoeba since 1962 have survived their infection.

Ten-Year-Old Boy Sacrificed In Witchcraft Ceremony

Police in Pilibhit, India say a 10-year-old was tortured and killed as part of a witchcraft ceremony.

Police say that an Indian worker whose goal was to get spirits to allow his wife to get pregnant killed the boy, called Pranshu, in a sugarcane field.

The boy had been missing for two days before his body was found by his father in the field.  The family believed at first the child had been attacked and killed by animals until further investigation found the witchcraft connection.

After police had proof from the autopsy of the murder, they questioned the family’s neighbor who was taken into custody for the killing.  The man’s wife has also been taken into custody by authorities and is being questioned regarding her role in the murder.

Couple Aborts Baby Because of Deformed Hand

An Australian couple announced they aborted their healthy baby because doctors said that he would have a deformed hand.

The baby, who would have had no problem living a full life with good health, would have had a problem with a “cleft” left hand.

The couple, known as “Frank” and “Cindy”, said that they thought it might be possible the child would have a “difficult” life and that other children would be making fun of him.

“I grew up with many people who were disabled, and… there was discrimination,” “Cindy” said. “I didn’t want my child to be discriminated against. The problem is… obvious because it is the fingers, and I think the child would have a very hard life.”

The couple said that they feel relieved.

“We were being told that our only option was to give birth to a baby that we did not wish to give birth to at all. We felt we have been forgotten and abandoned through the political and judicial uncertainty of the abortion laws,” Frank said.

Doctors made a point to note there was nothing life threatening about the child’s condition.

Maine Officials Back Down On DNR Order

Maine officials have backed down in the case involving a mother who was fighting to have a DNR lifted for her child after the story gained national media exposure.

The state has been fighting against the mother of Aleah Peaslee, who was six months old when her father shook her to the point that she suffered brain damage and was hospitalized in a coma.

After Aleah was removed from life support and placed in her mother’s arms with doctors expecting her to die.  Instead, Aleah rallied and eventually came out of the coma.

Her mother Virginia Trask asked for the Do Not Resuscitate order placed on her daughter when she was in the coma be lifted since she was now recovering from her injuries.  The state jumped in to keep it in place saying the child still had brain damage.

After major media outlets picked up on the story, the Maine Health and Human Services Department released a statement saying that if a court upholds the order they sought to keep the DNR in place, they would not enforce it.

Observers say that the case will likely be dismissed because of the Department’s new position and the governor’s opposition to their involvement.

Baby Survives Abortion Pill And Twin’s Miscarriage

A woman who was given an abortion pill after a miscarriage was shocked to discover that she was still pregnant.

The woman and her husband are now celebrating the miraculous birth of their daughter Megan.

Michelle Hui believed she was pregnant with her third child with husband Ross.  Six weeks into her pregnancy she suffered a miscarriage and her doctor gave her abortion-inducing drugs because they wanted to make sure her uterus was completely cleaned out.

What none of them knew at the time was that Michelle had been carrying twins and the miscarriage only took the life of one of the babies.

Ten days after she was given the medication, she went back in for another procedure and was as surprised as the doctor to hear a heartbeat.

“The doctor went out and came back in with a more senior doctor and he did the scan again and he said, ‘You are not going to believe it – we’ve got a heartbeat.’ It was the best feeling ever. Now Megan is fine. She’s healthy and she is just a big healthy pudding of a baby. The doctors said it was a blessing. They have never heard of anything like it. Someone had been looking over us,” Michelle told the Christian Post.

Her doctors could not provide a single medical reason why Megan survived.

Meriam Ibrahim Asks Prayer For Daughter’s Ultrasound

Persecuted Christian Meriam Ibrahim has asked the world to pray for her daughter who will be undergoing an ultrasound to see if the injury from her birth will cause permanent disability.

Doctors are telling Ibrahim that it’s possible the injuries suffered at birth are not as severe as initially feared and that it’s possible the child will be able to walk on her own.  Ibrahim was forced to give birth with her legs tied together with chains because the prison guards would not release her for the birth.

Ibrahim and her family have been taking refuge in the U.S. embassy after being released from prison on charges related to her Christian faith.  The family has been hoping to leave the country but the Sudanese government continues to refuse to allow the family passage out of the nation.

The family has been especially sensitive to the possibility of the child being confined to a wheelchair for life because her father, Daniel Wani, is wheelchair bound because of multiple sclerosis.