If we can't handle seasonal flu, we aren't prepared for bioterror

If we can't handle seasonal flu, we aren't prepared for bioterror: Seasonal influenza provides an excellent indicator of pandemic preparedness. If states can’t handle routine, seasonal flu, then they’re unlikely to be able to handle more severe, widespread outbreaks or bioterrorist attacks. In the United States, responsibility for preventing a health crisis falls largely on the shoulders of state and local officials. So are US states measuring up? Flu vaccination rates serve as a good proxy for answering that question.

Forensic Anthropologists Find Rare Skull Condition in Modern Humans

Skulls can tell forensic anthropologists a lot about health conditions in past human populations. Take cribra orbitalia (CO), a skeletal disorder characterized by porous bones in the eye sockets, known as orbitals. The spongy sections of the eye sockets have traditionally suggested to researchers that the decedent may have been malnourished, or could have possibly had intestinal parasites. The condition was thought to be extinct in modern, more robust, populations, but new research has found that not only does CO still exist, it’s not even uncommon in today’s human populace—suggesting that modern man may not be that much healthier than its distant relatives. CO is thought to be triggered by dietary deficiencies in young individuals causing the blood vessels to form small legions in the cranial vaults. The exact cause or causes of CO are not still fully understood, and there are few known adverse health effects associated with the condition, researchers say. Researchers examined a total of 844 skulls from three different time periods: 245 prehistoric, 381 historic, and 218 modern specimens. The results were unexpected, said coauthor Ann Ross, director of the Forensic Sciences Institute at North Carolina State University. “We thought we might see some CO, but not to the extent that we did,” Ross said in a written statement provided by the university. “The high rates may stem from the fact that these remains were part of forensic cases – there were often related to cases of homicide or neglect. These cases are not representative of health for all children.” Researchers found that 12.35 percent of modern North Americans and 16.8 percent of modern South Africans have CO—rates that are both higher than their historic counterparts. “These findings drive home the fact that disadvantaged socioeconomic groups, and parts of the developing world, are still struggling with access to adequate nutrition,” Ross said in the statement. “Corn may give people a full belly, but it’s not going to give people all of the nutrients they need to be healthy.”