a doorway to ethnic media in the american heartland
Archive for December, 2009
December 27, 2009 at 12:53 pm · Filed under community radio we listen to, immigrant journeys, latino news media
There’s a radio show on a station in Progresso, Honduras where the sad message goes out daily. Do not go there. Do not let your dream become your nightmare.
But if you try to travel to the U.S., then know this is what you will face.
Hundreds of miles away in Tapachula, Mexico – a town on the border with Guatemala, there’s a small clinic that is a miracle. It’s financed by human spirit but because the spirit is so lacking the clinic barely supplies more than a bed for the Central American immigrants who have lost arms and legs trying to cross into Mexico on the way to el Norte.
Here is a blog from a reporter at Radio Arte that reminds me of these two places I visited not that long ago, that talks about the human wave snared daily in these traps, and about the power of a story from far away that feels close to those who have roots or legacies or even emotional bonds with those in Honduras or elsewhere. This is the power of the ethnic media.
Steve
Jose Luis Hernandez, 23, made his first attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border at age 18 because he felt there was a lack of economic opportunities in Honduras. The attempt was unsuccessful, but Jose Luis was undeterred. Determined to help support his parents and siblings in Honduras, Jose Luis tried again.
“I overheard doctors in the hospital saying, “God must really want him here. He’s lucky the train didn’t kill him,” Jose Luis says remembering his ordeal. Jose Luis, however, was not the only lucky one. In his hometown in Honduras, with a population of slightly over 2,000 people, there are 69 others who shared his fate.
After days, with no food or water, of making the journey “train hopping” to the U.S., Jose Luis’ American dream became a nightmare. Weakened, he fell from a train which severed his leg, and arm. The pain was so excruciating he tried to use his other arm to pull at the leg which had been caught by the train– his hand was almost entirely crushed. He had made it to a small town in Mexico.
In the beginning, Jose Luis wished he had died. Not only had he lost his limbs but he felt, instead of helping his family, he would be a burden.
Nostalgic Jose Luis says, “All I could do was cry like a little boy… The doctors would sedate me to calm me down”.
He spent two years in a hospital in Mexico rehabilitating himself. The hospital donated the prosthetic on which Jose Luis now walks, and he is grateful to the man who helped him the moment of the accident, but Jose Luis doesn’t stop at just gratitude.
“My mission is now to let others know that it is not necessary to immigrate to reach your goals.” Jose Luis works to warn others of the dangers of crossing borders undocumented. Sharing his story with young people, he hopes to motivate them to reach for their dreams, and search for opportunities in their homeland. Radio Progreso, in Honduras, helps Jose Luis spread his message.
When questioned about his future, Jose Luis is not shy in saying that he likes to sing, and he wants to continue to share his story in the hopes of helping others, but there is another dream that he wants to fulfill. Jose Luis requires specialized reconstructive surgeries for his hand, which can only be done in the United States, and a new prosthetic as his has become worn from use and age.
Jose Luis ends by saying, “I had everything, and I could of done a lot of things, but I did not do them, and now I regret it.”
*****If you know of an institution or individual that may be able to help Jose Luis Hernandez, here in the U.S., please visit WRTE.ORG, and post the information to Radio Arte’s Facebook or Twitter. You can also leave your comments and/or information on this blog. Part of this story is available on www.vocalo.org/explore in Spanish audio format.
http://tinyurl.com/yeswae7
December 18, 2009 at 5:04 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Numbers catch our eyes and imagination. They are magnets – more powerful magnets sometimes than words.
Consider the stories today that talk about the growth in the gap in health conditions for blacks and whites in Chicago.
The Sun-Times’ front page headline: “Health Care Gap Kills 3,200 Black Chicagoans a Year – and the Gap is Growing.”
Catches you and connects you, doesn’t it.
But the story was about a report and that’s what the newspapers and radio did today. What comes next is what matters. Stories that paint the reality of lives lost without good cause: struggles to overcome widening deficits in health care. Individual stories. Stories about communities; hospitals, individuals. Stories that don’t disappear.
Here is what I can imagine seeing.
Tracking the life of a clinic that sees these people who go unseen by most health care providers. Tracking the life of a pregnant woman who has just shown up for care in her 6th month or has never seen a doctor until the day she gives birth. Tracking the work of a nurse, a doctor, a community worker as they go about dealing with people who do not get the care they need.
Searching with someone for care they know they need but don’t know how to get.
I imagine charts that talk about care and fatalities according to race by community over a period of time. I imagine charts that bring this situation alive and which sit on the website of a newspaper or radio station, updated to show what’s happening. I imagine a photo display of the people who are affected by this story, and an audio presentation of what it means to them.
These are powerful numbers that need powerful reporting that doesn’t go away until the problem gets better.
Any suggestions for how to do this? Any stories or programs you think are doing this kind of reporting? Let me know,
Here’s the report that the Austin Weekly wisely put on its website:
http://www.austinweeklynews.com/ftp/pdf/study_121709.pdf
Steve
December 14, 2009 at 4:55 pm · Filed under global music
Outside the night is cold, but not Teatro Luna. Outside Chicago is scuffling along, head down in the wind, minding its own business.
But Teatro Luna is blissfully not and that’s the immense reward of sitting through the latest show by this all Latina performance group. Their current show, Lunaticas, is musical cabaret for those who need a song: heart-rendering or heart-lifting soliloquies for those who need to hear a human voice say something human and darn good humor for the rest of us hovering by in this place with so little sunshine these days.
They are playing at the Chicago Dramatists Workshop, 1005 W. Chicago, Saturdays till February. Here is their website, http://teatroluna.wordpress.com/
And while we are humming about ethnic roots, how about a holiday festival gathering with songs in Hungarian and Irish?
Christmas is a holiday that clearly belongs to everyone and a concert this Saturday Dec. 19th at the Irish American Heritage Center proves this.
Vizin Viktoria, one of the world’s leading soprano and a star in her home country, Hungary, will be performing. And Gallic holiday songs will among those she will be presenting.
Her performance is sponsored by the Chicago Hungarian Society, one of the nation’s oldest Hungarian organizations and the Romanian Chamber of Commerce. The concert also reflects the work of the Chicago Hungarian organization to form links with other immigrant and community groups.
Indeed, the Hungarian Society hopes to build a tradition for the future, where more ethnic groups will come together in such a celebration.
There also will be the band led by Rick Hunt, who is well known for his work at the Green Mill. And 16-year-old Nikolai Zebell will be playing on the piano. A Romanian orphan, at 14 years old he appeared on the Oprah show. Good thing we mentioned Oprah.
Considered one of the world’s top five Mezzo sopranos, Viktoria has played Carmen, in Bizet’s Carmen in a number of locations. Only this year, she toured Europe, Asia, and US, including an appearance with the Phoenix opera. She has performed a number of times at opera houses in Ireland.
You can buy tickets online : www.viktoriasfriends.com
Children’s tickets are $14, and there will be for the kids, as well as Santa’s arrival at 6PM. The ticket for an adult is $28 and for a student with an student ID it is $20. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and there will be a party afterwards.
Tickets can be bought online or at the door, but because of limited space, buying online may be good option.
When you get to the Irish American Heritage Center at 4626 N. Knox Ave., Chicago IL, 60630, try not to wander into too many parties.
And you have more of such ethnic entertainment to boost, please let me know.
saludos
Steve
For more information contact: Alex Kovacs at 773.295.7781
If you want to follow more global music and music from immigrant communities here, consider Global Fusion Chicago: http://worldfusionchicago.com/default.html
December 14, 2009 at 3:33 pm · Filed under Reporting on ethnic communities, health reporting
Out of the CDC’s recent briefing here came a nugget of news that needs to be followed up. Why are Latino and African-American patients suffering higher rates of the illness that lead to hospitalizations? The experts offered some explanations for the differences, but they said more investigating needed to be done to tell what’s happening
So that’s where you need to fill in the questions.
If someone comes up with a story that deals with this, please let me know – Steve
Here is a story from New America Media about that event that you are welcome to use. Simply credit the New America Media.
(www.newamericamedia.org) and them know if you do.CDC to Chicago Media: H1N1 Outbreaks May Be Ebbing But Stay Vigilant
New America Media, News report, Khalil Abdullah, Posted: Dec 12, 2009
CHICAGO – Since H1N1 was first reported in April, three times as many African Americans and Latinos have been hospitalized with “swine flu” in Illinois than non-Hispanic whites, according to data compiled by the Illinois Department of Public Health. “That’s a considerable difference,” acknowledged Dr. Craig Conover, medical director of the department’s Division of Infectious Diseases.
As of Dec. 4, Illinois has had 2,187 “lab-confirmed” H1N1 hospitalizations and 67 deaths. The state’s death rate tracks along similar lines — though at only twice that of non-Hispanic whites — for the same two ethnic groups. For all the concern about the immature immune systems of children or the deteriorating ones of the elderly, 26 individuals, or more than one-third of Illinois’s H1N1 deaths, were adults between the ages of 26 and 49, the largest cohort.
Dr. Felipe Lobelo, an epidemic intelligence service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted, “Hispanics and African Americans have high rates of chronic diseases,” like asthma and diabetes. Those diseases can weaken the body’s immune system, leaving a person more susceptible to H1N1 and to the seasonal flu as well.
Lobelo joined Conover and other health professionals on a panel convened by the CDC in collaboration with New America Media. The Dec. 4 discussion was the last in a series of CDC-NAM H1N1 briefings this year held specifically for ethnic media in eight U.S. cities.
Dr. Tyra Bryant-Stephens, medical director of the Community Asthma Prevention Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, explained that the flu is not the common cold. It is a “serious disease,” she said, and it is opportunistic. Individuals affected by asthma “already have inflammation of their airways,” a potentially dangerous pre-condition for diseases like the flu to attack the body’s respiratory system. She noted that asthma is especially prevalent in urban American communities where African Americans and Hispanics often reside.
“One out of four [urban children] have asthma,” Bryant-Stephens said.
Panel members also noted that lack of access to primary health care and lower vaccination rates among ethnic groups, as compared to the general population, may also be contributing factors to the striking differences in hospitalizations and deaths. Conover and other Illinois health officials said they are aggressively promoting a 311 call-in line where the public can get assistance in any language.
Each speaker emphasized the need for the public to pursue vaccinations for H1N1 and the seasonal flu.
“Seasonal flu may show up this year or next year,” said Capt. Raymond Strikas, a medical officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Vaccine Program. He said that though data show that the H1N1 outbreak may be ebbing, “flu activity remains high in the United States.” However, Strikas assured attendant media that the volume of H1N1 vaccine available is increasing by six to eight million doses weekly.
One reason for the initial shortage of H1N1 doses was the decision to use the traditional method of growing a safe vaccine by using chicken eggs, Strikas explained. H1N1 grew more slowly than anticipated, thus accounting for some of the production delays.
On a related note, Strikas said that health officials are closely monitoring reports of a few patients in the United States who have contracted a mutated flu strain resistant to Tamiflu. He said that other drugs are available to treat those patients and that the public needs to focus on preventative steps, including basic hygiene like hand-washing, to ward off flu infections.
As in the other seven cities where CDC-NAM briefings were held, Chicago’s ethnic media asked the panel to explain the policy on vaccinations for the undocumented immigrant population. A spokesperson for Cook County’s health department, which covers the “windy city” and its nearby environs, said that upon administering vaccinations, “we do ask where you reside, but [we] don’t ask for proof of residency.”
Another journalist asked if someone with a comprised immune system or someone from an at-risk population had to bring proof of their medical condition in order to receive a shot when the vaccine was being rationed. “Nobody needs to bring a doctor’s note,” answered Dr. Julie Morita, medical director for the Chicago Department of Public Health’s Immunization Program.
May Ju, a producer at New Tang Dynasty Television, asked whether U.S. health officials had given any consideration to instituting a temporary quarantine period for travelers arriving in the United States from countries like China. Countries sometimes underreport infectious disease rates for reasons related to preserving a positive international image or maintaining their tourism industry, she noted.
The panel members said there is no such plan. Strikas did point out, however, that “China has taken a lot of heat” because of its slowness to respond and inform the world community about infectious disease outbreaks, like SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003. But he expects China to be more forthcoming in reporting to international health agencies. Strikas said it is incumbent on the United States to maintain “vigorous surveillance.”
With November data still pending, the CDC mid-level range estimates that there have been 3,900 H1N1-related deaths in the United States as of Oct. 17. The World Health Organization has reported more than 7,800 H1N1-related deaths worldwide from April through November. Though it may appear that the United States is ground zero for H1N1 deaths due to its high percentage of the total number of deaths worldwide, one epidemiologist cautioned that many countries simply do not have the capacity to monitor or report the disease’s impact.
December 10, 2009 at 6:00 pm · Filed under African-American news media
A veteran police officer, now retired, ambles across the stage to accept an award for his service to his community.
A roar of cheers fills the room.
People are standing beside their tables and applauding. A number of his church members are on hand.
Up come the couple who have put their faith in their community years ago when white flight set in.
Rather than flee, they stayed and built a fine arts academy for black youths from the West Side and nearby suburbs. Again, people stand and cheer.
And there is the locate state senator, whose list of deeds draws another long, rousing applause.
These were some of the folks recently honored at the first annual fundraiser for the West Suburban Journal, a weekly paper that didn’t six years ago. But here it is, holding its first gala fundraiser and the money will go for its intern and scholarship program.
I am taken back and it is not just from the vibes in the dining room.
So, here is a paper growing in a time when others are disappearing. A paper serving a large sprawl of black communities on Chicago’s West Side that gets into the act, talking about what’s happening and gets attention for doing it.
As the night goes on, the story is told slowly how L. Nicole Trottie, the publisher and everything else for the paper, began with an idea and found support and advice and built up an organization around volunteers and interns and slowly one employee after another, and, according to the Illinois Press Association, became the first black female publisher of a weekly newspaper in Illinois.
Nicole’s dream, as someone said, has surely come true.
Stephen
December 8, 2009 at 3:27 pm · Filed under Ethnic Media in Chicago, Irish in Chicago
By Angela Evans
“I would do everything better,” says Cliff Carlson, editor of the Irish American News.
But his newspaper is flourishing, and running an ethnic media paper is no easy feat. The community readership is often so limited that it is a challenge to stay afloat— particularly in an economy that has had a brutal affect on the news media.
He thinks of expanding and revising his newspapers, but realizes that today is not the time to take such a step.
Carlson, 62, bought the Irish American News in November of 1991 from Bob Burns, who was the original founder and owner in March 1977. Burns was getting too old to go out and do it, and that’s where Carlson came in.
The Irish American News (IAN) has always been about covering everything and anything to do with the Irish community here in Chicago, with minimal coverage of Ireland due to the difficulty of accessing information from there.
Carlson is technically the only employee, relying primarily on independent contractors to cover the work he is unable to do personally.
He runs the paper out of an office of his Oak Park apartment. It contains two desks, a printer, a bookcase stuffed with various history and other books, and dozens of Irish tokens displayed as décor on the walls and other available surfaces. Carlson was born in Chicago, and is a mix of Irish and Swedish decent.
A Foot In The Door
Carlson got his start in publishing back when a friend wanted to publish a book and Carlson suggested the food industry, offering to do the type work. They put the book together and sold it, also selling ads from scratch. The rest is history- Carlson has stayed in publishing ever since.
Prior to the digital age, the paper was done by cut and paste, printed on two-color newsprint, making up 16 pages. Everything was done from the outside, Burns paying various people for stories and photos.
But times have changed and now much of the reporting and writing can be done in one place, which is cost efficient for Carlson.
A major roadblock for IAN along the way has been advertisers’ unwillingness to purchase ads. Carlson explains that nobody wanted to purchase ad space the first two times he approached them after he took over the paper. The third time was the charm, and finally they started buying.
Carlson says he has a hard time getting advertisers to realize how useful the publication can be to them in print and online. They often put up a defense, and it is his job to open up the lines of communication. His strategy for overcoming such barriers is to see people in person. He says calling and or emailing them is the lazy way to do it.
“Mainstream newspapers have made a big mess for us,” he says and blames the larger publications for throwing money at the Internet before they knew what to do with it.
He recounts the story of how newspapers then suffered steep financial losses and had to fire their reporters, compromising journalistic integrity and making wrong moves afterwards.
His Survival Strategy
All of this has not contributed to a thriving situation for a concentrated media outlet like the Irish American News or other like-minded publications.
IAN’s strategy for keeping interest in the paper is to report on as much as they can, and stay connected with the various Irish groups in the community.
Recently they participated in an event called IBAM Chicago, Irish Book Art and Music celebration, which was a three-day event that took place over the Celtic holiday. (Oct. 30- Nov. 1) This was a successful event, and Carlson plans to work further with the Irish American Heritage Center and the Gaelic Park to create awareness for the facilities and promote the Irish culture.
“We try to marry the web to the paper,” says Carlson, “and that seems to be working so far.” Carlson explains that the way to keep readers coming back to the publication is to offer a little something for everyone; you can’t cater to any particular niche. Everything Irish is the way to go. IAN prints about 25,000 papers per month, with an estimated 100,000 readers.
Carlson has also formed a group with 10 other Irish newspapers across the nation as well as started an Irish book club. The Irish book club have become a place to find the largest variety of Irish specific books, and the website appears in each of the affiliated papers. Indeed, the website has been a success since it was started approximately 6 months ago.
Though there are many stories Carlson would like to cover, he realizes he cannot do it all on his own. And though the recession may have stalled the paper’s march forward, Carlson says things are looking better lately.
And that alone is good news.
Angela Evans is an intern with the Community Media Workshop
December 7, 2009 at 4:09 pm · Filed under Ethnic Media in Chicago
You are elated. You are lonely. You are stuck in time and you are flying ahead of time.
You read the signs and hear what people say and you understand somewhat how these people behave and how they treat you and you wonder—what — what does this mean? How do I fit in here?
I was struck the other night listening to these snatches of remarks that come from stories about immigrants and their lives here: lives started anew, lives jolted from one country to another, lives renewed and replenished and restored.
It was at a session with Northwest University students who have been working with professor Jack Doppelt in writing about immigrant communities. For truth in typing, let me point out that Jack and I are partners in an effort that is linking together immigrant news outlets here in Chicago with the help of Northwestern students.
But back to the words that struck me.
This is the core of what the immigrant news media does here: it tells stories about there and here and makes here a more comfortable, more friendly place to be. And that is why I long to read and hear more of these stories that swirl in our imaginations.
Here is the link to the Northwestern program. Read their stories:
http://www.immigrantconnect.org/
December 7, 2009 at 3:07 pm · Filed under latino news media, our neighborhoods
Say you’ve just come to Chicago.
You don’t know where to shop. You don’t know how to go here and there. Or even how and where to take the bus. And where to find people’s addresses. You wonder about the weather.
You wonder about the schools, the police, the weather, and the weather, and the food and the people, too.
So why isn’t there is a website or blog that helps you, if you are newly arrived here from Oaxaca or Buenos Aires or Monterrey or Merida or Guatemala City.
That just one of the suggestions that came up at a recent meeting of the Chicago Association of Hispanic Journalists. It was the beginning of an effort by the group to create a website that will link Chicago’s Latino press and community and which will make their spot on the Internet a door, a link, a way to connect.
So, will there be a space for poets and musicians, a digital room for people without papers and for people who help those without people, for people who are disabled and for those who see the need and try to help all of those who suffer disabilities in the Latino community and on and on?
Will it become a vast room of Latino blogs, opening up doors and vistas for people who can talk about their old and new lives? Will it become a website that takes us to places we should visit?
The possibilities are endless. This is how a community’s voice grows. Thanks to Tony Olivo and Teresa Puente and the all the others with the Chicago Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Stephen
December 3, 2009 at 2:20 pm · Filed under Uncategorized, community reporting that matters, on immigration as a public policy issue
They are angry but they are divided. What is right? What should be done?
How can families be broken? But, also, how can they live here – living outside the law.
It’s the story of immigrants without papers and the often disastrous collision with U.S. immigration laws.
But this story, as told below, takes place among Poles living in the U.S.
Read the editorial from the Polish Daily News, and then watch the trailer from a story about a Polish couple from Chicago that were broken up – the wife deported.
Here is this story as presented by our colleagues, the New York Community Media Alliance
Stephen
Defending the undocumented?
By JL, Nowy Dziennik, 27 November 2009. Translated from Polish by Aleksandra Slabisz.
There are an estimated 12 to 15 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. The Polish community also has individuals who neither have permanent status nor prospects of being granted it – we are unable to determine the number.
Among the immigrants who have already received green cards or have been naturalized as citizens, there are many – who knows, maybe the majority – who broke the law in some way, for example by entering the country as tourists but with the hidden intention to work and get paid under the table; by finding a sponsor for the green card who in fact was never going to employ them; by overstating their previous job experience; or by altering their credentials. Even those Poles who proudly claim that they have not fallen out of status for a single day may have committed small offenses, such as getting a driver’s license in another state where the requirements are less restrictive.
It would seem that reform of the immigration system is an important topic for an ethnic newspaper like the Polish Daily News. We editors believe so and devote plenty of coverage to the issue. We figured that our community (including some formerly undocumented immigrants) would sympathize with those Poles who have not been lucky enough to get sponsored for a green card. Frequent comments on our website in response to articles on the subject confirm this empathy. The fact that sales of our newspaper go up when the cover story is on immigration reform indicates there is interest within the community on the issue.
The picture gets complicated though once we read the comments. Their tone is rather surprising. For the most part, Poles who share their thoughts on our website regarding immigration issues seem not to favor the reform. Many of the comments are sharp and contemptuous: “They broke the law, why should they be rewarded now?” Many call the undocumented immigrants freeloaders, who shun paying taxes and are a burden on the recession-stricken economy. Others believe that granting amnesty for those who have broken immigration laws will encourage other immigrants to remain here illegally, in hope that they will be forgiven via another amnesty.
Even Poles who used fake Social Security numbers, provided false proof of having worked in Poland, or gave an address different from that of their home address for the driver’s license application have now transformed into law defenders and ethical purists.
There are times that they too will admit concern for Poles living in the States illegally. Some would even grant amnesty to close friends who are undocumented while not showing mercy for others, believing that the real illegal immigrants are those coming from southern countries – Poles who do not support immigration reform don’t welcome the inflow of Latinos into the United States, and the resulting changes in the social structure. One can say they are racist; someone else might argue that they fear for the economy. Whatever their reasoning, Polish Americans have turned their backs on undocumented immigrants, including their own.
In editorials section of Edition 401 3 December 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NZGQwSO4xw
Tony and Janina\’s Story
December 1, 2009 at 5:30 pm · Filed under health reporting
When the Chicago Defender checked on the situation in early November, blacks were not lining up for H1N1 shots. And that was the case even though city officials say they had pumped up their effort to get folks to get the shots.
But that seems to be the case across the country and for large numbers in the nation’s immigrant and minority communities.
What does this matter?
If you want to tell this story and to hear the details from the government, come to a press briefing this Friday sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Medical experts from across the country will be on hand to talk about the virus, its possible impact on ethnic communities, the availability and the effectivity of the vaccinations.
They will be meeting from 10 a.m. to noon at the University Center, Park-Fountain Room, 525 S. State St., Chicago, Il. 60605
Here is a story from the Westside Gazette of Fort Lauderale, Fla. that raises some issues — issues you will probably want to talk about on Friday. See you there,
saludos,
Stephen
ThIn its mildest form, the HlNl swine flu virus amounts to little more than a cough, mild temperature and the general malaise that accompanies a stuffy head cold. In its more virulent form, the illness can lead to pneumonia or other respiratory conditions that can sometimes be fatal.
Now, researchers are beginning to suspect that Blacks and Latinos face far greater risks of contracting the H1N1 swine flu virus. The reason for the difference in severity has been linked to Blacks / Latinos’ high incidents of asthma and complications stemming from that condition. Consequently, both ethnic groups are often harder hit by the virus and more likely to wind up in the hospital than other ethnic communities.
That unsettling realization emerged from information gathered by Boston, Mass. health officials. Currently, African Americans comprise 25 percent of that city’s overall population, but account for 37 percent of all its swine flu cases. Similarly, Latinos comprise 14 percent of the city’s population, but make up over 33 percent of newly-confirmed H1N1 cases.
H1N1 hitting Black/Latino children harder
Authorities attributed the rise in numbers among minorities primarily to the city’s overcrowded and predominantly Black public school system, along with the fact that many parents, facing hard economic times and an uncertain employment market, are often reluctant to stay home from work when their children become ill.
“For some parents in lowerwage jobs, if they don’t show up at work, they don’t get paid and people may already be on the economic margins,” stated Dr. Anita Barry with the Boston Public Health Commission. “So parents were desperate to get some of these children back in school.”
Could this be a scenario that will be played out in South Florida in the coming months, some in the medical field wonder, given the high concentrations of minority students attending some PBC schools that are located in relatively poor areas of the county?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by a type A-influenza virus. Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change [or mutate] constantly. It is possible for pigs to become infected by avian [bird] influenza, and human viruses, as well as other swine flu viruses. When all of these viruses mix in the host pig, a whole new. set of viruses can form. The problem comes in because most people have no immunity to these new influenza viruses. As of mid July, 2009 a total of 33,902 laboratory-confirmed cases were documented in the U.S. although it is widely accepted that the true number of persons infected with H1N1 is well over a million and rising. Florida currently ranks among the top six states in the nation hardest hit by the swine flu virus, which is 20 times more prevalent among five-24-year-olds than people over 65, although, so far, it is spreading in a mild form.
Swine flu prevention
Nate Harrington, spokesperson for the Palm Beach County School District, recently spoke at some length about the H1N1 virus and how the District is dealing with it. Stating that there hasn’t been an outbreak of swine flu in the PBC School District to date, Harrington attributed their success to strict vigilance on the part of school staff.
“If students come to school, they’re immediately sent home. As soon as they’re identified coming off the bus, by staff trained to identify symptoms, they are isolated in a safe room, while staff telephone their parents to pick them up.” At no time are they “allowed to join the general population. Same policy holds with employees,” he said adding. “If you’re sick, stay home and call your doctor.”
Harrington also noted that the District basically gets its information and cue from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), via the Palm Beach County Health Dept; He made it clear, however, that the District is not into diagnosing or confirming any swine flu cases; their objective was merely to protect children under their charge.
Health experts advise people to take careful precautions to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus. It is particularly important to cover ones’ mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing; wash hands often and thoroughly with soap and water. Hand sanitizers are also helpful. It is also recommended that patients stay at home for a minimum of 24 hours after their fever starts to go down to avoid contaminating others, unless a doctor’s-visit is advised.
Health experts advise people to take careful precautions to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus. It is particularly important to cover ones’ mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing; wash hands often and thoroughly with soap and water. Hand sanitizers are also helpful. It is also recommended that patients stay at home for a minimum of 24 hours after their fever starts to go down to avoid contaminating others, unless a doctor’s-visit is advised.
In its mildest form, the HlNl swine flu virus amounts to little more than a cough, mild temperature and the general malaise that accompanies a stuffy head cold. In its more virulent form, the illness can lead to pneumonia or other respiratory conditions that can sometimes be fatal.
Now, researchers are beginning to suspect that Blacks and Latinos face far greater risks of contracting the H1N1 swine flu virus. The reason for the difference in severity has been linked to Blacks / Latinos’ high incidents of asthma and complications stemming from that condition. Consequently, both ethnic groups are often harder hit by the virus and more likely to wind up in the hospital than other ethnic communities.
That unsettling realization emerged from information gathered by Boston, Mass. health officials. Currently, African Americans comprise 25 percent of that city’s overall population, but account for 37 percent of all its swine flu cases. Similarly, Latinos comprise 14 percent of the city’s population, but make up over 33 percent of newly-confirmed H1N1 cases.
H1N1 hitting Black/Latino children harder
Authorities attributed the rise in numbers among minorities primarily to the city’s overcrowded and predominantly Black public school system, along with the fact that many parents, facing hard economic times and an uncertain employment market, are often reluctant to stay home from work when their children become ill.
“For some parents in lowerwage jobs, if they don’t show up at work, they don’t get paid and people may already be on the economic margins,” stated Dr. Anita Barry with the Boston Public Health Commission. “So parents were desperate to get some of these children back in school.”
Could this be a scenario that will be played out in South Florida in the coming months, some in the medical field wonder, given the high concentrations of minority students attending some PBC schools that are located in relatively poor areas of the county?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by a type A-influenza virus. Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change [or mutate] constantly. It is possible for pigs to become infected by avian [bird] influenza, and human viruses, as well as other swine flu viruses. When all of these viruses mix in the host pig, a whole new. set of viruses can form. The problem comes in because most people have no immunity to these new influenza viruses. As of mid July, 2009 a total of 33,902 laboratory-confirmed cases were documented in the U.S. although it is widely accepted that the true number of persons infected with H1N1 is well over a million and rising. Florida currently ranks among the top six states in the nation hardest hit by the swine flu virus, which is 20 times more prevalent among five-24-year-olds than people over 65, although, so far, it is spreading in a mild form.
Swine flu prevention
Nate Harrington, spokesperson for the Palm Beach County School District, recently spoke at some length about the H1N1 virus and how the District is dealing with it. Stating that there hasn’t been an outbreak of swine flu in the PBC School District to date, Harrington attributed their success to strict vigilance on the part of school staff.
“If students come to school, they’re immediately sent home. As soon as they’re identified coming off the bus, by staff trained to identify symptoms, they are isolated in a safe room, while staff telephone their parents to pick them up.” At no time are they “allowed to join the general population. Same policy holds with employees,” he said adding. “If you’re sick, stay home and call your doctor.”
Harrington also noted that the District basically gets its information and cue from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), via the Palm Beach County Health Dept; He made it clear, however, that the District is not into diagnosing or confirming any swine flu cases; their objective was merely to protect children under their charge.
Health experts advise people to take careful precautions to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus. It is particularly important to cover ones’ mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing; wash hands often and thoroughly with soap and water. Hand sanitizers are also helpful. It is also recommended that patients stay at home for a minimum of 24 hours after their fever starts to go down to avoid contaminating others, unless a doctor’s-visit is advised.
