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Dedicated Insurance Professionals you know and trust...like Family
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Issue No. 73
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October 28, 2014
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Cancer, ebola, flu season - it's news, it's health and whether directly or indirectly, it affects you.
The current state for health care, changes in health insurance, new medical research, disease prevention, drug treatments - change, news and you. And, again, whether directly or indirectly, you are a participant.
It can all be very overwhelming. Thankfully, as a member participant with Texas Ag Coop Trust, you are a partner in health care decision making and you are partnered with a coverage provider that is thriving amidst all of the change and uncertainty.
What are you hearing? What has you concerned? With TACT, YOU are our business. How can we help you?
Now serving ALL of Texas Agriculture -
Contact us for more information
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
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 Facebook Feature
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Real. Deadly.
Cause for Rising Concern.
Ebola
News breaking in Dallas - "The day before she went to the hospital with Ebola symptoms, a Dallas nurse was flying halfway across the country on a commercial jet with 132 other people."
News breaking in Amarillo. "A patient showing ebola-like symptoms was isolated at Baptist Saint Anthony's Hospital." The patient was later confirmed to NOT have ebola.
Ebola.
With the flu season edging and symptoms on the rise, the outbreak of ebola is now causing feverish fear.
Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes bleeding inside and outside the body. As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels of blood-clotting cells to drop. This leads to severe, uncontrollable bleeding. The disease, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or Ebola virus, kills up to 90% of people who are infected.
According to Frieden, MD, director of the CDC, "Ebola is scary. It's deadly. It's unfamiliar. With concerns on the rise, basic information on the disease has been compiled to reveal FACT.
How Do You Get Ebola?
Ebola isn't as contagious as more common viruses like colds, influenza, or measles. It spreads to people by contact with the skin or bodily fluids of an infected animal, like a monkey, chimp, or fruit bat. Then it moves from person to person the same way. Those who care for a sick person or bury someone who has died from the disease often get it. Other ways to get Ebola include touching contaminated needles or surfaces. You can't get Ebola from air, water, or food. A person who has Ebola but has no symptoms can't spread the disease, either.
What Are the Symptoms of Ebola?
Early on, Ebola can feel like the flu or other illnesses. Symptoms show up 2 to 21 days after infection and usually include:
High fever
Headache
Joint and muscle aches
Sore throat
Weakness
Stomach pain
Lack of appetite
As the disease gets worse, it causes bleeding inside the body, as well as from the eyes, ears, and nose. Some people will vomit or cough up blood, have bloody diarrhea, and get a rash.
How Is Ebola Diagnosed?
Sometimes it's hard to tell if a person has Ebola from the symptoms alone. Doctors may test to rule out other diseases like cholera or malaria. Tests of blood and tissues also can diagnose Ebola.
If you have Ebola, you'll be isolated from the public immediately to prevent the spread.
How Is Ebola Treated?
There's no cure for Ebola, though researchers are working on it. Treatment includes an experimental serum that destroys infected cells.
Doctors manage the symptoms of Ebola with:
Fluids and electrolytes
Oxygen
Blood pressure medication
Blood transfusions
Treatment for other infections
How Can You Prevent Ebola?
There's no vaccine to prevent Ebola. The best way to avoid catching the disease is by not traveling to areas where the virus is found.
Health care workers can prevent infection by wearing masks, gloves, and goggles whenever they come into contact with people who may have Ebola. Those caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus should apply extra infection control measures to prevent contact with the patient's blood and body fluids and contaminated surfaces or materials such as clothing and bedding. When in close contact (within 1 metre) of patients with EBV, health-care workers should wear face protection (a face shield or a medical mask and goggles), a clean, non-sterile long-sleeved gown, and gloves (sterile gloves for some procedures).
Laboratory workers are also at risk. Samples taken from humans and animals for investigation of Ebola infection should be handled by trained staff and processed in suitably equipped laboratories.
According to a nurse working in an Amarillo-based dialysis center, wishing to remain anonymous, "We received a memo today advising all nurses to be aware and to be vigilant with hand washing. The general public needs to be aware that it is out there but there is really no need for mass hysteria that the media is seemingly creating. Wash your hands and don't travel to West Africa - at the very least, try not be in confined spaces with people who have traveled there," she states. "Washing your hands is the SINGLE most important part of keeping yourself healthy!"
Healthcare news such as this can be found on our Facebook Page!
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West Africa: Ebola outbreak puts harvests at risk, sends food prices shooting up
Courtesy Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations -
Agriculture in affected countries under significant strain, says new FAO special alert
 Rome - Disruptions in food trade and marketing in the three West African countries most affected by Ebola have made food increasingly expensive and hard to come by, while labor shortages are putting the upcoming harvest season at serious risk, FAO warned.
In Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, quarantine zones and restrictions on people's movement aimed at combating the spread of the virus, although necessary, have seriously curtailed the movement and marketing of food. This has lead to panic buying, food shortages and significant food price hikes on some commodities, especially in urban centers, according to a special alert issued today by FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS).
At the same time, the main harvest season for two key crops - rice and maize - is just weeks away. Labor shortages on farms due to movement restrictions and migration to other areas will seriously impact farm production, jeopardizing the food security of large numbers of people, the alert says.
Generally adequate rains during the 2014 cropping season had previously pointed to likely favorable harvests in the main Ebola-affected countries. But now food production - the areas most affected by the outbreak are among the most productive in Sierra Leone and Liberia - stands to be seriously scaled back.
Likewise, production of cash crops like palm oil, cocoa and rubber - on which the livelihoods and food purchasing power of many families depend - is expected to be seriously affected.
"Access to food has become a pressing concern for many people in the three affected countries and their neighbors," said Bukar Tijani, FAO Regional Representative for Africa. "With the main harvest now at risk and trade and movements of goods severely restricted, food insecurity is poised to intensify in the weeks and months to come. The situation will have long-lasting impacts on farmers' livelihoods and rural economies," he added.
Major spikes in food prices
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are all net cereal importers, with Liberia being the most reliant on external supplies. The closure of some border crossings and the isolation of border areas where the three countries intersect - as well as reduced trade from seaports, the main conduit for large-scale commercial imports - are resulting in tighter supplies and sharply increasing food prices.
In Monrovia, Liberia, a recently conducted rapid market assessment indicates that prices of some food items have increased rapidly - for example, in Monrovia's Redlight Market the price of cassava went up 150 percent within the first weeks of August.
"Even prior to the Ebola outbreak, households in some of the affected areas were spending up to 80 percent of their incomes on food," said Vincent Martin, Head of FAO's Dakar-based Resilience Hub, which is coordinating the agency's response. "Now these latest price spikes are effectively putting food completely out of their reach. This situation may have social repercussions that could lead to subsequent impact on the disease containment."
The depreciation of national currencies in Sierra Leone and Liberia in recent months is expected to exert further upward price pressure on imported food commodities.
Response efforts
To meet short-term food relief needs, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a regional emergency operation targeting some 65,000 tonnes of food to 1.3 million people.
At the same time, FAO's special alert says that "rapid assessments are required to identify the type of measures that are feasible to mitigate the impact of labour shortages during the harvesting period and for related post-harvest activities."
And measures to revive internal trade are essential to ease supply constraints and mitigate further food price increases, it notes.
Preventing further loss of human life and stopping the spread of the virus remain the top priorities at this time. FAO has joined the coordinated UN effort to support affected countries, is in daily communication with WHO and other key actors, and has personnel in West Africa aiding technical and logistical efforts.
It is critical that rural communities understand which practices pose the highest risks of human-to-human transmission as well as the potential spill-over from wildlife. Toward that end, FAO has activated its networks of local animal health clubs, community animal health workers, producer organizations, forestry contacts and agriculture extension and rural radio services to help UNICEF and WHO communicate risk to affected populations.
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Courtesy hhs.gov
Overview:
CDC confirmed on September 30, 2014, the first laboratory-confirmed case of Ebola to be diagnosed in the United States in a person who had traveled to Dallas, Texas from West Africa. The patient did not have symptoms when leaving West Africa, but developed symptoms approximately four days after arriving in the United States.
The person sought medical care at Texas Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas after developing symptoms consistent with Ebola. Based on the person's travel history and symptoms, CDC recommended testing for Ebola. The medical facility isolated the patient and sent specimens for testing at CDC and at a Texas laboratory. Local public health officials have identified all close contacts of the person for further daily monitoring for 21 days after exposure. He died of Ebola on October 8 and was cremated.
On October 10, a healthcare worker at Texas Presbyterian Hospital who provided care for the index patient reported a low-grade fever and was referred for testing. The healthcare worker has tested positive for Ebola according to preliminary tests by the Texas Department of State Health Services' laboratory. The healthcare worker was isolated after the initial report of a fever. CDC confirms that the healthcare worker is positive for Ebola.
CDC recognizes that any case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States raises concerns, and any death is too many. Medical and public health professionals across the country have been preparing to respond. CDC and public health officials in Texas are taking precautions to identify people who had close personal contact with the patient and health care professionals have been reminded to use meticulous infection control at all times.
October 12, 2014Update
- CDC did not recommend that people on the same flights as the index patient undergo monitoring because the index patient did not exhibit symptoms of Ebola during the flights from West Africa. Ebola is only contagious if the person is experiencing active symptoms.
- A healthcare worker at Texas Presbyterian Hospital who provided care for the index patient has tested positive for Ebola according to preliminary tests by the Texas Department of State Health Services' laboratory. The healthcare worker was isolated after the initial report of a fever and remains so now.
- The hospital and healthcare worker were notified of the preliminary positive result. In addition, CDC has interviewed the healthcare worker to identify any contacts or potential exposures in the community.
The 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa. One imported case from Liberia and associated locally acquired cases in healthcare workers have been reported in the United States. CDC and partners are taking precautions to prevent the further spread of Ebola within the United States.
Latest CDC Outbreak Information Updated October 22, 2014
What's New
October 22, 2014: CDC Announces Active Post-Arrival Monitoring for Travelers from Impacted Countries
October 21, 2014: Factsheet: Healthcare Workers - Could it be Ebola?[PDF - 1 page]
October 20, 2014: Nigeria is now free of Ebola virus transmission
October 20, 2014: Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment To Be Used by Healthcare Workers During Management of Patients with Ebola Virus Disease in U.S. Hospitals, Including Procedures for Putting On (Donning) and Removing (Doffing)
Continued New Information? Read here
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Texas Ag Coop Trust
915 Austin Street
Levelland, TX 79336
806-747-7894
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Texas Ag Coop Trust
Officers, Board of Trustees
Kimberly Tullo-Holcomb
TACT Executive Director
Lubbock, TX
Jim Turner, Chairman
Dalhart Consumers Fuel Association
Dalhart, TX
Bret Brown, Secretary/Treasurer
Ag Producers Co-op
Sunray, TX
Ben Boerner
Texas Grain & Feed Assn.
Fort Worth, TX
Craig Rohrbach
Parmer County Cotton Growers
Farwell, TX
Dean Sasser
Farmers Coop Elevator
Levelland, TX
Tony Williams
Texas Cotton Ginners' Association
Austin, TX
Paul Wilson
United Cotton Growers
Levelland, TX
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Texas Ag Coop Trust
is endorsed by:
Texas Grain & Feed
Association
Texas Cotton Ginners Association
 Texas Coop Marketing Exchange
Texas Corn Producers
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Continuing the Focus on Breast Cancer Awareness
Get Smart About Screening
 The mammogram debate has raged since 2009, when the U.S. Preventive Services TaskForce stated that women at average risk should start having them regularly at age 50. Meanwhile, many groups, including the American Medical Association, still suggest beginning at age 40. From the National Breast Cancer Coalition: "There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against universal screening...in any age group." It's enough to make your head spin!
"If you or your doctor detect a lump, you definitely need the test," says Lisa Schwartz, M.D. But she and Steven Woloshin, M.D., feel the benefits for those without symptoms have been oversold. In a new British Medical Journal analysis, they explain that early detection saves lives, but not as many as you might think. They also note that "for every life saved by mammography, two to 10 women are overdiagnosed" (meaning they received treatment they didn't need). "
"Deciding about the risks of screening is a value judgement," says Woloshin, who suggests reviewing the pros and cons with your doctor.
You are a partner in decision making and you are partnered with a thriving coverage provider.
Keeping YOU the priority. Keeping YOUR NEEDS in perspective.
With TACT, YOU are our business.
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
Next Issue: November 11, 2014
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