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ASHEVILLE, NC – January 23, 2025 – According to a Mission Hospital press release on January 23^rd, the health care system has begun temporary visitor restrictions because of an increase in influenza-like illness in the state and western North Carolina. The restriction will remain in place until the flu activity decreases.

The flu is a very contagious respiratory disease that is caused by the influenza virus. The illness can be mild to severe and sometimes lead to death. Infected people can have a runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, muscle aches, headaches and tiredness. Although, they may not have all these symptoms. Children or adults with severe symptoms should seek medical attention right away.

According to the CDC’s last weekly report ending on January 11^th, flu levels were high in North Carolina. There have been 36 deaths related to the flu in North Carolina in January according to the NC Department of Health and Human Services.

To reduce the spread of the flu, all Mission Health hospitals and clinics in western North Carolina will only allow 2 visitors per patient and children under 13 will not be allowed to visit.

Mission Health and the CDC have encouraged everyone to be vaccinated for the flu this year including children 6 months of age and older. They recommend that people stay home if they are sick with symptoms of the flu and that they should frequently wash or sanitize their hands. Mission Health has many hand-sanitizing stations throughout their facilities.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

ASHEVILLE, NC – January 29, 2025 – There is a surge of respiratory viral infections, like COVID-19, influenza (the flu) and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), during the cold winter months and this is taking place around here in western North Carolina.

The CDC’s COVID Dashboard shows no new data since last week’s report, for the week ending on January 11^th, including   

• The number of deaths in North Carolina due to COVID
• Emergency department visits for COVID-19

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID, flu and RSV outbreaks. For the week ending on January 18^th, the COVID-19 wastewater viral activity level for the state is high. The Buncombe & Henderson counties COVID wastewater data for the week ending on January 15^th shows:

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a red level representing the highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 80^th and 100^th percentile relative to the past peak level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample was not reported this week.

During the week ending on January 18^th, viral activity levels in the North Carolina wastewater were very high for influenza A and high for RSV. Both were very high in Buncombe County.

The CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week shows no new data since last week’s report. For the week ending on January 11^th, levels were high or very high in 42 of the 48 continental states, particularly in the South and the West. North Carolina was at a high level.

The CDC reports that the weekly percent of positive tests for RSV for the week ending on January 11^th is almost 13% in North Carolina and below 10% in Region 4 (which are the states in the southeast U.S. including North Carolina). Region 4 had climbed to more than 10% from mid-November to the week of January 4^th, reaching a peak of more than 15% around Christmas, the highest levels since last winter.

The weekly North Carolina Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard for the week ending on January 18^th shows:

• 14% of all emergency room patients had symptoms of a respiratory viral illness, no change from the previous week.
• Influenza-like symptoms represented about one-half of these patients, up 25% since last week
• There were more than 2 thousand hospital admissions from the emergency department in North Carolina for people who had a diagnosis, or symptoms, of respiratory viral infection, fewer than last week.
• ER visits and hospital admissions are at the highest levels since last winter.

There is a surge of respiratory viral infections during the cold winter months, as people spend more time indoors and due to an increase in indoor gatherings and travel during the holiday season. However, the COVID pandemic has made us aware that we can take steps to reduce spreading respiratory viruses. Therefore, we must protect at-risk groups who are susceptible to getting severely ill, like children younger than 5, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic medical conditions like heart and lung disease, and the immunocompromised.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

By Kevin Eddings

K.P. Whaley sat down with David Forbes, editor and founder of the Asheville Blade, to discuss the reaction to the Asheville City Council meeting that took place on Jan. 17. Tensions boiled over as residents voiced outrage over the city’s efforts on the housing crisis post Helene. Asheville City Council approved a $2.5 million to the Asheville Chamber of Commerce fueling heavy criticism from Asheville Blade editor, David Forbes.

Asheville City Council isn’t prioritizing displaced families post Helene, according to Forbes. “In the same meeting that the city of Asheville passed a $2.5 million to a front group for the chamber of commerce to practically harass homeless people, you had people coming to the podium in absolute tears shouting about the reality they’re going through,” Forbes said.

Asheville post Helene has 3,000 people worried about where they will live when the FEMA housing assistance ends.

The Norwell’s family of Swannanoa expressed at the meeting that they’re running out of vouchers, and they fear for what could be them living in tents in the future.

The Asheville government only allocated around $100,000 for aid towards the housing crisis, according to Forbes. While the local government sits on $225 million that was given to the city for housing relief which the city stated they won’t be used until the summer adding that there will be a lengthy process for it. According to Forbes, the priority of the council as of right now is to see if Asheville can recover the costs. 

“If you are a local wanting for aid that won’t be their priority,” Forbes said, expressing her outrage.

According to Forbes, people are going to be homeless in the near future due to Helene and the housing crises post Helene and that Asheville’s local government is more worried about passing a contract that would “police the homeless while 3,000 people in Asheville are on the break of homelessness with no help being given from the city to combat the problem.” She indicated that City officials like Mayor Esther Manheimer and council members Maggie Ullman and Bo Hess have repeatedly questioned FEMA representatives to see if funds could be diverted from helping homeowners and renters to instead help commercial property owners. “This is a significant sign of conflict of interest for the working class people of Asheville,” she said.

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

SILVER SPRING MD – January 15, 2025 – On January 15^th, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally banned the use of food color additive red dye No. 3 because of years of concern about its adverse health impacts. The FDA had ruled against the use of the color additive in cosmetics or externally applied drugs for more than 30 years because it has been linked to cancer in animals. However, the food additive is used in almost 9 thousand food products in America and commonly found in drinks, snacks, candies and cereals. Consumer advocacy groups and many scientists have tried to have the FDA remove Red 3 from foods, dietary supplements, and oral medicines for many years because of the cancer risk.

Food dyes are used to make junk food more appealing to kids. It may also fool parents into believing that the product contains a healthy fruit like strawberries. Red food dye 3 allows products to have bright cherry-red color. It is derived from petroleum. The dye is in many candies, cakes and frozen desserts including Brach’s, Pez, and Peeps and in many Halloween candies like candy corn. It is also in Dubble Bubble chewing gum. The food dye has been FDA approved for use in food and ingested drugs since 1969.

Studies in the 1980’s have indicated that high doses of red dye No. 3 caused thyroid cancer in laboratory male rats. As a result of these findings, the FDA banned its use in cosmetics, like lipstick and blush, and externally applied drugs in 1990. The agency has previously said that it would consider banning Red 3 in foods, ingested drugs, and supplements since U.S. laws prohibits the use of food additives that are shown to cause cancer in people or animals.

According to the FDA, red dye No. 3 must be removed from food by mid-January 2027 and from ingested drugs the next year. In 2023, California became the first state to ban the use of Red No. 3 in food. It is banned or severely restricted by other countries, including Australia, Japan, and the European Union. All color additives must be approved by the FDA before they are used in food sold in the U.S.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

ASHEVILLE, NC – January 22, 2025 – There is a surge of respiratory viral infections, like COVID-19, influenza (the flu) and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), during the cold winter months.

The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on January 11^th shows:  

• Fewer than 2% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 2^nd lowest level of 6 groups, an increase since last week.
• Emergency department visits for COVID-19 are minimal in North Carolina, representing a little more than 1% of all visits, and are stable since last week.

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID, flu and RSV outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties COVID wastewater data for the week ending on January 8^th shows:

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at an orange level representing the 2^nd highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 60^th and 80^th percentile relative to the past peak level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample was not reported this week.

During the week ending on January 11^th, viral activity levels in the North Carolina wastewater were very high for influenza A and RSV (including in Buncombe County).

The CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending on January 11^th indicates that levels are either high or very high in 42 of the 48 continental states, particularly in the South and the West. North Carolina is at a high level.

The CDC reports that the weekly percent of positive tests for RSV for the week ending on January 4^th is 16% in North Carolina and 15% in Region 4 (which are the states in the southeast U.S. including North Carolina). Region 4 had climbed to more than 10% from mid-November to the present, reaching a peak of more than 15% around Christmas, the highest levels since last winter.

The weekly North Carolina Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard for the week ending on January 11^th shows:

• 13% of all emergency room patients had symptoms of a respiratory viral illness, a decrease since last week.
• There were almost 2 thousand hospital admissions from the emergency department in North Carolina for people who had a diagnosis, or symptoms, of respiratory viral infection, fewer since last week.
• Both are at the highest levels since last winter.

There is a surge of respiratory viral infections during the cold winter months, as people spend more time indoors and due to an increase in indoor gatherings and travel during the holiday season. However, the COVID pandemic has made us aware that we can take steps to reduce spreading respiratory viruses. Therefore, we must protect at-risk groups, like older adults and the immunocompromised, who remain susceptible to getting severely ill.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour