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Tag: quarantine

  • Ebola Nurse Action Figure Now Available

    A toy manufacturer called Herobuilders has designed the “Case-E Ebola Nurse Action Figure.”

    While Herobuilders insists that Case-E has nothing to do with the once quarantined nurse Kaci Hickox, the doll is obviously a simulacrum of the Ebola-free Doctors Without Borders member.

    Hickox, who was quarantined in New Jersey and then ordered to self-monitor in Maine for the Ebola virus, recently said her life is “back to normal,” after completing a 21-day period with no symptoms.

    The ad for the doll reads, “complete with health certificate 100% Ebola free doll.”

    Hickox returned from Sierra Leone on October 24, and was involuntarily quarantined at New Jersey’s University Hospital by Gov. Chris Christie. At the time, a slightly feverish Hickox protested that she felt vilified, and was allowed to travel to her Fort Kent, Maine home on October 27. She was ordered to remain inside her house and monitor herself for symptoms, under threat of legal action.

    Here is Case-E:

    Here is Kaci:

    When asked about Case-E, Herobuilders CEO Emil Vicale commented, “I don’t know who you’re talking about, I don’t know who Kaci Hickox is. This nurse’s name is Case-E. She bears no resemblance.”

    The Case-E Ebola Nurse Action Figure went on sale Monday for $29.95, and Herobuilders said 500 of the dolls will be ready by the holidays.

    Hickox made headlines recently after taking a bike ride around her neighborhood, after Maine Gov. Paul LePage ordered her to stay inside her home for a 21-day period. A judge sided with Hickox, and said she could come and goes as she pleased, as long as she continued to monitor herself for symptoms.

    After the three week period ended, Hickox commented, “I felt like every day should have been normal. I hope that one day we as an American culture can get over this fear and can learn to show compassion instead, and we can continue to listen to the medical experts about Ebola.”

  • Kaci Hickox “Back to Normal” Post Ebola Quarantine

    Kaci Hickox, the nurse who was quarantined in New Jersey and then ordered to self-monitor in Maine for the Ebola virus, said her life is “back to normal,” after completing a 21-day period with no symptoms.

    Doctors Without Borders member Hickox returned from Sierra Leone on October 24, and was involuntarily quarantined at New Jersey’s University Hospital by Gov. Chris Christie. At the time, a slightly feverish Hickox protested that she felt vilified, and was allowed to travel to her Fort Kent, Maine home on October 27. She was ordered to remain inside her house and monitor herself for symptoms, under threat of legal action.

    Hickox then defied Maine Gov. Paul LePage, and took a bike ride in her neighborhood, within the three week period she was ordered to stay inside her house. LePage called her “callous,” and untrustworthy. A judge then sided with Hickox, and said she was free to leave her home as she pleased, as long as she kept monitoring for symptoms.

    Regarding her quarantine and initial confinement to her house, Hickox commented, “I felt like every day should have been normal. I hope that one day we as an American culture can get over this fear and can learn to show compassion instead, and we can continue to listen to the medical experts about Ebola.”

    “I understand that we are still learning what democracy means in this country, and it’s disappointing,” Hickox remarked, adding that LePage had “said a lot of things about me that were just, first of all, untrue, and he doesn’t know me.”

    A recent poll conducted in New Jersey revealed that roughly two-thirds of voters agree with Christie’s decision to quarantine Hickox.

    Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, commented, “Gov. Christie has made a good read of how uneasy the public is with the seemingly uncertain response from the feds. The Ebola issue has offered him an opportunity to take on the mantle of leadership.”

  • Lara Logan Under Ebola Quarantine

    Lara Logan Under Ebola Quarantine

    CBS News foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan has quarantined herself regarding the Ebola virus after visiting Liberia to produce a segment for 60 Minutes, which aired Sunday.

    Logan, a South Africa native, checked into a hotel for 21 days in that country, and CBS revealed that she is set to leave this Friday. Four other members of the 60 Minutes production team have also self-quarantined, and none of the five have shown any signs of an Ebola infection.

    Logan and her crew visited the “Ebola Treatment Clinic” ran by the relief group International Medical Corps, and documented their safety precautions, which included being careful not to touch anyone, and being sprayed down with a chlorine solution.

    Here is a clip of Logan’s tour of the Liberian Ebola clinic, which has so far treated roughly 200 patients:

    “One thing that strikes you when you arrive in the country is that the first thing you see is Liberian workers in the airport who are wearing face masks, and some of them wearing aprons. Before you can enter the terminal building, you have to wash your hands with chlorine,” Logan commented during a FaceTime chat with 60 Minutes Overtime from her hotel room.

    As an added safety measure, Geoff Mabberley traveled with the team, though his sole function was to keep the crew safe. “Geoff just watched us every minute of the day. [He] sprayed us with chlorine and disinfected everything: the drivers, the cars, the luggage – every time you got out, came out of somewhere,” Logan remarked.

    Healthcare workers are especially susceptible to catching the Ebola virus, though International Medical Corps said that none of its employees have been infected.

    Commenting on the grave situation in Liberia, Logan said, “Ebola in Liberia is very much like a war. You have to keep it together because that’s your job, and you can’t be here if you can’t do that. But it’s so heartbreaking. It’s really been hard on all of us.”

  • Ebola Quarantine Acceptable to New Jersey Voters

    A poll conducted in New Jersey revealed that most voters agreed with Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to quarantine a nurse from Maine who had recently spent time in West Africa.

    Doctors Without Borders member Kaci Hickox returned from Sierra Leone on October 24, and was involuntarily quarantined at New Jersey’s University Hospital. At the time, a slightly feverish Hickox protested that she felt vilified, and was allowed to travel to her Fort Kent, Maine home on October 27. She was ordered to remain inside her house and monitor herself for symptoms, under threat of legal action.

    In the poll conducted by Monmouth University, roughly two-thirds of voters agreed with Christie’s decision to quarantine Hickox. Only 27 percent of the respondents disapproved of Christie’s actions, and Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, commented, “Gov. Christie has made a good read of how uneasy the public is with the seemingly uncertain response from the feds. The Ebola issue has offered him an opportunity to take on the mantle of leadership.”

    Christie said that Hickox was sent to the hospital after touching down at Newark Liberty International Airport because she had a fever, but Hickox has insisted that she developed no Ebola symptoms the entire time she was held in New Jersey.

    Manifestation of Ebola begins with a sudden onset of an influenza-like stage characterized by general malaise, fever with chills and chest pain. Nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting are also common symptoms. Regarding the central nervous system, victims experience severe headaches, agitation, confusion, fatigue, depression, seizures and sometimes coma.

    Those who contract Ebola typically die of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) due to fluid redistribution, hypotension, weakened intravascular coagulation and focal tissue necrosis. The hemorrhaging that comes with the disease is typically not the cause of death.

    Healthcare workers are especially susceptible to catching the Ebola virus, and CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden commented that moving patients has the potential to do more harm than good.

    Of the 802 voters surveyed, 88 percent said they were well aware of the Ebola issue, though only 26 percent said they felt like the virus was a significant public health hazard.

  • Kaci Hickox: Judge Rules In Favor Of Nurse Over Quarantine Lawsuit

    Kaci Hickox, the nurse who made the news after a very public battle with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Maine Governor Paul LePage over Ebola quarantine laws, has reached a settlement with the Maine government that allows her to travel freely as long as she monitors her health closely.

    The Maine judge in charge of the case sided with Hickox and ruled that because she has exhibited no symptoms and is not contagious, she should not be isolated and her movements should not be restricted. In his ruling, the judge also slammed “misconceptions, misinformation, bad science and bad information” that has been circulated to the public regarding the disease.

    Hickox’s troubles began when she returned to the United States last month after treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. She was placed under mandatory quarantine after showing signs of elevated temperature. The mandatory quarantine was an effect of Gov. Christie’s new policy that anyone showing symptoms of Ebola, including high temperature, should be isolated despite the fact that the disease is not airborne.

    In an interview with CNN, Kaci Hickox said, “We know that Ebola is not transmitted as easily as many other diseases and that self-monitoring and even an enhanced version, which is what most states in the US are going to now, this will work”.

    Kaci Hickox’s legal battle happened after transferring back to her hometown of Maine where Gov. Paul Lepage tried to keep her quarantined for the duration of the disease’s 21-day incubation period.

    The nurse fought back against the unnecessary quarantine that was imposed on health workers, and said in the interview that “the biggest reason that I fought is because I, you know, felt so much fear and confusion, and I imagined what my fellow aid workers were going to feel if they came back to this same situation.”

  • Nina Pham Reunited With Bentley After The Dog’s Ebola Quarantine

    On Saturday, November 1, Dallas nurse Nina Pham was reunited with her dog after its 21-day quarantine on suspicion for Ebola infection. Pham, who had contracted Ebola while caring for a patient and successfully recovered from the virus, met her dog Bentley again at Hensley Field, the decommissioned naval air base at which it was being quarantined.

    Pham was apparently overjoyed to see Bentley, whom she called “one of my best friends,” and said she was “excited to take Bentley home so we can start picking out his gifts for his two-year birthday party next month” in a short statement she made on Saturday.

    Pham and Bentley were separated when the Dallas nurse tested positive for Ebola on October 12, leaving the King Charles Cavalier spaniel’s fate uncertain. Pham was reportedly brought to the National Institutes for Health in Maryland, while Bentley was cared for by the Dallas Animal Services. Dogs are supposedly not known to be carriers of the Ebola virus, but because it was uncertain whether they could transmit it from someone affected by it, Bentley was placed under a quarantine of 21 days and given twice-daily check-ups by veterinarians in hazmat suits.

    While Pham was cleared of the virus and released on October 24, Bentley was still under quarantine until November 1. The dog underwent tests for Ebola, the last of which happened on Thursday, October 30. Bentley tested negative for Ebola at all times, which meant he could go home at the end of his quarantine.

    “He’s such a joy, you can’t help but love this little guy. I can’t wait to see him on talk shows when he’s all healthy and out of here,” said Dr. Cate McManus, operations manager of Dallas Animal Services in an interview with CNN.

    Pham said that getting Bentley back “just feels like Christmas literally,” and that being with her dog was one step closer to her “feeling whole again.”

  • Kaci Hickox Refuses Ebola Quarantine in Maine

    Like many selfless health professionals, Kaci Hickox recently battled Ebola in West Africa under the banner of Doctors Without Borders. On October 24 she returned to the U.S. and was quarantined at a New Jersey hospital. Now Hickox has returned to her home in Maine where she is battling against a quarantine order that she says isn’t needed.

    According to a New York Times report Hickox was found to have a slight fever upon return to the U.S. Under New Jersey’s new Ebola preparedness plan the nurse was kept in isolation. According to the Times, New Jersey officials allowed Hickox to travel to her home in Fort Kent, Maine on October 27 under the threat of legal action.

    Now Hickox is also challenging Maine’s new Ebola quarantine policies. Maine, like many other states, has recently implemented tougher restrictions on citizens who have come in contact with those infected with Ebola. According to Maine Governor Paul LePage, the state is following CDC guidelines for in-home quarantine of such individuals. The guidelines include direct active monitoring for Ebola symptoms and strict travel restrictions including a ban on public transportation, going into workplaces, and going to public places or congregate gatherings.

    Hickox told the Times that she doesn’t believe the quarantine procedures are evidence-based. She also stated that doesn’t think such procedures “do a good job of balancing the risks and benefits when thinking about taking away an individual’s rights.” Hickox’s boyfriend, who she lives with, addressed the media on Thursday night and stated that the couple is “not trying to get anyone sick” but that they also feel they don’t pose a danger to their community.

    Hickox and Maine officials, including the state’s attorney general, on Wednesday participated in negotiations to keep Hickox in quarantine for two more weeks. Governor LePage announced on Thursday that those negotiations failed and that he will use all legal means available to address what he sees as a threat to public health.

    “We hoped that the healthcare worker would voluntarily comply with these protocols, but this individual has stated publicly she will not abide by the protocols,” said LePage. “We are very concerned about her safety and health and that of the community. We are exploring all of our options for protecting the health and well-being of the healthcare worker, anyone who comes in contact with her, the Fort Kent community, and all of Maine. While we certainly respect the rights of one individual, we must be vigilant in protecting 1.3 million Mainers, as well as anyone who visits our great state.”

  • Stacey Dash Offers Ebola Quarantine Advice

    Now that Ebola is infecting people in the United States, many people are panicking and wondering what our country will do if there is an outbreak.

    While the CDC has assured everyone that an outbreak the size of that in West Africa is not going to happen in the United States, many people are still wondering how an outbreak of any size will be handled.

    Stacey Dash may not be an expert on the topic of Ebola, but she did offer a smart solution to help reduce worry and prevent the spread of Ebola if an outbreak does occur.

    “I think they should set up special centers for just Ebola in each state,” said Dash, who co-hosted the show Outnumbered with Harris Faulkner. “They shouldn’t be letting people go into regular hospitals, where it could be spread.”

    “I just think that for this specific disease, we should have a special facility with specially trained people,” she added. “In each city. That way it’s not spread, and when the person walks in, they know what they’re looking for, they know if they find it, they know how to contain it. And they know how not to infect themselves.”

    While the CDC is saying that Ebola can and will be contained to ensure that there is not a large outbreak in the United States, many people are questioning the protocols in place.

    Two nurses who were treating the first Ebola patient in the United States contracted the disease while treating the patient and several other people throughout the country are being quarantined and tested for the deadly virus as well.

    Dash’s cohost on the show, Harris Faulkner, agreed with the idea and said that he believes things would go a lot more smoothly and people would feel better if we had a Surgeon General to help set some rules and regulations for treating the virus.

  • Stacey Dash Advocates Special Ebola Centers in the U.S.

    Since joining the Fox News Channel earlier this year as a contributor, former actress Stacey Dash has managed to avoid the infamy associated with much of the channel’s on-air talent. Dash made headlines over the summer for criticizing one of Kanye West’s weirder on-stage rants, but has managed to stay under the radar since then.

    Now it appears that Dash has stumbled into her very first Fox News flub.

    Dash appeared on the Fox News program Outnumbered on Monday, joining a panel discussion about the U.S. government’s response to the Ebola outbreak. The former actress ended up suggesting that quarantine centers be set up across the U.S. specifically for those suspected of having Ebola.

    “I think they should set up special centers for just Ebola in each state,” said Dash. “They shouldn’t be letting people go into regular hospitals where it could be spread.

    “I just think that for this specific disease we should have a special facility with specially trained people who know exactly how to deal with this in each city. That way it’s not spread and when the person walks in they know what they’re looking for, they know if they find it, they know how to contain it, and they know how not to infect themselves.”

    At face value Dash’s actual comments aren’t too extreme, especially considering some of the other opinions voiced on the same program. The internet, however, has decided that Dash may be a bit paranoid, considering only three Americans have been diagnosed with Ebola. Twitter users have voiced disapproval in their usual hyperbolic manner, though the former actress also has supporters:

    Of course, Dash hasn’t made it easy for herself on Twitter. The Fox News contributor last week tweeted out the provocative suggestion that the U.S. could house Ebola patients in the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison camp:

  • Second Ebola Infected Patient Arrives in Atlanta

    A North Carolina missionary who contracted Ebola while working in Liberia was transported to the United States Tuesday to begin treatment, just days after Dr. Kent Brantly was moved in a similar manner.

    Nancy Writebol, who is affiliated with the North Carolina-based Christian relief groups Samaritan’s Purse and SIM, arrived at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in a private jet converted into an “air ambulance.” Writebol departed from Monrovia, Liberia, riding inside of an Aeromedical Biological Containment System installed inside a modified Gulf Stream jet.

    Writebol was then transported to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta to be quarantined in a special isolation unit constructed at Emory, which was set up in tandem with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Writebol and Brantly are the first confirmed Ebola patients to be treated on U.S. soil, and both were said to have received an experimental dose of a drug called ZMapp, while still in West Africa.

    Three frozen vials of ZMapp were flown to Liberia last week, but the dose was only enough for one person. Brantly initially refused the medication so it could be administered to Writebol, and opted for a blood transfusion from a 14-year-old patient who survived a bout with Ebola, but his condition continued to deteriorate. The doctor said he felt like he was dying at one point while gasping for air, and was given a dose of ZMapp.

    Within hours, Brantly’s breathing improved, and a rash he developed disappeared. He was able to take a shower on his own the following day, and was seen walking into Emory University Hospital when he arrived in Atlanta. Writebol required a stretcher when she arrived at the hospital.

    The transport of Ebola-infected patients into the country has been controversial, as some have feared it might lead to a domestic outbreak. Though, Emory said in a statement, “Emory University Hospital physicians, nurses and staff are highly trained in the specific and unique protocols and procedures necessary to treat and care for this type of patient. The standard, rigorous infection control procedures used at Emory protect the patient, Emory health care workers and the general public.”

    Here is a clip describing precautions taken while medevacing an Ebola patient:

    While the ZMapp medication has shown promise, Emory doctor Bruce S. Ribner points out that supportive care is likely the key component in combating Ebola. “We depend on the body’s defenses to control the virus. We just have to keep the patient alive long enough in order for the body to control this infection.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Ebola Infected U.S. Aid Worker to Fly to Atlanta

    Officials at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta revealed Thursday that an unnamed American aid worker infected with the Ebola virus will be flown into the United States for treatment.

    The patient will be quarantined in a special isolation unit constructed at Emory, which was set up in tandem with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds said her agency was collaborating with the U.S. State Department to coordinate transporting the patient from West Africa.

    Two U.S. aid workers, Dr. Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol, both have confirmed cases of Ebola, which were contracted in Liberia. Brantly and Writebol are both affiliated with the North Carolina-based Christian relief groups Samaritan’s Purse and SIM. A spokeswoman for the groups described their conditions as being “stable but grave”, as of early Thursday morning, but could not confirm if either of them will be transported to Emory.

    Here is a clip describing possible precautions that would be taken while medevacing an Ebola patient:

    Manifestation of Ebola begins with a sudden onset of an influenza-like stage characterized by general malaise, fever with chills and chest pain. Nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting are also common symptoms. Regarding the central nervous system, victims experience severe headaches, agitation, confusion, fatigue, depression, seizures and sometimes coma.

    Those who contract Ebola typically die of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) due to fluid redistribution, hypotension, weakened intravascular coagulation and focal tissue necrosis. The hemorrhaging that comes with the disease is typically not the cause of death.

    Healthcare workers are especially susceptible to catching the Ebola virus, and CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden commented that transferring gravely ill patients has the potential to do more harm than good.

    There has never been a reported case of Ebola being treated in the United States, though five people have entered the country with either Lassa Fever or Marburg Fever, which are both similar to Ebola.

    The Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria is the largest recorded in history, and the disease has a mortality rate of roughly 68 percent. So far, the outbreak has taken over 700 lives, and a vaccination is years away. Yet, the National Institutes of Health is set to begin testing an experimental Ebola vaccine on human subjects in mid-September.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • China Bubonic Plague: City Quarantined, One Dead

    In China bubonic plague has forced officials to quarantine parts of the city of Yumen, which is located in the northwestern portion of the country. A 38-year-old man in that city died of bubonic plague last week. He had reportedly been in contact with a dead marmot, which is a type of squirrel-like rodent.

    Close to 100,000 people have been placed under the city’s quarantine and 151 people who were in contact with the victim have been placed in isolation. So far no one else has exhibited any symptoms of bubonic plague.

    The Xinhua news agency is reporting that the victim apparently chopped up the dead marmot and fed it to his dog. He later developed a fever and died on July 16th at a local hospital.

    Bubonic plague is typically spread through a bite from an infected flea. The World Health Organization says these fleas live on rodents and other animals and that without immediate treatment the disease kills more than half of those inflicted.

    Even in China bubonic plague is rare. It is still present, however, in rural areas. The World Health Organization reports that outbreaks have been rare in recent years, and most have happened in remote rural areas of the west. China’s state broadcaster said there were twelve diagnosed cases and three deaths in the province of Qinghai back in 2009, and only one in Sichuan in 2012.

    Bubonic plague is always associated with the Black Death that occurred in the 14th century, when it wiped out roughly half of the Chinese population. In the 19th century another severe outbreak known as the Modern Plague spread from China to Hong Kong and many port cities in between. Ten million died.

    As with this case in China, bubonic plague causes panic among those who aren’t aware there is now treatment for the disease. With the present quarantine and people in isolation, this one case may in fact be the only one diagnosed.

    Image via YouTube

  • Plague Found in China, City of Yumen Sealed Off

    Plague Found in China, City of Yumen Sealed Off

    Chinese state media reported Tuesday that the city of Yumen has been sealed off since last week, after a 38-year-old man died of bubonic plague.

    Yumen, which has a population of roughly 30,000, is situated in the northwestern province of Gansu, and is presently surrounded by police at roadblocks. No residents are allowed to leave the established perimeter, and travelers are being forced to take detours, according to China Central Television (CCTV).

    CCTV reported that Yumen “has enough rice, flour and oil to supply all its residents for up to one month.” China Daily newspaper revealed that “four quarantine sectors” have been set up in Yumen, where 151 people are being held for observation. CCTV added that “local residents and those in quarantine are all in stable condition.” No new plague cases have been reported in the city.

    The sole plague fatality in Yumen occurred after a man came into contact with a dead marmot. Marmots are similar to squirrels, though larger, and can carry plague-infected fleas in their fur.

    Bubonic plague is a bacterial infection of the lymphatic system, usually resulting from the bite of an infected rat flea, scientifically known as Xenopsylla cheopis. Plague symptoms appear suddenly, usually two to five days after exposure, and symptoms include general malaise, chills, high fever, muscle cramps, a painful lymph gland swelling called a bubo, seizures and gangrene.

    Roughly two-thirds of untreated plague cases result in death, though several types of antibiotics are effective in treating the infection, and when administered can cut the mortality rate to 1-15%. According to the U.S. Centers Centers of Disease Control, “human plague infections continue to occur in the western United States, but significantly more cases occur in parts of Africa and Asia.”

    Here is a clip documenting a case of domestic plague that a man contracted in Oregon:

    In China, plague is classified as a Class A infectious disease, the “most serious under China’s Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases,” according to the Xinhua news agency.

    Once known as the “Black Death,” bubonic plague ravaged Europe in the 14th century, leaving an estimated 25 million dead, or roughly 30–60% of the population.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Asian Citrus Psyllid Quarantine Expanding in Cali

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture added more area to the Asian citrus psyllid quarantine zones established in Tulare and Kern counties on Tuesday. The bug has also been detected in Dinuba and Wasco counties.

    The dreaded Asian citrus psyllid is sap-sucking, hemipteran insect from the family Psyllidae, and is one of the two known vectors of Huanglongbing Disease (“Yellow Dragon Disease” in Chinese), or “greening disease,” a serious citrus malady. The Asian pest can also be detected in parts of the Middle East, South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and the U.S. In the whole of the United States and its territories, anywhere the Asian citrus psyllid is found is put under quarantine. The bug was first detected in Florida in 1998, and now exists in Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, Arizona, Hawaii, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas and Southern California.

    The quarantine zones in Tulare and Kern counties have been expanded to 90 and 88 miles respectively. The quarantine doesn’t allow any host nursery stock to be moved outside of the zone, and requires all commercial citrus fruit to to be cleaned of stems and leaves. Area residents with backyard citrus trees, up to 60% have them, have been asked not to move any off of their property. A permit to move budwood and stock grown in USDA-approved anti-psyllid structures can be obtained.

    Elsewhere in California, Asian citrus psyllid quarantines are now up in Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Imperial, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

    According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, all citrus plants are susceptible to HLB (huanglongbing), and there’s no cure once a tree is infected. A diseased tree will eventually wither and die. The University of Florida estimates the disease has been responsible for 6,600 lost jobs, $1.3 billion in lost revenue to farmers and $3.6 billion in lost economic activity. HLB is present in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and South Carolina.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.