HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

September 27, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• City, county officials blame each other for growing hepatitis A outbreak (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Tijuana Sewage Is Not Fueling the Hep A Outbreak, But the San Diego River Might Be (Voice of San Diego)
• By the numbers: San Diego’s hepatitis outbreak (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• First paralyzed human regains his upper body movement after treatment with stem cells (Ideapod)
• What will be Hurricane Maria's impact on Puerto Rico's drug industry? (Marketplace)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Brazil Declares it Won't Abolish Massive Reserve in the Amazon After All (NPR)
• Big Antarctic iceberg edges out to sea (BBC)
• What happens if police officer forces you to unlock your iPhone X with your face? (Jewish World Review)
• Equifax CEO steps down after data breach; he'll still get $18-million pension (San Diego Union-Tribune)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

City, county officials blame each other for growing hepatitis A outbreak (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Finger-pointing started Monday over what appears to be a delayed response to the deadly hepatitis A outbreak ravaging San Diego County, as public records to and from city and county officials began to be released.

Tijuana Sewage Is Not Fueling the Hep A Outbreak, But the San Diego River Might Be (Voice of San Diego)

…A January count found about 300 homeless people living along the river, said Sarah Hutmacher, the associate director of the San Diego River Park Foundation. Homeless people along the river go to the bathroom in the river or dump buckets that serve as portable latrines into it. They’re also known to use the river’s water for cooking, cleaning and even bathing. At least four cases of hepatitis A, including one death from it, have been linked to the San Diego River Valley, according to a county health department memo from July 26.

By the numbers: San Diego’s hepatitis outbreak (San Diego Union-Tribune)

San Diego is in the middle of the largest hepatitis outbreak since the 1990s…

First paralyzed human regains his upper body movement after treatment with stem cells (Ideapod)

When Christopher Boesen of Bakersfield regained consciousness after losing control of his car while driving in wet conditions, he was paralyzed from the neck down….

What will be Hurricane Maria's impact on Puerto Rico's drug industry? (Marketplace)

More than a quarter of all pharmaceutical drugs exported from the U.S. are made in Puerto Rico. 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Brazil Declares It Won't Abolish Massive Reserve in the Amazon, After All (NPR)

About a month ago, the Brazilian government said miners would get access to an expanse of rain forest larger than Denmark. After public resistance and a legal setback, it reversed course Monday.

Big Antarctic iceberg edges out to sea (BBC)

The near-6,000 sq km block of ice known as A-68 looks finally to be on the move.

What happens if police officer forces you to unlock your iPhone X with your face? (Jewish World Review)

That's the scenario that some privacy and security experts are raising after Apple on Tuesday unveiled its new iPhone X.... The technology, Apple said, replaces the home button and fingerprint reader that was so revolutionary just a few years ago with a new authentication system known as Face ID.

Equifax CEO steps down after data breach; he'll still get $18-million pension (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Equifax announced Tuesday that its chief executive would step down effective immediately, weeks after the credit-reporting company disclosed a massive data breach.