Whooping Cough Reported.

The Jasper County Health Department has confirmed four cases of pertussis (whooping cough) and investigation continues into an additional four suspect cases in Jasper County residents.

Pertussis is highly communicable and can cause severe disease in very young children, according to information provided by the Department. It begins with mild upper respiratory tract symptoms and progresses to cough. The condition can further progress to severe paroxysms, often with a characteristic inspiratory whoop followed by vomiting. Fever is absent or minimal.

Cases of pertussis in schools and communities can last for several months, causing disruption in school and extracurricular activities.

The attack rates in school settings can range from 3-5% to 50-74%. Existing epidemiological experience from different outbreaks shows that pertussis may occur in fully vaccinated persons. Pertussis vaccination is only 85% effective, and the immunity wanes over time.

The Department asks residents to be on alert for signs and symptoms.

Fact-Checking Obama on That Job Count

by Mosi Secret, www.ProPublica.org

In President Barack Obama’s news conference on Wednesday night, he said the $787 billion economic stimulus bill has already created or saved over 150,000 jobs. We decided to find out how the president arrived at that figure.

The simple answer: guesswork.

It turns out the feds don’t have a way to measure exactly how many jobs have been created or saved, so they use projections instead, and it’s all rather academic.

The new estimate, like the original one predicting the stimulus bill would save or create 3 to 4 million jobs, came from the Council of Economic Advisers. To get the number Obama used, economists at the council simply prorated their earlier estimates based on stimulus outlays as of April 21.

As we’ve reported before, the administration’s estimates are based on a guess at how much tax cuts and government spending will make the economy grow.

We asked Nigel Gault, an economist with the forecasting firm IHS Global Insight, about what he made of the administration’s latest assumptions.

"The only thing they have to go on is how much money has been actually spent," Gault said. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. The feds count the money that goes out the door. They don’t have close tabs on what happens after that, he said.

"You have to ask, ‘Has the money been effectively spent? Has it actually been spent in purchasing goods and services or whatever it was supposed to be purchasing?’" Gault said.

Gault noted that funding for larger projects probably won’t be spent all at once. If a city or county starts work on a project, it doesn’t hire every worker immediately.

State officials have a closer look at what’s happening on the ground; the picture there is hardly clear.

About 50 jobs have been created to work on two projects in the state of New York—road work in one county and culvert repair in another, said Erin Duggan, a spokeswoman for the state. The billions of dollars put into the education budget also created or saved jobs, but that’s difficult to measure.

Massachusetts last week issued notice to proceed on five transportation projects, said Cyndi Roy, spokeswoman for Gov. Deval Patrick. There are no employment numbers yet. Within state government there’s been one stimulus-related hire so far—the stimulus czar.

For the record, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says employment at the end of March stood at 133,019,000 jobs. That compares with 133,682,000 jobs at the end of February, the month Obama signed the stimulus bill.

In other words, a loss of 663,000 jobs. Employment as of April is set for release May 8.

The administration acknowledges its estimate does not reflect a net gain in jobs.

"It doesn’t mean that employment has risen by 150,000," Thomas E. Gavin of the White House budget office said in an e-mail. "Rather, it means that employment is 150,000 jobs better than it otherwise would have been."

So, 150,000. Maybe. Maybe not.

Whitehouse.gov Backs Down on Repeal

of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

by Brian Boyer, www.ProPublica.org

Update, May 2: Friday night, Whitehouse.gov reinserted language saying President Obama supports the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. The specific language: "He supports repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and national security."

A subtle but substantive change in the president’s position on "don’t ask don’t tell" was noticed today by our watchful eye-on-the-administration tool, ChangeTracker. An edit to the civil rights issues page tells the tale.

Previously, the message was clear. As of two days ago, whitehouse.gov said, "We need to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy." The new version of the page says that the president "supports changing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security."

In January, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked, "Is the new administration going to get rid of the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy?" Gibbs proudly gave a one-word answer, "Yes."

In March, Defense Secretary Robert Gates seemed to back away from that stance. When asked by Fox News about "don’t ask don’t tell," he said, "I feel like we’ve got a lot on our plates right now."

The latest changes on whitehouse.gov seem to further that hedge -- and make it the White House position.

When asked for comment, Shin Inouye, director of specialty media at the White House, said, "As is the case with most Web sites, periodic changes are made to WhiteHouse.gov. Recently we overhauled the issues section to concisely reflect the president’s broad agenda, and will continue to update these pages. The president’s commitment on LGBT issues has not changed, and any suggestions to the contrary are false.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

Then there was the guy who thought the ladies admired his physic because he over heard one say to the other, "Look at him, what a waste." Most folks in this part of the county grew up bein’ aware that avoidable waste was not a good thing.

I’m sure there are those who still feel guilty ‘bout fillin’ the bathtub more than half full. Leavin’ a light on when no one is in the room sets some folks off. The sayin’ "take what ya want but eat what ya take" is ingrained in most from the time they are old enough ta sit at the table.

‘Course common sense does have ta come into play. Runnin’ the last bit of rubber off the tires might end up with a blow out that wastes the whole car. Sometimes those treasures are just junk.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

To Your Good Health

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Hormone Changes Can Generate Migraines

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter, who is 41, has been getting really bad migraine headaches just before her periods. Is it due to menopause? -- V.M.

ANSWER: Her headaches are not due to menopause. They come from her menstrual cycle, and they’re called menstrual migraines. A migraine sufferer often can identify things that give rise to a headache -- foods, alcohol, physical exertion, too little sleep, too much sleep, hunger, bright lights and loud noise. For quite a few women, menstrual periods trigger the headache. The sudden drop in the female hormone estrogen that takes place at the time of a menstrual period precipitates headaches in these women.

Your daughter can take medicine prior to her anticipated menstrual period to prevent the headache. Naprosyn or one of the many other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, taken two days before the period begins, often can avert menstrual migraines. They should be taken for as long as the headache has lasted in the past.

Another approach is birth-control pills. The ones that stop periods for six months to a year are particularly useful. Seasonale and Lybrel are two such preparations.

Most migraine sufferers are aware of the triptan drugs -- medicines that have had a huge impact on migraine treatment. There are seven such drugs, and I won’t mention them all. Maxalt and Relpax are two of these drugs. The triptans should be used as the anti-inflammatory drugs are used -- two days before onset of periods and continued for the length of the usual migraine.