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The Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Woman died after ‘rampant STI' invaded her body and attacked her vital organs – 4 signs you must know
A WOMAN died after an untreated STI invaded her body and attacked her vital organs. The unnamed woman from Alaska , who was in her 50s, passed away from disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). 1 Alaskan health officials warned high risk strains of gonorrhoea might be affecting people without symptoms Credit: Alamy This is a rare but serious complication of the sexually transmitted infection It occurs when Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria spreads from the initial site of infection, seeping into the bloodstream and vital organs. DGI is thought to occur in just 0.5 percent of all gonorrhoea cases. The woman arrived at her local emergency department in Anchorage, Alaska, in spring this year, already in a critical condition. Read more on STIs She was in respiratory distress - when the lungs aren't working properly due to serious illness - and was diagnosed with septic shock and heart failure, caused by Further testing revealed her body had been invaded by gonorrhoea bacteria. But the patient wasn't diagnosed with DGI until after she'd passed away. There were no records of her being tested for gonorrhoea prior to her presenting at the emergency department. Most read in Health She'd been treated twice in the prior six months for opioid abuse, according to the Eight cases of DGI were reported in Alaska between January and May 2025, report authors added. How to put a condom on - NHS The cases were spotted after patients were evaluated in emergency departments in Anchorage. Epidemiologic investigations didn't establish connections between any of the DGI cases. While gonorrhoea can be got rid of with antibiotics, some infected people may not get tested or treated as they don't have symptoms of the STI, according to Dr Liz Ohlsen, a staff physician with the Alaska Department of Health who wrote the report. As a result, they run the risk of developing dangerous DGI, she told the Health officials fear that a strain less likely to cause symptoms is circulating in Alaska, Dr Ohlsen went on. 'We think the most likely explanation for the rise in DGI cases is that more people with gonorrhoea are not getting tested and treated in a timely manner," she said. "Asymptomatic infections are thought to pose a greater risk of persistent untreated infection because people are less likely to have sought care." The Alaska Department of Health bulletin warned that people in Anchorage with a new sexual partner, more than one sexual partner, or a partner with multiple partners might be at risk of acquiring a strain of N. gonorrhoeae that's thought to carry a higher risk of causing DGI. Symptoms of gonorrhoea Typical symptoms of gonorrhoea include: A thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis Pain when urinating Pain and discomfort in the rectum Lower abdominal pain and bleeding between periods in women and other people with a uterus or ovaries Gonorrhoea can affect other parts of your body that come into contact with semen or vaginal fluid. This can cause: Pain, itching and discharge from your bottom A sore throat Eye redness, pain and discharge However, many people infected with gonorrhoea will have no symptoms, especially for infections in the throat, vagina or rectum. This lack of symptoms makes it important to test regularly when having sex with new or casual partners. If you do get symptoms, they usually start around two weeks after infection, although they sometimes do not appear until many months later. Untreated gonorrhoea can lead to serious health complications including: Infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) An infection of the female reproductive system, which includes the womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries An infection in the testicles or prostate In rare cases, gonorrhoea bacteria can cause a disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). It can cause frequently results in purple or pus-filled spots on the skin, joint pain, inflamed tendons or septic joint infections. Rarely, DGI can lead to inflammation of the liver, endocarditis - an infection of the inner heart lining - and meningitis. Having gonorrhoea during pregnancy can increase your risk of premature birth and your baby having a low birth weight. There's also a risk the infection could spread to your baby's eyes during birth, which is called gonococcal conjunctivitis. This can cause blindness if it's not treated with antibiotics. "While no specific sexual network has been identified, this strain may be circulating more broadly among persons with gonorrhea infection in Southcentral Alaska," report authors said. "The absence of documented gonorrhoea risk factors in most DGI cases suggests patients may not be asked about or disclosing key sexual history . "Few had symptoms before presenting with DGI, consistent with its progression from untreated mucosal infections. "Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients with GC are less likely to seek health care and may be at a higher risk of persistent untreated infection leading to disseminated infection." In the UK, health officials issued warnings earlier this year over cases of While most gonorrhoea infections can be treated effectively, certain resistant strains "present significant treatment challenges", the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. It warned that increased resistance could one day make the STI 'untreatable'. Meanwhile, the NHS announced it would begin vaccinating people against gonorrhoea come August, after cases of the STI hit a record 85,000 in 2023. Local sexual health clinics will offer the jab to gay and bisexual men, who are most at risk. Patients will receive the 4CMenB vaccine for meningitis B, which has been found to nearly halve the chances of catching Health chiefs reckon they can prevent around 10,000 cases per year. How to avoid STIs In general, sexually transmitted infections are highly preventable. The only method guaranteed to prevent STIs is to avoid any kind of sexual contact, but this method probably won't appeal to everyone! There are things you can do to limit the risk of exposure to infections while still enjoying an active sex life. The best way to avoid most STIs is to use a condom when you have vaginal or anal sex, as well as condoms and dental dams during oral sex. Below are some other things you can do to reduce the chances: Talking honestly with potential partners about your sexual history Getting tested, along with your new partner, before having sex Getting tested once a year Avoiding sex when under the influence of alcohol or drugs Completing a full course of treatment if you or your partner are diagnosed with an STI Not sharing sex toys, or washing them a covering them with a new condom if you do Where appropriate, getting vaccinated against HPV and hepatitis B
Scottish Sun
04-07-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Woman died after ‘rampant STI' invaded her body and attacked her vital organs – 4 signs you must know
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A WOMAN died after an untreated STI invaded her body and attacked her vital organs. The unnamed woman from Alaska, who was in her 50s, passed away from disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Alaskan health officials warned high risk strains of gonorrhoea might be affecting people without symptoms Credit: Alamy This is a rare but serious complication of the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea. It occurs when Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria spreads from the initial site of infection, seeping into the bloodstream and vital organs. DGI is thought to occur in just 0.5 percent of all gonorrhoea cases. The woman arrived at her local emergency department in Anchorage, Alaska, in spring this year, already in a critical condition. She was in respiratory distress - when the lungs aren't working properly due to serious illness - and was diagnosed with septic shock and heart failure, caused by endocarditis, a potentially fatal infection of the heart's inner lining. Further testing revealed her body had been invaded by gonorrhoea bacteria. But the patient wasn't diagnosed with DGI until after she'd passed away. There were no records of her being tested for gonorrhoea prior to her presenting at the emergency department. She'd been treated twice in the prior six months for opioid abuse, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Eight cases of DGI were reported in Alaska between January and May 2025, report authors added. How to put a condom on - NHS The cases were spotted after patients were evaluated in emergency departments in Anchorage. Epidemiologic investigations didn't establish connections between any of the DGI cases. While gonorrhoea can be got rid of with antibiotics, some infected people may not get tested or treated as they don't have symptoms of the STI, according to Dr Liz Ohlsen, a staff physician with the Alaska Department of Health who wrote the report. As a result, they run the risk of developing dangerous DGI, she told the Alaska Beacon. Health officials fear that a strain less likely to cause symptoms is circulating in Alaska, Dr Ohlsen went on. 'We think the most likely explanation for the rise in DGI cases is that more people with gonorrhoea are not getting tested and treated in a timely manner," she said. "Asymptomatic infections are thought to pose a greater risk of persistent untreated infection because people are less likely to have sought care." The Alaska Department of Health bulletin warned that people in Anchorage with a new sexual partner, more than one sexual partner, or a partner with multiple partners might be at risk of acquiring a strain of N. gonorrhoeae that's thought to carry a higher risk of causing DGI. Symptoms of gonorrhoea Typical symptoms of gonorrhoea include: A thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis Pain when urinating Pain and discomfort in the rectum Lower abdominal pain and bleeding between periods in women and other people with a uterus or ovaries Gonorrhoea can affect other parts of your body that come into contact with semen or vaginal fluid. This can cause: Pain, itching and discharge from your bottom A sore throat Eye redness, pain and discharge However, many people infected with gonorrhoea will have no symptoms, especially for infections in the throat, vagina or rectum. This lack of symptoms makes it important to test regularly when having sex with new or casual partners. If you do get symptoms, they usually start around two weeks after infection, although they sometimes do not appear until many months later. Untreated gonorrhoea can lead to serious health complications including: Infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) An infection of the female reproductive system, which includes the womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries An infection in the testicles or prostate In rare cases, gonorrhoea bacteria can cause a disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI). It can cause frequently results in purple or pus-filled spots on the skin, joint pain, inflamed tendons or septic joint infections. Rarely, DGI can lead to inflammation of the liver, endocarditis - an infection of the inner heart lining - and meningitis. Having gonorrhoea during pregnancy can increase your risk of premature birth and your baby having a low birth weight. There's also a risk the infection could spread to your baby's eyes during birth, which is called gonococcal conjunctivitis. This can cause blindness if it's not treated with antibiotics. "While no specific sexual network has been identified, this strain may be circulating more broadly among persons with gonorrhea infection in Southcentral Alaska," report authors said. "The absence of documented gonorrhoea risk factors in most DGI cases suggests patients may not be asked about or disclosing key sexual history. "Few had symptoms before presenting with DGI, consistent with its progression from untreated mucosal infections. "Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients with GC are less likely to seek health care and may be at a higher risk of persistent untreated infection leading to disseminated infection." In the UK, health officials issued warnings earlier this year over cases of "extensively drug resistant" gonorrhoea that aren't responding to antibiotic treatment. While most gonorrhoea infections can be treated effectively, certain resistant strains "present significant treatment challenges", the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. It warned that increased resistance could one day make the STI 'untreatable'. Meanwhile, the NHS announced it would begin vaccinating people against gonorrhoea come August, after cases of the STI hit a record 85,000 in 2023. Local sexual health clinics will offer the jab to gay and bisexual men, who are most at risk. Patients will receive the 4CMenB vaccine for meningitis B, which has been found to nearly halve the chances of catching gonorrhoea in adults. Health chiefs reckon they can prevent around 10,000 cases per year.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anchorage demonstrators join 'Hands Off!' rally, part of national protests
Apr. 5—More than 1,000 people marched through downtown Anchorage on Saturday, carrying signs and rallying against actions taken by President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk to reshape the federal government. The gathering was part of the nationwide Hands Off! demonstrations, which were organized in more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states. The protesters in Anchorage gathered at Town Square Park shortly before noon, and marched five blocks to the offices of Alaska's congressional delegation. Passing vehicles honked enthusiastically as sign-waving crowds filled both sides of L Street outside the offices of U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. Demonstrators were pushing back on the Trump administration for all kinds of reasons, including the president's sweeping tariffs, cuts to the federal workforce and slashed federal grant funding, with impacts continuing to ripple through the state. People were still arriving from Town Square at 1 p.m. as some of the first demonstrators to arrive began to leave the area. [Alaska Department of Health eliminates 30 positions, dissolves a public health program after federal funding cuts] [Alaska's US senators split on Canada tariffs with Murkowski opposed, Sullivan in support] [Alaska elections chief 'reviewing' Trump order that clashes with state voting deadlines]
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alaska Department of Health eliminates 30 positions, dissolves a public health program after federal funding cuts
Apr. 4—The Alaska Department of Health is cutting 30 positions and shuttering a program meant to improve public health access across the state after the Trump administration cut more than $50 million in previously awarded federal funding. A dozen federal grants to the Alaska Department of Health were terminated effective March 24 amid broad funding cuts, department spokesperson Shirley Sakaye confirmed Thursday, including funds awarded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that were set to expire by 2027. "Funds were utilized for time-limited projects that increased public health infrastructure and capacity," Sakaye said by email. As a result of the cuts, the department is dissolving the Healthy and Equitable Communities unit, which was launched in 2021 in response to health access and outcome disparities across the state that came into sharp relief during the pandemic. The unit focused on "creating partnerships across Alaska to ensure that the conditions in which Alaskans live, work and play support opportunities to lead healthy lives," according to a department webpage that was removed earlier this week. The program had staff in Anchorage, the Mat-Su region, Fairbanks, Bethel, Nome, Homer, Kodiak, Juneau and Ketchikan. Now, partnerships established by the department are set to be abruptly discontinued, leading to what could be significant impacts, including in rural communities where access to health services is limited. The 12 canceled grants originally amounted to more than $185 million, of which $135 million had already been expended, according to a list of canceled grants maintained by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The state lost out on $50 million in future funding, but because of the sudden cancellation of the grants, the state may also lose out on improvements it was planning to make through previous expenditures because projects will be abandoned midway. Among the terminated grants was a $96 million award toward improving epidemiology and laboratory capacity for preventing and controlling emerging infectious diseases. More than $24 million from that grant had yet to be spent and was canceled. The cancellation also impacted a $40 million award for immunization and vaccines for children, of which $16 million had not yet been spent when the grants were canceled. Alaska has seen a drop in vaccination rates among children in recent years. For example, a decade ago, about 94% of kindergartners were vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. As of last year, that rate had dropped to 84%, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The grant cancellations also impacted more than $7 million for a "national initiative to address COVID-19 health disparities among populations at high-risk and underserved, including racial and ethnic minority populations and rural communities," administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than $1 million out of a $4.7 million grant to address substance use was canceled. Roughly $700,000 in mental health grant funding was canceled. Julie Cleaton, policy committee chair for the Alaska Public Health Association, said the association opposes the cuts to public health funding. "We've always been underfunded, and this will not help. The state is already feeling the impact of these federal cuts," Cleaton said in an interview Thursday. Cleaton works for the state Department of Health as a data analyst for the Alaska Cancer Registry but was not speaking on behalf of the state, she said. "The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear to a lot of people in government that we weren't well-prepared. We're not working off of a healthy baseline population, and there are a lot of improvements to be made there. So there was some funding that went out because of COVID-19, but a lot of it was to prevent future outbreaks, to improve our systems and to get everyone healthier, not just specifically for COVID-19, but for everything," Cleaton said. Cleaton said that the Healthy and Equitable Communities unit — now disbanded — had been "positioned in several communities across the state to try and get to more rural locations that don't usually see enough public services." "We've been trying to work to help everyone get on a more even footing, health-wise, and this will just be a setback to that," she said. Ingrid Stevens, former president of the Alaska Public Health Association, said that Alaska will also be impacted by other cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "A primary concern is the supply of data," she said. Stevens, who works in the Alaska tribal health system, said that Alaska could lose critical data that the federal government collects and shares with states through surveys, including ones pertaining to mental health and substance abuse. "Those national bodies are the ones that give us guidance. They do all the research and they relay that down to the states so states can implement that research to help improve public health," said Cleaton. "If we don't have that national guidance, who's going to do that research?" Cleaton said that impacts of the loss of public health programming may not be felt immediately, but their long-term effects could be significant. "We've been seeing declining vaccination rates for several years — and now we're getting measles outbreaks. So it may take time to really feel the impact, but it will hurt what we do," Cleaton said. A federal judge on Thursday temporarily barred the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from terminating certain funding streams, after a coalition of Democrat-led states sued to restore the grants they had been awarded. Asked why Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor had not signed on to the case, state Department of Law spokesperson Patty Sullivan said that the federal funding — much of it not set to expire until 2027 — "was always only temporary in nature." "The ultimate outcome of the case is uncertain, and Alaska, like other states around the country, does not have state funds to fill the gap caused by the federal cuts," Sullivan wrote. 'A general sense of anxiety' Broad cuts to federal spending — led by tech billionaire Elon Musk — are set to have a disproportionate impact on Alaska, which receives a large share of federal funding per capita, economists, union leaders and nonprofit leaders have said. Already, 230 Alaskans in the federal workforce had filed for unemployment insurance since February, when mass firings began, according to Alaska's Director of Employment and Training Services Paloma Harbour. But this is likely the first time that Alaska state employees have lost their jobs due to federal funding cuts under the current Trump administration, according to Heidi Drygas, director of the Alaska State Employees Association, a union representing most state employees, who said the terminations impacted both permanent and non-permanent positions. Department of Health staff were laid off in communities including Anchorage, Juneau, Wasilla, Fairbanks, Homer, Valdez and Petersburg, she said. Drygas said the Department of Health was proactive in involving the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development to help impacted employees find other jobs with the state, which has a high vacancy rate across departments. The Department of Health — which has around 1,300 employees — had a 12.5% vacancy rate as of last month, a spokesperson said. But Drygas said that state employees are anxious — not just about layoffs that occurred this week but about potential imminent impacts of federal funding cuts, including future layoffs. "There is a general sense of anxiety," said Drygas. "Especially with employees that work under federal grants or they have federal counterparts that they work with on a daily basis." "What we're worried about is what comes next," she added. "It's just a really difficult time for state employees." Drygas said she anticipates future impacts, and hopes Alaska's congressional delegation will do "whatever they can to protect our federal funding." Alaska's two Republican U.S. senators said earlier this week that they were in touch with the Trump administration over the funding cuts to the Department of Health. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan has been "working with state health officials to gather more information about how these reorganization efforts impact Alaska," spokesperson Amanda Coyne said Wednesday. Coyne said that Sullivan had "an extended phone call" with Trump's Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which "focused on extending some of the grants at issue, and on larger solutions as part of HHS's reorganization efforts that would address Alaska's unique health care needs and challenges." None of the canceled grants have since been reinstated, the Alaska Department of Health confirmed late Thursday. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is "tracking the grant funding cuts, and her office is engaging with the administration," spokesperson Joe Plesha said. "The sudden loss of funding and the loss of these positions will make a real impact in Alaska, and the Senator is focused on finding solutions to continue the progress that has been made with these funds." The office of U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III "is monitoring these funding cuts and the direct impacts on Alaskans," spokesperson Silver Prout said in a written statement.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alaska lays off 30 public health workers as Trump cuts ripple through state government
The offices of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services are seen in Juneau on Friday, July 1, 2022. (Photo by Lisa Phu/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska Department of Health abruptly laid off 30 public health employees this week after the federal government canceled a series of grants unexpectedly early. 'Their last day of employment is today, and they found out — I believe — earlier this week. So it is very abrupt,' said Heidi Drygas, director of the Alaska State Employees Association, the union that represents 22 of the 30 laid-off employees. The layoffs are believed to be the first round of significant Alaska state-government job losses caused by President Donald Trump and the arm of the White House named the 'Department of Government Efficiency,' coordinated by Elon Musk. Trump-ordered cuts have already had significant effects on federal government programs and nongovernmental organizations that rely on federal grants, but until now, state-government jobs had been relatively protected. 'I fear that there are more (layoffs) coming,' Drygas said. 'I'm worried that this is the tip of the iceberg, and this rapidly evolving news story … is causing a lot of anxiety for our members, many of whom work under federal grants, or they work on a daily basis with their federal counterparts. It's hugely disruptive.' Alex Huseman, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Health, said the federal government brought an early end to two major COVID-19 response grants. Those grants had been expected to expire no later than 2027. The state's current operating budget and Gov. Mike Dunleavy's proposal for the coming year list millions of dollars in expected grant spending. 'The amended notice of awards for the impacted grants now reflect an end date of March 24, 2025,' Huseman wrote by email. 'The reductions in federal funding had an impact on 30 employees. The DOH is working with the Division of Personnel and the Rapid Response Team from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in accordance with the respective union contracts and regulations, to assist affected employees.' Drygas said the affected positions are spread across the state, and that as with any job losses, these cuts will have ripple effects in the local communities, since state salaries lead to local spending. 'In some of these smaller communities, there's not that many jobs, and so it could have a huge impact, or a disproportionate impact,' she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
