WHO reports rise in neurological illness

WHO reports rise in neurological illness

BERLIN

A rare neurological disorder is on the rise in several Latin American countries that are also seeing an outbreak of the Zika virus, the World Health Organization said Saturday.

The U.N. health body in Geneva said in a weekly report that Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), which can cause temporary paralysis, has been reported in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Suriname and Venezuela.

The increase in Guillain-Barre cases is appearing in conjunction with the spread of the Zika virus to 34 countries and also with increasing cases of microcephaly, a rare condition in which infants are born with abnormally small heads.

However, the health agency said “the cause of the increase in GBS incidence ... remains unknown, especially as dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus have all been circulating simultaneously in the Americas.”

Palestinian stabs Israeli soldier

JERUSALEM

A knife-wielding Palestinian woman attacked an Israeli soldier on guard near a sensitive West Bank holy site sacred to both Jews and Muslims on Saturday, wounding him and a Palestinian bystander before she was shot and killed by Israeli troops, the military said.

The stabbing incident occurred in Hebron, a flashpoint during the last five months of violence, in which Palestinians have carried out near-daily attacks, mainly stabbings.

Study: Noise hinders how children learn

WASHINGTON

From the cacophony of day care to the buzz of TV and electronic toys, noise is more distracting to a child’s brain than an adult’s, and new research shows it can hinder how youngsters learn.

In fact, one of the worst offenders when a tot’s trying to listen is other voices babbling in the background, researchers said Saturday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

“What a child hears in a noisy environment is not what an adult hears,” said Dr. Lori Leibold of Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, Neb.

Fire on train trestle

NORCO, La.

Firefighters used helicopters and airboats Saturday to douse a blaze on a train trestle west of New Orleans, but some Amtrak and freight service remain disrupted.

St. Charles Parish spokesman Tristin Babin said Saturday evening that the fire had been extinguished after an all-day effort. He said remaining hot spots should be out by this morning.

Officials responded after 8 a.m. when people working on the Canadian National Railway trestle reported the fire. Babin earlier had said workers were grinding rails, but later said he couldn’t confirm the cause. CN spokesman Patrick Waldron said the cause is being investigated.

Fritters recalled

WASHINGTON

McCain Foods USA Inc., of Lisle, Ill., has recalled about 25,215 pounds of potato, egg, cheese and bacon fritters that may be contaminated with extraneous plastic materials, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Subject to recall are 1,681 cases bearing a batch code 1001487402 and containing “McCain Early Risers Potato, Egg, Cheese & Bacon Fritters.” The products, which bear establishment number “EST. 18846” inside the USDA mark of inspection, were shipped to food service distributors in Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee, and Utah. Consumers who purchased these products are urged not to consume them, but throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

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