Percentage of emergency visits related to fire, smoke inhalation rose eightfold after LA wildfires: Report
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(LOS ANGELES) — The percentage of emergency department (ED) visits related to fire and smoke inhalation rose dramatically in the days immediately after the Los Angeles wildfires last month, new data published Thursday shows.
The wildfires broke out in the Pacific Palisades and in Eaton Canyon on Jan. 7. Although several destructive wildfires emerged, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire caused the most damage.
Fueled by strong winds and dry weather, the fires burned more than 57,000 acres, destroyed about 16,000 structures, and killed at least 29 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
A team from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed data from the county’s Syndromic Surveillance program, which receives and analyzes real-time data from most county EDs.
By collecting this data, the program can detect early warning signals of a potential public health threat that requires a response and alert health care professionals, according to the department of health.
ED visits, referred to in the report as “encounters,” were classified as being wildfire-associated if fire or smoke inhalation–related terms were listed in the chief complaints or the diagnoses sections.
The team looked at three periods: a three-week period before the wildfires began, the first six days of the wildfires and the week after the wildfires began.
Data showed the average percentage of ED visits associated with the wildfires increased eightfold from 0.06% to 0.52% in the six days after the wildfires. The peak was seen on Jan. 8, with 1.01% of all ED visits related to the wildfires. During the week after the wildfires began, ED visits decreased but still remained elevated at 0.2% compared to baseline.
The average percentage of ED visits was found to be linked to an increase in the average daily Air Quality Index (AQI), which is put out by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Average daily AQI rose from 75, which is classified as “moderate level of concern” to an average of 110, classified as “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” in the six days after the wildfires began. In the week following the outbreak of the fires, average daily AQI returned to “moderate” at 58.
The report found a small increase in the average percentage of burn-related injuries and eye-related injuries but there were no increases seen in the percentage of visits related to asthma or cardiovascular reasons.
In contrast, the report found that immediately after the wildfires began, all-cause ED encounters — meaning visits to the department for any reason — decreased by 9%.
The authors stated that the decrease could for multiple reasons, with some including school closures, business closures, displacements, challenges accessing health care, residents seeking care in clinics or urgent care centers, or residents visiting EDs in neighboring counties.
“Near real-time surveillance of health outcomes during and after wildfires can estimate effects on health care use, serve as an early warning for acute health impacts, and identify opportunities for intervention,” the authors wrote. “Further analyses are planned to identify which illnesses have most affected specific populations.”
(AUSTIN, Texas) — The measles outbreak in western Texas is continuing to grow, with 24 new cases confirmed over the last five days, according to data published Tuesday.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
Three of the 505 cases are among residents who have been vaccinated with one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Seven cases are among those vaccinated with two doses.
At least 57 measles patients have been hospitalized so far, DSHS said.
Children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases, followed by children ages 4 and under.
Gaines County, which borders New Mexico, remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with 328 cases confirmed so far, DSHS data shows.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Some major medical associations are pushing back against the Department of Health and Human Services’ updated definitions of biological sex in federal policy in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order.
HHS issued new guidance on Feb. 19 where it said it “recognizes there are only two sexes: male and female,” adding: “HHS will use these definitions and promote policies acknowledging that women are biologically female and men are biologically male.”
“There is extensive scientific research that supports the complexity of sex and gender beyond binary classifications,” American Psychological Association CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., Ph.D., told ABC News in a statement. “The new restrictive definition of sex ignores decades of science, increasing harm to youth and families, while undermining critical mental health outcomes.”
The new HHS guidance for the federal government defines “sex” as “a person’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.” It further defines “female” as “a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing eggs (ova)” and “male” as “a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing sperm.” It additionally defines the definition of a “woman” as “an adult human female” and a “man” as “an adult human male.”
The updated HHS guidance also includes definitions for “father” as describing a “male parent” and “mother” as describing a “female parent.”
The HHS guidance doesn’t mention intersex individuals — people born with sex characteristics that don’t fit typical definitions of male or female. The National Institutes of Health estimates that about .018% of the population is considered intersex.
The federal government previously defined “sex” in broader terms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of HHS’ agencies, defines sex as “an individual’s biological status as male, female, or something else. Sex is assigned at birth and associated with physical attributes, such as anatomy and chromosomes.”
The CDC’s website defines gender as “the cultural roles, behaviors, activities and attributes expected of people based on their sex.”
After Trump took office, the administration ordered the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration to remove certain public health websites, including the CDC’s page with more gender-inclusive definitions, which were then taken offline. A judge granted a temporary restraining order to restore the pages after organizations filed lawsuits.
A banner at the top of the CDC page currently states: “Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website as of 11:59PM ET, February 14, 2025. Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes, male and female.”
The HHS did not include its own definition of gender in its updated guidance posted Feb. 19.
The second Trump administration has issued a number of executive orders targeting the transgender population, and a number of lawsuits have been filed to challenge them.
Human biology is complex, and not all individuals fit neatly into binary categories, Evans told ABC News.
“We cannot just ignore the biological science that some people are born with a difference of sex development (DSD),” Evans said in his statement. “DSD are congenital conditions where the development of anatomical, chromosomal or gonadal sex is atypical. It is important that we support access to psychological and medical interventions for such individuals who do not fall into the male or female category, putting them at a higher risk of depression and anxiety.”
Evans also said the new HHS definitions excluded the concept of gender identity.
“It is crucial to recognize the psychological science on the validity of gender identity, as it allows for a more accurate understanding of individual experiences beyond the binary framework of biological sex,” he said. “Research consistently shows that affirming both sex and gender identity is vital for promoting mental health and well-being.”
In its updated guidance, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Trump administration “is bringing back common sense and restoring biological truth to the federal government. The prior administration’s policy of trying to engineer gender ideology into every aspect of public life is over.”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement that it will not change its current definitions of sex and gender, and will use inclusive language “to recognize and affirm all people who seek and receive care from obstetrician-gynecologists.”
The ACOG also called on researchers to diversify studies by including gender-expansive participants and to report study participant characteristics inclusively by using language beyond traditional binary descriptors.
The American Academy of Family Physicians noted its long-standing policy on care for transgender and nonbinary patients, saying in a statement that it will continue to recognize that “diversity in gender identity and expression is a normal part of human existence and does not represent pathology.” It further asserted that “medical decisions are best made by patients, their families and their physicians, supported by medical evidence.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics said it will comply with all applicable executive orders as the law requires. “The AAP continues to hold that medical decisions are best made by patients, their families and their physicians, supported by medical evidence,” the organization said in a statement.
The American Medical Association’s policy on the Medical Spectrum of Gender, first enacted in 2018, appears to remain unchanged. It “affirms that an individual’s genotypic sex, phenotypic sex, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity are not always aligned or indicative of the other, and that gender for many individuals may differ from the sex assigned at birth,” according to the policy.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told ABC News the department has no comment.
ABC News has reached out to the White House for comment.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday, a day after HHS updated its guidance, that Trump “reestablished the scientific and biological truth that there are only two sexes in this country — male and female — that those are biologically based determinations. They are not based and can never be based on gender identity.”
Dr. Allia Vaez is a family medicine resident at Southern Regional AHEC and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
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(GAINES COUNTY, Texas) — The number of measles cases associated with an outbreak in western Texas has grown to 198, with 40 cases reported over the last three days, according to new data released Friday.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, with 80 unvaccinated and 113 of unknown status. At least 23 people have been hospitalized so far, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
Just five cases have occurred in people vaccinated with one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases, followed by children ages 4 and under.
The Texas death was the first measles death recorded in the U.S. in a decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A possible second measles death was recorded on Thursday after an unvaccinated New Mexico resident tested positive for the virus. The New Mexico Department of Health said the official cause of death is still under investigation.
Gaines County is the epicenter of the outbreak, with 137 cases confirmed among residents, according to DSHS. More than 90% of cases have been identified in just six counties, which account for less than 1% of the state’s total population, the department said.
State health data shows the number of vaccine exemptions in Gaines County have grown dramatically.
Roughly 7.5% of kindergarteners in the county had parents or guardians who filed for an exemption for at least one vaccine in 2013. Ten years later, that number rose to more than 17.5% — one of the highest in all of Texas, according to state health data.
The CDC has separately confirmed 164 cases in nine states so far this year in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Texas.
The total, however, is likely an undercount due to delays in reporting from states to the federal government.
The majority of nationally confirmed cases are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. Of the cases, 3% are among those who received one dose of the MMR shot and 2% are among those who received two doses.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to humans. Just one infected patient can spread measles to up to nine out of 10 susceptible close contacts, according to the CDC.
Health officials have been urging anyone who isn’t vaccinated to receive the MMR vaccine.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective. Most vaccinated adults don’t need a booster.
Texas health officials are recommending — for those living in the outbreak area — that parents consider an early dose of MMR vaccine for children between ages 6 months and 11 months and that adults receive a second MMR dose if they only received one in the past.
Earlier this week, the CDC said in a post on X that it was on the ground in Texas, partnering with DSHS officials to respond to the measles outbreak.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to the highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. However, CDC data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.
ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.
