Florida child first in state to die from swine flu

Boston (HealthKnowItAll) - Health officials in the state of Florida have announced that a 9 year old boy is the first victim of swine flu to die in the state.

The boy haled from Miami-Dade County and is one of 417 Floridians to have fallen ill with the virus.

Since the outbreak of swine flu was reported earlier this year, globally more than 28,000 cases have been reported resulting in more than 100 deaths.

The virus originated in Mexico, and it is there where the majority of deaths have been reported.

Drug makers are rushing to develop a vaccine for the flu, but they say it will not be ready for up to 6 months.

Japan lifts ban on child organ transplants

TOKYO (AFP) — Japan's lower house voted to scrap a ban on child organ donations, paving the way for patients aged under 15 to receive life-saving transplants here for the first time.

Current law bans organ transplants by children, a situation which activists say has claimed thousands of lives and forced many families to send children in need of transplants on costly overseas trips for surgery.

Under Japanese law, transplants have been rare even for adults because tough rules require donors to give prior written consent to having their organs harvested when they are brain dead, while their families must also agree.

The amended bill would scrap the age limit and the need for prior consent, unless the person explicitly opposed having their organs used, but it would still require family members of the children to agree.

The bill was approved by 263 to 167 votes and sent to the opposition controlled upper house. If it is rejected in the upper chamber, a two thirds majority in the lower house could turn it into law anyway.

The major political parties had told their legislators to vote according to their conscience. Only the Japanese Communist Party abstained, claiming that deliberations had not been sufficient.

The bill would also recognise patients who are brain dead as legally dead, long a controversial topic in Japan where many religious groups say a person is only deceased once their heart and lungs have stopped.

Japan adopted an Organ Transplant Law in 1997, but since then only 81 transplants have been carried out, compared to several thousand each year in the United States and several hundred annually in Europe.

The long-debated reform plans were fast-tracked this year after the World Health Organization signalled it would ask signatory nations in early 2010 to limit organ transplants to within their national boundaries.

In the move against so-called transplant tourism, which seeks to limit abuses, Australia, Britain and Germany have already announced they will refuse Japanese patients seeking organ transplants.

Rising cost of child care leads more women to work from home

According to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), there are more than 96,000 women in the workforce in Arkansas with children under the age of six. This is more than 63% of mothers in the state. The national numbers are even greater, with more than 9,000,000 mothers of small children currently employed outside the home. This translates to a huge amount of money being paid by these families each year for child care costs.


The average yearly child care cost in Arkansas is between $3,900 and $5,500. The national average is even higher with costs soaring to as much as $15,000 per year. However, these costs, or at least a significant portion of them, could be saved if just one parent could work from home or telecommute. Many companies offer telecommuting options and there are a plethora of legitimate work at home jobs out there. Many women have begun taking advantage of these opportunities and saving their families a bundle in the process.

Have You Joined the Work at Home Revolution?

If you’re one of the many women struggling to balance the cost of child care with other living expenses, there is hope. Legitimate work from home can be found with perseverance, and there are many companies that will allow you to telecommute for some or all of your work hours. If you have a job that would allow for home work, create a telecommuting proposal to present to your employer. Many employers are jumping on the telecommuting bandwagon as it cuts down on overhead costs and generally results in happier, more productive employees.

If your employer won’t allow telecommuting and you continue to struggle to pay for child care, it may be time to look elsewhere for employment. There are many different jobs which can be done from home for pay that rivals the state average income. Virtual assistants, freelance writers and graphic designers, editors, programmers, customer service representatives, and tutors are just some of the positions that can be found for the aspiring work at home mom (or dad). Taking a job with slightly lower pay that allows you to work from home could still be beneficial to your family if you consider the money saved on child care costs, gas, clothing, lunches, etc.

Work at Home Moms: The Future of Motherhood

We live in an age where data transfer and the speed of information exchange gives almost anyone the opportunity to stay at home and earn a living. The number of women who choose to work at home and remain the primary caregivers for their children has raised more than 60 percent from 1975 to 1990 according to the government’s last major population survey. These women do not pay for child care costs and are still able to contribute to, or in some cases provide all of, the family income.

The modern woman seems to want more out of her life and career than corporate jobs can provide. Professional freedoms, flexibility, and fulfillment are what many working mothers are seeking, and as such, they turn to telecommuting or work from home positions in large numbers. Not only does this choice negate the excessive costs of childcare, it also provides a way for her to be available to her family while still earning a salary.

Making it Work for You

Although not all jobs will lend themselves well to staying at home with children, some are extremely flexible. Customer service jobs often require blocks of quiet time in which to work on the phone. Mothers of young children may find this impossible. Women with little experience or technical skills may also feel that they could never work at home, but this just isn’t the case any longer.

Freelance writing from home requires no experience to get started, as well as more entrepreneurial undertakings such as becoming a content publisher or affiliate marketer. More experienced workers can also find suitable jobs which allow them to stay at home with their children, such as becoming a virtual assistant or freelance graphic designer. No matter who you are or what your background may be, in today’s world becoming a stay at home mom is no longer just a dream – it’s a reality, and child care costs may well become a thing of the past.