Health

California family found dead on hike killed by extreme heat, sheriff says

The California family that died in August while hiking in Sierra national forest was killed by extreme heat and probable dehydration, law enforcement officials announced on Thursday, providing some answers to a mystery that had baffled investigators for months.

The Mariposa county sheriff’s department believes 45-year-old Jonathan Gerrish, originally from the UK, his wife, 30-year-old Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog, Oski, died while on a hike on the Hites Cove trail on 15 August. Temperatures were as high as 109F (42.8C) that day, and the majority of the eight-mile trail has little shade or trees.

“Heat-related deaths are extremely difficult to investigate,” said Jeremy Briese, the Mariposa county sheriff.

The unusual case had stumped law enforcement since 17 August when officials found the bodies of the family and their dog on the remote hiking trail near the Devil’s Gulch area in Sierra national forest. They were all found in the same area, and it appeared they had completed most of the hike, Briese said.

Their vehicle was located a little more than a mile away, near a gate to the forest. A friend had reported the family, described as avid hikers, as missing. An 85-ounce (2.5-litre) water container the family had with them was empty, and they had no other water. There is no cellphone reception on the trail.

When officials found the bodies, no signs of the cause of death were immediately clear, and the area was briefly treated as a hazmat site. The sheriff’s department described the case as an “unusual, unique situation”.

The case transfixed the state and prompted national news coverage as law enforcement and online sleuths sought to determine what happened to the family.

In the months since, officials had considered but ultimately ruled out a number of other causes of death, including carbon monoxide, exposure to gas from mines in the area, a lightning strike, suicide and drugs.

Officials also considered the possibility the family had been killed by toxic algae after water sources in the area tested positive for it, but said at the news briefing they had found no evidence to support this as the cause of death. In September, Sierra national forest closed trails near where the family died, citing “unknown hazards found in and near the Savage Lundy trail”.

Temperatures were in the 70s when the family started their hike, but climbed as high as 108F as they made their way through the trail. Officials were unable to determine the dog’s cause of death, but believed it was also related to the heat.

The circumstances of their deaths, with the entire family and dog found together, were unusual, Griese acknowledged, but his office was confident in their findings. More than 30 local, state and federal agencies were involved in the investigation. The FBI is analyzing a cellphone found with the family, which investigators hope will provide more information about what unfolded on the trail that day.

The deaths, Griese said, were weather-related and there are no other known hazards to the public on the trail.

A friend of the family previously told the San Francisco Chronicle that Gerrish was a San Francisco-based software designer who “fell in love with the Mariposa area” and bought several homes there. The Fresno Bee reported that Gerrish worked remotely for Snapchat while Chung, who was from southern California and had previously worked as a yoga instructor, was in graduate school to become a marriage and family therapist.

“From everyone we talk to they were extremely happy, outgoing and loved finding Mariposa, and they were able to work from home and enjoy nature, and in the short time they were here they made a lot of friends,” Briese told the Chronicle.

In a statement read by a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, the Gerrish-Chung family said their loved ones’ deaths had been a “pain almost beyond words”, worsened by its mysterious nature. They thanked officials for their work on the case and efforts to provide answers.

“Our hearts will never forget the beautiful lives of Jonathan, Ellen, Miju and of course, Oski,” the statement said. “They will remain with us wherever we go and in whatever we do. In the future, when we sit beneath the trees listening to the wind soaring through the branches, we will hear them and we will remember.”

Health

No new COVID-19 variant in Nigeria- FG

The Federal Government has clarified that the newly detected XEC COVID-19 variant, identified in Australia and some other countries in Europe, is not in Nigeria.

Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Kachollum Daju confirmed that a recently leaked letter addressed to the Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors was precautionary and not intended to cause panic.

Speaking further, Daju noted that the XEC COVID-19 variant has been detected in 29 countries, and due to the festive season, when travellers arrive from various parts of the world, it is crucial for hospitals to implement measures to ensure the country is not caught off guard.

In a letter dated December 5, 2024, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, had urged health authorities to activate heightened alert systems across hospitals and maintain a high index of suspicion for patients with COVID-like symptoms.

The letter Signed by the Head of the Teaching Hospital Division, Dr O.N. Anuma, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, the letter called for collaboration with relevant stakeholders to share critical data regarding the variant and implement enhanced monitoring protocols.

“I am directed to inform you of a newly detected XEC COVID-19 variant, which has been reported in Australia and has already spread to 29 countries globally.

“You may wish to know that this variant has shown a growth advantage over other circulating strains, raising concerns about its potential impact on public health,” the letter read.

“Alert systems should be immediately activated throughout our hospitals for high index of suspicion in patients with COVID-like symptoms.

“Timely information sharing among relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Health, will be vital for effective response strategies.”

The Permanent Secretary stressed the importance of preventive measures during this period to prevent any potential spread of the variant into Nigeria.

Health

Oyo confirms 4 deaths in suspected Lassa fever outbreak

The Oyo State Rapid Response Team, on Thursday, confirmed four deaths linked to a suspected Lassa fever outbreak in the Saki West Local Government Area of the state.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, in Ibadan, the state capital, quoted his counterpart from the Ministry of Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, saying the fatalities consisted three males and one 32-year-old female who was preparing for her marriage.

The report was that an owner of a hospital, alongside three others, died in the town mysteriously.

Following numerous calls reporting deaths in the town, the commissioner tasked the team to Saki to investigate.

“The background information gathered that one of the apprentices at the hospital who had returned from Iwajowa and fell ill about two weeks before the incident was suspected to have introduced the infection.

“She likely transmitted it to her co-workers and the hospital owner.

“Three of the deceased exhibited typical symptoms of Lassa fever, including craniofacial bleeding, while the hospital owner showed fatigue and self-medicated with antimalarials and antibiotics.

“His condition only prompted hospital admission when his self-treatment failed,” the statement read.

It added, “Extensive contact tracing was conducted, with particular focus on high-risk contacts who had been involved in the bathing and burial of the deceased.

“The hospital where all the deceased were associated was closed down for decontamination.

“The hospital that admitted the deceased health facility owner, without being informed of the deaths from an ‘unknown’ illness, was also shut down for decontamination, and the doctor was placed under surveillance.

“Public awareness campaigns were held to educate the community about Lassa fever, its transmission, symptoms, and preventive measures.

“The RRT provided on-the-job training to health workers in the affected areas to reinforce Infection Prevention Control protocols and prevent further spread of the disease.

“Sample collection was also carried out on a person exhibiting symptoms, pending laboratory confirmation. The line listing of contacts is still in progress, focusing on individuals at high risk”.

The government team also conducted an advocacy visit to the palace of the Okere of Saki, who was represented by his second-in-command, and was briefed on the outbreak and the necessary containment measures.

“Local government authorities within Saki West were equally informed and aligned with the efforts to manage the situation”, the statement added.

Investigation, according to the commissioner, also revealed that the outbreak initially involved the council, but had extended to Iwajowa and Kajola local government areas.

He said the State Disease Notification Officer in the respective areas had been instructed to begin preliminary containment efforts while awaiting the full deployment of the State RRT.

The team, comprising the Director of Public Health, the State Epidemiologist, DSNOs, State Laboratory Focal Persons, representatives from the World Health Organisation and Red Cross, as well as the PHC Coordinator of Saki West and the LGA DSNO, embarked on a comprehensive investigation to the scene of the incidence.

Health

NCDC issues public advisory on Lassa Fever, warns of increased spread

FG issues Lassa fever alert, death toll hits 102, cases now 4,632

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC has issued a public health advisory on Lassa fever warning of increased case detection and spread of the viral infection.

The Director General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, raised the concerns following increased reporting of the outbreak by its surveillance teams across the country.

At a press briefing in Abuja, Dr Idris said the death toll from Lassa Fever in Nigeria has risen to 174 out of 1,035 confirmed cases across 28 states and 129 LGAs as of October 13, 2024.

”Lassa fever outbreaks are highly virulent and the loss of human lives resulting from disease are not just statistics but represent the death of beloved family members, spouses and parents.

”In 2022, Nigeria reported 1,067 confirmed cases across 27 states and 112 LGAs. In 2023, 28 states and 114 LGAs reported confirmed cases, with 9,155 suspected cases, 1,270 confirmed cases, and 227 deaths.

”While we continue to intensify efforts using an all-of-society approach, the public is hereby advised to note that the virus spreads through direct contact with urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats. Contact with objects, household items, and surfaces contaminated with the urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats.

”Consuming food or water contaminated with the urine, faeces, saliva, or blood of infected rats or person-to-person transmission through body fluids of an infected person.

Dr Idris also warned health care professionals to be alert as Lassa fever presents like other common illnesses accompanied by fever, headache, general body weakness, cough, nausea, vomiting,

While noting that early diagnosis and treatment of the disease greatly increase the chances of patient survival, Dr Idris highlighted the economic cost of Lassa Fever to communities and the healthcare system.

”The disease is also associated with significant loss of livelihood in the communities it ravages. Heads of households are unable to work when exposed to Lassa fever and when other household members are infected, the cost of care and treatment of the disease strains existing household income pushing households toward poverty.

”Healthcare workers are also vulnerable and the loss of experienced medical personnel due to infection further strains the country’s limited healthcare workforce.”