Photo from CDC Website

Five cases of mumps have been confirmed recently at Indiana University, four of which are at the Bloomington campus and one is one the Indiana University-Purdue University campus.

The University if working with both county and state health departments to identify anyone who may be at risk of contracting the illness. University officials are advising students, faculty and staff to look at their vaccination history. Any IU Bloomington students with symptoms, even if they have received the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine, should stay at home and call the campus health center before arriving.

According to the CDC: Mumps, mumps is caused by the mumps virus. It is spread through saliva and mucus from the mouth, nose and throat by coughing, sneezing, talking, sharing of items used in eating and drinking and touching contaminated surfaces. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite and the tell-tale sign, swollen salivary glands, resulting in puffy cheeks. Symptoms can take up three weeks to appear after initial infection, and the actual illness can last just as long.

Since this has historically been a childhood disease, complications can arise in adults. Adults, especially those born before 1957, that suspect that they have been exposed mumps should consult their primary care physician

The Louisville Zoo recently announced that a western lowland gorilla, named Mia Moja, is currently pregnant and is expected to deliver a baby in May. She is currently taking pre-natal vitams and has weekly ultrasounds to track the baby’s development.

This will Mia Moja’s second baby and the zoo’s eleventh gorilla. Her pregnancy is part of program to help the critically endangered species to survive.

Jefferson County assistant attorney, Jeff Metzmeier, has helped several victims of revenge porn. Revenge porn is when someone’s personal images are released to the public without their permission. Metzmeier described an incident where a man took a intimate picture of an ex-girlfriend, put it on T-shirts, and had his friends where the T-shirts to a bar to humiliate the woman.

Currently, if this woman calls the police, she would be told that this is not actually against the law. House Bill 110 is hoping to change that. This bill would make it a class A misdemeanor to distribute pornopgraphic images with the intent to harm or harass without consent of the person in the photo and a felony if those images are released for profit.

Since this type of behavior can easily be done from a computer, revenge porn can cross the line into cyber-bullying. Metzmeier said that if these images are sent to a website, if the victim requests their removal, the sites will have to remove them.

Kentucky State Senate has passed a bill that requires a woman who is having an abortion to have a meeting with a doctor, in person, before the procedure takes place.

Current law, passed in 1998, already requires women to a have meeting with a doctor at least 24 hours in advance of having the abortion procedure to discuss the medical risks and benefits. Many doctors have opted to have over-the-phone consults rather than in-person meetings since there are only two abortion clinics in the state: one in Louisville and one in Lexington.

The new bill would require this meeting to happen in person or a live video conference rather than over the phone. Opponents of the bill believe the requirement will make it harder for a woman to have an abortion. Supporters believe the requirement will help women understand the risks and benefits of the procedure more clearly before hand and believe that this best accomplished with a a real conversation and not a recorded phone message.

Governor Bevin is expected to sign the bill into law.

The Kennedy Bridge has been closed for repairs. It will remain completely closed for six months. It will mainly affect drivers traveling from Indiana into Kentucky on I-65 S.

Drivers going from Indiana into Kentucky on I-65, will need to detour to get access to I-64 East and I-71 North. The KY Transportation Cabinet recommends taking I-265 in Indiana to I-64 E.

After the chaos that occurred at Mall St. Matthews last month, people have been questioning the city’s curfew. According to the curfew ordinance, a minor cannot be out without a parent or guardian from 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM Monday through Friday and 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday.

According to Louisville Metro Police, this is a tricky law to enforce. If the police were to find a minor violating the curfew ordinance, state law says that a minor cannot be taken into custody for this violation alone. However, the county can fine the parents up to $500 for the violation.

Currently, some city leaders are trying to get the state law changed so that police can enforce the curfew more effectively.

Orkin, a nationally known company for pest-control, releases a list every year of cities that received the most bed bug treatments. Orkin has found bed bugs in all fifty states and states that they can easily travel from location to location in luggage, stuffed animals, and other personal effects. The insects, despite their name, are not limited to the bed. They have even found the critters in electrical outlets in some locations.

Chicago ranks number one again for the fourth year in a row. In general, the Mid-West has more than any other region and multiple cities in Ohio and Kentucky are found on the list.

Some neighbors on the list include Cincinnati, OH (#8), Indianapolis, IN (#15), and Lexington, KY (#33). Louisville has dropped significantly on the list from last year, #22 to #39. Despite efforts, bed bugs are a growing problem throughout the country, and an expensive problem. In 2013, Americans spent over $400 million in the treatment of bed bugs.

Photo from the CDC

Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that feed on the blood of people and other animals. The bugs are small, red-brown in color, wingless, and can survive several months without feeding. People can respond to the bites differently and most people just have normal small bug bites that resemble mosquito bites. Some people can be allergic to the bites and should seek medical attention.

Bed bugs are not known to spread any disease, but the itching caused by the bites may result in loss of sleep and secondary skin infections due to excessive scratching.