Navajo Nation warns hantavirus symptoms similar to COVID-19

A person on the Navajo Nation in McKinley County who contracted Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome was expected to move out of the intensive care unit April 28, an official with the Nation’s Department of Health said.

“Patient is doing fine,” Del Yazzie, an epidemiologist with the Navajo Epidemiology Center with the Native American health agency, said. “He’s alert and talking and [has] been doing some physical therapy.”

The most recent development this week follows an announcement about the case in an April 19 news release from the Navajo Nation.

HPS is most commonly transmitted to humans by airborne contact with...

Week ending Friday, April 23, 2021

Whitest White

Painting rooftops with a new type of super-reflective white paint could help reduce the effects of global heating in buildings and curb the need for air conditioning. Researchers at Purdue University say the paint they made with barium sulphate pigment rather than conventional titanium dioxide does not absorb any UV light and reflects 98% of all sunlight. Roofs have been painted white for centuries, but traditional paint reflects only about 80-90% of sunlight and still absorbs the warming UV light. While further tests for durability are needed, the developers say the super-white paint could be on the market within two years at a price...

In recognition of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples on May 5, several virtual events will be taking place aimed at increasing awareness around the growing epidemic.

Members of the 24th Navajo Nation Council, including Sexual Assault Prevention Subcommittee Chair Amber Kanazbah Crotty, are expected to take part in the following events:

May 5: Our Women, Our Relatives: New Mexico’s Call to Action (MMIWR Task Force);

May 5: MMDR Awareness: Understanding the Trials Navajo Families Face;

May 5: Office for Victims of Crime Webinar: Bringing our Missing Home: The Power of Science, Hope, and Community;

Additionally, an awareness walk will take place...

City of Gallup Street Department will be closing off the road starting at the

intersection of N.M. Highway 602 and Mendoza Road heading west to Armand Ortega Boulevard.

Motorists are advised to be alert for traffic signs and detours in the area.

The Wastewater Department will be fixing an effluent line in the area and will need to close off the road in order to  safely conduct repairs.

Please call Utility Dispatch at (505) 863-1200 or the Wastewater Department at (505) 879-5722 with any questions.