California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii health officials ask CDC, ‘prioritizing emerging technologies’, to reconsider
California and Washington asked the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in May to validate a new way to test for measles – but after waiting two months, the CDC denied the request, citing “other competing priorities”, according to a letter from the West Coast Health Alliance to the CDC director, Erica Schwartz.
The letter, signed by health officials in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, asks Schwartz to reconsider and validate a rapid, high-volume measles test in preparation for major outbreaks. The alliance also asked the CDC to create protocols to test for other high-priority pathogens to prepare for future outbreaks.
A 70-year-old man disappeared for more than 24 hours, prompting an extensive search that stretched into the evening.
The Oahu man was last seen in the Big Island's Volcano area before he was reported missing around 12:16 p.m. Oct. 19, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
The man was identified as David Arai, whose son told Hawaii-based news station KHON2 his father was familiar with the area's hiking trails and that he frequently hiked alone.
K-9 Trina, a 3-year-old Labrador retriever specially trained to track people by scent, joined the search with her handler, Officer Christopher Ross, police said.
At about 7:30 p.m., Trina located the man on a trail roughly 2 miles from where his rental car had been found, according to the department.
Ross told KHON2 that Arai was lying on his back in bushes just off the trail when they found him.
Trina approached the man and licked his hand, according to the officer.
"The man was safely carried back to the trailhead and was subsequently transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center for medical treatment due to dehydration and exposure," the department said in the press release.
Family members later found her camper van at the Cabin Creek Trailhead, prompting authorities in Siskiyou and Shasta counties to launch a coordinated search.
Ground crews found Granbery alive near Cabin Creek on Oct. 4 after she fell down a steep embankment and suffered serious injuries and exposure to the elements.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter helped lift Granbery from the rugged terrain before she was taken to a hospital, where authorities said she was in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
The national park is also home to Kilauea, which recently erupted for the 55th time since late 2024 after a rare two-month pause, according to Fox Weather.
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