- Arizona guests file lawsuit against Las Vegas Strip hotel after bat found in hotel room, exposes them to rabies KLAS – 8 News Now
- Phoenix family sues Las Vegas hotel after reportedly finding live bat in room Arizona’s Family
- Arizona guests file lawsuit against Las Vegas Strip hotel after bat found in hotel room, exposes the 8 News Now — Las Vegas
- Family finds live bat in Strip hotel room, lawsuit alleges Las Vegas Review-Journal
- Family underwent ‘painful rabies treatments’ after finding a bat in Vegas hotel room, complaint says KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: rabies
Brother and Sister Die From Rabies After Multiple Bites From ‘Wild Animal’
Two children have died within days of each other after being bitten by a rabid wild animal, suspected to be a bat, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
The state health department confirmed the death of an 8-year-old girl from the town of Palo de Lima on Saturday. The patient had been receiving care at the Doctor Aurelio Valdivieso General Hospital in the state capital.
The death comes after the girl’s 7-year-old brother passed away as a result of a rabies infection on December 28.
Rabies is a serious viral disease that affects the brain and spinal cord of mammals. The virus is usually transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected animal.
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Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that human rabies cases are extremely rare in the United States, with one to three reported every year on average. Exposure to infected bats is the leading cause of human rabies deaths in the U.S., accounting for around 70 percent of fatalities.
But the disease still causes almost 60,000 deaths annually around the world—primarily as a result of exposure to rabid dogs—with the vast majority of cases occurring in Asia and Africa.
Rabies is preventable if treatment is administered promptly following exposure, but once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal in humans.
The CDC says it typically takes between three weeks and three months for rabies symptoms to develop depending on factors such as the specific type of virus in question and how far away the site of exposure is from the brain.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) shots are nearly 100 percent effective at preventing the disease if the treatment is administered before symptom onset.
In the case of the deaths in Oaxaca, the children are believed to have been bitten on December 1 but they were not taken to a medical clinic until around three weeks later, Dr. Concepción Rocío Arias Cruz, the director of the hospital, told the Milenio Televisión news station.
At this point, it was too late to save the siblings. The 2-year-old sister of the siblings was also bitten in the same incident but she received treatment and has not displayed signs of rabies.
The 8-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital on December 21 with health complications after being bitten by a “wild animal” and was in a “serious condition,” the Oaxaca health department said in a statement.
“During her stay at the [Doctor Aurelio Valdivieso General Hospital], a group of multidisciplinary specialists were monitoring the patient at all times; however, she suffered irreparable damage to her health resulting in the unfortunate death of the minor,” the statement said.
Following the first child’s death, health authorities in Oaxaca traveled to the remote town of Palo de Lima to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies
Newsweek reached out to the state health department of Oaxaca for comment.
Tennessee officials will drop raccoon bait spiked with marshmallow-flavored RABIES VACCINE
Tennessee officials will drop raccoon bait spiked with marshmallow-flavored RABIES VACCINE drops in bid to stop outbreak spreading among the woodland critters
- The Department of Agriculture and Wildlife Services, along with the Tennessee Department of Health, are air dropping rabies vaccines
- The vaccines are wrapped in fishmeal, but they are also field testing a marshmallow-flavored vaccine
- The oral vaccines are meant to stop the spread of the deadly virus in the wild raccoon community in the area
- Dr. John Dunn, Tennessee’s State Epidemiologist, said ‘Controlling raccoon rabies keeps people, pets, and livestock safe’
A round of rabies vaccines is going to be sent out to raccoons in the southeastern United States with a sugary twist.
The Department of Agriculture and Wildlife Services, along with the Tennessee Department of Health, are air dropping rabies vaccines to the critters wrapped in fishmeal, while field testing a marshmallow-flavored vaccine.
Low-flying helicopters will make the drops in the Volunteer State from October 3 to October 15 along with some of their bordering states, including Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.
The oral vaccines are meant to stop the spread of the deadly virus in the wild raccoon community in the area, according to ABC 24.
Dr. John Dunn, Tennessee’s State Epidemiologist, said ‘Controlling raccoon rabies keeps people, pets, and livestock safe. We’re pleased to partner with USDA Wildlife Services in this program to reduce rabies in wildlife and protect the community.’
A round of rabies vaccines is going to be sent out to raccoons in the southeastern United States with a sugary twist
The Department of Agriculture and Wildlife Services, along with the Tennessee Department of Health, are air dropping rabies vaccines to the critters wrapped in fishmeal, while field testing a marshmallow-flavored vaccine
The oral vaccines are meant to stop the spread of the deadly virus in the wild raccoon community in the area
Low-flying helicopters will make the drops in the Volunteer State from October 3 to October 15 along with some of their bordering states, including Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia
There will be USDA warnings on all vaccines in an attempt to keep people and especially children away from them
The USDA is currently testing the experimental, marshmallow-flavored vaccine and will be distributed in other parts of the Appalachians.
This particular vaccine, known as Onrab, has been tested for several years to determine environmental impact and has been tested on raccoons in Ohio and has been successful.
The USDA cautions people that while the bait packets are safe, people should take precautions – removal from areas where pets can eat them, confining pets who do find them – if they see them.
While one won’t harm your pet if they eat them, experts say that multiple could upset its stomach and that pet owners should not try to take it out of their pet’s mouth to avoid potentially being bitten.
There will be USDA warnings on all vaccines in an attempt to keep people and especially children away from them.
Lawmaker introduces rabies bill after rabid fox bites his leg
A California lawmaker who was bit by a fox is hoping to use his medical scare to get legislation passed that would bring down the cost of the life-saving rabies vaccine.
Rep Ami Bera, a physician who represents California’s 7th District, said while introducing the legislation on Wednesday – timed to align with World Rabies Day – that he only became aware of the high cost of the rabies treatment after he was wounded by a fox while walking on Capitol Hill.
“Despite being a fatal disease, rabies is preventable if treated quickly,” the California Democrat said in a statement Wednesday.
“After being bit by a rabid fox, I was fortunate to have access to readily available and low-cost vaccines. But for too many Americans, the costs of treatment would break their banks.”
Mr Bera, like others who are harmed by a wild animal, was treated with both a regimen of rabies shots and immunoglobulin. While most patients will go through a series of shots to treat the possible onset of the disease, immunoglobulin is only delivered once at the first appointment, as it serves as a temporary layover to kick the immune system into overdrive until the rabies medication begins taking effect.
The wild animal that bit Mr Bera back in April was first mistaken by the lawmaker as a small dog. It wasn’t until he turned around that he realised that it was a potentially rabid fox that had latched onto his back leg.
He was able to keep the animal from doing further harm to his body by using his umbrella as a makeshift weapon that he successfully used to shove the animal off.
A fox was later caught on the Capitol grounds after there had been several reported sightings of one prowling the area, and at least a couple others reporting that they too had been bit, The Washington Post reported.
While it’s unclear whether the captured fox was the same as the one that attacked the Democratic congressman, Mr Bera says that the incident has brought to light an issue he realises now is impacting more Americans than most likely assume.
“For uninsured Americans, costs for these life-saving vaccines could reach upwards of $7k. This is unacceptable,” tweeted the California congressman when introducing the Affordable Rabies Treatment for Uninsured Act on Wednesday.
Based on estimates from the Centers for Diseases and Control and Prevention, each year approximately 60,000 Americans will receive post exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which on the first day consists of one immunoglobulin dose and one rabies vaccine and is then followed up with three shots of the rabies medication on days 3, 7 and 14.
While the congressman said in his statement introducing the bill that costs for patients for the life-savings vaccine can range from $1,200 to $6,500, a Vox investigation from 2018 found that the entire invoice from a person’s trip to the emergency room – including the vaccines – can actually top out at closer to $10,000.
That investigation found that the problem of the high costs for patients arises from two factors. The first one being that the life-saving treatment itself is among the most expensive in the developed world.
According to the British National Formulary, one vial of rabies immunoglobulin costs £600, or $813, in the UK. With most adult-sized men requiring two vials, the total cost of the initial treatment would be $1,626, which is both a fraction of what American pharmaceuticals charge and is, importantly, covered for all patients through the country’s universal healthcare.
The second factor that brings the price of treating rabies up is the fact that it is most commonly administered in emergency rooms, as, according to data from Amino, that’s where 95 percent of post-exposure rabies treatment happens because that’s where most of the vials are stored.
Facility fees at emergency rooms, the flat rate that patients are normally charged just when they walk through the doors of a facility, can start at just a couple hundred dollars.
And since the treatment schedule for rabies requires multiple visits for each round of shots, patients are stepping across the threshold of the ER at least four times, each time racking up more and more “facility fees” since most primary care doctors wouldn’t have the drugs on their shelf.
For Mr Bera’s bill, it would allow for program-registered providers to submit claims to the secretary of Health and Human Services, which would then pay back providers who are providing the PEP services to uninsured patients.
“My legislation would seek to reduce the high costs of treatment for uninsured Americans, ensuring that no one has to choose between receiving treatment or not because of high costs,” Mr Bera said. “I encourage all Americans to remain vigilant around wild animals and to seek medical attention if bitten or scratched. Costs should never be a barrier for individuals seeking life-saving treatment.”
North Dakota family is ‘devastated’ and fundraising for a lawyer after they say police killed their pet raccoon that was sought in a local rabies scare
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Erin Christensen was arrested after she brought her pet Raccoon into a bar, according to The Bismark Tribune.
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Authorities raided Christensen’s home and killed the Raccoon on the spot, collecting his body to test for diseases, she said.
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The family set up a fundraiser to pay for Christensen’s legal fees and donate to a wildlife rehabilitation center.
The family of a woman in North Dakota who evaded police is raising money after she said local police shot and killed their pet raccoon in relation to a rabies scare.
Erin Christensen, 38, and her family is raising money on GoFundMe to cover legal fees after she was accused of causing a rabies scare at a local bar in Maddock, North Dakota when she brought in her family’s pet raccoon, she wrote on the fundraiser.
The family had been nursing the raccoon, named Rocky, back to health for three months, according to The Bismark Tribune.
According to the fundraiser, Christensen found the animal on the side of the road in June.
“Rocky was found approximately 3 months ago in the evening, he was lonely, scared, hungry, we decided not to engage him because maybe his mom would come to help him, the next day he was still in the same spot, so we took him in,” the family wrote on the fundraiser page.
“We were working very hard to rehabilitate him back into the wild we have bottle fed him, cared for him, he was still being bottle fed when he left and was still learning how to forage food we would place around trees and obstacles,” the family added.
Video: St. Louis company makes pancake art of pets
On September 6, police said that Christensen brought Rocky into a local bar in Maddock during happy hour, according to the Tribune.
Cindy Smith, who was bartending at the time, said that there were about ten people in the bar, and Rocky never bit anyone in the five minutes he was inside the bar.
“I saw she was carrying something, and I asked her what it was, and she showed me, and I said, ‘You’ve got to get it out of here,'” Smith told the Tribune. “I had no idea what she was thinking.”
According to the Tribune, the incident prompted the state Health and Human Services Department to issue a warning about potential rabies exposure.
“Rocky never left my arms when I visited the Maddock Bar, so who was at risk of rabies or other diseases?” Christensen stated on GoFundMe.
Christensen was arrested on Wednesday after the Benson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department executed a search warrant, according to the Tribune.
Scott Winkelman, the Division Chief of Game and Fish Enforcement, told the Tribune that Christensen tried to evade authorities.
The Benson County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately return Insider’s request for comment on Sunday.
According to the family’s statement on GoFundMe, the authorities promised them that they would quarantine Rocky and let him go as long as he did not show any signs of rabies.
According to the Tribune, authorities raided Christensen’s home in search of Rocky and killed the Raccoon on the spot, taking his carcass to test for diseases.
“The police brought a battering ram to break down the front door of the house where Rocky was being housed at the time of his death,” Christensen said on the GoFundMe. “The amount of manpower used to find and kill Rocky, with simultaneous raids on three different residences, is impressive. A shock-and-awe campaign.”
Rocky tested negative for rabies, according to the statement on GoFundMe.
Christensen was arrested on charges of giving false information to law enforcement and tampering with evidence. She was also given a Game and Fish violation of unlawfully possessing a furbearer, according to the Tribune.
The charges are misdemeanors that together would carry a maximum punishment of several years in jail and fines totaling $7,500, the outlet reported. Christensen is currently free on a $1,500 bond, the Tribune said.
“The impact to my family is that my children are confused and traumatized because of the excessive force that was used during the acquisition of this animal,” Christensen stated on GoFundMe. “This erodes the trust that they have in local law enforcement agencies. My children are devastated and inconsolable.”
The family is raising money on GoFundMe to not only pay for Christensen’s legal fees but also to donate a majority of the money to wildlife rehabilitation centers in memory of Rocky.
“Rocky was just a few months old, he was the sweetest, most loving little boy ever who everyone loved, there was never a dull moment being around him, he was so dang smart and always happy,” she said on the GoFundMe.
Read the original article on Insider
North Dakota family is ‘devastated’ and fundraising for a lawyer after they say police killed their pet raccoon that was sought in a local rabies scare
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Erin Christensen was arrested after she brought her pet Raccoon into a bar, according to The Bismark Tribune.
-
Authorities raided Christensen’s home and killed the Raccoon on the spot, collecting his body to test for diseases, she said.
-
The family set up a fundraiser to pay for Christensen’s legal fees and donate to a wildlife rehabilitation center.
The family of a woman in North Dakota who evaded police is raising money after she said local police shot and killed their pet raccoon in relation to a rabies scare.
Erin Christensen, 38, and her family is raising money on GoFundMe to cover legal fees after she was accused of causing a rabies scare at a local bar in Maddock, North Dakota when she brought in her family’s pet raccoon, she wrote on the fundraiser.
The family had been nursing the raccoon, named Rocky, back to health for three months, according to The Bismark Tribune.
According to the fundraiser, Christensen found the animal on the side of the road in June.
“Rocky was found approximately 3 months ago in the evening, he was lonely, scared, hungry, we decided not to engage him because maybe his mom would come to help him, the next day he was still in the same spot, so we took him in,” the family wrote on the fundraiser page.
“We were working very hard to rehabilitate him back into the wild we have bottle fed him, cared for him, he was still being bottle fed when he left and was still learning how to forage food we would place around trees and obstacles,” the family added.
Video: St. Louis company makes pancake art of pets
On September 6, police said that Christensen brought Rocky into a local bar in Maddock during happy hour, according to the Tribune.
Cindy Smith, who was bartending at the time, said that there were about ten people in the bar, and Rocky never bit anyone in the five minutes he was inside the bar.
“I saw she was carrying something, and I asked her what it was, and she showed me, and I said, ‘You’ve got to get it out of here,'” Smith told the Tribune. “I had no idea what she was thinking.”
According to the Tribune, the incident prompted the state Health and Human Services Department to issue a warning about potential rabies exposure.
“Rocky never left my arms when I visited the Maddock Bar, so who was at risk of rabies or other diseases?” Christensen stated on GoFundMe.
Christensen was arrested on Wednesday after the Benson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department executed a search warrant, according to the Tribune.
Scott Winkelman, the Division Chief of Game and Fish Enforcement, told the Tribune that Christensen tried to evade authorities.
The Benson County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately return Insider’s request for comment on Sunday.
According to the family’s statement on GoFundMe, the authorities promised them that they would quarantine Rocky and let him go as long as he did not show any signs of rabies.
According to the Tribune, authorities raided Christensen’s home in search of Rocky and killed the Raccoon on the spot, taking his carcass to test for diseases.
“The police brought a battering ram to break down the front door of the house where Rocky was being housed at the time of his death,” Christensen said on the GoFundMe. “The amount of manpower used to find and kill Rocky, with simultaneous raids on three different residences, is impressive. A shock-and-awe campaign.”
Rocky tested negative for rabies, according to the statement on GoFundMe.
Christensen was arrested on charges of giving false information to law enforcement and tampering with evidence. She was also given a Game and Fish violation of unlawfully possessing a furbearer, according to the Tribune.
The charges are misdemeanors that together would carry a maximum punishment of several years in jail and fines totaling $7,500, the outlet reported. Christensen is currently free on a $1,500 bond, the Tribune said.
“The impact to my family is that my children are confused and traumatized because of the excessive force that was used during the acquisition of this animal,” Christensen stated on GoFundMe. “This erodes the trust that they have in local law enforcement agencies. My children are devastated and inconsolable.”
The family is raising money on GoFundMe to not only pay for Christensen’s legal fees but also to donate a majority of the money to wildlife rehabilitation centers in memory of Rocky.
“Rocky was just a few months old, he was the sweetest, most loving little boy ever who everyone loved, there was never a dull moment being around him, he was so dang smart and always happy,” she said on the GoFundMe.
Read the original article on Insider
Rabies alert after woman brings raccoon inside North Dakota bar
Public health officials in North Dakota issued a rabies alert Tuesday after learning someone brought a captive raccoon inside a bar in the small town of Maddock.
The North Dakota Department of Health & Human Services is advising anyone who may have been bitten or had contact with the raccoon’s saliva to speak with a health care provider.
The incident happened at the Maddock Bar last Tuesday, according to authorities.
“Because rabies is such a serious disease with a nearly 100% fatality rate, we are making this information available to the public as a precautionary measure,” said Amanda Bakken, an epidemiologist with the state health department.
Bartender Cindy Smith told the Bismarck Tribune a local resident carried the animal into the bar during happy hour and showed it off to another customer.
The woman was immediately asked to leave.
“We finally got her out with it, and that’s all that happened,” Smith told the Tribune. “It never left her arms one time, and there was absolutely no biting.”
Six cases of rabies have been documented in North Dakota this year, including two bats, two cats, one bovine and one skunk.
The viral infection is most often transmitted through the bite of an infected animal, but it can also be transmitted if saliva or nervous system tissue from a rabid animal enters open cuts and wounds or the eyes, nose, or mouth.
There is no treatment and rabies is nearly always fatal, but post-exposure vaccines are available for anyone who might’ve been exposed to the infection.
The Humane Society of the United States says only one human has ever died from the raccoon strain of rabies.
Health officials issue rabies warning after raccoon visits North Dakota bar – InForum
MADDOCK, N.D. — North Dakota health officials are issuing a warning after someone brought a raccoon into the Maddock Bar, resulting in patrons possibly being exposed to rabies.
The state Department of Health and Human Services put out the warning Tuesday, Sept. 13, saying the raccoon was brought into the bar on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
Health officials said anyone bitten by the raccoon or anyone who had contact with the raccoon’s saliva should speak with a health care provider as soon as possible regarding the risk of rabies.
“Because rabies is such a serious disease with a nearly 100% fatality rate, we are making this information available to the public as a precautionary measure,” said Amanda Bakken, a state epidemiologist.
Bar manager Cindy Smith said she was working the night that a woman brought the raccoon into the bar in Maddock, a Benson County town in northeast North Dakota.
“A local girl came in, and she had been drinking,” Smith said. Tucked under her arms was the raccoon in question.
Bar management immediately told the woman that she had to leave, and she proceeded to show a few bar patrons the raccoon before Smith was able to corral her out the door, Smith said.
The raccoon never touched the floor or another customer, according to Smith. She said the animal “definitely didn’t bite anyone.”
Smith said she’s heard the woman found the raccoon as a baby on the side of the road, nearly dead.
“Some locals actually don’t believe it happened,” Smith said of the raccoon’s visit to the bar.
Police believe it did happened and, according to Smith, are trying to find the raccoon’s owner. It is illegal in North Dakota to keep a raccoon or skunk as a pet, health officials said.
“We’re on a big raccoon hunt in Maddock,” Smith joked.
She says the bar’s staff and customers named the animal “Rocky the Raccoon,” and says they all plan to dress up as raccoons this Halloween. She hopes that no more animals will enter their establishment.
Rabies, a viral infection, affects mammals, including humans. The virus circulates in wild animals in the U.S. and is most commonly found in bats, raccoons, skunks, coyotes and foxes. Rabid wildlife can spread rabies to unvaccinated cats, dogs and farm animals, which can then infect people.
“The virus is most often transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. Rabies can also be transmitted if saliva or nervous system tissue from a rabid animal enters open cuts and wounds or the eyes, nose, or mouth. The virus attacks the nervous system and causes swelling of the brain. There is no treatment and rabies is nearly always fatal,” the department said in its warning.
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends taking these precautions to reduce the risk of rabies:
- Try to keep stray animals and wildlife, especially skunks, away from pets and livestock.
- Keep dogs, cats, ferrets and horses up to date on rabies vaccinations.
- Do not leave exposed garbage or pet food outside because it could attract wild or stray animals.
- Do not approach unfamiliar or wild animals.
- Learn how to prevent animal bites, especially to children. Teach children never to handle or approach unknown animals without permission from a parent or guardian and the animal’s owner.
- Report stray animals or animals acting unusually to local animal control officials.
- Bat-proof your home to prevent bats from nesting inside and getting access to people or pets.
- Avoid contact with animals while traveling, especially internationally.
Six rabid animals have been reported in North Dakota so far this year, including two bats, two cats, a cow and a skunk. For more information about rabies, visit
ndhealth.gov/disease/rabies
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The USDA is sprinkling fish-flavored vaccines from the sky to fight rabies :: WRAL.com
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… an oral rabies vaccine, dropped from the sky.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has initiated its annual oral rabies vaccine distribution, a project that will continue through October. The project is focused on preventing the spread of raccoon rabies from the eastern United States into the heartland, according to a news release from the USDA.
This year’s distribution started on August 6. If you’ve gotten your dog vaccinated for rabies, you probably remember taking it to the veterinarian to get a shot. But these rabies vaccines are edible pellets covered in fishmeal to attract raccoons and other hungry critters.
In rural areas, the USDA will distribute the vaccines by airplane. In suburban and urban areas, they’ll arrive by helicopter or vehicle or be deposited by hand in designated “bait stations,” says the release.
The August phase of the program is focused on Maine and West Virginia. Approximately 348,000 vaccines will be distributed in northern Maine and 535,000 distributed in parts of western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and a small portion of southwestern Virginia.
Then from mid-September to mid-October, 70,000 vaccines will be distributed in parts of peninsular Massachusetts.
Finally, in October southern states will receive their rabies vaccines. Parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia will receive more than 880,000 vaccines; Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee will receive around 820,000 vaccines; and parts of Alabama will include 1.1 million vaccines.
The oral vaccine, also called RABORAL V-RG, has been found to be safe in over 60 animal species, says the USDA. This includes domestic dogs and cats, so you don’t need to worry much about your beloved pet snacking on one of the vaccines. Dogs that eat large number of the vaccines may have stomach problems — but they won’t have any long-term health consequences, according to the USDA.
Rabies usually enters the human population via bites from an infected animal, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While all mammals can get rabies, distinct strains are found among bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and mongooses.
What Are the Vabbing and Mucus Fishing Trends on TikTok? The Out-of-Touch Adults’ Guide to Kid Culture
Whether they’re toddlers, teenagers, or 23-year-olds, young people are disgusting. Old people are disgusting too of course, because being gross is the human condition. So let’s celebrate it by digging into the trends and topics fascinating internet youth this week: mucus fishing, vabbing, and most disgusting of all, having to work for a living.
Two gross new trends from TikTok: Mucus fishing, and vabbing
I apologize in advance if you’ve never heard of these two things that are growing popular among young people on the social medias.
- Mucus fishing: Mucus fishing is using a cotton swab or your finger to drag the mucus out of your eyes, and post a video of the stomach-turning process. Not only is it gross, but removing the mucus from your eyes can cause irritation and result in the production of more mucus. Ophthalmologists agree that it is a bad idea to touch your eyeballs.
- Vabbing: Popularized by “certified sexologist” Shan Boodran, “vabbing” is a portmanteau that combines “vagina” and “dabbing.” So it’s dabbing vaginal fluid on your skin like perfume with the idea of attracting a partner. It’s frequently done before a sweaty workout at the gym. Vaginas are awesome and all, but I have to stop thinking about this now.
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Three TikTok takes on work: Quiet quitting being “volun-told,” and the perils of the non-toxic workplace
As the trends above show, social media can be a bad thing, but as a counterweight to all that vabbing and mucus fishing, here’s something positive that young people are getting out of TikTok: Career advice from peers.
Before the internet, young workers’ main sources of “how to have a job”-related information were heavily management-slanted: Inc. Magazine, or brochures from HR. But now, rather than reading articles with titles like, “Are you working hard enough?” entry-level drones can get no-bullshit working wisdom with a “you are more important than your job” bias.
What is “quiet quitting”?
Like this video from zkchillin that defines the concept of “quiet quitting.” Quiet quitting is “when you’re not outright quitting your job. But you’re quitting the idea of going above-and-beyond. You’re still performing your duties, but you’re no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life.” Definitely something I wish I had considered when I was 21 years old and knocking myself out for people who didn’t respect me.
What is being “volun-told”?
The Corporate Chase is a TikToker devoted to career advice and jokes, and his many videos are full of practical words young workers need, like what to say when your boss gives you more work with no extra pay, and what it feels like to be “volun-told” to do extra work. The videos are funny memes instead of anything life-changing, but the comments, in which young workers commiserate and share experiences, are the real joy of this account.
Is your workplace too non-toxic?
My final Tikjob influencer is ayomitok, who promises career advice and humor, but I’m not sure they’re the best source of either. In this video, ayomitok reports that their current workplace is not toxic enough. “I realize I low-key live for the drama and thrive in chaos,” they write, “my new job is not dysfunctional enough to get my best work out of me.” Also a little questionable: naming/shaming a company for having the temerity to not hire you. And then doing it to another company. At the risk of sounding like a writer for Inc. Magazine, potential employers can look at your TikTok—who’d want to risk being publicly blasted by even interviewing someone who did this?
The “Kia challenge” is actually real.
Police departments from Miami to St. Louis are warning people about the “Kia Challenge.” There are, reportedly, videos on TikTok and YouTube that show off how easy it is to steal certain models of Kias and Hyundais. I’m not sure how many videos there are, or whether they issue a challenge to steal cars, but the core information is accurate. According to our always-accurate sister site Jalopnik, car thieves really can bypass the chip in the key of some models of Hyundais and Kias by sticking a phone charger in a port in the stealing wheel. From there, they drive off, leaving Kia owners to take the bus. It’s not exactly a new problem, but the spread of videos detailing it on TikTok may be driving an uptick in car thievery. Or maybe it’s the spread of videos warning about the videos that show you how to steal cars.
Viral video of the week: The Deadliest Virus on Earth
I’m going to get all Inception right now: This week’s viral video is literally a viral video. Amusing science YouTubers Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell’s latest video is a deepish dive into The Deadliest Virus on Earth: Lyssavirus, also known as “rabies.” You’re probably aware of the macro-effects of rabies—how it makes you go mad, foam at the mouth, and fear water—but the microscopic world of Lyssavirus is just as interesting and scary. The complex way it tricks your immune system into not killing it while it slowly infects nerve cells until it reaches your brains is as horrifying a story as Cujo. While full blown rabies is nearly 100 percent fatal, there’s usually a long time between being bitten by a rabid Bassett hound and death, so victims can be saved with a vaccine. Usually.