Nation in brief: 8 percent in U.S. have diabetes
The number of Americans with diabetes has grown to about 24 million people, or roughly 8 percent of the U.S. population, the government said Tuesday.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from 2007, said the number represents an increase of about 3 million over two years. The CDC estimates another 57 million people have blood sugar abnormalities called pre-diabetes, which puts people at increased risk for the disease.
The percentage of people unaware that they have diabetes fell from 30 percent to 25 percent, according to the study.
The disease results from defects in insulin production that cause sugar to build up in the body. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the country and can cause serious health problems including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations.
Washington
High-paying jobs to immigrants
The nation’s largest immigration law firm is under federal scrutiny over whether it helped major U.S. corporations disqualify American job applicants and give thousands of high-paying positions to immigrants.
The unprecedented Labor Department inquiry centers on Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy – a New York firm at the forefront of a political effort to ease hiring of skilled foreign workers.
The Labor Department is auditing all pending applications for legal immigrant workers the firm has filed on behalf of its corporate clients.
Fragomen’s prestigious client roster includes General Electric Co., IBM Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., Intel Corp. and Bank of America Corp., according to company publications and trade journals.
There was no indication that the inquiry involves any of Fragomen’s clients.
Okeechobee, Fla.
Teen loses arm to alligator
A Florida teen who was attacked by an 11 1/2-foot alligator lost his arm, but managed to escape with his life after poking the animal in the eye.
A sheriff’s office report says Kasey Edwards was hanging out with friends beside a canal in Okeechobee County on Sunday when he decided to go swimming.
Halfway through the swim, an alligator clamped down on his left arm. Edwards says he fought back by grabbing onto a buoy line and not letting go. He then poked the animal in the eye to get free.
As Edwards began to swim away, he noticed that his left arm was missing. Friends pulled him to safety and he was taken to a hospital for treatment.