TALLAHASSEE - Florida has its second probable case of severe acute respiratory syndrome, a 1-year-old girl from China who lives in Orange County, state health officials said Friday.
The girl spent two days in the hospital after X-rays showed pneumonia symptoms, but was released Friday. She is recovering and will be quarantined at home with the rest of her family, said Landis Crockett, state epidemiologist. Officials would not release further information.
The other probable SARS case is a 60-year-old Okaloosa County woman who visited China. She is in voluntary isolation at her home and did not need hospitalization. She also was identified as a probable SARS case because of an X-ray showing signs of pneumonia.
State health officials have suspected 14 other SARS cases statewide, but most are fully recovered and back to normal activities, Crockett said.
Pilot whale that stranded in Keys escapes and diesBIG PINE KEY - A pilot whale that survived being stranded last week died after it bolted from rescuers and took off for deeper waters.
Rescuers had taken the whale out of a pen to swim when it escaped Thursday. It was later found floating in a canal.
Blood tests showed that the female whale suffered from liver and muscle problems, said Blair Mase of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The whale was among 28 that stranded themselves April 18 in shallow waters near Big Pine Key in the lower Florida Keys. As of Thursday, six were recovering at a holding facility where the whale escaped from. Eight others died, five were euthanized and the rest are unaccounted for, officials said.
Volunteers have been allowing the whales out of the holding facility to help them stretch and give them exercise, said Robert Lingenfelser, president of the Marine Mammal Conservancy.
Baby left in van while mom went shopping diesFORT LAUDERDALE - A 9-month-old girl died as the result of being left in a car with the windows rolled up while her mother shopped in a Wal-Mart, deputies said Friday.
Chelcie Ambrosio died Thursday at Broward County Medical Center, five days after her mother, Christine Gonzalez-Ambrosio, 33, left her in the car Saturday, Broward sheriff's officials said.
Gonzalez-Ambrosio originally was charged with child neglect. The charge may be revised, sheriff's officials said.
"I put her in the car seat when we left home, but I forgot to take her out" when they arrived at the Wal-Mart, Gonzalez-Ambrosio told deputies, according to the report. She said she shopped about an hour, returned and found her baby unconscious and unresponsive in the back seat.
Mother indicted in death of infant punched in headBARTOW - A grand jury indicted a Polk County woman on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse Thursday in the fatal beating of her month-old daughter.
Brandylon N. Gilbert, 18, told investigators she punched the baby in the forehead twice on April 4 because it wouldn't stop crying.