nancy snyderman at the hospital of the university of pennsylvania in philadelphia tonight. nancy, good evening. >> good evening, brian. state by state the number of cases of influenza and influenza related deaths continue to tick upward. in the state of pennsylvania, more than 20 people have been killed by this virus, and in the meantime, doctors and hospitals across the country are just scrambling to keep up. at 15 months, khalif hollins is one of the youngest victims. he has spent the last three days in the hospital. >> he cried and cried. he would just look at me and give me like a sad look, like -- help me. >> washington's children's national medical center is seeing a nearly 30% increase in emergency department visits. >> it's our very young and our very old, as well as our immune compromised patients. so by very young, definitely children under 2 and even under 5 are at higher risk of complications. >> at saint luke's patients medical center in pasadena, texas, where there has been an uptick in flu cases, the elderly are a major concern. >> they come in very weak and i

nancy snyderman. nancy, good evening. >> good evening, brian. this is the worst flu season we've seen in more than a decade. it has the cdc concerned and tonight, cities across the country and their hospitals are feeling the strain, and we haven't even reached the 50 yard line of flu season. emergency departments have become ground zero in the fight against the flu. at new york st. barnabus hospital the hallways are packed with patients. what's the status today? >> right now compared to last year at this time we've seen three times as many flu patients as we've seen all of last year. >> reporter: more than 50 cases a day of flu-like symptoms. is it fair to say you are overwhelmed? >> i'd say yes we're at overflow right now, we definitely are, we're very busy. >> reporter: patients like lawrence johansson. >> yesterday morning, fever, feeling terrible. >> reporter: you look like you feel lousy. >> i do. >> reporter: at brigham and women's hospital, 50 more already this year than all of last year. veteran e.r. doctor, dr. charles pazner. >> patien

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nancy snyderman. she is at briggaman's women's hospital in boston. nancy, good evening. >> good evening, brian. influenza is putting a stranglehold on communities around this country, and tonight i have to tell you that i've now been in two large city emergency departments in this two days and i've never seen anything like this in the united states. at boston's briggaman's women's hospital, veteran e.r. nurse jana gil has seen it all. >> i've been working here for 27 years in the er. >> but she has never seen a flu season quite like this. >> we have seen a huge increase in patients coming in, with the nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and upper respiratory infections with the fever and cough and body aches. >> i am declaring a public health emergency in the city of boston. >> boston's mayor is warning the threat is very serious. so far this season, there have been approximately 700 cases in this city alone. a ten-fold increase from last year's entire flu season. across the united states, schools in some areas are temporarily closed or postponing extracurricu

nancy snyderman joins me now from university medical center of princeton in new jersey. nancy, good evening to you. i have to think we keep hearing about the reported cases. i think of how many people are sitting home suffering, not going to doctors or hospitals. are these numbers really just a potential tip of the iceberg here? >> reporter: i think you're looking at two things, these numbers. one, this is not a reportable disease like so many other illnesses like meningitis or hiv. so right now i think we're looking at the federal government having a very different set of numbers and perhaps the hospitals and states that are on the front lines. so we know we have at least 20 pediatric deaths across the country. but you're right when you talk about the people at home suffering, those who see their doctors, those who have been admitted, that's a bigger pool. for those states that have been hit with the cold wave, that nor'easter, two weeks ago, we're now seeing the upspike and that explains for boston having declared an emergency earlier this week and now in new york. >> a

nancy snyderman. >> right here.ead center. >> reporter: christine hubner said she had never even heard of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder before her son scott was diagnosed in first grade. that was 13 years ago. >> he was very disruptive. >> i did always feel like i was getting in trouble. >> reporter: scott is now 19 and it's been a difficult journey for this mother and son. one more parents are now facing. in a new study, 843,000 children, ages 5 to 11, were followed from 2001 to 2010. the number diagnosed with adhd rose 24%. the biggest increases were in black girls and hispanic and white boys. one reason, increased awareness. adhd is usually diagnosed by a mental health professional with input from parents and teachers. typically, adhd symptoms arise in early childhood and are often mistaken for misbehavior. signs include a child easily distracted or forgetful. one who has difficulty listening, paying attention or sitting still. and a child who struggles with instructions and organization. but what ulti

nancy snyderman. >> it's that time of year. >> i have lost 101 pounds. >> try our entrees, snacks and new salads. >> no matter what the program, the culprit that sabotages your diet might be at the tip of your tongue. a new study shows that fructose is affecting how our brains deal with hunger. fructose is found in almost everything, from processed foods to sugary sodas. >> the amount of fructose that people have consumed in the last few decades is tripled or quadrupled, compared to what they were eating a century ago. >> in an article in the journal of the american medical association, researchers studied mri scans of the brain after people consumed either fructose or glucose. they found the part of the brain that deals with feeling full did not kick in when drinking fructose. >> fructose doesn't do that. it keeps you going. and so that, as a result, makes you more likely to want to eat more. >> the corn industry, which makes the sugar additive from corn, says that these findings are limited, since it is highly unusual for humans to consume this much sugar in one sitting. so how do y

nancy snyderman. >> it's early on a wednesday morning and this farmer's market is bustling. >> how areoing this morning? >> brussel sprouts. >> fresh fruits and vegetables grown here in the southern valley of california. but how this food gets from the field to the dinner table might surprise you. >> we rescue produce, giving it a second life for the plates of the for. >> she is called a vegetable contained crusader. she was shocked to learn that 40% of what we grow in this country gets thrown away. bruised, damaged, even surplus crops are left to die on the vine. so she started hidden harvest, a company that rescues unwanted produce and gets it to the needest, some 60,000 low-income people every month. people like retiree, lois, who relies on this market. her patrons can choose what they want and as much as they want for free. >> it's exciting, because you don't have to go in your purse and decide whether you can eat. >> i'm a depression baby. we don't waste things. we eat leftovers too. >> in just 11 years, this team has harvested more than 14 million pounds of produce. the concept i

nancy snyderman. >> are you kidding me? >> reporter: it's fodder for jokes in movies and on tv and can be a bedroom annoyance. >> if i don't fall asleep before him, i'm not going to fall asleep. >> i give him a shove. >> you need to wake him up or turn him over or something just so that you can sleep. >> reporter: new research shows snoring should not be ignored and in fact may be an indicator of cardiac disease, the number one killer in america. for the first time doctors say snoring alone may be an early sign of heart disease. likening it to other well known risk factors like sleep apnea, obesity, smoking, and high cholesterol. >> we wanted to bring to light the fact that snoring may in fact lead to adverse health. >> reporter: researchers at the henry ford hospital and university of nebraska measured the thickness of the carotid artery, the major blood vessel in the head and neck and found those who snored regardless of other risk factors for heart disease had significantly greater thickening of those blood vessels and t

nancy snyderman, is here with us, just back from her tour of four hospital emergency rooms in three different states over four days. nancy, you've seen it from the front lines. >> i have, brian, and i think this is the time we get to address the numbers the federal government is reporting, and, in fact, what the states are doing. and it's the states that are really tracking this epidemic and the growing number of cases and deaths. and every day it's the doctors in offices, in local emergency departments, where the real story can be found. from the moment patients enter the emergency department at the hospital of the university of pennsylvania, precautions against the flu are everywhere. >> i want them to put a mask on, i want them to get some purell on their hands. i want to give them a tissue. >> reporter: masks, hand sanitizer, warnings, and lots of cleaning are all ways hospitals across the country are protecting their patients and staff against what is a very bad flu season. >> we have so many patients. >> dr. jill barron runs u-penn's emergency department. are you seeing a lot of influen

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nancy snyderman. >> reporter: angela, a teenage mom, is defying the odds, raising her daughter alone,o jobs, finishing high school. and attending a unique after-school program in oakland and hayward, california, called faces for the future, that exposes students from high-risk communities to careers in health care. >> you can't go wrong when you're studying medicine. >> reporter: the first in his family to go to college, he earned a medical degree and chose to practice in oakland from one in four kids drops out of school and violent street crime is more than four times greater than the national average, shoes strung over power lines he says signals a crack house is nearby. during the two-year program, the teens shadow medical professionals and put in 600 hours of volunteer time, gaining hands-on experience and self-confidence. >> i have seen too many young people suffer. if they can articulate that five years down the line, i want to be a therapist, i want to be a doctor, i want to be a nurse, that's the best. >> reporter: since faces began 13 years ago, 500 teens have completed the c

nancy snyderman reports, the shortage is leading to a number of shots in area. >> reporter: 135 million have been made. this year's flu is especially veer i willent and can spread quickly. experts say you can be exposed to the virus six feet away from a person who coughs or sneezes. once you're infected it's easy to pass it on to family. an adult can beick for 24 hours before they feel ill. children may be contagious longer than a week. >> in addition to getting a flu shot, doctors recommend frequently cleaning your hands and the areas around you. for a little perspective here's a disturbing fact the average desk at work is reportedly 400 times dirtier than the average toilet seat. >> the fda is ordering the makers of ambien and other sleep medications to cut in half the dosage of those drugs especially for woman it can stay in the levels of blood to make it difficult to drive or concentrate the next morning. women metabolize the sleeping pills more slowly than men. >>> defense secretary leon panetta is moving to prepare for drastic military cuts if congress can't reach a deal on a budg

earlier nbc's nancy snyderman visited saint barnabas hospital in the pros where they almost have more patients than they can handle. >> reporter: what's the status today? >> well, right now, compared to last year at this time, we've seen three times as many flu patients as all of last year. >> reporter: is it fair to say you're overflowed? >> i'd say, yes, head overflow. >> officials say the outbreak likely hasn't peaked and we're not halfway through the flu season. doctors are reminding people that getting a flu shot is the best prevention. >> the white house said it's possible no u.s. troops will remain in afghanistan after 2014. a so-called zero option that remove all u.s. troops by the end of next year would be considered according to deputy national security adviser. "the washington post" reports some officials are pushing for as few as 2,500 arguing a smaller force would be the best way to end the costly unpopular war. president karzai has a four day meeting with president obama that starts next week. >> so sobering news from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration.

nancy snyderman. >> tonight, the cdc is warning about a new outbreak, norovirus, which causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. what has health officials so alarmed, the strength of the virus and how quickly it spreads. norovirus is transmitted by people who don't wash their hands after using the bathroom. it lives on surfaces or on food people touch. the current strain hitting the united states is from australia. it's highly infectious and particularly vicious. >> it can stay alive for long periods of time. and can be transmitted easily to anybody. so it's a small environment with lots of people, and it can get transmitted very quickly. >> reporter: unlike influenza, there is no vaccine, so the best way to get rid of it, disinfecting surfaces with bleach and keeping hands clean. meanwhile, influenza continues to hit people from coast to coast. at the medical center in new york, the staff is working overtime to keep up with flu cases. >> our emergency room has been packed. we are stretched right now. 25% of our daily visits are flu patients. >> reporter: it's a snapshot o

nancy snyderman. >> reporter: 40-year-old arita chang is used to being in charge of her health. she exercises regularly and has a healthy diet. so when she got stage 1 breast cancer a few years ago, she made the choice a lot of younger women are making these days. >> i chose a mastectomy, because it reduced the chances of recurrence. it provided better cosmetic outcome. i also didn't want to doubt that i hadn't done enough. >> reporter: for years, research showed that for early-stage breast cancer, survival is about equal with either mastectomy or lumpectomy plus radiation. but a new study indicates those who choose the less-invasive lumpectomy with radiation may have an advantage. >> doing more surgery doesn't necessarily improve your chances of doing well from breast cancer. >> reporter: researchers analyzed 112,000 women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer between 1990 and 2004. 55% had lumpectomy plus radiation. 45% had mastectomy without radiation. women who had lumpectomy plus radiation had higher survival rates. particularly women over the age of 50 with hormone-sens

nancy snyderman, is here to tell us more about it. >> there probably isn't a woman who has gone through menopause who hasn't talked about the fogginess of the brain and could there be something else behind it. now a new study in the "journal of menopause," which studied 117 women in the early stages of post menopause, which means they have gone a year without having a menstrual period, and thought there was good evidence that this is for real. things like attention, verbal learning, things you need to know on the job. verbal memory. a laundry list. even fine motor skills. those are real issues for women who are postmenopausal. it does not mean you're at risk or alzheimer's or other dementia, but for the first time we're putting extra science behind this. >> is this something women have to acknowledge and live with? or can they do something about it? >> we have made a big disease of menopause. i'm a big believer you don't smoke, diet, exercise is important. i'm not a big believer of hormones, people know that. there is no correlation between this and the hot flashes and the insomnia a lo

nancy snyderman. >> reporter: in this latest annual report on the status of cancer in the united states, the good news is that the death rates continue to drop. people living with all cancers are living longer, now a 20-year trend. and there's more good news. new cases of lung and colon cancers in both men and women dropped. and breast cancer in women has leveled off. but new cases of liver, pancreas, thyroid and kidney cancers are up. attributed in part to our sedentary lifestyle. >> we don't know the exact factors that cause obesity to lead to cancer. we had a lot of theories, we had a lot of science that suggests what the causes may be. but in reality, we don't know for sure. >> reporter: as for cervical cancer, considered by many to be a medical success story due to effective screening methods and early detection, new cases are down, but other hpd related cancers are up, including oral cancers in men and women. >> women in this country are so fortunate to have pap smears readily available to us. hopefully as our medical community moves forward, we'll look toward applying these types

nancy snyderman. >> reporter: wayne clark had his first major concussion as quarterback of the san diego chargers back in 1972. the doctors talked to him on the sidelines. clark didn't even remember his own name. >> i lost all recollection of that complete day before and after the concussion. >> reporter: but you didn't lose consciousness? >> right. >> reporter: you got clunked so hard on the head, you had amnesia. now 65, clark wonders about the long-term impact of his injuries. he's not the only one. we've all seen the headlines about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or cte, a disorder that comes from repeated brain injury. up to now, can only be found after death as with star linebacker junior seau who committed suicide. doctors found the telltale abnormal clumps of protein in his brain. now researchers have developed a way to detect the damage early with a chemical that targets those proteins. the injected chemical lights up brain scans of former nfl players. >> it was kind of a common hit and i went down. >> reporter: finding the protein clumps in parts of the brain dealing with em

nancy snyderman reports the demand is leading to a vaccine shortage in some areas. >> reporter: the cdc says 128 million doses have been delivered. only 135 million have been made. this year's flu is especially virulent and can sprnt spread quickly. you can be exposed to the virus six feet away from a person. once you are infected, it's easy to pass it on to family and co-workers, even before you have symptoms. an adult can be contagious 24 hours before they feel ill and make others sick to a week afterward. children may be contagious longer than a week. >> in addition to getting a flu shot, doctors recommend frequently cleaning your hands and the areas around you. here's a disturbing fact. the average desk at work is reportedly 400 times dirtier than the average toilet seat. >>> well, the fda is ordering the makers of ambien and other drugs to cut the dosage in half. the drug can stay in the bloodstream at high enough levels to make it difficult to drive and concentrate the next morning. women metabolize sleeping pills more slowly than men. the fda has received more than 700 reports of

nancy snyderman visited st. john's hospital in the bronx where they almost have more patients than they can handle. >> reporter: what's the status today? >> well, right now, compared to last year at this time, we've seen three times as many flu patients as we've seen all of last year. >> reporter: is it fair to say you're overflowed? >> i'd say, yes, head overflow. >> officials say the outbreak likely hasn't peaked and we're not halfway through the flu season. doctors are reminding people that getting a flu shot is the best prevention. >>> today, the debate over what to do about gun violence continues in washington with the launch of vice president's biden's task force on the controversial issue. yesterday, former congresswoman gabrielle giffords marked the two-year anniversary of the shooting which she narrowly survived by joining the call for more action. nbc's tracie potts joins us with the details. good morning. >> reporter: mara, good morning. even though giffords ispossessea gun, she wants stricter gun law

nancy snyderman, thank you. we'll see you later on in "today's" professionals. >>> let us get a check of the rest of the morning's stories. natalie is standing by. good morning. >> good morning, matt and savannah. good morning, everyone. >>> the deadly attack on the u.s. embassy in benghazi has now been freed. the attack back in september killed the u.s. ambassador along with three other americans. >>> exactly two years since the deadly shooting that wounded former congresswoman gabrielle giffords, the former representative from arizona is launching a new organization to fight gun violence. this, as a connecticut lawmaker is apologizing for posting on facebook that giffords should, quote, stay out of my town. giffords has been in town last week to visit the families of the shooting victims. >>> a standing ovation for secretary of state hillary clinton who returned to work on monday after a concussion and a blood clot sidelined her for the past month. to welcome her back, clinton staff gave her a football helmet

nancy snyderman. she's in boston this morning. i know there are serious cases there. >> reporter: good morning. yes. a state of emergency has been declared in boston where they were seeing patients yesterday in the hallway. representative of the strangle hold of influenza is frankly having across communities, i have been now in two major hospital emergency departments in the last three days. i have to tell you, i have never seen anything like this in the united states. >> i am declaring a public health emergency in the city of boston. >> reporter: with 18 flu related deaths in the state of massachusetts alone, boston's mayor is warning the threat is very serious. so far this season, there have been approximately 700 cases in this city alone, a ten-fold increase from last year's flu season in total. >> how many nurses are over there? >> at boston's hospital, nurse janet gill has seen it all. >> we have seen more patients this year than in my 27 years working here than i've ever seen. >> reporter: boston is not alone. the deadly flu

nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. >>> forget about trying to keep warm, many decided yesterday to make a freezing cold dip in the potomac. >> 3, 2, 1. >> more than 100 braved the subfreezing temps and got down to their bathing suits at national harbor for the keep winter cold polar plunge. as you can probably guess, most people ran in and then ran right back out. the event raises awareness for climate change. brave the cold. brave sous and a little suspect i would think. it would take a lot. i would have to be doing it for charity or -- >> i don't know. you can definitely tell it's winter. there are not a whole lot of tan lines out there. >> got that right. certainly. some people might go in with so much clothing on and then you come out and i'm thinking isn't that counterproductive when it gets all wet. >> weren't we all cold this weekend without going into the -- >> i know. i was running from the building to the car. i could barely make that jaunt. >> you will be able to do so in your pregnant beautiful way morecely on tuesday and wednesday with 60s with us. >> that may have bee

nancy snyderman was in boston to see how bad things are. >> i've been to two major hospital emergency departments in the last three days and i have to tell you've none seen anything like this in the united states. >> southeast virginia, hospitals in the hampton roads you're are urging all patients and visitors while at the facility. the best advice? get a flu shot now. >>> a piece of history to talk about. the godfather of go-go will forever be part of the district. the mayor signed legislation finalizing plans to build a yug brown memorial. tony is live at the wilson building. hey, tony. >> reporter: hey, chuck, keith, good morning. what we for naught would be a memorial turned out to be an outdoor amphitheater and it's going to go to langdon park. these are from downtown. it will gobbi 20th street nees in ward five and will be called can chuck brown music pavilion with 900 seats and stainless steel and it will be have wooden ak settlements. the majority color is fuschia and it will have a profile of chuck brown on the side and give the history and all he did for d.c. the builders th

nancy snyderman. >> reporter: the flu is moving west. in this elementary school in dunk in, oklahoma, more than 10% of the students are out sick with influenza. staff has closed the school in order to clean everything. >> one morning at school -- >> reporter: in san diego, this preschool staff is focusing on prevention by wiping down all the surfaces and teaching kids the best way to stay well. >> this year, this season, this last two weeks has been very, very overwhelming almost because there's so many people sick. >> reporter: influenza started with local outbreaks in october and then became widespread throughout the united states. the centers for disease control is reporting 37 children have died so far this flu season. young children and the elderly are most vulnerable. at the medical center in new york, the staff is working overtime, overwhelmed by flu and now something new. >> this year in particular, there's an increase not just in the flu this time of year, but there's also a norovirus and a whooping cough outbreak going on simul

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nancy snyderman. good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington, where president obama is trying to mobilize the nation, all of us, to deal with gun violence. >> from the letter that julia wrote me, she said, i know that laws have to be passed by congress, but i beg you to try very hardly. julia, i will try very hard. >> and joining me now for our daily fix, chuck todd, nbc news chief white house correspondent and host of "the daily rundown" and host malia henderson. thank you very much, both of you. chuck, the atmosphere there at the white house as the president unveils this and the fact that he brought in families from newtown and children who had written to him, what is the white house hoping to gain as it takes on, probably, the biggest political fight of this second term? >> look, this wasn't a simple policy rollout, this was the launch of an emotional campaign, this was an emotional president, and he was using any possible tool he could have in order to try to launch a campaign, because the re