End Times and Current Events

General Category => Health => Topic started by: Psalm 51:17 on January 11, 2012, 08:11:51 pm



Title: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 11, 2012, 08:11:51 pm
Quote
"And there shall be pestilences ..."


AS WITH WAR AND FAMINE, the severity and frequency with which pestilence (plagues) are now striking is alarming.

Less than 20 years ago the medical profession claimed victory over a wide array of bacterial and viral killers. In 1979, U.S. Surgeon General William Stewart declared that it was time to "close the books on infectious diseases."[14]

As recently as 1983, a medical textbook declared infectious diseases "more easily prevented and more easily cured" than any other major group of disorders.[15]

But instead of fading, the cases of infectious diseases have skyrocketed throughout the ’90s. Dr. Sherwin Nuland, in his best-selling book, How We Die [16], laments, "Medicine’s purported triumph over infectious disease has become an illusion."[17]

Doctors now warn that the current resurgence of drug-resistant bacteria strains could prove to be more deadly than AIDS. AP reports:

The emergence of bacteria strains that cannot be killed by the current arsenal of antibiotics could become a public health threat worse than AIDS, experts warn.

Diseases considered conquered — tuberculosis, pneumonia, meningitis, staph infections — are becoming unstoppable. Common bacteria that cause everything from toddlers’ ear infections to pneumonia could become "supergerms" resistant to vancomycin and other drugs.

Scientists expect "nothing short of a medical disaster," Dr. Alexander Tomasz of Rockefeller University in New York City warned at the 1994 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[18]


14. Hamilton, Andrea. "Bacteria Become Ever More Resistant," The Washington Times, 20 Nov 1994

15. U.S. News & World Report, 29 Jan 1996

16. Nuland, Sherwin B. How We Die: Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter. New York: Random House in association with Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.

17. "The End of Antibiotics," Newsweek, 28 Mar 1994, pp. 47-48

18. AP, 26 Mar 95





https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/pestilence-watch-bird-flu-outbreak-concerns-rattle-nerves-across-the-globe/
January 12, 2012 – INDIANA - The days of medical masks at airports and widespread panic may be coming back—that’s because at least 12 humans are believed to have been infected with a new strain of swine flu that’s not covered by this season’s vaccine. The new swine flu strain, H3N2v, has shown at least some potential for human-to-human transmission in those 12 individuals, which makes it especially dangerous. Between 2009 and mid-2010, more than 17,000 people died worldwide from the highly contagious H1N1 swine flu strain, leading the World Health Organization to call the strain a pandemic. The 12 people with the new swine flu strain live in Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Officials for the Centers for Disease Control say the sample size of H3N2 infections is too small to know whether it will pose a threat to the population at large. “It’s a very small sample and it’s geographically spread, which makes it more difficult to get a handle on it,” says Jeffrey Dimond, a CDC spokesman. “Most of the cases have come through direct contact with the animals, through the 4H Club and that sort of thing.” In order to have a true threat of causing an epidemic or pandemic, Dimond says the virus needs to spread easily between humans. “If you’re in close contact with someone who’s ill, that’s one thing,” he says. “To make it like the pandemic flu of a few years ago, it has to be highly contagious from human to human.” H3N2v or another new flu strain could disrupt what CDC officials expected to be a relatively quiet flu season. Each year’s flu vaccine protects against specific strains of the virus that researchers expect to circulate. In October, Joe Bresee, chief of CDC’s influenza epidemiology and prevention branch, said he was confident this year’s vaccine would protect against the most dangerous flu strains. –U.S. News
 
Indonesia tallies 3rd victim of H5N1 in 90 days: Jakarta, Indonesia – A 24-year-old man has died from the bird flu in Jakarta, becoming the third Indonesian victim of the virus in three months. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, head of the Health Ministry’s communicable diseases department, confirmed the death and said tests showed that the man was infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus from birds living around his house. “We have taken samples from birds around his home and are waiting for lab results to determine if they were infected with the virus,” he said. The World Health Organization reports that Indonesia experienced 150 deaths from bird flu between 2003 and 2011. –Gant Daily
 
H5N1 bird outbreak declared in district of India: Meghalaya government Wednesday confirmed that the samples of dead birds sent to Bhopal tested positive of bird-flu. “The government sent samples of birds died on the government-run farm at Williamnagar, to the Bhopal-High Security Animal Disease Laboratory have tested positive of H5N1,” Prashant Naik, principal secretary of Animal and Husbandry department told Nagaland Post. As soon as the laboratory informed about the reports, Wednesday evening, Meghalaya government alerted all district authorities. More than 3,000 poultry birds have died in the past few weeks on a farm in Williamnagar, the district headquarters of East Garo Hills district. We have asked the district administration to monitor health of all the birds and the movement of birds from the affected area has also been stopped,” Naik said. District administrations in the western part of Meghalaya, meanwhile, have imposed Section 144 CrPC banning movement and selling of poultry and poultry products after the confirmation of bird flu. “It has been decided to immediately commence the culling of birds and destruction of eggs and feed material to control further spread of the disease. The virus has been contained in the affected area,” Praveen Bakshi, district magistrate of East Garo Hills said. “The culling will start from tomorrow (Thursday) within a radius of three kilometres of the infected area,” Bakshi said, adding that movement of farm personnel, restricting access to wild and stray birds and stopping access to infected premises has been banned. In addition, surveillance has been ordered in surrounding areas up to 10 km. –Nagaland Post


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on January 12, 2012, 09:04:47 am
Fears over outbreak after 12 infected with new swine flu strain in U.S.

Twelve Americans have been reported infected with a mutating and now possibly human-to-human transmitted form of the H1N1 Swine Flu virus called H3N2v.

An investigation undertaken by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that human infections of these viruses followed contact with swine as well as through 'limited human-to-human transmission.'

'While there is no evidence that sustained human-to-human transmission is occurring, all influenza viruses have the capacity to change and it's possible that this virus may become widespread,' the CDC explained through their website.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2085525/Swine-flu-Fears-outbreak-12-infected-new-H3N2v-strain-US.html#ixzz1jFyTQU6r


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on January 22, 2012, 07:29:08 am
Man dies of bird flu in southwest China: Xinhua


A man in southwest China died of bird flu on Sunday after three days of intensive care treatment in hospital, the official Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry of Health as saying.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/22/us-china-birdflu-idUSTRE80L0B020120122


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 23, 2012, 01:43:40 pm
It’s back- H1N1 deaths reported in Mexico and Greece


http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/pestilence-watch-its-back-h1n1-deaths-reported-in-mexico-and-greece/
January 22, 2012 – MEXICO – An outbreak of A(H1N1) swine flu claimed the lives of two people — 19 and 21 years old — in Mexico’s capital in the first weeks of the year, health authorities said Saturday. The health secretary of Mexico’s Federal District, Armando Ahued, said there were 138 confirmed cases of the flu, including 110 cases of A(H1N1), a novel strain of the swine flu that was first detected in 2009. Nationwide, 333 cases of the virus have been confirmed, the federal government’s health secretary said earlier in the week, without saying how many deaths had been attributed to it. The latest victims were a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old who died in separate hospitals. “The tendency toward an increase in flu cases is normal because January is the month with the lowest temperatures,” said Ahued adding that the incidence of flu should begin to subside in February. The first outbreak of the A(H1N1) virus occurred in April, 2009 in Mexico and the United States, and quickly became a global pandemic that claimed the lives of 17,000 people. In Mexico alone, more than 1,250 people died. -AFP
 
Greece: A seven- month- old Libyan baby died in an Athens Children’s hospital on Friday in the first fatality linked to the H1N1 flu virus of the new year in Greece, local authorities reported. According to local media reports citing Greek doctors who treated the boy, he had been infected with the virus in Libya, where he was diagnosed with common flu and received insufficient therapy, before transferred to Greece. An Ukrainian woman who is being treated in another Greek hospital for pneumonia is the second severe case of the swine flu to be reported in the country this season. Last year deaths caused by the H1N1 virus in Greece climbed exceeded the 100 victims and many more patients were treated for complications caused by the virus which first emerged in 2009 in Asia and developed into a worldwide pandemic. Greek Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO) experts noted that Greece does not face a high risk so far this year, but suggested to people of vulnerable groups that reach up to 1.5 million persons in Greece, to get vaccinated. –CRI English

read more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on January 27, 2012, 06:07:05 am
Mexico ups swine flu screening as cases increase

Three years after swine flu closed Mexico City and caused an international scare, the Mexican government and local media are at odds over the severity of this season's flu virus. Newspapers are warning of an alarming increase in cases while the government insists there is no cause for alarm.

Quote
The health ministry on Sunday reported 637 cases of confirmed flu cases so far in 2012 along with 10 deaths - nine of them associated with 573 cases of H1N1.

On Jan. 15, it reported far lower numbers: 181 confirmed cases for all strains of flu and five deaths for 2012, meaning cases would have increased 250 percent in just one week.

The same health bulletin said that for all of last year, there were 870 cases of all strains of flu and 35 deaths.

The World Health Organization in 2009 declared swine flu the first global flu pandemic in 40 years after the outbreak of cases in Mexico that spring and then the strain spread to other countries.

full article: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_MEXICO_SWINE_FLU?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-01-26-19-40-40


Title: 29 reported dead in Swine Flu outbreak in Mexico
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 29, 2012, 05:31:23 pm
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/29-reported-dead-in-swine-flu-outbreak-in-mexico/

January 29, 2012 – MEXICO CITY – An ongoing swine flu outbreak in Mexico has left at least 29 people dead and nearly 1,500 others infected, health officials confirmed on Saturday. Thousands more are also ill as the country faces several types of flu this season. Since the start of the ongoing winter season, at least 7,069 people have reported suffering from symptoms similar to those of swine flu. Lab tests are still underway and have so far confirmed 1,456 cases of the disease, which is officially known as A/H1N1. According to Mexico’s Health Ministry (SSA), at least twenty-nine people have died of swine flu so far this season. While no health emergency has been declared, officials expect the death toll will rise in the coming weeks as Mexico also faces A/H3N2 and B influenza. The H1N1 influenza virus emerged in the Mexican state of Veracruz in April 2009 and quickly spread around the world, causing the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global flu pandemic in June 2009. At least 18,000 people have died of the disease since, although the actual number is believed to be far higher. In August 2010, the WHO declared that the swine flu pandemic was over. “In the post-pandemic period, influenza disease activity will have returned to levels normally seen for seasonal influenza,” the WHO said at the time. “It is expected that the pandemic virus will behave as a seasonal influenza A virus.” –Wire update (BNO News)


Title: Scientists find bacteria resistant to nearly all antibiotics in Antarctica sea w
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 29, 2012, 05:40:33 pm
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/scientists-find-bacteria-resistant-to-nearly-all-antibiotics-in-antarctica-sea-water/

Scientists find bacteria resistant to nearly all antibiotics in Antarctica sea water
January 29, 2012 – ANTARTICA – Bacteria that can resist nearly all antibiotics have been found in Antarctic seawater. Björn Olsen of Uppsala University in Sweden and colleagues took seawater samples between 10 and 300 meters away from Chile’s Antarctic research stations, Bernardo O’Higgins, Arturo Prat and Fildes Bay. A quarter of the samples of Escherichia coli bacteria carried genes that made an enzyme called ESBL, which can destroy penicillin, cephalosporins and related antibiotics. Bacteria with these genes can be even more dangerous than the better known superbug MRSA. That’s because the genes sit on a mobile chunk of DNA that can be acquired by many species of bacteria, increasing the incidence of drug-resistant infections such as the E. coli outbreak last year in Germany. The type of ESBL they found, called CTX-M, is common in bacteria in people, and the Uppsala study found that concentrations of resistant bacteria were higher close to the sewage outfalls from the stations. Some Antarctic stations started shipping out human feces for incineration after gut bacteria were found nearby. Chile’s research stations have virtually no sewage treatment in place, says Olsen. Recent work shows the bacteria may hang on to the genes for CTX-M even when no longer exposed to antibiotics, suggesting that superbugs can survive in the wild, with animals acting as a reservoir. Penguins near the Chilean stations have been checked and are free of ESBL, though Olsen is now looking at the area’s gulls as he has found ESBL-producing bugs in gulls in France. “If these genes are in Antarctica, it’s an indication of how far this [problem] has gone,” he says. –New Scientist


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Lyme Disease
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 04, 2012, 02:38:44 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/map-shows-where-u-beware-lyme-disease-210409794.html

2/3/12

Map Shows Where in U.S. to Beware of Lyme Disease

FRIDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Areas in the United States where people have the highest risk of contracting Lyme disease are pinpointed in a new map created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lyme disease is one of the most rapidly emerging infectious diseases in North America. It's transferred by ticks and symptoms range from headaches, fever and a rash to arthritis and Bell's palsy, or damage to a facial nerve that can lead to temporary paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face.

The map shows that high infection risk is confined mainly to the Northeast and upper Midwest. There is a low risk in the South.

The map shows a clear risk of Lyme disease in large parts of the Northeast (including eastern Pennsylvania) from Maine going as far south as Maryland and northern Virginia.

The high risk area in the upper Midwest includes most of Wisconsin, a large part of northern Minnesota, and a small piece of northern Illinois.

The researchers also identified an emerging risk for Lyme disease along the Illinois/Indiana border, the New York/Vermont border, southwestern Michigan, and eastern North Dakota. There's also evidence that Lyme disease is moving into central Virginia.

The map was created after the most extensive Lyme-related field study ever conducted. The results, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, offer public health and other officials critical information on local risk.

"There has been a lot of discussion of whether Lyme disease exists outside of the Northeast and the upper Midwest, but our sampling of tick populations at hundreds of sites suggests that any diagnosis of Lyme disease in most of the South should be put in serious doubt, unless it involves someone who has traveled to an area where the disease is common," lead author Dr. Maria Diuk-Wasser, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health, said in a journal news release.

"We can't completely rule out the existence of Lyme disease in the South, but it appears highly unlikely," she added.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Lyme Disease
Post by: Mark on February 06, 2012, 09:11:44 am
http://news.yahoo.com/map-shows-where-u-beware-lyme-disease-210409794.html

2/3/12

Map Shows Where in U.S. to Beware of Lyme Disease

FRIDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Areas in the United States where people have the highest risk of contracting Lyme disease are pinpointed in a new map created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lyme disease is one of the most rapidly emerging infectious diseases in North America. It's transferred by ticks and symptoms range from headaches, fever and a rash to arthritis and Bell's palsy, or damage to a facial nerve that can lead to temporary paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face.

The map shows that high infection risk is confined mainly to the Northeast and upper Midwest. There is a low risk in the South.

The map shows a clear risk of Lyme disease in large parts of the Northeast (including eastern Pennsylvania) from Maine going as far south as Maryland and northern Virginia.

The high risk area in the upper Midwest includes most of Wisconsin, a large part of northern Minnesota, and a small piece of northern Illinois.

The researchers also identified an emerging risk for Lyme disease along the Illinois/Indiana border, the New York/Vermont border, southwestern Michigan, and eastern North Dakota. There's also evidence that Lyme disease is moving into central Virginia.

The map was created after the most extensive Lyme-related field study ever conducted. The results, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, offer public health and other officials critical information on local risk.

"There has been a lot of discussion of whether Lyme disease exists outside of the Northeast and the upper Midwest, but our sampling of tick populations at hundreds of sites suggests that any diagnosis of Lyme disease in most of the South should be put in serious doubt, unless it involves someone who has traveled to an area where the disease is common," lead author Dr. Maria Diuk-Wasser, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health, said in a journal news release.

"We can't completely rule out the existence of Lyme disease in the South, but it appears highly unlikely," she added.


Quote
Plum Island, Lyme Disease
And Operation Paperclip -
A Deadly Triangle

http://www.rense.com/general67/plumislandlyme.htm

BIOWARFARE, PLUM ISLAND, YALE AND LYME DISEASE
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi/noframes/read/82306

Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura: "Plum Island" (FULL LENGTH)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN1tpVQ6koA




Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on February 06, 2012, 12:58:25 pm
Chile declares health alert as prison rats spread hantavirus; 3 people killed, at least 10 others affected - @AP

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_CHILE_HANTAVIRUS_OUTBREAK?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Quote
Hantavirus
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome; Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome
Last reviewed: March 11, 2011.

Hantavirus is a life-threatning disease spread to humans by rodents that has symptoms similar to influenza.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Hantavirus is carried by rodents, especially deer mice. The virus is found in their urine and feces, but it does not make the animal sick.

It is believed that humans can get sick with this virus if they come in contact with contaminated dust from mice nests or droppings. You may come in contact with such dust when cleaning homes, sheds, or other enclosed areas that have been empty for a long time.

Hantavirus does not spread between humans.

Rodents carrying the hantavirus have been found in many U.S. national parks. Campers and hikers may be more likely to catch the disease than most people. This is because they pitch tents on the forest floor and lay their sleeping bags down in musty cabins.

However, only a couple of cases have been directly linked to camping or hiking. Most people who are exposed to the virus have come in contact with rodent droppings in their own homes.

Symptoms
The early symptoms of hantavirus disease are similar to the flu and include:

Chills

Fever

Muscle aches

People with hantavirus may begin to feel better for a very short amount of time, but within 1-2 days, it becomes hard to breathe. The disease gets worse quickly. Symptoms include:

Dry cough

General ill feeling (malaise)

Headache

Nausea and vomiting

Shortness of breath

Signs and tests
The health care provider will perform a physical exam. This may reveal:

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

Kidney failure

Low blood pressure (hypotension)

Low blood oxygen levels, which cause the skin to turn a blue color

The folllowing tests may be done:

Blood tests to check for signs of hantavirus

Complete blood count (CBC)

Complete metabolic panel

Kidney and liver function tests

X-ray of the chest

Treatment
People with hantavirus are admitted to the hospital, often to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Treatments will include:

Oxygen

Breathing tube or breathing machine in severe cases

A medication called ribavirin to treat kidney-related problems and reduce the risk of death

There is no effective treatment for hantavirus infection involving the lungs.

Expectations (prognosis)
Hantavirus is a serious infection that gets worse quickly. Lung failure can occur and may lead to death. Even with aggressive treatment, more than half of people who have this disease in their lungs die.

Complications
Complications of hantavirus may include:

Kidney failure

Heart and lung failure

These complications can lead to death.

Calling your health care provider
Call your health care provider if you develop flu-like symptoms after you come in contact with rodent droppings or rodent urine, or dust that is contaminated with these substances.

Prevention
Avoid exposure to rodent urine and droppings.

When hiking and camping, pitch tents in areas where there are no rodent droppings.

Avoid rodent dens.

Drink disinfected water.

Sleep on a ground cover and pad.

Keep your home clean. Clear out potential nesting sites and clean your kitchen.

If you must work in an area where contact with rodent urine or feces is possible, follow these recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

When opening an unused cabin, shed, or other building, open all the doors and windows, leave the building, and allow the space to air out for 30 minutes.

Return to the building and spray the surfaces, carpet, and other areas with a disinfectant. Leave the building for another 30 minutes.

Spray mouse nests and droppings with a 10% solution of chlorine bleach or similar disinfectant. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes. Using rubber gloves, place the materials in plastic bags. Seal the bags and throw them in the trash or an incinerator. Dispose of gloves and cleaning materials in the same way.

Wash all potentially contaminated hard surfaces with a bleach or disinfectant solution. Avoid vacuuming until the area has been thoroughly decontaminated. Then, vacuum the first few times with enough ventilation. Surgical masks may provide some protection.

References
Bell M. Viral hemorrhagic fevers. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 404.
Peters CJ. California encephalitis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and bunyavirid hemorrhagic fevers. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Douglas and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Disease. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:chap 166.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002358/


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Culling ordered after H5N1 virus discovered in Nepal and I
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 06, 2012, 09:50:19 pm
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/pestilence-watch-culling-ordered-after-h5n1-virus-discovered-in-nepal-and-india/


Pestilence watch: Culling ordered after H5N1 virus discovered in Nepal and India

February 6, 2012 – NEPAL – Health workers in Nepal are to cull thousands of chickens following the discovery of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the southeastern part of the Himalayan country. “We sent samples for investigation to London after chickens started to die of a mysterious disease in commercial poultry farms,” said Ram Krishna Khatiwada, of the government’s Directorate of Animal Health. “We have received the test reports today that confirms infection of bird flu in poultry farms in Khanar and Ithari of the Sunsari district.” Bird flu has also been confirmed in the eastern hills of Panchathar district and the tea-producing area of Ilam, Katiwada told AFP, adding that surveillance of farms was to be stepped up and 4000 chickens would be killed in the affected areas. “There has not been infection to humans in the area so far. Some have complained of itching and vomiting but that is only panic. We will get the situation under control in one or two days.” Nepal’s first reported outbreak of bird flu in poultry was in January 2009 in the eastern part of the country. The virus reached the capital Kathmandu for the first time in December last year, with health workers culling hundreds of chickens and ducks. If it spreads to humans, bird flu can cause fever, cough, sore throat, pneumonia, respiratory disease and sometimes death. –News

India: In Odisha, about 20,000 birds have been culled in a farm of Central Poultry Development Organization (CPDO) at Bhubaneswar following detection of avian flu H5N1 virus. Culling operation will resume today in the CPDO farm and the rapid response teams formed for the culling operation plans to cull rest of the 9,000 birds in the farm. AIR correspondent reports a huge pit has been dug to bury the culled birds and elaborate arrangements have been made for disinfecting the area. Five more rapid response teams have been engaged for creating awareness among the people in Bhubaneswar. The culling operation was launched after the Odisha government received an advisory from the Centre to eliminate poultry birds at the CPDO farm and three km radius area around it. The culling operation in other areas of Bhubaneswar is likely to be completed in five to six days. The H5N1 virus was reported at the farm after culling took place at Keranga in Khordha district and Betanati in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha last month. CPDO had sent samples to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal, which confirmed the detection of bird flu virus. –News on Air


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Freezing weather causes outbreak of norovirus across Brita
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 07, 2012, 05:20:52 pm
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/freezing-weather-causes-outbreak-of-norovirus-across-britain/

Freezing weather causes outbreak of norovirus across Britain

February 7, 2012 – LONDON – The freezing weather has caused a national outbreak of the winter vomiting bug, it has emerged. Health experts are worried that outbreaks of norovirus, which causes violent sickness and diarrhea, could affect many more people if the icy conditions persist. Over the past fortnight, there have been reports of norovirus at 34 hospitals, of which 19, half have been confirmed as the bug. Wards have been forced to close and visiting hours restricted at 23 hospitals over the past two weeks. Around a million people each year are affected by the virus, which can spread rapidly in hospitals, residential care homes and schools. Louise Brown, spokesperson for the Health Protection Agency, which released the latest report, said: ‘It is believed to be connected with cold weather – that is why it is called the winter vomiting bug. There have been a worrying 581 cases reported since the start of October, with 392 (67 per cent) leading to ward closures. “The numbers this year are so far a little lower than normal – but this could change in the weeks ahead if the icy conditions continue.” Ms Brown said: ‘The current figures are well within seasonal norms and actually down on the average between 2006 and 2010.’ But with the chilly weather forecast to stay in place until the end of the month, people have been warned to be careful, as the bug can spread rapidly. Experts advised people to wash hands thoroughly and regularly, particularly after using the toilet and before eating. –Daily Mail
 
3 wards closed in UAE from outbreaks: A report has unveiled that norovirus outbreak has reoccurred at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. It is being said that the outbreak has caused the closure of three wards at the hospital so as to prevent the disease from spreading further in the hospital. It has been found by the report that the hospital staff has closed three more wards wherein the norovirus has again assaulted some patients. As per a previous report, three wards were kept shut by the hospital previously when the outbreak had taken place. Three of its wards have again been shut by the staff so as to prevent the virus from victimizing any more patients or visitors. Norovirus is a winter vomiting bug that is highly contagious and risks patients with depleted immune systems to a high extent. Thus, the wards had been kept shut for minimum 72 hours. It is being said that the virus had attacked patients last week in two wards of hospital, which have now been reopened. While a third ward that was victimized by the virus would be opened within next 24 hours. All three wards were closed for any new admissions or parents or friends of patients. –Arab News


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: fears ignited in Vietnam after H5N1 mutation discovered
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 09, 2012, 11:22:44 pm
https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/pestilence-watch-fears-ignited-in-vietnam-after-h5n1-mutation-discovered/

Pestilence watch: fears ignited in Vietnam after H5N1 mutation discovered

February 10, 2012 – VIETNAM – Vietnam is at a high risk of a large-scale outbreak of bird flu without drastic preventive measures in the near future, the country’s Department of Animal Health has warned. Bird flu has been reported in four communes in three provinces of Quang Tri, Thanh Hoa and Soc Trang over the past month, affecting nearly 1,700 poultry and forcing the killing of more than 4,000 domestic fowls, said the department’s deputy head Pham Van Dong at a meeting of the Steering Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and Control. A number of poultry suspected of catching the disease have started to appear in other localities such as Nghe An, Bac Lieu, Kien Giang, Ha Noi and Thai Nguyen. The outbreak has also resulted in two human deaths in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta’s Soc Trang and Kien Giang Provinces. The Health Ministry warned of a possible large-scale outbreak of bird flu if the three affected provinces could not keep the disease under control while unfavorable weather conditions, transport and slaughtering of poultry posed a high risk. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development urged localities to immediately vaccinate poultry, increase supervision and tighten management of farms, businesses, markets and slaughtering houses. Minister Cao Duc Phat ordered cities and provinces across the country to take urgent measures to prevent a resurgence of bird flu. A mutation of the H5N1 virus has been discovered in the northern region and existing vaccines do not offer protection against the mutant strain, Hoang Van Nam, head of the Animal Health Department, warned. The ministry has called on related agencies to quickly find a new vaccine to replace the existing one. –World Poultry


Title: Mystery epidemic devastates Central American region
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 12, 2012, 02:24:54 pm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46352358/ns/world_news-americas/?gt=43001

2/12/12

CHICHIGALPA, Nicaragua — Jesus Ignacio Flores started working when he was 16, laboring long hours on construction sites and in the fields of his country's biggest sugar plantation.

Three years ago his kidneys started to fail and flooded his body with toxins. He became too weak to work, wracked by cramps, headaches and vomiting.
 
On Jan. 19 he died on the porch of his house. He was 51. His withered body was dressed by his weeping wife, embraced a final time, then carried in the bed of a pickup truck to a grave on the edge of Chichigalpa, a town in Nicaragua's sugar-growing heartland, where studies have found more than one in four men showing symptoms of chronic kidney disease.
 
A mysterious epidemic is devastating the Pacific coast of Central America, killing more than 24,000 people in El Salvador and Nicaragua since 2000 and striking thousands of others with chronic kidney disease at rates unseen virtually anywhere else. Scientists say they have received reports of the phenomenon as far north as southern Mexico and as far south as Panama.
 
Last year it reached the point where El Salvador's health minister, Dr. Maria Isabel Rodriguez, appealed for international help, saying the epidemic was undermining health systems.
 
Wilfredo Ordonez, who has harvested corn, sesame and rice for more than 30 years in the Bajo Lempa region of El Salvador, was hit by the chronic disease when he was 38. Ten years later, he depends on dialysis treatments he administers to himself four times a day.
 
"This is a disease that comes with no warning, and when they find it, it's too late," Ordonez said as he lay on a hammock on his porch.
 
more



Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on February 12, 2012, 07:21:15 pm
Quote
killing more than 24,000 people in El Salvador and Nicaragua since 2000

and we are just hearing about this now?


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 12, 2012, 07:22:28 pm
and we are just hearing about this now?

Yeah, I was wondering why it's been kept quiet until now(at least on my end, I haven't heard a thing about it until now).

Either way, 24K is a high number over 12 years.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Health warnings issued in Bangladesh from deadly outbreak
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 13, 2012, 03:50:18 pm
Health warnings issued in Bangladesh from deadly outbreak of Nipah virus

February 13, 2012 – BANGLADESH – An outbreak of the Nipah virus in northern Bangladesh has killed 30 people since the start of 2011, prompting national health warnings against the fatal pathogen spread by fruit bats. Everyone who got infected, died. “Only by stopping the consumption of the raw sap, can this disease be stopped. Despite our many attempts at raising awareness, people are ignoring the warnings and as a result, are getting infected,” warned Health Minister A.F.M. Ruhal Haque. Palm tree sap, often served fresh, is a popular drink in rural areas. Six people from the northern Joypurhat District have died thus far in 2012 and 24 during the same period  in 2011. “In the last two years, the mortality rate has been 100 percent. Once the disease sets in, nothing much can be done,” Mahmudur Rahman, director of the non-governmental Dhaka-based Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told IRIN. Named after the Malaysian village where the disease cross-over from pigs to humans was first discovered, Nipah virus (NiV) was diagnosed in people in 1998 in Malaysia and Singapore, then 2001 in Bangladesh. Since then there have been 10 outbreaks in Bangladesh, killing 157 of 208 infected persons, according to IEDCR. Flu-like symptoms include fever and muscle pain. Brain tissue inflammation (encephalitis) may follow, which can lead to disorientation, coma and death. According to scientists from IEDCR and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, the primary reservoir for the NiV is fruit bats. Infected bats’ droppings, urine and saliva contaminate fruit trees, mostly date palms in Bangladesh. Humans become infected when they drink contaminated raw sap or fruits, or come into contact with infected animals. Ninety percent of infected people from 1998-2008 were pig farmers or had come into contact with infected pigs, according to World Health Organization (WHO). Medical studies have reported possible human-to-human transmission through sneezing, coughing and body fluids. –Irin News

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/health-warnings-issued-in-bangladesh-from-deadly-outbreak-of-nipah-virus/


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Mexico swine flu deaths reach 81
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 13, 2012, 04:15:02 pm
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/mexico-swine-flu-deaths-reach-81/

February 13, 2012 – MEXICO CITY – Eighty-one people have so far died of swine flu in Mexico this year, while at least 3,522 have been infected with the virus, health officials said. From Jan 1 till Feb 9, there have been 3,882 confirmed flu cases, the health secretariat said in a statement. Three seasonal viruses are currently active in Mexico — AH1N1, AH3N2 and influenza B. The AH1N1 — or swine flu — has been the predominant one, with 91 per cent of the infections. The AH1N1 virus broke out in Mexico in March-April 2009. By June 2010, around 1,300 deaths had occurred and more than 70,000 people had contracted the disease. –Times of India


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on February 14, 2012, 04:14:41 am
CDC warns of increase in Untreatable Gonorrhea...
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/02/13/cdc-warns-untreatable-gonorrhea-is-on-the-way

WHO calls for stepped-up fight against leprosy...
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.c80fa84516de0a50175c4f57391b041d.261&show_article=1

leprosy? really?


Title: Incurable virus killing thousands of lambs in UK
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 19, 2012, 03:24:24 pm

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/incurable-virus-killing-thousands-of-lambs-in-uk/

February 19, 2012 – BRITAIN – A new virus is causing lambs to be born with deformities so severe that they die within seconds. It is thought midges brought the Schmallenberg virus to Britain from continental Europe last autumn. The foetuses of newly-pregnant ewes bitten by the insects often fail to develop properly. At Mayfield Farm near Mildenhall in Suffolk, 75 of the 1,700 lambs born so far this year were affected. “In a ewe that was carrying twins, she would have a job lambing it. You would have to pull it out,” said farmer Clive Sleightholme. “The legs were fused together and tucked underneath, its head was angular, not formed properly. They had undershot jaws and they weren’t fleshed out properly but nearly every one was alive when it was pulled out but only lived seconds up to a minute.” The Schmallenberg virus, which is not thought to cause risk to humans, was first identified in Germany in November (Stuttgart: A0Z24E – news). There have also been cases in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Vet Toby Kemble has already seen deformed lambs at eight out of 10 sheep farms he has been to in north Norfolk this year. It’s concerning for the farmer, from their point of view they are losing lambs and losing productivity but it’s very upsetting seeing the lambs,” he said. So far the majority of confirmed cases have been in Suffolk and Norfolk. But farms in Kent, East Sussex, Essex and Hertfordshire have also been affected. And in West Sussex the virus has been found not just in sheep but also cattle. Most lambs and calves are born in the spring so for many farmers it is a waiting game. “It’s a new virus so we just don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Mr. Kemble. “It may be we have seen the peak already but what we may be seeing is the tip of the iceberg and it’s just going to get worse and worse.” –Yahoo UK


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on February 20, 2012, 05:11:15 am
Experts fear diseases 'impossible to treat'

Alarming rise in bacteria resistant to antibiotics, Government report finds


Britain is facing a "massive" rise in antibiotic-resistant blood poisoning caused by the bacterium E.coli – bringing closer the spectre of diseases that are impossible to treat.

Experts say the growth of antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat to global health as the emergence of new diseases such as Aids and pandemic flu.

Professor Peter Hawkey, a clinical microbiologist and chair of the Government's antibiotic-resistance working group, said that antibiotic resistance had become medicine's equivalent of climate change.

The "slow but insidious growth" of resistant organisms was threatening to turn common infections into untreatable diseases, he said. Already, an estimated 25,000 people die each year in the European Union from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

"It is a worldwide issue – there are no boundaries," he said. "We have very good policies on the use of antibiotics in man and in animals in the UK. But we are not alone. We have to think globally." Between 2005 and 2009 the incidence of E.coli "bacteraemias" [the presence of bacteria in the blood] rose by 30 per cent, from 18,000 to over 25,000 cases. Those resistant to antibiotics have risen from 1 per cent at the beginning of the century to 10 per cent.

rest: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/experts-fear-diseases-impossible-to-treat-7216662.html


Title: Re: Incurable virus killing thousands of lambs in UK
Post by: Mark on February 25, 2012, 04:53:51 pm
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/incurable-virus-killing-thousands-of-lambs-in-uk/

February 19, 2012 – BRITAIN – A new virus is causing lambs to be born with deformities so severe that they die within seconds. It is thought midges brought the Schmallenberg virus to Britain from continental Europe last autumn. The foetuses of newly-pregnant ewes bitten by the insects often fail to develop properly. At Mayfield Farm near Mildenhall in Suffolk, 75 of the 1,700 lambs born so far this year were affected. “In a ewe that was carrying twins, she would have a job lambing it. You would have to pull it out,” said farmer Clive Sleightholme. “The legs were fused together and tucked underneath, its head was angular, not formed properly. They had undershot jaws and they weren’t fleshed out properly but nearly every one was alive when it was pulled out but only lived seconds up to a minute.” The Schmallenberg virus, which is not thought to cause risk to humans, was first identified in Germany in November (Stuttgart: A0Z24E – news). There have also been cases in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Vet Toby Kemble has already seen deformed lambs at eight out of 10 sheep farms he has been to in north Norfolk this year. It’s concerning for the farmer, from their point of view they are losing lambs and losing productivity but it’s very upsetting seeing the lambs,” he said. So far the majority of confirmed cases have been in Suffolk and Norfolk. But farms in Kent, East Sussex, Essex and Hertfordshire have also been affected. And in West Sussex the virus has been found not just in sheep but also cattle. Most lambs and calves are born in the spring so for many farmers it is a waiting game. “It’s a new virus so we just don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Mr. Kemble. “It may be we have seen the peak already but what we may be seeing is the tip of the iceberg and it’s just going to get worse and worse.” –Yahoo UK

"Thousands of lambs have been killed by a new virus that is threatening the survival of many British farms."


Telegraph

9:00PM GMT 25 Feb 2012


"The Schmallenberg virus causes lambs to be born dead or with serious deformities such as fused limbs and twisted necks, which mean they cannot survive.

Scientists are urgently trying to find out how the disease, which also affects cattle, spreads and how to fight it, as the number of farms affected increases by the day.

So far, 74 farms across southern and eastern England have been hit by the virus, which arrived in this country in January.

A thousand farms in Europe have reported cases since the first signs of the virus were seen in the German town of Schmallenberg last summer.

The National Farmers Union has called it a potential “catastrophe” and warned farmers to be vigilant. “This is a ticking time bomb,” said Alastair Mackintosh, of the NFU. “We don’t yet know the extent of the disease. We only find out the damage when sheep and cows give birth, and by then it’s too late.”

Full story here.....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9106270/Mystery-virus-kills-thousands-of-lambs.html


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on February 25, 2012, 08:14:14 pm
Mutated SARS In China Or?

The altermedia net is buzzing with rumors of a mutated SARS or avian flu in Baoding Hospital No. 252, Hebei province. The CDC is denying this report, calling it nothing more than net hysteria. While it’s possible that it’s much ado about nothing, it should be noted that Hebei province has suffered from severe bouts of H5N1 since early February, to the degree that egg demand–for fears of transmission–has plummeted. According to an article posted yesterday at sina.com, children are the latest victims: “Recently, a fever of children really, we pay more attention to our children have lost several a few days fluid.” Recently, the provincial capital of Miss Shi telling everyone that. The data from the hospital confirmed the feelings of Miss Shi: Since last Saturday, the provincial capital of patients with flu-like fever surge on outpatients has more than doubled the previous week...

http://sharonkgilbert.com/?p=1775


Title: Livestock plagues hit U.S., Nepal, and UK, mystery virus killing numerous animal
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 27, 2012, 09:59:06 am
Food-chain unraveling: Livestock plagues hit U.S., Nepal, and UK, mystery virus killing numerous animals

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/food-chain-unraveling-livestock-plagues-hit-u-s-nepal-and-uk-mystery-virus-killing-numerous-animals/

February 27, 2012 – BRITAIN - Thousands of lambs are dying in Britain. The Schmallenberg virus causes lambs to be born dead or with serious deformities such as fused limbs and twisted necks, which mean they cannot survive. Scientists are urgently trying to find out how the disease, which also affects cattle, spreads and how to fight it, as the number of farms affected increases by the day. So far, 74 farms across southern and eastern England have been hit by the virus, which arrived in this country in January. A thousand farms in Europe have reported cases since the first signs of the virus were seen in the German town of Schmallenberg last summer. The National Farmers Union has called it a potential “catastrophe” and warned farmers to be vigilant. “This is a ticking time bomb,” said Alastair Mackintosh, of the NFU. “We don’t yet know the extent of the disease. We only find out the damage when sheep and cows give birth, and by then it’s too late.” It is unclear exactly how the disease arrived in Britain, but the leading theory is that midges carried the virus across the Channel or North Sea in the autumn. However, scientists cannot yet rule out transmission of the disease from animal to animal. Infected ewes do not show any symptoms of the virus until they give birth, with horrific results. Farmers have described delivering the deformed and stillborn animals as heartbreaking. The lambing season has only just begun, which means that the full impact of the disease will not be felt until the weather warms up and millions more animals are born. On the Continent, some farms have lost half of their lambs. So far the worst hit in Britain have lost 20 per cent, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Approximately 16 million lambs are born in Britain every year and sell at market for about £100 each. The effect of the disease on farms that are already struggling in the downturn could be severe. –Telegraph

DHADING, Nepal – More than 20,000 chickens have died of unidentified disease in Naubise VDC’s Dharke and surrounding areas in the past one week. Livestock Development Officer Dr Shivaji Prasad Das of District Livestock Service Office said chickens had been dying but since the farmers kept mum more chickens could not be prevented from dying. It was only yesterday that a team including Dr Das went to the incident site. It sent dead chickens for tests to Kathmandu’s Central Livestock Disease Control Laboratory today. According to Dr Das, test report will be out in three days. In the poultry farm owned by Ram Koirala of Dharke 3,500 died within two weeks. In Salikgram’s farm 3,000 fowls have died. Thousands of chickens have died in other farms as well. Farmers estimate that they have lost more than Rs 50 lakhs. Ram Koirala, Proprietor of Dharke-based Ram Laxman Poultry Farm, said, “We had taken the chickens to Kathmandu’s Gauri Shankar Vet Farm as soon as we found out they were suffering from some disease. The vets there said chickens suffered from Ranikhet disease.” Farmers are worried that chickens are dying even after treatment of Ranikhet disease. Meanwhile, the Cabinet decided today to declare three districts of eastern region — Ilam, Sunsari and Jhapa — as bird flu affected areas and directed the government agencies to adopt effective measures to control the disease. – The Himalayan Times
 
MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. — Horses are dying and now cattle as well and detectives in Maury County have been at a loss to explain how or why it is happening. First, seven seemingly healthy horses turned up dead last week at a Hampshire farm in Maury County.  The state performed a necropsy and released the results. “They ruled that it’s undetermined. The cause of death cannot be determined at this time. It is a mystery. We don’t know what happened,” said Detective Terry Chandler with the Maury County Sheriff’s Department. Now Detective Chandler is investigating more deaths: Two dead cows at a farm across from the one where the seven horses were found. And he’s consulting with police looking into more mysterious horse deaths in ****son and Giles County. Chandler said there is no evidence anyone is intentionally harming the animals. He said they have not ruled out the possibility the livestock died from eating contaminated hay or a poison plant.  It’s possible the toxins were not detected by the state testing. –News Channel 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrNEjE5uEMk&feature=player_embedded


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 27, 2012, 07:08:29 pm
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/carriers-increasing-scientists-find-flu-virus-in-bats-for-the-first-time-risks-to-humans-unclear/

Carriers increasing? Scientists find flu virus in bats for the first time- risks to humans unclear

Posted on February 27, 2012

February 27, 2012 – ATLANTA - For the first time, scientists have found evidence of flu in bats, reporting a never-before-seen virus whose risk to humans is unclear. The surprising discovery of genetic fragments of a flu virus is the first well-documented report of it in the winged mammals. So far, scientists haven’t been able to grow it, and it’s not clear if – or how well – it spreads. Flu bugs are common in humans, birds and pigs and have even been seen in dogs, horses, seals and whales, among others. About five years ago, Russian virologists claimed finding flu in bats, but they never offered evidence. “Most people are fairly convinced we had already discovered flu in all the possible” animals, said Ruben Donis, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist who co-authored the new study. Scientists suspect that some bats caught flu centuries ago and that the virus mutated within the bat population into this new variety. Scientists haven’t even been able to grow the new virus in chicken eggs or in human cell culture, as they do with more conventional flu strains. But it still could pose a threat to humans. For example, if it mingled with more common forms of influenza, it could swap genes and mutate into something more dangerous, a scenario at the heart of the global flu epidemic movie “Contagion.” The research was posted online Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The CDC has an international outpost in Guatemala, and that’s where researchers collected more than 300 bats in 2009 and 2010. The research was mainly focused on rabies, but the scientists also checked specimens for other germs and stumbled upon the new virus. It was in the intestines of little yellow-shouldered bats, said Donis, a veterinarian by training. These bats eat fruit and insects but don’t bite people. Yet it’s possible they could leave the virus on produce and a human could get infected by taking a bite. It’s conceivable some people were infected with the virus in the past. Now that scientists know what it looks like, they are looking for it in other bats as well as humans and other animals, said Donis, who heads the Molecular Virology and Vaccines Branch in the CDC’s flu division. –Physics


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Outbreak of ASF reported in Republic of Karelia
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 28, 2012, 07:51:57 am
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/outbreak-of-asf-reported-in-republic-of-karelia/

Outbreak of ASF reported in Republic of Karelia

February 28, 2012 – RUSSIA – African Swine Fever has been identified on a private farm in the republic of Karelia following the death of eight animals. The study of pathological material taken from the dead pigs, revealed the presence of African Swine Fever. Preliminary results of the investigation stated that the most likely source of infection is from pre-fabricated food waste from the district hospitals and kindergartens. Are all the necessary arrangements have been made for the localization of infection and prevention of further spread of the disease? –TPS


Title: 32 dogs euthanized in large rabies outbreak in New Mexico
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 01, 2012, 12:15:58 pm
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/32-dogs-euthanized-in-large-rabies-outbreak-in-new-mexico/

March 1, 2012 – NEW MEXICO – Dozens of pet dogs around one New Mexico city have had to be euthanized since December because they were exposed to rabid animals and hadn’t been vaccinated, the state’s health department said Wednesday. In addition to the 32 dogs that were euthanized, livestock and at least one cat also had to be put down in the Carlsbad area. In an outbreak documented by state health officials in Eddy County, 22 skunks, one dog and one fox have tested positive for rabies, state health officials announced in a news release. Twelve people in the county have received medicine for post-rabies exposure.“This is one of the most concentrated outbreaks of rabies that has been seen in New Mexico for decades,” Dr. Paul Ettestad, the health department’s public health veterinarian said in a statement. “Everyone should encourage their family and their neighbors to have their pets vaccinated against rabies to protect their community.” –MSNBC


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Outbreak of Newcastle disease reported in South Africa
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 13, 2012, 10:09:43 am
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/outbreak-of-newcastle-disease-reported-in-south-africa/

March 13, 2012 – SOUTH AFRICA – An outbreak of Newcastle disease has killed more than 170 chickens in the North West, the provincial department of agriculture and rural development said on Friday. The outbreak in the Greater Taung Local municipality, Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District has so far caused the death of about 140 chickens – belonging to five farmers – in the Pudimoe village, said spokeswoman Bonolo Mohlakoana in a statement. Additional cases were reported in Leshobo village where more than 25 chickens were reported dead within a week, according to IOL News. Agriculture MEC Boitumelo Tshwene has expressed his concern to the department’s state veterinarians and urged farmers to report any mortality cases immediately.  “There is no need however, for other poultry farmers in the province to panic since measures have been taken to control the spread of the outbreak, in that the trading and movement of chickens and turkeys or their products within or between the affected villages is currently prohibited,” he said. Ms. Mohlakoana said vets would go to the affected areas on Friday to start a vaccination program. “There is no treatment for Newcastle disease currently, therefore prevention through vaccination is important,” she said. Newcastle disease is a contagious and fatal disease caused by a virus that affects domestic birds (chickens and turkeys) as well wild birds. -TPS


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Mysterious ‘zombie’ disease afflicts thousands of Ugandan
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 30, 2012, 09:07:39 pm
Mysterious ‘zombie’ disease afflicts thousands of Ugandan children

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/21/mysterious-zombie-disease-afflicts-thousands-of-ugandan-children/

3/21/12


Agnes Apio has to tie up her son Francis before she can leave the house. In his state, he is a danger to himself. Where once he walked and talked like a normal child, now he is only able to drag himself along in the dirt. Francis is suffering from “Nodding Disease,” a brain disorder that, according to CNN, afflicts at least 3,000 children in northern Uganda, leaving them physically stunted and severely mentally disabled.

“I feel dark in my heart,” Apio says as waves flies away from her son’s face and mops up his urine after a seizure, “This boy has become nothing.”

“Reportedly the children gnaw at their fabric restraints, like a rabid animals,” says The Daily Tech.  The article calls them “zombie children,” having “no cure” and “no future.”

First the victims become restless, can’t concentrate. They say they have trouble thinking. Then comes the nodding, an uncontrollable dipping of the head that presages the disease’s debilitating epilepsy-like seizures. It is this nodding motion that gives the illness its name.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Mysterious ‘zombie’ disease afflicts thousands of Ugandan
Post by: tennis shoe on March 30, 2012, 11:51:33 pm
Mysterious ‘zombie’ disease afflicts thousands of Ugandan children

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/21/mysterious-zombie-disease-afflicts-thousands-of-ugandan-children/

3/21/12


Agnes Apio has to tie up her son Francis before she can leave the house. In his state, he is a danger to himself. Where once he walked and talked like a normal child, now he is only able to drag himself along in the dirt. Francis is suffering from “Nodding Disease,” a brain disorder that, according to CNN, afflicts at least 3,000 children in northern Uganda, leaving them physically stunted and severely mentally disabled.

“I feel dark in my heart,” Apio says as waves flies away from her son’s face and mops up his urine after a seizure, “This boy has become nothing.”

“Reportedly the children gnaw at their fabric restraints, like a rabid animals,” says The Daily Tech.  The article calls them “zombie children,” having “no cure” and “no future.”

First the victims become restless, can’t concentrate. They say they have trouble thinking. Then comes the nodding, an uncontrollable dipping of the head that presages the disease’s debilitating epilepsy-like seizures. It is this nodding motion that gives the illness its name.

more

This is being intentionally brought up as a talking point for some reason. The media is also giving us several false impressions. Impression 1 – “this is a new thing.”

Quote
Prevalence and epidemiology

While occurrences of the disease known as "nodding syndrome" have been relatively recent, it appears that the condition was first documented in 1962 in southern Tanzania.[5] More recently, nodding syndrome was previously most prevalent in South Sudan, where in 2003 approximately 300 cases were found in Mundri alone. By 2009, it had spread across the border to Uganda's Kitgum district,[3] and the Ugandan ministry of health declared that more than 2000 children had the disease.[5] As of the end of 2011, outbreaks were concentrated in Kitgum, Pader and Gulu. More than 1000 cases were diagnosed in the last half of that year.[10]

There were further outbreaks in early 2012, in South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.[16] -   Wiki

Impression 2 – “The local government doesn’t care” The raw story article says:

Quote
Physicians and workers with the Ugandan Red Cross are frustrated by what they see as a lack of urgency in the government’s handling of the disease. After months of lagging, officials have only begun an official tally of cases within the last two weeks.

Then I find this article. Note the date.

Quote
Last group of nodding disease children discharged
Publish Date: Mar 29, 2012
The last group of children suffering from nodding disease has been discharged from Mulago national referral hospital.

"They are expected to report to the treatment centres for follow up documents before returning to their homes," the hospital's spokesperson Dan Kimosho said.

The hospital will continue to work closely with the ministry of health to monitor the affected children but from the established centres.

One of the children who had a problem of brain trauma underwent a successful operation, Kimosho confirmed.

Before this last group, Mulago had discharged about 20 children who were suffering from the same disease.

The screening and treatment centres are in Kitgum, Pader and the other affected districts."

More here:
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/629956-last-group-of-nodding-disease-children-discharged.html

So, why is this suddenly being widely reported? I’m seeing a pattern in the spin.

Here’s some headlines.

Mystery of nodding disease turning children into 'zombies' in Uganda

Forget Joseph Kony. What Ugandan children fear is the ‘nodding disease’

Nodding Disease: Uganda battles new mystery illness | GlobalPost

Neglected Diseases - Nodding disease – YouTube


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Drug-resistant malaria is spreading and it could be a publ
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 06, 2012, 11:32:44 am
Drug-resistant malaria is spreading and it could be a public health disaster

April 6, 2012 – AFRICA - Malaria remains one of the world’s great unnecessary killers. More than 650,000 people succumb to the disease each year — that’s more than one per minute — mostly in the poor nations of sub-Saharan Africa, but as deadly as malaria is, it doesn’t have to kill. Prevention and better treatment can stop the progression of the disease, and death tends to be a matter of extreme poverty. Indeed, in recent years great progress has been made in controlling malaria, with deaths down 30% over the past decade. That’s thanks largely to more effective treatment regimens that make use of artemisinin, a plant-derived antimalarial drug originally developed in China. Artemisinin is the closest thing we have to a miracle drug for malaria. That’s what makes the results of two studies out this week in the Lancet and Science so disturbing. Health officials have known for a while that some malaria parasites in the Southeast Asian nation of Cambodia have begun to develop resistance to artemisinin, but they hoped the resistance wasn’t spreading. Now researchers in the region have shown that artemisinin is becoming dramatically less potent in malaria cases in western Thailand, and they know it’s due to growing drug resistance in the malaria parasites themselves. If resistance to artemisinin were to spread to sub-Saharan Africa, the result could be a “public health disaster,” in the words of lead Lancet author Standwell Nkhoma of the Texas Biomedical Research Institute. Artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites first emerged in Cambodia in 2006, which led to an international effort to control malaria and contain resistant strains there. But scientists in the Lancet study looked at more than 3,000 patients who were treated at malaria clinics in northwestern Thailand between 2001 and 2010. The researchers — including staff from Texas Biomed, Mahidol University in Bangkok and the Centre for Tropical Medicine at Oxford — found that it took longer and longer for malaria parasites to be cleared during treatment, a sign of growing resistance. Molecular analysis of the malaria parasites showed that this resistance to treatment was due to a genetic trait — the parasites were adapting to artemisinin, just as they had in Cambodia. “Genetically determined artemisinin resistance in the parasite emerged along the Thailand-Myanmar [Burma] border at least eight years ago and has since increased substantially,” the authors wrote in the Lancet paper. “At this rate of increase, resistance will reach rates reported in western Cambodia in two to six years.” -Time

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/drug-resistant-malaria-is-spreading-and-it-could-be-a-public-health-disaster/


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Salmonella outbreak reported in 19 U.S. states
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 08, 2012, 03:50:37 pm

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/salmonella-outbreak-reported-in-19-u-s-states/

April 8, 2012 – WASHINGTON - Federal and state health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak in 19 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reports 93 people in 19 states and the District of Columbia have been sickened by an unusual strain of the bacteria called salmonella Bareilly. So far 10 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, according to health officials. The first case of this particular food-borne illness was reported on January 28. The most recent case was reported Monday. “CDC is collaborating with public health officials in several states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of salmonella serotype Bareilly infections,” CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell said in a statement. News of the investigation surfaced late Tuesday when an internal memo was inadvertently sent to everyone at the FDA, according to FDA spokesman Curtis Allen. He says the memo speculates about a possible source of contamination — sushi — but he says the FDA doesn’t know the origins of the outbreak at this time. According to the CDC, state public health officials are interviewing those who became ill to find out what they may have eaten and been exposed to in the week before they got sick. This is how investigations into food-borne illnesses are typically conducted. Russell said in “initial interviews, many of the ill persons reported consuming sushi, sashimi, or similar foods in a variety of locations in the week before becoming ill.” However, it is still early in the investigation. According to the CDC, consumers are not being told to avoid any particular food or restaurants. Once a particular food is identified for this outbreak, the public will be notified, according to a CDC statement. Consumers are advised to contact their doctor if they believe they became ill from eating potentially contaminated food. -CNN


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Vietnam baffled by mystery disease
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 20, 2012, 04:40:27 pm
Vietnam baffled by mystery disease
 
(UKPA) – 4/20/12

Vietnam has asked the World Health Organisation to help investigate a mystery disease that has killed 19 people and left 171 others sick.

Le Han Phong, chairman of the People's Committee in Ba To district in Quang Ngai province, said patients first experience a rash on their hands and feet along with high fever, loss of appetite and eventually organ failure.

He said nearly 100 people remain in hospital, including 10 in critical condition. Patients with milder symptoms are being treated at home.

Mr Phong said the first case was detected last year and that the disease had died down until a spate of new infections were recently reported, mostly in one impoverished village.

A Ministry of Health investigation was inconclusive.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5ghB-OLHV42vvo6RVCZrgopSGkxog?docId=N0424811334900578759A


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Mad cow case confirmed in California
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 24, 2012, 08:59:25 pm
4/24/12

Mad cow case confirmed in California

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mad-cow-case-confirmed-california-190915437.html

The United States Department of Agriculture confirmed Tuesday that it found a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California.
 
The infected cow was found as part of a "targeted surveillance system," says John Clifford, the USDA's chief veterinary officer. This is the nation's fourth confirmed case of the ailment commonly known as mad cow disease, which can be fatal to humans who eat parts of the animal infected.
 
"The animal was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so it at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health. Additionally, milk does not transmit BSE," Clifford said. The cow was found at a "rendering plant," which takes sickly or discarded animal meat and recycles it into  inedible products.
 
The animal tested positive for atypical BSE, a very rare form of the disease not generally associated with an animal consuming infected feed.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Whooping cough outbreak strikes Washington state
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 04, 2012, 11:54:50 am
http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/pertussis-whooping-cough-outbreak-strikes-washington-state


Pertussis: Whooping cough outbreak strikes Washington state
5/4/12

More than 1,100 cases of whooping cough have already been diagnosed this year in the state, nearly doubling the number seen in typical peak years.

Washington state is gearing up for one of the worst epidemics of pertussis in nearly 70 years. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes a nasty cough. It is particularly dangerous for young infants.
 
Public health officials have confirmed more than 1,100 cases of whooping cough so far this year in the state. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported this year, but 20 infants have been hospitalized with the illness. 
 
Washington's Gov. Christine Gregoire announced May 3 that state emergency funds would be available to provide free vaccinations and help spread awareness about the disease and the importance of getting vaccinated. 
 
In the U.S., most kids receive a series of vaccines against whooping cough at the age of 2 months. But some kids don't get immunized, either because their parents object or they are unaware of the importance of vaccines.
 
Outbreaks of pertussis are not uncommon, but they do tend to run in cycles. Tim Church, a spokesman for the Washington state Health Department, said the current epidemic is running well above typical peak years in the past, when 500 to 600 cases might be reported in a year.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Measles outbreak kills 12 children in Waziristan, Pakistan
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 16, 2012, 05:44:38 pm
http://tribune.com.pk/story/378936/collateral-damage-measles-outbreak-kills-12-children-in-waziristan/

MIRAMSHAH: 
A measles outbreak has killed 12 children in the North Waziristan tribal region and is spreading as fighting, power cuts and curfews cause a vaccine shortage, doctors said on Monday.
 
North Waziristan, which is infamous for its alleged Taliban and al Qaeda sanctuaries, is frequently hit by US drone strikes.
 
“For the past three weeks we are daily receiving five to 10 children suffering from measles,” said Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, chief of the agency headquarters hospital in Miramshah. He would normally see only one or two deaths a year from the disease, he said.
 
But another doctor, Mohammad Sadiq, said 12 children and a man had died from measles in the last three weeks, and that there were up to 70 confirmed cases in hospital.
 
The UN children’s agency UNICEF said there had been 143 measles alerts this year in the seven tribal agencies of the country.
 
The measles virus is highly contagious and can be fatal, but can easily be prevented by proper immunisation.
 
However Shah said: “We do not have proper storage for measles vaccination because of long power outages and curfews and most of our stock expires due to these reasons.”
 
Poverty and poor transport facilities mean villagers in the rugged, mountainous areas cannot come to hospitals for treatment, he added, while military operations and unrest mean vaccination teams cannot reach them.
 
“There is accumulation of significant number of unvaccinated children in different parts of this region which are revealing as outbreaks or alerts from time to time,” said Dr Quamrul Hasan of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
 
WHO and local health officials are to carry out a supplementary campaign in the tribal areas aimed at vaccinating more than a million children aged under 10 by the end of June, he said.
 
Polio vaccination campaigns in tribal areas have in the past suffered because of rumours – sometimes spread by radio stations or from mosque loudspeakers – they were a Western conspiracy to sterilise children to reduce the Muslim population.
 
But UNICEF said work had been done to tackle misconceptions and there was less suspicion of the measles vaccine, administered by injection, than of the orally-administered polio dose.
 
Published in The Express Tribune, May 15th, 2012.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Mysterious disease outbreak in Nepal
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 17, 2012, 12:24:49 pm
http://www.dt.bh/newsdetails.php?key=301110213455&newsid=130512164820

5/14/12
Mysterious disease outbreak in Nepal

Kathmandu
Around 200 people at Neta of Arman Village Development Committee in Myagdi district in western Nepal were sickened by an unidentified disease in the last four days, local media reported.

The disease affected a majority of 50 families in Neta, said Harka Bahadur Chhantyal, a local resident.

The sick suffered from shaking body, fever and unconsciousness, he added.
 
Elderly people and children have been mostly affected by the disease.
The villagers have been panic-stricken owing to the rapid spread of the disease, said Chhantyal, who is also the teacher of local Mangala Higher Secondary School.

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Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Second Case Of Flesh-Eating Bacteria Reported(SC)
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 17, 2012, 02:54:43 pm
http://www.kvia.com/news/31076520/detail.html

5/17/12

(CNN) -- A second case of flesh-eating bacteria has been reported in South Carolina as a Georgia woman continues to battle the same kind of infection.

Lana Kuykendall, 36, is in critical condition fighting a similar infection, her husband says. Doctors have removed skin and tissue from her legs. She is on a ventilator.

In Augusta, Georgia, meanwhile, 24-year-old Aimee Copeland continues to battle a flesh-eating bacteria. Doctors already have amputated her leg and removed part of her abdomen. Her father says doctors probably will amputate her fingers to halt the bacteria's spread.

Copeland contracted the flesh-devouring bacteria Aeromonas hydrophila when she fell from a zip line May 1 and cut her leg. The gash required 22 staples, but days later, still in pain, she returned to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with necrotizing fasciitis.

The psychology student is on life support and has since had a tracheotomy.

An unrelated case of necrotizing fasciitis may be responsible for Kuykendall's hospitalization in South Carolina.

She gave birth to twins on May 7 but returned to the hospital days later after noticing a rapidly expanding bruise on her leg. Doctors have since removed dead skin and tissue from both of her legs.

Kuykendall's husband, Darren, said his wife is suffering from flesh-eating bacteria, though doctors have not publicly confirmed the diagnosis.
Copeland is also on a ventilator. Still, Copeland's father and Kuykendall's husband say they remain positive about the women's conditions.
Various bacteria are responsible for the condition called necrotizing fasciitis, in which the bug attacks healthy tissue and destroys it.

The bacteria are common in the environment but rarely cause a serious infection. When they do, the body's immune system is almost always able to fight them off.

Occasionally, however, the bacteria find their way into the bloodstream. That can happen through a cut or abrasion, as was the case with Copeland, or even through a black-and-blue mark or other internal bleeding, as appears to be the case with Kuykendall.
In such cases, doctors must act quickly and aggressively, removing even healthy tissue around the infection site to make sure they've caught it all.

Necrotizing fasciitis is rare. Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, estimates there are fewer than 250 cases every year in the United States, though it is impossible to say for sure because the reporting of such cases is not currently required by law.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Disease outbreak in Homabay leaves 12 cattle dead
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 21, 2012, 05:58:00 pm
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000058551&story_title=Disease%20outbreak%20in%20Homabay%20leaves%2012%20cattle%20dead

Published Monday, May 21 2012 at 00:00

By James Omoro

Farmers in Rangwe Division of Homa Bay District have lost 12 cattle following acute outbreak of Black quarter disease.

The farmers expressed concern saying curing the disease among their cattle has become a nightmare.

They said the death of the cattle has caused an enormous loss in their economy owing to the fact that cattle keeping is regarded as a major investment among the area residents. The farmers are worried that the situation may aggravate if precautionary measures are not taken early enough.

They appealed to the government to intervene promptly and carry out preventive measures for curbing further deaths of cattle.

Area District Veterinary Officer Alexander Baboon confirmed the outbreak saying that Black quarter is one the dangerous diseases that can claim lives of many livestock within a short duration.

Baboon assured area residents that the government would undertake massive vaccination of animals to combat further spread of the disease in the affected areas.

He called upon farmers to co-operate with Veterinary Officers in a vaccination exercise scheduled for Tuesday May 22. The Officer said the exercise is expected to continue for a period of seven days in Rangwe and Asego Divisions where trace of the disease has been experienced.

He called upon farmers to present their animals for vaccination in the designated places adding that it would be offered free of charge.

Baboon attributed the bacterial disease to prevalent dirty water that has resulted from heavy rains experienced in the region. He told the farmers to be calm as he is making all possible efforts to arrest the situation.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on May 26, 2012, 01:31:46 pm
Flea-Borne Typhus Warning in Santa Ana

A warning to residents in Santa Ana after a man contracted typhus from a flea earlier this week.

The man lived in the area of Broadway and Washington.

Orange County Vector Control has gone out into the community to hand out literature advising people of how they can protect themselves and their pets.

Flea-born typhus, also known as endemic typhus and murine typhus, is caused by bacteria found in infected fleas and their feces.

Symptoms begin one to two weeks after exposure and include high fever, headaches, chills, body aches and pains, and a rash on arms, chest, back, or legs.

Here are steps you can take to protect yourself:

•Pets, yards, and homes should be kept free of fleas by treating pets with flea-prevention medication.

•Eliminate places where wild animals, such as opossums, cats, rats and raccoons, can find shelter.

•Eliminate food sources that might attract wild animals.

•Wear protective gear when cleaning areas that may be infested by the above-mentioned animals

VID: http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-flea-season-typhus-alert,0,3747526.story


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Chagas: Is tropical disease really the new AIDS?
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 31, 2012, 02:12:02 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/chagas-tropical-disease-really-aids-145745645.html

5/31/12

Video:
http://news.yahoo.com/video#video=29508674

Chagas, a tropical disease spread by insects, is causing some fresh concern following an editorial—published earlier this week in a medical journal—that called it "the new AIDS of the Americas."
 
More than 8 million people have been infected by Chagas, most of them in Latin and Central America. But more than 300,000 live in the United States.
 
The editorial, published by the Public Library of Science's Neglected Tropical Diseases, said the spread of the disease is reminiscent of the early years of HIV.
 
"There are a number of striking similarities between people living with Chagas disease and people living with HIV/AIDS," the authors wrote, "particularly for those with HIV/AIDS who contracted the disease in the first two decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic."
 
[Related: U.S. relief program prevented 741,000 HIV/AIDS deaths in Africa]
 
Both diseases disproportionately affect people living in poverty, both are chronic conditions requiring prolonged, expensive treatment, and as with patients in the first two decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, "most patients with Chagas disease do not have access to health care facilities."
 
Unlike HIV, Chagas is not a sexually-transmitted disease: it's "caused by parasites transmitted to humans by blood-sucking insects," as the New York Times put it.
 
"It likes to bite you on the face," CNN reported. "It's called the kissing bug. When it ingests your blood, it excretes the parasite at the same time. When you wake up and scratch the itch, the parasite moves into the wound and you're infected."
 


"Gaaah," Cassie Murdoch wrote on Jezebel.com, summing up the sentiment of everyone who read the journal's report.
 
[Related: Coming soon - an over-the-counter HIV test]
 
Chagas, also known as American trypanosomiasis, kills about 20,000 people per year, the journal said.
 
And while just 20 percent of those infected with Chagas develop a life-threatening form of the disease, Chagas is "hard or impossible to cure," the Times reports:
 
Quote
The disease can be transmitted from mother to child or by blood transfusion. About a quarter of its victims eventually will develop enlarged hearts or intestines, which can fail or burst, causing sudden death. Treatment involves harsh drugs taken for up to three months and works only if the disease is caught early.

"The problem is once the heart symptoms start, which is the most dreaded complication—the Chagas cardiomyopathy—the medicines no longer work very well," Dr. Peter Hotez, a researcher at Baylor College of Medicine and one of the editorial's authors, told CNN. "Problem No. 2: the medicines are extremely toxic."
 
And 11 percent of pregnant women in Latin America are infected with Chagas, the journal said.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 31, 2012, 03:49:24 pm
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24311-anthrax-reported-northern-colombia.html

5/30/12

Anthrax reported on northern Colombia farms

One person has skin lesions and 16 animals have died in an anthrax outbreak in northern Colombia, near the Venezuelan border.
 
A notification on the website for the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said the outbreak has affected two farms in the department of La Guajira. Colombia's Agriculture Ministry sent the information to the OIE on May 28.
 
The source of the deadly bacteria has not yet been determined, the report said. One of the affected populations "belongs to an indigenous community in the department of La Guajira," the notice states.
 
"The community has been informed of the protocol to be applied to dispose of the carcasses, mainly the fact that, under no circumstances, the dead animals must be neither manipulated nor consumed," the report said.
 
Humans commonly contract anthrax through close contact with infected animals or eating ones that have died from the disease.
 
"Susceptible species are being vaccinated. An intense epidemiological surveillance is being conducted in the area together with the public health authorities," the notification continued.
 
more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Six people in intensive care after outbreak of Legionnaire
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 05, 2012, 09:43:05 am
http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/104650-six-people-in-intensive-care-after-outbreak-of-legionnaires-disease/

Six people in intensive care after outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease

6/4/12

Six people are in hospital and a further four are receiving medical attention after an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Edinburgh.

NHS Lothian is investigating four confirmed and four suspected cases of the Legionella bacteria in the Gorgie, Dalry, and Saughton areas of the capital.

Six men are being treated in hospitals throughout Lothian. Five of the men are in intensive care units while the sixth is in a high dependency unit.

A further four cases, as yet unconfirmed, are also being probed.

All ten cases are linked geographically to the Dalry, Gorgie and Saughton areas of Edinburgh.

The source of the outbreak is being investigated by officials from Edinburgh Council's Environmental Health Department and the Health and Safety Executive who are concentrating on the south-west Edinburgh area.

Steps are being taken to treat cooling towers in the area as a precaution until the source is located.

Dona Milne, acting director of Public Health and Health Policy for NHS Lothian, said: "We have four confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease which all seem to come from the same point source in the South West of Edinburgh.

"Anybody who develops symptoms of Legionnaires' disease should contact NHS 24 immediately or go to their GP.

"The safety of the public is our number one priority and we would urge people to look out for the symptoms of this disease.”

Duncan McCormick, consultant in public health for NHS Lothian said: "Investigations into the possible source of this outbreak are on-going and we continue to urge anyone who develops symptoms of Legionnaires disease to contact NHS 24 or go to their GP."

The cases currently under investigation arose between May 28 and Monday, June 4. All GP surgeries in Lothian are open on Monday but some will be closed on Tuesday for the Jubilee holiday.

Legionella bacteria is commonly found in sources of water, such as rivers and lakes but can also enter artificial supply systems such as air conditioning devices, hot and cold water facilities, and cooling towers. The bacteria have the potential to spread rapidly once they have entered a water system.

Legionnaires' disease is contracted by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water. The condition is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person.

Symptoms usually begin within three to six days of contraction. They often originate as mild headaches and muscular pain before escalating to more severe symptoms including high fever, intense muscle pain, and chills. Once the bacteria infect the lungs, the sufferer will experience a persistent cough – dry at first but later bringing up mucus and even blood – shortness of breath, and chest pains.

There is also a risk of nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and loss of appetite, while around half of those who contract Legionnaires' disease will also suffer changes to their mental state, such as confusion.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 06, 2012, 10:15:28 am
WHO warns of growing drug resistance in sexually transmitted gonorrhea that infect millions

6/6/12

GENEVA - A sexually transmitted disease that infects millions of people each year is growing resistant to drugs and could soon become untreatable, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
 
The U.N. health agency is urging governments and doctors to step up surveillance of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, a bacterial infection that can cause inflammation, infertility, pregnancy complications and, in extreme cases, lead to maternal death. Babies born to mothers with gonorrhea have a 50 percent chance of developing eye infections that can result in blindness.
 
"This organism has basically been developing resistance against every medication we've thrown at it," said Dr. Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, a scientist in the agency's department of sexually transmitted diseases. This includes a group of antibiotics called cephalosporins currently considered the last line of treatment.
 
"In a couple of years it will have become resistant to every treatment option we have available now," she told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of WHO's public announcement on its `global action plan' to combat the disease.
 
Lusti-Narasimhan said the new guidance is aimed at ending complacency about gonorrhea and encouraging researchers to speed up their hunt for a new cure.
 
Once considered a scourge of sailors and soldiers, gonorrhea — known colloquially as the clap — became easily treatable with the discovery of penicillin. Now, it is the second most common sexually transmitted infection after chlamydia. The global health body estimates that gonorrhea is responsible for some 106 million infections annually. It also increases the chances of infection with other diseases, such as HIV.
 
"It's not a European problem or an African problem, it's really a worldwide problem," said Lusti-Narasimhan.
 
Scientists believe overuse or incorrect use of antibiotics, coupled with the gonorrhea bacteria's astonishing ability to adapt, means the disease is now close to becoming a super bug.
 
Bacteria that survive antibiotic treatment due to a mutation that makes them resistant then quickly spread their genes in an accelerated process of natural selection. This is a general problem affecting all antibiotics, but gonorrhea is particularly quick to adapt because it is good at picking up snippets of DNA from other bacteria, said Lusti-Narasimhan.
 
"If it didn't do so much damage it would actually be a fun organism to study," she said.
 
Resistance to cephalosporins was first reported in Japan, but more recently has also been detected in Britain, Australia, France, Sweden and Norway. As these are all countries with well-developed health systems, it is likely that cephalosporin-resistant strains are also circulating undetected elsewhere.
 
"I think this is probably only the tip of the iceberg," said Prof. Catherine Ison, who oversees the national surveillance program for treatment of resistant gonorrhea in England and Wales.
 
The over-the-counter availability of low potency antibiotics in some Asian countries is one of the reasons why resistance is increasing, she said.
 
Doctors in Britain are now switching to using a combination of antibiotics over a longer period of time to combat resistant gonorrhea, said Ison, who is based at the UK's Health Protection Agency.
 
The Geneva-based WHO wants countries not just to tighten their rules for antibiotic use but also to improve their surveillance systems so that the full extent of the problem can be determined.
 
Better sex education is also needed, as proper condom use is an effective means of stopping transmission, said Lusti-Narasimhan.
 
"We're not going to be able to get rid of it completely," she said. "But we can limit the spread."

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/157444915.html


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 06, 2012, 07:47:23 pm

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/254843/27-children-die-mysterious-disease.html
27 children die of mysterious disease

Patna, June 5, 2012, DHNS:

With three more deaths reported on Tuesday, altogether 27 children have died so far in the last 11 days in Muzaffarpur and Gaya due to a mysterious disease. It is suspected that most of the children have succumbed to brain-fever, also called encephalitis, but the health department officials in Bihar have not confirmed the cause of the death yet.

“It is yet to be confirmed whether the deaths are due to encephalitis or any other ailment,” said Dr SP Singh, Director-in-chief, Health Services. Singh has sought a detailed report from the civil surgeons of the two districts.

Meanwhile, Health Commissioner Amarjit Sinha rushed to Muzaffarpur on Tuesday and took stock of the alarming situation.  Altogether 19 children have died in the district due to ‘brain fever’. He assured the parents that those children admitted in Muzaffarpur hospitals would be shifted to Patna for best possible treatment.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: China faces 'serious' epidemic of drug-resistant TB
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 06, 2012, 11:20:56 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/china-faces-serious-epidemic-drug-resistant-tb-015613987.html

6/6/12

..

China faces a "serious epidemic" of drug-resistant tuberculosis according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of the size of the problem there, said a new US-published study.
 
"In 2007, one third of the patients with new cases of tuberculosis and one half of the patients with previously treated tuberculosis had drug-resistant disease," said the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
 
Even more, the prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB in new cases (5.7 percent) was nearly twice the global average, said the study.
 
Using World Health Organization figures as a basis for comparison, "China has the highest annual number of cases of MDR tuberculosis in the world -- a quarter of the cases worldwide," it added.
 
"China has a serious epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis."
 
The data came from a survey of more than 4,600 Chinese people who were recently diagnosed or treated for TB.
 
Patients for the study were treated at local TB clinics, not hospitals, and the survey was conducted by the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL) of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control.
 
According to an accompanying editorial by Johns Hopkins University infectious disease specialist Richard Chaisson, the growth of drug-resistant TB presents an "enormous challenge."
 
Even more concerning was the finding that most of the 110,000 drug-resistant cases were in people newly diagnosed with the disease, suggesting that the virulent bacteria are being transmitted from person to person and not developing solely as a result of a person prematurely stopping treatment.
 
"MDR tuberculosis is linked to inadequate treatment in both the public health system and the hospital system, especially tuberculosis hospitals; however, primary transmission accounts for most cases," said the study.
 
Chaisson said the findings highlight the need for faster testing, and for new cases of TB to be tested for signs of drug resistance, not just recurrent forms.
 
In China, over one million new tuberculosis infections occur each year -- a large chunk of the estimated nine million new cases worldwide annually.
 
Known formally as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, TB spreads through the air when infected people cough up bacteria. TB kills about 1.5 million people worldwide each year.
 
Often it can be cured with antibiotics, though drug availability is limited in the developing world and sometimes patients do not follow the entire regimen of treatment, which can encourage the development of resistant strains.
 
The study was funded by the Chinese Ministry of Health.
 


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 08, 2012, 09:37:39 am
In Brief: DRC cholera outbreak worsens

KINSHASA, 8 June 2012 (IRIN) - A growing cholera outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed nearly 400 lives and affected more than 19,100 people since January, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"The total number of cholera cases in 2012 is around 90 percent of cases reported last year. Since January 2011, 983 people have died from the outbreak affecting eight of 11 provinces of the country," Yvon Edoumou, OCHA spokesman, told a news conference.

Since the outbreak started, more than 40,795 cases have been reported. Edoumou said the growing epidemic had put a strain on ongoing humanitarian interventions funded mainly by a US$9.1 million grant by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, which provides rapid response grants for humanitarian emergencies.

Experts have blamed the continued spread of cholera in the DRC on poor hygiene, lack of awareness about transmission mechanisms, limited access to protected and monitored water sources and a general lack of sanitation infrastructure.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95604/In-Brief-DRC-cholera-outbreak-worsens


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: E.coli strain sickens 14 in six states: CDC
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 08, 2012, 10:40:46 pm
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-usa-health-ecolibre8571e9-20120608,0,3268675.story

E.coli strain sickens 14 in six states: CDC

6/8/12

ATLANTA (Reuters) - One person has died and 13 more have fallen sick in six U.S. states in the past two months by a mysterious outbreak of a strain of E.coli bacteria, federal health officials said on Friday.

TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet identified a source of the bacteria, which since April 15 has sickened people in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and California.

A child in Louisiana died after being infected, officials said.

"The investigation is looking at both food and non-food sources as a part of the ongoing investigation," the CDC said in a statement on Friday.

The most recent report of illness from Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli 0145, commonly abbreviated as E.Coli, was on June 4, according to the agency.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Plague Rare in U.S., Surfacing in More Affluent Areas
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 14, 2012, 03:35:01 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/plague-rare-u-surfacing-more-affluent-areas-180408195.html

6/13/12

WEDNESDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Although the plague is typically considered a remnant of the Middle Ages, when unsanitary conditions and rodent infestations prevailed amid the squalor of poverty, this rare but deadly disease appears to be spreading through wealthier communities in New Mexico, researchers report.

Why the plague is popping up in affluent neighborhoods isn't completely clear, the experts added.

"Where human plague cases occur is linked to where people live and how people interact with their environment," noted lead researcher Anna Schotthoefer, from the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation in Wisconsin. "These factors may change over time, necessitating periodic reassessments of the factors that put people at risk."

This latest study confirms previous reports that living within or close to the natural environments that support plague is a risk factor for human plague, Schotthoefer said.

Plague is caused by a fast-moving bacteria, known as Yersinia pestis, that is spread through flea bites (bubonic plague) or through the air (pneumonic plague).

The new report comes on the heels of the hospitalization on June 8 of an Oregon man in his 50s with what experts suspect is plague. According to The Oregonian, the man got sick a few days after being bitten as he tried to get a mouse away from a stray cat. The cat died days later, the paper said, and the man remains in critical condition.

For the new study, published in the July issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the researchers used U.S. Census Bureau data to pinpoint the location and socioeconomic status of plague patients.

About 11 cases of plague a year have occurred in the United States since 1976, with most cases found in New Mexico. Plague has also been reported in a handful of other states.

Although many cases were in areas where the habitat supports rodents and fleas, the researchers also found cases occurring in more upper-class neighborhoods. In the 1980s, most cases occurred where housing conditions were poor, but more recently cases have been reported in affluent areas of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, the investigators found.

"The shift from poorer to more affluent regions of New Mexico was a surprise, and suggests that homeowners in these newly developed areas should be educated about the risks of plague," Schotthoefer said.

Schotthoefer noted that these more affluent areas where plague occurred were regions where new housing developments had been built in habitats that support the wild reservoirs of plague, which include ground squirrels and woodrats.

Bubonic plague starts with painful swellings (buboes) of the lymph nodes, which appear in the armpits, legs, neck or groin. Buboes are at first a red color, then they turn a dark purple color, or black. Pneumonic plague starts by infecting the lungs. Other symptoms include a very high fever, delirium, vomiting, muscle pains, bleeding in the lungs and disorientation.

In the 14th century, a plague called the Black Death killed an estimated 30 percent to 60 percent of the European population. Victims died quickly, within days after being infected.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said he doesn't expect to see that kind of outbreak ever again.

"This is not a disease of the past, but you are never going to see a massive outbreak of plague in this country," he said.

"We don't have the public health problems we used to have and people would be quickly confined if there were ever a large number of cases," Siegel explained.

Yet, it is not surprising to see plague in these more affluent areas, he noted.

"We know that plague only exists where you have wild animals, and once a reservoir of plague is already present it is likely to persist," Siegel explained. "It isn't only about squalor; it's about where the reservoir is."

However, if the disease is caught early it is treatable with antibiotics, Siegel added.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Tests reveal high-path H7N3 in Mexican poultry farm outbre
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 27, 2012, 10:21:31 am
Tests reveal high-path H7N3 in Mexican poultry farm outbreaks

Jun 26, 2012 (CIDRAP News) – Mexican veterinary authorities are intensifying avian influenza control efforts in a region that houses several large commercial farms after further tests determined that the strain responsible for more than 200,000 bird deaths at three farms is the highly pathogenic H7N3 subtype.

The events represent the first highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in Mexican flocks since the country battled H5N2 in the mid 1990s.

In a follow-up report submitted today to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Mexican animal health officials said intravenous pathogenicity tests revealed the highly pathogenic H7N3 subtype. The initial report on Jun 21 said preliminary tests suggested a low-pathogenic H7 subtype.

The outbreaks began at three large commercial farms in Jalisco state on Jun 13, causing clinical signs in the layer flocks that included gasping, lethargy, fever, and death. The disease sickened 587,160 of more than 1 million susceptible birds, killing 211,424 of them. About 60,000 have been culled so far to curb the spread of the virus.

Today's update said that, based on the latest test results, authorities are sampling birds at about 60 poultry farms near the outbreak area, and quarantine measures are under way in the region, which has about 500 production units. Full gene sequencing and an epidemiologic investigation to determine the source of the virus are also in progress.

Jalisco state, in western Mexico, is the country's top egg producer.

Officials have also limited poultry movements near the outbreak area and are testing birds at commercial farms, backyard flocks, and poultry markets. They are also assessing biosecurity practices and overseeing depopulation efforts at the affected farms, according to the OIE report.

David A. Halvorson, DVM, an avian health expert at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, told CIDRAP News that Mexico's last high pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks occurred in 1994 and 1995 and involved H5N2. He added that low-pathogenic H5N2 circulated in the country for several years.

He said that in some parts of Mexico, large populations of backyard poultry, live poultry markets, and commercial farms exist without adequate separation between them.

Halvorson said US poultry producers, especially those in Texas, are always cautious about the potential for disease introduction from indirect contact with Mexican poultry. Halvorson added Mexican workers support poultry farmers in the West and Midwest, which presents another reason for caution.

John Glisson, DVM, PhD, director of research programs for the US Poultry and Egg Association, said in an e-mail statement to CIDRAP News, "The US poultry industry would strongly agree with the idea that the disease should be dealt with quickly and that quarantine of these farms and elimination of infected flocks would be a prudent measure."

According to background information from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), poultry imported from all countries except Canada must be quarantined for at least 30 days at a USDA Animal Import Center and be accompanied by import permits and veterinary health certificates. Canadian poultry entering the United States must be accompanied by a veterinary health certificate issued within 30 days of import date.

In 2004, highly pathogenic H7N3 outbreaks in British Columbia's Fraser Valley led to the culling of 19 million birds, and two related human infections were confirmed.

The patients, both men who had been exposed to infected poultry on the farms, were the first known H7N3 infections in humans. Both had conjunctivitis with mild flulike symptoms, according to a December 2004 report on the cases in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Neither patient mounted an H7 antibody response, which led researchers to suggest that the men had highly localized, rather than systemic, infections.

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/jun2612mexico.html


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Mexico declares bird flu 'emergency'
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 03, 2012, 01:06:30 pm
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Mexico_declares_bird_flu_emergency_999.html

7/2/12

The Mexican government declared a national animal health emergency on Monday in the face of an aggressive bird flu epidemic that has infected nearly 1.7 million poultry.

More than half the infected birds have died or been culled, the agriculture ministry said of an epidemic that was confirmed on Friday by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"We have activated a national animal health emergency... with the goal of diagnosing, preventing, controlling and eradicating the Type A, sub-type H7N3 bird flu virus," the ministry said.

Health officials keep a close watch on such outbreaks in Mexico since so-called swine flu began there in 2009. The H1N1 virus spread into a global pandemic that claimed the lives of 17,000 people.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Rare cholera outbreak kills 3 in eastern Cuba
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 03, 2012, 03:50:51 pm
7/3/12

HAVANA -- A rare cholera outbreak has killed three elderly people in Cuba and sickened dozens more.

The Communist Party daily Granma says 53 people tested positive for the disease in Manzanillo, 430 miles (700 kilometers) east of Havana. The three who died were 66 to 95 years old.

An official report in Granma blamed contaminated wells. It said Tuesday that authorities closed the wells, were disinfecting the hydraulic system and had the outbreak under control.

Cholera is a waterborne disease caused by a bacteria found in tainted water or food. It can kill within hours through dehydration, but is treatable if caught in time.

Cholera is unusual in Cuba. But recent outbreaks in nearby Haiti have killed more than 7,200 people.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/03/2880041/rare-cholera-outbreak-kills-3.html#storylink=cpy


Title: Unknown disease kills 60 children in Cambodia
Post by: Kilika on July 03, 2012, 05:44:19 pm
All of the deaths are of children under 7 years old. I'm wondering what medications were involved in those kids lives, that most likely would have originated from some international "health" organization through the local clinics. Seeing the WHO and UN involved, it doesn't look good, especially since this is limted so far to two areas, not all over the country.

http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/afp/unknown-disease-kills-60-children-in-cambodia-who (http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/afp/unknown-disease-kills-60-children-in-cambodia-who)

Quote
An unidentified disease has killed 60 young children in Cambodia in three months, the World Health Organization said Tuesday as it raced to identify the cause.
 
"The number of deaths reported to WHO is 60 cases and they have all been in young children," said Dr Nima Asgari, a public health specialist for the UN body in Cambodia, adding that the first casualties were reported in April.
 
The WHO is currently working with the Cambodian Ministry of Health "to identify the cause and the route of spread of this disease", he said.
 
With the investigation still at an early stage, Asgari said it was difficult to specify the symptoms, which "include high fever and severe chest disease symptoms, plus in some children there were signs of neurological involvement".
 
There have been 61 reported cases so far, Asgari said, with just one patient surviving. The victims, all aged seven and under, were admitted to hospitals in the capital Phnom Penh and the northwestern tourist hub of Siem Reap.
 
In separate comments sent to AFP, the WHO said there were no signs yet of contagion.
 
"To date, there is no report of any staff or any neighbouring patients to the cases at the hospitals becoming sick with similar symptoms," it said.
 
Asgari confirmed there was "no cluster of the cases yet" but said the high mortality rate in such a short space of time was worrisome.
 
"WHO is always concerned about a disease which causes death in such high numbers of children," he told AFP.
 
Cambodian health ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.


Title: Re: Unknown disease kills 60 children in Cambodia
Post by: Mark on July 03, 2012, 05:54:34 pm
Quote
"WHO is always concerned about a disease which causes death in such high numbers of children," he told AFP.

worried about competition?


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Concern grows over H1N1 outbreak in Bolivia
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 05, 2012, 12:42:51 pm
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Concern_grows_over_H1N1_outbreak_in_Bolivia_999.html

7/3/12

An epidemic of H1N1 flu has infected almost 900 people and claimed 11 lives in Bolivia, health officials said Tuesday.

Although most of the cases occurred in the last few weeks, the outbreak does not rise to the level of a national epidemic, officials said.

"At the national level, the situation is under control. The most affected area is in the west," Johnny Rada, director of the ministry of health's epidemiology service, told AFP.

According to official tallies, 873 cases have been reported across the country, of which 606 are in the western department of La Paz and 60 in the department just south of it, Oruro.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Bird flu: One million chickens dead(Mexico)
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 06, 2012, 11:40:00 am
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gGjRccUkVjTZhoyluMSKK5DzgFKA?docId=N0023081341518182954A

Bird flu: One million chickens dead
 
(UKPA) – 7/5/12

An outbreak of the H7N3 bird flu virus in western Mexico has infected about 2.5 million chickens and led authorities to destroy or dispose of almost a million birds.

The country's Agriculture Department said 129 farms in the western state of Jalisco have been inspected.

Flu was confirmed in birds at 24 of the sites and tests continued on most of the rest.

The farms in question have been placed under quarantine, the department said in a statement.

The outbreak has caused increases in the price of chicken and egg products in Mexico.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: China on alert as disease outbreak kills 112 in June
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 16, 2012, 11:41:16 am
7/16/12

BEIJING — The Chinese province of Hunan urged parents on Sunday to seek immediate treatment for children showing symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease after official figures showed 112 people died from the illness last month.

The disease, which children are especially vulnerable to, also infected more than 381,000 people, the Ministry of Health reported last week.

"The disease incidence rate in June was much higher than that of last June, which has much to do with the high temperatures this summer," said Liu Fuqiang with the provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The province urged parents and teachers to send children to hospital as soon as they showed symptoms of the disease, including mouth sores, skin rashes or fever.

In June, 34,768 cases were reported and 17 people died from the disease in Hunan, the statement said.

According to the Ministry of Health, over 460,000 people were infected by the disease in May, leading to 132 deaths.

In recent days, health departments in numerous Chinese provinces and regions, including Gansu, Fujian, Jiangsu and Xinjiang have issued warnings over the outbreak of the disease, state press reports said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hAWbh8lci3Ta-9bzcQGv0-ftrELg?docId=CNG.3a6639c96eb50aabfbe32c62e19ee088.141


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: S.Leone cholera outbreak kills 62 in less than a month
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 19, 2012, 04:16:22 pm
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jkEwbUzzS7w6gliSQQyKE4SWwmcA?docId=CNG.011644044ab205dd97b782ce12dfd1d7.531

S.Leone cholera outbreak kills 62 in less than a month
FREETOWN — Sierra Leone's health ministry on Wednesday said an outbreak of cholera in the west African country has killed 62 people in less than a month.

The western area, including the capital Freetown, and "three towns in the northern and southern parts of the country have now been declared cholera outbreak areas", said a ministry statement.

"Emergency referral centres have been set up and hospitals and health clinics have been boosted with drugs to combat any escalation of the problem."

Between June 23 and Tuesday, 62 people have died and 3,721 cases have been reported in the areas concerned, statistics showed.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: H7N3 Control Measures Expand
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 19, 2012, 04:18:16 pm
7/19/12

MEXICO - The National Health, Food Safety and Food Quality Service (SENASICA) reported that as a result of the implementation of the National Animal Health Emergency Plan to contain and eradicate the outbreak of H7N3 avian influenza in Jalisco state, they have inspected 253 poultry farms, in 82 of which there was no presence of viruses, another 33 where the virus was confirmed, while the rest continue to be diagnosed. Senior editor, Chris Wright, reports.

SENASICA’s report, with information updated on 16 July, indicates that the 82 poultry farms which do not have the presence of exotic viruses have been issued an official certificate to allow them to move their products to market, since they do not represent a risk to poultry or consumers.
 
The farms that have confirmed the H7N3 avian influenza virus remain under quarantine and isolation, in order to control movement and prevent live birds, waste and litter from moving to virus-free regions.
 
SENASICA will keep the Emergency Plan in place on commercial farms and backyard poultry in the Los Altos region of Jalisco state, mainly in the towns of Acatic and Tepatitlan, with a flock of 16.5 million birds, primarily egg layers, of which 9.3 million are found within the surveillance area.
 
It has also expanded the scope of review into areas adjacent to the initial quarantine area in order to protect the birds in the buffer zone. As a method of control and eradication of the virus, 3.8 million birds have been depopulated under stringent animal health protocols established by international organizations.
 
This measure allows the containment of the virus in the area, said SENASICA.

They currently operate eight internal checkpoints and have increased to 43 the number of experts in the region carrying out the tasks of diagnosis, prevention, control and eradication of the virus.
 
SENASICA reiterates that the H7N3 influenza virus poses no risk to humans, whether they are in contact with birds or poultry products, such as meat and eggs, and that the control measures are intended to protect the commercial poultry production in the area.

more: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/26302/h7n3-control-measures-expand


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: U.S. whooping cough outbreak could be worst in half centur
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 20, 2012, 09:32:49 am
Disclaimer: just ignore that parts promoting the vaccines in this article, FYI.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-whooping-cough-outbreak-could-worst-half-century-051355523.html

U.S. whooping cough outbreak could be worst in half century

7/20/12

SEATTLE (Reuters) - The number of U.S. whooping cough cases has risen to around 18,000 in an outbreak that is on track to become the most severe in over a half century and could in part stem from possible waning vaccine protection, health officials said on Thursday.

Washington state, which declared an epidemic in April, and Wisconsin were particularly hard hit, with each reporting more than 3,000 cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nine people have died overall and the number of cases was already more than double than at the same time last year.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, causes severe, almost uncontrollable coughing. In the United States, most children are immunized with a DTaP five-dose series vaccine that is given as a series of shots, starting at two months.

All adults, including pregnant women, should get a booster shot because the contagious illness is especially dangerous for children under a year old who have yet to complete a cycle of vaccinations, Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told a media briefing.

"It's most dangerous for babies," Schuchat said, adding that the current outbreak at its existing pace could become the most severe since 1959, when 40,000 cases were reported. "Preventing infant deaths from the disease is our primary national goal," she said.

A spike in whooping cough cases among 10-year-olds and adolescents who are 13 and 14 was a concern, perhaps an indicator that the pertussis vaccine may be wearing off earlier than anticipated, Washington Health Secretary Mary Selecky said.

The U.S. groups of 10-, 13- and 14-year-olds who are experiencing a high illness rate had DTaP vaccinations, which were introduced in 1997 at the same time that the prior DTP vaccine was discontinued.

The earlier vaccine used whole cell parts made of killed pertussis bacteria, while DTaP uses only small acellular bacteria pieces, not the whole bacteria cell, said Donn Moyer, Washington state Health Department spokesman

CDC officials will begin an investigation in Washington state later this month "to analyze our data for cases among 13- to 14-year-olds to see what can be learned about disease rates and vaccination status," Moyer told Reuters.

The number of cases in Washington, with no deaths, has tripled since April, with 1,132 cases reported by the end of that month.

Moyer said the CDC also plans a similar study in California, where a 2010 epidemic counted more than 9,000 cases, including 10 infant deaths.

Whooping cough typically begins with cold-like symptoms such as a fever, runny nose and sneezing and is accompanied by a mild cough that grows more severe by the first or second week. A high-pitched whoop, giving the illness its name, can follow violent coughing fits.

This year, Australia is experiencing a high rate of whooping cough, Schuchat said.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Philip Barbara)



Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Officials: Ebola breaks out in Uganda
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 28, 2012, 06:44:44 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/officials-ebola-breaks-uganda-123309607.html

7/28/12


KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The deadly Ebola virus has killed 14 people in western Uganda this month, Ugandan health officials said on Saturday, ending weeks of speculation about the cause of a strange disease that had many people fleeing their homes.

The officials and a World Health Organization representative told a news conference in Kampala Saturday that there is "an outbreak of Ebola" in Uganda.

"Laboratory investigations done at the Uganda Virus Research Institute...have confirmed that the strange disease reported in Kibaale is indeed Ebola hemorrhagic fever," the Ugandan government and WHO said in joint statement.

Kibaale is a district in midwestern Uganda, where people in recent weeks have been troubled by a mysterious illness that seemed to have come from nowhere. Ugandan health officials had been stumped as well, and spent weeks conducting laboratory tests that were at first inconclusive.

On Friday, Joaquim Saweka, the WHO representative in Uganda, told The Associated Press that investigators were "not so sure" it was Ebola, and a Ugandan health official dismissed the possibility of Ebola as merely a rumor. It appears firm evidence of Ebola was clinched overnight.

Health officials told reporters in Kampala that the 14 dead were among 20 reported with the disease. Two of the infected have been isolated for examination by researchers and health officials. A clinical officer and, days later, her 4-month-old baby died from the disease caused by the Ebola virus, officials said.

Officials urged Ugandans to be calm, saying a national emergency taskforce had been set up to stop the disease from spreading far and wide.

There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola, and in Uganda, where in 2000 the disease killed 224 people and left hundreds more traumatized, it resurrects terrible memories. There have been isolated cases since, such as in 2007 when an outbreak of a new strain of Ebola killed at least 37 people in Bundibugyo, a remote district close to the Congolese border, but none as deadly as in 2000.

Ebola, which manifests itself as a hemorrhagic fever, is highly infectious and kills quickly. It was first reported in 1976 in Congo and is named for the river where it was recognized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A CDC factsheet on Ebola says the disease is "characterized by fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes, hiccups and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients."

Scientists don't know the natural reservoir of the virus, but they suspect the first victim in an Ebola outbreak gets infected through contact with an infected animal, such as a monkey.

The virus can be transmitted through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person, or objects that have been contaminated with infected secretions. During communal funerals, for example, when the bereaved come into contact with an Ebola victim, the virus can be contracted, officials said, warning against unnecessary contact with suspected cases of Ebola.

In Kibaale, some villagers had started abandoning their homes in recent weeks to escape what they thought was an illness that had something to do with bad luck, because people were quickly falling ill and dying, and there was no immediate explanation, officials said.

Officials said now that they've verified Ebola in the area they can concentrate on controlling the disease. Ebola patients were being treated at the only major hospital in Kibaale, said Stephen Byaruhanga, the district's health secretary.

"Being a strange disease, we were shocked to learn that it was Ebola," Byaruhanga said. "Our only hope is that in the past when Ebola broke out in other parts of Uganda it was controlled."

The challenge, he said, was retaining the services of all the nurses and doctors who are being asked to risk their lives in order to look after the sick.

"Their lives are at stake," he said.

Officials also worry that other villagers suffering from other diseases might be afraid to visit the hospital for fear of catching Ebola, he said.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Patients flee hospital over Ebola outbreak
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 30, 2012, 09:27:43 am
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0730/1224321094355.html

7/30/12

Patients flee hospital over Ebola outbreak

TERRIFIED PATIENTS fled from a hospital in western Uganda as soon as news broke that a mysterious illness that killed at least 14 people in the region was Ebola, one of the world’s most virulent diseases.

Ignatius Besisira, a member of parliament for Buyaga East County in the Kibaale district, said people had at first believed the unexplained deaths were related to witchcraft.

“Immediately, when there was confirmation that it was Ebola . . . patients ran out of Kagadi hospital [where some of the victims had died],” he said. “Even the medical officers are very, very frightened.”

Government officials and a World Health Organisation representative confirmed the Ebola outbreak at a news conference in Kampala on Saturday.

“Laboratory investigations done at the Uganda Virus Research Institute . . . have confirmed that the strange disease reported in Kibaale is indeed Ebola haemorrhagic fever,” they said in a joint statement.

Health officials said at least 20 people had been infected and of those 14 had died.

There is no treatment or vaccine against Ebola, which is transmitted by close personal contact and, depending on the strain, can kill up to 90 per cent of those who contract the virus.

It has a devastating history in Uganda, where in 2000 at least 425 people were infected, of whom more than half died. Ebola was previously reported in the country in May last year, when it killed a 12-year-old girl.

During an outbreak in 2007, which claimed at least 37 lives, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni advised people not to shake hands and public gatherings were also discouraged.

One of those who succumbed to the outbreak in Kibaale was a clinical officer, Mr Besisira said. The other fatalities came from a single household in Nyamarunda subdistrict, he added.

Joaquim Saweka, WHO’s representative in Uganda, said the suspected infections emerged in the region in early July but the confirmation came only on Friday.

The Ugandan government said a national emergency taskforce had been set up and urged the population to remain calm. The government, WHO and the US Centres for Disease Control have sent experts to Kibaale to tackle the outbreak.

Mr Besisira had not heard of people moving out of the region, but the Daily Nation newspaper in neighbouring Kenya said yesterday that people were leaving the area around Kagadi town, where the disease first appeared. – (Guardian service)


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: New bat virus related to deadly Hendra discovered
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 03, 2012, 01:39:38 pm
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2012/08/03/new-bat-virus-related-to-deadly-hendra-discovered/

8/3/12

Australian researchers have discovered a new bat virus they describe as a close relative to the hendra virus.
 
They say the new virus could help shed light on how Hendra and related Nipah viruses cause disease and death in animals and humans. Hendra is able to infect horses and, in seven known cases, people have caught the infection from horses. Four of them died as a result.
 
The new virus is named Cedar after the Queensland location where it was discovered.
 
Initial studies by scientists with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have discovered one surprising key difference – the Cedar virus does not cause illness in several animal species normally susceptible to Hendra and Nipah.
 
However, they say it is still too early to rule out the possibility that Cedar virus may cause illness and death in horses or other animals.
 
The new discovery had significant potential implications for protecting animals and humans from the Hendra and Nipah viruses. This tantalising difference may help scientists understand how to better manage and control its deadly cousins.
 
The findings have been announced today in the journal, PLoS Pathogens, published by the Public Library of Science.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 03, 2012, 01:44:25 pm
http://triblive.com/usworld/world/2307431-73/ebola-uganda-health-cases-suspected-hospital-patients-affected-byaruhanga-killed


Suspected Ebola cases growing in Uganda
 

KAMPALA, Uganda — Six more patients suspected to have Ebola have been admitted to the hospital days after investigators confirmed an outbreak of the highly infectious disease in a remote corner of western Uganda, a health official said on Monday.
 
Stephen Byaruhanga, health secretary of the affected Kibaale district, said possible cases of Ebola, at first concentrated in a single village, are now being reported in more villages.
 
“It’s no longer just one village. There are many villages affected,” Byaruhanga said.
 
In a national address, Uganda’s president advised against unnecessary contact among people, saying suspected cases of Ebola should be reported immediately to health officials.
 
Officials from Uganda’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization announced on Saturday that the deadly Ebola virus killed 14 Ugandans this month, ending weeks of speculation about the cause of a strange illness that had some people fleeing their homes in the absence of reliable answers.
 
If the six new cases are confirmed as Ebola, it would bring to 26 the number of Ugandans infected with Ebola.
 
This is the fourth occurrence of Ebola in Uganda since 2000, when the disease killed 224 people and left hundreds more traumatized in northern Uganda. At least 42 people were killed in another outbreak in 2007, and there was a lone Ebola case in 2011.
 
Investigators took nearly a month to confirm Ebola’s presence in Uganda this year. In Kibaale, a district with 600,000 residents, some villagers started abandoning their homes to escape what they thought was an illness caused by bad luck. One family lost nine members, and a clinical officer and her 4-month-old baby died from Ebola, Byaruhanga said.
 
The confirmation of Ebola’s presence in the area has spread anxiety among sick villagers, who are refusing to go to the hospital for fear they don’t have Ebola and will contract it there. All suspected Ebola patients have been isolated at one hospital where patients admitted with other illnesses fled after Ebola was announced. Only the hospital’s maternity ward still has patients, officials said, highlighting the deadly reputation of Ebola.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Dallas County(TX) suffering from nation's deadliest WNV
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 11, 2012, 12:24:55 pm
West Nile Virus outbreak, that is.

http://news.yahoo.com/dallas-county-allows-aerial-spraying-1st-time-decades-052909122.html

8/11/12

Dallas County allows aerial spraying for 1st time in decades to fight West Nile virus outbreak

DALLAS - Suffering from the nation's deadliest outbreak of West Nile virus this year, Dallas County authorized aerial spraying of insecticide on Friday for the first time in nearly five decades to help fight the mosquito-born illness.

Texas' second most populous county announced the decision after its leaders met with the state's top health official and experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 90 cases of the most severe form of West Nile have been confirmed in the county so far, nine residents have died, and the virus' peak season is just beginning.

"This is a matter of extreme concern, and we're going to follow the science and do what's best for our people," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the county's top elected official.

Five planes have been requested for spraying the heavily populated northern part of Dallas as well as the nearby enclaves of Highland Park and University Park — the most affected areas — but they won't be used until leaders in those jurisdictions approve, said Jenkins, who urged the cities to allow the planes in.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and officials from the other cities said they plan to meet with other city, county and state officials and industry experts early next week to decide how to proceed.

Jenkins on Thursday declared a public health emergency. Three nearby counties have reported one death each.

There is no vaccine for the virus, which has been in the U.S. since about 1999, according to the CDC. The virus, which most often affects people over 50, can cause high fevers, headaches and disorientation.

Public health officials typically advise residents of mosquito-prone areas to drain standing water, apply insect repellent containing the ingredient DEET and wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants. But officials at Friday's meeting said it's clear that those warnings and ongoing ground-based spraying aren't enough.

"It seems like the avoidance strategy is not working, so now you have to kill the bug," said Dr. Rick Snyder, president of the Dallas County Medical Society.

The Texas Department of State Health Services this year has tracked 214 cases of neuroinvasive West Nile, the most serious form of the illness, including 89 in Dallas County. Noting that the peak season for the illness is just beginning, agency officials said they fear the state will break the record number for such cases — 438 — reported in 2003.

"This is a major outbreak," said Dr. David Lakey, the department's commissioner. "People need to do all they can to protect themselves."

Aerial spraying is controversial. Some fear health effects from chemicals falling on them from the sky, and others have questioned whether the approach was scientifically proven to stop West Nile cases.

But at least one study in California has concluded that the odds of infection are about six times lower in treated areas than those that are untreated.

The American Mosquito Control Association doesn't keep exact statistics, but an association spokesman said spraying is common in Florida, and ongoing programs exist in other states including Louisiana, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan and Minnesota.

The Texas health agency said the intensity of the disease fluctuates from year to year in the state depending on factors such as weather and the number of birds and mosquitoes that spread it.

The large number of West Nile cases this year is due to the extremely hot weather and recent rains, according to the agency.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Bird flu claims ninth victim this year in Indonesia
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 11, 2012, 06:58:49 pm
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-bird-flu-ninth-victim-year.html

8/11/12

Bird flu claims ninth victim this year in Indonesia

An Indonesian man has died of bird flu, the health ministry said Saturday, in the country's ninth fatal case this year.

"The deceased was a self-employed 37-year-old male," according to the report on the ministry's website.

The man was hospitalised on July 24 with a high fever and was placed on a ventilator five days later, according to the report. He died on July 30.

Authorities do not know how the man contracted the virus, but said he lived near poultry farms.

Indonesia has been hardest-hit by bird flu, with 159 fatalities reported since 2003 out of 359 worldwide, according to World Health Organization figures, which include the latest death.

Bird flu, also known as the H5N1 virus, typically spreads from birds to humans through direct contact, but experts fear it could mutate into a form that is easily transmissible between humans.

 


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Lethal snake viruses identified
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 15, 2012, 10:39:40 am
Lethal snake viruses identified

8/14/12

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19261506

The cause of a fatal illness that affects captive snakes has been identified, a study has shown.

The condition - called Inclusion Body Disease (IBD) - affects constrictor snakes including boas and pythons.

There is no treatment and symptoms include "stargazing" - a fixed upward stare - as well as breathing problems and general muscular paralysis.

It was long suspected that the disease was caused by a virus, but until recently its identity remained elusive.

The research is published in the open-access journal mBio.

In this breakthrough study, researchers from the University of California San Francisco analysed samples obtained from snakes diagnosed with IBD, using sensitive DNA sequencing techniques.

In amongst some of the snake DNA was foreign genetic material - nucleic acid - that closely resembled that present in viruses belonging to a family called arenaviruses. This family includes Lassa Fever virus, which is associated with haemorrhagic fever in humans. However, there is no evidence that the newly discovered virus can pass from snakes to humans.

The scientists were also able to grow the virus from samples taken from one of the snakes.

Dr Mark Stenglein, who co-led the current study, said "we don't yet have formal evidence that these viruses cause the disease… although there is a good correlation [between disease and the presence of virus] … there's definitely a possibility that other things cause this".

Arenaviruses can be divided into two main groups based on the location of the species they naturally infect - New World viruses originate from the Americas, whilst Old World viruses are found in Africa and Asia. Genetically, the newly discovered virus is distinct from these two groups.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: West Nile virus kills 17 in Texas, sickens hundreds
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 15, 2012, 05:06:02 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/west-nile-virus-kills-16-texas-sickens-hundreds-160247585.html

8/15/12

West Nile virus kills 17 in Texas, sickens hundreds

The US state of Texas is battling an outbreak of the West Nile virus, with 17 deaths being blamed on the mosquito-borne disease, authorities said Wednesday.
 
Throughout the state, 381 people have been sickened since the start of the year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
 
"Texas is on track to have the most cases of West Nile illness since the disease first emerged in the state in 2002," it said in a statement.
 
The county incorporating Dallas, the ninth-largest city in the United States, has been the hardest hit, prompting the mayor to declare a local state of disaster.
 
"The City of Dallas is experiencing a widespread outbreak of mosquito-borne West Nile virus and has caused and appears likely to continue to cause widespread and severe illness and loss of life," Mayor Michael Rawlings said in the proclamation of emergency that takes effect Wednesday.
 
The virus has claimed ten lives in the county so far, local health authorities said. State officials put the toll at nine.
 
First discovered in Uganda in 1937, the virus is carried by birds and spread to humans by mosquitoes.
 
Severe symptoms can include high fever, vision loss and paralysis, while milder manifestations of the virus can range from headaches to skin rashes.
 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Tuesday 693 cases -- both confirmed and probable -- of the virus have been reported country-wide so far this year, including 26 deaths. Texas tops the list of both cases and fatalities.
 
In 2011, Texas saw a total of 27 cases and two deaths, the CDC said. Country-wide, 712 confirmed and probable cases and 43 fatalities were reported over that 12-month period.
 
Christine Mann, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, told AFP that the outbreak could be linked to a mild winter and rainy spring in the state.
 
But "it's really not clear at this point," she said.
 
In an effort to stem the number of new infections, Texas authorities have urged residents to use insect repellent before heading outdoors, remain inside at dusk and at dawn, dress in protective clothing and drain standing water that could become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
 
Last month, officials in New York City said the West Nile virus had been detected on Staten Island, one of the city's five boroughs.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Dallas County(TX) suffering from nation's deadliest WNV
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 15, 2012, 10:09:08 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/dallas-mayor-declares-emergency-over-west-nile-virus-185126639.html

8/15/12

Dallas mayor declares emergency over West Nile virus

DALLAS (Reuters) - The mayor of Dallas declared a state of emergency in the ninth largest U.S. city on Wednesday to combat the spread of West Nile virus infections, which have been more prevalent than usual in Texas and other states this year.
 
There have been more cases of West Nile virus reported so far this year than any year since the disease was first detected in the United States in 1999, the Centers for Disease Control said on its website.
 
Nearly half of the 693 human cases of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus infections reported this year to the CDC have been in Texas, along with 14 of the 26 deaths confirmed by the federal agency as of Tuesday.
 
The Texas health department said the number of cases of West Nile in the state had reached 465 and there had been 17 deaths. There is a lag in the CDC confirming cases and deaths.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: 2 additional anthrax cases identified in Colorado
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 16, 2012, 02:59:05 pm
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-08-15/2-additional-anthrax-cases-identified-in-colorado

2 additional anthrax cases identified in Colorado

8/15/12

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Two more cows have died from anthrax exposure in northeast Colorado, expanding the first outbreak of the disease in the state in 31 years to three ranches.

Last week, 60 cows died on a Logan County ranch, where anthrax was positively identified in one animal. Officials say it's likely they all died of the disease.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture said Wednesday the additional cows were on two separate adjacent ranches. Both died from the disease.

State Veterinarian Keith Roehr said all three ranches involved share fences and the new cases likely are the result of cows grazing in an area with soil containing anthrax spores.

Neighboring herds have been vaccinated. No cows left the affected ranches so none entered the food supply and no human infection has been reported, Roehr said.

Anthrax kills livestock within hours of infection and can decimate herds if animals are not quickly treated, he said.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Outbreak of Ebola virus strikes DR Congo town of Isiro
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 20, 2012, 09:11:50 am
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19306437

8/18/12

At least one person has died after an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say.

The death is one of two cases of the virus discovered in the town of Isiro.

Medical charity workers say they are attempting to find and isolate anyone who has been in contact with those infected by the virus.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says the strain is not the same as the kind found recently in neighbouring Uganda.

At least 16 people died during an outbreak there last month.

The DR Congo outbreak occurred in Oriental province, which shares a border with Uganda.

"There is no link between both epidemics at this moment," Anja de Weggheleire, of MSF, told the BBC.

She added that there may be more cases that have yet to be detected.

"Not every person who develops the disease will develop clear symptoms that are recognised as Ebola. For the moment it seems that there are not that many cases but the exact number of cases is unknown."

Experts fear that the town's position as a transit point could make an outbreak more challenging to control.

The virus, which is transmitted to humans from both monkeys and birds, causes massive internal bleeding and has a very high mortality rate.

It is one of the most virulent diseases in the world and is spread by close personal contact.

There is no vaccine for the virus and symptoms of infection include a sudden onset of fever, weakness, headache, vomiting and kidney problems.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Two More West Nile Deaths In Tarrant County
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 20, 2012, 06:50:04 pm
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/08/20/two-more-west-nile-deaths-in-tarrant-county/

8/20/12

TARRANT COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - Tarrant County Public Health announced Monday two more deaths associated with the West Nile virus.
 
Tarrant County now has four confirmed deaths related to West Nile along with 205 reported cases.
 
County health officials say the two latest deaths involve a Fort Worth man and a North Richland Hills woman, both in their 80s, with underlying medical conditions.
 
Tarrant County has not implemented aerial spraying to control the spread of West Nile. The cities of Fort Worth and Arlington both launched targeted ground spraying this past weekend.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: West Nile-Related Deaths Confirmed in Texas, California
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 21, 2012, 09:59:54 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/west-nile-related-deaths-confirmed-texas-california-220523524--abc-news-topstories.html

8/21/12

Two West Nile-related deaths were confirmed Tuesday 2,000 miles apart - the 11th confirmed this year in Dallas County, Texas, and the first in Fresno County, Calif.
 
Nationwide, there have been at least 26 deaths attributed to the West Nile virus this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
The Fresno County Department of Public Health said an elderly woman was hospitalized for the virus and later died, marking the second West Nile-related death in California in 2012.
 
"All residents, especially those over 50 years of age and those with chronic health conditions, must take this disease seriously and should take every precaution to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites," said Dr. Edward L. Moreno, director and health officer for the Fresno County Department of Public Health, in a news release. "I also encourage residents to engage the services of their mosquito abatement district, if necessary, to eliminate possible mosquito-breeding sources around their homes."
 
Dallas County Health and Human Services spokeswoman Patricia Huston would not provide any specific identifying information on the county's 11th virus fatality because of medical confidentiality and personal privacy rules.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: West Nile Outbreak Reaches 1,100 Cases in US
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 22, 2012, 05:20:43 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/west-nile-outbreak-reaches-1-100-cases-us-180927822.html

8/22/12

The United States is experiencing one of the biggest outbreaks of West Nile virus in history, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
As of Tuesday, 1,118 cases of the mosquito-borne disease had been reported. That's the highest number ever reported at this point in the year since the disease was first detected in the U.S. in 1999. If cases continue to grow at this pace, the West Nile outbreak could be the largest ever in the United States, said Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases.
 
So far, 41 people have died from West Nile infections.
 
About 630 people have developed the rare neuroinvasive form of the disease, which affects the nervous system. The other cases involved what doctors call West Nile fever, a condition that can cause fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting.
 
Texas, the state hit hardest by the outbreak, has reported 537 cases of West Nile, close to 300 of which have been the neuroinvasive form. In some parts of the state, officials have begun aerial pesticide spraying to curb the spread of the disease.
 
Most people infected with the West Nile virus show no symptoms; from the number of neuroinvasive cases that have occurred, it can be estimated that more than 94,000 people in the United States have been infected with West Nile this year. It's likely that about 98 percent of cases of West Nile fever are not reported, the CDC says.
 
These unreported cases still take a toll on the nation's health and economy, as people who may not know that West Nile is the cause of their illness take time off from work or use health care resources, said William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University.
 
"The problem is even larger… than the already notably larger problem of neuroinvasive disease,"Schaffner said. The impact of unreported cases is a factor in the decision to call the current West Nile outbreak an emergency, as Dallas did, Schaffner said.
 
The reason for the large outbreak this year is not clear, but it could be related to this season's especially hot summer. Hot weather seems to increase the virus' transmissibility, Petersen said.
 
Pass it on: More than 1,100 cases of West Nile virus have occurred in the United States this year so far.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: West Nile Is Spreading Farther and Faster This Season, CDC
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 23, 2012, 01:36:44 pm
http://abcnews.go.com/US/west-nile-spreading-farther-faster-season-cdc/story?id=17062832

8/23/12

West Nile Is Spreading Farther and Faster This Season, CDC Says

Aerial mosquito spraying is underway in Dallas County and Houston to prevent the spread of West Nile virus while the disease spreads farther, faster and earlier in the season than ever before, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
Only 29 cases were reported a month ago. Now, the CDC is reporting 1,118 cases spread across 47 states, with 41 deaths.
 
Seventy-five percent of the cases have been reported from five states: Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Illinois. Texas appears to be the hardest hit, with 586 reported cases in total. The death toll in Texas was 21 as of Wednesday, with Dallas County hit hardest, for a total of 270 cases and 11 deaths.
 
No place is striking back harder against the West Nile virus than Texas, which has launched an aerial assault against mosquitoes despite objections from environmental groups. Overnight, planes carrying pesticides took to the skies dousing more than 63,000 acres of land in Dallas and Houston to battle the disease.
 
"These kinds of chemicals are most toxic to young children, infants and babies," said Jennifer Sass, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

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Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: West Nile Worst the U.S. Has Ever Seen
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 24, 2012, 03:04:13 pm
West Nile Worst the U.S. Has Ever Seen
56% of Victims Face Life Threatening Neuro Invasive Symptoms

August 24th, 2012
With the U.S. Center for Disease Control now confirming over 1,000 cases of the deadly West Nile virus,
officials and health department workers from Houston to Philadelphia are scrambling to control the outbreak.

The CDC Reports: 47 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 1118 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 41 deaths, have been reported to CDC. Of these, 629 (56%) were classified as neuroinvasive disease (such as meningitis or encephalitis) and 489 (44%) were classified as non-neuroinvasive disease.

What’s even more alarming than how rapidly the disease has spread and the number of victims infected is the unusually high number of them who are experiencing life threatening neuro-invasive symptoms that could lead to death or permanent brain injury.

The fact that only 1  in 150 people usually develop the severe form of the disease, but  in this outbreak more than half have developed it, is the reason the authorities are spraying with such vigour in an attempt to control the spread of the disease.

Not only are infections occurring at a an unprecedented rate of three times above the historical average, the virus is much stronger then ever before.
There is no known vaccine or pharmaceutical treatment that has been found to be effective against West Nile Virus.
Those who contract the virus will experience severe symptoms. In the neuro-invasive cases (currently 56% of victims) symptoms may rapidly develop into life threatening or debilitating conditions that include encephalitis, meningitis or paralysis.
more
http://tinyurl.com/wnilAg12


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Dallas County West Nile-Related Deaths Climbing
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 27, 2012, 01:29:33 pm
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/08/27/dallas-county-west-nile-related-deaths-climbing/

8/27/12

DALLAS COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) – The number of Dallas County residents who have died from West Nile Virus related health issues now stands at 12.

 

Monday officials with Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) confirmed another death in the county.
 
Officials say the hospital patient lived in the 75060 zip code.
 
Since the first of the year, Dallas County has reported nearly 300 human cases of West Nile infection.
 
The county has fought infestation with ground and aerial spraying, but still say the threat should be considered a major public health concern.
 
Last week, specialists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came to North Texas to help in the West Nile battle. Officials with the CDC have reportedly said the West Nile outbreak in Dallas County is the worst in the United States and are promising $3 million to help pay for aerial spraying. Of all the human West Nile Virus infections reported in the country 27-percent have been in Dallas County.
 
CDC representatives are also analyzing the effectiveness of ground and aerial spraying in Dallas County. Local leaders say they want those report results before moving forward with further plans to battle the problem.
 
The preliminary results of that CDC report are expected by Friday. The official, detailed report won’t be in until November.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: West Nile: they're lying to you again
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 29, 2012, 05:15:06 pm
8/24/12
(NaturalNews) The government PR machine has swung into high gear promoting West Nile disease. It's a "national outbreak." 1138 cases in 38 states. 41 deaths. Planes are spraying toxic aerial pesticides.

Never mind that the US Centers for Disease Control claims 36,000 people die every year from ordinary seasonal flu -- and there are no announcements of an "epidemic" or an "outbreak."

Never mind that the World Health Organization (WHO) claims between 250,000 and 500,000 people die every year from ordinary seasonal flu -- and this isn't called an "epidemic" or an "outbreak."

If you added up the death count from all the hyped and predicted epidemics of the last decade, including West Nile, SARS, bird flu, weaponized smallpox, and Swine Flu, the total would come to about one year of deaths in the US from ordinary flu.

But who cares about facts? What's important is how much fear can be generated. That's the statistic that counts, when you're talking about the CDC or WHO.

And when it comes to the public, it seems that some people feel a morbid attraction for viruses. Every time a new one is announced, they rub their hands together and say, "This is the big one! It's going to spread like wildfire!"

Other people, involved in natural health, who reject huge amounts conventional medical wisdom, nonetheless make the mistake of buying the virus of the moment. They automatically accept it as real and then figure out how to treat it naturally. That can be a big mistake.

Have researchers ever actually isolated (found) the West Nile virus? You should be asking that question.

You should always question what the CDC tells you.

The deepest form of medical-research chicanery comes when scientists claim they've found a new virus and they haven't. They haven't nailed it down. They say they have, but that's not true.

People have a hard time fathoming this. They will accept the fact that a medical drug touted as miraculous really causes heart attacks, strokes, and death, but for some reason The Virus is sacred territory. "Scientists would never lie about that." Really? Why not?

Do you think discovering a new virus is like dipping a tweezer into a dish of liquid and picking out a little critter who is shaking his legs? And therefore, nobody can lie about it, because it's either there or not? No, that's not the way it works.

A new virus is discovered by taking a tissue sample suspected of harboring it; then that sample must be transferred to a fine filter that will trap the virus. That's how the initial all-important isolation process is begun.

In the case of West Nile, this was attempted in 1999. It was called a success, but there was a major problem. As I stated in a previous article:

Researchers claim the West Nile virus is 0.04 micrometers. At the same time, they admit that the original fishing expedition for the virus employed filters that were 0.22 micrometers. The obvious conclusion? The filter was too porous. It was nearly six times larger than the virus.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117258&page=4

In fact, Robert McLean, director of the National Wildlife Center of the US Geological Survey, told ABC's Nick Regush, "We don't have a purified form of the [West Nile] virus."

A stunning admission.

The late ABC reporter, Regush, followed up on McLean's pronouncement with this: "I find no evidence anywhere in the scientific literature that the rules of virus purification and isolation were thoroughly followed [in the case of the West Nile virus]."

People respond to these assertions with an accusatory tone: "Then what's making people sick? Why are people dying?"

People getting sick and dying doesn't necessarily have a connection to why health authorities are telling you they're dying.

If a newspaper reported that a hurricane in Missouri killed 12 people, and then you discovered there had been no hurricane, would you insist on pretending there was, because 12 people died? No, of course not. You would assume the people died for other reasons.

It's the same situation with West Nile. People get sick and die all the time. If the virus that supposedly is causing an outbreak of illness has never been found, you look for other causes.

Again, from my previous article:

There are some good reasons people in the Dallas area are getting sick. These reasons have nothing to do with "West Nile."

A decade ago, independent journalist, Jim West, launched an original investigation into the so-called "West Nile epidemic" in New York City.

http://www.naturalhorse.com/archive/volume4/Issue6/article_8.php

West correlated clusters of human and bird "West Nile" cases with several factors; among them, nearby polluting oil refineries, other air pollution (certainly exacerbated by hot summer weather), and the presence of toxic MTBE, an additive that makes gasoline in cars burn cleaner.

There are listings for at least eight refineries in the Dallas area. There are also reports of increased air pollution coming from natural gas production in the Barnett Shale. The 2012 summer has been hot. As of of the year 2000, Texas refineries were producing 75% of all the MTBE in the United States.

And since this has been a very hot and dry summer in other areas of the US, high-air-pollution locales have intensified.

Am I saying that the never-isolated "West Nile virus" might be functioning as a cover story, to conceal what is really making people sick? Absolutely.

As an illustration, the medical history of the African continent is replete with such cover stories. Over and over, germs have been heralded as the cause of people dying in great numbers.

Centuries-old causes of ongoing death in Africa were intentionally overlooked: contaminated water supplies; horrible sanitation; overcrowding; generation-to-generation malnutrition and starvation; stolen farm land.

Most Americans automatically assume the arrival of western doctors with drugs and vaccines is a good sign for Africa. Nothing could be further from the truth. The doctors are sent there to cover up the truth.

Why? Because many interested parties, powerful players inside and outside of Africa, want the true and persisting causes of illness and death to remain, in order to keep the population weak and controllable. It's easy to hide this agenda by advertising a fake disease-cause and a fake medical remedy. Medical intervention will never cure what's ailing Africa. If you walked through a swamp of filthy contaminated water every day on your way to work, do you think a course of antibiotics would keep you healthy?

Here in America, when various toxic environmental causes of illness bring people down, there needs to be a cover story as well. The most believable cover is The Virus. It works. People stand up and salute it. They're saluting it now in Dallas and other places.

I don't care how many pictures of how many mosquitoes are adorning television screens and newspapers. "Oh, the mosquito carries the West Nile virus!" Really? Even if no one ever found such a virus?

Buy the virus story if you want to. Everyone has that freedom. But science is supposed to be about proof, and in the case of West Nile, it's all supposition and presumption and lying.

The medical PR machine will grind on. New stories will appear. "The worst summer ever." "New deaths from West Nile." "More mosquitoes carrying the deadly West Nile virus found." "The very young and elderly at greatest risk." "Medical experts try to discover why West Nile returned with a fury."

How many people will give in at each new barrage of propaganda and accept the virus story?

Remember Swine Flu? The whole planet was going to go down. In the end, WHO announced the total global death figure as 20,000. Then, in a mindless burst of revisionism this year, the total was changed to 580,000.

Here's a number for you. Three maniacal spokespeople from the CDC, backed by five major television networks, can brainwash the public about a virus in seven days.


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036935_West_Nile_virus_CDC_disease_mongering.html#ixzz24yZkqb8e


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on September 01, 2012, 07:36:18 am
CDC: 10,000 people who stayed in tent cabins at Yosemite National Park may be at risk for hantavirus - @NBCNews

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/31/13591500-cdc-10000-at-risk-of-hantavirus-in-yosemite-outbreak?lite



Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on September 24, 2012, 08:16:19 pm
Mysterious Virus Emerges in the Middle East

Global health authorities are hunting for cases of a mysterious respiratory illness that killed at least one person in Saudi Arabia and left another who traveled there in intensive care in a London hospital.

Health officials said the source of the virus infecting both is unknown, though they have identified it as a coronavirus, part of a large family of viruses that in most cases cause common colds, but also have caused SARS.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome erupted in China in late 2002 and spread to a number of countries, infecting more than 8,000 people and killing about 775 before it disappeared in mid 2003.

The World Health Organization said the new virus has been identified in a 49-year-old man from Qatar who traveled to Saudi Arabia before falling ill Sept. 3. He is being treated for acute respiratory syndrome and kidney failure.

The virus that infected him bears a 99.5% similarity to one isolated from the lung tissue of a 60-year-old man from Saudi Arabia who died this summer after suffering respiratory and kidney failure, the WHO said.

Saudi officials identified a third death, but didn't give further details. The WHO said it was a suspect case that can't be confirmed postmortem.

However, the U.K.'s Health Protection Agency said it was investigating the case of a person from the Middle East who died in the U.K.

"There is no evidence at present to suggest that it is caused by the same virus or linked to the other two cases," the HPA said, adding that it was "aware of a small number of other cases of serious respiratory illness in the Middle East in the past three months."

The cases come a month ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage, which draws millions of Muslim pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. The Hajj pilgrimage runs this year from roughly Oct. 24 to Oct. 29.

Saudi Arabia's health ministry played down the threat. "Such occasions are rare…and there is no cause for concern," the health ministry said.

The two confirmed cases have no connection to one another—except that both were in Saudi Arabia. The Qatari man was hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Qatar on Sept. 7 and taken by air ambulance to London Sept. 11.

With no indication yet whether the new virus is like SARS, which spread from person to person, officials are tracking this new virus closely.

"There is way too little information," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said. "We don't know if the denominator is two cases or 20,000 cases. We don't know how it is transmitted."

But Mr. Hartl said the new disease was unlikely to be SARS itself, because the symptoms differ. Kidney failure wasn't a feature of SARS, and in general is unusual for a respiratory illness, he said.

The WHO has alerted health authorities around the world about the two cases and said reports of potential cases were being followed up.

Saudi health authorities are looking for more potential cases and have queried intensive care units in their country, Mr. Hartl said. No new cases have been confirmed, he said.

"We're asking people involved in cases for more details on symptoms," he said. "Anything that looks likes these cases symptomatically is being really closely watched and followed up on."

The HPA said it has reached out to people who have been in contact with the ill patient in the U.K. to make sure they have not been infected.

"There is no evidence to suggest they have," John Watson, head of the HPA's respiratory diseases department, said in a statement. "Further information about these cases is being developed for healthcare workers in the UK, as well as advice to help maintain increased vigilance for this virus."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444813104578016283623675370.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories


Title: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on September 26, 2012, 12:04:37 pm
"And there shall be pestilences ..."


AS WITH WAR AND FAMINE, the severity and frequency with which pestilence (plagues) are now striking is alarming.

Less than 20 years ago the medical profession claimed victory over a wide array of bacterial and viral killers. In 1979, U.S. Surgeon General William Stewart declared that it was time to "close the books on infectious diseases."[14]

As recently as 1983, a medical textbook declared infectious diseases "more easily prevented and more easily cured" than any other major group of disorders.[15]

But instead of fading, the cases of infectious diseases have skyrocketed throughout the ’90s. Dr. Sherwin Nuland, in his best-selling book, How We Die [16], laments, "Medicine’s purported triumph over infectious disease has become an illusion."[17]

Doctors now warn that the current resurgence of drug-resistant bacteria strains could prove to be more deadly than AIDS. AP reports:

The emergence of bacteria strains that cannot be killed by the current arsenal of antibiotics could become a public health threat worse than AIDS, experts warn.

Diseases considered conquered — tuberculosis, pneumonia, meningitis, staph infections — are becoming unstoppable. Common bacteria that cause everything from toddlers’ ear infections to pneumonia could become "supergerms" resistant to vancomycin and other drugs.

Scientists expect "nothing short of a medical disaster," Dr. Alexander Tomasz of Rockefeller University in New York City warned at the 1994 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[18]


14. Hamilton, Andrea. "Bacteria Become Ever More Resistant," The Washington Times, 20 Nov 1994

15. U.S. News & World Report, 29 Jan 1996

16. Nuland, Sherwin B. How We Die: Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter. New York: Random House in association with Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.

17. "The End of Antibiotics," Newsweek, 28 Mar 1994, pp. 47-48

18. AP, 26 Mar 95



Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 03, 2012, 11:49:30 am
IMHO, I don't think something like this until the 4th/5th seals get unleashed in the tribulation. However, this column sums up the big picture - the stage and pieces are being set for the imminent OWG Antichrist.

http://www.activistpost.com/2012/09/ebola-virus-global-elites-bio-weapon.html

9/5/12

Ebola Virus: The Global Elite’s Bio-Weapon Scheme for 90 Percent Depopulation

Read Article inside(they also talk about the use of Drones potentially in conjunction in this which Janet Napolitano ordered more by 2015).


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: 7 dead as meningitis outbreak grows
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 06, 2012, 08:21:45 pm
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/06/health/meningitis-exposure/index.html?eref=igoogledmn_topstories

10/6/12

Atlanta (CNN) -- The death toll from an outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to contaminated steroid injections has risen to seven, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday.
 
The total number of cases has also grown to 64 people in nine states, the CDC said. That is 17 more cases and two more states than the day before.
 
Patients contracted the deadly meningitis after being injected in their spine with a preservative-free steroid called methylprednisolone acetate that was contaminated by a fungus. The steroid is used to treat pain and inflammation.
 
Health officials say 76 medical facilities in 23 states received the contaminated products, which were manufactured by New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts.

NECC voluntarily recalled three lots of the injectible steroid last week. As a precaution, the Food and Drug Administration is asking doctors, clinics, and consumers to stop using any products made by NECC.
 
The FDA is investigating the scope and cause of the outbreak.
 
The CDC raised the death toll Saturday after two people died in Michigan. Other deaths have been reported in Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia.
 
Tennessee is reporting the most number of overall cases -- 29 -- which includes three deaths, according to the CDC.
 
Confirmed cases have also been found in Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina and Ohio.
 
The other states that received the contaminated products from NECC are California, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
 
Nearly 10% of drugs administered in the United States come from compound pharmacies, according to a 2003 Government Accountability Office report.
 
Drugs manufactured by compound pharmacies do not have to go through FDA-mandated pre-market approval. Instead, oversight and licensing of these pharmacies comes from state health pharmacy boards.
 
Compound pharmacists create customized medication solutions for patients for whom manufactured pharmaceuticals won't work, according to the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists.
 
Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It is usually caused by an infection, frequently with bacteria or a virus, but it can also be caused by less common pathogens like fungi, according to the CDC.
 
Fungal meningitis is very rare and, unlike viral and bacterial meningitis, it is not contagious.
 
Symptoms of fungal meningitis are similar to symptoms from other forms of meningitis, but they often appear more gradually and can be very mild at first, the CDC says.
 
Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CNN that fungal infections are not usually mild. He said when a fungus invades small blood vessels, it can cause them to clot or bleed, which can lead to symptoms of small strokes.
 
In addition to typical meningitis symptoms like headache, fever, nausea, and stiffness of the neck, people with fungal meningitis may also experience confusion, dizziness, and discomfort from bright lights. Patients might just have one or two of these symptoms, the CDC says.
 
A list of the 76 affected medical facilities is on the CDC's website at www.cdc.gov/hai/outbreaks/meningitis-facilities-map.html.
 
Health officials say any patients who received an injection at one of the facilities beginning July 1 and who began showing symptoms between one and three weeks after injection should see their doctor right away.
 
The earlier a patient gets treatment, the more likely he or she will survive.
 
Patients are treated with anti-fungal medication, which is given intravenously so patients have to be admitted to the hospital -- at least in the beginning, the CDC said. Patients may need to be treated for months.
 
The FDA is urging anyone who has experienced problems following an injection with the NECC product, to report it to MedWatch, the FDA's voluntary reporting program, by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088 or online at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Meningitis-linked steroid may have affected 13,000 people
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 08, 2012, 06:02:05 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/health-officials-enlist-police-growing-meningitis-scare-171321026.html

10/8/12

Meningitis-linked steroid may have affected 13,000 people in U.S.: CDC

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Some 13,000 people in 23 U.S. states may have received steroid injections linked to a rare fungal meningitis outbreak that has killed eight people, but far fewer are likely to contract the disease, the Centers for Disease Control said on Monday.
 
The CDC for the first time estimated the number of patients potentially affected, after previously saying only that it could be in the thousands.
 
So far, 105 cases of the rare form of meningitis have been confirmed in nine states. In hardest hit Tennessee another person has died, bringing the national death toll to eight, the CDC and Tennessee state authorities said on Monday.
 
Nearly 1,000 people in Tennessee may have received injections from the three recalled lots containing 17,676 vials of potentially tainted steroid, Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. John Dreyzehner said on Monday. Saint Thomas Outpatient Neurosurgery Center in Nashville received some 2,000 vials, more than any other facility in the country, he said.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: 'Brain-eating' amoeba kills 10 in Pakistan: officials
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 10, 2012, 10:48:09 pm
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Brain-eating_amoeba_kills_10_in_Pakistan_officials_999.html

by Staff Writers
Karachi (AFP) Oct 9, 2012

Authorities in Pakistan's largest city have launched an urgent investigation after a rare water-borne "brain-eating" amoeba killed 10 people in four months, officials said Tuesday.

The water company and health officials monitoring water in Karachi, home to 18 million people, have been ordered to trace the source of the Naegleria fowleri outbreak.

Saghir Ahmed, health minister of southern Sindh province of which Karachi is capital, said the drinking supply, swimming places and facilities used for the ritual ablutions Muslims must perform before prayers were all under investigation.

"There is no reason to panic and citizens should stay calm and take precautions," Ahmed said.

more


Title: California Squirrel Tests Positive For Bubonic
Post by: Mark on October 14, 2012, 05:39:55 am
California Squirrel Tests Positive For Bubonic Plague Exposure

(http://i.huffpost.com/gen/809588/thumbs/s-SQUIRREL-BUBONIC-PLAGUE-CALIFORNIA-TESTED-POSITIVE-large.jpg)
im gonna get you


A squirrel captured in Southern California has tested positive for exposure to fleas infected with the bacteria that can cause plague.

The plague-exposed squirrel was picked up in September at a campground in the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside County, Calif., CNN reports. More tests are scheduled, as plague is endemic to the region.

“It’s not something that people should panic about, but we do want them to be educated so they can protect their families and their pets,” Dottie Merki, environmental health program chief at the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health, told CNN.

Merki says a blood test revealed the California squirrel was exposed to bubonic plague, although the rodent showed no symptoms of the bacterial disease, according to 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio. “I think people just have to be reminded it is in the area an use precautions and it’s something to be aware of but not afraid of,” she said.

The most recent cases of plague in humans in California were recorded in April 2006 in Los Angeles County and June 2006 in Inyo County, Southern California Public Radio reports. The last U.S. urban plague epidemic occurred in Los Angeles from 1924 to 1925, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Colorado 7-year-old Sierra Jane Downing contracted the bubonic plague in August during a camping trip. Her mother, Darcy, said Sierra might have been infected by insects near a dead squirrel, which the girl wanted to bury at their campground, the Associated Press reports. Sierra has since recovered.

Plague is a severe and potentially fatal bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis that is carried by rodents, such as rats or squirrels, and spread by their fleas, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Humans can get the plague when they are bitten by an infected flea or animal.

The most common forms of plague infections are bubonic (of the lymph nodes), pneumonic (of the lungs) and septicemic (of the blood), according to the NCBI. Symptoms differ depending on the form, however people may experience chills, fever, coughing, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle pains, swollen lymph glands and/or difficulty breathing.

The “Black Death,” caused by the bubonic plague, killed an estimated 25 million people in Europe during the 14th century. Today, the infection is quite rare.

Officials offer the following precautions to prevent plague exposure, via KTLA:

Avoid contact with ground squirrels, tree squirrels and other wild animals.
Do not feed or touch wild animals, or touch dead animals.
Do not rest or camp near animal burrows.
Protect your pets by leaving them at home, or by keeping them on a leash and using flea-control methods.
Contact your doctor immediately if you become ill after visiting a known plague area.

vid: http://globalpossibilities.org/california-squirrel-tests-positive-for-bubonic-plague-exposure/


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: U.S. says death toll rises to 23 in meningitis outbreak
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 20, 2012, 05:15:53 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/u-says-death-toll-rises-23-meningitis-outbreak-183437664.html

10/20/12

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. death toll from fungal meningitis linked to potentially contaminated steroid injections has risen by two to 23, with North Carolina reporting its first death, health officials said on Saturday.

Tennessee's death total in the outbreak rose to eight, the highest state total, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on its website.

States reported 13 new cases of fungal meningitis, raising the total to 281. There are also three peripheral infections caused by injections into joints.

The outbreak stems from medications shipped by the New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Massachusetts. The company faces federal and state investigations and lawsuits over the tainted medications.

Indiana and New Hampshire reported two new cases apiece. Virginia, Tennessee and New Jersey each had three new cases, the CDC said.

Health regulators confirmed on Thursday the presence of the deadly Exserohilum fungus in vials of the NECC steroid used for pain injections. They estimate that as many as 14,000 people may have been exposed to the contaminated medication.

NECC and its executives face a civil suit in Massachusetts that seeks to freeze the officers' personal assets. Florida, which has had three deaths and 17 cases, has barred NECC from doing business in the state.



Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 31, 2012, 09:48:13 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/firm-linked-u-meningitis-outbreak-recalls-drugs-172130507.html

.
Huge drug recall latest fallout in deadly meningitis outbreak
By Sharon Begley | Reuters – 4 hrs ago.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Ameridose, a sister company of the U.S. pharmacy linked to a meningitis outbreak that has killed 29 people, announced on Wednesday a voluntary recall of all its products, a move to cooperate with regulators that could nevertheless create shortages of some drugs.
 
In particular, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a number of hospitals are concerned about the availability of several drugs for which Ameridose has been a major supplier, including those given as shots or intravenous drips or used during surgery.
 
The Westborough, Massachusetts-based company, which was closed on October 10, said it had not received any reports of adverse reactions to the products it is recalling but that the FDA has asked it to improve its sterility testing processes.
 
"Ameridose and FDA agree that the use of injectable products that are not sterile can represent a serious hazard to health," the company said in a statement, adding that it shipped its medications nationwide.
 
The company asked its customers to quarantine Ameridose drugs while they arrange to return them to the company.
 
Earlier in October, the FDA said, "The current production shutdown of Ameridose may impact supplies of certain drugs for some health care systems."
 
The FDA "is aware that this recall might affect the availability of certain drugs," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, told Reuters. "This is a company that produces and ships a lot of sterile injectables. We are trying to mitigate the effects (of the Ameridose recall) on drug supplies."
 
FILLING THE GAP
 
The FDA has already spoken with other manufacturers about filling the supply gap left by the shutdown of Ameridose and now the recall of its products, Woodcock said, including helping those whose manufacturing facilities have been curtailed by technical or other issues "get back into production."
 
Ameridose has been a major manufacturer of sodium bicarbonate injections, for instance, which are used in emergency care to normalize the acidity of a patient's blood. It also produced succinylcholine, a neuromuscular paralyzing agent used by anesthesiologists during surgery. Hospitals could face shortages of both drugs, Woodcock said.
 
Those in Massachusetts, which have been major Ameridose customers, warned that the recall "will exacerbate an already troubling shortage of medications that has arisen due to the permanent closure" of the compounding pharmacy blamed for the meningitis outbreak and the temporary closing of Ameridose, the Massachusetts Hospital Association said in a statement.
 
It added that drug "shortages are prevalent," especially of generic sterile injectables including cancer drugs and anesthetics. In a study by the American Hospital Association, 82 percent of hospitals said patients had experienced delays in treatment due to drug shortages; more than half said the shortages prevented them from providing patients with recommended treatment.
 
Ameridose is owned by the same people as New England Compounding Center (NECC), the compounding pharmacy whose injectable steroids turned out to be contaminated with fungus and are blamed for 368 cases of fungal meningitis. FDA inspectors have been combing through Ameridose's facilities since the company was closed.
 
Separately, NECC hired Harris Beach PLLC, a law firm with offices in New York City and Newark, New Jersey, to lead its defense against civil claims, according to a filing on Wednesday with the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.
 
NECC's defense will be led by high-profile corporate defense attorney Frederick Fern, a specialist in medical tort litigation, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. According to the law firm's website, Fern has represented many pharmaceutical and medical device companies, including in a large case involving the diet-drug combination called fen-phen, and is also a registered pharmacist.
 
(Reporting By Sharon Begley, Toni Clarke, and Timothy McLaughlin; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Mohammad Zargham)


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on November 10, 2012, 11:28:00 am
Yellow fever outbreak in Darfur kills 67

A yellow fever outbreak in the Darfur region of Sudan has infected 194 people and killed 67 with the number of cases more than doubling since the start of the epidemic in October. The World Health Organization reported that the outbreak is taking place in 17 localities in the north, west, south and central parts of Darfur. The number of cases has risen dramatically from the 84 initial cases reported when the outbreak began. As of November 5, surveillance in the region shows that 83.3 percent of the cases are from central Darfur, 7.2 percent are from south Darfur, 7.2 percent are from west Darfur and 2.3 percent are from the northern part of the region. The WHO is monitoring the outbreak throughout the region, training more than 225 health workers in the region on case management, infection prevention, control and disease surveillance, and working with the Sudanese Ministry of Health to send technical teams to stop the outbreak. The organization recommends that disease surveillance be strengthened in eastern Darfur, a continuation of the laboratory testing of patients from newly affected locations, and finalizing a vaccination plan with available resources and partners to implement it. In February, the U.N. backed a mass vaccination plan in northern Cameroon in an effort to vaccinate more than 1.2 million people and a campaign in Ghana to vaccinate more than 235,000 people. Yellow fever infects an estimated 200,000 people annually. The disease is caused by a mosquito-borne virus and it kills as many as 30,000 people each year. There is no specific treatment for yellow fever and vaccination is the most important preventive measure. –Vaccine

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/yellow-fever-outbreak-in-darfur-kills-67/


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Scores isolated after new Ebola outbreak in Uganda
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 15, 2012, 09:51:05 am
http://news.yahoo.com/scores-isolated-ebola-outbreak-uganda-092259060.html

11/15/12

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Scores of Ugandans were isolated on Thursday to prevent the spread of a new outbreak of Ebola which has already killed three people.

Uganda has experienced increasingly regular outbreaks of deadly hemorrhagic fevers that have left health officials grappling for answers.

The new Ebola outbreak was confirmed Wednesday in a district 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the Ugandan capital, Kampala. The outbreak comes roughly a month after Uganda declared itself Ebola-free following an earlier outbreak in a remote district of western Uganda. Last month at least five people in a southwestern district of Uganda were killed by Marburg, a hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola.

The latest Ebola outbreak, officials say, is of the Sudan strain of Ebola and not linked to the previous one, of the Congo variety, which killed at least 16 villagers in July and August in the western district of Kibaale. In addition to the three dead in the latest outbreak, up to 15 are being monitored for signs of the disease, officials said. They advised against panic after it was revealed that two possible Ebola patients had since checked into Kampala's main referral hospital.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Fourth person dies in Calif. of mushroom poisoning
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 28, 2012, 04:18:11 pm
Fourth person dies in Calif. of mushroom poisoning

11/27/12

http://news.yahoo.com/fourth-person-dies-calif-mushroom-poisoning-221705895.html

LOOMIS, Calif. (AP) — A fourth person has died from eating a soup made with poisonous mushrooms earlier this month at senior care facility in Northern California, authorities said Tuesday.

The Placer County Sheriff's Department identified the woman as Dorothy Mary Hart, 92.

Three others at the six-bed Gold Age Villa care facility in Loomis died from eating the mushrooms in what sheriff's investigators characterize as an accident.

"This is an ongoing tragedy, an unfortunate accident," said Dena Erwin, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.

All of the victims were sickened Nov. 8, including the caretaker who made the soup after picking mushrooms in the backyard of the facility.

The other people who have died were identified as Barbara Lopes, 86; Teresa Olesniewicz, 73; and Frank Warren Blodgett, 90.

California's Department of Social Services is investigating the incident, though sheriff's investigators have said the caretaker who made the soup did not know that the mushrooms were poisonous.

The most recent death occurred at a nursing home, where the victim was transferred from a Sacramento-area hospital.

Vomiting and diarrhea associated with mushroom poisoning can take 12 hours or longer to develop, which often makes it difficult to diagnose, said Dr. Kent R. Olson, medical director of the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System.

The loss of fluids can cause kidney failure, but the poisons attack the liver and stop the organ from producing normal proteins. The victim usually falls into a coma, and the liver eventually shuts down and dies.

Fall begins the season for highly sought-after wild chanterelle mushrooms in Northern California, and for the amanita species of mushroom that include what are known as "death cap" and "death angel" varieties.

Mushroom experts said that young poisonous North American amanitas found in the San Francisco Bay Area can often look like an edible version of a wild mushroom popular in Asia.

California recorded 1,700 cases of mushroom-related illnesses from 2009 to 2010, including two deaths.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Mysterious bacteria 'superbug' spreads across country
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 09, 2012, 09:30:06 am

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20121202/NEWS08/312020088/Mysterious-superbug-spreads-across-country?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7C&nclick_check=1
CRE kills 40 percent of its victims - and it can't be stopped

Mat_24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.


12/2/12

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — The doctors tried one antibiotic after another, racing to stop the infection as it tore through the man’s body, but nothing worked.

In a matter of days after the middle-age patient arrived at the University of Virginia Medical Center, the bacteria in his blood had fought off even what doctors consider “drugs of last resort.”

“It was very alarming; it was the first time we’d seen that kind of resistance,” said Amy Mathers, one of the hospital’s infectious disease specialists.

The man died three months later, but the bacteria wasn’t done. In the months that followed, it struck again and again in the same hospital, in various forms, as doctors raced to decipher the secret to its spread.

The superbug that hit the Virginia hospital four years ago belongs to a family of drug-resistant bacteria that has stalked hospitals and nursing homes for a decade. Now, it’s attacking in hundreds of those institutions, a USA Today examination shows.

The bacteria strains, known as carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, are named for their ability to fight off carbapenem antibiotics — the last line of defense. And so far, they’ve emerged mainly in health care facilities, killing the weakest of patients.

The bacteria made headlines this summer after a CRE strain battered the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center outside Washington, D.C. Seven died, including a 16-year-old boy. But that case was neither the first nor the worst of the attacks.

Thousands of cases
 
Research shows there have been thousands of CRE cases throughout the country in recent years.

Death rates among patients with CRE infections can be about 40 percent, far worse than infections such as MRSA or C-Diff, which have plagued hospitals and nursing homes for decades. And there are growing concerns that CRE could make its way beyond health facilities and into the general community.

“From the perspective of drug-resistant organisms, (CRE) is the most serious threat, the most serious challenge we face to patient safety,” said Arjun Srinivasan of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since the first case was reported at a North Carolina hospital in 2001, CREs have spread to at least 41 other states, according to the CDC.

USA Today interviewed dozens of health care authorities and reviewed hundreds of pages of journal articles, clinical reports, and state and federal health care data. The examination shows:

• CRE infections already are endemic in several major U.S. population centers, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Smaller pockets of cases have been reported across much of the country, including Oregon, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina.

• There are no reliable national data. The CDC has urged states to track cases, but only a handful do so.

• There is little chance that an effective drug to kill CRE bacteria will be produced in the coming years. Manufacturers have no new antibiotics in development that show promise.

• Many hospitals — and an even greater percentage of nursing homes — lack the capacity to identify CRE, or the resources to effectively screen and isolate patients carrying the bacteria. Even when screening is possible, there’s a lack of consensus on whom to target.

“We’re working with state health departments to try to figure out how big a problem this is,” said the CDC’s Srinivasan, noting that his agency can pool whatever data states collect. “We’re still at a point where we can stop this thing. You can never eradicate CRE, but we can prevent the spread.

Other experts are less optimistic.

“My concern is that there aren’t a lot of methods in our tool kit that are significantly effective in curbing the spread of these infections,” said Dr. Eli Perencevich of the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine.

Elusive killer
 
The Virginia epidemiologists knew their CRE outbreak would be tough to contain, but it quickly became clear that this case would be even more difficult than most.

When the doctors began analyzing the bacteria in their first patient, who’d transferred from a hospital in Pennsylvania, they found two strains of CRE bacteria. And as more patients turned up sick, lab tests showed that some carried yet another.

“We were really frustrated; we hadn’t seen anything like this in the literature,” said Costi Sifri, the hospital epidemiologist.

The doctors went back to the lab with even more urgency. It was January 2008, five months after the first case turned up, and they’d identified five patients harboring three distinct species of CRE.

Three of those patients already were dead.

Mobility
 
One challenge is figuring out where CRE is showing up.

Based on academic studies and data from the few states and counties that require some reporting, it’s clear that CRE is spreading fast.

In Los Angeles County alone, a year of surveillance through mid-2011 turned up 675 cases at hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. In Maryland, a 2011 survey by the state health department identified 269 patients carrying CRE and estimated that up to 80 percent of the state’s hospitals had seen at least one case during the year.

It’s important to know where CRE is emerging because it spreads with patients who bounce between or among clinics, surgical centers, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes and, of course, hospitals.

In the Chicago area, where scores of CRE infections have been found since 2008, studies show that about 3 percent of hospital patients in intensive care carry the bacteria, said Dr. Mary Hayden of Rush University Medical Center. Those same studies have found CREs being carried by about 30 percent of patients in long-term care facilities.

Not all of those patients are symptomatic: The bacteria can lurk, unseen, until a carrier’s immune system is compromised or until the bug finds a path into the body and infection sets in. And as those patients move from one facility to another, the bacteria move with them, often clinging to caregivers’ hands.

The untreatable
 
A few drugs show marginal effectiveness, including an old antibiotic shelved decades ago because of high toxicity. And there’s little incentive for drug companies to invest in developing alternatives.CREs develop new resistance quickly, so any new antibiotic isn’t likely to last.

“If you look at the current pipeline of antibiotics (in development) ... none of them really is going to be active against these bacteria,” said Gary Roselle of the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system.

CDC guidance for controlling CRE rests on traditional infection-control strategy: rigorous hand cleaning by staff and visitors; isolating infected patients and requiring gowns and gloves for anyone contacting them; cutting antibiotic use to slow the development of resistant bacteria; and limiting use of invasive medical devices that give bacteria a path into the body.

But the measure that may hold the most promise is contentious: screening patients for the bacteria so carriers can be isolated.

In New York City, Montefiore Medical Center cut prevalence rates in half across its nine intensive care units with a program that relied on screening. The initiative tested all intensive-care patients using an experimental, high-speed assay for the bacteria, and carriers were isolated immediately.

Montefiore found that 40 percent of its CRE cases involved patients who had arrived with the bacteria when transferred from nursing homes and other institutions.

“So even if I had a perfect program to stop all patient-to-patient transmission in the hospital, the maximum impact I could have would be a 60 percent reduction in prevalence,” said Brian Currie, the hospital’s vice president for research.

New tools
 
Once the University of Virginia Medical Center doctors figured out that a single gene was driving the spread of CRE through the hospital, they still needed to figure out a way to find it — and stop it.

By April 2008, eight months after they’d identified their first infection, 13 additional patients had been infected with related strains of the bacteria. Seven were dead.

Back in the lab, the doctors figured out the gene was hitching a ride among bacteria on mobile pieces of DNA, called plasmids, that can move from one cell to another. With more work, they developed a genetic test that could identify those plasmids and the bacteria they’d affected.

The lessons learned in Virginia helped the doctors target CRE screening of at-risk patients across the hospital, as well as those checking in. So far, the hospital has been able to control its outbreak.

But the bacteria are there, lurking somewhere.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on December 26, 2012, 11:18:12 am
Bangladesh slaughters 150,000 birds over avian flu

Bangladesh's livestock authorities are slaughtering around 150,000 chickens at a giant poultry farm near Dhaka after the worst outbreak of avian flu in five years, officials said Wednesday.

The deadly H5N1 strain of flu was detected at Bay Agro farm at Gazipur, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Dhaka, on Monday after dozens of chickens died, prompting the company to send samples to a laboratory for tests.

"There are about 150,000 chickens at the farm. We have already killed and destroyed 120,000 chickens and we will kill the rest today," livestock department director Mosaddeq Hossain told AFP, adding it was the worst bird flu outbreak in five years.

Bangladesh was hit by bird flu in February 2007, when over one million birds were slaughtered on thousands of farms. Since then the flu has entrenched in the country, seriously ravaging one of the world's largest poultry industries.

The last major outbreak was in March 2010 when at least 117,000 chickens and 200,000 eggs were destroyed at a farm in northern Bangladesh.

The latest outbreak is the 23rd to be recorded this year. Even before the new mass slaughter, a total of 107,252 chickens had been destroyed in 22 farms, said Ataur Rahman, a livestock control room official.

The country has also reported six confirmed human cases of bird flu since May 2008, but the government's health department said all have recovered.


http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-bangladesh-slaughters-birds-avian-flu.html


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on January 06, 2013, 11:36:58 am
Flu widespread in 41 states...
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130106/NEWS01/301060096/1969/NEWS

REPORT: Vaccine doesn't include spreading strain...
http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2013/jan/06/flu-spreading-earlier-and-faster-year-ar-5305865/

18 children dead; 'still accelerating'...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257597/Flu-infections-sweep-America-hospitalizing-thousands-leaving-18-children-dead-complications-going-worse.html

H1N1 Flu Deaths in China; 1 million treated in week...
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/world/216621-two-die-from-h1n1-flu.html

EPIDEMIC
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257597/Flu-infections-sweep-America-hospitalizing-thousands-leaving-18-children-dead-complications-going-worse.html


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 06, 2013, 02:26:49 pm
Flu widespread in 41 states...
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130106/NEWS01/301060096/1969/NEWS

REPORT: Vaccine doesn't include spreading strain...
http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2013/jan/06/flu-spreading-earlier-and-faster-year-ar-5305865/

18 children dead; 'still accelerating'...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257597/Flu-infections-sweep-America-hospitalizing-thousands-leaving-18-children-dead-complications-going-worse.html

H1N1 Flu Deaths in China; 1 million treated in week...
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/world/216621-two-die-from-h1n1-flu.html

EPIDEMIC
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257597/Flu-infections-sweep-America-hospitalizing-thousands-leaving-18-children-dead-complications-going-worse.html

Saw this on Yahoo news yesterday - still don't know what to make of it...whether it's real, or fear-mongered manufactured? ???


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on January 08, 2013, 11:32:38 am
Flu widespread in 41 states...
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130106/NEWS01/301060096/1969/NEWS

REPORT: Vaccine doesn't include spreading strain...
http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2013/jan/06/flu-spreading-earlier-and-faster-year-ar-5305865/

18 children dead; 'still accelerating'...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257597/Flu-infections-sweep-America-hospitalizing-thousands-leaving-18-children-dead-complications-going-worse.html

H1N1 Flu Deaths in China; 1 million treated in week...
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/world/216621-two-die-from-h1n1-flu.html

EPIDEMIC
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2257597/Flu-infections-sweep-America-hospitalizing-thousands-leaving-18-children-dead-complications-going-worse.html


TENTS SET UP FOR FLU VICTIMS
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Growing-Number-of-Flu-Cases-Causes-Hospital-to-Open-Emergency-Space-185947762.html

Chicago hospitals turning away flu cases, no room...
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8945972

Visitor restrictions in 'epicenter' of outbreak...
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/01/07/south-central-is-states-flu-epicenter/


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 08, 2013, 11:48:49 am
It also seems to be a big problem here in North Texas - "Flu cases spike early in ominous sign for county" is the top story on the front page of the DMN.

But for Chrisitans who's faith alone is in Jesus Christ, there is no fear and worries.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 08, 2013, 12:01:11 pm
^^ I just read the first few paragraphs over this in my paper just now - it seems like people, in general, are just panicking over the littlest of symptoms they have. It's not like that have full blown anything. I myself had the flu when I was younger, and it wasn't like I was in a life or death situation.

Whatever happened to letting patience perfecting fruit?

While big pharma really disgusts me with what they do(ie-vaccinations), at the same time everyone who acts impatiently has themselves to blame, ultimately.

Pro_20:22  Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee



Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Kilika on January 08, 2013, 12:50:17 pm
Yea and Amen

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 (KJB)

My wife is just getting over basically the flu, again, just like last year. Past two years she has gotten the flu shot, and each year she's gotten sick, so I would like to know what that shot was suppose to protect against. Sounds like nothing seeing the shots don't cover the current strain!

She says that there's a lot of people with the flu. And they've been giving a lot of vaccines.

Me? Thank God, not a sniffle, as pretty much every year. I haven't had a flu shot since I was in the Navy back in the mid 80's. Just sayin'.

"Behold, his soul [which] is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4 (KJB)


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 09, 2013, 10:47:48 am
http://news.yahoo.com/common-std-grows-resistant-treatment-north-america-220300738.html

.
Common STD Grows Resistant to Treatment in North America
By Katherine Harmon | Scientific American – 58 mins ago.

The most commonly acquired sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S., chlamydia and gonorrhea, are usually cleared out swiftly and easily with a dose of oral antibiotics. But one of these infections is growing bold and finding ways to evade treatment.
 
More than 321,000 cases of gonorrhea are reported each year in the U.S. alone--and the actual number of annual infections is probably much higher because many people do not experience symptoms. The infection has lost much of its social stigma since antibiotics were enlisted to fight it off earlier last century. But left untreated today, it can still cause pelvic inflammation, severe pregnancy complications and female infertility. Its presence increases the odds of an infection with HIV, and babies born to women with untreated gonorrhea are at risk of blindness.
 
Although antibiotics have reduced this infection to little more than a modern-day inconvenience for most, the bacterium (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) has been steadily evolving to knock out medical weapons. Sulfonamides ceased to be effective in treating it in the 1940s; penicillins and tetracyclines lost effectiveness in the 1970s and '80s; and fluoroquinolones were taken off the treatment table in 2007.
 
The last simple treatment, a class of antibiotics called cephalosporins, appears to be weakening against gonorrhea infections worldwide. And that drug resistance has now reached North America in sizable numbers, according to a new study, published online January 8 in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association.
 
Resistance to the commonly prescribed oral antibiotic cefixime (a cephalosporin) was first detected several years ago in Japan. Since then, public health officials have been watching the phenomenon spread to Europe and now to North America.
 
more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 09, 2013, 03:44:04 pm
Flu season has Boston declaring health emergency
By By BOB SALSBERG | Associated Press – 1 hr 22 mins ago.
http://news.yahoo.com/flu-season-boston-declaring-health-emergency-175058891.html

BOSTON (AP) — Boston declared a public health emergency Wednesday as the city tried to deal with a harsh flu season and the state reported 18 flu-related deaths so far.
 
The city is working with health care centers to offer free flu vaccines and also hopes to set up places where people can get vaccinated. The city said there had been four flu-related deaths, all elderly residents, since the unofficial start of the flu season on Oct. 1.
 
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said there had been about 700 confirmed cases of the flu in Boston so far this season, compared with 70 all of last season.
 
Massachusetts was one of 29 states reporting high levels of "influenza-like illness," according to the most recent weekly flu advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 10, 2013, 12:26:42 am
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-flu-outbreak-south-florida-20130109,0,5087768.story

Flu season hits South Florida early

1/9/13

An early outbreak of the seasonal flu sickening much of America is starting to hit more South Floridians with its hacking, feverish symptoms.

Since mid-December, Broward County emergency rooms have been seeing about twice the volume of patients coming in with flu-like symptoms than they typically see this time of year, said Dr. Nabil El Sanadi, chief of emergency medicine at Broward Health.

"And we're ready for it to increase a little more" in the coming weeks, he said.

more

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/01/07/flu-outbreak-fighting-the-virus-with-social-media/

1/7/13

Flu Outbreak: Fighting the Virus With Social Media

The flu season has arrived — and it’s weeks early.
 
In one week, 16 states and New York City reported high levels of the flu. By the following week, that number was up to 29.
 
Each day for the past week, more than 500 New Yorkers have descended on emergency rooms with flu symptoms, according to a city website.
 
According to the Centers for  Disease Control and Prevention, in high flu states  70 percent to 80 percent of the coughs you hear around you right now stem from the flu.
 
Each cough, sneeze or even conversation puts the virus into the air — and potentially into your lungs.
 
The virus goes everywhere — onto railings and the salt shakers in the diner; on the keys of the ATM; and on every door anyone touches.
 
The flu virus can survive two to eight hours on hard surfaces such as  metal and plastic — touch it and you can spread it to your nose and mouth from your hand.
 
The average person touches his or her  face about 18 times an hour — giving the virus a path to the lungs.
 
In one meeting, ABC News recorded the number of times people unconsciously touched their faces in more than 25 minutes. The highest number of times: 44.
 
There are now new tools to track the flu.
 
The CDC is watching social media flu sites such as Google Flu Tracker, and a Facebook app tries to identify the “friend” that gave you the flu from its searches and comments.

Flunearyou.org has 20,000 volunteers who are tracking their symptoms, narrowing the spread of flu down to your ZIP code.
 
An office hot spot?  The elevator. One sneeze can spray the flu — in droplets — up to 20 feet, coating the doors and buttons.  And what do you touch in an elevator?  The buttons.
 
The CDC suggests washing your hands and getting a  flu shot — still available and effective within two weeks.
 
If you get sick, cover your cough and sneeze with your elbow, not your hand so you are less likely to spread the virus.
 
Those at high risk for severe disease — young children, seniors, pregnant women, those with medical problems — should see their doctor. Antiviral drugs might prevent your illness from getting worse.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 10, 2013, 01:01:52 am
Heb 2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Heb 2:10  For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.



Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 10, 2013, 09:22:52 am
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/09/health/us-flu-season/index.html?eref=rss_mostpopular

1/9/13

Flu "picks up steam" across the U.S.

 
(CNN) -- The flu has been spreading fiercely across the United States, with more than half of states reporting widespread activity. The season has started earlier, and cases are more severe than last year, health officials say.
 
The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flu advisory report, which covers the week of December 23 to 29, suggests that 41 states have widespread influenza activity, which was an increase of 31 states from the previous week. The CDC will issue an update on the flu situation Friday.
 
There have so far been 2,257 hospitalizations associated with laboratory-confirmed flu virus, the CDC report said. Among children, there have been 18 deaths reported during this season.

In Massachusetts, one of the 29 states that the CDC has identified as having high activity of influenza-like illness, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declared a public health emergency in the city because of the flu.
 
Since October 1, there have been 700 confirmed influenza cases among Boston residents, according to Menino's office; that's 10 times more than were seen in all of last year's flu season.
 
Menino is collaborating with the Boston Public Health Commission and community health centers to offer free vaccination clinics this weekend. The mayor urged residents to stay home from work or school if they are sick, and to get their flu shots.
 
"This is the worst flu season we've seen since 2009, and people should take the threat of flu seriously," Menino said in a statement. More than 4% of emergency department visits at Boston hospitals are from flu cases, up from 1% during non-flu season.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 10, 2013, 02:12:49 pm
New strain of norovirus spreads around the world
By Kate Kelland | Reuters – Wed, Jan 9, 2013

http://news.yahoo.com/strain-norovirus-spreads-around-world-113412198.html

LONDON (Reuters) - A new strain of the winter vomiting disease norovirus has spread to France, New Zealand and Japan from Australia and is overtaking all others to become the dominant strain in Britain, health officials said on Wednesday.
 
The norovirus variant, known as Sydney 2012, was identified in a scientific paper last week and Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said genetic testing showed it was now causing more cases in England and Wales than other strains.
 
Sydney 2012 does not carry worse symptoms than others but, like other norovirus strains, it can cause violent and projectile vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes fevers, headaches and stomach cramps.
 
Norovirus cases have risen earlier than expected this winter in Britain, across Europe, Japan and other parts of the world.

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 11, 2013, 10:23:45 am
http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/11/16464416-flu-spreads-to-47-states-but-may-be-starting-to-wane-cdc-says?lite

1/11/13

Flu spreads to 47 states, but may be starting to wane, CDC says

Flu activity remains high across the United States, but there are signs this year's bad season may be waning in some areas, government health officials said Friday.

Forty-seven states reported widespread flu activity as of the week ending Jan. 5, up from 41 the previous week. Twenty-four states and New York City reported high levels of flu, but that was down from 29 states the week before, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Flu activity was up all across the U.S., except in the region that includes Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii and Nevada, the new report showed.

More than 3,700 people have been hospitalized for the flu since October, and 20 children have died, the CDC says. Most of the hospitalizations have been in people older than 65.

Vaccines given to fight this year's flu appear to be about 62 percent effective, according to data from some 1,155 children and adults with acute respiratory infections. Of people who got the flu, 32 percent were vaccinated. CDC officials characterize that level as "moderate" effectiveness and infection control experts say it's about what they expect from the shots.

"That's normal," said Dr. William Schaffner, director of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "It's a good but not a perfect vaccine."

That helps explain why some people who've received flu shots -- which are recommended for everyone older than six months -- say they've still gotten sick. It argues in favor of using antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu to help bolster vaccine effectiveness, or VE, CDC's report said.

"These early VE estimates underscore that some vaccinated persons will become infected with influenza; therefore, antiviral medications should be used as recommended for treatment in patients, regardless of vaccination status," the report concluded.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 11, 2013, 02:44:09 pm
Watch out for the "e" buzzword...

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/10/farley-severe-strain-of-flu-reaches-epidemic-proportions-in-new-york-city/
Farley: ‘Severe’ Strain Of Flu Reaches Epidemic Proportions In New York City

Number Of Cases N.Y. State-Wide Nearly 5 Times Higher Than Last Year

January 10, 2013 11:25 PM
...
Mayor Michael Bloomberg got a flu shot in October but still got the disease last month. Still, Bloomberg said that won’t stop him from getting vaccinated every year, CBS 2′s Marcia Kramer reported


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Christian40 on January 11, 2013, 10:44:04 pm
Doctor Admits Vaccine Is More Deadly Than Swine Flu Itself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJoCDqVXgRI

I mean come on if the signs of having the h1n1 is the same thing as having a common cold....

so please don't let your kids get the shot


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Dengue showing global 'epidemic potential': WHO
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 18, 2013, 11:18:39 am
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Dengue_showing_global_epidemic_potential_WHO_999.html

1/16/13

The World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that it had charted progress in the fight against tropical diseases but warned that dengue fever was spreading at an alarming rate.

"In 2012, dengue ranked as the fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease, with an epidemic potential in the world, registering a 30-fold increase in disease incidence over the past 50 years," the Geneva-based UN agency said in a report released Wednesday.

more


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on January 24, 2013, 03:32:46 am
Antibiotic-resistant diseases pose 'apocalyptic' threat, top expert says

Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies tells MPs issue should be added to national risk register of civil emergencies

Britain's most senior medical adviser has warned MPs that the rise in drug-resistant diseases could trigger a national emergency comparable to a catastrophic terrorist attack, pandemic flu or major coastal flooding.

Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, said the threat from infections that are resistant to frontline antibiotics was so serious that the issue should be added to the government's national risk register of civil emergencies.

She described what she called an "apocalyptic scenario" where people going for simple operations in 20 years' time die of routine infections "because we have run out of antibiotics".

The register was established in 2008 to advise the public and businesses on national emergencies that Britain could face in the next five years. The highest priority risks on the latest register include a deadly flu outbreak, catastrophic terrorist attacks, and major flooding on the scale of 1953, the last occasion on which a national emergency was declared in the UK.

Speaking to MPs on the Commons science and technology committee, Davies said she would ask the Cabinet Office to add antibiotic resistance to the national risk register in the light of an annual report on infectious disease she will publish in March.

rest: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/23/antibiotic-resistant-diseases-apocalyptic-threat


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on January 26, 2013, 07:39:59 am
New strain of norovirus spreads around the world
By Kate Kelland | Reuters – Wed, Jan 9, 2013

http://news.yahoo.com/strain-norovirus-spreads-around-world-113412198.html

LONDON (Reuters) - A new strain of the winter vomiting disease norovirus has spread to France, New Zealand and Japan from Australia and is overtaking all others to become the dominant strain in Britain, health officials said on Wednesday.
 
The norovirus variant, known as Sydney 2012, was identified in a scientific paper last week and Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said genetic testing showed it was now causing more cases in England and Wales than other strains.
 
Sydney 2012 does not carry worse symptoms than others but, like other norovirus strains, it can cause violent and projectile vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes fevers, headaches and stomach cramps.
 
Norovirus cases have risen earlier than expected this winter in Britain, across Europe, Japan and other parts of the world.

more

US Hit Ny New Stomach Bug 
Spreading Around the Globe


A new strain of stomach bug sweeping the globe is taking over in the U.S., health officials say. Since September, more than 140 outbreaks in the U.S. have been caused by the new Sydney strain of norovirus. It may not be unusually dangerous; some scientists don't think it is. But it is different, and many people might not be able to fight off its gut-wrenching effects.     

MORE: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/20669949/cdc-new-version-of-stomach-bug-causing-us-illness#axzz2IzVR4r1V


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Mysterious SARS-linked virus spreads across UK
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 11, 2013, 07:46:44 pm
Mysterious SARS-linked virus spreads across UK

2/11/13

http://www.clarionledger.com/viewart/20130211/NEWS02/130211026/Mysterious-SARS-linked-virus-spreads-across-UK

LONDON — British officials have found the world's 10th known case of a new coronavirus, a mysterious disease related to SARS and first identified last year.

The patient, a U.K. resident who had been in the Middle East and Pakistan, is in the intensive care unit of a Manchester hospital, according to a statement Monday from Britain's Health Protection Agency.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that are behind ailments including the common cold and SARS. SARS killed about 800 people in a global epidemic in 2003.

In past cases, patients with the new coronavirus had symptoms including acute breathing problems and kidney failure.

There is no proof the virus spreads easily between humans, but experts suspect humans can catch it from animals such as bats or camels.

All the previous cases have had links to the Middle East, but last year, the World Health Organization said the virus was probably more widespread.

It recommended countries test anyone with unexplained pneumonia for the virus.


Title: Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says new law needed to combat West Nile Virus
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 19, 2013, 05:49:06 pm
Surprise, surprise, more "new laws"... ::)

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/local-politics/20130219-dallas-county-judge-clay-jenkins-says-new-law-needed-to-combat-west-nile-virus.ece

2/19/13

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says new law needed to combat West Nile Virus

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins this morning said that county officials are working with Texas lawmakers to help fight the spread of mosquito-borne West Nile Virus, which killed 36 people in a four-county area of North Texas last year. Nearly 1,000 others contracted the virus.

State Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas) authored a bill that would grant certain public officials, like health and environmental inspectors, narrow powers to enter abandoned residential properties and treat stagnant water with larvicide without prior notice.

Under the current version of the bill, officials would have to leave a notice on the residence’s front door saying what was treated, what chemicals were used and what potential side effects are to humans and animals.

The bill passed the Texas Senate’s Health and Human Services committee yesterday.

“We need the legislature to give us the law so we can more quickly get to the swimming pools and those sources,” Jenkins said.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Kilika on February 20, 2013, 02:42:04 am
Not sure just how to address that, but no question it needs attention! Abandoned homes, usually in foreclosure and owned by a bank, are left to rot basically, and they don't take care of the pools, which become a mosquito nest. We have problems here in the Phoenix area with those type homes. Same basic deal about what officials can do about it, thanks to banks. Most cities here are hand-tied, not able to do anything about those properties that banks refuse to take care of till they sell, except issue local fines and ask that they clean up the properties, which banks are more or less refusing to do.

Yet another blight on society by bankers. ::)


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Tuberculosis outbreak in downtown L.A. sparks federal effo
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 24, 2013, 11:05:31 pm
Tuberculosis outbreak in downtown L.A. sparks federal effort

2/21/13

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/02/tuberculosis-downtown-los-angeles-federal-response.html

Public health officials have launched a new, coordinated effort to contain a persistent outbreak of tuberculosis in downtown L.A.’s skid row, including searching for more than 4,500 people who may have been exposed to the disease.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have dispatched scientists to Los Angeles to help local health officials figure out why the disease is spreading and how to stop it.
 
Nearly 80 tuberculosis cases have been identified and 11 people have died since 2007, most of them homeless people who live in and around skid row.

Scientists have recently linked the outbreak to one tuberculosis strain that is unique to Los Angeles, with a few isolated cases outside the area.
 
“This is the largest outbreak in a decade,” said Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “We are really putting all of our resources into this.”

more


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Tuberculosis outbreak in downtown L.A. sparks federal effo
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 27, 2013, 11:45:13 am
http://www.examiner.com/article/cdc-to-investigate-escalating-los-angeles-tuberculosis-outbreak

Video inside link

CDC to investigate escalating Los Angeles tuberculosis outbreak among homeless (Video)

The new TB outbreak in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles is frequented by a large concentration of homeless people, according to the February 22, 2013 news report, "LA health officials seek to contain TB outbreak." The question is how do you keep it from spreading, since many homeless people and those living near Skid Row ride the public transit, where their coughs and sneezes in a closed space can transmit the bacteria to anyone riding the bus at locations far from Skid Row.
 
Homeless people with active TB can sit next to children returning home from school, seniors, persons with disabilities, moms with toddlers in strollers, those who don't drive, and anyone else coming into contact with wherever a homeless person carrying the disease roams, uses public transportation, or visits free or low-cost public spaces from libraries to senior centers and meeting rooms at public parks.

Free lectures at public library conference rooms sometimes attract the homeless when there's free music or a talk or club meeting. And formerly middle-class people now homeless and sleeping in their cars or vans sometimes hang out in the same places as some of the homeless, such as the soup kitchens, churches that offer free meals, or the low-cost senior center lunch -- along with seniors who are not homeless who come to senior centers for social contact, lectures, music, lifelong learning or low-cost lunch.
 
Homeless people down on their luck may have compromised immune systems. If they get sick, they can spread the microbes to anyone coming into contact with them from social workers and nuns to soup kitchen workers and people who sit next to them in a bus, shelter, or in a public library. See, "Emerging Infections: Microbial Threats to Health in the United States."
 
Federal scientists will be dispatched in the next two weeks to work with Los Angeles officials
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is dispatching scientists to Los Angeles to mount a new attack on an outbreak of tuberculosis on skid row. Health workers have identified about 4,650 people who were probably exposed and are trying to track them, according to news reports.
 
Homeless shelters in Skid Row are increasing efforts to urge people to get tested after state and local public health officials alerted them to the outbreak earlier this month. But people who are not homeless often come in contact with the homeless in public places such as libraries, where often the homeless spend their days or in public transportation and in any place where there is close contact indoors, such as a house of worship, park classroom, restroom, or community center.
 
Some of the homeless pick up TB germs in prison or jail and then spread it to the homeless on the street, including those who are able to spend afternoons in movie theaters near where they hang out or can reach with public transportation. Others may spread TB microbes at homeless shelters. Check out today's news report, "Skid Row TB epidemic is 'alarming,' but the community is well-versed in disease."
 
Downtown Los Angeles and its hotels attract tourists from Europe and the U.S.A.
 
Los Angeles County health officials have asked federal officials for help to contain a worsening tuberculosis outbreak among the homeless in its downtown area. County health officials here have identified 78 cases of a particular strain of the TB bacteria. But TB germs aren't limited to the poor and the homeless in neighborhoods such as Skid Row. Recently live TB bacteria was collected just by swiping the eating tray in a plane, where people who are not limited to the homeless travel globally and nationally. See, Protect Yourself from TB, Bacteria & Viruses on Airplanes.
 
TB bacteria is normally carried in "droplets" ranging from 1 - 5 microns, and M. tuberculosis itself ranges from 0.4 – 1.4 microns in size, so I would recommend a mask with a HEPA filter, which filters particles down to 0.3 microns. The recirculated air in airplane cabins is notorious for carrying germs as well as chemical contaminants. The Plane Clean Air Filter (pictured above) attaches to your personal above-head air nozzle and removes 99.5% of all bacteria, viruses, and allergens from your air stream. Many people wear masks when traveling on airplanes.
 
Homeless use public libraries during the day for access to restrooms and the Internet
 
It's easy for TB bacteria to spread from the Skid Row homeless who frequently spend all day in public libraries to use the bathroom where they wash up or to use the computer. School kids coming into a library branch known for attracting homeless people can be exposed to TB microbes just by sitting near the homeless at a public library. See the articles, "Aurora library taking precautions against TB spreading - Daily Herald," and "Tomgram: Chip Ward."
 
In major cities, the public library has become an asylum for the homeless. And homeless people with TB ride busses and trains or "light rails." Check out the article, ""Endemic tuberculosis, the homeless, and public transportation." Once TB spreads to school children, it can become an epidemic. See, "California School Becomes Notorious For Epidemic of TB ." Also see, "CDC to investigate LA tuberculosis outbreak."
 
Also see, UV-based Air Purification, A New Way To Fight The Flu. You can use a device that can help purify the air using ultraviolet light. According to Sacramento Bee news reports, a company, UV Flu Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: UVFT) announced that there is good news for those living in the 47 states that are reporting widespread flu activity. UVFLU has developed the only pure UV based, FDA-cleared, class 2 medical device for fighting airborne infection and is now offering it to consumers.
 
The Company has spent millions of dollars developing this unit and in the past has sold the unit mostly to hospitals and other medical facilities. But would it work for other microbes such as TB bacteria as it does on the flu virus? Will what affects virus also wipe out bacteria? You can ask the company how it works with TB germs in public places, such the medical device reports it can kill more than one percent of airborne bacteria. Check out the website of the firm and see what it may be able to do.
 
Ultra violet light medical device gets rid of numerous types of bacteria and viruses
 
The Company has just launched a Groupon with special pricing during the current flu outbreak, which can be taken advantage of by visiting the Groupon Air Purification System website. According to news reports, Groupon was the perfect Company to help with the consumer launch given their huge marketing and logistics capability.

The Viratech UV-400 is an FDA Cleared Class II Medical Device for killing over 99% of airborne bacteria, along with a host of other contaminants, including odors, smoke, and toxic chemicals, with every pass, in rooms up to 800 sq. feet. The device is unique in that it uses germicidal ultra violet light to actually kill organic contaminants, versus typical air purifiers which only "trap" contaminants.
 
You may also take a look at the article, "How Not to Get Sick From a Flight - NYTimes.com." In 2007, Charles P. Gerba, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, swabbed airplane bathrooms and tray tables on eight flights to see what bugs might be lurking onboard.
 
Four out of six tray tables tested positive for the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and norovirus, the highly contagious group of viruses that can cause a miserable one- or two-day bout of vomiting, diarrhea and cramping, was found on one tray. Most of the bathrooms he swabbed had E. coli bacteria.
 
Thirty percent of sinks, flush handles and faucet handles had E. coli, as did 20 percent of toilet seats, according to his research. In another swabbing of a tray where you put your food plate on in an airplane, another passenger found live TB bacteria, according to other news reports a few years ago.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch: Rare superbug emerging in U.S. elicits advisory warning fr
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 02, 2013, 03:14:09 pm
Rare superbug emerging in U.S. elicits advisory warning from CDC

2/27/13
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is alerting clinicians of an emerging untreatable multidrug-resistant organism in the United States.
 
There are many forms of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), but of the 37 forms reported in the U.S., 15 have been reported in less than a year.
 
The CDC said the increase in CRE means health care providers need to “act aggressively to prevent the emergence and spread of these unusual CRE organisms.”
 
Enterobacteriaceae lives in water, soil and the human gut. These “surperbugs” have developed high levels of resistance to antibiotics – even carbapanems. Individuals who usually develop CRE infections are those who are taking antibiotics and getting significant medical treatment for other conditions.
 
The majority of CRE were “isolated from patients who received overnight medical treatment outside of the United States,” according to the CDC.
 
Health care providers that encounter CRE infections should follow the CDC’s recommendations in the 2012 CRE toolkit.

 Persons who shared a room with a patient who has a CRE infection – and maybe even health care providers who treated the infected patient – should be screened to make sure they have not caught the infection.
 
If the infected patient is transferred to another health care facility, the new facility should become aware of the CRE infection. Health care providers who care for infected patients should not treat other non-infected patients.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/02/27/reports-rare-superbugs-increasing-in-us/#ixzz2MQ2tYDnc


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 02, 2013, 03:16:08 pm
2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2Co 5:2  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
2Co 5:3  If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
2Co 5:4  For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
2Co 5:5  Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
2Co 5:6  Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co 5:7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
2Co 5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
2Co 5:9  Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 05, 2013, 09:09:11 pm
http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/nightmare-bacteria-spreading-in-us-hospitals-nursing-homes-cdc-1

'Nightmare' bacteria spreading in U.S. hospitals, nursing homes: CDC

Half of those infected die from this antibiotic-resistant bacteria


(HealthDay News) -- A "nightmare" bacteria that is resistant to powerful antibiotics and kills half of those it infects has surfaced in nearly 200 U.S. hospitals and nursing homes, federal health officials reported Tuesday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 4 percent of U.S. hospitals and 18 percent of nursing homes had treated at least one patient with the bacteria, called Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), within the first six months of 2012.

"CRE are nightmare bacteria. Our strongest antibiotics don't work and patients are left with potentially untreatable infections," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said in a news release. "Doctors, hospital leaders and public health [officials] must work together now to implement the CDC's 'detect and protect' strategy and stop these infections from spreading."

"The good news," Frieden added at an afternoon teleconference, "is we now have an opportunity to prevent its further spread." But, he continued, "We only have a limited window of opportunity to stop this infection from spreading to the community and spreading to more organisms."

CRE are in a family of more than 70 bacteria called enterobacteriaceae, including Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli, that normally live in the digestive system.

In recent years, some of these bacteria have become resistant to last-resort antibiotics known as carbapenems.

Although CRE bacteria are not yet found nationwide, they have increased fourfold within the United States in the past decade, with most cases reported in the Northeast.

Health officials said they're concerned about the rapid spread of the bacteria, which can endanger the lives of patients and healthy people. For example, in the last 10 years, the CDC tracked one CRE from one health-care facility to similar facilities in 42 states.

One type of CRE, a resistant form of Klebsiella pneumoniae, has increased sevenfold in the past decade, according to the CDC's March 5 Vital Signs report.

"To see bacteria that are resistant is worrisome, because this group of bacteria are very common," said Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

Most CRE infections to date have been in patients who had prolonged stays in hospitals, long-term facilities and nursing homes, the report said.

The bacteria kill up to half the patients whose bloodstream gets infected and are easily spread from patient to patient on the hands of health-care workers, the CDC said.

Moreover, CRE bacteria can transfer their antibiotic resistance to other bacteria of the same type.

This problem is the result of the overuse of antibiotics, Siegel said. "The more you use an antibiotic, the more resistance is going to emerge," he said. "This is an indictment of the overuse of this class of antibiotic."

What's needed are new antibiotics, Siegel said, adding that pharmaceutical companies lack the financial motivation to develop them right now. "Eventually, there will be enough resistance so drug companies will have a financial incentive. In the meantime, lives can be lost," he said.

Added Dr. Ghinwa Dumyati, associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester in New York: "At this time, our best prevention is detection and infection control. The incidence [of CRE] is low and we are looking to prevent it before it gets much higher and we cannot control it."

To beat back the spread of these bacteria, the CDC wants hospitals and other health-care facilities to take the following steps:
• Enforce infection-control precautions.
• Group together patients with CRE.
• Segregate staff, rooms and equipment to patients with CRE.
• Tell facilities when patients with CRE are transferred.
• Use antibiotics carefully.

Additional funding of research and technology is critical to prevent and quickly identify CRE, the CDC said.

Countries where CRE is more common have had some success controlling it.

Israel, for example, worked to reduce CRE in its 27 hospitals, and CRE rates dropped by more than 70 percent. Some U.S. facilities and states have also seen similar reductions, the agency said.

"We have seen in outbreak after outbreak that when facilities and regions follow the CDC's prevention guidelines, CRE can be controlled and even stopped," Dr. Michael Bell, acting director of the CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, said in the news release. "As trusted health-care providers, it is our responsibility to prevent further spread of these deadly bacteria."

Siegel said there are measures patients can take to reduce their risk of infection. "No. 1 on the list is [not to] wish that your hospital stay is extended. Patients think they are safer at the hospital, but that may not be true," he said. "And try to go into a clean hospital."

Patients should also make sure doctors and staff wear gloves and wash their hands when treating them, he said.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on March 09, 2013, 08:51:23 am
CRE Outbreak Grapples Hospitals across US

A superbug called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has been reported to affect the hospitals across the US but has spared the community as of now.

The health officials have warned against the deadly bacteria that are spreading across the medical facilities of the country. These bacteria are said to be very powerful and can easily resist the effects of strongest antibiotics available.

However, the authorities at the Regional Hospital in Rapid City have asked the patients to not to panic about the CRE spread. They affirmed that they have taken strict steps to avoid the spread of the bug at the facility by implementing an infection control surveillance and antibiotic stewardship program.

The program has proved successful in checking the spread of disease at the hospital. "Our goal is to monitor bacteria one step before it gets to this point and put very aggressive isolation precautions on for that stage before it gets any worse", said the Chief Medical Officer of Regional Health, Dr. James Keegan.

CRE is immune to carbapenem antibiotics, which are said to `drug of last resort'. It is common in the northeastern part of the country where hospitals of 42 states have reported the infection. Observing the aggressiveness of the bacteria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called it "nightmare bacteria".

http://topnews.ae/content/215088-cre-outbreak-grapples-hospitals-across-us



Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 14, 2013, 05:06:34 pm
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Over_quarter_of_SAfrican_schoolgirls_HIV_positive_minister_999.html
Over quarter of S.African schoolgirls HIV positive: minister
3/14/13

As many as 28 percent of South African schoolgirls are HIV positive, according to figures from the country's health minister reported by local media on Thursday.

Unveiling statistics that minister Aaron Motsoaledi admitted "destroyed my soul," he added that four percent of schoolboys have the virus.

"It is clear that it is not young boys who are sleeping with these girls. It is old men," the Sowetan newspaper quoted Motsoaledi as saying.

"We can no longer live like that," he said.

Motsoaledi called for an end to the trend of young girls becoming involved with "sugar daddies."

Motsoaledi also revealed that 94,000 South African schoolgirls fell pregnant in 2011, some aged as young as 10.

South Africa has one of the world's highest HIV/AIDS infection rates, although the number of cases resulting in death is in sharp decline.

Official figures show that South Africa has six million people living with HIV, in a population of 50 million.

The country has the largest anti-retroviral programme in the world, serving 1.7 million.

The health department recently introduced measures to curb the spread of HIV among school children, introducing voluntary testing and suggesting condom distribution at schools.




Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 14, 2013, 05:48:23 pm
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/young-womans-death-sparks-fears-of-a-killer-tb-strain-on-our-doorstep/story-e6freoof-1226597648117
Young woman's death sparks fears of a killer TB strain on our doorstep
3/15/13

AUSTRALIA'S first victim of a killer strain of drug-resistant tuberculosis has died amid warnings of a looming health epidemic on Queensland's doorstep.

Medical experts are seriously concerned about the handling of the TB epidemic in Papua New Guinea after Catherina Abraham died last Thursday of an incurable form of the illness, known as XDR-TB (extensively drug resistant TB) in Cairns Base Hospital.

The 20-year-old had been in an isolation ward since May last year after an outbreak of the highly-contagious mutated form of TB on Daru Island, off Cape York.

Some doctors fear she will become the first of a wave medical refugees heading to Queensland for treatment.

The State's Chief Health officer Jeanette Young has urged people not to panic about the threat of an outbreak on the mainland.

But respiratory physician Steve Vincent, who treated Ms Abraham, warned that there was a further threat of Totally Drug Resistant or TDR-TB "just around the corner".

"Her death is not unexpected given the fallout of this killer, incurable disease," Dr Vincent said. "Despite all the first-world medical treatment, it shows how difficult it is to control.

"It exemplifies the fact with such a high mortality rate, PNG is going to have an extremely difficult time in handling this epidemic
."


He said doctors may soon face the ethical dilemma where it might be "more humane not to treat them and let them die" as the disease was untreatable.

Australian and Papua New Guinean authorities are trying to contain XDR-TB to the shanty towns of Daru Island as more than 14,500 TB cases are diagnosed in PNG's Western Province every year.

Federal MP Warren Entsch, whose electorate includes the Torres Strait, yesterday said the $31 million AusAid TB program in the Western Province was "riddled with corruption" and "completely inadequate".

He said Ms Abraham's death was a grim reminder of the "looming public health disaster on our doorstep".

XDR-TB is estimated to cost between $500,000 and $1 million a patient to treat in Australian hospitals, with a low cure rate and high death rate
.


Dr Young said she supported efforts to contain the epidemic to the PNG side of the border and not reopen clinics on the Torres Strait islands of Boigu or Saibai.

She said re-opening health clinics on Boigu or Saibai islands would only increase the risk of cross-border infection in the Torres Strait.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 14, 2013, 05:58:14 pm
A Man's Journey From Nepal To Texas Triggers Global TB Scramble
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/07/173750840/a-mans-journey-from-nepal-to-texas-triggers-global-tb-scramble
3/8/13

We don't know too much about a Nepalese man who's in medical isolation in Texas while being treated for extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, or XDR-TB, the most difficult-to-treat kind. Health authorities are keen to protect his privacy.

But we do know that he traveled through 13 countries — from South Asia to somewhere in the Persian Gulf to Latin America — before he entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in late November. He traveled by plane, bus, boat, car and on foot.

And all the way he may have unwittingly put hundreds of other people at risk of getting the highly drug-resistant TB strain.

That possibility has triggered a far-reaching investigation by the U.S. and other health authorities to track down potentially exposed people around the world. "It's a huge effort that's ongoing," Dr. Martin Cetron, who heads the division of global management and quarantine at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tells Shots.

The case, first described by Betsy McKay at the The Wall Street Journal, provides a window on a problem that health officials say is sure to arise more and more often.

XDR-TB is a more dangerous part of a bigger problem with multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis, or MDR-TB.

"We estimate at any one time in the world there are about 630,000 cases of MDR-TB," Dr. Dennis Falzon of the World Health Organization tells Shots, referring to multi-drug-resistant TB. MDR-TB isn't vanquished by the two mainstay drugs isoniazid and rifampin and requires more complicated drug regimens
.

In 2007, a young lawyer named Andrew Speaker became the best-known case of MDR-TB when he flew to Europe, potentially exposing other passengers.

XDR-TB is resistant not only to isoniazid and rifampin but also a class of drugs called fluoroquinolones and one or more potent injectable antibiotics. TB germs become drug-resistant when patients fail to complete a course of treatment. When a partly-resistant strain is treated with the wrong drugs, it can become extensively resistant.

There are about 60,000 people with XDR-TB strains like the Nepalese man who's in isolation, Falzon says.

That means there are other people with XDR-TB traveling the world at any given time. Like the Nepalese man, until he got to the U.S., Falzon says, "many of these XDR cases aren't even diagnosed
."


To give some idea of the public health challenge, such cases present, Dr. Kenneth Castro of the CDC's division of TB elimination tells Shots that over 700 people were thought to be exposed to the Nepalese man while he was in the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol.

"Out of those, 60 percent or so are back in their country of citizenship which then leaves many others that are being sorted through to determine if (their exposure) was real or not," Castro says.

But at least those potential contacts were known. Falzon says it's almost impossible to trace people who may have had close contact with the man during his complicated itinerary.

"We cannot trace down a bus tour which happened within, let's say, the space of a few weeks," Falzon says. "And it's very difficult to get details. The person (in detention) doesn't speak English.
"


The long-haul flight he took from a country on the Persian Gulf to Brazil, which exposed fellow travelers sitting within a couple of rows of his seat, occurred months ago. "We're trying to track down the exact details of that flight and the persons who were exposed," the WHO official says.

TB is spread through droplets in the air released by coughing or sneezing. It requires close and prolonged exposure, so a shorter flight, for instance, is not thought to pose a danger.

Castro says there's no reason to think XDR-TB is more contagious than less-resistant or drug-susceptible strains. "The alarm bells have to do with the consequences of the disease," he says — that is, the two-year, toxic, costly drug regimen necessary to cure the infection.

One big advantage these days, Castro says, is a lab test that can tell within two days whether a patient's sputum contains TB bacilli with mutations that confer resistance to seven different drugs.

"This is a game-changer," Castro says. The TB organism is notoriously slow-growing, so it used to take six weeks to culture it in laboratory dishes and test its susceptibility to different drugs. "The result is that some folks died before results of drug susceptibility tests came back," he says.

The CDC has recorded 63 cases of XDR-TB from 1993 through 2011 (the most recent data available), more than half of them among foreign-born people.

When illegal immigrants with drug-resistant TB are isolated in ICE detention facilities, things get complicated. They cannot be deported until they're no longer contagious, which can require months of complex treatment. Otherwise, they'd pose a risk to fellow travelers.

But Dr. Edward Zuroweste of the nonprofit group Migrants Clinicians Network says just because such patients are no longer contagious doesn't mean they're cured. This requires at least two more years of treatment — often back in a home country without specialists in treating drug-resistant TB or access to the proper drugs.

Zuroweste's group has a contract with ICE to make sure deportees have appropriate treatment. It checks up on them regularly to see if they're sticking with it. He says 84 percent complete treatment, and the rest either disappear or refuse further treatment.

He says the U.S. and other nations should expect to see growing numbers of these difficult cases. "There's no way to ever isolate the U.S. from an airborne disease," Zuroweste tells Shots. "The world is becoming much smaller and people travel a lot. So what we have to do is attack the disease, not the individual unfortunate enough to contract the disease."


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 24, 2013, 02:34:00 pm
3/23/13
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21894488
'Visionary' leadership needed on TB

Plans to tackle tuberculosis are failing and a new visionary approach is needed, according to an international group of doctors and scientists.

There is mounting concern that a rise in "virtually untreatable" tuberculosis poses a threat to countries around the world.

Writing in the Lancet medical journal, the group said governments were "complacent" and "neglectful".

It called for countries to do more to tackle the problem.

The World Health Organization says nearly nine million people become sick and 1.4 million die from tuberculosis each year.

Resistance
 
Some countries are facing problems with drug resistance, with many first-choice antibiotics no longer working against some strains of the tuberculosis bacterium.

It is particularly acute in some parts of eastern Europe and central Asia, where up to a third of cases can be multi-drug resistant, known as MDR-TB.

The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of MDR-TB around the world has gone from 12,000 in 2005 to 62,000 in 2011. However, the real figure is thought to be closer to 300,000.

An even more stubborn version, resistant to more antibiotics, is called extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis and has been detected in 84 countries.

"With ease of international travel, and increased rates of MDR tuberculosis in eastern Europe, central Asia, and elsewhere, the threat and range of the spread of untreatable tuberculosis is very real," the report said.

It argued that countries had spent decades being complacent in their response to the infection and that a "major conceptual change and visionary global leadership" were needed.

"To prevent further cases of multi-drug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, a radical change in political and scientific thinking, and the implementation of specific measures worldwide, are needed.

"The global economic crisis and reduced investments in health services threaten national tuberculosis programmes and the gains made in global tuberculosis control."

Tackling poverty
 
One of the report's authors, Prof Alimuddin Zumla, said: ""It's a growing problem in London and a huge, huge problem in Europe - it's in our backyard at the moment."

However, he warned there was "no overnight solution" for tuberculosis.

He said many of the necessary tools, such as antibiotics, had already been developed, but the challenge was using them appropriately in often poor countries.

Prof Zumla argues that Europe overcame tuberculosis by tackling poverty; however, "that's an ideal that I don't think is going to happen [for the rest of the world]", he said.

Dr John Moore-Gillon, a medical adviser for the British Lung Foundation, told the BBC: "They are not scaremongering this at all.

"Tuberculosis is perceived as someone else's problem, there's no doubt we need a bit of political leadership."

He said there had been a "shameful" lack of investment in tuberculosis treatment and research.

"With global population movement, tuberculosis is in everyone's backyard."


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 29, 2013, 01:52:59 pm
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/cdc-110197000-venereal-infections-us-nation-creating-new-stis-faster-new-jobs-or
CDC: 110,197,000 Venereal Infections in U.S.; Nation Creating New STIs Faster Than New Jobs or College Grads
3/27/13

(CNSNews.com) - According to new data released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 19.7 million new venereal infections in the United States in 2008, bringing the total number of existing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S. at that time to 110,197,000.

The 19.7 million new STIs in 2008 vastly outpaced the new jobs and college graduates created in the United States that year or any other year on record, according to government data. The competition was not close.

The STI study referenced by the CDC estimated that 50 percent of the new infections in 2008 occurred among people in the 15-to-24 age bracket. In fact, of the 19,738,800 total new STIs in the United States in 2008, 9,782,650 were among Americans in the 15-to-24 age bracket.

By contrast, there were 1,524,092 bachelor’s degrees awarded in the United States in the 2007-2008 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That means the total number of new STIs in 2008 outpaced the total number of new bachelor’s degrees by nearly 13 to 1, and the number of new STIs among Americans in the 15-to-24 age bracket outnumbered new bachelor’s degrees by more than 6 to 1.

While the CDC estimates that there were 19.7 million new STIs in the United States in 2008, data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that the total number of people employed in the country actually declined by 2.9 million during that year.

The CDC said the new venereal infections contracted each year cost the nation about $16 billion.

“CDC’s new estimates show that there are about 20 million new infections in the United States each year, costing the American healthcare system nearly $16 billion in direct medical costs alone,” said a CDC fact sheet.

The CDC study—“Sexually Transmitted Infections Among U.S. Women and Men: Prevalence and Incidence Estimates, 2008”—was published in the March edition of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, the journal of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association.

The study distinguishes between “incidences” of a disease, which is the number of new infections in a year, and the “prevalence,” which is the total number of new and existing infections.

“In 2008, there were an estimated 110 million prevalent STIs among women and men in the United States,” said the study. “Of these, more than 20% of infections (22.1 million) were among women and men aged 15 to 24 years. Approximately 19.7 million incident infections occurred in the United States in 2008; nearly 50% (9.8 million) were acquired by young women and men aged 15 to 24 years.”

The study focused on estimating the incidences of sexual transmission of particular diseases as opposed to other forms of transmission. For example, it did not include HIV infections that were not sexually transmitted. It also counted the number of infections rather than the number of people infected--recognizing that a single individual could have multiple infections.

When calculating the number of prevalent and incident infections, only those infections that were sexually transmitted were counted,” said the CDC fact sheet. “In general, CDC estimated the total number of infections in the calendar year, rather than the number of individuals with infection, since one person can have more than one STI at a given time (e.g., HPV and chlamydia) or more than one episode of a single STI (e.g., repeat chlamydia infection).”

The most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States in 2008 was human papillomavirus (HPV), which caused 14,100,000 estimated infections that year.

After HPV, in order of magnitude, according to the study, new STIs in the U.S. in 2008 included 2,860,000 new Chlamydia infections; 1,090,000 new Trichomoniasis infections; 820,000 new Gonorrhea infections; 776,000 new Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) infections; 55,400 new syphilis infections; 41,400 new HIV infections; and 19,000 new Hepatitis B infections.

The total of 110,197,000 existing STIs in the United States in 2008 included 79,100,000 HPV infections, 24,100,000 HSV-2 infections; 3,710,000 Trichomoniasis infections; 1,579,000 Chlamydia infections; 908,000 HIV infections; 422,000 Hepatitis B infections; 270,000 Gonorrhea infections; and 117,000 Syphilis infections.

As noted, the number of people working in the U.S. in 2008 declined by about 2.9 million (dropping from 146,273,000 in December 2007 to 143,369,000 in December 2008). The Bureau of Labor Statistics has published historical data on the number of people employed in the U.S. going back to 1948. In no year since then has the U.S. economy created anywhere near the 19.7 million new STIs estimated for 2008
.

On average during that period, the U.S. has increased employment by 1.3 million per year.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Kilika on April 09, 2013, 12:24:52 pm
"Testing, one two, testing. Is this mike on?"

More of the same, threats of mutations and jumps to humans. "...perfect love casteth out fear..."



Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Kilika on April 10, 2013, 03:47:57 am
One Chinese guy makes a stupid comment, and the media is all over it. ::)


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on April 14, 2013, 09:20:46 pm
New Flu that causes hemorrhagic Fever and organ failure now in Germany – Undiagnosed illness – respiratory, fatal; Biohazard level: 4/4 Hazardous!!!

A 49 year old policeman is dead, 5 other persons are ill and doctors are puzzled by this mysterious disease just outside of Hamburg. Andreas Breitner, Minister of the Interior, confirmed to the “Schleswig Holstein newspaper” the death of the 49-year-old policeman at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) on Tuesday (9 Apr 2013), after multi-organ failure. Another policeman, aged 38 years is in critical condition. He is suffering from similar flu symptoms, including severe pneumonia. A teacher from the Schacht Audorf area near Rendsburg has also died of multi-organ failure in the UKE, and according to unconfirmed reports, 3 other persons from the same region are seriously ill. All are suffering from flu-like symptoms but the doctors do not know what disease is affecting them.


Read more at http://investmentwatchblog.com/new-flu-that-causes-hemorrhagic-fever-and-organ-failure-now-in-germany-undiagnosed-illness-respiratory-fatal-biohazard-level-44-hazardous/#RrFxgifZoL0Pw6Lx.99


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 14, 2013, 10:07:06 pm
Honestly, I don't recall reading these many pestilence stories 3-4 years ago. No, it's not like they're infecting a mass amount of people, but nonetheless these news items are popping up frequently now.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Kilika on April 15, 2013, 02:58:33 am
Prophecy tells us that people will be running around in fear, digging holes, trying to hide. So what would they think they are hiding from? What would it be that the people would live in fear of? Seeing they don't believe, they will try to describe and explain away things mentioned in scripture as being something other than God. It may be that what those people will be fleeing is all kinds of disease and violence in a world sinking into chaos. So that means there must be some kind of disease, real or fabricated, for them to fear. I'm really guessing for details, but from what we have in scripture, I think it's plausible.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on May 06, 2013, 09:32:24 am
http://news.yahoo.com/common-std-grows-resistant-treatment-north-america-220300738.html

.
Common STD Grows Resistant to Treatment in North America
By Katherine Harmon | Scientific American – 58 mins ago.

The most commonly acquired sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S., chlamydia and gonorrhea, are usually cleared out swiftly and easily with a dose of oral antibiotics. But one of these infections is growing bold and finding ways to evade treatment.
 
More than 321,000 cases of gonorrhea are reported each year in the U.S. alone--and the actual number of annual infections is probably much higher because many people do not experience symptoms. The infection has lost much of its social stigma since antibiotics were enlisted to fight it off earlier last century. But left untreated today, it can still cause pelvic inflammation, severe pregnancy complications and female infertility. Its presence increases the odds of an infection with HIV, and babies born to women with untreated gonorrhea are at risk of blindness.
 
Although antibiotics have reduced this infection to little more than a modern-day inconvenience for most, the bacterium (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) has been steadily evolving to knock out medical weapons. Sulfonamides ceased to be effective in treating it in the 1940s; penicillins and tetracyclines lost effectiveness in the 1970s and '80s; and fluoroquinolones were taken off the treatment table in 2007.
 
The last simple treatment, a class of antibiotics called cephalosporins, appears to be weakening against gonorrhea infections worldwide. And that drug resistance has now reached North America in sizable numbers, according to a new study, published online January 8 in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association.
 
Resistance to the commonly prescribed oral antibiotic cefixime (a cephalosporin) was first detected several years ago in Japan. Since then, public health officials have been watching the phenomenon spread to Europe and now to North America.
 
more


New Gonorrhoea Strain 'Worse Than Aids'

Doctors in the US warn that a new drug-resistant strain of the sexually-transmitted disease is "potentially disastrous".


A new antibiotic-resistant form of gonorrhoea could be 'worse than Aids', according to some US doctors.

 Gonorrhoea HO41 was first detected in a female sex worker in Japan two years ago and "the potential for disaster is great", warns William Smith from the US National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD).

 "It's an emergency situation," Mr Smith told CNBC. "As time moves on, it's getting more hazardous."

 HO41 has not yet killed anyone, or spread outside of Japan - but action is needed in advance, said Mr Smith.

 "That's what's kind of scary about this. We are at lows in terms of infections, but this strain is a very tricky bug and we don't have anything medically to fight it right now."

 The new strain of gonorrhoea resists existing drugs and the NCSD has asked the US government for an extra $53m (£34m) in funding to prepare.

 It claims it is a case of "if, not when" a drug-resistant form of the disease arrives in the US, and that if action is not taken now it could potentially cost around $780m (£501m) to treat.

 "This might be a lot worse than Aids in the short run because the bacteria is more aggressive and will affect more people quickly," Alan Christianson, a doctor of naturopathic medicine, told CNBC.

 "Getting gonorrhoea from this strain might put someone into septic shock and death in a matter of days," he claimed.

 Gonorrhoea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.

The disease used to be referred to as "the clap" and is normally passed through unprotected sex, but if treated early is unlikely to lead to long-term problems.

 However, medical experts in the UK share the concerns of their American counterparts.

 Professor Dame Sally Davies, England's Chief Medical Officer, recently advised the Government to add the threat of drug-resistant gonorrhoea to the civil emergencies risk register.

 "We have seen a worrying rise in cases of drug resistant gonorrhoea over the last decade," said Professor Davies.

 "Antimicrobial resistance to common drugs will increasingly threaten our ability to tackle infections and the Health Protection Agency's work is vital to addressing this threat."

 Cases of the sexually transmitted infection in the UK rose by 25% in 2011, with 21,000 new diagnoses.

http://news.sky.com/story/1087359/new-gonorrhoea-strain-worse-than-aids


Title: Outbreak of mice-vector hemorrhagic fever in Argentina; attacks in rural areas
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 09, 2013, 05:51:54 pm
Outbreak of mice-vector hemorrhagic fever in Argentina; attacks in rural areas
5/9/13
http://en.mercopress.com/2013/05/09/outbreak-of-mice-vector-hemorrhagic-fever-in-argentina-attacks-in-rural-areas

A 31-yeaar old farm hand died and a 12-year old adolescent has been hospitalized in the province of Santa Fe following an outbreak of Argentine hemorrhagic fever (FHA) caused by the viral agent Junin and transmitted by camp mice.

The contagion potential of the disease covers a wide area of central Argentina: the provinces of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, La Pampa and Santa Fe, with other strains of the disease in Paraguay and Bolivia.

The death and hospitalization were confirmed by the Epidemiology Director from the city of Rosario.

The Junin virus is found in some species of camp mice that contaminate with their saliva, urine and excrement, and tend to proliferate in crop time. When harvesters chop up the four to six centimetres long brownish rodents, their blood is also potentially contaminating.

Human infection to occur through: skin contact (with abrasions, for example); in mucous or inhalation of particles carrying the virus. It is found mainly in people who reside in, or visit, or work in rural areas, 80% of those infected are men between 15 and 60.

The FHA is a serious acute illness like a common starting flu sends progressing to death in 1-2 weeks or recovery if treated early with blood plasma of ex-patients.

The virus incubation period is between 10-12 days after the first symptoms appear which confuses the unprepared practitioner in the differential diagnosis (biochemical analysis of platelets): fever, headache, weakness, reluctance, joint and eye pain and loss of appetite.

Unlike common flu where the patient improves to fifth day, with FHA symptoms intensify less than a week later forcing the infected patient to bed, producing increasingly strong symptoms of altered vascular, renal, haematological and neurological. This stage does not last more than 20 days If not treated anti-virally, FHA mortality reaches 30%.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 22, 2013, 10:40:09 am
Mysterious respiratory illness strikes 7 in Alabama; 2 dead
5/21/13
http://www.sott.net/article/262020-Mysterious-respiratory-illness-strikes-7-in-Alabama-2-dead

Two people have died and five others have been hospitalized in a mysterious cluster of respiratory illnesses in southeast Alabama, state health officials said.

The victims, all adults, had symptoms including fever, cough and shortness of breath, but the cause of the illnesses is unknown, said Dr. Mary McIntyre, the acting state epidemiologist for the Alabama Department of Public Health. The hospital is using respiratory precautions, which include requiring staff to wear special N95 masks that reduce the chance of infection.

State health officials have collected and analyzed samples of specimens from all patients. So far, one sample has tested positive for H1N1 influenza A, but it's not clear that that is behind the unusual illnesses. There's no evidence of other kinds of flu, including the H7N9 strain that has caused illness and death in China, McIntyre said.

Laboratory samples have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but testing results are not yet available, officials said.

There's no evidence that any of the victims had a connection or traveled outside the country, which would have put them at risk for unusual pathogens, including a deadly new coronavirus recently christened MERS or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

"At this point it's too early to tell," McIntyre told NBC News. "That's why we called it a respiratory illness of unknown origin."

State and federal health officials will continue to investigate the illnesses.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 23, 2013, 05:59:00 am
Coronavirus in the U.S?

– AvianFluTalk.com, an online discussion forum created in 2005 to track the potential threat of an avian flu pandemic, has been the venue for a serious discussion regarding the new SARS-like coronavirus infecting patients at a New York Hospital leaving several in critical condition and resulting in 3 deaths. The new SARS-like coronavirus recently emerged in the Middle East infecting 41 total worldwide resulting in 20 deaths and is primarily spread by limited human-to-human transmission. Experts fear that the virus’ early ability to transmit among humans could spark a global pandemic should the virus mutate further and achieve sustained human transmission. Nurses working at a St. Luke’s hospital in New York have claimed that there are several cases of the new SARS-like virus in the hospital’s ICU, which have gone misdiagnosed and that are in fact the new deadly virus. A nurse who works at the hospital believes there is a potential outbreak of this new SARS-like virus and she too has now been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms. Although hospital administrators have made no comment about this matter, posters on the online message board at avianflutalk.com have indicated through research that it is influenza B. The nurses are disputing that claim stating that in fact the new coronavirus is the culprit. The nurses feel that they have an obligation to speak-out about their suspicions in this matter.

–Market Wire- http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/new-sars-like-coronavirus-suspected-at-new-york-hospital-1792543.htm


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 23, 2013, 12:01:00 pm
Fever Hits Thousands in Parched West Farm Region

By GOSIA WOZNIACKA Associated Press  May 6, 2013, 1:21 AM 

California and federal public health officials say valley fever, a potentially lethal but often misdiagnosed disease infecting more and more people around the nation, has been on the rise as warming climates and drought have kicked up the dust that spreads it.

The fever has hit California's agricultural heartland particularly hard in recent years, with incidence dramatically increasing in 2010 and 2011. The disease — which is prevalent in arid regions of the United States, Mexico, Central and South America — can be contracted by simply breathing in fungus-laced spores from dust disturbed by wind as well as human or animal activity.

The fungus is sensitive to environmental changes, experts say, and a hotter, drier climate has increased dust carrying the spores.

"Research has shown that when soil is dry and it is windy, more spores are likely to become airborne in endemic areas," said Dr. Gil Chavez, Deputy Director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health.

Longstanding concerns about valley fever were heightened last week when a federal health official ordered the transfer of more than 3,000 exceptionally vulnerable inmates from two San Joaquin Valley prisons where several dozen have died of the disease in recent years. A day later, state officials began investigating an outbreak in February that sickened 28 workers at two solar power plants under construction in San Luis Obispo County.

Although millions of residents in Central California face the threat of valley fever, experts say people who work in dusty fields or construction sites are most at risk, as are certain ethnic groups and those with weak immune systems. Newcomers and visitors passing through the region may also be more susceptible.

Nationwide, the number of valley fever cases rose by more than 850 percent from 1998 through 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2011, there were nearly 22,000 cases, with most cases reported in California and Arizona.

In California, according to the CDC, valley fever cases rose from about 700 in 1998 to more than 5,500 cases reported in 2011. The disease has seen the sharpest rise in Kern County, followed by Kings and Fresno counties.

Out of the 18,776 California cases between 2001 and 2008, 265 people died, according to the state health department.

Arizona saw an even steeper rise: The number of reported cases there went from 1,400 in 1998 to 16,400 in 2011, with the highest rates of infection occurring in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties.

Drought periods can have an especially potent impact on valley fever if they follow periods of rain, said Prof. John Galgiani, director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona. Rainfall leads to fungus bloom, but limits dust.

"When it dries up, that's when the fungus goes into the air," Galgiani said. "So when there is rain a year or two earlier, that creates more cases if drought follows."

Another reason for the increase in cases, Galgiani said, is new residents, who are more susceptible to the disease, relocating to areas with the spores.

In addition, the CDC and the California Department of Public Health say improved reporting methods and better diagnosis also partially explain the increase in valley fever.

Despite that, an estimated 150,000 valley fever infections go undiagnosed every year, the CDC says. That's because valley fever is difficult to detect and there's little awareness of the disease, experts say. The fever often causes mild to severe flu-like symptoms, and in about half the infections, the fungus — called Coccidioides — results in no symptoms.

But in a small percent of cases, the infection can spread from the lungs to the brain, bones, skin, even eyes, leading to blindness, skin abscesses, lung failure, even death.

"Valley fever is a very common problem here, and it devastates people's lives," said Dr. Royce Johnson, professor of medicine at UCLA and chief of infectious diseases at Kern Medical Center. "But many patients don't know about it, and some physicians are only vaguely aware of it because half of our physicians come from out of state."

Dale Pulde, a motorcycle mechanic in Los Angeles County, said he contracted the disease three years ago after traveling to Bakersfield in Kern County and was coughing so hard he was blacking out; he spit blood and couldn't catch his breath. For two months, doctors tested him for everything from tuberculosis to cancer until blood tests confirmed he had the fever.

After two lung operations, Pulde gave up his job and is on disability. He says he has to take anti-fungal medication that costs him more than $2,000 per month out of pocket. He had to sell his house in Sylmar, Calif., to raise money for his treatment.

"When I found out that health officials knew about (this disease) and how common it is, I was beside myself," said Pulde, now 63. "Why don't they tell people?"

California public health officials say they are working to educate and train the public and doctors to recognize the illness.

The state has trained county health departments about the fungus, Chavez said. It has also included information on valley fever in a newsletter the California Medical Board sends to the state's licensed physicians. The CDPH website and social media feature information and data about the disease, including advice to limit outdoor activities on dry, windy days.

As prison officials gear up to move inmates from the endemic areas, doctors and patients say more needs to be done, including funding research to work on a cure.

"If the state is so concerned about prisoners, they should be worrying about all of us who live and work in the valley," said Kathy Uhley, a former realtor from Los Banos who contracted the fever last year.

-----Contact Gosia Wozniacka via Twitter at (at)GosiaWozniacka


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Kilika on May 24, 2013, 02:59:38 am
Quote
Arizona saw an even steeper rise: The number of reported cases there went from 1,400 in 1998 to 16,400 in 2011, with the highest rates of infection occurring in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties.

Drought periods can have an especially potent impact on valley fever if they follow periods of rain, said Prof. John Galgiani, director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona. Rainfall leads to fungus bloom, but limits dust.

"When it dries up, that's when the fungus goes into the air," Galgiani said. "So when there is rain a year or two earlier, that creates more cases if drought follows."

Another reason for the increase in cases, Galgiani said, is new residents, who are more susceptible to the disease, relocating to areas with the spores.

Here in Arizona, yes, there are cases, but I haven't seen in the news anything saying it's out of the normal range of cases. My wife did say that she has heard of increased cases among dogs, which is common. We live in Maricopa County, right next to the county line of Pima County, basically between the towns of Mesa and Apache Junction. Of course this general area has a higher case load as it's the most populous area being the Phoenix metro area with over 2 million people.

What they aren't mentioning is all the construction that stirs up the dust here. That is the most common reason for that stuff making people sick. It's fine so long as you don't disturb the soil. But when you start digging for construction or farming, it gets all stirred up into the air.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on June 23, 2013, 03:56:44 am
Bubonic Plague Hits New Mexico Dogs

KOAT: Dog owners are on alert for wild animals carrying fleas, as several cases of bubonic plague--yes, the black death--have appeared in East Mountains canine communities in New Mexico.

video: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2013/06/22/Bubonic-Plague-Hits-New-Mexico-Dogs


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 31, 2013, 04:47:00 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/arkansas-water-park-closes-rare-meningitis-confirmed-221929583.html
Arkansas water park closes after rare meningitis confirmed
7/29/13

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - A popular Arkansas water park voluntarily closed after a 12-year-old girl who swam there was diagnosed with a rare case of parasitic meningitis, authorities said on Monday.

The Arkansas Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the case last week. The owners of Willow Springs Water Park, which has been operating for 85 years, closed the park on Friday.

The disease is caused by a "brain-eating amoeba," according to the CDC website, that is found in warm rivers, lakes and streams, primarily in the southern United States.

The parasite can cause a rare but severe brain infection that is usually fatal. When the parasite enters the body through the nose, the illness can occur, the Arkansas Department of Health said.

Arkansas Health Department spokesman Ed Barham said tests determined the amoeba was present in the water at the park.

The girl was in critical condition at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, CBS affiliate KTHV reported on Monday.

This is only the sixth case of the disease in Arkansas in 40 years, the health department said, adding that the last case was 2010. There were only 31 cases of the infection in the United States from 2003 to 2012, the CDC said.

"It is exceedingly rare," said Dirk Haselow, a state epidemiologist. "A sporadic case occurs one in 33 million."

(Reporting by Suzi Parker; Editing by Greg McCune and Steve Orlofsky)


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 26, 2013, 10:59:57 am
http://local.msn.com/dengue-fever-found-on-floridas-treasure-coast-1
8/26/13
Dengue fever found on Florida's Treasure Coast

An outbreak of dengue fever linked to a neighborhood on Florida's Treasure Coast has caused Mosquito Control officials to go door-to-door in an effort to get rid of possible disease-carrying mosquitos.

Three dengue fever cases were confirmed two weeks ago, Martin County Health Department spokeswoman Renay Rouse said. A fourth case was uncovered after a review of previously unconfirmed cases in the area.

All four cases are linked to people living or working in the Rio neighborhood of Jensen Beach in Martin County, Rouse said.

The medical community is on alert for any patients who present dengue-like symptoms, including high fever, severe headache, severe eye pain and mild bleeding, Rouse said.

Dengue is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. A person can bitten by an infected mosquito can contract dengue fever or a more severe form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, marked by blood vessels becoming leaky, causing bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and sometimes dangerously low blood pressure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 100 million dengue cases are estimated each year in most tropical areas of the world. Although dengue rarely occurs in the continental United States, dengue infection is a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics, according to the CDC.

[s ]There are not yet any vaccines to prevent infection with dengue virus and there is no specific medication for dengue or a dengue hemorrhagic fever infections, the CDC said[/s].

Since Aug. 1, temperatures have been near normal in Fort Pierce, Fla., in St. Lucie County, where one of the dengue cases was confined, AccuWeather.com Senior Expert Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. Normal highs are about 90 degrees.

While August has been fairly dry, July was a wet month in Fort Pierce. Approximately 150 percent of the normal July rainfall was recorded.


Door-to-door sweeps are under way in the Rio neighborhood in search of the water-breeding mosquitos, Gene Lemire of the Martin County Mosquito Control said.

The two kinds of mosquitos linked to dengue fever will breed in anything with water in them, including 5-gallon buckets, dog food bowls, drinking cups and bird baths.

If necessary, Mosquito Control will treat areas to kill both larvae and adult mosquitos, Lemire said.







Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on September 20, 2013, 06:28:36 am
Oklahoma winds may spread deadly swine virus

On the windswept prairies of the Oklahoma Panhandle, the hog barns of Prestage Farms are lined up like military barracks. The 20,000-sow operation near the Texas border stands at the front lines of a months-long battle to contain a virus that has already killed some 1.3 million hogs in the United States.
 
Since June, when Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, or PEDv, first hit, Prestage workers have quarantined the area, scrubbed vehicles and sprayed buildings with antiseptic. But those precautions have not stopped a virus that can kill 80 percent of piglets that contract it.
 
"In the blink of an eye, 30,000 pigs were dead," said John Prestage, senior vice president at Prestage, describing the first wave of devastation the virus brought to its Oklahoma operation, which raises and sells 400,000 hogs a year.
 
The outbreak is spreading. And researchers have discovered evidence that the virus - which poses no threat to humans - can be carried on the wind, potentially bringing a dangerous new dimension to the swine epidemic.
 
More than 600 cases, each of which could represent thousands of infected animals, have been reported in 17 states. If research confirms that the disease can be transmitted through the air, it would heighten concern about controlling the outbreak.
 
Some farmers may have fewer healthy animals to send to slaughter this fall and winter. Consumers, too, could feel the pinch if smaller supplies and forecasts of a 10 percent jump in cash hog prices later this year translate to higher prices at the grocery meat counter.
 
Mystery surrounds the virus, which first cropped up in Europe in the 1970s and remains uncontrolled in China and other parts of Asia nearly four decades after it first appeared. In the United States, which discovered its first-ever case in April, the outbreak of the heat-sensitive virus slowed this summer as temperatures rose and weakened the spread. But PEDv is expected to thrive again as the weather cools, and airborne transmission could further the virus's reach.
 
Previously, scientists had found the swine virus was transmitted only by physical contact, or carried in on dirty boots or contaminated equipment. But new research shows the virus can be carried through the air on dried fecal matter, even though scientists say the virus has not mutated. The strain making its way across the nation's hog farms and slaughterhouses is 99.4 percent similar in genetic structure to the PEDv that hit China's herds last year, according to the U.S. researchers.
 
Indeed, farmers and pork processors in Oklahoma have told Reuters they now suspect the virus is traveling through the air.
 
One scientist likened this to the way the deadly Avian influenza has traveled on feathers and fecal dust. That influenza virus has so far killed poultry by the millions and more than 300 people in 13 countries, according to World Health Organization data.
 
"There is a chance that airborne contaminated feces may have played a role in the rapid dissemination" of the virus, particularly in Oklahoma, said Dr. Montserrat Torremorell, who is leading research efforts on the outbreak at the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine.
 
Researchers at Minnesota's veterinary diagnostic lab found the virus in air samples taken by Seaboard Foods, a large pork producer, from the vicinity of its Panhandle hog farms and its packing plant near Guymon, Oklahoma.
 
Pigs injected with samples of the virus collected by Seaboard Foods did not contract the disease, Torremorell said. But she still believes airborne distribution may be a threat. "I would not rule it out," she said.
 
Seaboard, in a statement to Reuters, said it provided samples "to university swine health experts to investigate and determine the nature of the virus." The company would not say how many of its piglets have died because of PEDv.
 
DEATH TOLL
 
Federal investigators have traced the first U.S. case to Ohio in mid-April but so far have not pinpointed the origin of the coronavirus that causes PEDv or how it entered the United States. Farmers, veterinarians and laboratory researchers have offered theories ranging from vaccine suppliers to vitamin mix distributors to the pipettes used to inseminate sows.
 
All agree PEDv's mortality rate is astounding: between 80 percent to 100 percent of very young animals. Most of these piglets die within 72 hours from dehydration associated with diarrhea. Older animals usually survive after being ill.
 
Officials from the Agriculture Department say they cannot offer a sound estimate on mortality rates, as farmers are not required to report to authorities when there is a PEDv outbreak on their operations.
 
Eric Neumann, a swine epidemiology expert at Massey University EpiCentre in New Zealand, told Reuters he used data released by federal investigators - and has pegged the death toll at 1.3 million pigs and climbing.
 
As of the week of September 8, there have been 612 confirmed cases reported in 17 states, according to federal officials. So far, Iowa, the largest U.S. hog producer with 20 million hogs, has reported 181 cases, the most of any state. Oklahoma is second with 155, and Kansas had 77 reported cases.
 
Researchers are closely watching North Carolina, the nation's second-largest hog state, where 40 cases have been reported since the week of June 23.
 
To combat the disease, farmers are taking precautions in their handling of animals. Hog producers that use the manure on their own crop fields are searching for ways to get rid of the PEDv, while some grain farmers are hunting for PEDv-free manure for their spring planting.
 
OUTSIZE IMPACT
 
The government will provide a better gauge of the impact of the outbreak on the nation's pork supply next week, when the USDA releases its quarterly hogs and pigs report. It will offer a look at the nation's swine inventory over the past three months, when the number of positive cases soared.
 
The market could begin to feel any loss of supplies by October, say industry analysts, when piglets first infected in April would have come to market.
 
While the death of 1.3 million piglets would represent only about 1 percent of the average annual U.S. slaughter of 113 million, these hogs would have gone to market during a concentrated, four-month stretch starting this fall.
 
As a result, said University of Missouri livestock economist Ron Plain, the number of hogs slaughtered during that time could drop by 3 percent or more. Live hog prices, which normally plummet in the fall and early winter, could rise by as much as 10 percent, he said.
 
Even so, both these forecasts - and the number of reported cases - may fall short of capturing the total impact of PEDv. Diagnostic veterinarians say farmers have been under-reporting PEDv cases, either out of fear or resignation. Dead piglets, too, can be disposed of without attracting much notice.
 
"The farther we get into the outbreak, the less likely the numbers are reflecting what is happening in the country," said Tom Burkgren, executive director of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.
 
FEAR AND LOATHING
 
Oklahoma, a leading pork producer and supplier of piglets to some of the Midwest's largest farms, offers a snapshot of the toll PEDv is taking on the U.S. heartland.
 
At Hitch Enterprises' hog farms in Guymon, production manager Mike Brandherm said he lost roughly three weeks of production this summer, about 18,000 pigs. At Prestage's Texhoma unit along the Oklahoma-Texas border, manager Greg Stephens told Reuters he is concerned piglets still are dying at an above-normal rate. Sows pass immunity to their newborn, he said, and the piglets should have developed immunity by now.
 
Just north of the state line, in southwestern Kansas, third-generation hog farmer Nathan Smith is battling the virus by removing young pigs early from farrowing barns and keeping buildings warmer than usual. He also has switched to an organic nutritional supplement to quell diarrhea in the animals.
 
Smith took action after losing 15,000 piglets this summer, or about $1 million worth of livestock.
 
"We had this one trailer come back from the packing house, and that started it," he said. "On a Friday, one blew up. On Sunday, another blew up. Then Monday, another one."
 
Smith is convinced the wind carried the virus. "It moved too fast for tires, too fast for feet," he said. "The only thing that touched each was the wind."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/insight-oklahoma-winds-may-spread-deadly-swine-virus-050345996--sector.html


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Kilika on September 20, 2013, 06:51:06 am
Quote
Prestage, describing the first wave of devastation the virus brought to its Oklahoma operation, which raises and sells 400,000 hogs a year

And THAT is part of the problem. An extremely small part of the population within a few companies, account for the majority of the food supply. Nothing is local any more. I wonder how many of that 400k actually make it to US dinner tables.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 09, 2013, 05:29:44 am
Deadly Diseases Like Measles And Mumps Make Frightening Comeback

Deadly diseases, once nearly wiped out, are making a frightening comeback in Maryland and across the country. Now — a warning that parents who don’t vaccinate their children are putting others at risk.
 
Linh Bui explores an alarming and controversial trend.
 
Measles, mumps, whooping cough — all deadly diseases. Until recently — virtually eliminated thanks to vaccines that prevent kids from getting sick.
 
But now doctors see an alarming trend — more and more people are coming down with these diseases.
 
“Kids die from measles on a regular basis. Kids are in hospitals and can die from whooping cough very commonly. So these kids are at risk,” said Dr. Scott Krugman, Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center.
 
Here in Maryland, cases of whooping cough are skyrocketing — tripling from 123 cases in 2011 to nearly 370 last year. Outbreaks of measles and mumps have swept through states across the country.

Just how serious a problem is it when a child gets sick? Summer Robinson experienced it firsthand. Her son, Roarik, was just three-weeks-old when whooping cough put him in intensive care for five days and nearly killed him.
 
Bui: “When you went to the hospital and he was diagnosed with whooping cough, what went through your mind?”
 
Robinson: “You worry about, are they going to start breathing again? If they do start breathing, how long have they not been breathing? What are the side effects of that going to be? It’s just so scary.”


 
Too young for the recommended vaccine, Roarik was defenseless. He’s living proof one contagious person can start an outbreak.
 
“If your ten-year-old has it and you’re in Walmart near my three-week-old baby, you could essentially kill my three-week-old baby because you didn’t want to vaccinate your child,” said Johnson.
 
So, if these diseases can be prevented by a vaccine, why is a growing number of parents not getting their children the shots? Some fear the vaccines can do more harm than good.
 
“These vaccines and all of these doses also can be deadly,” an Annapolis mom said.
 
After researching vaccines and talking with doctors, an Annapolis mom decided not to vaccinate her young children. She asked WJZ to hide her identity because other parents are angry her kids could put their kids in danger.
 
Bui: “What happened that led you to make this decision not to vaccinate your kids?”
 
Annapolis mom: “It just didn’t’ make sense to me. I didn’t understand why a little human had to get so many drugs at one time.”
 
She believes her family’s healthy lifestyle will keep her children from getting sick. But most doctors insist that’s not enough.
 
“It doesn’t matter what vitamins they’re on, how healthy they are, how natural everything is, everything organic. It’s irrelevant. Your child is going to get sick,” said Dr. Krugman.
 
“You don’t ever want to go through that. You don’t ever want to be in an ICU now knowing if your child is going to live, especially over a disease that’s supposed to be preventable,” Johnson said.
 
In Maryland, children must be immunized to attend school, but can be exempt for medical or religious reasons.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/11/07/alarming-trend-more-people-coming-down-with-deadly-diseases-like-measles-and-mumps/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Kilika on November 10, 2013, 03:32:27 am
Quote
a warning that parents who don’t vaccinate their children are putting others at risk.

And there's the whole point, summed up right there in the first sentence.

They aren't going to back off vaccinations. That seems clear. And since prophecy says they will force things, I'd say once people are on government assistance, the demands and threats will start. No vaccines, no medical coverage, no buying ability in society.

Their sales pitch is the classic self-sacrifice for the greater good!

And notice they tossed in "Whooping cough"? That wasn't an issue till recent tears, about when the immigration doors were flung wide open. We've seen a big rise in cases in the southwest and California. You figure it out!


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 17, 2013, 01:06:42 pm
Doctors warn superbugs could erase century of medical advances...

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/superbugs-could-erase-a-century-of-medical-advances-experts-warn-8944617.html



Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 20, 2013, 07:58:55 am
Scientists: We Can’t Do Anything About The Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs That Will Soon Kill Millions Of Us

The “wonder drugs” that we have been using since the middle of the last century are rapidly losing their effectiveness, and medical authorities are warning that the emergence of very powerful antibiotic-resistant superbugs represents “one of the gravest threats in the history of medicine“.  Of course the “wonder drugs” that I am talking about are known today as antibiotics.  These drugs attack bacteria, and when they first began to be developed back in the 1950s and 1960s they were hailed as “miracles” that would save countless numbers of lives.  Well, it turns out that nature is having the last laugh.  All over the planet bacteria are developing resistance to these drugs, and scientists are warning that they can’t really do anything to stop these superbugs.  With each passing year these superbugs are gaining ground, and there appears to be not much hope on the horizon of being able to fight them.  In fact, no new classes of antibiotics have been invented since 1987, and none are being developed right now.  Meanwhile, scientists are telling us that many current antibiotic treatments will be completely obsolete by the year 2030.  Are you starting to understand why so many high profile members of the scientific community are using the words “catastrophic threat” to describe this crisis? (Read More.....)

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/scientists-we-cant-do-anything-about-the-antibiotic-resistant-superbugs-that-will-soon-kill-millions-of-us


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 27, 2013, 05:35:10 am
Risk of superbugs skyrockets as world enters 'post-antibiotic era'

R

ight now, humanity is engaged in an epic battle against fast-adapting and merciless predators. No, zombies are not beating down doors to tear chunks of flesh out of the living. Rather, humanity is being hunted by deadly pathogenic bacteria that have gained resistance to antibiotics.
 
And thanks to the peculiar incentives that drive the pharmaceutical industry, it looks like the cavalry may be a long time in coming.
 
To understand the current state of the antibiotics market, we have to go back millennia. Humans have co-existed with bacteria throughout our history. They live in our bodies from birth to death. It’s estimated that up to three percent of a typical human's body mass is made up of symbiotic bacteria, which assist us with bodily functions like digesting food.
 
Most bacteria in the human body are kept in check by the body’s immune system. But bacteria are constantly evolving to survive and reproduce. Either the immune system successfully adapts to new threats, or the body risks being overrun. Sometimes the immune system will fail to respond to a novel bacterial threat, allowing the bacteria to kill the host.
 
Before antibiotics were widely available, any accident, injury, or medical procedure that allowed pathogenic bacteria into the body was potentially deadly. One in nine skin infections was fatal. One in three cases of pneumonia led to death. Invasive surgeries including caesarean sections left the patient open to killer infections. Insect bites, burns, and blood transfusions frequently became a source of infection.
 
So the discovery of the first antibiotic, penicillin, by Alexander Fleming in 1928 remains one of the high points in medical history. Antibiotics kill bacteria, which meant wounds were no longer death sentences. Yet when Fleming won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1945, he warned of the dangers of antibiotic resistance:
 
It is not difficult to make microbes resistant to penicillin in the laboratory by exposing them to concentrations not sufficient to kill them… There is the danger that the ignorant man may easily underdose himself and by exposing his microbes to non-lethal quantities of the drug make them resistant. [NobelPrize.org]
 
Fleming’s prediction was right. Penicillin-resistant bacteria arrived while the drug was still being given to only a few patients. Each new class of antibiotics since then has soon been greeted by resistant bacteria.
 
One breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria is in farm animals. Low doses of antibiotics have been used since the 1950s to enhance growth. In the U.S., over 80 percent of all antibiotics are now used on farm animals. But low doses encourage resistance, just as Fleming warned. Recent studies show that antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been found widely in farm animals raised for meat, as well as wild animals, including crows, foxes, and sharks.
 
Scientists are fighting a running evolutionary battle with the bugs. A patient in New Zealand died this year after contracting an infection resistant to all known antibiotics. Doctors declared him the first patient of the "post-antibiotic era." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently warned that drug-resistant bacteria kill at least 23,000 people annually in the U.S, and cost the health care system $20 billion per year.
 
Unfortunately for the human race, research into antibiotics remains costly. One estimate suggests that the cost of bringing a new antibiotic to market is over $1 billion, and that new antibiotics lose $50 million on average. There are far more profitable drugs for pharmaceutical companies to throw money at, since antibiotics are usually single-serve drugs for humans, not long-term treatments.
 
Drugs for chronic conditions tend to be more profitable. And with drug resistance quickly evolving, rendering older antibiotics ineffective, pharmaceutical companies have even less incentive to invest in the drugs.
 
The economics are perverse. Taking preventative action today would not be very profitable because there are fewer potential customers. The incentives to produce more and better antibiotics only kick in under the worst circumstances, when millions of people are dying from antibiotic-resistant infections.

With investment, there would be plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future. New antibiotics today are typically discovered by culturing bacteria in a laboratory, and scientists so far have cultured less than one percent of the bacterial species on the planet, meaning there is still a huge pool of possibilities out there that remains untested.

There are also a large variety of organic compounds — for example, from insects — that may hold promise as antibacterials. Some scientists are even looking into the possibility of using nanotechnology to fight bacteria — tiny machines that can hunt down pathogenic bacteria and destroy them. Sooner or later, one of these approaches may yield an innovation that pathogenic bacteria cannot develop resistance to.
 
In July 2012, President Obama signed the GAIN (Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now) Act, a bipartisan bill to fast-track the creation of new antibiotics. Twelve new antibiotics in development have so far received fast-track status, which should speed up the approval of new drugs for difficult-to-treat conditions.

But whether the law will be sufficient to create enough new antibiotics to win the evolutionary arms race remains to be seen. Developing antibiotics is still expensive, and the antibiotics that we do have are still being over-prescribed for humans and doled out in sub-clinical doses to farm animals — both of which gives bacteria opportunities to develop resistance.
 
If the problem continues to grow, the U.S. and other countries will have to invest a whole lot more in antimicrobial technologies, or create incentives for Big Pharma to do so. Like the zombie apocalypse, the post-antibiotic world would not be a pretty place to live in.

http://theweek.com/article/index/253397/why-the-post-antibiotic-world-is-the-real-life-version-of-the-zombie-apocalypse


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on December 06, 2013, 03:04:11 pm
Sudan Reports Widespread Yellow Fever Outbreak, 14 Dead

A total of 44 suspected cases and 14 deaths have been reported from October 3 to November 24, 2013 in the localities of Lagawa, Kailak, Muglad and Abyei in West Kordofan and Elreef Alshargi, Abu Gibaiha, Ghadir, Habila, Kadugli, Altadamon, Talodi and Aliri in South Kordofan.   

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113019547/yellow-fever-outbreak-sudan-14-dead-120413/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on December 17, 2013, 05:57:22 am
Cubist Pharma on the front lines of superbug war

At Cubist Pharmaceuticals' labs in Lexington, Mass., researchers feel like they are in a race against time. They are trying to develop antibiotics to fight infections that are becoming increasingly untreatable and deadly. And they feel they are playing catch up with these superbugs.

"You're going after a pathogen that evolves and changes its ability to respond to your drug. So, it's not just that you're going after a target, you're going after a moving target," said Dr. Obi Umeh, Cubist's senior director of clinical research.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 2 million Americans were sickened by drug-resistant bacteria, and about 23,000 died because the infections proved untreatable.

rest: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101272459


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on December 17, 2013, 05:58:12 am
Dangerous MRSA bacteria expand into communities

A USA TODAY investigation shows MRSA bacteria, once confined to hospitals, are emerging in communities to strike an increasing number of children, as well as schools, prisons, even NFL locker rooms.

Indeed, a deadly form of MRSA had sprung from nowhere, picking off otherwise healthy people. The cases thrust Iqbal and his colleagues to the front lines of modern medicine''s struggle against antibiotic resistant bacteria – perhaps the nation's most daunting public health threat. No drug-defying bug has proved more persistent than MRSA, none has caused more frustration and none has spread more widely. In recent years, new MRSA strains have emerged to strike in community settings, reaching far beyond hospitals to infect schoolchildren, soldiers, prison inmates, even NFL players.

A USA TODAY examination finds that MRSA infections, particularly outside of health care facilities, are much more common than government statistics suggest. They sicken hundreds of thousands of Americans each year in various ways, from minor skin boils to deadly pneumonia, claiming upward of 20,000 lives. The inability to detect or track cases is confounding efforts by public health officials to develop prevention strategies and keep the bacteria from threatening vast new swaths of the population.

rest: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/16/mrsa-infection-community-schools-victims-doctors/3991833/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on December 18, 2013, 06:22:44 am
'Superbugs' found breeding in sewage plants

Tests at two wastewater treatment plants in northern China revealed antibiotic-resistant bacteria were not only escaping purification but also breeding and spreading their dangerous cargo. Joint research by scientists from Rice, Nankai and Tianjin universities found "superbugs" carrying New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1), a multidrug-resistant gene first identified in India in 2010, in wastewater disinfected by chlorination.   

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Superbugs_found_breeding_in_sewage_plants_999.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on December 20, 2013, 07:52:40 am
Bubonic plague claims 32 lives in Madagascar

-- Bubonic plague, which wiped out a third of Europe's population in the Middle Ages, has reared its ugly head in the African island state of Madagascar where 32 people have died in a fresh outbreak of the so-called Black Death disease, according to health authorities.
 
Some 84 suspected cases of bubonic plague - 60 of them suspected of being pneumonic or pulmonary plague, a more virulent strain of the disease - have been reported in five of the island's 112 districts in the past month.
 
Pneumonic plague is caused by the same bacteria that occur in bubonic plague but, while bubonic plague is usually transmitted by bites from rat-borne fleas and can be treated with antibiotics, pneumonic plague can be inhaled and transmitted between humans without involvement of animals or fleas and, if untreated, has a very high fatality rate, experts say. It can kill within 24 hours.
 
Last year, Madagascar reported 60 deaths from bubonic plague. Poor hygiene and declining living standards as a result of a protracted political crisis since a coup in 2009 are cited as the primary causes of the spread of the disease.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_MADAGASCAR_PLAGUE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 21, 2013, 11:55:11 am
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/1-500-tested-tb-southern-california-school-2D11787842?ocid=msnhp&pos=5
1,500 tested for TB at Southern California school
12/20/13

More than 1,500 staff and students at a Southern California high school were tested for tuberculosis after one student was diagnosed with the bacterial infection last month, health officials said Friday.

Nearly 1,400 students and faculty at Indio High School were tested on Friday and around 130 students had the TB tests on Monday.

Forty-five students tested positive for possible exposure but more tests, including X-rays will be needed to determine whether they have active TB, health officials said.

Five students were sent home Thursday after follow-up X-rays showed they needed further examination.

"This is just the most recent step in the standard, medically accepted process for handling potential exposures," Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the county's public health officer, said in a statement. "We have required testing for everyone at the school as a precaution, even though the chance of the illness being passed from one person to another is remote."

Some students and staff were tested by their own health care providers, authorities said.

Everyone will have to show proof of testing before they can return to school in January.

Officials stressed they do not think the infection has spread to any other schools or surrounding neighborhoods. Health officials also said they don't believe students' families are at risk.

"We have seen these things happen in other parts of the state and the world. We know how to treat them, and how to cure this disease," Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit told the Desert Sun (http://mydesert.co/1etzr0i). "And not everyone who tests positive is going to have a serious bout with this disease."

Tuberculosis is a contagious disease that typically attacks the lungs. General symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, fever and night sweats. A person needs to spend an extended time close to someone who has the disease in order to become infected.

Treatment for tuberculosis involves taking medications, in some cases for up to nine months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease was brought to the high school by a student who was there from September until mid-November. The student, who has not been identified by authorities, is expected to make a full recovery.

Noemi Munoz said her son is one of the 45 students who showed signs of exposure. She questioned if health officials could have acted more quickly and given students tests.

"I feel like it should have been done before Thanksgiving break, when we were all first notified," she said. "I think that would have contained it a little bit better."


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on January 09, 2014, 06:47:00 am
Outbreak of 'nightmare bacteria' in Illinois stirs worry

The largest outbreak to date of one strain of what authorities have called "nightmare bacteria" is adding to concerns about the spread of such drug-resistant bugs.

The outbreak, centered on a hospital in a Chicago suburb, has infected 44 people in Illinois over the past year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The bug, known as carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, bears a rare enzyme that breaks down antibiotics.

"This is a huge cluster," said Alex Kallen, a medical officer with the CDC and supervisor for the Illinois outbreak investigation, noting that only 97 cases of the infection have been reported to the agency since 2009.

The superbug, which typically lives in the intestines and is part of a large family of bacteria, can be spread via fecal matter. It isn't typically transmitted by casual contact outside hospitals.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/01/08/outbreak-nightmare-bacteria-in-illinois-stirs-worry/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on January 09, 2014, 07:21:40 am
"And there shall be pestilences ..."


AS WITH WAR AND FAMINE, the severity and frequency with which pestilence (plagues) are now striking is alarming.

Less than 20 years ago the medical profession claimed victory over a wide array of bacterial and viral killers. In 1979, U.S. Surgeon General William Stewart declared that it was time to "close the books on infectious diseases."[14]

As recently as 1983, a medical textbook declared infectious diseases "more easily prevented and more easily cured" than any other major group of disorders.[15]

But instead of fading, the cases of infectious diseases have skyrocketed throughout the ’90s. Dr. Sherwin Nuland, in his best-selling book, How We Die [16], laments, "Medicine’s purported triumph over infectious disease has become an illusion."[17]

Doctors now warn that the current resurgence of drug-resistant bacteria strains could prove to be more deadly than AIDS. AP reports:

The emergence of bacteria strains that cannot be killed by the current arsenal of antibiotics could become a public health threat worse than AIDS, experts warn.

Diseases considered conquered — tuberculosis, pneumonia, meningitis, staph infections — are becoming unstoppable. Common bacteria that cause everything from toddlers’ ear infections to pneumonia could become "supergerms" resistant to vancomycin and other drugs.

Scientists expect "nothing short of a medical disaster," Dr. Alexander Tomasz of Rockefeller University in New York City warned at the 1994 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[18]


14. Hamilton, Andrea. "Bacteria Become Ever More Resistant," The Washington Times, 20 Nov 1994

15. U.S. News & World Report, 29 Jan 1996

16. Nuland, Sherwin B. How We Die: Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter. New York: Random House in association with Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.

17. "The End of Antibiotics," Newsweek, 28 Mar 1994, pp. 47-48

18. AP, 26 Mar 95



CDC warning about Coming Superbug Outbreaks

The CDC is ringing the alarm bells after a number of so-called superbugs have now been reported in at least 42 states.
 
The CDC is currently investigating an alarming outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae — or CRE — that has infected 44 people in Illinois over the last year. While that number may seem small, how the disease is clustered, and the fact that similar pockets are showing up throughout the country has the CDC and other medical professionals very worried.
 
Another troubling trend, one that could have dire consequences, is how CRE and a number of other superbugs, bacteria that have become resistant to even the strongest antibiotics, can share its resistance genes with other bacteria. If these bacteria start sharing that resistance with common bacteria like as Strep and E.coli, we could be in for a world of hurt.
 
Once easily treated conditions could become entirely untreatable – turning things like urinary tract infections, sinus infections, and even diarrhea into a potentially fatal condition.
 
Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told USA Today that he believes we have only a narrow “window of opportunity” to act before these superbugs become unstoppable.
 
Unfortunately, there’s very little financial incentive for the drug companies to develop new antibiotics, and there are very few new treatments being developed.
 
Pandemics & Superbugs: One of the top threats we face.
 
We’ve covered similar topics in the past, mainly because I believe the threat of a deadly pandemic outbreak is on the top threats we face. The way we work, travel, and even buy our food has left us incredibly susceptible to outbreaks; and in my opinion, it’s only a matter of time before we see another pandemic.
 
But unlike past pandemics, I think the next deadly outbreak will be far worse than anything we’ve ever seen, particularly because of how connected the world has become. Diseases that were once able to burn themselves out, because populations stayed relatively close to home, can now be spread anywhere in the world within a matter of hours.
 
What can you do to prevent Superbugs & Pandemics?
 •Strengthen your Immune System: In my opinion, one of the best things you can do to prevent any type of disease, is to give your body the tools it needs to fight them itself. Working out, eating healthy, and living a stress-free lifestyle can all do wonders for your body’s ability to ward of disease.
 •Multi-Vitamins: Over the last couple weeks vitamins have got some pretty bad press. You can choose to believe studies that are paid for by the drug companies, or you can listen to years’ worth of solid research that shows your body needs these vitamins to stay at peak operating condition. I’ll do a longer article on this topic in the future, but to start with you should at least consider taking a multivitamin and make sure you’re getting an adequate amount of Vitamin C.
 •Hygiene – Just like you mom told you, make sure you’re washing your hands. It’s still the number one thing you can do to prevent the spread and transmission of pretty much every pathogen out there.
 •Social Distancing – Common sense should tell you to stay away from anyone who’s sick. Unfortunately, society seems to be lacking that these days, as I can’t tell you how many time I’ve seen some idiot hacking his brains out in a line full of people who just stand there smiling.
 •Hand sanitizer – Keep it with you, and use it. Look for something with around 70% alcohol, as this amount will kill 99.9% of all germs.
 
A note about hospitals:
 
If you’re sick, then by all means you probably need to consult with a medical professional for medical advice. That being said, during a pandemic outbreak hospitals are going to be ground zero in the war, and should be avoided if at all possible.
 
A recent tuberculosis outbreak in a Nevada hospital shows just how negligent some hospitals have become. A hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada allowed a pregnant woman who was exhibiting TB symptoms to be placed in a neonatal unit without informing or protecting other patients. 59 people were infected with TB, and another 1,000 are being tested.
 
Don’t ever assume the hospital knows what they’re doing, you need to take your own precautions and be mindful of your own safety.
 •Ask for a mask upon entry into the hospital.
 •Don’t be scared to ask the doctor to wash his hands, or put on a new pair of gloves.
 •If you’re put in a room, or near someone who is exhibiting respiratory symptoms ask to be moved.
 •Always keep an eye on what’s going on around you. Don’t be afraid to ask the doctor or nurse questions.
 •If something seems dirty, don’t accept it. Don’t be scared to ask for the doctor to switch out instruments which you think might have been used on someone else.

http://offgridsurvival.com/cdc-warning-about-coming-superbug-outbreaks/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on January 29, 2014, 07:56:17 am
Strain of Bubonic Plague as Deadly as the Black Death Could Return To Earth’, Say Scientists

A strain of bubonic plague as deadly as that which caused the Black Death could make a reappearance on Earth, scientists have said in a stark warning. Research into one of the most devastating pandemics in human history – the Plague of Justinian, where half the world’s population died – found evidence that such an episode could happen again.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/bubonic-plague-deadly-black-death-3068411#.UucuQBAo7b0


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 03, 2014, 06:50:48 pm
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/02/03/22559474-mystery-bug-sickens-hundreds-at-north-texas-high-school?lite=
2/3/14
Mystery bug sickens hundreds at North Texas high school

Students at one North Texas high school say they're terrified about being in class Monday after hundreds of students fell ill from a mysterious stomach bug at Richardson High School last week.

The Richardson Independent School District was able to confirm that 26 staff members called in sick Monday.  Final attendance numbers for students will not be available until later in the day.

Students that were in attendance Monday were prepared. Many brought hand sanitizer while others said they planned  to visit the bathroom between classes to wash their hands.

"I've got my hand sanitizer, and just being careful. Not sharing food or anything like that," Watson said. "Try to avoid being in close contact with people this week."

Richardson High School administrators said the mystery illness isn't the flu and they don't believe it's from the cafeteria food.

School administrators and the county health department are still trying to figure out what's behind last week's illness.

Students started up a Twitter hashtag about the mysterious virus, called "#RHSPlague," and are trying to make light of the situation with jokes like, "More Plague = Better Parking."

But for school administrators and affected students, it's no laughing matter. Hundreds of students were violently ill over the weekend — symptoms included vomiting, dehydration and exhaustion.

"It is scary, it really is, for that many kids to get sick at one time," said Demetrius Price, who had to pick up his freshman son from the nurse's office at lunchtime Friday.

Price said the nurse's office was "overrun" with hundreds of sick students.

Last Monday, 203 students and 12 Richardson High School staff members were out sick.

By Thursday, 349 students were home sick and 22 school employees. An additional 70 students went home during the day, including Price's son.

"My son had a cold a few weeks ago, during that cold snap. But nothing serious. This right here was so different," Price said. "It put him on the couch. His energy was low. His appetite was gone. He kept feeling like he had to throw up. I don't know what it is. I was worried he was going to get real dehydrated."

More than 675 students, about a quarter of the school's total student population of 2,500, missed class Friday along with 28 staff members.

"It was just really weird. It was like a ghost town," said high school senior Jenny Watson.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know this may sound like a longshot(being in North Texas), but perhaps radiation from the Pacific Coast, Fukeshima(sp), has made its way across the country?


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Kilika on February 04, 2014, 01:21:24 am
Nah, I think it's a bug. There's been one going around that's a bit different than past years. My wife's clinic has seen several cases, including some of the staff. Both of us had a touch of it too. It feels like severe gas, but it's in the stomach, and many, like me, aren't getting nausea or diarrhea, but the stomach cramps last a little over 24 hours. I took nothing, and within about 24 hours, I was back to normal.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 23, 2014, 09:08:57 pm
Polio-Like Illness Paralyzes 5 Kids in California

By JoNel Aleccia
 
Scientists in California say that an emerging infection that mimics the worst symptoms of polio paralyzed at least five children in that state in a single year.

The infections, possibly caused by a virus, are still very rare and there’s no widespread cause for alarm. But researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, say they’re concerned about the mysterious illnesses detected in kids ages 2 to 16 between August 2012 and July 2013.

“The recovery has been, in the best cases, marginal,” said Emmanuelle Waubant, a professor of neurology and pediatrics at UCSF. “In the worst cases, there has been no recovery at all.”

She and her colleagues will report on the case series at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Philadelphia in April but released their findings Sunday.

Waubant, who runs a pediatric clinic for multiple sclerosis patients, said she became concerned after encountering a child who was suddenly paralyzed.

“He had normal immunity to polio and we knew it couldn’t be polio,” she said.

When a colleague mentioned having seen a similar case, the scientists decided to review a large database, California’s Neurologic and Surveillance Testing program, to see if there was a wider problem. They found reports of five children, all in the larger San Francisco Bay Area, who had unexplained paralysis.

Two of the children tested positive for human enterovirus-68, which had previously been associated with polio-like symptoms, but three did not. HEV-68 is a rare form of very common enteroviruses, which cause between 10 million and 15 million infections in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Like polio infections, most enterovirus cases cause no symptoms or only mild illness, but a fraction of cases can turn terribly serious.

Polio infections once paralyzed up to 20,000 people a year in the U.S., mostly children, until a vaccine eradicated the disease in the U.S. and nearly eradicated it worldwide.

It’s not clear why these cases occurred, or whether there will be more, Waubant said. Viruses come and go, sometimes circulating widely and then disappearing. Similar outbreaks have been reported in children in Asia and Australia.

But she said it’s important that doctors and the general public be aware of an emerging infection that can cause polio-like symptoms.

**Look at that New Age buzzword again - "emerging".
http://endtimesandcurrentevents.freesmfhosting.com/index.php/topic,9420.0.html

“The idea is to present these cases to increase awareness in the medical community,” she said.
First published February 23rd 2014, 1:03 pm

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/polio-illness-paralyzes-5-kids-california-n34981


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on March 23, 2014, 12:57:39 pm
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/22/world/africa/fever-epidemic-guinea/index.html
At least 59 people dead in Guinea Ebola outbreak
By Christabelle Fombu and Susanna Capelouto, CNN
updated 11:28 AM EDT, Sun March 23, 2014

CNN) -- An Ebola outbreak has killed at least 59 people in Guinea, UNICEF said, as the deadly hemorrhagic fever has quickly spread from southern communities in the West African nation.

Experts in the country had been unable to identify the disease, whose symptoms -- diarrhea, vomiting and fever -- were first observed last month.

Health Minister Remy Lamah said Saturday initial test results confirm the presence of a viral hemorrhagic fever, which according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refers to a group of viruses that affect multiple organ systems in the body.

In a written statement, UNICEF said at least 59 out of 80 people who contracted Ebola have died. At least three of the victims were children.
 
"In Guinea, a country with a weak medical infrastructure, an outbreak like this can be devastating," the UNICEF representative in Guinea, Dr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, said in the statement.

UNICEF has prepositioned supplies and stepped up communication on the ground to sensitize medical staff and local populations on how to avoid contracting the illness, Agoya added.

Isolation units

The Guinean Health Ministry warned that the disease is mainly spread from infected people, from objects belonging to ill or dead people, and by the consumption of meat from animals in the bush.

So far, most of the cases have been in the forest area of southern Guinea, and health officials say they are offering free treatment for all patients.

They've urged people to stay calm, wash their hands and report all cases to authorities.

The international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres announced on Saturday it was reinforcing its medical and logistics teams in Guinea in response to the epidemic.

It is also flying in 33 tons of medicines and equipment and setting up isolation units in the three affected areas in the country.

"Isolation units are essential to prevent the spread of the disease, which is highly contagious," Dr. Esther Sterk, MSF tropical medicine adviser, said in a written statement. "Specialized staff are providing care to patients showing signs of infection."

2012: Uganda declares end of Ebola outbreak


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on April 23, 2014, 06:57:33 am
Antibiotic-Resistant MRSA ‘Superbug’ Found In US Homes

An anti-biotic resistant “superbug” that has long affected hospitals and other health care locations around the world has now found a new “reservoir” location: inside U.S. homes.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacteria that is resistant to many of the strongest antibiotics, and although recent prevalence has been limited to hospitals and nursing homes, a new study of 161 New York City residents who contracted the MRSA infections finds that the these people’s homes were “major reservoirs” for the bacteria strains, HealthDay reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that in communities outside of health care settings, most MRSA strains are skin infections that are spread by physical contact, such as the sharing of towels or razors. Athletes, military barracks, prisons and other close-quarter living areas are at an increased risk of contracting and spreading the bug.

In medical facilities, MRSA causes life-threatening bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical infections.

But the new study shows that the MRSA “reservoirs” have spread into average U.S. homes.

“What our findings show is it’s also endemic in households,” lead researcher Dr. Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, tells HealthDay, from the study published in the Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences.

According to a report released by the CDC last September, more than 2 million Americans get drug-resistant infections each year. And about 23,000 die from these diseases that are increasingly resistant to the strongest antibiotics that doctors use to fight the infections.

Uhlemann and fellow researchers took samples from those affected by MRSA strains along with samples of a comparison group of people how had not fallen ill. The researchers then took samples from these patients’ household surfaces and other social contacts to see if the bacteria had spread.

Ultimately, the research showed that many homes outside of just those affected by MRSA were “major reservoirs” for the MRSA strain, USA300, which HealthDay notes is the primary cause of MRSA infections in communities throughout the country.

“We can’t just treat the person with the infection,” Uhlemann told HealthDay. “We have to attempt to remove the (MRSA) colonization from the home,” and another MRSA expert not involved in the study added that the new study “confirms what we’ve suspected all along.”

Correct bandaging, protection of wounds, and hand-washing were suggested by experts as the best ways to protect family members and others who one may come in physical contact with regularly, thereby spreading the bacteria to others.

The CDC has estimated that nearly one-in-three people carry staph bacteria in their nose, and typically feel no symptoms of sickness. About 2 percent of people carry MRSA.

The World Health Organization has previously stated that the overuse of antibiotics has become so common that even normal infections may become deadly in the future, due to the evolution of these bacteria strains.

“It is not too late,” CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said to CBSNews.com during a press conference. “If we’re not careful, the medicine chest will be empty when we go there to look for a lifesaving antibiotic for someone with a deadly infection. If we act now, we can preserve these medications while we continue to work on lifesaving medications.”

A report earlier this month found that the drug-resistant bacteria caused a fatal blood infection in a Brazilian patient, according to Live Science. His body had developed a resistance to the powerful antibiotic vancomycin – used widely to treat the infection – during the course of his stay at the hospital.

http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2014/04/22/study-antibiotic-resistant-mrsa-superbug-found-in-us-homes/


Title: Antibiotic resistance now 'global threat', WHO warns
Post by: Mark on April 30, 2014, 07:41:50 am
Antibiotic resistance now 'global threat', WHO warns

Resistance to antibiotics poses a "major global threat" to public health, says a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

It analysed data from 114 countries and said resistance was happening now "in every region of the world".

It described a "post-antibiotic era", where people die from simple infections that have been treatable for decades.

There were likely to be "devastating" implications unless "significant" action was taken urgently, it added.

The report focused on seven different bacteria responsible for common serious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and blood infections.

It suggested two key antibiotics no longer work in more than half of people being treated in some countries.

One of them - carbapenem - is a so-called "last-resort" drug used to treat people with life-threatening infections such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and infections in newborns, caused by the bacteria K.pneumoniae.

Bacteria naturally mutate to eventually become immune to antibiotics, but the misuse of these drugs - such as doctors over-prescribing them and patients failing to finish courses - means it is happening much faster than expected.

The WHO says more new antibiotics need to be developed, while governments and individuals should take steps to slow this process.

In its report, it said resistance to antibiotics for E.coli urinary tract infections had increased from "virtually zero" in the 1980s to being ineffective in more than half of cases today.

In some countries, it said, resistance to antibiotics used to treat the bacteria "would not work in more than half of people treated".
Gonorrhoea treatment 'failure'

Dr Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general at WHO, said: "Without urgent, coordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill."

He said effective antibiotics had been one of the "pillars" to help people live longer, healthier lives, and benefit from modern medicine.

"Unless we take significant actions to improve efforts to prevent infections and also change how we produce, prescribe and use antibiotics, the world will lose more and more of these global public health goods and the implications will be devastating," Dr Fukuda added.

The report also found last-resort treatment for gonorrhoea, a sexually-transmitted infection which can cause infertility, had "failed" in the UK.

It was the same in Austria, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Norway, South Africa, Slovenia and Sweden, it said.

More than a million people are infected with gonorrhoea across the world every day, the organisation said.
'Wake-up call'

The report called for better hygiene, access to clean water, infection control in healthcare facilities, and vaccination to reduce the need for antibiotics.

Last year, the chief medical officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, said the rise in drug-resistant infections was comparable to the threat of global warming.

Dr Jennifer Cohn, medical director of Medecins sans Frontiers' Access Campaign, said: "We see horrendous rates of antibiotic resistance wherever we look in our field operations, including children admitted to nutritional centres in Niger, and people in our surgical and trauma units in Syria.

"Ultimately, WHO's report should be a wake-up call to governments to introduce incentives for industry to develop new, affordable antibiotics that do not rely patents and high prices and are adapted to the needs of developing countries."

She added: "What we urgently need is a solid global plan of action which provides for the rational use of antibiotics so quality-assured antibiotics reach those who need them, but are not overused or priced beyond reach."

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27204988


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on May 12, 2014, 05:47:14 am
Brazil confirms second case of atypical mad cow disease

Brazil has confirmed a second case of atypical mad cow disease, a year after several countries banned Brazilian beef imports when a similar case of the disease was confirmed. The agriculture ministry said late Friday that a lab in Weybridge...confirmed it was a spontaneous case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, with no link to contaminated feed.

http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-confirms-second-case-atypical-mad-cow-disease-185817074.html;_ylt=AwrBJSAyjm5TV1IA9Q_QtDMD


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 13, 2014, 05:03:28 am
Outbreak in Ohio adds to 18-year high of measles cases in U.S.

Sixty-eight and counting.

An outbreak of measles in Ohio has infected 68 people, adding to what is already an 18-year high of measles cases in the United States.

That's disturbing news for health professionals. The contagious infectious disease was considered eliminated in the United States in 2000.

The outbreak in Ohio began with unvaccinated travelers to the Philippines, the state's Department of Health said Monday.

Philippines is experiencing a very large measles outbreak; at least 20,000 confirmed and suspected cases have been reported in the Asian nation.

California, another state also reporting a high number of measles cases this year, said its outbreak also resulted from people visiting the Philippines.

Visitors may pick up the disease and bring it back to the United States, potentially infecting those who cannot be vaccinated against the measles because they are too young, for example, or who have intentionally remained unvaccinated.

Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on April 24 found 129 cases of measles in the United States between January 1 to April 18. That's the highest number of cases recorded for the period since 1996.

Some of the Ohio cases were recorded after that reporting period -- meaning, the total now is undoubtedly higher.

Symptoms of measles usually include fever, cough and conjunctivitis, along with a rash. In rare cases, measles can lead to pneumonia and brain infections, which can be fatal.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/13/health/measles-ohio-cases/index.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 16, 2014, 05:47:31 am
Ohio Measles Outbreak Tied to Amish Missionaries

 A measles outbreak tied to a group of Amish missionaries in Ohio has reached 68 cases, giving the state the dubious distinction of having the most cases reported in any state since 1996, health officials say.

The Ohio outbreak is part of a larger worrisome picture: As of Friday (May 9), the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had logged 187 cases nationwide in 2014, closing in on last year’s total of 189. The CDC warned several weeks ago that the country could end up having the worst year for measles since home-grown outbreaks were eradicated in 2000.

The last time a state had more measles cases than Ohio has now was 1996, when Utah had 119, according to the CDC.

The Ohio outbreak, like ongoing outbreaks in California and elsewhere, has been linked to unvaccinated travelers bringing the measles virus back from countries where the disease remains common.

In Ohio, all of the cases have been among the Amish, health officials say. The outbreak began after Amish missionaries returned from the Philippines. The Philippines is experiencing a large, ongoing measles outbreak, with more than 26,000 cases reported, according to the CDC.

The California outbreak, also linked to the Philippines, had reached 59 cases as of Friday, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The center of the Ohio outbreak is Knox County, where 40 cases have been reported. Thousands of Amish in Knox and surrounding areas have lined up to be vaccinated, said Pam Palm, spokeswoman for the county health department. Though the Amish traditionally have low vaccination rates, “they have been very receptive to coming in and getting immunized” to stem the outbreak, she said.

Some of the unvaccinated missionaries told local health officials they would have been vaccinated for measles before going to the Philippines if they had been told there was an outbreak there, Palm said. “One guy we spoke to feels just terrible that he brought the measles back and exposed his family.”

Ohio also is in the midst of a mumps outbreak of more than 300 cases. Given the outbreaks, state health officials are urging families to check vaccination records and get up to date before summer camps and gatherings begin. “Activities that bring large groups of people together can accelerate the spread of these diseases,” state epidemiologist Mary DiOrio said in a news release.

Before the measles vaccine became available in 1963, the virus infected about 500,000 Americans a year, causing 500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations. Case counts since 2000 have ranged from 37 in 2004 to a high of 220 in 2011, CDC says.

While most people recover from the fever, rash and other symptoms associated with measles after a few days, complications can occur, especially in children. Those complications can include ear infections and pneumonia or, more rarely, brain infection. One or two out of 1,000 children with measles will die, the CDC says.

 http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/ohio-measles-outbreak-tied-to-amish-missionaries.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 27, 2014, 07:34:08 pm
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/salmonella-surprise-574-sick-foster-farms-outbreak-cdc-says-n115756
Salmonella Surprise: 574 Sick In Foster Farms Outbreak, CDC Says

Another 50 people have been sickened with salmonella poisoning linked to Foster Farms chicken, bringing the total to 574 cases in 27 states in a little more than a year, federal health officials said Tuesday.

The new cases were reported at an average of eight each week since an April update on the new infections caused by seven strains of drug-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg, according to an update Monday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nearly 40 percent of those sickened by the foodborne bacteria have been hospitalized in the outbreak that began in March 2013. Some 13 percent have developed life-threatening blood infections, about triple the number in typical salmonella illnesses, the CDC said.

The number of illnesses each week appears to be declining, but the outbreak is still not over, said Dr. Rob Tauxe, the CDC’s director of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases.

And the new infections appear to be tied to fresh, retail chicken parts, not chicken that had been stored in home freezers for months, Tauxe added.

Officials with Foster Farms and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, or FSIS, said that the firm has implemented new steps to reduce salmonella throughout its plant. Because the new cases can’t be linked to one lot or even one plant, FSIS officials say they can’t urge Foster Farms to recall the potentially tainted poultry. And Foster Farms officials have consistently refused to recall the meat voluntarily.

“The company continues to make steady progress that has effectively reduced Salmonella at the parts level to less than 10 percent — well below the 2011/2012 USDA-measured industry benchmark of 25 percent,” Foster Farms officials said in a statement. “With each set of sampling, Foster Farms has demonstrated a significant improvement in Salmonella control.”

Still, there’s no question consumers continue to fall ill, said Doug Powell, a former food safety professor at Kansas State University who is now a consultant.

“It is ridiculous that this has been going on for a year,” Powell told NBC News. “This is a virulent pathogen that they can’t seem to get rid of.”

Consumers should vote with their wallets and patronize poultry producers with good track records free of reports of foodborne illness.

In the meantime, the CDC cautions consumers to cook all chicken thoroughly, to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and to be vigilant about avoiding cross contamination of raw poultry and other food or kitchen surfaces.

First published May 27th 2014, 2:51 pm


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 28, 2014, 06:18:53 am
Fears For Antibiotic 'Apocalypse' Grow


The biggest threat to human health today isn’t global warming, says a group of eminent scientists, it is resistance to antibiotics.

The situation, which has been described as ‘apocalyptic’, is so desperate that a global response, similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is urgently needed, said experts gathered at the Royal Society in London.

The World Health Organisation is considering a global action plan to fight the problem.

At least two million Americans a year are infected with drug-resistant bugs and 23,000 die as a direct result. Even more die from other illnesses that were made worse by infections that cannot be treated, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last year.

Another 5,000 die annually in Britain, where the first antimicrobials were developed a century ago. Dame Sally Davies, Britain’s Chief Medical Officer, warned Parliament last year of an “apocalyptic” situation where people would die from routine operations.

An antibiotic (transparent area) keeps a bacterial colony at bay in a petri dish (Credit: El Bingle)

One of the main threats comes from MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. A recent study found that 4.6 per cent of patients in US healthcare facilities had the bug.

Antibiotic resistance is not only bad news for current patients, it also allows pathogens to spread to more victims.

Jeremy Farrar, the head of the Wellcome Trust, and Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Edinburgh University, argued in Nature yesterday (22 May) that the use of antibiotics should be slashed to slow the rate at which resistance is spreading.

Their proposed new global panel would also work with industry to develop treatments for infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites. But it takes a decade to develop new drugs, and no new class of antibiotics has made it into clinical use in a quarter of a century.

“We have needed to take action against the development of antimicrobial resistance for more than 20 years,” said Dr Farrar. “Despite repeated warnings, the international response has been feeble. The more we use antibiotics, the more we stimulate resistance.”

The evolution of resistant strains is inevitable, but misuse of wonder drugs such as penicillin – discovered in 1929 by Sir Alexander Fleming at St Mary’s Hospital, London – has made it much worse.

Many patients stop taking antibiotics when they begin to feel better, before the infection has been completely killed. Because the surviving bugs are likely to be the ones with at least partial resistance, they then spread. Repeated cycles quickly leads to bugs that are immune to our drugs.

Antibiotics are also widely used as a growth promoter for livestock, despite a European Union ban.

Britain introduced a five-year antibiotic plan in 2013 to improve surveillance, educate medical professionals and spread best practice.

But, said Michael Moore of the Royal College of General Practitioners, “The problem of antimicrobial resistance is analogous to global warming. You’ve got to have an international policy,”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulrodgers/2014/05/23/fears-for-antibiotic-apocalypse-grow/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 06, 2014, 11:35:31 am
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/06/05/two-mosquito-borne-diseases-pose-serious-threat-to-florida/?intcmp=latestnews
6/5/14
Two mosquito-borne diseases pose serious threat to Florida

Two mosquito-borne diseases - dengue fever and chikungunya - are posing a serious threat to Florida and residents should take steps to control mosquito populations to try to limit the danger, a leading health expert said on Wednesday.

The Florida Department of Health, in its latest weekly report, said that through last week dengue fever had been confirmed in 24 people in Florida and chikungunya confirmed in 18 people. Both are viral diseases spread by mosquito bites.

All of the infected people in Florida have traveled to the Caribbean or South America and could have become infected there, according to Walter Tabachnick, director of the Florida Medical Entomological Laboratory in Vero Beach, which is part of the University of Florida.

Epidemiologists are worried that mosquitoes in Florida may have picked up the diseases by biting infected people, which could kick off an epidemic in the state, Tabachnick said.

"The threat is greater than I've seen in my lifetime," said Tabachnick, who has worked in the field for 30 years.

"Sooner or later, our mosquitoes will pick it up and transmit it to us. That is the imminent threat," he added
.

Tabachnick urged the public to eliminate standing water including in buckets and rain barrels where mosquitoes can breed. "If there is public apathy and people don't clean up the yards, we're going to have a problem," Tabachnick said.

Dengue is potentially fatal, and both diseases cause serious and lingering symptoms. The most common symptoms of chikungunya infection are fever and joint pain, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Tabachnick said the last statewide epidemics in Florida of dengue occurred in the 1930s. Localized epidemics of dengue occurred in 2013 in a small neighborhood in Jensen Beach where 24 people were infected, and in 2009 and 2010 in Key West where 28 people were infected, according to state and federal reports.

The Caribbean Public Health Agency said this week that authorities in 18 Caribbean countries or territories had reported more than 100,000 confirmed or suspected cases of chikungunya.

In the Dominican Republic, where health officials reported more than 53,000 suspected cases, hospitals in hard-hit areas are treating hundreds of new patients per day.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on July 11, 2014, 12:58:11 pm
Deadliest, Rarest Form of Plague Contracted Near Denver

A Colorado man is infected with the rarest and most fatal form of plague, an airborne version that can be spread through coughing and sneezing.

It is the first case of pneumonic plague seen in the state since 2004, said Jennifer House, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The man, who hasn’t been identified, may have been exposed in Adams County near Denver, health officials said in a statement. While House said the man has been hospitalized and treated, she wouldn’t release other details about his situation.

“He’s on treatment long enough to not be transmissible,” House said in a telephone interview. He may have contracted the illness from his dog, she said, which died suddenly and has also been found to carry the disease.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-11/deadliest-rarest-form-of-plague-contracted-near-denver.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on July 23, 2014, 07:50:58 am
Bubonic plague death in Yumen, China sparks quarantine: Xinhua

China has sealed off parts of its northwestern city of Yumen after a resident died of bubonic plague last week, state media reported on Tuesday. A 38-year-old victim was infected by a marmot, a wild rodent, and died on July 16. Several districts of the city of about 100,000 people in Gansu province were subsequently turned into special quarantine zones, Xinhua said.   

http://www.smh.com.au/world/bubonic-plague-death-in-yumen-china-sparks-quarantine-xinhua-20140723-zvx4w.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on July 28, 2014, 06:10:58 pm
http://wwlp.com/2014/07/19/deadly-mosquito-virus-reported-in-eastern-mass/
7/19/14
Deadly mosquito virus reported in eastern Mass.

LONGMEADOW, Mass (WWLP) — While Saturday wasn’t too hot or humid, like most of our summer has been, 22News found that our recent weather conditions have contributed to the arrival of a potentially deadly disease in the Bay State.

For the first time this year mosquitoes in Massachusetts have tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis, or triple E.

The Massachusetts Department of Health just confirmed that a July 15th laboratory test in Plymouth County has tested positive for EEE, a dangerous virus that can cause inflammation of the brain and in one third of cases, death.

Even though the only reported case of EEE in Massachusetts was more than 80 miles to our east, our chances in western Massachusetts of getting it just went up. But it probably wouldn’t be the mosquitoes bringing it here.

Birds are typically the long-range carrier of EEE, taking the disease over many miles. Mosquitoes then bite the birds and become the local source for infection when they bite a human.

Entomologist Bob Russell of American Pest Solutions told 22News, “Mosquitoes are an unusual insect because bacteria can survive in its gut and then it can be regurgitated or come out in its saliva when it bites, and that’s how you get transmission.”

The best defense against EEE is avoiding a mosquito bite. Wearing long clothes, avoiding wooded or wet areas and wearing bug spray with the chemical DEET should help with that.

“Especially my kids. Going to camp, I put the bug spray on. I try to put it more on their clothes so it’s not on their skin, or buy the one that’s more organic, but yah I do the bug spray,” said Caroline Beaudoin of Longmeadow.

Mosquitoes are out more in the early morning hours or around dusk, but on a cloudy day there are more of them out.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 01, 2014, 12:09:20 pm
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/64961
Illegal Immigration is Creating a Public Health Catastrophe

America is rapidly approaching the precipice when it comes to not just the quality, but even the availability of health care in this country.

ObamaCare has largely succeeded in its goal of undermining our health care system to the point where it will no longer be able to function effectively in almost any capacity (purposefully done so as to create the “need” for single-payer socialized medicine—which is what the Left has really wanted all along).  If one wonders what American health care under ObamaCare will look like ten years from now, one only need look at the current state of the Veteran’s Administration.  Veterans dying while waiting months or years for life-saving treatments.  Incompetence and mismanagement from the highest levels down to the lowest paper-pusher.  Uncaring bureaucrats who are more interested in protecting their turf and their pensions than in providing quality health care to those who served our country.

So the very, very last thing that the American health care system needs right now is the shock of a public health crisis that has the potential to explode within the next few years.

Yet, this is what we could be looking at, thanks to illegal immigration, which the current administration as well as a sizable number of legislators from both parties are actively trying to protect and encourage while completely failing to protect our borders.

Unknown to many Americans is the fact that over the past ten years, as illegal immigration across our southern border has surged, thanks to the lax policies of both Bush and Obama, we have seen the return of many diseases that were once thought to have been eliminated from the United States.  I’m talking about diseases like polio and the plague (yes, that plague).  Further, illegal immigrants (including the “children” in this recent rush across our border), most of whom are not being caught and detained by the Border Patrol,  have been bringing with them staph infections, scabies, and other infectious diseases.

Additionally we’re also starting to see the presence of vectors for diseases that are completely non-native to the United States, found only in…Central and South America.  A primary example of this would be the so-called “kissing bug,” or Triatomid bug, native to countries ranging from Honduras to Bolivia.  The “kissing bug” is the carrier for Chagas disease, a parasitic disease that is spread by the insect’s bites, and which attacks the digestive system and heart, creating conditions such as an enlarged colon or enlargement of the ventricles of the heart, which leads to heart failure with symptoms similar to those of a heart attack.  Often a person infected with the parasite that causes Chagas can display no symptoms for years or even decades, allowing them to carry it with them wherever they go, unknown, so that it can be transmitted through the bites of any kissing bugs that happen to also be present.

Chagas is already here in the USA; back in 2012 seven cases had already been reported in California and Arizona, where the kissing bug has been found.  The insect has also been found at several locations across Texas.  Even more recently, the kissing bug has been found as far from the border as Northern Virginia.  I’m sure that left-wingers and other open borders apologists will try to argue that we can’t be sure that illegal immigrants are bringing in the kissing bug and Chagas disease, but let’s use a little common sense here.  Both the insect and the disease are entirely non-native to the United States.  Instead, both are native to a large swath of geography (Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia, etc.) where many of the illegal aliens coming across our border are from.  They first appeared in the border states where most of these illegal aliens initially settle before they begin to work their way out across the rest of the country.  The insect (and hopefully ONLY it) have appeared in a place far from the border, but which is home to a large community of illegal immigrants.  You don’t have to be a rocket surgeon to figure out that something is going on here.  The kissing bug prefers warm, dark places and thus can easily hide inside clothing or personal possessions and be transported across international borders.

Knowing all of this, the wisdom of our ancestors in requiring immigrants to go through Ellis Island becomes much more apparent.  While Ellis Island is often viewed by open borders advocates with a starry-eyed nostalgia, the reality is that this processing station was primarily a quarantine zone designed to allow U.S. customs officials to weed out undesirable immigrants, including those with obvious signs of diseases.  Far from being the symbol of wide-open immigration that many today think it was, Ellis Island was actually the world’s biggest delousing station.  It (and other entry points like it) was there to protect us, not promote multiculturalism.

And this really gets to the crux of the issue, which is that the United States is in serious need of “immigration reform” that takes the health, safety, and well-being of Americans into account first and foremost.

Jobs are important.  The safety of our streets and cities is a necessity.  But the health and welfare of the American people is also a vital interest, one which is not served by settling thousands of undocumented “children” (which many of them are not) all across the country with practically no efforts to screen them out.  It’s almost like Obama wants to reintroduce these diseases into America as widely as he can.

Let’s face it, the type of immigrant you bring to your country is largely determined by what it is that induces them to come in the first place.  If the inducement is opportunity, freedom to work hard and make something of one’s self without government interference, entrepreneurship and the like, then you will get immigrants who want to do those things, and who are just looking for the freedom to do so.  If, on the other hand, the inducement is generous welfare benefits, “free” health care, social security for family members who chain migrate, and all the rest of the goodies bag, then you will get people who are primarily interested in cashing in on those things.

We used to get almost exclusively the former type of immigrant—and we generally benefited from this.  Now, unfortunately, we’re getting a larger and larger proportion of the latter—and are being swamped by the dregs of foreign societies as a result.

It stands to reason—those who are of the former type are the kind of people who will go through the process of coming here legally.  They tend to be more law-abiding, they tend to be more interested in taking care of themselves and those around them.  They tend to be the folks who are more “with it” anywise—have more foresight, are more self-reliant, are better educated because they’re more motivated and self-starting, etc.  These are the kind of folks that we’re discouraging from coming here by making it more difficult to come here the right way.  I know a guy from Liberia, a law-abiding born-again Christian with an advanced degree in computer engineering who has been trying to get his permanent visa (the next step toward citizenship for him) for over a decade, only to be stonewalled by bureaucrats at every step.  Meanwhile thousands jump our border every month and are pretty much allowed to stay without any hindrance whatsoever.

Just as those who abide the law tend to be one sort of person (the kind of person we want in America), the border jumpers tend to be the other type; they tend to be poorly educated, lack critical reasoning skills and foresight, and tend to be law-breaking, rather than law-abiding.  After all, if someone will break another country’s laws to come there illegally in the first place, it’s not a stretch to imagine that they’ll be willing to break other laws if they think it’s to their benefit.  This is why illegal aliens contribute grossly and disproportionately to the rates of all kinds of socially detrimental activities ranging from violent crime to drunken driving (which, if you think about it, is another way in which they’re piling on to the impending public health catastrophe).  Nevertheless, this type of person is also going to be the kind who is less likely to have regular health care, or even take care of themselves properly for that matter, and who thus is more likely to be a carrier for scabies, measles, polio, or tuberculosis.  And let’s face it, the illegal immigrants crossing our border are not exactly the cream of the crop from their societies back home.

We need to get a handle on the illegal immigration problem, and that right quickly.  If the Republicans are going to contribute to the problem so that they can curry favor with their Chamber of Commerce buddies rather than do what the large majority of the American people want, then the GOP needs to disappear and be replaced by a genuinely pro-American party that places the interests of law abiding Americans ahead of those of law-breaking illegal aliens.  Build the wall.  Deport illegals as you find them.  Rigorously enforce the laws against employing illegal aliens.  Cut off all welfare and other benefits for those who cannot prove citizenship.  No driver’s licenses for illegals.  Severely punish so-called “sanctuary cities” that aid and abet the law-breaking.

Every other nation in the world gets to guard its borders and decide who gets to come in and who doesn’t.  Mexico does it.  Canada does it.  Australia does it.  Japan does it.  European countries are even starting to figure it out.  Why can’t we be just as free to assert our nation’s sovereign right to affirm and defend our own borders?  I say we can, and I say we must.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on August 07, 2014, 06:01:26 am
Health Officials Issue Warning After Eagle County Man Dies From Hantavirus

A man in Eagle County has died from hantavirus, a disease that kills nearly half of the people who get infected.

“We have not had a case since 2005, so it is a little rare for us to see that in Eagle County,” said Jennifer Ludwig, Eagle County Public Health Director.

Just two weeks ago the man, who recently moved to Eagle County, was infected and died at a local hospital. Now county officials are urging people to be aware.

“Hantavirus is a very serious illness and about 40 percent of the cases are fatal,” Ludwig said.

In Colorado nearly all cases come from contact with the deer mouse’s excrement.

“The most important thing to not do is sweep or vacuum, because that causes the material to aerosolize,” Ludwig said.

The excrement is most commonly found near wood piles, or cleaning outhouses or sheds that were locked up for the winter.

Large muscle aches can be one sign of the virus.

“Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea are other signs and symptoms.”

Health officials say it can take six weeks to see symptoms.

“We don’t believe that anybody else was exposed or at risk,” Ludwig said. “This unfortunate event is an opportunity to let people know hantavirus, while rare, is still a threat in the community, as it is everywhere in Colorado.”

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/08/05/health-officials-issue-warning-after-eagle-county-man-dies-from-hantavirus/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on August 07, 2014, 06:02:14 am
Jefferson County Health Officials Warn About ‘Rabbit Fever’

Health officials in Jefferson County are warning the public to stay away from sick or dead rabbits because they may have “rabbit fever,” a disease that can infect humans.

It’s a disease of rabbits and beavers and rodents. It can be life-threatening in people, but if proper precautions are taken, the chances of getting it are pretty low.

Dave Volkel has been hunting for rabbits, but not just any rabbits.

“We’re looking for dead rabbits,” Volkel said.

If he finds one he’ll bag it and drop it in his cooler.

“I’ve got some ice that will keep it from going bad,” he said.

Volkel is an environmental health specialist with Jefferson County Public Health. He’s looking for rabbit carcasses to take to a lab for testing. He wants to see if the rabbits are dying from tularemia, a bacterial disease, which he says is common.

“We get cases in animals almost every year,” Volkel said.

But this year health officials are warning humans. “Rabbit fever” can be passed on if people handle sick or dead bunnies or if they’re bitten by an infected tick or flea. So far there are no confirmed human cases in Jefferson County.

“We had a rabbit from the southern part of the county near the town of Bow Mar that tested positive for tularemia,” Volkel said.

Volkel is checking the area around South Table Mountain Park because of reports of dead rabbits.

“We’re looking for any evidence that there might be rabbits in the holes.”

Volkel says “rabbit fever” can be prevented by avoiding exposure. Use insect repellent, and when coming across a bunny or any wild animal, no matter how adorable, leave it alone.

Tularemia does not spread from person to person. Symptoms can include high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a sore at the site where bacteria entered the body. It should be treated early with the right antibiotics.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/08/05/jefferson-county-health-officials-warn-about-rabbit-fever/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on August 22, 2014, 03:34:22 am
Pet owners warned after plague — PLAGUE! — confirmed in Colorado
http://news.yahoo.com/plague-boulder-colorado-124423854.html
8/21/14

Health officials in Colorado have issued a warning to residents in Boulder County that the bubonic plague has been found in fleas taken from a prairie dog.

Notices posted on fence posts around a 44-acre open-space property say that "wild rodents and other small mammals" including squirrels, prairie dogs and rabbits "may be infected with plague."

The signs recommend people treat their pets with anti-flea medication, avoid open spaces where the plague has been confirmed and avoid contact "with all sick or dead rodents." Other advice:

· Avoid fleas. Protect pets with flea powder or drops, or a new flea collar. Keep pets on a leash and out of wild rodent habitats.

· Avoid all contact with wild rodents, including squirrels; do not feed or handle them.

· Prevent rodent infestations around your house. Clear plants and material away from outside walls, reduce access to food items and set rodent traps.

· Treat known rodent sites around your home with flea powder or a suitable insecticide.


According to KUSA-TV, it is the first confirmed case of plague in Boulder County since 2011, when a domesticated cat and a dead squirrel tested positive for it. According to the Boulder County Public Health Department, two squirrels had been tested for plague earlier this year, but those tests came back negative.

"The fleas don't travel large distances, so it's nothing we're seeing spread or becoming an epidemic," Lane Drager, consumer protection coordinator for Boulder County Public Health, told the Daily Camera. "It's confined to that one area. But if pets are going into these areas, they are risking exposure for themselves and for those pet owners."

Still, locals should be on the lookout for symptoms of plague ("sudden onset of fever and chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, general feeling of systemic (whole body) illness, extreme pain and swelling in the lymph node") and seek immediate treatment.

Plague can be treated with antibiotics, the officials added, but treatment is “most successful when the disease can be diagnosed quickly."


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on August 23, 2014, 08:08:27 am
Myanmar struggles with ancient scourge of leprosy

HIGH IN THE hills of Myanmar’s war-torn borderlands, a clutch of new leprosy cases among communities virtually cut off from medical help is a sign that the country’s battle with the ancient disease is far from over.

It took six days by plane, boat, motorcycle, bus — and an arduous mountain trek — for a group of medical workers to treat two leprosy patients in a remote corner of the country, where conflict and neglect are the legacy of decades of military rule and even access to basic medicines is a distant dream.

But the charity-funded medics were also on the lookout for evidence that the disease had spread.

They soon found three more leprosy sufferers, including one man who had such a severe case he required hospital care.

“I promised him that I would come back for him or I would send someone to pick him up,” said Doctor Saw Hsar Mu Lar, after the May expedition, as he returned to his hospital in Mawlamyaing, Mon state — one of only two specialising in leprosy in Myanmar.

Weeks later the patient was still waiting to travel as tensions between the Myanmar army and local rebels closed transportation routes.

rest: http://www.thejournal.ie/leprosy-myanmar-1631051-Aug2014/


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on August 27, 2014, 07:04:20 am
Gonorrhoea ‘Sex Superbug’ In Australia

Concerns are mounting over a powerful new form of gonorrhoea after a patient was found to have the highest level of drug resistance to the disease ever reported in Australia.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/gonorrhoea-sex-superbug-in-australia/story-fneuzlbd-1227036896020?from=public_rss

This is so easily resolved. One man, one woman for life. End of story...


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 02, 2014, 06:31:05 pm
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29026023
Japan tackles first dengue fever outbreak in 70 years
9/2/14

The epicentre of the outbreak': The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from Tokyo's Yoyogi Park

Japan is battling its first outbreak of dengue fever in almost 70 years, with at least 22 people confirmed as being infected.

The health ministry said the cases were believed to have been contracted by visitors to Tokyo's popular Yoyogi Park.

An outbreak of dengue fever was last recorded in Japan in 1945.

The tropical disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, causes symptoms like high fever and severe joint pain.

Severe cases may require hospital treatment and can occasionally develop into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue, according to the World Health Organisation.

Japan sees imported cases of dengue fever each year, mostly from tourists who catch it while travelling to tropical regions, its health ministry said.

Domestic mosquitoes could have also picked up the dengue virus from tourists and passed it on, the ministry said.


Now the government is working to tackle the park thought to be the focus of the outbreak.

New warning signs have been put up and teams of workers in white overalls and masks have descended to spray insecticide and drain its ornamental ponds, says the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Tokyo.

The spread of the disease has been helped by an exceptionally wet summer but authorities say the outbreak should be killed off by the onset of autumn weather, our correspondent adds.

There are no vaccines or drugs against dengue but medical experts said avoiding mosquito bites was the best precaution.

A government hotline for dengue fever queries was also set up last week.

The disease is common in more than 100 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

At least 87 people died from dengue fever in Malaysia this year. An epidemic in India last year killed more than 100 people and inundated hospitals with patients.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 17, 2014, 12:24:10 am
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-29201796
 15 September 2014 Last updated at 03:00 ET

Health fears loom after Kashmir floods(India)

Officials in Indian-administered Kashmir say they are preparing for an outbreak of water-borne diseases more than a week after the region was hit by the worst flooding in decades.

More than 184,000 people have been rescued but authorities say another 100,000 people are still marooned.

Across the border in Pakistan 18 people died when a boat carrying a wedding party capsized in Punjab province.

The death toll in the two countries has passed 480 and is expected to rise.

Bridegroom among flooding dead in Punjab

Even though flood waters have been subsiding in recent days, many areas in India's Jammu and Kashmir region remain inundated and there are fears of an epidemic.

Reports from the ground speak of a stench of death from animal carcasses, rotting vegetables, overflowing drains and other filth.


India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visited Kashmir on Sunday to review the situation and promised all assistance to the state health authorities, an official statement said.

Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has sought the federal government's help in restoring health infrastructure affected by the floods and to carry out an extensive measles vaccination programme, the Mid-Day newspaper reported.

India's defence ministry said 13 tonnes of water purifying tablets and six water filtration plants with a capacity to filter 120,000 bottles a day had reached Srinagar.

But reports said with large parts of the region still under water, many people were still trapped on the roofs of their homes, and tens of thousands were in relief camps.

"It is going to take another three to four days to see the real damage. But right now, our biggest worry is about an epidemic breakout," OP Singh, director general of the National Disaster Response Force, said in Srinagar, AFP news agency reports.

"Many parts are still submerged in four to five feet of water and we are concentrating on supplying anti-diarrhoea, anti-infection medicines and using chlorine to avert diseases."

Across the border in Pakistan, swelling rivers continued to flood large parts of the country, affecting more than two million people.

Authorities say the army and emergency services have rescued more than 300,000 people.

In Sunday's boat accident near the Punjabi city of Multan, bridegroom Zahid Hamid was among those killed, an official said.

The boat, carrying more than 40 people, overturned due to the high pressure of flood water, he added. Two children were among the bodies brought to land.

The bride told a local television station that she had survived by grabbing onto an electricity pole.


Title: Mystery illness plagues girls in Colombia
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 19, 2014, 08:43:06 am
Mystery illness plagues girls in Colombia
http://news.yahoo.com/mystery-illness-plagues-girls-colombia-052825963.html
9/18/14

El Carmen de Bolivar (Colombia) (AFP) - A mystery illness is plaguing girls in this town in northern Colombia, and locals say a vaccine against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, or HPV, is to blame.

First their hands and feet feel cold. Then they go pale and cannot move. Some convulse and fall to the floor.

In El Carmen de Bolivar, near the port of Cartagena, dozens of teenagers have experienced similar symptoms. Some have even lost consciousness.

"They vaccinated me in May and I started fainting in August. My legs became heavy and I couldn't feel my hands anymore. When I woke up, I was in the hospital," recalled 15-year-old Eva Mercado.

She passed out seven times in a month.

For most of the families affected in this town of 67,000, there is no doubt about what is causing the problem.

They place the blame squarely on a vaccination campaign against HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, which can trigger cervical cancer.

The city's modest Nuestra Senora del Carmen hospital has been overwhelmed by a surge of unconscious teenage girls being wheeled through its doors.

Panicked fathers bring their daughters to the facility aboard their motorcycles, using the town's dirt roads.

Doctors search, in vain, for possible cases of hypoglycemia or drug abuse.

According to hospital official Augusto Agamez, about 370 minors have checked into the facility. There was also one boy among them.

"There is no diagnosis or specific treatment," Agamez told AFP, stressing that the hospital was also helping families cope with the unknown illness.

When they come to, the young patients learn breathing techniques from nurses.

They also receive saline solution and oxygen. Once back on their feet, the girls go home -- until the next spell.

- 'Not collective hysteria' -

"They brought me to the hospital 16 times last month," said Beatriz Martinez.

For the 15-year-old, it all started with headaches and backaches. Then her legs and hands gave in as well, forcing her mother to help her take baths.

The teenage girls affected by the mysterious malaise no longer go outside. Some don't even leave their homes.

"My daughter is not the same," said street vendor Jhon Jairo Mercaco, adding that, until now, his daughter had not been hospitalized since birth.

"I am desperate," said William Montes, a farmer who traveled down a mountain with his two daughters in a hammock to get them treated in town.

The epidemic has grabbed national headlines, and President Juan Manuel Santos has been forced to weigh in.

Insisting the HPV vaccination campaign was safe, Santos suggested the epidemic was no more than a "phenomenon of collective suggestion."

Those comments were met with tremendous anger in El Carmen de Bolivar, already shaken by Bogota's decades-long battle against the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

In the 1980s, clashes pitting government forces against the leftist rebels killed about 100 people here.

US drug giant Merck, which makes the Gardasil vaccine, said it was "confident in the safety profile" of its product.

"We continue to monitor adverse events reporting and are following this situation closely," it said in a statement to AFP.

"Merck/MSD will continue to support the ministry's immunization and monitoring efforts in Colombia."

Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria was met with boos and burned tires during a recent visit.

While promising a series of measures -- gathering data on patients, setting up new tests, providing psychological counseling -- the minister stopped short of suspending the vaccinations.

"We have no reason to stop at this time," Gaviria said.


Those words failed to reassure parents whose family and professional life have been upended by an illness whose origins are still unknown.

"This is not collective hysteria or manipulation. If you see your daughter have these symptoms after a vaccination, what else would you blame?" asked Maria Veronica Romera, the mother of a weakened 13-year-old.


Title: Re: Mystery illness plagues girls in Colombia
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 19, 2014, 08:45:37 am
It seems like they're calling alot of these illnesses popping up recently "mystery"...where have we heard this word before?

2Thes 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,


Title: More Than 700 Infants Exposed To TB At Texas Hospital
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 19, 2014, 10:40:17 pm
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/09/19/more-than-700-infants-exposed-to-tb-at-texas-hospital/
9/19/14
More Than 700 Infants Exposed To TB At Texas Hospital

EL PASO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — More than 700 infants at an El Paso hospital have been exposed to tuberculosis by an employee infected with the disease, according to public health officials.

The city’s Department of Public Health says the infants along with about 40 employees at Providence Memorial Hospital were exposed.

Officials say they were exposed from September 2013 to August. The employee worked in the hospital’s nursery. Officials said employment and medical records were reviewed to determine which infants and employees were exposed.

Dr. Hector Ocaranza, the health authority for El Paso County, says the hospital workers have been tested and officials are waiting on results. Letters were sent Thursday to the parents of the infants directing them to undergo screenings.

Ocaranza says TB is treatable and the exposure doesn’t represent a public health threat.

The CDC warns that tuberculosis, if not treated properly, can be fatal.

The El Paso Department of Public Health setup a website to provide updated information to the community, including a detailed calendar of potential exposure dates.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 21, 2014, 07:57:38 am
http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/09/15/number-of-chikungunya-cases-in-el-salvador-tops-16000
9/16/14
Number of chikungunya cases in El Salvador tops 16,000

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – At least 16,000 patient have contracted the chikungunya virus in El Salvador, prompting health officials in the Central American country to step up the fight Monday to eliminate disease-carrying mosquitoes.

“Of the 16,000 chikungunya cases, 11,000 are in the department of San Salvador,” where the capital is located, Health Minister Violeta Menjívar said during a press conference.

Menjívar said the country remains on “national alert,” which was declared last June for both the chikungunya virus and dengue, both transmitted by mosquitoes. She said officials would “intensify the response,” including stepping up fumigation efforts and national awareness campaigns aimed at reminding residents to eliminate stagnant water.

“We are calling for the unification of efforts by government agencies, municipalities and the Education Ministry [for a campaign] in schools,” the minister said.


Chikungunya fever is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, and causes a sudden high fever, skin rashes, pounding headaches, nausea and muscle pain.

Last month, Costa Rican health officials asked for a preventive alert to be issued after 13 patients tested positive for chikungunya here. The number of chikungunya cases in Costa Rica is nowhere near El Salvador’s 16,000 cases, and all of the Costa Rican patients contracted the virus while traveling abroad.

However, Costa Rican Health Ministry official Priscilla Herrera warned that “if the number of cases continues to increase [in Costa Rica], it will have a significant financial cost.”


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 26, 2014, 01:17:59 am
http://www.abc15.com/news/region-northern-az/flagstaff/official-fleas-test-positive-for-plague-at-doney-park-near-flagstaff
Official: Fleas test positive for plague at Doney Park near Flagstaff
9/24/14

FLAGSTAFF - Fleas collected near Flagstaff have tested positive for the plague, according to officials with the Coconino County Public Health Services District.

The fleas were collected and tested as part of surveillance being done by the CCPHSD Environment Health staff due to the die-off of prairie dogs in the area. The fleas were taken from burrows being monitored in the area near Doney Park.

Residents in the area were notified of the positive test and those burrows have since been treated. Officials will continue to monitor the situation to determine if the area will need to be treated again.

This is the first positive test of plague activity reported in Coconino County this year, but said the disease is "endemic to areas throughout the County and may be more widespread," in a press release.

The CCPHSD said symptoms typically appear in humans within two to six days following exposure to the disease. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, weakness, muscle pain and swollen lymph glands in the groin, armpits or limbs.

The disease is found in rodents, rabbits and predators that feed upon these animals. It can be transferred to humans by a bite from an infected flea or animal.


Health officials are encouraging the public to follow the tips below to lower their risk of exposure to the disease. It can be treated with antibiotic therapy if diagnosed and treated early.

TIPS TO LOWER RISK OF BEING EXPOSED TO THE PLAGUE:

    Do not handle sick or dead animals
    Prevent pets from roaming loose. Pets can pick up the infected fleas of wild animals and then pass fleas on to their owners. Cats with plague can also pass the disease onto humans directly through respiratory droplets.
    Note: Be aware, cats are highly susceptible to this disease.
    De-flea pets routinely.
    Avoid exposure to rodent burrows and fleas.
    Use insect repellents when visiting or working in areas where plague might be active or rodents might be present
    Wear rubber gloves and other protection when cleaning and skinning wild animals.
    Do not camp next to rodent burrows and avoid sleeping directly on the ground.
    If feeling ill, contact doctor right away.

Those noticing a sudden reduction in rodent activity, despite colder weather, could contact the CCPHSD Environmental Services at 928-679-8750.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 26, 2014, 10:11:09 pm
http://fusion.net/story/18273/chikungunya-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-deadly-disease-hitting-america/

Chikungunya. Say it with me: Chi-kun-GUN-ya. Now just the ladies: Chi-kun. Then the guys: gun-ya.

Anyway, get used to hearing that curious combination of syllables because there’s growing concern that chikungunya— which, despite its fun-sounding name is a very serious disease in Latin America—could become an increasing health concern in the United States in the months and years to come.

While all eyes are on the Ebola outbreak of West Africa, the U.S. is facing a lesser-known but equally viral outbreak of a different kind.

“The arrival of chikungunya virus, first in the tropical Americas and now in the United States, underscores the risks posed by this and other exotic pathogens,” Roger Nasci, Ph.D., chief of the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Arboviral Diseases Branch, said in  a press statement. “It is not known what course chikungunya will take now in the United States.”

So what is chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a viral disease that is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. The disease is not contagious and cannot be spread through human contact.

Similar to its tropical counterpart Dengue Fever, another mosquito-borne illness, the early symptoms of chikungunya are extremely high fever accompanied by severe joint pains, making it almost unbearable to walk. Other symptoms include a rash, muscle pain, headache, and fatigue.

Acute symptoms usually disappear within a week, though some patients have persistent joint pain that continues for months or years afterward. Death is unlikely, but can occur.

First diagnosed in Tasmania in the 1950s, the disease has since spread to Asia and Africa; an outbreak was reported in Europe in 2007.

Chikungunya was first diagnosed in the Americas last December, when the World Health Organization found a case in the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. Since then, a total of 729,178 suspected and 9,537 confirmed chikungunya cases had been reported in the hemisphere (see map below), according to most recent numbers from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Some 113 people have died in the Caribbean after contracting the virus, according to PAHO’s most recent numbers.


What kind of threat does it pose to the United States?

The CDC lists a total of 1,052 confirmed cases within the United States this year, almost all of which were contracted when travelling abroad. Two hundred and fifty two travel-related cases have been reported in New York alone, and an additional 195 in Florida.

But not everyone was infected overseas. In Florida, there have been 11 locally contracted cases since July, making it the first state that has become a host of infected mosquitoes, according to the CDC. Two of the cases were detected last week.

The Florida Department of Health is monitoring the cases and issuing weekly updates about the status and spread of the disease.

Chhikungunya in the United States

CHIK_Americas_Map-091614

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also have 278 and 25 locally contracted cases, respectively.

Could chikungunya spread beyond Florida?

Luckily for most of the country, the chill of Fall is already on its way, which means most gringo mosquitoes’ days are numbered. When the biting buggers are gone, so too is the immediate threat of chikungunya. So subtropical Florida remains an outlier. But the risk of spread in subsequent summer months is real, according to the CDC.

The two mosquitoes known to transmit the disease, the aedes albopictus and the aedes aegypti, both occupy large sections of the United States, from Florida and Texas all the way up to New Jersey.

map1

Experts worry that the disease will mutate (as diseases tend to do), and be able to be carried by other species of mosquitoes. In that case, the disease could spread across even larger swaths of the country.

The situation abroad

The chikungunya situation has become severe in many parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. In the Dominican Republic, authorities suspect that more than 400,000 people have contracted the disease. It has become so widespread that the disease has even inspired several popular songs and music videos. Check out the “chikungunya dance” around 3:00 of this video, depicting how infected people are likely to walk, due to severe joint pain:

Earlier this week, an outbreak was confirmed in Colombia, leading to at least one death. Just yesterday, health officials in neighboring Venezuela confirmed that 13 recent deaths of unknown causes were “strictly associated with the recent outbreak of chikungunya virus currently on the rise nationwide.”

Peru, meanwhile, declared a 90-day health emergency starting yesterday.

I don’t want to do the chikungunya dance. How do I protect myself?

According to the CDC, there is “no specific treatment, vaccine, or preventive drug is available for chikungunya virus infection.”

The best way to prevent getting the virus is to “avoid mosquito bites, use air conditioning or screens when indoors, use insect repellents, and wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors.”


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on September 29, 2014, 08:10:54 am
New mosquito-borne virus spreads in Latin America

An excruciating mosquito-borne illness that arrived less than a year ago in the Americas is raging across the region, leaping from the Caribbean to the Central and South American mainland, and infecting more than 1 million people. Some cases already have emerged in the United States.

While the disease, called chikungunya, usually is not fatal, the epidemic has overwhelmed hospitals, cut economic productivity and caused its sufferers days of pain and misery. And the count of victims is soaring.

In El Salvador, health officials report nearly 30,000 suspected cases, up from 2,300 at the beginning of August, and hospitals are filled with people with the telltale signs of the illness, including joint pain so severe it can be hard to walk.

"The pain is unbelievable," said Catalino Castillo, a 39-year-old seeking treatment at a San Salvador hospital. "It's been 10 days and it won't let up."

Venezuelan officials reported at least 1,700 cases as of Friday, and the number is expected to rise. Neighboring Colombia has around 4,800 cases but the health ministry projects there will be nearly 700,000 by early 2015. Brazil has now recorded its first locally transmitted cases, which are distinct from those involving people who contracted the virus while traveling in an infected area.

Hardest hit has been the Dominican Republic, with half the cases reported in the Americas. According to the Pan American Health Organization, chikungunya has spread to at least two dozen countries and territories across the Western Hemisphere since the first case was registered in French St. Martin in late 2013.

There have been a few locally transmitted cases in the U.S., all in Florida, and it has the potential to spread farther, experts say, but Central and South America are particularly vulnerable. The chief factors are the prevalence of the main vector for the virus, the aedes aegypti mosquito, and the lack of immunity in a population that hasn't been hit with chikungunya in modern medical history, said Scott C. Weaver, director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

"There are going to be some very large populations at risk down there, much larger than the Caribbean," Weaver said.

Chikungunya is a word that comes from the Makonde language of Tanzania in eastern Africa and translates roughly as "that which bends up," in reference to the severe arthritis-like ache in joints that causes sufferers to contort with pain. It's usually accompanied by a spiking fever and headache. There have been only 113 deaths linked to the region's outbreak, according to the most recent data, but chikungunya can be crippling.

Herman Slater, a 60-year-old gardener in Jamaica's capital of Kingston, said he was laid out for almost two weeks this month with unimaginable joint pain, hammer-pounding headaches and fevers that came in waves.

"I tell you, I was surprised by how painful it was. It was taking me five minutes to get out of bed, and then I could hardly even walk," Slater said. "My hands were so bad I couldn't open a bottle, couldn't comb my hair. Every night I was wet from sweat."

In acute cases, pain can last for months. Joanna Rivas, who works as a maid in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, said she has had joint pain since May, and her 12-year-old daughter's case is so severe the girl can't hold her pen at school. Both have been taking the pain reliever acetaminophen, the main treatment for chikungunya, which has no cure or vaccine.

Besides the suffering, chikungunya has caused economic damage with the cost of providing treatment and controlling mosquitoes and by absenteeism from work. A study by the Universidad Eugenio Maria de Hostos in the Dominican Republic found nearly 13 percent of businesses said they had people miss work because of chikungunya in June.

Authorities throughout the region have been spraying pesticide and encouraging people to remove water containers where mosquitoes can breed. Oxitec, a British company that has tested genetically modified aedys aegypti to combat dengue in Brazil, Cayman Islands and Panama, says it has received a surge of interest since the start of the outbreak.

Chikungunya, which has been known for decades in parts of Africa and Asia, is transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected person and then feeds on someone else. It may have found fertile ground in Latin America and the Caribbean because many people are outside in the daytime, when aedes aegypti bite, or lack adequate screens on their windows.

In an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Erin Staples of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said access to air conditioning to keep mosquitoes at bay might also be a factor. During an outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue in 1999 along the Texas-Mexico border, aedes aegypti were three times as abundant on the U.S. side but the number of people infected with dengue was twice as high on the Mexican side.

Conditions vary widely in the region. Haiti, where many people live in flimsy shacks with little protection from mosquitoes, has been hit hard. In Venezuela, air conditioning is widespread but the country has a shortage of insect repellent and pesticide sprayers due to the country's economic problems.

Staples said past outbreaks have been known to affect around 30 percent of a population, so there is room for the epidemic to grow, although it's too early to accurately project how many will get sick or whether chikungunya will become endemic to the region like dengue.

The good news is that people seem to acquire immunity to all major strains.

"We do believe currently that if someone is unfortunate enough to get infected, they should not be infected again," Staples said.

http://news.yahoo.com/mosquito-borne-virus-spreads-latin-america-180903793.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 29, 2014, 11:36:03 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/five-babies-texas-test-positive-tb-possible-mass-024303762.html
Five babies in Texas test positive for TB after possible mass exposure

AUSTIN Texas (Reuters) - Five babies have tested positive for tuberculosis infection in El Paso after being at a hospital where hundreds of newborns may have been exposed to TB by a diseased worker at the facility, health officials said on Saturday.

The El Paso Department of Public Health also increased the number of people who may have been exposed to 858. It had said earlier this month that 706 babies and 43 employees were possibly exposed to the infected worker between September 2013 and August 2014.

"It is important to point out that they (the babies) are not considered to have active TB disease," it said of the five who tested positive for the potentially deadly respiratory disease.

The employee, working in a nursery at Providence Memorial Hospital in El Paso, interacted with patients for months before being diagnosed with the disease, the department said.

Health and hospital officials were working to contact the affected families and would provide screening and follow-up care free of charge.

Tuberculosis, a potentially fatal disease that generally affects the lungs, can lay dormant in a person's body for months or years and is spread when person with an active case coughs, sneezes, or speaks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 30, 2014, 11:40:29 pm
http://www.inquisitr.com/1509027/forget-ebola-chikungunya-virus-creeping-into-southern-united-states/
Forget Ebola! Chikungunya Virus Creeping Into Southern United States
9/30/14

Ebola panic has spread all the way to the United States, even though the possibility of it actually spreading across American shores is dismally low. People might be better off preparing for the chikungunya virus, which has been reported several times throughout the southern United States — including a third case recently reported in the Dallas area, according to CBS.

Chikungunya virus has hit the hardest in the Central American and Caribbean countries of El Salvador and the Dominican Republican. Although exact number are unavailable for the Dominican, El Salvadorian officials are reporting that there are currently 30,000 cases of the chikungunya in the country, said Fox News Latino. The high number of citizens infected with the chikungunya virus is especially troubling because its its quick rate of growth — only 2,300 citizens were infected at the beginning of August, marking a more than 10-fold increase in less than two months.

While the chikungunya virus is typically not fatal, it is an extremely painful affliction. Those who catch the Chikungunya virus report joint pain so grave that it becomes difficult to walk. Catalino Castillo, a 39-year-old El Salvadorian infected with the chikungunya virus described the symptoms as unbearable.

    “The pain is unbelievable. It’s been 10 days and it won’t let up.”

Experts say the chikungunya virus does indeed have the potential to spread much further in the U.S., particularly in states like Florida that have a similar climate to the Caribbean and share a close proximity to the region. Scott C. Weaver, director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch, cautioned that chikungunya virus can terrorize any areas where the aedes aegypti mosquito is found and the local population does not have a natural immunity built up over time.

    “There are going to be some very large populations at risk down there, much larger than the Caribbean.”

Not every medical scientist is raising red flags though. When speaking with online medical journal Medscape, Robert Lanciotti, PhD, doubted that the United States could become seriously over-run with the chikungunya virus based on how the similar dengue virus was contained when it previously threatened the region.

    “I do not think that chikungunya will become established in the northern hemisphere. I think it will closely follow the pattern of dengue virus. With only a few exceptions in recent history, we have only isolated imported cases [in the United States,] and dengue is not endemic.”

Why chikungunya virus may not be as deadly as ebola, people in the southern U.S. should take preventative measures due to the possibility of infection, says Lanciotti.

    “The most important way to protect yourself from chikungunya is to keep mosquitoes out of your house. Here in the US, the main reason we don’t think we’re going to see major outbreaks is because people air condition their houses, or at least have screens that keep mosquitoes out.”


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on October 06, 2014, 06:38:06 pm
There Will Be Pestilences: Why Are So Many Deadly Diseases Breaking Out All Over The Globe Right Now?

Ebola, Marburg, Enterovirus and Chikungunya - these diseases were not even on the radar of most people coming into 2014, but now each one of them is making headline news.  So why is this happening?  Why are so many deadly diseases breaking out all over the world right now?  Is there some kind of a connection, or is the fact that so many horrible diseases are arising all at once just a giant coincidence?  And this could be just the beginning.  For example, there are now more than a million cases of Chikungunya in Central and South America, and authorities are projecting that there will be millions more in 2015.  The number of Ebola cases continues to grow at an exponential rate, and now an even deadlier virus (Marburg) has broken out in Uganda.  We have gone decades without experiencing a major worldwide pandemic, and many people believed that it could never happen in our day and time.  But now we could potentially see several absolutely devastating diseases all racing across the planet at the same time.

On Monday, we got news that the first confirmed case of Ebola transmission in Europe has happened.  A nurse in Spain that had treated a couple of returning Ebola patients has contracted the disease herself...

    A nurse's assistant in Spain is the first person known to have contracted Ebola outside of Africa in the current outbreak.

    Spanish Health Minister Ana Mato announced Monday that a test confirmed the assistant has the virus.

    The woman helped treat a Spanish missionary and a Spanish priest, both of whom had contracted Ebola in West Africa. Both died after returning to Spain.

    Health officials said she developed symptoms on September 30. She was not hospitalized until this week. Her only symptom was a fever.

How many people did she spread the virus to before it was correctly diagnosed?

Meanwhile, Ebola continues to rage out of control in West Africa.  It is being reported that Sierra Leone just added 121 new Ebola deaths to the overall death toll in a single day.  If Ebola continues to spread at an exponential rate, it is inevitable that more people will leave West Africa with the virus and take it to other parts of the globe.

In fact, it was being reported on Monday that researchers have concluded that there is "a 50 percent chance" that Ebola could reach the UK by October 24th...

    Experts have analysed the pattern of the spread of the disease, along with airline traffic data, to make the startling prediction Ebola could reach Britain by October 24.

    They claim there is a 50 percent chance the virus could hit Britain by that date and a 75 percent chance the it could be imported to France, as the deadliest outbreak in history spreads across the world.

    Currently, there is no cure for the disease, which has claimed more than 3,400 lives since March and has a 90 percent fatality rate.

I have written extensively about Ebola, but it is certainly not the only virus making headlines right now.

Down in Uganda, a man has just died from a confirmed case of the Marburg Virus...

    A man has died in Uganda's capital after an outbreak of Marburg, a highly infectious haemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola, authorities said on Sunday, adding that a total of 80 people who came into contact with him had been put under quarantine.

    Marburg starts with a severe headache followed by haemorrhaging and leads to death in 80% or more of cases in about nine days. It is from the same family of viruses as Ebola, which has killed thousands in West Africa in recent months.

    There is no vaccine or specific treatment for the Marburg virus, which is transmitted through bodily fluids such as saliva and blood or by handling infected wild animals such as monkeys.

The Marburg Virus is an absolutely horrible disease, and many consider it to be even more deadly than Ebola.  But the fact that it kills victims so quickly may keep it from spreading as widely as Ebola.

We shall see.

Meanwhile, a disease that sounds very similar to Ebola and Marburg has popped up in Venezuela and doctors down there do not know what it is...

    "We do not know what it is," admitted Duglas León Natera, president of the Venezuelan Medical Federation.

    In its initial stages, the disease presents symptoms of fever and spots on the skin, and then produces large blisters and internal and external bleeding, according to data provided week stop by the College of Physicians of the state of Aragua, where the first cases were reported.

    Then, very quickly, patients suffer from respiratory failure, liver failure and kidney failure. Venezuelan doctors have not been able to determine what the disease is, much less how to fight it.

Why aren't we hearing more about this in the mainstream news?

Here in the United States, enterovirus D-68 has sickened hundreds of children all over the country.  So far cases have been confirmed in 43 different states, several children have been paralyzed by it, and one New Jersey boy has died...

    Parents in New Jersey are concerned after a state medical examiner determined a virus causing severe respiratory illness across the country is responsible for the death of a 4-year-old boy.

    Hamilton Township health officer Jeff Plunkett said the Mercer County medical examiner's office found the death of Eli Waller was the result of enterovirus D-68. Waller, the youngest of a set of triplets, died in his sleep at home on Sept. 25.

    The virus has sickened more than 500 people in 43 states and Washington, D.C.— almost all of them children. Waller is the first death in New Jersey directly linked to the virus.

The CDC seems to have no idea how to contain the spread of enterovirus D-68.

So why should we be confident that they will be able to contain the spread of Ebola?

Last but not least, the Chikungunya virus is at pandemic levels all over Central and South America.

We aren't hearing that much about this disease in the U.S., but at this point more than a million people have already been infected...

    An excruciating mosquito-borne illness that arrived less than a year ago in the Americas is raging across the region, leaping from the Caribbean to the Central and South American mainland, and infecting more than 1 million people. Some cases already have emerged in the United States.

The good news is that very few people actually die from this disease.

The bad news is that almost everyone that gets it feels like they are dying.

In a previous article, I wrote about the intense suffering that victims go through.  According to Slate, the name of this virus originally "comes from a Makonde word meaning ‘that which bends up,’ referring to the contortions sufferers put themselves through due to intense joint pain."

Right now, the number of cases of Chikungunya is absolutely exploding.  Just check out the following excerpt from a recent Fox News report...

    In El Salvador, health officials report nearly 30,000 suspected cases, up from 2,300 at the beginning of August, and hospitals are filled with people with the telltale signs of the illness, including joint pain so severe it can be hard to walk.

    "The pain is unbelievable," said Catalino Castillo, a 39-year-old seeking treatment at a San Salvador hospital. "It's been 10 days and it won't let up."

    Venezuelan officials reported at least 1,700 cases as of Friday, and the number is expected to rise. Neighboring Colombia has around 4,800 cases but the health ministry projects there will be nearly 700,000 by early 2015.

So why is this happening?

Why are so many absolutely horrible diseases emerging all at once?

Please share what you think by posting a comment below...

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/there-will-be-pestilences-why-are-so-many-deadly-diseases-breaking-out-all-over-the-globe-right-now


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on October 15, 2014, 07:59:06 pm
Seriously whats next? The Black Death?

Lev 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
Lev 18:23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
Lev 18:24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
Lev 18:25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.


Virus-transmitting 'yellow fever' mosquitoes discovered in L.A. County

A new aggressive daytime-biting mosquito capable of transmitting debilitating and possibly deadly viruses has been found in the Los Angeles region, officials announced Wednesday.

Known as yellow fever mosquitoes, the insects were found Oct. 7 and 8 in Commerce and Pico Rivera, respectively, according to the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.

The Aedes aegypti species, which has black and white stripes and grows to about a quarter-inch in size, can transmit dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever -- viruses that can cause painful symptoms including headaches and high fever, officials said.

"While these debilitating viruses, so far, aren't locally transmitted in L.A. County, the mosquitoes that can transmit them are now here," Susanne Kluh, the district's director of scientific-technical services, said in a statement. "Infected travelers can bring these viruses to Los Angeles County."

The mosquito is the third species of the Aedes genus found in Los Angeles County in the past three years, said district spokesman Levy Sun.
lRelated California residents cautioned to look out for yellow fever mosquito

In September 2011, officials found Asian tiger mosquitoes, which come from Southeast Asia, in South El Monte and El Monte. The mosquito population has since grown and spread into 10 neighboring communities, officials said.

Then this summer, authorities found Australian backyard mosquitoes in Montebello and Monterey Park.

The yellow fever mosquito -- which was first found in California, including in the Central Valley, in 2013 -- is an aggressive daytime biter that thrives in urban environments, preferring small, man-made containers to lay eggs.

"We're aggressively attacking the populations wherever we find them," said Jason Farned, spokesman for the San Gabriel Valley Vector Control District.

Determining how the Aedes species were introduced to California has been difficult, but officials say imported tires and plants are typically to blame. They can also travel via planes, ships and other vehicles.

Officials urged residents to report any daytime-biting mosquitoes with black and white stripes.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-yelllow-fever-mosquito-los-angeles-20141015-story.html


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on November 23, 2014, 02:51:25 pm
Madagascar plague outbreak kills 40, says WHO

An outbreak of plague in Madagascar has killed 40 people and infected almost 80 others, the World Health Organization has said. The WHO warned of the danger of a "rapid spread" of the disease in the capital, Antananarivo. The situation is worsened by high levels of resistance among fleas to a leading insecticide, the WHO added.   

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30152979


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 23, 2014, 06:52:48 pm
Madagascar plague outbreak kills 40, says WHO

An outbreak of plague in Madagascar has killed 40 people and infected almost 80 others, the World Health Organization has said. The WHO warned of the danger of a "rapid spread" of the disease in the capital, Antananarivo. The situation is worsened by high levels of resistance among fleas to a leading insecticide, the WHO added.   

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30152979

I saw Leonard Hororwitz's Bioterrorism presentation the other day(about 2.5 hours long) - he detailed through and through how TPTB is using their bioterrorism agenda to create all of these pestilences and outbreaks.

Horowitz is a New Ager - but nonetheless it was a good watch. It's on Youtube(can't remember the title, but it was Hollywood, CIA, and Bioterrorism or something like that).


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 09, 2014, 11:32:04 am
https://gma.yahoo.com/whooping-cough-back-vengeance-california-025106938--abc-news-health.html
Whooping Cough Back With a Vengeance in California
12/8/14

Callie Van Tornhout was about a month old when her mother noticed that she'd developed a dry cough on a Sunday afternoon in January.

Soon the cough worsened, and Callie became pale and started throwing up, Callie's mother, Katie Van Tornhout told ABC News. By the middle of the week, Callie stopped breathing in her mother's arms in a pediatrician's waiting room and was rushed to the hospital.

On Saturday, less than a week after the cough first appeared, Callie died at 37 days old on Jan. 30, 2010. It wasn't until a few weeks later that tests confirmed the culprit: whooping cough.

That year, the country was in the midst of a major whooping cough outbreak, and all eyes were on California, which was experiencing its largest outbreak in 60 years. But the cough hit other states, too, including Minnesota and Callie's state: Indiana.

"The CDC was like, 'Didn't you have the TDaP vaccine when you were pregnant?'" Van Tornhout recalled. "We didn't know what that was."

Girl Prompts Small Change to Organ Transplant Policy

Texans Warned About Whooping Cough

Texas Church Tied to Measles Outbreak Preaching Vaccinations

California is again the the grips of a whooping cough outbreak, and this time it's even worse, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state is facing its worst outbreak in 70 years and has nearly 1,000 more cases than it did in 2010. As of Nov. 26, the state had 9,935 reported cases.

"The last time a series of outbreaks occurred across the country, California started the parade," said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. "And so this is a harbinger we are fearful of."

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is caused by bacteria and considered cyclical because cases peak every three to five years. It's especially serious in infants, who are more likely to catch it. About 50 percent of all children under a year old who catch whooping cough need to be hospitalized, and up to 2 percent of them die, according to the CDC.

Since children aren't due for their whooping cough vaccine -- called TDaP -- until they are 2 months old, the CDC recommends it for pregnant women so they can pass along the immunity to their unborn children. Van Tornhout said her doctor never told her about it, but now she works as an advocate for Every Child by Two, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about vaccine-preventable diseases.

"If it can happen to my child, it can happen to theirs," Van Tornhout said, adding that neither she nor her husband were sick before Callie caught the cough. At first, she was afraid she gave the cough to Callie, but health officials told her that she and Callie likely picked up the bacteria at the same time.

Whooping cough vaccine was developed in the 1940s and is very effective, Schaffner said, but developed a sour reputation for side effects, including high fever, swelling of the lymph nodes and others. So scientists developed a new vaccine that was lumped in with the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines to make TDaP. The new vaccine effectively prevents whooping cough but its effectiveness weakens over about 5 years, making the population more vulnerable to the bacteria's cyclical nature without regular boosters, Schaffner said.

Dr. Jeff Duchin, who also chairs the public health committee for the Infectious Disease Society of America, said the latest outbreak in California is a sign of what's to come until a better vaccine can be developed. What's most important is to make sure pregnant women get vaccinated, he said.

"This is a new reality for us in public health," he said.

Indeed, the country's all-time lowest total number of whooping cough cases occurred in 1976 with 1,010 cases, according to the CDC. Although the numbers have fluctuated per whooping cough's cyclical nature and aren't as high as they were in the 1930s, there were 48,277 cases in 2012, according to CDC data.

Since 2010, Van Tornhout has had three more children, and she's had the TDaP vaccine while pregnant with all of them. Still, she said her pregnant friends and family members have told her they had to ask their doctors for the shot.

"I'm hoping that parents realize that it's an issue," she said. "It's not just happening here and there. It's all over."


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on January 04, 2015, 07:48:36 am
Deadly Virus Claims First U.S. Victim

The CDC says it’s never seen anything like it before, and it’s already claimed a life in the U.S.

A new virus thought to be carried by ticks or other insects has been discovered following the death of a southeast Kansas resident during the summer, public health officials said Monday.

The new virus is called Bourbon virus, after Bourbon County, home of the patient who died. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said the patient's symptoms, including fever and fatigue, were similar to symptoms from other tick-borne diseases.

The Kansas health department said testing by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the patient had a virus not previously identified. Health department spokeswoman Aimee Rosenow said it's still not clear how much the Bourbon virus contributed to the patient's death.

"This was the first known instance and the only confirmed case," Rosenow said. "This is a new virus, and we are still learning."

The department said there's no specific vaccine or treatment for the disease from the Bourbon virus but described the risk as "minimal" during the winter, given health officials' belief that it is transmitted through tick or insect bites.

http://www.weather.com/news/news/bourbon-virus-takes-first-us-victim


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 19, 2015, 03:17:47 pm
'Superbug' outbreak raises questions about medical tool
http://news.yahoo.com/7-infected-2-dead-superbug-outbreak-hospital-090507770.html
2/19/15

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A "superbug" outbreak suspected in the deaths of two Los Angeles hospital patients is raising disturbing questions about the design of a hard-to-clean medical instrument used on more than half a million people in the U.S. every year.

At least seven people — two of whom died — have been infected with a potentially lethal, antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria after undergoing endoscopic procedures at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center between October and January. And more than 170 other patients may have been exposed as well, university officials said.

UCLA said the infections may have been transmitted through at least two contaminated endoscopes that were used to diagnose and treat pancreatic and bile-duct problems.

The infections occurred even though the instruments had been cleaned according to the manufacturer's instructions, the hospital said.

The episode is the latest in a series of outbreaks involving such instruments.

"You can very easily do everything right and still have some contamination," said Dr. Deverick Anderson, an infectious-disease expert at Duke University. "We're finding this is a problem, but it's probably one that we don't have a very good solution to right now."

Lawrence Muscarella, a Philadelphia infection-control expert, said the recent incidents point to a design flaw that needs to be addressed.

An endoscope — or more specifically in this case, a duodenoscope — is a thin, flexible fiber-optic tube that is inserted down the throat to enable a doctor to examine an organ. It typically has a light and a miniature camera.

"We notified all patients who had this type of procedure, and we were using seven different scopes. Only two of them were found to be infected. In an abundance of caution, we notified everybody," UCLA spokeswoman Dale Tate said.

The hospital said it has since changed its disinfection procedures, and they go beyond normal standards.

On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory warning doctors that even when a manufacturer's cleaning instructions are followed, infectious germs may linger in the devices. Their complex design and tiny parts make complete disinfection extremely difficult, the advisory said.

In a statement, the FDA said is trying to determine what more can be done to reduce such infections. But it said that pulling the device from the market would deprive hundreds of thousands of patients of "this beneficial and often life-saving procedure."

"The FDA believes at this time that the continued availability of these devices is in the best interest of the public health," the agency said.

More than 500,000 patients undergo procedures using duodenoscopes in the U.S. every year, according to the FDA.

The company that supplied UCLA's equipment, Olympus Medical Systems Group, did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.

The germ is known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, and similar outbreaks have been reported in hospitals around the nation. They are difficult to treat because some varieties are resistant to most known antibiotics.

Healthy people usually don't get CRE infections; infections typically occur in patients in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care settings.


By one estimate, CRE can contribute to death in up to half of seriously infected patients, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CRE can cause infections of the bladder or lungs. Symptoms can include coughing, fever and chills.

The bacteria may have been a "contributing factor" in the deaths of two UCLA patients, the university said. Those who may have been exposed are being sent free home-testing kits that the university will analyze.

National figures on the bacteria are not kept, but 47 states have seen cases, the CDC said.

One outbreak occurred in Illinois in 2013. Dozens of patients were exposed to CRE, with some cases apparently linked to a tainted endoscope used at a hospital.

A Seattle hospital, Virginia Mason Medical Center, reported in January that CRE linked to an endoscope sickened at least 35 patients, and 11 died, though it was unclear whether the infection played a role in those deaths.


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on February 21, 2015, 06:14:17 am
CDC discovers new virus in Kansas

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday the discovery of a new virus that may be spread through tick or insect bites. The virus may have contributed to the 2014 death of a Kansas man who was otherwise healthy.

Working with experts from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and University of Kansas Medical Center (UKMC), researchers found that the virus is part of a group of viruses called thogotoviruses. The virus was named Bourbon virus for the county in which the patient lived. The case is the first time a thogotovirus has been shown to cause human illness in the U.S. and the eighth known case of it causing symptoms in people.

According to the report, the patient, who was over 50 years old, was working outside on his property in late spring 2014 when he received several tick bites and
found an engorged tick on his shoulder. Several days later, he fell ill with nausea, weakness and diarrhea. The next day, he developed a fever, anorexia, chills, headache, myalgia, and arthralgia. The patient visited his primary care physician on the third day, at which point he was prescribed an antibiotic for a presumed tickborne illness.  The next morning, his wife found him experiencing reduced consciousness and we was taken to the local hospital.

Test results for many infectious diseases came back negative and a sample of the patient’s blood was sent to the CDC, which found evidence of an unidentified virus. Researchers used Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) and determined it was a new virus.

According to the news release, the CDC is working with KDHE and UKMC to identify additional cases of Bourbon virus disease, determine who gets sick and with what symptoms, and how people are getting infected. CDC experts are also working to better understand the virus itself to potentially prevent and control Bourbon virus.

CDC researchers believe other undiscovered viruses are likely causing illness, with this finding and recent discoveries of Heartland virus in Missouri and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome viruses in China.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/02/20/cdc-discovers-new-virus-in-kansas/?intcmp=ob_homepage_health&intcmp=obnetwork


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 28, 2015, 05:11:51 pm
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/three-leprosy-cases-confirmed-in-florida/
Three leprosy cases confirmed in Florida



Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on March 01, 2015, 06:23:41 am
Nine-banded armadillos believed to have caused LEPROSY in Florida patients

    Three people in Volusia County diagnosed with leprosy since October
    Two of the cases believed to be from contact with armadillos
    The disease, more common in southern states, can incubate for ten years


Three people have been diagnosed with leprosy in Florida and some of the cases are thought to be linked to armadillos.

Health officials in Volusia County said that the cases are not related, though two of those who have been diagnosed with Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, since October had been in contact with nine-banded armadillos.

The incubation period for the disease can run up to 10 years, so the armadillo exposure did not have to be recent, Dr. Paul Rehme of the Volusia County Health Department told WESH.

Scroll down for video

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2973629/Nine-banded-armadillos-thought-caused-LEPROSY-Florida-patients.html#ixzz3T8VEprp9


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on April 03, 2015, 08:30:12 am
Imported drug-resistant stomach bug spreading in US

A drug-resistant strain of a nasty stomach bug made its way into the U.S. and spread, causing more than 200 illnesses since last May... Many cases were traced to people who had recently traveled to the Dominican Republic, India or other countries. Outbreaks of the shigella (shih-GEHL'-uh) bacteria are not unusual, but this strain is resistant to the antibiotic most commonly prescribed for adults.   

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_IMPORTED_SUPERBUG?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-04-02-14-45-09


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on April 06, 2015, 06:55:27 am
Fleas test positive for plague near Flagstaff

Coconino County officials are taking precautions after finding fleas collected in Picture Canyon northeast of Flagstaff have tested positive for plague.

The Arizona Daily Sun reported Friday that the County Public Health Services District is conducting additional tests and disinfecting prairie dog burrows.

Public health officials collected the fleas around trails in the popular hiking area after noticing some prairie dogs dying off.

The positive test is the first sign of plague activity in the county since last September in Doney Park.

Officials are advising residents to take precautions such as using insect repellent and to avoid handling sick or dead animals.

Symptoms of plague appear within two to six days after initial exposure. They can include fever, chills, swollen lymph glands and muscle pain.Coconino County officials are taking precautions after finding fleas collected in Picture Canyon northeast of Flagstaff have tested positive for plague.

The Arizona Daily Sun reported Friday that the County Public Health Services District is conducting additional tests and disinfecting prairie dog burrows.

Public health officials collected the fleas around trails in the popular hiking area after noticing some prairie dogs dying off.

The positive test is the first sign of plague activity in the county since last September in Doney Park.

Officials are advising residents to take precautions such as using insect repellent and to avoid handling sick or dead animals.

Symptoms of plague appear within two to six days after initial exposure. They can include fever, chills, swollen lymph glands and muscle pain.

http://www.azfamily.com/story/28724768/fleas-test-positive-for-plague-near-flagstaff?autostart=true


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 10, 2015, 04:33:24 pm
http://cubiclane.com/2015/04/09/powassan-virus-deadly-powassan-virus-on-the-rise-in-the-us-60-cases-of-powassan-virus-in-10-years-31131
4/9/15
POWASSAN VIRUS: DEADLY POWASSAN VIRUS ON THE RISE IN THE US, 60 CASES OF POWASSAN VIRUS IN 10 YEARS

Powassan virus – Just when you think the tick-borne diseases couldn’t get worse, the Center for Disease Control just released the data on the new Powassan (POW) virus that is NOW making its way across the United States, and it’s scary.

For years, the CDC has been monitoring the evolution of the Powassan virus in the COUNTRY. “The virus is becoming more common, particularly in the Northeast,” said Dr. Philip Armstrong, a medical entomologist.

According to the CDC, “Signs and symptoms of infection can include fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, seizures, and memory loss. Long-term neurologic PROBLEMS may occur.”

“Powassan virus can ENTER the blood within 15 minutes, but this was a measure they learned using mice as a study, so we can’t know exactly how it works with humans and how quickly it works,” said Dr. Jody Gangloff-Kafuman of Cornell University.

The CDC also adds that people with severe POW virus illnesses often need to be hospitalized to receive respiratory support, intravenous fluids, or medications to reduce swelling in the brain.

There have only been 60 human cases of Powassan in the United States within the past 10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but Armstrong said the virus is still worth keeping an eye on.

There is currently no treatment for Powassan. “It’s not YOUR average Lyme disease. It’s transmitted within 15 minutes of the bite. Lyme disease, if you see a tick on you and pull it off within 24 hours you won’t get it,” said US Senator Charles Schumer of the Powassan virus. “For Powassan, you have a one out of three chance of actually dying if you get bitten by it. It’s a deadly disease and there is no cure.”


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on April 16, 2015, 01:48:54 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/canine-flu-outbreak-sickens-hundreds-dogs-midwest-211221228.html
Canine flu outbreak sickens hundreds of dogs in Midwest
4/15/15

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A canine flu outbreak has sickened many dogs in the Midwest, and veterinarians are cautioning pet owners to keep their dogs from going nose-to-nose with other four-legged friends.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine says the virus has sickened at least 1,000 dogs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. Recent tests from the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have identified the strain as H3N2. Clinical assistant professor Keith Poulsen says it's not yet known how effective current vaccines are against this strain, which is believed to have come from Asia.

He said an older strain, H3N8, has also been detected in the region.

Both viruses can cause persistent cough, runny nose and fever in dogs. Experts say a small percentage will develop more severe symptoms. The H3N2 infection has been associated with some deaths.

Poulsen said pet owners with sick dogs should call a veterinarian to schedule a test outside the veterinary clinic and should not bring dogs into areas where they could interact with other dogs.

"It's really no different if you're talking about dogs or toddlers, if you think they're sick, don't bring them to day care," Poulsen said.

Veterinarians say neither canine strain is related to bird flu or is contagious to humans, but the H3N2 strain could sicken cats.

Renee Brantner Shanesy, who owns the Ruffin' It Resort in Madison, said the kennel required immunizations against H3N8 for all dogs boarded there late last week. Shanesy said she's now recommending, not requiring, the vaccination after veterinarians said it won't protect against H3N2.

"The philosophy we're taking is, just like the human flu, everyone has to take the precaution for himself," she said.

Shanesy said she hasn't seen panic among dog owners, but the kennel is increasing its sanitizing practices. She said she had her two dogs vaccinated and she has cut out trips to the dog park to reduce the risk of exposure.

"Like any other pet owner right now, I'm not 100 percent comfortable," Shanesy said. "Anything I can do to give them a better chance of immunity, I'm in."

Sarah Duchemin, who works at The Dog Den in Madison, said the kennel has been monitoring its dogs for symptoms, and that if a dog shows up with a runny nose or is sneezing, the animal would be isolated and sent home. She said the kennel hasn't had a dog show any flu symptoms yet, but it cleans its floors and cages every day to prevent the spread of disease.

Luanne Moede, owner of the First Class Pet Lodge in Wausau, told the Wausau Daily Herald that clients are being asked if dogs have traveled out of state. Moede also said she's informing pet owners about the disease.

In Illinois, vets say the cases are slowing but are still coming in. Chicago resident Jennifer Roche's mixed-breed dog, Roxy-Rocket, is recovering after coming down with canine flu while boarded at Tucker Pup's Dog Activity Center last week while the family was away during spring break. Roche knew she was taking a risk by boarding the family pet during the outbreak, but she feels the facility handled it well when the dog began to cough.

"They got her to the vet right away and she was on antibiotics right away," Roche said. "It feels a lot like when my kids get the flu. ... I'm going to be watching her very closely when the antibiotics run out."


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on April 19, 2015, 09:32:10 am
A "mysterious" disease has killed at least 18 people in the past several days in south-western Nigeria, local officials say.

The outbreak started in the Ode-Irele town, Ondo state, and spread rapidly.

The disease - characterised by blurred vision, headache and loss of consciousness - killed the victims within 24 hours of falling ill.

Local health officials and World Health Organization experts are now in the town to try to identify the disease.

Laboratory tests have so far ruled out Ebola or any other virus, Ondo government spokesman Kayode Akinmade was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

He described the illness as "mysterious".

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told AFP that all of those affected started showing symptoms between 13-15 April.

The unidentified disease appears to be attacking the central nervous system, state health commissioner Dayo Adeyanju told Nigeria's Premium Times.
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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32365830


Title: Re: Pestilence Watch:
Post by: Mark on May 01, 2015, 07:21:01 am
Dog Infects Humans With Plague for First Time in US

 A plague-infected dog spread the dangerous disease to four Colorado residents, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials told ABC News that this the first report of a dog infecting a human with the plague in the U.S.

The dog, a 2-year-old American pit bull terrier, became sick last summer with a fever and jaw rigidity, among other symptoms. The dog's health declined so quickly that it was euthanized the following day at a local vet's office, health officials said.

 Four days later, the dog's owner entered the hospital with a fever and a bloody cough that became worse over the next few hours, but an initial blood culture was misidentified, according to the CDC report.

As the patient's symptoms grew worse, the test was redone and he was found to have been infected with pnumonic plague, according to the CDC report. The remains of the dog were also tested and were found to be positive for the plague bacteria.

"Frankly one of the biggest surprises of this outbreak is the source," said John Douglas, of Tri-County Health Department in Colorado and one of the study authors. "Primarily ... dogs don’t get sick at all or they get a minor illness," after being infected with the plague.

Janine Runfola, of the Tri-County Health Department in Colorado and lead author of the report, explained that cats are more likely to infect humans with the disease than dogs because they exhibit more symptoms.

"For pneumonic plague a more likely scenario would be you have a cat [play] with prairie dogs and infected fleas get on the cat," Runfola said. "The cat gets sick and sneezes and coughs on its owner."

 The dog's owner remained hospitalized for 23 days as he recovered from the potentially deadly disease, the report said. In addition to the owner, a close contact of the owner and two veterinary employees who treated the dog or handled its body also became infected with the plague. All three were successfully treated with medication after exhibiting symptoms.

The plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and can infect the body in different ways. For example a flea bite can lead to infection of the glands, which is called bubonic plague -- notorious for the epidemics it spawned during the Middle Ages in Europe. Because this plague was spread from dog to owner through coughing, it developed into pneumonic plague, according to Douglas.

The plague is known to be endemic to prairie dogs in the American Southwest, which can then lead to isolated outbreaks of the disease in domestic animals or humans.

"Pneumonic plague is the worst form," said Douglas. "It’s the one that you least want to get. You get sick fast and the chances of getting a rocky or even fatal course" are increased.

The plague is incredibly rare in the U.S. with an estimated eight infections in the country reported every year. Douglas said pneumonic plague is even rarer and accounts for just 3 to 5 percent of plague cases.

Douglas said the case shows the importance of considering all the options when diagnosing a patient, even extremely rare options like the plague.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/dog-infects-humans-plague-time-us/story?id=30710741


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 12, 2015, 09:07:21 am
Drug-resistant typhoid 'concerning'

Antibiotic-resistant typhoid is spreading across Africa and Asia and poses a major global health threat, warn experts.

Researchers from the Wellcome Trust, who have been tracking the hard-to-treat infection, say it is replacing regular typhoid in many countries.

They analysed bacterial samples from 63 countries - nearly half were impervious to standard antibiotic treatments.

Over-reliance on these drugs is to blame, they say in Nature Genetics.

Increasingly, doctors now need to use other, more expensive and less readily available antibiotics to treat typhoid fever - a disease that kills around 200,000 people each year.

Creeping resistance

The Wellcome Trust work is the largest snapshot of what is happening globally to typhoid resistance.

It shows the problem is widespread.

In many parts of Asia and Africa, where typhoid is endemic, a multidrug-resistant strain of typhoid called H58 has displaced other typhoid strains that have been around for centuries.

Of the 63 countries the researchers looked at, 21 had H58.

Dr Kathryn Holt, from the University of Melbourne and one of the study authors, said H58 was gaining a firm foothold.

"Multidrug-resistant typhoid has been coming and going since the 1970s and is caused by the bacteria picking up novel antimicrobial resistance genes, which are usually lost when we switch to a new drug.

"In H58, these genes are becoming a stable part of the genome, which means multiple-antibiotic resistant typhoid is here to stay."

The researchers say the global creep of H58 needs urgent international attention.

A third of the world's population is at risk of getting typhoid.

It is caused by the highly contagious bacterium Salmonella typhi, spread from person to person by food and water that is contaminated with traces of infected faeces or urine.

Improved water, sanitation and hygiene could dramatically cut the number of infections, but the investment needed to do this may be our of reach for many developing countries.

There are vaccines against typhoid, but they are not available in all parts of the world, nor are they 100% protective.

A spokeswoman for the World Health Organization said: "Limiting the inappropriate use of antibiotics is part of the solution, and surveillance systems to identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria need to be improved to identify hotspots and intensify prevention and control measures."


http://www.bbc.com/news/health-32687312


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 22, 2015, 10:25:10 am
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/05/22/salmonella-outbreak-linked-to-raw-tuna-sickens-53-in-nine-states-officials-say/
5/22/15
Salmonella outbreak linked to raw tuna sickens 53 in nine states, officials say

LOS ANGELES –  A salmonella outbreak likely linked to raw tuna has sickened 53 people in nine states, health officials said Thursday.

Most of the cases — 31 — are in California, officials at the California Department of Public Health said. Other affected states include Arizona, Illinois, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Ten people have been hospitalized but no deaths have been reported, according to state and federal officials. The source of the outbreak is unknown, but most who fell ill reported eating sushi containing raw tuna.

"At this time, a common brand or supplier of raw tuna has not been identified," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website.

Salmonella is a bacteria and the most common source of food poisoning in the U.S. Symptoms include diarrhea, cramping and fever.

Health officials said the elderly, young children, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems should not eat raw fish or raw shellfish.

"This is a good reminder to Californians that there are sometimes risks when eating raw or undercooked meats, fish or poultry," Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 09, 2015, 11:00:16 am
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/09/health/us-tuberculosis-patient
6/8/15
Patient with drug-resistant tuberculosis being treated in Maryland

(CNN)Health authorities are working to identify people who may have been exposed to a patient with a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis.

The patient traveled in April from India to the United States, through Chicago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. Seven weeks after arriving, the patient -- who also spent time in Missouri and Tennessee -- sought treatment and was diagnosed with active tuberculosis.

She has an extensively drug-resistant form of tuberculosis, or XDR-TB, which is a relatively rare form of the disease that is resistant to at least four of the core anti-TB drugs, according to the World Health Organization.

Contact tracing is underway, and the CDC is seeking people who may have had prolonged close contact with the woman, including those who sat in the same row or near the woman on the flight.

"The likelihood that this person transmitted the illness is low, but this is a very serious illness so we can't take any chances, and need to get the close contacts in for testing," said Tom Skinner, a spokesperson at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "TB is a very serious illness and the XDRTB version is difficult to treat."

Tuberculosis, commonly called TB, is a bacterial infection that can be spread through the air. The bacteria usually attack patients' lungs but can also hit the kidneys, spine and brain. Tuberculosis can be fatal.

But there's "no reason to panic" if a person was on the same flight as the patient, says Dr. Randall Reves, professor at the University of Colorado in Denver and an international consultant on TB.

It's important for those to follow up with a doctor for evaluation, because it could take up to eight weeks to detect a positive TB test after exposure.

People can acquire TB in one of two ways. It can either develop in someone receiving treatment for active TB, when anti-TB drugs are misused, or it can spread from a patient already ill from XDR-TB.

XDR-TB patients can be cured, but their odds are worse than patients with ordinary TB.


The patient in question is being treated and in stable condition at the National Institutes of Heath Clinical Center in Maryland, the CDC said.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 15, 2015, 10:16:58 pm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/05/the-largest-grocer-in-the-texas-is-now-rationing-eggs/
Egg rationing in America has officially begun
6/5/15

In recent days, an ominous sign has appeared throughout Texas. "Eggs [are] not for commercial sale," read warnings, printed on traditional 8 1/2-by-11-inch pieces of white paper and posted at H-E-B grocery stores across Texas. "The purchase of eggs is limited to 3 cartons of eggs per customer."

H-E-B, which operates some 350 supermarkets, is one of the largest chains not only in the state, but in the whole country. And it has begun, as the casual but foreboding notices warn, to ration its eggs.

[7 maps and charts that explain the egg crisis everyone will soon be talking about]

"The United States is facing a temporary disruption in the supply of eggs due to the Avian Flu," a statement released on Thursday said. "H-E-B is committed to ensuring Texas families and households have access to eggs. The signs placed on our shelves last week are to deter commercial users from buying eggs in bulk."

The news, as the grocer suggests, comes on the heels of what has been a devastating several months for egg farmers in the United States. Avian flu, which has proven lethal in other parts of the world, has spread throughout the United States like wildfire. Since April, when cases began spreading by the thousands each week, the virus has escalated to a point of national crisis.

As of this month, some 46 million chickens and turkeys have been affected, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nearly 80 percent of those are egg-laying hens, a reality that has been crippling for the egg industry.

But it's becoming increasingly clear that it isn't merely those who produce eggs that will suffer. Those who eat them will pay a price, too.

The wholesale price of eggs sold in liquid form (a.k.a. egg beaters, the kind used by large food manufacturers) has skyrocketed — from $0.63 per dozen to more than $1.50 — since the virus began to spread. While that stands to affect the price of breads, pastas, cakes and other commercial confections made with eggs, it also bodes poorly for food service providers, such as McDonald's, which sell millions of egg-filled meals every morning. Texas-based fast-food chain Whataburger recently announced that it will be shortening its breakfast hours for the foreseeable future.

"We know this is no fun for anyone and hope this doesn’t last long, and we apologize the supply of eggs cannot currently meet demand," the company wrote on its Facebook page.

In-shell egg prices have risen too. The average price per dozen has just about doubled since the end of May, according to the USDA. Have a look at that red line in chart below.

 
But incremental price increases are hardly as noticeable as strict limits on purchases, such as those already appearing at one of the country's largest supermarket chains, which makes the signs at H-E-B stores all the more foreboding. H-E-B has called the disruption "temporary" but hasn't delineated any time frame for the three-dozen-egg limit.

Given how fruitless efforts have been to contain the flu so far, it's hard to imagine the system will be flooded with a fresh stream of eggs any time soon. It seems likely, in other words, that other grocers will begin rationing eggs, too, before H-E-B is able to sell patrons as many as they wish to eat.

And with each wrinkle of bad news, the idea of a national egg shortage, which was once uttered as though it were a mere apocalyptic musing, is suddenly looking like a real possibility.



Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 20, 2015, 11:45:27 am
http://www.accuweather.com/en/features/trend/deadly_flesh-eating_bacteria_kills_two_florida_warm_water_beach_threat/48864465
6/20/15
Flesh-Eating Bacteria Kills Two in Florida as Water Temperatures Rise

Cases of Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria that has already claimed two lives in Florida this year, may be more widespread as a warming trend continues.

A total of eight Vibrio vulnificus cases have been reported so far in 2015 across six different counties. Two cases resulted in death- one in Brevard County and one in Marion County.

The bacteria thrives in areas of warm water including oceans, lakes and rivers. Most cases occur in Gulf Coast states.

"Much of Florida had early season heat during April and May, which helped to push water temperatures to warm levels early on this season," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. "Since the weather pattern will remain quite warm through the summer and early autumn, water temperatures will likely remain at sufficiently warm levels to sustain the Vibrio vulnificus for an extended period."

Areas of brackish water, where salt and fresh water mix, can host larger populations of the bacteria. Risk of infection is highest during summer months due to the peak water temperatures.

Infections are rare as bacteria enters the body through open wounds or by eating infected shellfish. Still, with warmer-than-normal conditions affecting Florida so far this season, cases may be on the rise.

Once infected, symptoms can range from vomiting and abdominal pain to skin breakdown and ulceration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly 50 percent of Vibrio vulnificus cases prove fatal.

The bacteria is also more likely to target those with compromised immune systems.

The Florida Department of Health issued a statement encouraging visitors to spend time at Florida beaches, citing safe conditions.

"Florida's beaches and water are safe to enjoy responsibly-risk of infection is minimal if you take proper precautions," they said in a press release.

In 2014, the state recorded 32 total cases, seven of which resulted in death.

Those with open wounds, cuts or scrapes should avoid entering warm bodies of water. Anyone who may have swum in the waters is encouraged to properly rinse off after ocean contact. Additionally, shellfish should be properly cooked, eliminating any remaining bacteria.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on August 26, 2015, 05:48:38 am
US reports unusual spike in human plague cases

An unusually high number of cases of human plague have been recorded by US health authorities since April -- 11 in all, with three of them fatal, officials said Tuesday.

"It is unclear why the number of cases in 2015 is higher than usual," the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The CDC said that having 11 cases in just the past four months is unusual.

"During 2001–2012, the annual number of human plague cases reported in the United States ranged from one to 17," the agency said in a statement.

The median number of annual plague cases across the past decade has been three.

Plague is a rare and dangerous disease that is caused by a bacterium, known as Yersinia pestis, that circulates in wild rodents and their fleas.

People can get the plague if they are bitten by an infected flea, or if they come in close contact with an infected person or animal, including cats and dogs, health authorities said.

This year's cases originated in the western United States, with four cases in Colorado and two each in Arizona, New Mexico and California. Another infection took place in Oregon.

One of the California infections was of a resident of the southeastern state of Georgia, who later returned to their home state.

"The two cases in Georgia and California residents have been linked to exposures at or near Yosemite National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California," the CDC said.

Three patients contracting the plague have died -- aged 16, 52 and 79 -- and nine of the 11 infected have been males.

The CDC urged doctors to consider a diagnosis of plague if they see patients with fever, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, especially if they have recently visited the western United States or are residents of the region.

People who spend time outdoors in areas where plague is endemic "should wear long pants when possible and use insect repellent on clothing and skin," as well as "avoid direct contact with ill or dead animals and never feed squirrels, chipmunks, or other rodents."

Bubonic plague is the most common type of plague and accounts for 80 percent of cases today. It is also the form of plague known as the Black Death because it killed 50 million people in Europe in the 14th century.

Death rates from the plague used to reach as high as 93 percent, but in the modern era antibiotics have lowered the fatality rate to around 16 percent, the CDC said.

Last month, a girl from the Los Angeles area who visited Yosemite in mid-July tested positive for the plague, but was treated and has since recovered.

Some campgrounds in the national park, the US's third-most visited, have been temporarily closed and fumigated after several dead squirrels were found to be carrying the plague.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-reports-unusual-spike-human-plague-cases-192215826.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on September 03, 2015, 07:00:17 pm
https://www.yahoo.com/health/unknown-illness-strikes-100-students-in-1248951322124342.html
Unknown Illness Strikes 100+ Students in North Carolina: How Common Are ‘Mystery’ Outbreaks?
9/3/15

More than 100 students and teachers in a North Carolina school district were sent home this week after exhibiting signs of a mystery illness.

At least 84 students at Person High School and six staff members were sent home with “virus type symptoms,” Person County School Superintendent Danny Holloman told ABC News. Another 20 students from two nearby elementary schools were also sent home with the same symptoms — vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.

Officials don’t know what’s behind the outbreak, and they’ve reached out to the local health department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for help.

This isn’t the first time a North Carolina school has been involved in a “mystery” outbreak. In May, an unknown illness caused one-third of the students at Shiloh Elementary School to stay home.


While the idea of an unknown illness causing an outbreak is slightly terrifying, William Schaffner, MD, chairman of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Department of Preventative Medicine, tells Yahoo Health it actually happens more often than you’d think.

Related: Strange Things You Didn’t Know Were Contagious

“These kinds of outbreaks are fairly common across the country,” he says. “We don’t always know what the cause of an outbreak is on the first few days, but once the investigation unfurls, we’ll usually find out.”

The problem in determining the cause of the illness right away, Schaffner says, is that there are many reasons people could have developed these particular symptoms. Those include norovirus (aka the “cruise ship virus”), enterovirus, or a food-borne illness that could have infected the school district’s food supply.

As a result, an outbreak can be due to a “mystery” illness for days or even weeks until experts are able to accurately determine its cause.

Related: Children’s Mysterious Paralysis Tied to New Virus

Board-certified infectious disease specialist Amesh A. Adalja, MD, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, tells Yahoo Health that he suspects norovirus is to blame because it exhibits the same symptoms and can spread “very rapidly” in a population.

Norovirus infects people quickly and easily, he says, and it can be spread through vomit particles that become suspended in the air. Those particles can also land on surfaces like desks and chairs, where they can infect people in the vicinity.

However, there isn’t a good, readily available test for norovirus, making it likely it will stay a mystery illness until the CDC or another government agency conducts an investigation, Adalja says.

So, what should you do if you find yourself in the midst of a mystery outbreak? Experts say it’s crucial to wash your hands well and often. Some viruses are fairly resistant to alcohol-based sanitizers, Adalja says, making good old-fashioned hand-washing especially crucial.

It’s also a good idea to avoid people who are sick as much as possible. Says Adalja: “If you see somebody vomiting or getting sick, go the other way. You could contract the disease just by being in the vicinity.”

And finally, if you see something, say something. The best way to shut down an outbreak is to report symptoms of an illness so officials can take action, says Adalja — whether you or someone around you exhibits them.

Person County school officials said the schools would be cleaned overnight and classes are expected to resume as usual.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on September 15, 2015, 04:43:12 am
Bubonic plague case confirmed in Michigan

First ever bubonic plague case confirmed in Michigan
bubonic plague

A Michigan resident has contracted the rare, life-threatening bubonic plague — the first documented case in Michigan’s public health history, state officials confirmed.

The Marquette County adult is recovering after apparently contracting the flea-borne illness during a trip to Colorado. Officials are reassuring the public there is no cause for alarm, despite the disease's connection to the microorganism that caused the Black Death plague in Europe in the 1300s, killing millions and reshaping history.

"It’s same organism but, in this case, the infection resides in a lymph node," said Dr. Terry Frankovich, medical director for the Marquette County Health Department.

The bubonic plague, in fact, is notably marked by one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes, usually in the groin, armpit or neck.

With the bubonic plague, people are most often infected by bites from infected fleas or when they have direct contact with the tissues or body fluids from an infected animal. The highest risk is in settings that offer food and shelter for rodents — campsites and cabins, for example, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The Michigander's case did not develop into the more contagious pneumonic form of the plague. Pneumonic plague may be passed between humans, infecting the lungs and causing a rapidly developing pneumonia that can lead to respiratory failure and shock, according to the CDC.

A third form, septicemic, occurs when the plague organism multiplies in the blood, and it can lead to shock, organ failure and — as in the case of a Colorado teen earlier this year — death.

"Theoretically, the illness can move to bloodstream or to a lung infection, but this (Michigan) individual had localized infection, so there’s no concern about transmission," Frankovich said.

In fact, the adult is recovering after a hospitalization and diagnosis "within the past weeks." A lab confirmed the culture Monday, Frankovich said.

State officials echoed the reassurance.

In the Michigan case, “truly there is no risk to anyone,” said Jennifer Smith, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. “This is not something that occurs (in) Michigan. … This is a person who contracted this while they were away, and the individual is making a recovery and is not a public health (threat).”

The plague is rare, with an average of seven human cases reported across the U.S. each year, according to the CDC. However, the western U.S. is experiencing an increase in reported cases of plague in 2015, with 14 human cases, including four deaths reported. 

The reason for the increase is not known.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/health/2015/09/14/bubonic-plague-case--michigan/72273070/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on September 15, 2015, 05:46:48 am
Black_Plague_Lost_By_US_Military

History Today called it "The Greatest Catastrophe Ever", the 'black death' plague that killed 60% of Europe's population in the 14th Century. Killing over 50 million people between 1346 and 1353, the deadly disease was caused by the bacteriaYersinia Pestis, the same Yersinia Pestis that David Knight of Infowars tells us about in the brand new 1st video below...the same Yersinia Pestis that CNN recently mentioned in a story called "Did US Military Labs Mishandle Bubonic Plagues, Viruses?". Over at SHTFPlan, Mac Slavo tells us.: Well don’t look now, but the DoD is out warning that the army might have also mishandled samples of the black plague which isn’t known to be dangerous unless you count the time it wiped out 60% of Europe’s entire population.

Interesting update: 1st case EVER of Bubonic Plague in Michigan JUST reported!

Every day Susan Duclos and I scan the headlines of our favorite news sources, trying to find cutting edge and under-reported stories we find of importance and this past Friday, this particular story stood out on the website of Steve Quayle. Once again, a US military laboratory has had a 'mishap'...this latest one involving the deadly black plague bacteria that has been 'misplaced' or 'mislabeled' or 'improperly stored or shipped' amounting to, whatever way you look at it, apocalyptically deadly bacteria that may no longer be where it is supposed to be, securely confined within the US Army's secure laboratories in Maryland.

The headline to this story on Steve's website also gave us this note from him: WHY DOES THE U.S. ARMY FT. DIETRICH LAB NEED A CATALOG WITH LUCIFER ON THE FRONT? HIT ENLARGE AND LOOK!!!!  You can see the cover of the catalog above that Steve asked us to look at. We see the US Army's 'Critical Reagents Program' FY2015 product catalog, not some $2 comic book at the local comic book store. What are they trying to tell us? Certainly quite an interesting cover for one of our DOD's most deadly specialities, one that likely tells us much more than they are saying and most are seeing

The 1st video below from David Knight and Infowars looks at the mysterious misplaced black plague bacteria and asks if the 'next 9/11' could be a biological attack, whether real or 'false flag' - below the video we take a look at much more including the eternal war between good and evil that is being waged upon our planet Earth at this moment and why this 'misplaced' black plague bacteria is another sign that we are witnessing the eternal war raging right now, along with the coming war upon our planet Earth.

https://youtu.be/KNiWjZZRRH8

o get a better idea of what is really going on in America and the world, all that we need to do is look at the news stories all around us to see that the eternal war between good and evil is being played out upon our planet Earth and especially in America at this very moment.

rest: http://allnewspipeline.com/Black_Plague_Lost_By_US_Military.php


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 30, 2015, 04:50:23 pm
Teenage girl in Oregon hospitalized with bubonic plague
10/30/15
http://news.yahoo.com/teenage-girl-oregon-hospitalized-bubonic-plague-055328058.html

(Reuters) - A teenage girl in Oregon has tested positive for bubonic plague, state health officials said on Thursday.

The girl was believed to have been infected by a flea bite during a hunting trip earlier this month, according to the Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division and the Crook County Public Health Department.

The teen was in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Bend, in central Oregon, health officials said. Her condition was not known.

There were no other known infections in the state from the centuries-old scourge, health officials said.

"Many people think of the plague as a disease of the past, but it's still very much present in our environment, particularly among wildlife," said Emilio DeBess, Oregon state public health veterinarian in the Public Health Division.

"Fortunately, plague remains a rare disease, but people need to take appropriate precautions with wildlife and their pets to keep it that way," he said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the plague was introduced to the United States in 1900 by rat-infested steamships that had sailed from affected areas, mostly in Asia.

In recent years, less than 10 human plague cases have been reported in the U.S. each year, the agency said.

Early symptoms of plague include high fever, chills, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or groin.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 19, 2015, 08:24:27 pm
Antibiotic resistance: World on cusp of 'post-antibiotic era'

he world is on the cusp of a "post-antibiotic era", scientists have warned after finding bacteria resistant to drugs used when all other treatments have failed.

They identified bacteria able to shrug off the drug of last resort - colistin - in patients and livestock in China.

They said that resistance would spread around the world and raised the spectre of untreatable infections.

It is likely resistance emerged after colistin was overused in farm animals.

Bacteria becoming completely resistant to treatment - also known as the antibiotic apocalypse - could plunge medicine back into the dark ages.

Common infections would kill once again, while surgery and cancer therapies, which are reliant on antibiotics, would be under threat.

Key players

Chinese scientists identified a new mutation, dubbed the MCR-1 gene, that prevented colistin from killing bacteria.

The report in the Lancet Infectious Diseases showed resistance in a fifth of animals tested, 15% of raw meat samples and in 16 patients.

And the resistance had spread between a range of bacterial strains and species, including E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

There is also evidence that it has spread to Laos and Malaysia.

Prof Timothy Walsh, who collaborated on the study, from the University of Cardiff, told the BBC News website: "All the key players are now in place to make the post-antibiotic world a reality.

"If MCR-1 becomes global, which is a case of when not if, and the gene aligns itself with other antibiotic resistance genes, which is inevitable, then we will have very likely reached the start of the post-antibiotic era.

"At that point if a patient is seriously ill, say with E. coli, then there is virtually nothing you can do."

Resistance to colistin has emerged before.

However, the crucial difference this time is the mutation has arisen in a way that is very easily shared between bacteria.

"The transfer rate of this resistance gene is ridiculously high, that doesn't look good," said Prof Mark Wilcox, from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

His hospital is now dealing with multiple cases "where we're struggling to find an antibiotic" every month - an event he describes as being as "rare as hens' teeth" five years ago.

He said there was no single event that would mark the start of the antibiotic apocalypse, but it was clear "we're losing the battle".

The concern is that the new resistance gene will hook up with others plaguing hospitals, leading to bacteria resistant to all treatment - what is known as pan-resistance.

Prof Wilcox told the BBC News website: "Do I fear we'll get to an untreatable organism situation? Ultimately yes.

"Whether that happens this year, or next year, or the year after, it's very hard to say."

Early indications suggest the Chinese government is moving swiftly to address the problem.

Prof Walsh is meeting both the agricultural and health ministries this weekend to discuss whether colistin should be banned for agricultural use.

Prof Laura Piddock, from the campaign group Antibiotic Action, said the same antibiotics "should not be used in veterinary and human medicine".

She told the BBC News website: "Hopefully the post-antibiotic era is not upon us yet. However, this is a wake-up call to the world."

She argued the dawning of the post-antibiotic era "really depends on the infection, the patient and whether there are alternative treatment options available" as combinations of antibiotics may still be effective.

New drugs are in development, such as teixobactin, which might delay the apocalypse, but are not yet ready for medical use.

A commentary in the Lancet concluded the "implications [of this study] are enormous" and unless something significant changes, doctors would "face increasing numbers of patients for whom we will need to say, 'Sorry, there is nothing I can do to cure your infection.'"

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34857015


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 19, 2015, 10:02:46 pm
Quote
"If MCR-1 becomes global, which is a case of when not if, and the gene aligns itself with other antibiotic resistance genes, which is inevitable, then we will have very likely reached the start of the post-antibiotic era.

"At that point if a patient is seriously ill, say with E. coli, then there is virtually nothing you can do."

And this is one of the rotten fruits of evolution!


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on November 20, 2015, 09:43:50 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/e-coli-outbreak-linked-chipotle-201822935.html
E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle expands to 6 states
E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle has spread east; victims now found in 6 states

11/20/15

NEW YORK (AP) -- An outbreak of E. coli linked to Chipotle that originated in the Pacific Northwest has spread south and east and has now infected people in six states.

New cases have been reported in California, New York and Ohio, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The first cases were discovered late last month in Oregon and Washington, and more recently in Minnesota.

Investigators have yet to determine the specific ingredient linked to the illness.

So far, 45 people have been infected, with 43 of them saying they ate at Chipotle in the week before they became sick. The CDC said it is aware of illnesses starting on dates ranging from Oct. 19 to Nov. 8. The agency said that illnesses that took place after Oct. 31 may not have been reported yet.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. closed 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington in late October after health officials discovered most of the people sickened in the outbreak had eaten at its restaurants. The restaurants have since reopened.

"At the moment, we do not believe that it is necessary to close any restaurants," Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said in an email. He said the company has taken measures including deep cleaning in restaurants, replacing ingredients and providing supply chain data to investigators.

Chipotle, based in Denver, has more than 1,900 locations and has gained popularity by touting the freshness and quality of its ingredients. Earlier this year, the company ran into trouble after suspending a pork supplier that violated its animal welfare standards. That led to a shortage of carnitas at hundreds of locations around the country, which the company said dampened its sales growth.

On news Friday that the outbreak had spread, shares of Chipotle plunged more than 12 percent to a new low for the year.

Chipotle said affected individuals reported eating at restaurants in Turlock, California; Akron, Ohio; Amherst, New York and Burnsville, Minnesota. The company said it is not aware of any employees who have become ill.

Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney representing people who have been sickened, said the spread of the outbreak will make it easier to determine the source.

"It helps investigators link up to a perishable item," Marler said. "What they're really focusing on right now is the supply chain. What's the common denominator? Who supplied what product to these stores?"

Of those sickened, two have been in California, two in Minnesota, one in New York, one in Ohio, 13 in Oregon and 26 in Washington, according to the CDC.

Sixteen people have been hospitalized, but there have been no deaths, the agency said.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on December 04, 2015, 04:25:29 am
Human cases of 'rabbit fever' have jumped up this year

Health officials are seeing an increase of a rare illness called rabbit fever that was beaten back decades ago.

In the last two decades, health officials saw an average of only about 125 cases each year of the illness — known to doctors as tularemia. But there have already been 235 cases this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. That's the most since 1984.

Officials aren't sure why cases are up, but speculate that it may have to do with weather conditions that likely helped rodents — and the bacteria — thrive in certain states.

At least 100 of this year's cases have been in four states — Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. Among those cases was an elderly man who died.

Ticks and deer flies pick up the bacteria from rabbits and other small mammals and then spread it when they bite humans. People can also get it from handling dead animals or breathing in the bacteria.

Symptoms include sudden fever, headaches, muscle aches, joint pain and weakness. It is treatable with antibiotics.

The government still looks for cases because officials worry it potentially could be used as an airborne bioterrorism weapon.

Before 1940, there were as many as 2,200 cases each year.


Read more at http://www.wral.com/human-cases-of-rabbit-fever-have-jumped-up-this-year/15152450/#6euQpgRwtIDZf4qe.99




Read more at http://www.wral.com/human-cases-of-rabbit-fever-have-jumped-up-this-year/15152450/#6euQpgRwtIDZf4qe.99


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on December 22, 2015, 03:53:23 pm
https://gma.yahoo.com/cdc-investigating-multi-state-e-coli-outbreak-linked-215541462--abc-news-wellness.html
CDC Investigating Another Multi-State E.Coli Outbreak Linked to Chipotle
12/21/15

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is investigating another, more recent outbreak of E.coli linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill.

The latest outbreak includes five cases in Kansas, North Dakota, which had one case each and Oklahoma, which had three cases, the CDC said. The illnesses started between Nov. 18 and Nov. 26, 2015, the CDC said.

All of those who got sick reported eating at Chipotle in the week before they fell ill, officials said.

"We have indicated before that we expected that we may see additional cases stemming from this, and CDC is now reporting some additional cases," the company said in a statement. "Since this issue began, we have completed a comprehensive reassessment of our food safety programs with an eye to finding best practices for each of the ingredients we use."

The spokesperson also told ABC News that all of those sickened in the new cases ate at one of two restaurants in Kansas and Oklahoma. The chain's founder and CEO, Steve Ells, announced early this month that the restaurant would implement new sanitation procedures and additional food safety training in the response to the outbreak.

Chipotle Closes 43 Restaurants Amid E. Coli Outbre …Play videoChipotle Closes 43 Restaurants Amid E. Coli Outbre …
Chipotle Will Use Central Kitchen for Some Ingredients After E. Coli Outbreak

Chipotle CEO 'Deeply Sorry' About Customers Who Fell Sick

The new cases come as Chipotle is under investigation for a separate outbreak of E.coli in October. The majority of these cases were reported in Washington and Oregon. However, there were also a small number of reports from California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. As of Dec. 18, 53 people have reported getting sick and 20 have been hospitalized.

Those infected range from 1 to 94 years old. There have been no reported deaths due to the outbreak.

ABC's Nicole Sawyer contributed reporting to this story.



Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on December 27, 2015, 01:36:29 am
Victorian-age diseases on the rise across the globe

As medicine evolves we find ourselves eradicating diseases that were once too strong for humanity to overcome. Sadly diseases that were once thought to be wiped out or fairly close to extinction are making a comeback.

According to Insight Ticker, measles, whooping cough, tuberculosis, and other Victorian-age killers have seen a rise in numbers, especially in England. The National Health Service (NHS) has seen cases of these diseases skyrocket in comparison to five years ago. There were 14,000 cases of scarlet fever alone in 2014, which is the highest numbers have been since the 1960s.

“We have seen a rise in the cases of tuberculosis, we’ve seen a rise in cases of whooping cough, we have seen more measles in the last 10 years than in the last 10 years before that,” said Dr. Nuria Martinez-Alier, an immunologist who hails from London.

In extreme cases, tuberculosis in England is more rampant than in less developed countries such Rwanda, Iraq, and Guatemala. The NHS also reports that while these diseases are treatable, proper nutrition and immunizations against these diseases are much easier to dole out.

An emphasis is being taken on the former. Malnutrition numbers have doubled in the past three years, and it is affecting the elderly more than anyone else in the country.

“Much malnutrition is preventable,” said Dianne Jeffrey, the current chair of the Malnutrition Task For. “It is totally unacceptable that estimates suggest there are at least one million older people malnourished or at risk of malnourishment.”

Outbreaks of measles and tuberculosis aren’t just limited to England. The Waltonian reports that in 2013 tuberculosis killed 1.5 million people across the globe. Recent legislation such as the National Action Plan hope to combat tuberculosis, and many are hoping a plan involving other serious diseases will follow.

Dr. Onkar Sarhota, the chair of London’s Health Committee, stresses just how important it is not to underestimate the seriousness of these old time killers.

“We think TB is a disease of developing countries or of days gone by, but TB is a disease of today,”he said.

http://www.newsquench.com/2015/12/victorian-age-diseases-on-the-rise-across-the-globe/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on December 28, 2015, 11:44:54 pm
Why Are Many Diseases Back, Decades After Being Wiped Out in the U.S.?


An E. coli epidemic in Seattle and Kansas City and 19 other states? TB in New York and Manassas, Virginia? Leprosy in New Hampshire? Dengue Fever in Laredo? What’s going on here?

If you think data about illegal alien crime is hidden from public, just try to find information on the contagious diseases brought across our borders by illegal aliens from nearly 100 countries. If we survey the anecdotal and sporadic official data of the past fifteen years, there is no doubt we are being invaded daily by dangerous diseases.

There is good reason to believe the government is minimizing this risk as part of its disinformation campaign to sanitize illegal immigration and to portray all critics as “anti-immigrant.” Although the U.S. Border Patrol publishes frequent reports on the number of individuals apprehended crossing the border, no agency publishes reports on the diseases they bring with them and then carry into our communities.

And the threat is increasing, not shrinking, because the cross-border traffic is coming from places beyond Mexico and Central America. In 2014, for the first time in more than 20 years, over 50% of the illegal aliens crossing our 1,940-mile southwest border came from countries other than Mexico–and total cross-border traffic is expanding as well. Over 485,000 people were apprehended in 2014, and if you use the government’s “Gotaway Ratio” of 1.5 successful evasions of the Border Patrol for every single apprehension, the number of illegal entries by foreign nationals in 2015 was over 700,000.

What do we know about the diseases carried by illegal aliens? Not much thanks to government secrecy, but we know enough to be worried.

A February 2015 report of the Southern Medical Association cautioned that, since none of the 700,000 illegal entries have been screened for infectious diseases, “Illegal immigration may expose Americans to diseases that have been virtually eradicated but are highly contagious, as in the case of TB.” The association concluded that despite the efforts of the CDC, “There’s a growing health concern over illegal immigrants bringing infectious diseases into the United States.

A year ago, the head of the Texas state medical association called for a quarantine of children arriving at the border from Central America. Instead, the Obama administration ordered the processing of the children to be expedited.

It has long been established that sanitation and health conditions in migrant farm worker camps from California to North Carolina do not meet acceptable standards– and those are camps for legal migrant workers allowed into the country as part of the H2(A) program for seasonal guest workers. In truth, illegal workers are mixed with legal ones in most farm labor camps provided by employers, and that co-mingling helps spread infectious diseases.

Does anyone think it strange that public health officials have been slow to find the cause of the E. coli contamination in food served at the Chipotle fast food chain serving Mexican food, a scandal that has closed the company’s restaurants in 21 states? The FDA and CDC have joined forces with state health officials to identify the source of the contamination. This outbreak involves an especially dangerous strain of E. coli that can cause death in extreme cases. Is it only a coincidence that the company markets itself as serving on “organic, non-GMO” foods from local farms? And would anyone be surprised if it turns out that the “progressive” Chipotle restaurant chain has never been audited for the presence of illegal workers?

A recent article in the Journal of Environmental Health reported on a rigorous study of the health of children in 87 families living in migrant farm worker camps in North Carolina. It concluded that a major cause of poor health among the migrant families is the non-enforcement of existing regulations by government. The report noted that:

    Of particular concern …is the extraordinarily high prevalence of Giardia lamblia a protozoan which is the most frequent cause of water-born epidemics of diarrhea in the U.S.

In fact, such health concerns have persisted for over a decade and were identified in papers published between 2002 and 2006 by Dr. Madeleine Cosman. Dr. Cosman warned that, “Horrendous diseases that long ago America had conquered are resurging … [and] suddenly are reappearing in American emergency rooms and medical offices.”

Among the most common diseases found among illegal immigrants are the new multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB), Chagas Disease, Leprosy, and Dengue Fever.

    TB was largely unknown in Virginia until 2002, when it spiked 17% statewide and 188% in Prince William County, a suburb of Washington, DC. Public health officials blamed illegal immigration.
    Indiana University School of Medicine in 2001 studied an outbreak of MDR-TB and traced it to illegal immigrants from Mexico.
    Queens, NY public health officials have attributed 81% of new TB cases to immigrants.
    In 2002, the U.S. CDC attributed 42% of all new TB cases to “foreign born” persons, which includes both legal and illegal immigrants. THE CDC report suggested that 66% of all new TB cases in the U.S. originate in Mexico, the Philippines and Vietnam.
    Leprosy was so rare in this country that only 900 cases were reported in the 40 years 1960-2000. Suddenly, from 2002 to 2005, we had 7,000 cases and is now endemic in the northeastern United States. Most of the cases are traceable to Brazil, Mexico, Caribbean nations and India.
    Dengue Fever is extremely rare in America, but recently there was a sudden outbreak in Webb County, Texas, on the Rio Grande.

In July of 2014, Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey, M.D., sent a letter to the CDC citing reports that the tens of thousands of “unaccompanied children” arriving at the border pose a public health risk when resettled across the country. He voiced concern for the safety of Border Patrol personnel and the adequacy of CDC vaccination programs. Unfortunately, the CDC has not seen fit to share more information with the public on the children’s health condition and the treatments provided.

What should scare us most is not what we know about the health of 700,000 illegal aliens arriving each year but what we do not know. When the Obama administration goes to great lengths to hide the truth about so many of its activities, there is no reason to trust what they are telling us about the health profiles of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens released into the American heartland.

    It’s not just the number of illegal aliens entering our country each year, a number that is climbing again, it is where they come from and WHO they are that pose both a public health and a national security concern.
    If an illegal alien from Brazil or Vietnam and carry an infectious disease across the border by accident, what kind of diseases can be carried and spread by Islamic jihadis who are on a suicide mission? Since 2005, over 1400 aliens from “special interest countries,” countries known to have terrorist cells, were apprehended attempting to cross the southwest border. How many were not apprehended?

While accurate information on this topic is withheld and thus hard to find, we do know one thing for certain. The public health ramifications of our scandalous open borders are possibly even more dangerous and far-reaching than the economic and political consequences.


http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/12/25/why-are-many-diseases-back-decades-after-being-wiped-out-in-the-u-s/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 12, 2016, 12:33:11 am
‘Worse than AIDs’ gonorrhea strain spreading from Japan
5/7/13
http://www.cogwriter.com/news/prophecy/worse-than-aids-gonorrhea-strain-spreading-from-japan/

LCG: Gonorrhea Could Become a ‘Superbug’

5/1/11
http://www.cogwriter.com/news/doctrine/lcg-gonorrhea-could-become-a-superbug/

TW: Gonorrhea, Now Almost Untreatable
7/7/12
http://www.cogwriter.com/news/doctrine/tw-gonorrhea-now-almost-untreatable/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 17, 2016, 10:24:02 pm
https://www.yahoo.com/travel/is-this-virus-the-new-mosquito-borne-disease-224720174.html
1/16/16
Zika Virus Hits U.S.: Is This the New Mosquito-Borne Illness Travelers Have to Worry About?

As if travelers didn’t have enough to worry about with mosquitos spreading diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and West Nile, now there’s a new virus threatening our health: Zika virus.

Just two days after the CDC issued a travel alert advising pregnant women to consider avoiding areas including Brazil, the Caribbean, and Puerto Rico where this once rare virus is now rapidly spreading, the first U.S. case of a baby born with Zika-related microcephaly has been confirmed in Hawaii. It is believed that the baby’s mother was infected while pregnant in Brazil last year. 

Mounting evidence has linked Zika infections in pregnant women to the birth defect microcephaly, a potentially deadly underdevelopment of a baby’s brain, also resulting in abnormally small head size. Richard Kuhn, head of Biological Sciences at Purdue University, tells Yahoo Travel, “Once a pregnant woman is infected, the placenta can also become infected, causing an infection in the brain of the fetus. It is still unclear whether there is a particular trimester during which fetuses are the most vulnerable,” says Kuhn.

Related: Potentially Deadly Dengue Virus Hits Hawaii — Everything You Need to Know

Anyone who has not previously had Zika and is traveling in an area where Zika is an issue could be at risk. Since there is currently no vaccine or cure, the best way to stay healthy is to avoid getting mosquito bites in the first place. According to the CDC, mosquito repellants containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-methane-diol offer protection and are safe for pregnant women.

However, for pregnant women (or others) who are hesitant to use harsh chemicals like DEET, here are some tips: If you do use repellant, wash it off as soon as possible and don’t sleep with the chemicals on your skin. Wearing long sleeves and pants and then treating these clothes with DEET can also be effective (but obviously does not protect exposed skin on the hands, feet, face, and neck). Repellents that contain natural ingredients like citrus, citronella, and chrysanthemum are also safe, according to FitPregnancy.com; however, they are not as effective as the chemical alternatives.

The most common symptoms of Zika, a flavivirus related to dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile, according to Richard Kuhn, head of Biological Sciences at Purdue University, include flu-like symptoms (fever, body aches, headache), as well as rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis.

Related: What You Need to Know About the Mosquito-Borne Disease Ravaging the Caribbean

Zika virus was originally discovered in Uganda in 1947, and was named after a forest there. It remained an obscure disease found only in Africa and Asia until a small outbreak in 2007 in Micronesia.

But in May of last year, perhaps due to Africans traveling to Brazil for the World Cup, according to some experts, the virus appeared and soon exploded across South American country. Now the Brazilian Ministry of Health estimates that up to 1.5 million people may be infected.

Amid the outbreak, Brazilian health officials noticed a spike in microcephaly, a potentially deadly form of abnormal brain development in newborns. Experts there say there is strong evidence of a connection to mothers infected with Zika. In fact, the Ministry has taken the unprecedented step of advising women in the northeast region of the country to avoid getting pregnant for the foreseeable future due to the risk.

In light of the explosive spread of the virus, the CDC has warned tourists and discouraged pregnant women about traveling to countries concern including: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.

Though the kind of mosquitos that transmit Zika are found in the southern U.S., according to Kuhn it is unlikely that Zika will become a native problem here. Still, “you might see some people bring some imported Zika back to the U.S.,” says Kuhn, which is what is believed to have happened to the baby in Hawaii.



Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 18, 2016, 07:03:00 pm
http://finance.yahoo.com/video/strain-bird-flu-spreads-across-133100414.html
New strain of bird flu spreads across Indiana farms
 CNBC Videos by CNBC Videos
1:34 mins Video Inside Link
CNBC's Morgan Brennan reports on another outbreak of avian influenza prompting the culling of 250,000 turkeys.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 23, 2016, 06:53:14 pm
https://www.rt.com/news/329880-zika-virus-global-scare/
1/23/16
Zika virus: What you need to know about the latest global health scare

You may not have heard of it until very recently, but new cases of the Zika virus continue to pop up around the world. Spreading mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, the virus has now been confirmed in three travelers from the UK.
A statement from Public Health England said those infected had recently traveled through South America, but it is not clear if the people involved have since returned to the UK.

The Britons travelled to Colombia, Suriname and Guyana, where they are suspected of contracting the mosquito-borne disease. Public Health England has not confirmed if any of the three are pregnant.

Why is Zika dangerous?
There is no vaccine for the virus, which can cause fever, rashes, joint pains, and conjunctivitis within days of being contracted. For most of those infected, the virus causes a short illness lasting between two and seven days. However, in some rare cases, it can result in serious illness and death.

Infants are most at risk from Zika, as mothers can pass the infection on to their fetus, leading to microcephaly – a rare birth defect where babies are born with abnormally small heads and developmental delays.

Health min in Brazil confirms four deaths from zika virus with another 46 deaths being investigated. Total number of suspected cases: 3,530

— Donna Bowater (@DonnaBow) January 13, 2016
Treatment for the Zika virus focuses on pain relief and fever reduction, with some patients also given antihistamines for itchy skin rashes.

Preventative measures focus on general mosquito bite prevention, such as using insecticides, and special nets and screens.

Where it came from
The Zika virus is mainly found in South America, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia.

The virus was first discovered in Africa in 1947, circulating in humans, animals and mosquitoes with few documented outbreaks. In wasn’t until 2007 that an Asian strain of the virus caused the first outbreak outside of Africa, in Micronesia. The same strain caused an outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013, which has since spread to the Pacific Islands and South America.

Within nine months of the first case being confirmed in the northeast of Brazil in May 2015, most Brazilian states had reported locally-acquired cases.

Brazil has seen a surge in outbreaks of the fever since 2015. The country had seen an average of 150 babies a year born with microcephaly, but from October 2015 to January 2016 that number rocketed to over 3,500, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Health.

Microephaly cases in Brazil see sharp rise last year #Zika#RT (source - ecdc) pic.twitter.com/JRz5peU61F

— Colm McGlinchey (@ColmMcGlinchey) January 22, 2016
In the US, “over a dozen” cases of Zika have been confirmed so far. Currently, one infant diagnosed with the condition in Hawaii is carrying the virus – the first case of Zika-connected microcephaly in the US.

READ MORE: Over a dozen cases of birth defect-causing Zika virus confirmed in 5 states

Israel reported its first case of the virus this week, in a two-year-old girl returning from a visit to Colombia.

Mosquito-borne Zika virus infects first Israeli https://t.co/752Ej6zofypic.twitter.com/egSRP6Gqq5

— Israel Trending News (@Israelolizer) January 21, 2016
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have expanded their list of countries currently under a Zika-related travel warning to 22: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Guyana, Cape Verde, and Samoa.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on January 25, 2016, 07:38:56 pm
Zika virus set to spread across Americas, spurring vaccine hunt
1/25/16
http://news.yahoo.com/sees-zika-outbreak-spreading-americas-091850107.html

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) - The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, is likely to spread to all countries in the Americas except for Canada and Chile, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

Zika transmission has not yet been reported in the continental United States, although a woman who fell ill with the virus in Brazil later gave birth to a brain-damaged baby in Hawaii.

Brazil's Health Ministry said in November that Zika was linked to a fetal deformation known as microcephaly, in which infants are born with smaller-than-usual brains.

Brazil has reported 3,893 suspected cases of microcephaly, the WHO said last Friday, over 30 times more than in any year since 2010 and equivalent to 1-2 percent of all newborns in the state of Pernambuco, one of the worst-hit areas.

The Zika outbreak comes hard on the heels of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, demonstrating once again how little-understood diseases can rapidly emerge as global threats.

"We've got no drugs and we've got no vaccines. It's a case of deja vu because that's exactly what we were saying with Ebola," said Trudie Lang, a professor of global health at the University of Oxford. "It's really important to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible."

Large drugmakers' investment in tropical disease vaccines with uncertain commercial prospects has so far been patchy, prompting health experts to call for a new system of incentives following the Ebola experience.

"We need to have some kind of a plan that makes (companies) feel there is a sustainable solution and not just a one-shot deal over and over again," Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said last week.

The Sao Paulo-based Butantan Institute is currently leading the research charge on Zika and said last week it planned to develop a vaccine "in record time", although its director warned this was still likely to take three to five years.

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said on Monday it was studying the feasibility of using its vaccine technology on Zika, while France's Sanofi said it was reviewing possibilities.

RIO CONCERNS

The virus was first found in a monkey in the Zika forest near Lake Victoria, Uganda, in 1947, and has historically occurred in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. But there is little scientific data on it and it is unclear why it might be causing microcephaly in Brazil.

Laura Rodrigues of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said it was possible the disease could be evolving.

If the epidemic was still going on in August, when Brazil is due to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, then pregnant women should either stay away or be obsessive about covering up against mosquito bites, she said.

The WHO advised pregnant women planning to travel to areas where Zika is circulating to consult a healthcare provider before traveling and on return.

The clinical symptoms of Zika are usually mild and often similar to dengue, a fever which is transmitted by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito, leading to fears that Zika will spread into all parts of the world where dengue is commonplace.

More than one-third of the world’s population lives in areas at risk of dengue infection, in a band stretching through Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Zika's rapid spread, to 21 countries and territories in the Americas since May 2015, is due to the prevalence of Aedes aegypti and a lack of immunity among the population, the WHO said in a statement.

RISK TO GIRLS

Like rubella, which also causes mild symptoms but can lead to birth defects, health experts believe a vaccine is needed to protect girls before they reach child-bearing age.

Evidence about other transmission routes, apart from mosquito bites, is limited.

"Zika has been isolated in human semen, and one case of possible person-to-person sexual transmission has been described. However, more evidence is needed to confirm whether sexual contact is a means of Zika transmission," the WHO said.

While a causal link between Zika and microcephaly has not yet been definitively proven, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the circumstantial evidence was "suggestive and extremely worrisome".

In addition to finding a vaccine and potential drugs to fight Zika, some scientists are also planning to take the fight to the mosquitoes that carry the disease.

Oxitec, the UK subsidiary of U.S. synthetic biology company Intrexon, hopes to deploy a self-limiting genetically modified strain of insects to compete with normal Aedes aegypti.

Oxitec says its proprietary OX513A mosquito succeeded in reducing wild larvae of the Aedes mosquito by 82 percent in an area of Brazil where 25 million of the transgenic insects were released between April and November. Authorities reported a big drop in dengue cases in the area.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on February 01, 2016, 07:36:22 pm
Where did this thing come from, and HOW did it spread so fast?

Zika virus: WHO declares global public health emergency, says causal link to brain defects ‘strongly suspected’

The World Health Organization designated the Zika virus and its suspected complications in newborns as a public health emergency of international concern Monday. The action, which the international body has taken only three times before, paves the way for the mobilization of more funding and manpower to fight the mosquito-born pathogen spreading "explosively" through the Americas.

Zika, first identified more than 50 years ago, has alarmed public health officials in recent months because of its possible association with thousands of suspected cases of brain damage in babies. The WHO has estimated that the virus will reach most of the hemisphere and infect up to 4 million people by year's end.

[What is Zika? And what are the risks as it spreads?]

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said at a media briefing Monday that the primary reason for the designation was the "strongly suspected" causal relationship between Zika and the rare congenital condition called microcephaly. Even before that association is scientifically confirmed or disproved, members of an 18-member advisory panel said the seriousness of the cases being reported required action. Chan concurred, saying the consequences of waiting were too great.

“Even the clusters of microcephaly alone are enough to declare a public health emergency because of its heavy burden" on women, families  and the community, Chan said.

rest: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/02/01/zika-virus-who-declares-global-public-health-emergency-given-rapid-spread-in-americas/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on February 15, 2016, 06:24:54 pm
'It's a national SCANDAL' 10 'PLAGUE' cases as deadly diseases from past return to UK

SOME of the deadliest diseases in history are making a comeback in the UK, and there are fears even the Black Death could return to these shores.

There were 10 suspected cases of the plague at hospitals in the past five years, the most recent reported between 2014 and 2015.

Although none was confirmed by Public Health England, which said there had been no cases of the plague in the UK since 1918, experts warned it highlighted the need for extra vigilance to protect the public from killer conditions more commonly associated with centuries ago.

More than 100 cases of cholera have been confirmed since 2011, while scurvy and scarlet fever are on the rise.

Tuberculosis has also become more prevalent.

Last week Public Health Minister Jane Ellison told Parliament that as well as cases of cholera, typhoid, scurvy and rickets there had been 10 suspected plague cases in the past five years.

Labour has described the figures as a “national scandal” and accused the Prime Minister of “failing the nation’s health”.

Labour’s shadow public health minister Andrew Gwynne said: “David Cameron’s Government is taking the nation’s health back to the Victorian era. It is a national scandal diseases which were commonplace hundreds of years ago still exist in 21st century Britain.”

The data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows admissions for people with scurvy, which is caused by a lack of vitamin C, rose from 82 to 113 since 2010.

Cases of cholera, which broke out in London in 1854, leapt from nine in 2010 to 36 in 2015.

Although it no longer exists in the UK, it can be imported by visitors to the country.

There have been 1,200 typhoid cases since 2010. Malnutrition cases also rose from 5,000 to more than 7,000 in the past five years.

The plague, or Black Death, which is spread by flea bites from rodents, is treatable if caught early, if not it could lead to an outbreak.

It was responsible for the deaths of 25 million people in Europe during the Middle Ages Experts claim the plague still exists in parts of the world.

Professor Hugh Pennington, a leading expert on bacterial infections, said: “We have close civil links with countries where such diseases are more common and therefore we can become exposed abroad or when people come into the country.”

The latest outbreak of plague was last August on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar. It killed 63 people.

Last year there were also four deaths from the plague in the US.

A spokesman for Public Health England said: “The last outbreak of indigenous plague in the UK was recorded in 1918, and no lab confirmed cases are known to have been reported in the UK since then.

"Epidemics of plague are associated with particular combinations of living conditions, general public health and lack of infection control measures that no longer pertain in Western Europe.”

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/643880/Plague-cases-Black-Death-deadly-diseases-past-return-UK-hospitals


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on February 21, 2016, 07:09:25 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3v5AeFwz3I


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on April 13, 2016, 03:31:19 pm
Yellow fever spreads to DR Congo, kills 21

An outbreak of yellow fever has killed 21 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) says, linking some cases to an outbreak in neighbouring Angola. In a statement, the WHO said the deaths had occurred in January to March, with 151 suspected cases recorded. There was, it said, a "serious risk of further spread of the disease" in DRC.   

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36027854


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: christistruth on April 13, 2016, 03:34:45 pm
Yellow fever spreads to DR Congo, kills 21

An outbreak of yellow fever has killed 21 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) says, linking some cases to an outbreak in neighbouring Angola. In a statement, the WHO said the deaths had occurred in January to March, with 151 suspected cases recorded. There was, it said, a "serious risk of further spread of the disease" in DRC.   

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36027854

When I read that, the first words that came into my mind were: The Gates Foundation.


Quote
There was, it said, a "serious risk of further spread of the disease" in DRC.

This is what they want.


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on April 20, 2016, 08:50:40 pm
New Elizabethkingia cluster found in Illinois

A new cluster of Elizabethkingia infection, previously rarely seen in humans, has been found in Illinois, health officials said Wednesday.
Testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the Elizabethkingia anophelis infection in 10 Illinois residents, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Six of those individuals have died. Most of the infected patients had underlying health conditions, and it's unknown if they died from the infection or pre-existing conditions.

The Illinois cluster of cases is a different strain of infection from the one identified in an ongoing Elizabethkingia outbreak in Wisconsin, first reported in March. Fifty-nine cases have been confirmed in that state since November. Eighteen have died. Officials there have said all of those infected had "at least one serious underlying illness" and most are older than 65. The cases began in 2014.

Dr. Chris Braden, deputy director at the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said this cluster of cases in Illinois is not surprising but it is concerning.
Federal and state health officials asked health care providers and health departments to be on the lookout for cases of Elizabethkingia last month. These bacteria are not mandated or voluntarily reported so clusters may have previously gone unnoticed.

"We are identifying this because Illinois really looked for it," Braden said.

Last week the Illinois Department of Public Health said it found one case of the same strain of Elizabethkingia identified in the Wisconsin outbreak. That person died earlier this year.
Last month health officials in Michigan also found a case of the infection that matched the strain of the Wisconsin outbreak.

"Although this strain of Elizabethkingia is different than the one seen in the Wisconsin outbreak, our investigatory methods remain the same and we continue to work with the CDC and our local health departments to investigate this cluster of cases and develop ways to prevent additional infections," said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The bacteria are commonly found in soil, river water and reservoirs but do not commonly cause illness in humans. People with compromised immune systems or serious underlying health conditions are more at risk of infection. Previous outbreaks have been associated with health care settings. Most of the infections have been in the bloodstream, although some have been in the respiratory system or joints.

Symptoms of Elizabethkingia infection include fever, shortness of breath, chills and a bacterial skin infection called cellulitis. The infection is often antibiotic resistant and difficult to treat.

Health officials have not yet found the source of the Wisconsin outbreak. Braden said the Illinois investigation is starting by gathering information about each individual case, including where the person lived, what health care they were receiving and what facilities they had been to.

It will also consider what type of infection the person had -- for example, was it in the bloodstream or on the skin? Because the strains are different officials are operating under the assumption the Illinois and Wisconsin cases are unrelated. However, there is a possibility that the investigation could find they are related -- for example, exposure to the same product.

"Previously, health providers were not required to report individual cases of Elizabethkingia, so it is difficult to determine the degree and kind of exposure that results in illness. For the same reason, it is difficult to estimate how many cases of illness actually occur each year," a statement from the Illinois health department said.

Braden said, "We haven't really been looking for clusters with this particular organism; it's possible we could see others as states request laboratories look for these and request them."

With the source still under investigation, health officials said the best way to prevent this and other infections is to follow "good health practices," including frequently washing hands and requesting health care providers do the same.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/20/health/elizabethkingia-illinois-cluster/index.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 09, 2016, 05:43:05 pm
Yellow fever spreads to DR Congo, kills 21

An outbreak of yellow fever has killed 21 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) says, linking some cases to an outbreak in neighbouring Angola. In a statement, the WHO said the deaths had occurred in January to March, with 151 suspected cases recorded. There was, it said, a "serious risk of further spread of the disease" in DRC.   

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36027854

Yellow fever: World on brink of global emergency over deadly outbreak, academics warn

Nearly a billion people in Africa and Latin America are at risk, Asia could be next and even Europe and the US have had outbreaks of the deadly disease in the past

Urgent action is needed to combat a yellow fever epidemic in Africa amid signs it is turning into a global health emergency and a severe shortage of the vaccine, academics have warned.

With nearly a billion people at risk from the deadly disease in Africa and Latin America and the danger of an outbreak in Asia, immunologist Professor Daniel Lucey and Lawrence Gostin, a professor in global health law, called on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare an emergency saying delays over Ebola had "cost lives".

And they also said that because of the surge in new infectious diseases in recent years – thought to be driven in part by climate change – the world should now set up a permanent committee to decide how to respond as new threats emerge.

Angola is in the grip of its worst yellow fever epidemic since 1986 with more than 250 deaths, and the disease is spreading rapidly – Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have all reported cases.

Peru has had at least 20 cases and there have also been several in China after people returned from Angola with the disease.

In an article called A Yellow Fever Epidemic: A New Global Health Emergency? in the journal JAMA, the academics, of Georgetown University in Washington DC, warned: “The looming threat of a severe yellow fever vaccine shortage exists amid epidemics in Africa and potentially in Latin America and Asia.”

Millions of people are due to be immunised as this is the only effective way to protect people against the disease, normally spread by mosquitoes.

But a shortage could “spark a health security crisis” and the WHO should consider reducing the dose to make the vaccine go further “given the world’s vital health security interests”, the academics wrote.

The WHO, they argued, should also “urgently convene an emergency committee to mobilize funds, coordinate an international response, and spearhead a surge in vaccine production”.

“Prior delays by the WHO in convening emergency committees for the Ebola virus, and possibly the on-going Zika epidemic, cost lives and should not be repeated,” they wrote.

“Acting proactively to address the evolving yellow fever epidemic is imperative.”

Since the 17th century there have been sporadic outbreaks of the disease outside its normal range in southern Africa and South America, usually in sea ports.

This happened in Europe in 1730 and 1821, when the UK was affected, and there have also been outbreaks in the US, such as in New Orleans in 1905, Memphis, Tennessee, in 1878 and Philadelphia in 1793.

Yellow fever kills people in a particularly nasty way. It initially causes symptoms such as fever, a significant backache, shivering and vomiting for about three or four days.

But shortly after they seem to recover about 15 per cent of patients are hit by a much worse fever that gives them the jaundice from which the disease gets its name.

They can then start bleeding from the eyes, nose and stomach, with further vomiting and cramps. About half of those who get this more severe strain will die as a result. There is no treatment.

rest: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/yellow-fever-global-emergency-outbreak-world-health-organization-who-angola-kenya-uganda-congo-peru-a7020371.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 27, 2016, 05:39:16 pm
The superbug that doctors have been dreading just reached the U.S.

For the first time, researchers have found a person in the United States carrying bacteria resistant to antibiotics of last resort, an alarming development that the top U.S. public health official says could mean “the end of the road” for antibiotics.

The antibiotic-resistant strain was found last month in the urine of a 49-year-old Pennsylvania woman. Defense Department researchers determined that she carried a strain of E. coli resistant to the antibiotic colistin, according to a study published Thursday in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. The authors wrote that the discovery “heralds the emergence of a truly pan-drug resistant bacteria.”

Colistin is the antibiotic of last resort for particularly dangerous types of superbugs, including a family of bacteria known as CRE, which health officials have dubbed “nightmare bacteria.” In some instances, these superbugs kill up to 50 percent of patients who become infected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called CRE among the country’s most urgent public health threats.

Health officials said the case in Pennsylvania, by itself, is not cause for panic. The strain found in the woman is still treatable with other antibiotics. But researchers worry that its colistin-resistance gene, known as mcr-1, could spread to other bacteria that can already evade other antibiotics.

It’s the first time this colistin-resistant strain has been found in a person in the United States. In November, public health officials worldwide reacted with alarm when Chinese and British researchers reported finding the colistin-resistant strain in pigs and raw pork and in a small number of people in China. The deadly strain was later discovered in Europe and elsewhere.

“It basically shows us that the end of the road isn’t very far away for antibiotics — that we may be in a situation where we have patients in our intensive care units, or patients getting urinary-tract infections for which we do not have antibiotics,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in an interview Thursday.

“I’ve been there for TB patients. I’ve cared for patients for whom there are no drugs left. It is a feeling of such horror and helplessness,” Frieden added. “This is not where we need to be.”

Separately, researchers at the Agriculture Department and the Department of Health and Human Services reported that testing of hundreds of livestock and retail meats turned up the same colistin-resistant bacteria in a sample from a pig intestine in the United States. USDA said it is working to identify the farm the pig came from.

CDC officials are working with Pennsylvania health authorities to interview the patient and family to identify how she may have contracted the bacteria, including reviewing recent hospitalizations and other health-care exposures. The CDC hopes to screen the patient and her contacts to see if others might be carrying the organism. Local and state health departments also will be collecting cultures as part of the investigation.

The woman was treated in an outpatient military facility in Pennsylvania, according to a Defense Department blog post about the findings. Samples were sent to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for initial testing. Additional testing was done by a special Defense Department system that tracks multi-drug-resistant organisms.

Thursday’s study did not disclose further details about the Pennsylvania woman or the outcome of her case. The authors could not be reached for comment. A spokesman at the Pennsylvania Department of Health was not immediately available to comment on the case.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe (D) issued a statement saying his administration immediately began working with the CDC and the Defense Department to coordinate "an appropriate and collaborative" response.

[Feds ramp up efforts to deal with antibiotic resistance]

"We are taking the emergence of this resistance gene very seriously," he said, adding that authorities will take all necessary actions to prevent it from becoming a widespread problem with "potentially serious consequences."

Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) said he is concerned about the reports. In a statement, Casey said he supported legislation for and participated in hearings about antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which he said “present an urgent public health problem that we must focus on intensively.” He said he planned to get a full briefing on the case in the coming days.

Colistin is widely used in Chinese livestock, and this probably led bacteria to evolve and gain a resistance to the drug. The gene probably leaped from livestock to human microbes through food, said Yohei Doi, an infectious-disease doctor at the University of Pittsburgh who has studied the problem.

rest: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/05/26/the-superbug-that-doctors-have-been-dreading-just-reached-the-u-s/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 27, 2016, 07:33:18 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOsr-GSglOQ


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 31, 2016, 10:22:29 pm
http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/health-officials-confirm-massive-measles-outbreak-came-az-immigrant-facility/

Health Officials Confirm That Measles Outbreak Came From AZ Immigrant Detention Facility

Seven of those infected are inmates at the Eloy Detention Center, and four are workers at the facility, Pinal County Health Services spokesman Joe Pyritz said. The privately-run facility has stopped accepting new detainees or releasing those currently held there.

5/31/16

An outbreak of measles that began with an inmate at a federal detention center for immigrants in central Arizona has now grown to 11 confirmed cases.

Seven of those infected are inmates at the Eloy Detention Center, and four are workers at the facility, Pinal County Health Services spokesman Joe Pyritz said.  The privately-run facility has stopped accepting new detainees or releasing those currently held there.

State and county health officials said they’re working to stop new transmissions by isolating patients, vaccinating people detained in the privately-run facility and trying to identify people who were at locations the four infected workers visited.

The outbreak began when an infected inmate was brought to the facility and spread the disease to a worker, who had been vaccinated but caught it anyway.

Health officials put out the first warning of the initial two cases last Thursday.

They have identified 14 locations in Pinal and Maricopa counties where the infected workers may have exposed other people, including stores, restaurants and a tribal casino. The locations can be found here.

The Arizona Department of Health Services is working with county officials to try to identify people exposed outside the facility.

They’re also urging people who may have visited any of the identified locations to come forward and be alert to measles symptoms, which include fever, red, watery eyes, cough and runny nose and is followed by a rash that is red, raised, and blotchy.

The rash begins on the face at the hairline and moves down the body and may last five to six days.

‘People who have a rash and fever must call their health care provider or emergency department before going to let them know they may have measles,’ Dr. Cara Christ, director of the state health department, said in a statement.

‘It is vital to help stop the further spread of the disease.’

Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable viral illness and symptoms can appear up to 21 days after exposure.

Vaccination prevents about 95 per cent of cases, Pyritz said, and the low numbers currently seen in a facility that can house more than 1,500 detainees shows that it is effective. The first worker who was sickened was vaccinated, Pyritz said.

‘There are a lot of people who have been exposed, and then we’ve had a few breakdowns’ in immunity, Pyritz said.

‘Not many, but a few.’

A woman in Washington died from measles last spring in the first measles death in the U.S. since 2003.

The Washington outbreak followed an outbreak of measles at Disneyland in California late in 2014, which sparked an intense debate across the nation about mandating vaccinations for schoolchildren, which some parents oppose.

That outbreak eventually sickened more than 140 people across the country and in Mexico and Canada. No deaths resulted from that outbreak. source

 


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on June 01, 2016, 01:24:45 pm
Mysterious Hemorrhagic Fever Outbreak Stumps Disease Detectives

...So far, there have been 51 cases — including 10 deaths — from an unknown disease in the northern part of South Sudan. The main symptoms of the disease are similar to those seen with Ebola: unexplained bleeding, fever, fatigue, headache and vomiting. But the culprit definitely isn't Ebola. First, the symptoms "rapidly resolve following supportive treatment," WHO said.

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/05/31/480150707/mysterious-hemorrhagic-fever-outbreak-stumps-disease-detectives 


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on June 21, 2016, 06:29:54 pm
Congo declares yellow fever epidemic, 1,000 suspected cases

Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday declared a yellow fever epidemic in three provinces, including the capital Kinshasa, after confirming 67 cases of the disease, with another 1,000 suspected cases being monitored. Health Minister Felix Kabange said only seven of the proven cases were indigenous to the Central African country, while 58 were imported from Angola, where the outbreak began. 

http://www.raptureready.com/www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Congo-declares-yellow-fever-epidemic-1000-suspected-cases-457330


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on August 16, 2016, 04:47:35 am
Boko Haram Health Crisis: Polio Returns to Nigeria

Health officials on Aug. 11 announced two new cases of polio after no sign of the virus in Nigeria for more than two years. The West African country stood only a few months away from hitting the three-year mark that would have officially made the entire continent polio-free.

The virus has paralyzed two children in Borno state’s council areas of Gwoza and Jere, Nigeria’s health minister confirmed. Extremist group Boko Haram once inhabited the region in northern Nigeria, and the cases have raised concern among health officials for the need to increase monitoring and health services to the once secluded and still volatile area.

“It has set us back,” said health minister Isaac Adewole. “We are drawing out an emergency plan, and in the next 48 hours, we are dispatching a team there and we are going to start immunization.”

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects young children and can only be prevented by immunization. The World Health Organization said it is cooperating with the Nigerian government and other partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to carry out immunization campaigns and strengthen early detection surveillance.

“Reaching these children requires vaccinating populations as they move in and out of inaccessible areas and using local-level groups and organizations, such as religious institutions and community-based organizations, to negotiate access for vaccination teams,” the World Health Organization said in a statement.

Nigeria’s northeast remained largely inaccessible for several years due to Boko Haram’s insurgency. Security officials recently recovered a swath of territory from the terror group, but the areas remain partially sealed off, and people have limited access to modern health care. Last month, the United Nations suspended aid to some of the newly liberated parts of Borno state due to continued sporadic terror attacks. The extremist group ambushed a humanitarian convoy and killed three civilians, including a UNICEF worker.

“We were expecting nutrition and other problems,” Adewole said. “But we did not expect that there would be polio.”

Nigeria’s last polio case occurred in Kano state on July 24, 2014. The two-year period marks the longest the country has ever gone without a case of the virus. It also highlights the global success in eradicating the virus. In 2012, Nigeria accounted for more than half of the world’s polio cases. This year, only 21 cases have been reported globally, compared to 36 at the same time last year.

http://www.christianheadlines.com/news/boko-haram-health-crisis-polio-returns-to-nigeria.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on October 06, 2016, 04:41:08 am
Is This Rapidly Spreading Disease Part of Luke 21 Prophecy?

Is the rise of a polio-like disease part of Luke's end-times prophecy in chapter 21? The pestilence, called acute flaccid myelitis, paralyzes victims and triggers facial droop or weakness, droopy eyelids, difficulty swallowing and slurred speech.

"Every new case you see, the pit of your stomach drops out again," says Sara Carson, who's daughter was struck by the illness.

"You flash back to that moment in time where you're sitting in the hospital room thinking you don't know where the next day is going to take you, or the next hour or the next minute."

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has seen at least 50 cases this year, more than double the 21 reported last year.

"The CDC is concerned about the increase in cases, so we're actively investigating the cases and working really closely with health departments on it. We're intensifying our efforts to find out what causes it—we don't know what causes it," CDC pediatrician Manisha Patel says.

A variety of germs can trigger AFM, including West Nile and respiratory illnesses, among others.

http://www.charismanews.com/us/60374-is-this-rapidly-spreading-disease-part-of-luke-21-prophecy


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 31, 2016, 07:59:03 pm
http://strangesounds.org/2016/10/mysterious-illness-suddenly-paralyses-hundreds-of-us-children-and-doctors-dont-know-why.html
10/31/16
Mysterious illness suddenly paralyses hundreds of US children and doctors don’t know why

A mysterious illness paralysing suddenly hundreds of children across the US continues to alarm and puzzle scientists.

Children have shown up at hospitals unable to move their arms or legs. Dozens of kids have become paralyzed in the past few months alone.

This kind of sudden and devastating paralysis hasn’t been widespread since the days of polio.

LOS ANGELES — Erin Olivera waited weeks for doctors to tell her why her youngest son was paralyzed.

Ten-month-old Lucian had started crawling oddly — his left leg dragging behind his right — and soon was unable to lift his head, following Erin only with his eyes.

She took him to a hospital in Los Angeles, but doctors there didn’t know how to treat what they saw.

Lucian’s legs felt soft as jelly and he couldn’t move them. His breathing became rapid. The left side of his smile drooped as his muscles weakened.

Physicians ran test after test, and Erin began spending her nights on a hospital room couch. After Lucian fell asleep, during her only minutes alone between working and visiting her three other kids, she cried.

A terrifying reality was taking hold: Doctors wouldn’t be able to give her a diagnosis for her paralyzed child.

“How can I make a decision for him when I don’t even know what’s wrong?” she said. “What can I do to help him?”

So one morning in July of 2012, Erin lifted Lucian out of his hospital bed, his body limp and heavy. She rested his cheek on her shoulder, the way he liked to be held since he’d become weak.

Erin returned home to Ventura County with a child she thought might never learn to walk.

In the years since, hundreds of children across the country have shown up at hospitals unable to move their arms or legs. Dozens of kids have become paralyzed in the past few months alone.

They suffer from a mysterious illness that continues to alarm and puzzle scientists. This kind of sudden and devastating paralysis hasn’t been widespread since the days of polio. Lucian, one of the disease’s earliest victims, set off a hunt among doctors to discover its cause.

more


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on February 14, 2017, 05:40:44 pm
Angola: Deadly Disease Combination Claims Thousands in Angola

RAGING yellow fever and malaria outbreaks claimed more than 15 000 lives in Angola over the past year. Speaking in the capital Luanda, the health minister, Luís Gomes Sambo, disclosed there were with 4,2 million cases of malaria, leading to the death of 15 000 people.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201702100075.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on March 08, 2017, 07:57:52 pm
An outbreak in Brazil has U.S. health experts wondering if yellow fever could be the next Zika

Yellow fever has broken out in the jungles outside Brazil’s most densely-populated cities, raising a frightening but still remote possibility: an epidemic that could decimate that country’s population and spread throughout the Americas, including the United States.

In an essay rushed into print by the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, two doctors from the National Institutes of Health warn that cases of yellow fever, which can kill as many as 10% of those infected, have seen an unusual spike in the last few weeks in several rural areas of Brazil.

Those outbreaks have been limited to places where there aren’t enough people or virus-spreading mosquitoes to fuel a rapid run-up in transmission. But they are on the edge of major urban areas where residents are largely unvaccinated, and where both humans and insects are packed densely enough to accelerate the disease’s spread.

It’s a perilous moment, made more so by the fact that, while an effective vaccine against yellow fever has been around since 1937, worldwide stockpiles are all but depleted. In a series of yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo two years ago, public health officials ran so short of the vaccine that they resorted to giving each person one-fifth of a dose.

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-yellow-fever-americas-20170308-story.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 29, 2017, 03:37:03 pm
Advocate calls for chicken irradiation in Canada
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/advocate-calls-for-chicken-irradiation-in-canada-1.3432769
Published Sunday, May 28, 2017 10:13AM EDT

A consumer advocate is pushing Ottawa to promote the irradiation of chicken to kill illness-causing bugs and to do a better job of getting buyers on board.

Bruce Cran of the Consumers Association of Canada said the federal government has done "an incompetent job" informing Canadians that irradiation is safe and he worries that a lack of action could lead to a deadly outbreak.

"They need to promote an understanding so Canadians can make an informed choice, and they're not doing that for whatever reason," Cran said. "This is not only a safe practice, it's one that many of us would like to be able to use."

Earlier this year, the federal government approved the sale of ground beef treated with radiant energy similar to X-rays to reduce the risk of illnesses caused by E. coli and salmonella. The products must be labelled to include an international symbol on packaging -- usually a green plant inside a circle.

The U.S. has allowed meat to be treated for years, but that country's Food and Drug Administration has noted that consumers' acceptance has been slowed by confusion over how irradiation works and what it does. It notes some people believe it makes food radioactive.

"Our members would absolutely support it," said Robin Horel, president of the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council.

"But we haven't pushed hard because ... the companies that produce chicken and turkey are concerned about what the consumer response would be."

Anna Madison, a spokeswoman for Health Canada, said in an email the federal government would not promote irradiation since it does not engage in promotional activities.

The federal department last examined irradiation for poultry in the early 2000s, but it did not amend regulations to allow it because of concerns from some stakeholders.

Karen Graham, who chaired a panel of Canadian dietitians in the 1980s that considered the issue, said irradiated foods lose vitamin B and fats such as healthy omega-3 are broken down. It can also kill healthy bacteria.

Critics also claim irradiation produces toxins, such as benzene, and changes the taste of meat.

"There aren't consumers with placards saying give us irradiation. This is very much industry driven," Graham said in an interview from Kelowna, B.C.

Rick Holley, professor emeritus of food microbiology and food safety at University of Manitoba, said irradiation is safe and is even more important for chicken than for ground beef. Chicken causes more illness in Canada, he said.

Holley said salmonella is naturally present on a lot of chicken and the gastro-intestinal bacteria campylobactor is present on all of it, regardless of whether a bird is free-range or factory.

"Both of these organisms occasionally kill, but because they make more people ill who recover, then the emphasis is not placed on them to the same extent as E. coli O157 in hamburger," said Holley, who suggested that irradiating chicken could cut food-related illness in Canada by 25 per cent.

"The political will is certainly there, but it will only move forward in this regard when consumers are made aware of the extent of the problem and the fact that irradiation is such a suitable solution."

The Health Canada review noted an unpleasant odour with doses of irradiation higher than the one that was being considered for fresh chicken, but the smell was more likely to be noticed by experienced judges than average consumers. It also said the smell disappeared after a few days or after cooking.

Monique Lacroix, a researcher at the Canadian Irradiation Centre and at INRS-Institute Armand Frappier in Laval, Que., said in an interview last year that irradiation done at the low levels proposed by the meat industry, doesn't increase benzene or free radicals in an amount to be of concern. She noted that barbecuing meat produces billions of free radicals.

Graham, however, said irradiation is one more added process that negatively affects food.

"You still have storage. You still have refrigeration. You still have freezing. You still have all those things which are going to cause some nutrient loss -- and then you're adding irradiation on top of it which also is going to create some losses."


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 12, 2017, 05:15:27 pm
http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/10/08/california-hepatitis-a-outbreak-on-verge-of-statewide-epidemic/
10/8/17
California Hepatitis A Outbreak on Verge of Statewide Epidemic

The California hepatitis A outbreak is on the verge of reaching statewide epidemic status, as cases have spread through homeless tent cities from San Diego north to Sacramento.

California health officials have reported that at least 569 people have been infected with the hepatitis A liver disease and 17 have died since a San Diego County outbreak was first identified in November. Cases have migrated north to homeless populations in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Sacramento over the last 11 months.

Although local and state authorities have tried to underplay the risks and severity of the outbreak, the most recent annual totals for cases of hepatitis A in the United States was 1,390 in 2015, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). California only reported 179 cases during the same year.

The highly-contagious hepatitis A outbreak may have taken root because of the City of San Diego’s efforts in the run-up to Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game held at Petco Park in July 2016 to push the homeless, and the rampant drug and prostitution trade among them, out of the downtown tourist venues. Those effort included locking public bathrooms and essentially relocating the homeless to the congested tent city encampments that stretch for blocks east of downtown near freeway onramps.

more


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 02, 2017, 04:46:29 pm
Black Death: Warnings of global outbreak as plague continues to spread in Aftica


How the fatal Black Death spread across the world

Some 1,300 cases of the pneumonic plague, which is transmitted by air, have now been confirmed.

An estimated 50 million lives were lost as a result of the Black Death epidemic of the 1300s.

And now the deadly disease has spread into more African countries after taking root in Madagascar.

Countries affected include South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Comoros, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Reunion.



So far, the virus has killed 124 people and infected around 1,300, but scientists say this figure will definitely rise.

The World Health Organisation, which has been working with Madagascar’s Ministry of Health, has warned the risk of the epidemic spreading is “high”.

"Plague, though terrifying, is nothing new in Madagascar, where about 600 cases are reported annually," the organisation said on its website.
Deadliest epidemics in history
 

From Ebola to the Black Death, here are the deadliest epidemics in history

But officials said while "health officials couldn't explain it", the plague is different this time.

A Crisis Emergency Committee has been established in response to the outbreak, which will "coordinate surveillance, contact tracing, case management, isolation and supplies" until it is contained.

Air Seychelles, one of Madagascar's biggest airlines, stopped flying earlier in the month, in an effort to contain the spread and airports are screening passengers to avoid spread of the plague.

Schools and businesses have been closed, and large public gatherings have been cancelled.

rest: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/656128/Plague-outbreak-global-black-death-Madagascar-Africa-WHO-South-Kenya-Ethiopia-Seychelles


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 02, 2017, 04:47:19 pm
Madagascar plague outbreak set to last another SIX MONTHS as health officials warn Black Death pandemic could explode at any time

MADAGASCAR'S deadly Black Death outbreak could last another SIX MONTHS - with officials warning the oncoming rainy season could see the epidemic explode.

At least 128 people have been killed and more than 1,300 infected by the deadly pneumonic strain of the medieval disease.

And while health officials have seen a slight dip in victims, they warned it could explode at any point between now and April.

Tarik Jašarević of the World Health Organisation told The Sun: "We cannot say with certainty that the epidemic has subsided.

"We are about three months into the epidemic season, which goes on until April 2018.

"Even if the recent declining trend is confirmed, we cannot rule out the possibility of further spikes in transmission between now and April 2018.

"The proportion of pneumonic plague – the form which can be transmitted from person to person – is much higher than in the past."
Dr Ibrahima-Soce Fall says World Health Organisation are working to prevent the spread of plague on Madagascar

The Foreign Office recently warned that the deadly outbreak is entering its most dangerous phase.

Its website said that "outbreaks of plague tend to be seasonal and occur mainly during the rainy season."

The African island's wet season officially began today and will last until the end of April.

And because the disease can be spread easily through a cough or sneeze, experts are fearful just one traveller could take the infection with them to Africa's mainland or even nearby Brit honeymoon paradises like Mauritius, the Maldives or the Seychelles.

The Seychelles is currently putting anyone travelling from Madagascar into quarantine on arrival.

rest: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4818057/madagascar-plague-outbreak-pandemic-could-explode/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 08, 2017, 07:17:13 pm
Plague feared to go GLOBAL as death toll rises in 'worst outbreak for 50 YEARS'
PLAGUE is continuing to spread in the “worst outbreak” in 50 years – but scientists fear the worst is yet to come as it could go global.

Cases have increased by 8% in just a week with nearly 2,000 people infected by the deadly airborne strain.

Some 143 people have now been killed by the “medieval disease” in Madagascar.

There are now warnings the plague could stretch across the sea and reach mainland Africa.

Such an outbreak would be catastrophic and there are fears the virus could go global.

Nine countries are now on high alert and have been told to brace for the plague.

rest: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/658482/Madagascar-Plague-Black-Death-Outbreak-Toll-Symptoms-Spread-Africa-WHO-Airborne-Pneumonic


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 09, 2017, 01:38:20 am
Six dead and 17 sick from major drug-resistant tuberculosis outbreak in Minnesota

A tuberculosis outbreak in Minnesota has infected 17 people and killed six
Fourteen of those who contracted the disease are from the elderly Hmong community, indigenous to Asia
This particular strain is more difficult to fight because it is multi-drug resistant
Minnesota is using $225,000 in emergency funds to limit the spread of the disease.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5062423/Six-dead-Minnesota-tuberculosis-outbreak.html#ixzz4xuySyPjm


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 19, 2017, 08:13:52 pm
Black Death patients are ESCAPING hospital and refusing treatment sparking fears it may spread

HOSPITAL patients suffering from the plague are running away from hospitals because they are scared of needles and aren’t used to hospital treatment. Security guards at the Central Anti-Plague Hospital in Ambohimindra, Madagascar, are tasked with keeping patients in as well as making sure those arriving follow safety procedures.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4943288/black-death-patients-are-escaping-hospital-and-refusing-treatment-sparking-fears-it-may-spread/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on January 13, 2018, 08:12:19 pm
Black Death fears as girl, 9, dies of unknown disease in Africa


Uganda’s Ministry of Health denies outbreak of hemorrhagic fever

The girl dropped dead with the symptoms of an extremely contagious viral disease than can kill up to 40% of all infected.

She had contracted the bizarre new disease with similarities to the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

This disease — usually spread by tick bites or contact with infected livestock — can cause muscle pains, headaches, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding.

OUTBREAK: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever causes diarrhoea, headaches and eye-bleeding

And panic is spreading after the sudden death of a girl in the Nakaseke District of Uganda.

A rapid response health team was rushed from the local hospital with a body bag to collect her and prevent any possible outbreak.

Health teams disinfected the girl's home after her death on Thursday night local time, but didn't give her grieving family any details about when they could have her body back.

DEADLY: The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is similar to the Black Death

Speaking to local media, family member Harriet Nalunkuma said: "We are stranded on what to do because the health teams took away the body.

"We are waiting for a communication regarding the burial arrangements."

Local district Health Officer Dr Badru Ssesimba confirmed that blood samples from the girl's body had been handed over to the Uganda Virus Research Institute, but wouldn't give more details.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/673849/black-death-outbreak-crimean-congo-hemorrhagic-fever-bubonic-plague-africa-uganda-nakaseke


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on January 17, 2018, 06:55:35 pm
More Than 100 Are Dead As The Worst Flu Epidemic In Years Sweeps Across The United States

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/more-than-100-are-dead-as-the-worst-flu-epidemic-in-years-sweeps-across-the-united-states


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on January 26, 2018, 10:56:00 pm
100 years after 'Spanish flu', new global pandemics feared

Ebola, zika, SARS: a century after the "Spanish flu" killed 50 million people, humanity now risks a new wave of deadly diseases, and in today's globalised world another such pandemic may be unavoidable, experts warned at the Davos summit this week.

"Pandemics are becoming a real threat to humanity," Elhadj As Sy, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told AFP at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort.

One Davos discussion titled "Are We Ready For the Next Pandemic?" was joined by experts including Sylvie Briand, a specialist in infectious diseases at the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"We know that it is coming, but we have no way of stopping it," she said.

This year marks the centenary of the worst epidemic in history: the so-called Spanish flu -- an outbreak that experts say was actually imported to Europe by troops from the United States coming to fight in World War One.

Across the world, the disease killed more people in two years than the four years of fighting had.

Richard Hatchett, director of the public-private Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said India lost five percent of its population in 1918 -- the only time in the country's history that its population declined.

A century on, a new flu virus is the risk that most worries experts.

"The flu is a respiratory virus that is easily transmitted and people can be contagious even before they show symptoms, so it is not easy to control," said Briand.

Its numerous forms are also able to "marry" one another or bond with viruses from birds or pigs in potentially deadly new combinations.

- Still vulnerable -

Despite the development of anti-viral drugs, antibiotics and the first vaccines, two other flu pandemics erupted after the Spanish flu, in 1957 and 1968 -- killing millions.

More recent epidemics have reminded the world that it is still vulnerable to outbreaks.

https://www.afp.com/en/news/717/100-years-after-spanish-flu-new-global-pandemics-feared-doc-xu59e1


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on January 28, 2018, 04:37:37 am
Schools in ELEVEN states have closed this flu season as experts warn more than 50,000 Americans will die

    Schools are closing due to the spread of an aggressive strain of the flu
    The strain, known as H3N2, has killed 37 children so far this season
    The CDC has said the epidemic will most likely worsen in the coming days
    Seven children have died from the flu this week alone

Schools in 11 states have closed due to the spread of influenza this flu season.

The aggressive H3N2 strain of the virus has killed at least 37 children this season and will likely be responsible for the deaths of more, the Wall Street Journal reported.

It killed seven children this week alone, according to authorities. Additionally, hospitalizations have shot up from 36.9 people out of every 100,000 last week to 41.9 per every 100,000 this week.

The CDC has said it will not have an estimation for the number of deaths caused by the flu until next season.

However experts say more than 50,000 Americans will be dead by the end of this flu season, according to Bloomberg.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5320527/Schools-ELEVEN-states-closed-flu-season.html#ixzz55TTmZXlO



Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on February 04, 2018, 06:34:27 pm
CDC: US Flu Outbreak Worsens; Hospitalizations Highest in Nearly a Decade


The U.S. flu outbreak worsened over the past week as more people headed to doctors' offices and emergency rooms, with hospitalizations at the highest in nearly 10 years, U.S. health officials said on Friday.

Sixteen children died of the flu in the week ended Jan. 27, bringing total pediatric deaths to 53 for the season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report.

Out of every 100,000 people in the general population, an estimated 51.4 have been hospitalized for the flu, surpassing the rate in the last severe season of 2014-2015, when 710,000 were hospitalized and 148 children died. Adults aged 65 or older had the most hospitalizations, followed by those aged 50 to 64 and children below 5.

"So far this year the cumulative rate of hospitalization is the highest since we began tracking in this way," Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters on a conference call.

With the previous record now broken, "we fear this year might be even worse than 2014-2015," Schuchat said in a telephone interview.

The United States is now 10 weeks into the current flu season, which is expected to last for at least several more weeks.

The dominant strain during this flu season is an especially nasty type called influenza A (H3N2) that in seasons past was linked with severe disease and death, especially in the elderly and young.

Schuchat was named acting CDC director earlier this week after Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald resigned from the post because of financial conflicts of interest, including purchases of tobacco and healthcare stocks while in office.

Flu is widespread in 48 states, down from 49 last week, with Oregon reporting less flu activity, the CDC said.

"We are not out of the woods yet," Schuchat said, noting that sick people should stay home to avoid transmitting the virus to others, frequently wash hands and cover their mouth while coughing or sneezing.

The CDC official also said it was not too late to get a flu vaccine.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/cdc-flu-outbreak-hospitalizations/2018/02/03/id/841262/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on February 04, 2018, 08:25:51 pm
To Deal With a Flu Onslaught, Emergency Rooms Expand Into Waiting Rooms

Emergency departments across the U.S. have been slammed in recent weeks by an onslaught of flu visits, forcing hospitals to devise new spaces to house patients, to restrict visitors and to postpone elective surgeries.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/to-deal-with-a-flu-onslaught-emergency-rooms-expand-into-waiting-rooms-and-hallways-1517481000


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on February 10, 2018, 08:22:18 pm
Flu Is Causing 1 in 10 American Deaths and Climbing
Along with the pneumonia it spawns, this year’s epidemic may be killing 4,000 people every week.




Along with the pneumonia it spawns, this year’s epidemic may be killing 4,000 people every week.
By

February 9, 2018, 1:54 PM EST Updated on February 9, 2018, 4:53 PM EST

The amount of influenza ravaging the U.S. this year rivals levels normally seen when an altogether new virus emerges, decimating a vulnerable population that hasn’t had a chance to develop any defenses.

It’s an unexpected phenomenon that public health experts are still trying to decode.

The levels of influenza-like illnesses being reported now are as high as the peak of the swine flu epidemic in 2009, and exceed the last severe seasonal flu outbreak in 2003 when a new strain started circulating, said Anne Schuchat, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s acting director. Swine flu, which swept the globe in 2009 and 2010, sickened 60.8 million Americans, hospitalized 274,304 and killed 12,469, according to CDC data. Deaths from the current outbreak will likely far outstrip those of the 2009-2010 season.

“This is a difficult season, and we can’t predict how much longer the severe season will last,” she said. “I wish there was better news, but everything we are looking at is bad news.”
Share of U.S. Deaths From Pneumonia and Influenza

Source: Centers for Disease Control

The primary type of influenza this year hasn’t changed enough from previous seasons to be considered a novel strain, Schuchat said. The agency’s virologists are studying it to determine if there are any other explanations for why it’s been so hard-hitting.

“We have a lot to learn still about influenza,” she said. “It’s a wake-up call about how severe influenza can be, and why we can never let down our guard.”

Deaths from influenza and pneumonia, which are closely tied to  each other in the winter months, were responsible for 1 of every 10 deaths last week, and that’s likely to rise, Schuchat said in a conference call Friday. There were 40,414 deaths in the U.S. during the third week of 2018, the most recent data available, and 4,064 were from pneumonia or influenza, according to the CDC data. The number for that week is expected to rise more reports are sent to the agency.

It gets worse. The death toll in future weeks is expected to grow even higher because flu activity is still rising—and the number of deaths follow the flu activity. Hospitalization rates are already approaching total numbers seen at the end of the flu season, which may not be for months.

“Unfortunately, more deaths are likely to happen,” Schuchat said. “Over the next few weeks, we do expect and it would make sense to see more pneumonia and influenza-related deaths. The people who are likely to die are already in the hospital.”
Percentage of Outpatient Visits for Flu-Like Illnesses

Source: Centers for Disease Control

This year’s flu could be more calamitous than outbreaks going back decades, but there’s no way to know for sure. It’s difficult to compare the severity of influenza across seasons for more than a handful of years because of changes in how the virus is handled in the U.S. The CDC started recommending universal vaccination to stop the spread of the virus in 2010, after previously targeting only those in high-risk groups who were most likely to die from an infection.

The agency reported another 10 deaths among children this season, bringing the total to 63 so far. Half had no other medical conditions that would place them in the high-risk category, and only about 20 percent were vaccinated.

The agency only started counting deaths among children in 2004, after a particularly severe season. That year, the number of doctor’s office visits for the flu peaked at 7.6 percent; last week it was 7.7 percent.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-09/flu-caused-1-in-10-american-deaths-last-week


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on February 10, 2018, 08:23:08 pm
Flu season still getting worse; now as bad as 2009 swine flu

The flu has further tightened its grip on the U.S. This season is now as bad as the swine flu epidemic nine years ago.

A government report out Friday shows 1 of every 13 visits to the doctor last week was for fever, cough and other symptoms of the flu. That ties the highest level seen in the U.S. during swine flu in 2009.

And it surpasses every winter flu season since 2003, when the government changed the way it measures flu.

“I wish that there were better news this week, but almost everything we’re looking at is bad news,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Flu season usually takes off in late December and peaks around February. This season started early and was widespread in many states by December. Early last month, it hit what seemed like peak levels — but then continued to surge.

The season has been driven by a nasty type of flu that tends to put more people in the hospital and cause more deaths than other more common flu bugs. Still, its long-lasting intensity has surprised experts, who are still sorting out why it’s been so bad. One possibility is that the vaccine is doing an unusually poor job; U.S. data on effectiveness is expected next week.

Some doctors say this is the worst flu season they’ve seen in decades. Some patients are saying that, too.

Veda Albertson, a 70-year-old retiree in Tampa, was sick for three weeks with high fever and fluid in her lungs. She said she hadn’t been this sick from the flu since the 1960s, when she was a young mother who couldn’t get out of bed to go to the crib of her crying baby.

“It was like ‘Wham!’ It was bad. It was awful,” she said of the illness that hit her on Christmas Day.

Heather Jossi, a 40-year-old Denver police officer and avid runner, said her illness last month was the worst flu she’s experienced.

“I don’t remember aches this bad. Not for four days,” said Jossi. “It took me out.”

Albertson said she got a flu shot, Jossi did not.

Last week, 43 states had high patient traffic for the flu, up from 42, the CDC reported. Flu remained widespread in every state except Hawaii and Oregon and hospitalizations continued to climb.

“It’s beginning to feel like a marathon,” said Dr. Anthony Marchetti, emergency department medical director at Upson Regional Medical Center, a 115-bed hospital in rural Georgia. A quarter of the hospital’s emergency department visits are patients with flu, and the hospital has added nursing staff and placed beds in halls to accommodate the increase, he said.

“It just means we have to keep on keeping on. We’re getting used to it,” Marchetti said.

So far, it has not been a remarkably bad year for flu deaths. Flu and flu-related pneumonia deaths have lagged a little behind some recent bad seasons. The CDC counts flu deaths in children and there have been 63 so far. They have gone as high as about 170 in a season. Overall, there are estimated to be as many as 56,000 deaths linked to the flu during a bad year.

But reports of deaths — some in otherwise healthy children and young adults — have caused growing fear and concern, health officials acknowledge.

On Friday, Delisah Revell brought her 10-month-old daughter to the Upson Regional emergency room. “I heard how bad it is and I didn’t want to take any chances,” said Revell, who drove 30 minutes to get to the hospital in Thomaston.

The CDC said the amount of suspected flu cases at doctor’s offices and hospital emergency rooms last week matched that seen in 2009, when a new swine flu pandemic swept the world. Swine flu, also called pandemic H1N1, was a new strain that hadn’t been seen before. It first hit that spring, at the tail end of the winter season, but doctor visits hit their height in late October during a second wave.

This flu season, hospitalization rates have surpassed the nasty season of the winter of 2014-2015, when the vaccine was a poor match to the main bug.

Health officials have said this year’s vaccine targets the flu viruses that are currently making people sick, including the swine flu virus that has become a regular winter threat. However, preliminary studies out of Australia and Canada have found the shot was only 10 to 20 percent effective in those countries against the H3N2 strain that’s causing the most suffering this winter.

Doctors say they’re a bit bewildered as to why this season is so intense.

“It is surprising,” said Dr. James Steinberg, chief medical officer at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta. “It’s not a hugely new strain. So why is it so severe? I don’t think we know.”

https://apnews.com/da19ce2ea2354b5db3cc1cfeb78220fc/Flu-season-still-getting-worse;-now-as-bad-as-2009-swine-flu


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on March 05, 2018, 04:50:46 pm
As yellow fever spreads toward big cities, Brazil struggles to vaccinate millions



They began arriving as early as midnight, air mattresses and beach chairs tucked under their arms, lined up down the sidewalk and around the corner in downtown São Paulo, Brazil.

"Make sure you have your vaccination card and your number in hand," a public health clinic worker shouted to those lucky enough to have one of the 300 numbers that would allow them to receive a full dose of the yellow fever vaccine, good for a lifetime.

"If you're not here when your number is called, you'll lose your place in line!"

Brazil is fighting to stay ahead of one of its worst epidemics of yellow fever, a sometimes-fatal virus transmitted by Haemagogus and Sabethes mosquitoes and named for the yellowing of the skin and eyes of those infected.

Though the surge has largely been in rural areas, there is increasing concern that if people don't get the vaccine, the virus could spread into the country's biggest cities.

Those lined up on the January morning in São Paulo were also racing the clock. The Brazilian government, faced with the task of vaccinating millions as quickly as possible, said it would begin reducing vaccine doses in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro by the end of January to help stretch supplies.

Though health officials insisted even a partial dose would protect people for up to eight years, many remained unconvinced.

"Why would I only want only part of a vaccination?" asked Isabel Antônia Martins, who waited in line that day. "We don't know if it will have the same affect as a full dose. I'm not taking any chances, especially with the way yellow fever has been spreading."
A young boy in Sao Paulo winces as he gets the yellow fever vaccine.

A young boy in Sao Paulo winces as he gets the yellow fever vaccine. (Jr./EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock /)

Unlike the country's recent epidemic of Zika, another mosquito-borne virus that caused severe birth defects as a result of microcephaly in hundreds of babies, the yellow fever that is spreading across the country is not being transmitted by Aedes aegypti, the urban-dwelling mosquito blamed for the Zika epidemic.

Still, the yellow fever that has surged in rural parts of the country has now made its way into Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, three states with some of the country's largest metropolitan centers — areas where people traditionally don't have to worry about getting the vaccine.

"It's a case of opportunity," said Maurício Nogueira, president of the Brazilian Society of Virology. "To urbanize, it would need a population that is susceptible [to the virus] and mosquitoes that are susceptible to the city. So the quicker we control these rural outbreaks, the lower the chances that it will urbanize.

It's something we can't waver on," he added. "We need to vaccinate the largest number of people as quickly as possible."

The advancing virus has stoked both fear and suspicion in Brazil's urban centers.

People line up for hours to get the vaccine. Cases of the doses have been stolen from government health clinics and private practices. And in São Paulo, 32 city parks were closed after a monkey contracted yellow fever and began to die. In a surge of panic and misunderstanding, people began slaughtering monkeys, wrongly thinking they were responsible for spreading the virus.

São Paulo state has seen the most dramatic jump in cases of yellow fever. In the first six weeks of 2018, there were already 133 confirmed cases and 49 deaths blamed on the virus, a staggering increase from 2017 when there were 53 cases and 16 deaths for the entire year. Rio had 47 cases and 21 deaths in January alone, compared with 27 cases and nine deaths the previous year.

Yellow fever's migration south, which Nogueira says has always been monitored, comes as no surprise to specialists. But the speed at which it has been traveling is something new. As the virus spreads and moves toward areas generally not threatened by yellow fever, the government's vaccination campaign has struggled to keep up.

Even with the early rush to get vaccinated, the Ministry of Health's goal to vaccinate 20.5 million people in São Paulo and Rio between Jan. 25 and Feb. 15 reached only 20% of its targeted population. With just 3.6 million people vaccinated, it decided to extend the campaign into March.

But some people are choosing to forego the vaccination, convinced by rumors that the vaccine is a bigger threat than the actual virus, false information that has been passed along on social media.

A post on Facebook claiming a teenager died because of side effects from the yellow fever vaccine went viral, even though officials from the town where she lived said the teen's death was due to bacterial pneumonia. An audio recording of a woman claiming to be a doctor and warning that the vaccine isn't safe also made the rounds on Brazil's popular messaging app, WhatsApp.

While there were five deaths caused by the vaccine in Brazil last year, such serious problems are rare. Side effects of the yellow fever vaccine are usually minor, ranging from headaches and muscle pain, to low-grade fevers and a mild rash.

The real problem, according to Nogueira, isn't the vaccine, but the government's lack of transparency.

"Brazilians should be more concerned about the transparency of their government," he said. "The government needs to be very clear and needs to explain why it didn't start vaccinating last year. It needs to say, 'Look, we didn't have enough vaccines then.' And it needs to admit that what we have right now is an epidemic."


http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-brazil-yellow-fever-20180305-story.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on March 10, 2018, 06:07:37 pm
Scientists warn of mysterious and deadly new epidemic called Disease X that could kill millions around the world

An unknown and deadly new illness dubbed Disease X has been added to the list of potential global epidemics that could kill millions.

Each year scientists with the World Health Organisation (WHO) create a list of the most likely diseases to break out into a worldwide pandemic.

This year, among the familiar Ebola, SARS, and Zika viruses is the new name of Disease X.

And unlike the other pathogens, it is not known what causes Disease X or how doctors could try to treat it.

Researchers said that they added Disease X to the threat list to recognise the fact that the next deadly pandemic could be started by an illness that has not caused any problems before.

"Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease."

Norwegian scientist and WHO adviser John-Arne Rottingen said that it was likely the next outbreak would be "something we have not seen before".

"It may seem strange to be adding an ‘X’ but the point is to make sure we prepare and plan flexibly in terms of vaccines and diagnostic tests," he told The Daily Telegraph.

Disease X could even be man-made, rather than a fluke of nature. There are growing fears that the use and development of chemical and biological weapons are on the rise. In Syria's bloody civil war chemical bombs have been dropped on civilians on numerous occasions.

And closer to home, the police have confirmed that a nerve agent, probably created in a lab by state-sponsored scientists as a targeted weapon, was used to attack the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury this week.

Last year North Korea is believed to have used the nerve agent VX to assassinate the half-brother of dictator Kim Jong-Un in an airport in a Malaysian airport.

Mr Rottingen said that the man-made viruses and diseases were especially dangerous because humans have not built up any resistance over time to them, leaving them free to sweep across the globe before governments and doctors can catch up.

“Synthetic biology allows for the creation of deadly new viruses. It is also the case that where you have a new disease there is no resistance in the population and that means it can spread fast."

But it was just as possible that Disease X could spring up from the natural world, just as previous deadly epidemics such as Spanish Flu or HIV.

“The intensity of animal and human contact is becoming much greater as the world develops. This makes it more likely new diseases will emerge but also modern travel and trade make it much more likely they will spread,” the WHO adviser Professor Marion Koopmans told The Daily Telegraph.

Some of the proven killers on the list, such as Zika or SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) caught the world by surprise when they first arose and killed hundreds or even thousands before they were brought under control. Before scientists became familiar with these threats, they to would have been considered a Disease X.
Disease X could be as dangerous as Zika, which causes microcephaly in newborn babies (Image: REUTERS)

The WHO hopes that formally adding a future Disease X to the list will push countries and researchers to redouble their efforts to create protections against unknown epidemics.

But more common diseases could also cause devastation. Yesterday, the WHO warned that the next global flu epidemic could begin "tomorrow" and kill as many as 33 million people in just 200 days.

Jonathan Quick, chairman of the Global Health Council and a project leader for the World Health Organisation, has written a new book, Ending Epidemics: The Looming Threat To Humanity And How To Stop It.
Hundreds of Spanish flu victims in Kansas (Image: www.alamy.com)

Giving a stark warning, he said: “With disrupted supply of food and medicines and without enough survivors to run computer or energy systems, the global economy would collapse.

“Starvation and looting could lay waste to parts of the world “It’s a disaster movie night. Yet it is waiting to come true thanks to ­influenza, the most diabolical viral killer known to humankind."

Exactly 100 years ago the Spanish Flu outbreak swept around the world, killing about 100 million people around the world, more than the four years of the First World War which had only just finished.
Victims of 1918's devastating Spanish Flu outbreak are buried in mass graves (Image: www.alamy.com)

Celebrities and oridinary citizens were struck down alike. In America, which was hit particularly hard, so many people died there was no space left in morgues and families often had to dig their own graves.

Quick said that while there were lots of precautions governments could take to stop future epidemics, most countries were ignoring the threat.

“The good news is that there is much we can do to prevent this. The bad news is that much of it is not being done. We are just as vulnerable now as we were 100 years ago.”
Spanish flu killed 100 million and a similar epidemic is set to strike again (Image: www.alamy.com)

Dr Greg Poland, an expert in viruses as the Mayo Clinic, another global flu crisis was “100 per cent” certain.

He said: “We will have another pandemic. What’s unpredictable is the severity of it.

“When you begin to feel comfortable, you’re well on the road to bad things happening.”

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/scientists-warn-mysterious-deadly-new-12160964


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on March 15, 2018, 02:43:32 am
Passengers expose fellow travelers at 3 airports to virus

Visitors to airports in Detroit; Newark, N.J.; and Memphis may have been exposed to measles after cases were confirmed in two international travelers, health officials in two states said Tuesday.

But people who received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine twice as children are considered protected for life, federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said. Others who have not been vaccinated or had only one shot could come down with the disease, which can be life threatening.

The specifics:

• Detroit. People who visited the North Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on the afternoon of March 6 likely were exposed to the highly contagious virus, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Someone infected could develop symptoms as late as next week

• Newark. Passengers in terminals B and C of Newark Liberty International Airport also were exposed and could develop symptoms as late as April 2, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

• Memphis. The young child diagnosed with measles arrived in Newark from Brussels and flew to Memphis International Airport that evening, exposing others along the way, New Jersey health officials said.

In Detroit, "anyone who was in customs or baggage claim in the airport's North Terminal between 2 and 5 p.m. (ET) that day should seek medical attention from their primary care provider if they develop symptoms of the disease," Michigan health officials said in a news release.

But call the doctor first. A person with measles sitting in a reception area waiting for treatment can transmit the disease.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport is a hub for Delta Air Lines in its McNamara Terminal. Various airlines have international flights — many based in the North Terminal — that fly to and from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico and the Netherlands.

Passengers at Newark airport between 12:45 and 9 p.m. Monday could have been exposed to the measles virus, New Jersey officials said. It was not immediately known what flight the infected child boarded to Memphis and when the youngster arrived, but United does have a 7 p.m. Monday flight to Memphis that arrives around 9:10 p.m. CT.

International travelers who arrived in Newark's Terminal B on flights from Amsterdam; Beijing; Bogota; Brussels; Cancun, Mexico; Copenhagen; Dublin; Edinburgh; Frankfurt; Geneva; Havana; London; Madrid; Manchester, United Kingdom; Lisbon, Portugal; Lomé, Togo; Mexico City; Monrovia, Liberia; Munich; Oslo; Panama City, Panama; Paris; Quebec; Reykjavik, Iceland; Santiago, Chile; Shanghai; Tel Aviv, Israel; Toronto; and Zurich were potentially exposed. Domestic flights from Atlanta; Cincinnati; Detroit; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Minneapolis; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Orlando; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Salt Lake City also arrived during that time, according to Newark airport's flight list.

Other travelers were exposed as the child made the trek to Terminal C, sat on the flight to Memphis and arrived at the airport terminal there.

Measles begins with a "high fever, red eyes, cough, runny nose" and extreme sensitivity to light, according to the department.

Not only is measles very contagious — it spreads through a cough or sneeze and even by being in a room up to two hours after an infected person has left — children younger than 5 can face serious complications, including permanent hearing loss from ear infections; pneumonia, which is a lung infection; or a swelling of the brain called encephalitis. Pregnant women are susceptible to giving birth prematurely or having a low-weight baby.

The illness has a 10- to 12-day incubation period. After the earlier symptoms, it develops into a red, raised body rash that starts on the head and face before progressing to the rest of the body.

People may be contagious for a few days before symptoms become noticeable, health department officials said.

The first of two measles vaccinations that also combine protection from mumps and rubella, often called German measles, generally is given to children 12 months old. But infants as young as 6 months can get a measles vaccine if they're traveling internationally, Michigan health officials said.

The measles case reported Tuesday was confirmed in Washtenaw County, whose county seat is Ann Arbor, and it's Michigan's first in 2018. The person had returned from travel abroad March 6 and was contagious at the time, according to the Michigan health department.

The Michigan measles patient was hospitalized and is now recovering.

In 2017, measles cases numbered 118 in the United States, and the majority of people diagnosed had not been vaccinated, according to the Michigan health department. The average number of measles cases from 2001 to 2012 nationwide has been about 60.

So far as of Feb. 24 this year, 13 people in seven states — Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas — have contracted measles, the CDC has reported. On Jan. 2, an Indiana University student who later developed measles arrived on an international flight in Newark's Terminal C and departed for Indianapolis.

Many of the 188 cases reported in a 2015 outbreak were tied to an infected person who visited Disneyland. More than half of the 667 measles cases reported in 2014 occurred in unvaccinated Amish communities in Ohio.

“This case underscores the importance of following vaccine recommendations and being up-to-date on vaccines,” said Dr. Eden Wells, the Michigan health department's chief medical executive. “Immunizations are the best way to protect our families and communities from the harmful, sometimes deadly consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/03/14/detroit-traveler-measles/425446002/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on March 27, 2018, 03:48:43 pm
NYC sees largest increase in tuberculosis cases in 26 years

The number of tuberculosis cases in New York City suddenly jumped by 10 percent last year — the largest increase since 1992, according to the Health Department. TB is a highly infectious bacterial disease that largely attacks the lungs, but can also infect and spread to other organs, including the kidneys, spine or brain.

https://nypost.com/2018/03/26/nyc-tuberculosis-cases-soar-seeing-largest-increase-in-26-years/


Never seen before: Very rare Cholera outbreak in Vancouver Island

There is currently a very rare cholera outbreak on Vancouver Island. Specialists say they have never faced such a situation before. Individuals likely – meaning we have no clues right now! – contracted the illness after eating herring eggs harvested on the coast of Vancouver Island. “This is unique. We have not seen this before in B.C.,” a health officer reports.

http://strangesounds.org/2018/03/never-seen-before-rare-cholera-outbreak-spreads-across-vancouver-island.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 01, 2018, 11:03:08 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a-oOMI4ujA


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on June 11, 2018, 07:00:24 pm
Polio Is Making A Comeback In Venezuela

The Venezuelan people have enough to contend with — desperate hunger, massive inflation, a dictator who refuses to leave power — without the spread of long-eradicated disease, but this weekend, the Pan-American Health Organization revealed that a Venezuelan child has been diagnosed with one of the only recorded cases of polio in decades.

The child, who lives in the "extremely impoverished" state of Delta Amacuro, Venezuela, was not vaccinated against the deadly disease and has likely received no medical care or treatment in his entire life.

The last case of polio in Venezuela was recorded in 1989.

Health officials were especially angry about the case because, it seems, Nicolas Maduro's socialist government waited more than a month to let authorities know they'd discovered a case of polio — more than enough time for the disease to spread among impoverished children, and more than enough time for travelers and refugees who came in contact with the disease to spread it beyond Venezuela's borders.

Maduro's government will not approve money for vaccines or basic medical care through their public health system, so only around 67% of Venezuelan children have been vaccinated against polio. Additionally, 90% of "necessary medications and vaccines" have disappeared from pharmacy shelves, the Telegraph reports.

“The government is not approving the money for the vaccines,” said Manuela Bolivar, one of Venezuela's opposition leaders. “This situation is unfortunate but we saw it coming, because we’ve been denouncing for years that there are not enough vaccines.”

And polio isn't even the only long-eradicated disease to surface in the socialist country: Venezuela has reported more than 1500 cases of the measles, several hundred cases of tuberculosis, and instances of diphtheria, yellow fever, typhoid, and malaria. The country accounts for the vast majority — 85% — of all reported measles cases in South America.

Polio is an extremely rare and deadly disease spread, typically, through water contaminated with fecal matter. One in one hundred who suffer from it will have permanent paralysis and there is no cure. In most of the developed world, polio hasn't been seen in decades, and the World Health Organization reports that there have been only ten cases globally in the last several years, most in very rural, very poor areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/31706/polio-making-comeback-venezuela-emily-zanotti


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on June 15, 2018, 01:35:38 am
Idaho Child Diagnosed with State's First Case of Plague in Humans Since 1992

An unidentified child in Elmore County, Idaho, is being treated for the state’s first human case of plague in over 25 years.

The child is being treated with antibiotics, and is expected to recover. It is unknown whether they were exposed to the disease at home, or abroad in a recent trip to Oregon.

“Plague is spread to humans through a bite from an infected flea. People can decrease their risk by treating their pets for fleas and avoiding contact with wildlife,” said Central District Health Department epidemiologist Sarah Correll. “Wear insect repellent, long pants and socks when visiting plague affected areas.”

The CDHD says that the spread of plague to human hosts is rare, but is often naturally found in wild rodents such as squirrels. In the spring and summer, when animals are more active, the risk of infection increases. To prevent exposure, no one should ever feed wild rodents, nor handle any that are sick or dead.

Additionally, the CDHD recommends keeping your pets and their food away from any potentially infected creatures, and always use appropriate flea control products to reduce their risk of infection. If you or your pet becomes ill—especially with sudden and severe fever—seek medical attention immediately.

The bubonic or “black” plague decimated Europe in the Middle Ages, but can now be treated with relative ease with appropriate medical intervention. Still, it can all too easily spread if left unchecked. In November 2017, nearly 2,000 people in Madagascar were infected, resulting in over 200 deaths.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/06/14/idaho-child-diagnosed-states-first-case-plague-humans-since-1992/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on July 13, 2018, 07:10:47 pm
OUTBREAK ALERT: Viral Illness That Infects Children SPREAD In Virginia

A contagious virus which infects children is spreading through Virginia.  Childcare providers and schools are sounding the alarms after several hundred cases of “hand, foot, and mouth” disease have sickened young kids.

A letter sent out by the Central Shenandoah Health District on Wednesday warns that cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease have elevated in recent weeks, reported Wavy.   The viral illness most often infects children up to age 5, but officials warn anyone is susceptible to the virus.

“There were a total across the state of 376 emergency department and urgent care visits that a chief complaint or a diagnosis of hand, foot and mouth disease. Or, they had symptoms consistent with that of the diagnosis,” according to Laura Kornegay, the district’s health director. Dr. Kevin Connelly, a pediatrician with the Chippenham Hospital in Richmond told NBC affiliate WWBT the disease is highly contagious.

Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease include fever, fatigue, a rash in the mouth, on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet, and sometimes painful sores. The fever can last for up to five days, but there are other reasons to be concerned.

“The problem with the disease is that with the blisters in your mouth it hurts to swallow,” Dr. Connelly said. “So children don’t want to eat … don’t want to drink. They have a risk of getting dehydrated.” He also said that runny noses are common in daycares and schools and often how the virus spreads. Saliva is all too common in places where a lot of children congregate.

There’s no treatment for the virus, and it can remain in the body for weeks after symptoms have gone away, according to the Virginia Department of Health.  According to The Mayo Clinic, symptoms of the infection can be relieved at home until the child is fully recovered.  Sucking on ice or eating ice cream can alleviate the soreness in the mouth, while over-the-counter pain relievers will work to reduce the fever and offer comfort.

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/outbreak-alert-viral-illness-that-infects-children-spread-in-virginia_07122018


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on August 15, 2018, 08:34:23 am
CDC monitoring measles outbreak in 21 states, including North Carolina

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday afternoon that 107 people from 21 states, including North Carolina, have reported contracting the measles.

The other states included are Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.

This number will likely outpace the number of measles cases reported in 2017.

There were 118 cases in 2017, and only 86 the year before that.

The last outbreak was in 2015 when 188 people contracted measles.

The outbreak was linked to an amusement park in California where it is thought that a traveler from overseas brought it to the U.S.

Measles is an airborne virus that spreads through coughing and sneezing.

Symptoms show up in 10-14 days after exposure. The symptoms last 7-10 days and include a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes followed by a rash that typically starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body.

According to the CDC, some people may suffer from severe complications, such as pneumonia and brain swelling which could result in hospitalization or death.

https://abc11.com/health/cdc-monitoring-measles-outbreak-in-21-states-including-north-carolina-/3957136/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on August 20, 2018, 04:27:19 pm
Measles cases hit record high in Europe

Cases of measles in Europe have hit a record high, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

More than 41,000 people have been infected in the first six months of 2018, leading to 37 deaths.

Last year there were 23,927 cases and the year before 5,273. Experts blame this surge in infections on a drop in the number of people being vaccinated.

In England, there have been 807 cases so far this year. The WHO is calling on European countries to take action.

Public Health England say the outbreaks in England are largely due to people who have travelled to areas of mainland Europe that have had outbreaks.

Measles is highly infectious and spreads by droplets in coughs and sneezes.

The infection lasts seven to 10 days. But while most people recover completely, it can cause some serious complications, including:

    encephalitis (infection and swelling of the brain)
    meningitis
    febrile convulsions
    pneumonia
    liver infection (hepatitis)

The MMR vaccine can prevent infection but discredited research 20 years ago that erroneously linked MMR to autism has stopped some people from trusting the vaccine.

The NHS recommends all children receive the MMR around their first birthday and then just before starting school.

Ukraine and Serbia are among the countries with the highest rates in Europe.

Dr Nedret Emiroglu, from the WHO, said: "This partial setback demonstrates that every under-immunised person remains vulnerable no matter where they live and every country must keep pushing to increase coverage and close immunity gaps."

Italy's upper house of parliament recently voted through legislation to abolish the law that makes vaccination mandatory for children before they start school. The amendment will mean parents of unvaccinated children will no longer face fines.
Measles symptoms:

    cold-like symptoms - runny nose, sneezing
    signs the body is fighting infection - high fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, muscle aches
    red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
    greyish spots in the mouth
    red, raised spots that may merge together becoming blotchy, starting around the hairline two to four days after the initial symptoms, then spreading down over the head, neck and rest of the body

Find more NHS information on measles here.

In England, there have been 807 laboratory confirmed measles cases, according to Public Health England (PHE). The highest numbers have been seen in:

    London (281)
    South East (166)
    South West (139)
    West Midlands (84)
    Yorkshire and Humberside (75)

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, said: "We have seen a number of measles outbreaks in England which are linked to ongoing large outbreaks in Europe.

"The majority of cases we are seeing are in teenagers and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine when they were children.

"Anyone who missed out on their MMR vaccine in the past or are unsure if they had two doses should contact their GP practice to catch up.

"We would encourage people to ensure they are up to date with their MMR vaccine before travelling to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks, heading to large gatherings such as festivals, or before starting university."

Dr Pauline Paterson from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "With a vaccine preventable disease, one case is one too many, and the numbers of measles cases so far this year is astounding."

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45246049


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on September 09, 2018, 12:38:46 pm
Monkeypox: UK's first case of rare viral infection confirmed

A monkeypox patient in Africa, where cases of the the viral infection are on the rise - www.alamy.com

More than 50 members of the public could have been exposed to a rare viral infection, health officials fear after the first case of monkeypox was diagnosed in the UK.

A Nigerian naval officer who came to the UK to take part in an Ministry of Defence (MoD) training exercise at a Royal Navy base in Cornwall was confirmed to have the disease on Friday.

He flew from Nigeria, where he is believed to have contracted the disease, to London on a commercial flight last weekend.

Public Health England (PHE) have contacted passengers on the plane who were sat close to the man to warn them that they have been exposed to the infection.

The risk to the wider public is considered to be very low, PHE said.

The Nigerian naval officer began to develop symptoms of the virus, which has a mortality rate of between one and ten per cent, while on the British base.

On Friday after his diagnosis was confirmed the patient was moved to the infectious disease unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London. He was said to be in a stable condition.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection, similar to smallpox but not as deadly. It is usually mild and self-limiting with most people recovering within a few weeks, but severe illness and death can occur.

It does not spread easily between humans but can be transmitted via close contact.

PHE has contacted 50 people it considers to be at risk, including those sitting closest to the patient on the flight from Abuja to Heathrow on Sunday September 2.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said “all necessary steps” were being taken but that no other personnel had developed symptoms.

The initial symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.

In humans, the signs and symptoms of monkeypox are similar to those of smallpox, but usually milder - Credit: Visuals Unlimited /Science VU

In humans, the signs and symptoms of monkeypox are similar to those of smallpox, but usually milder Credit: Visuals Unlimited /Science VU

A painful rash with open sores can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body.

The rash changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off. If the disease infects the eye it can lead to scarring of the cornea and, in some cases, blindness.

Dr Michael Jacobs, clinical director of infection at the Royal Free said: “Monkeypox is, in most cases, a mild condition which will resolve on its own and have no long-term effects on a person’s health. Most people recover within several weeks.

“It is a rare disease caused by monkeypox virus, and has been reported mainly in central and west African countries.

“It does not spread easily between people and the risk of transmission to the wider public is very low. We are using strict isolation procedures in hospital to protect our staff and patients.” Dr Nick Phin, deputy director of the national infection service at PHE said:

“It is important to emphasise that monkeypox does not spread easily between people and the overall risk to the general public is very low.

“Public Health England is following up those who have had close contact with the patient to offer advice and to monitor them as necessary.

“PHE and the NHS have well established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be strictly followed to minimise the risk of transmission.”

Monkeypox was first observed in the 1960s in monkeys brought to Europe from Africa, with the first human case diagnosed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.

Nigeria is experiencing a particularly virulent outbreak with 89 people infected and six deaths since 2017.

Scientists are still unsure if the disease is transmitted by monkeys or via rodents.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/more-50-people-could-exposed-172507441.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on September 12, 2018, 05:54:43 am
Second person is struck down with deadly monkeypox virus in UK

A second person has been struck down with the deadly monkeypox virus just days after health officials revealed the first ever case had reached the UK. Public Health England said the patient is currently receiving treatment at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, a specialist centre. Officials believe they caught the virus, often spread through handling monkeys and proves fatal in 10 per cent of cases, in Nigeria before flying to England. The unidentified patient first went to Blackpool Victoria Hospital with symptoms, before they tested positive for monkeypox.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6156029/Second-person-struck-deadly-monkeypox-virus-UK.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on April 06, 2019, 08:37:21 am
Deadly germs, Lost cures: A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy

Last May, an elderly man was admitted to the Brooklyn branch of Mount Sinai Hospital for abdominal surgery. A blood test revealed that he was infected with a newly discovered germ as deadly as it was mysterious. Doctors swiftly isolated him in the intensive care unit.

The germ, a fungus called Candida auris, preys on people with weakened immune systems, and it is quietly spreading across the globe. Over the last five years, it has hit a neonatal unit in Venezuela, swept through a hospital in Spain, forced a prestigious British medical center to shut down its intensive care unit, and taken root in India, Pakistan and South Africa.

Recently C. auris reached New York, New Jersey and Illinois, leading the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to add it to a list of germs deemed “urgent threats.”

The man at Mount Sinai died after 90 days in the hospital, but C. auris did not. Tests showed it was everywhere in his room, so invasive that the hospital needed special cleaning equipment and had to rip out some of the ceiling and floor tiles to eradicate it.

“Everything was positive — the walls, the bed, the doors, the curtains, the phones, the sink, the whiteboard, the poles, the pump,” said Dr. Scott Lorin, the hospital’s president. “The mattress, the bed rails, the canister holes, the window shades, the ceiling, everything in the room was positive.”

C. auris is so tenacious, in part, because it is impervious to major antifungal medications, makingued.

Resistant germs are often called “superbugs,” but this is simplistic because they don’t typically kill everyone. Instead, they are most lethal to people with immature or compromised immune systems, including newborns and the elderly, smokers, diabetics and people with autoimmune disorders who take steroids that suppress the body’s defenses.

Scientists say that unless more effective new medicines are develop it a new example of one of the world’s most intractable health threats: the rise of drug-resistant infections.

For decades, public health experts have warned that the overuse of antibiotics was reducing the effectiveness of drugs that have lengthened life spans by curing bacterial infections once commonly fatal. But lately, there has been an explosion of resistant fungi as well, adding a new and frightening dimension to a phenomenon that is undermining a pillar of modern medicine.

“It’s an enormous problem,” said Matthew Fisher, a professor of fungal epidemiology at Imperial College London, who was a co-author of a recent scientific review on the rise of resistant fungi. “We depend on being able to treat those patients with antifungals.”

Simply put, fungi, just like bacteria, are evolving defenses to survive modern medicines.

Yet even as world health leaders have pleaded for more restraint in prescribing antimicrobial drugs to combat bacteria and fungi — convening the United Nations General Assembly in 2016 to manage an emerging crisis — gluttonous overuse of them in hospitals, clinics and farming has contined and unnecessary use of antimicrobial drugs is sharply curbed, risk will spread to healthier populations. A study the British government funded projects that if policies are not put in place to slow the rise of drug resistance, 10 million people could die worldwide of all such infections in 2050, eclipsing the eight million expected to die that year from cancer.

In the United States, two million people contract resistant infections annually, and 23,000 die from them, according to the official C.D.C. estimate. That number was based on 2010 figures; more recent estimates from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine put the death toll at 162,000. Worldwide fatalities from resistant infections are estimated at 700,000.

Antibiotics and antifungals are both essential to combat infections in people, but antibiotics are also used widely to prevent disease in farm animals, and antifungals are also applied to prevent agricultural plants from rotting. Some scientists cite evidence that rampant use of fungicides on crops is contributing to the surge in drug-resistant fungi infecting humans.

Yet as the problem grows, it is little understood by the public — in part because the very existence of resistant infections is often cloaked in secrecy.

With bacteria and fungi alike, hospitals and local governments are reluctant to disclose outbreaks for fear of being seen as infection hubs. Even the C.D.C., under its agreement with states, is not allowed to make public the location or name of hospitals involved in outbreaks. State governments have in many cases declined to publicly share information beyond acknowledging that they have had cases.

All the while, the germs are easily spread — carried on hands and equipment inside hospitals; ferried on meat and manure-fertilized vegetables from farms; transported across borders by travelers and on exports and imports; and transferred by patients from nursing home to hospital and back.

C. auris, which infected the man at Mount Sinai, is one of dozens of dangerous bacteria and fungi that have developed resistance. Yet, like most of them, it is a threat that is virtually unknown to the public.

Other prominent strains of the fungus Candida — one of the most common causes of bloodstream infections in hospitals — have not developed significant resistance to drugs, but more than 90 percent of C. auris infections are resistant to at least one drug, and 30 percent are resistant to two or more drugs, the C.D.C. said.

Dr. Lynn Sosa, Connecticut’s deputy state epidemiologist, said she now saw C. auris as “the top” threat among resistant infections. “It’s pretty much unbeatable and difficult to identity,” she said.

Nearly half of patients who contract C. auris die within 90 days, according to the C.D.C. Yet the world’s experts have not nailed down where it came from in the first place.

“It is a creature from the black lagoon,” said Dr. Tom Chiller, who heads the fungal branch at the C.D.C., which is spearheading a global detective effort to find treatments and stop the spread. “It bubbled up and now it is everywhere.”

‘No need’ to tell the public

In late 2015, Dr. Johanna Rhodes, an infectious disease expert at Imperial College London, got a panicked call from the Royal Brompton Hospital, a British medical center outside London. C. auris had taken root there months earlier, and the hospital couldn’t clear it.

“‘We have no idea where it’s coming from. We’ve never heard of it. It’s just spread like wildfire,’” Dr. Rhodes said she was told. She agreed to help the hospital identify the fungus’s genetic profile and clean it from rooms.

Under her direction, hospital workers used a special device to spray aerosolized hydrogen peroxide around a room used for a patient with C. auris, the theory being that the vapor would scour each nook and cranny. They left the device going for a week. Then they put a “settle plate” in the middle of the room with a gel at the bottom that would serve as a place for any surviving microbes to grow, Dr. Rhodes said.

Only one organism grew back. C. auris.

It was spreading, but word of it was not. The hospital, a specialty lung and heart center that draws wealthy patients from the Middle East and around Europe, alerted the British government and told infected patients, but made no public announcement.

“There was no need to put out a news release during the outbreak,” said Oliver Wilkinson, a spokesman for the hospital.

This hushed panic is playing out in hospitals around the world. Individual institutions and national, state and local governments have been reluctant to publicize outbreaks of resistant infections, arguing there is no point in scaring patients — or prospective ones.

Dr. Silke Schelenz, Royal Brompton’s infectious disease specialist, found the lack of urgency from the government and hospital in the early stages of the outbreak “very, very frustrating.”

“They obviously didn’t want to lose reputation,” Dr. Schelenz said. “It hadn’t impacted our surgical outcomes.”

By the end of June 2016, a scientific paper reported “an ongoing outbreak of 50 C. auris cases” at Royal Brompton, and the hospital took an extraordinary step: It shut down its I.C.U. for 11 days, moving intensive care patients to another floor, again with no announcement.

Days later the hospital finally acknowledged to a newspaper that it had a problem. A headline in The Daily Telegraph warned, “Intensive Care Unit Closed After Deadly New Superbug Emerges in the U.K.” (Later research said there were eventually 72 total cases, though some patients were only carriers and were not infected by the fungus.)

Yet the issue remained little known internationally, while an even bigger outbreak had begun in Valencia, Spain, at the 992-bed Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe. There, unbeknown to the public or unaffected patients, 372 people were colonized — meaning they had the germ on their body but were not sick with it — and 85 developed bloodstream infections. A paper in the journal Mycoses reported that 41 percent of the infected patients died within 30 days.

A statement from the hospital said it was not necessarily C. auris that killed them. “It is very difficult to discern whether patients die from the pathogen or with it, since they are patients with many underlying diseases and in very serious general condition,” the statement said.

As with Royal Brompton, the hospital in Spain did not make any public announcement. It still has not.

One author of the article in Mycoses, a doctor at the hospital, said in an email that the hospital did not want him to speak to journalists because it “is concerned about the public image of the hospital.”

The secrecy infuriates patient advocates, who say people have a right to know if there is an outbreak so they can decide whether to go to a hospital, particularly when dealing with a nonurgent matter, like elective surgery.

“Why the heck are we reading about an outbreak almost a year and a half later — and not have it front-page news the day after it happens?” said Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, a physician in Kentucky and board chairman of Health Watch USA, a nonprofit patient advocacy group. “You wouldn’t tolerate this at a restaurant with a food poisoning outbreak.”

Health officials say that disclosing outbreaks frightens patients about a situation they can do nothing about, particularly when the risks are unclear.

“It’s hard enough with these organisms for health care providers to wrap their heads around it,” said Dr. Anna Yaffee, a former C.D.C. outbreak investigator who dealt with resistant infection outbreaks in Kentucky in which the hospitals were not publicly disclosed. “It’s really impossible to message to the public.”

Officials in London did alert the C.D.C. to the Royal Brompton outbreak while it was occurring. And the C.D.C. realized it needed to get the word to American hospitals. On June 24, 2016, the C.D.C. blasted a nationwide warning to hospitals and medical groups and set up an email address, candidaauris@cdc.gov, to field queries. Dr. Snigdha Vallabhaneni, a key member of the fungal team, expected to get a trickle — “maybe a message every month.”

Instead, within weeks, her inbox exploded.

Coming to America

In the United States, 587 cases of people having contracted C. auris have been reported, concentrated with 309 in New York, 104 in New Jersey and 144 in Illinois, according to the C.D.C.

The symptoms — fever, aches and fatigue — are seemingly ordinary, but when a person gets infected, particularly someone already unhealthy, such commonplace symptoms can be fatal.

The earliest known case in the United States involved a woman who arrived at a New York hospital on May 6, 2013, seeking care for respiratory failure. She was 61 and from the United Arab Emirates, and she died a week later, after testing positive for the fungus. At the time, the hospital hadn’t thought much of it, but three years later, it sent the case to the C.D.C. after reading the agency’s June 2016 advisory.

This woman probably was not America’s first C. auris patient. She carried a strain different from the South Asian one most common here. It killed a 56-year-old American woman who had traveled to India in March 2017 for elective abdominal surgery, contracted C. auris and was airlifted back to a hospital in Connecticut that officials will not identify. She was later transferred to a Texas hospital, where she died.

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The germ has spread into long-term care facilities. In Chicago, 50 percent of the residents at some nursing homes have tested positive for it, the C.D.C. has reported. The fungus can grow on intravenous lines and ventilators.

Workers who care for patients infected with C. auris worry for their own safety. Dr. Matthew McCarthy, who has treated several C. auris patients at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, described experiencing an unusual fear when treating a 30-year-old man.

“I found myself not wanting to touch the guy,” he said. “I didn’t want to take it from the guy and bring it to someone else.” He did his job and thoroughly examined the patient, but said, “There was an overwhelming feeling of being terrified of accidentally picking it up on a sock or tie or gown.”

The role of pesticides?

As the C.D.C. works to limit the spread of drug-resistant C. auris, its investigators have been trying to answer the vexing question: Where in the world did it come from?

The first time doctors encountered C. auris was in the ear of a woman in Japan in 2009 (auris is Latin for ear). It seemed innocuous at the time, a cousin of common, easily treated fungal infections.

Three years later, it appeared in an unusual test result in the lab of Dr. Jacques Meis, a microbiologist in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, who was analyzing a bloodstream infection in 18 patients from four hospitals in India. Soon, new clusters of C. auris seemed to emerge with each passing month in different parts of the world.

The C.D.C. investigators theorized that C. auris started in Asia and spread across the globe. But when the agency compared the entire genome of auris samples from India and Pakistan, Venezuela, South Africa and Japan, it found that its origin was not a single place, and there was not a single auris strain.

The genome sequencing showed that there were four distinctive versions of the fungus, with differences so profound that they suggested that these strains had diverged thousands of years ago and emerged as resistant pathogens from harmless environmental strains in four different places at the same time.

“Somehow, it made a jump almost seemingly simultaneously, and seemed to spread and it is drug resistant, which is really mind-boggling,” Dr. Vallabhaneni said.

There are different theories as to what happened with C. auris. Dr. Meis, the Dutch researcher, said he believed that drug-resistant fungi were developing thanks to heavy use of fungicides on crops.

Dr. Meis became intrigued by resistant fungi when he heard about the case of a 63-year-old patient in the Netherlands who died in 2005 from a fungus called Aspergillus. It proved resistant to a front-line antifungal treatment called itraconazole. That drug is a virtual copy of the azole pesticides that are used to dust crops the world over and account for more than one-third of all fungicide sales.

A 2013 paper in Plos Pathogens said that it appeared to be no coincidence that drug-resistant Aspergillus was showing up in the environment where the azole fungicides were used. The fungus appeared in 12 percent of Dutch soil samples, for example, but also in “flower beds, compost, leaves, plant seeds, soil samples of tea gardens, paddy fields, hospital surroundings, and aerial samples of hospitals.”

Dr. Meis visited the C.D.C. last summer to share research and theorize that the same thing is happening with C. auris, which is also found in the soil: Azoles have created an environment so hostile that the fungi are evolving, with resistant strains surviving.

This is similar to concerns that resistant bacteria are growing because of excessive use of antibiotics in livestock for health and growth promotion. As with antibiotics in farm animals, azoles are used widely on crops.

“On everything — potatoes, beans, wheat, anything you can think of, tomatoes, onions,” said Dr. Rhodes, the infectious disease specialist who worked on the London outbreak. “We are driving this with the use of antifungicides on crops.”

Dr. Chiller theorizes that C. auris may have benefited from the heavy use of fungicides. His idea is that C. auris actually has existed for thousands of years, hidden in the world’s crevices, a not particularly aggressive bug. But as azoles began destroying more prevalent fungi, an opportunity arrived for C. auris to enter the breach, a germ that had the ability to readily resist fungicides now suitable for a world in which fungi less able to resist are under attack.

The mystery of C. auris’s emergence remains unsolved, and its origin seems, for the moment, to be less important than stopping its spread.

Resistance and denial

For now, the uncertainty around C. auris has led to a climate of fear, and sometimes denial.

Last spring, Jasmine Cutler, 29, went to visit her 72-year-old father at a hospital in New York City, where he had been admitted because of complications from a surgery the previous month.

When she arrived at his room, she discovered that he had been sitting for at least an hour in a recliner, in his own feces, because no one had come when he had called for help to use the bathroom. Ms. Cutler said it became clear to her that the staff was afraid to touch him because a test had shown that he was carrying C. auris.

“I saw doctors and nurses looking in the window of his room,” she said. “My father’s not a guinea pig. You’re not going to treat him like a freak at a show.”

He was eventually discharged and told he no longer carried the fungus. But he declined to be named, saying he feared being associated with the frightening infection.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/deadly-germs-lost-cures-a-mysterious-infection-spanning-the-globe-in-a-climate-of-secrecy/ar-BBVFPi7


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on April 06, 2019, 08:45:40 am
Mystery E. coli outbreak sickens 72 people in 5 states, CDC says

A multistate outbreak of E. coli has raised alarms and questions: As of Thursday, 72 people in five states have become ill, yet the cause of their infection remains unknown, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday.

Symptoms of this bacterial infection, which usually begin about three or four days after consuming the bacteria, can include watery or bloody diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting.

Eight people involved in the mysterious outbreak have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. People started becoming ill March 2, and the patients range in age from 1 to 74 years old. Additional illnesses tied this outbreak may still be reported, the CDC said.

States reporting sick patients are Georgia (8 patients), Kentucky (36), Ohio (5), Tennessee (21) and Virginia (2).

Government scientists have not identified a food item, grocery store or restaurant chain as the source of these infections. The CDC, state health departments, the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the US Food and Drug Administration are investigating the outbreak.

You do not need to avoid any particular food, the CDC said, and grocery stores, retailers and restaurants do not need to avoid serving or selling any particular food.

Anyone concerned that they might have an E. coli infection should talk to their health care provider. It is important to write down everything you ate in the week before developing symptoms. A medical professional can diagnose you as well as offer advice, including washing your hands, to avoid spreading it to other people.

E. coli are a diverse family of bacteria that can be found in the environment, in foods and in the intestines of people and animals. Most strains are harmless. To avoid becoming infected with a harmful strain, the CDC recommends using proper hygiene; cooking meat at proper temperatures; avoiding raw milk, unpasteurized dairy products and juices; and not swallowing water when swimming.

Most people infected by the bacteria get better within five to seven days. Antibiotics are not recommended for patients with suspected E. coli infections until testing has been performed.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/mystery-e-coli-outbreak-sickens-72-people-in-5-states-cdc-says/ar-BBVF2NP


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on May 07, 2019, 07:09:37 am
Resistant ’superbug’ hitting hospitals in N.Y., N.J. should be declared public health emergency, lawmaker says

A U.S. senator is calling for federal officials to declare a public health emergency over the a potentially deadly fungus that has been spreading at health care facilities in New York and New Jersey, among other states.

https://www.nj.com/healthfit/2019/05/resistant-superbug-hitting-hospitals-in-ny-nj-should-be-declared-public-health-emergency-lawmaker-says.html


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on June 06, 2019, 04:25:02 am
Number of measles cases in US this year surpasses 1,000

The number of measles cases in the United States this year has reached 1,001, health officials said Wednesday, as they vowed to stop the spread of misinformation about vaccines.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/number-of-measles-cases-in-us-this-year-surpasses-1000/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on September 21, 2019, 07:24:59 am
Philippines declares new polio outbreak after 19 years

Philippine health officials declared a polio outbreak in the country on Thursday, nearly two decades after the World Health Organization declared it to be free of the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease.

https://www.apnews.com/d954ca949bf34124bc980d4e2f732b16


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on November 14, 2019, 09:43:34 am

PNEUMONIC PLAGUE (BLACK DEATH) DIAGNOSED IN BEIJING AND IN MADAGASCAR!



Two people in China were diagnosed with plague, setting off a panic on Tuesday about the potential spread of the highly infectious and fatal disease and prompting China’s government to warn citizens to take precautions to protect themselves.

Beijing officials said the two infected people came from Inner Mongolia, a sparsely populated region of northern China. They sought treatment on Tuesday in a hospital in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, where they were diagnosed with pneumonic plague, according to the government office of the district.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Weibo, the microblogging site, that there was no need for Beijing residents to panic and that the risks of further transmission are “extremely low.” The authorities quickly isolated the patients, conducted epidemiological investigations on the people who could have been exposed and disinfected all the relevant sites, the CDC said. They have also strengthened monitoring of patients with fever, it added.

Pneumonic plague is one of three types of infectious disease known as plague caused by the same bacterium, Yersinia pestis. Patients diagnosed with pneumonic plague, which causes high fevers and shortness of breath, sometimes first contract the closely related and more well-known disease, bubonic plague.

Fears are mounting in China over a possible outbreak of the disease, once known as the Black Death, which killed tens of millions of people in medieval Europe, and spread through Asia and Africa.

Last month, the authorities in China said they would strengthen quarantine measures to prevent plague from entering the country after Madagascar was struck by a fast-spreading outbreak of the disease. It is unclear when the cases were first detected in China but residents are asking why the authorities took so long to diagnose and disclose the problem.

Li Jifeng, a doctor at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital where the two people sought treatment, wrote on WeChat, a social media platform, that the patients sought treatment on Nov. 3. That post, which has since been deleted, was published by CN-Healthcare, a website that covers health care news in China. Dr. Li could not be reached for comment and Beijing Chaoyang Hospital declined to comment.

Dr. Li wrote that the patient she saw was a middle-aged man, who had a fever and complained of breathing difficulties for 10 days. He sought treatment at a hospital in Inner Mongolia but his condition did not improve. His wife also developed a fever and respiratory problems.

“After so many years of specialist training, I’m familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of most respiratory diseases,” wrote Dr. Li. “But this time, I looked and looked at it. I couldn’t guess what pathogen caused this pneumonia. I only knew it was rare.”

This disease is just one aircraft ride away from anywhere else in the world, including the United States.  Do YOU have protective gear for yourself or your family if this arrives here?   You can get N-100 protective masks for as little as $7  HERE.  Filter masks cannot protect men with BEARDS!   Beards cause the masks to leak at the sides. 

On why the authorities took so long to make the announcement, Dr. Li wrote that signs of any infectious disease need to be repeatedly verified and investigated, and such announcements cannot be “transmitted casually.”

The police quarantined the emergency room in the Chaoyang Hospital on Monday night, the news outlet Caixin reported, citing residents.

On Tuesday, Chinese censors instructed online news aggregators in China to “block and control” online discussion related to news about the plague, according to a directive.

Skeptical Chinese internet users have charged the government with being slow to disclose news about the disease, which is transmitted between humans and kills even faster than the more-common bubonic form. China has a history of covering up and being slow to announce infectious outbreaks, prompting many people to call for transparency this time.

“The plague is not the most terrifying part,” one user wrote on Weibo. “What’s even scarier is the information not being made public.”

If left untreated, pneumonic plague is always fatal, according to the World Health Organization. But recovery rates are high if detected and treated with antibiotics, within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms, the agency said.

Another user on Weibo called on the government to disclose how the patients arrived in Beijing from Inner Mongolia. If the patients traveled on their own using public transportation they could have spread the disease to many people.

“How many people have they encountered potentially?” the user wrote. “Only 2 kilometers away from Chaoyang Hospital. I’m shaking and trembling.”

According to China’s health commission, six people have died in the country from the plague since 2014. The most recent case was recorded earlier this year.

Officials have warned people to avoid traveling to infected areas and contact with rodents.

https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/pneumonic-plague-black-death-diagnosed-in-beijing-and-in-madagascar


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on December 08, 2020, 07:38:54 pm
New mysterious illness kills 1 and prompts mass hospitalizations in India
https://strangesounds.org/2020/12/new-mystery-disease-eluru-india.html

Unidentified Disease Has Sickened Hundreds, Killed 1 In Southern India
Hundreds have been hospitalized and at least one person has died in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh after contracting an unidentified illness, reports from Indian outlets said Monday. Those sick have also tested negative for COVID-19 and other viruses including dengue and herpes, the Associated Press reported.
https://dailycaller.com/2020/12/07/unidentified-disease-southern-india-sickened-hundreds-killed-1/


Title: Re: "And there shall be pestilences ..."
Post by: Mark on September 18, 2023, 04:00:30 pm
A Virus That Has A Death Rate Of 40 To 75 Percent Is Infecting And Killing People In India

For years, the World Health Organization has considered the Nipah virus to be a “priority pathogen” because it has the potential to cause a worldwide pandemic.  Thankfully, up to this point that has not happened, but now an outbreak in India is making headlines all over the globe.  Two victims have already died, and there are four others that have tested positive.  A five kilometer containment zone has been established around the homes of the two men that died, and schools and businesses in the region are being forced to shut down.  Authorities are hoping that such extreme measures will stop this outbreak before it can really get going.  But as you will see below, that may not be so easy.

According to the CDC, this virus was initially discovered in Asia in 1999.  Since that time there have been other outbreaks, and during those outbreaks there have been cases of human to human transmission…

    Nipah virus (NiV) was first discovered in 1999 following an outbreak of disease in pigs and people in Malaysia and Singapore. This outbreak resulted in nearly 300 human cases and more than 100 deaths, and caused substantial economic impact as more than 1 million pigs were killed to help control the outbreak.

    While there have been no other known outbreaks of NiV in Malaysia and Singapore since 1999, outbreaks have been recorded almost annually in some parts of Asia since then—primarily in Bangladesh and India. The virus has been shown to spread from person-to-person in these outbreaks, raising concerns about the potential for NiV to cause a global pandemic.

Viruses mutate over time, and so there has always been a tremendous amount of concern that a strain could emerge that would be able to pass very easily from human to human.

In addition, it is important to note that this virus can also be transmitted from animals to humans and from humans to animals.  The following comes from the official website of the World Health Organization…

    Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The virus can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers.

So just tracking down any humans that may have been exposed to the virus is not going to be enough to contain it.

It can spread like wildfire among pigs, and bats are known to be carriers as well.

Once a human is infected, symptoms may not show up until 4 to 14 days after the initial exposure…

    Symptoms typically appear in 4-14 days following exposure to the virus. The illness initially presents as 3-14 days of fever and headache, and often includes signs of respiratory illness, such as cough, sore throat, and difficulty breathing. A phase of brain swelling (encephalitis) may follow, where symptoms can include drowsiness, disorientation, and mental confusion, which can rapidly progress to coma within 24-48 hours.

So you could potentially spread this to hundreds of other people before you even realize that you are sick.

Unlike COVID, those that get infected are very likely to die.

In fact, the CDC says that the death rate for the Nipah virus falls within a range of 40 to 75 percent…

    Death may occur in 40-75% of cases. Long-term side effects in survivors of Nipah virus infection have been noted, including persistent convulsions and personality changes.

    Infections that lead to symptoms and sometimes death much later after exposure (known as dormant or latent infections) have also been reported months and even years after exposure.

Just think about that.

Our world was paralyzed for years by a disease that had an exceedingly low death rate.

So what would happen if the Nipah virus starts spreading worldwide and millions upon millions of people die?

Global health authorities have been concerned about such a scenario for a very long time.

As I mentioned above, the WHO has actually identified it as a “priority pathogen”…

    The WHO has designated Nipah a priority pathogen for urgent research and development, one of just 10 diseases the agency lists as having the potential to seed the next pandemic for which we have few to no countermeasures.

There is no cure for the Nipah virus, and so let us hope that this outbreak fizzles out very quickly.

As I write this article, there have been a total of six confirmed cases.

Two of the victims are dead, and four others are currently being treated…

    With Kerala’s Kozhikode reporting another confirmed case of Nipah virus on Friday, the state government declared holidays for educational institutions in the district till September 24. India is set to procure 20 more vials of antibody vaccines to treat the infected, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.

    On Friday, one more case of Nipah virus infection was confirmed in Kerala’s Kozhikode district after the sample of a 39-year-old man turned positive, taking the total number of cases to six. Active cases now stand at four after two people died due to the infection.

The state of Kerala has already declared a state of emergency, and we are seeing widespread shutdowns in a desperate attempt to contain the virus…

    The southern Indian state of Kerala has declared a state of emergency in its fight against the Nipah virus, a rare and deadly disease that has already claimed two lives.

    Schools, offices, and public transport have been shut down in a bid to halt the spread of the virus. Indian health officials have implemented various containment zones to control the spread of the virus.

    A five-kilometer containment zone was established around the residences of the two men who died of the Nipah virus on August 30, a 47-year-old man, and September 11, a 40-year-old man, according to Health Minister Veena George.

    “As of Thursday afternoon, Kozhikode District Collector A Geetha had declared 53 wards as containment zones across nine panchayats (a village council). This number is likely to increase if more positive cases of the virus are reported in forthcoming days,” according to Hindustan Times.

If this thing does get loose and it starts spreading all over the world, it is going to create a tremendous amount of fear.

In fact, it would make what we went through with COVID look like a Sunday picnic.

Speaking of COVID, it is still very much with us.

At this stage, we are being told that the current number of infections is actually “hovering near levels of the pandemic’s first peak in 2020”…

    U.S. COVID infections are hovering near levels of the pandemic’s first peak in 2020, and approaching the Delta peak of late 2021, according to wastewater surveillance and modeling by forecasters.

    It’s yet another sign that while the official pandemic state may be over, the days of COVID are far from it.

    Viral wastewater levels are not far behind all of the pandemic’s 2020 peaks except for one—the initial peak of March 2020, which they’ve already surpassed. And they lag just slightly levels seen during the deadly Delta peak of late 2021, according to Biobot Analytics, which monitors such data for the federal government.

After everything that we have been through, they were never able to defeat COVID.

And now it is just a matter of time before the next great pandemic sweeps across the planet.

As I have warned my readers over and over again, we have entered an era of great pestilences.

Our ability to create and manipulate deadly diseases far exceeds our ability to contain them, and as we have seen once something gets out it can spread around the world in a matter of weeks.

Hopefully this new outbreak in India has been caught in time.

Because if it hasn’t, we could soon have another colossal crisis on our hands.

http://endoftheamericandream.com/a-virus-that-has-a-death-rate-of-40-to-75-percent-is-infecting-and-killing-people-in-india/