If this is happening in the USA where there are controls on overuse of antibiotics then in over populatied third world countries like China , India or Bangladesh etc.... could there also be other superbugs that are getting out of control that we aren't hearing about ? About 60% of the people who have contracted this fungus have died but only 61 have died in recent years so it isn't as bad as that latest ebola outbreak that was getting out of control. Hopefully it is still safe to eat shrimp and prawns.
Deadly Superbug Poses ‘Catastrophic Threat’ to US, Says Top Doc
A deadly fungus is causing a “catastrophic threat” in the United States and has already killed at least 61 people in recent years.
Shrimp
Russian Scientists Help Mexican Farmers Cure Deadly Shrimp Virus
Candida auris is considered a superbug, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that about 60 percent of people who have been infected by the fungus have died. So far, recorded cases have been mostly in New York and New Jersey, but Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting director of the CDC, is warning that it is highly dangerous and may spread.
Schuchat told STAT News this week that the fungus represents a “catastrophic threat” to the public and is one of the “scariest threats” currently facing the nation.
The fungus was first documented in Japan eight years ago, but has since been reported in a dozen countries and on four continents.
“It appears that C. auris arrived in the United States only in the past few years,” Tom Chiller of the CDC’s Mycotic Diseases Branch said last year. “We’re working hard with partners to better understand this fungus and how it spreads.” So far, research on c. auris suggests it can spread easily in healthcare settings.
Patients at hospital across the country have been infected with a drug-resistant superbug, and doctors and public health officials suspect that the rare bacteria is being transmitted through medical equipment.
American Woman Dies of Superbug Resistant to All Antibiotics
Candida auris is capable of entering wounds, moving through the bloodstream and infecting the urinary tract. It is resistant to many antifungal drugs, the CDC warns.
“We need to act now to better understand, contain and stop the spread of this drug-resistant fungus,” CDC Director Thomas Frieden said in a statement in November. “This is an emerging threat, and we need to protect vulnerable patients and others.”
The organization is warning clinics and hospitals to keep an eye out for possible candida auris fungal infections, as consequences of contact are dire and it is often misidentified as a common candida yeast infection.
“Eradication of Candida auris from hospitals is very difficult and in some cases has led to closing hospital wards,” Mahmoud Ghannoum, director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, wrote in a report.
https://sputniknews.com/us/201704221052 ... hreat-usa/
Plagues
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Plagues
West Africa has over a thousand documented cases right now, more to come, and it's uncalled for now.
Researchers say yellow fever in Brazil means a chance of the disease coming to the US
By Helen Branswell @HelenBranswell https://www.statnews.com/2017/03/08/bra ... low-fever/
March 8, 2017
Residents of Kinshasa, Congo, receive the yellow fever vaccine. Recent outbreaks of yellow fever, including in Brazil and parts of Africa, signal the US to be on alert.
Jerome Delay/AP
T
he country’s top infectious diseases researcher warned Wednesday that the spread of yellow fever in Brazil could have consequences for the US.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the US could see small localized spread of the dangerous virus, similar to Florida’s 2016 Zika outbreak, if an unusually large yellow fever epidemic in rural Brazil takes root in either or both of that country’s two large metropolises, São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. US territories — for instance, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands — might also face local transmission, Fauci and a colleague wrote in a perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“In an era of frequent international travel, any marked increase in domestic cases in Brazil raises the possibility of travel-related cases and local transmission in regions where yellow fever is not endemic,” they noted.
In an interview with STAT, Fauci stressed that he thinks it is unlikely this will happen, but doctors need to be aware of the risk so they will spot cases if they start to occur in Brazil’s major cities, or if travelers bring the virus back to the US.
“You have to have it on the radar screen,” he said. “If you don’t think of a diagnosis, you’ll never make the diagnosis.”
Central Africa Yellow Fever
Read More
Massive yellow fever vaccination campaign begins in Congo
The last epidemic of yellow fever occurred in the US in 1905. But in earlier times, epidemics regularly happened in the United States, with large outbreaks in major cities — New York, Philadelphia, and Boston — in the late 1700s, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths. Later, the virus restricted itself to the south; New Orleans had outbreaks through the 1800s.
In Brazil and other places where yellow fever is still endemic, there are two patterns of transmission. Sylvatic, or jungle yellow fever, is spread from infected forest-dwelling mosquitoes to primates. Occasionally people will be bitten and infected, but humans play an incidental role in this transmission cycle. At times, however, mosquitoes that live in cities will become infected, triggering urban yellow fever outbreaks. One such epidemic occurred last year in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In those outbreaks, the virus is spread by Aedes mosquitoes, which are ubiquitous in cities in the parts of the world where they are found.
Aedes mosquitoes also spread the Zika virus, which has raced through Latin America during the past couple of years. But yellow fever, which is related to the Zika virus, is a far more dangerous foe. Deaths from Zika are rare, but not so yellow fever. Most people do recover, but between 15 percent to 20 percent of patients have a more severe illness and between 20 percent and 60 percent of the people who develop this more severe illness may die.
So far the Brazilian outbreak has been a sylvatic one. But concern has arisen because the states involved are located close to São Paolo and Rio. Those cities have populations of more than 12 million and more than 6 million people respectively. People in these cities aren’t routinely vaccinated against yellow fever, Fauci noted — a fact that could allow for spread if the virus is introduced.
“That’s the thing that’s the big if,” Fauci said. “If it does make a transition from sylvatic to urban, let’s go. All hands on deck here.”
Researchers say yellow fever in Brazil means a chance of the disease coming to the US
By Helen Branswell @HelenBranswell https://www.statnews.com/2017/03/08/bra ... low-fever/
March 8, 2017
Residents of Kinshasa, Congo, receive the yellow fever vaccine. Recent outbreaks of yellow fever, including in Brazil and parts of Africa, signal the US to be on alert.
Jerome Delay/AP
T
he country’s top infectious diseases researcher warned Wednesday that the spread of yellow fever in Brazil could have consequences for the US.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the US could see small localized spread of the dangerous virus, similar to Florida’s 2016 Zika outbreak, if an unusually large yellow fever epidemic in rural Brazil takes root in either or both of that country’s two large metropolises, São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. US territories — for instance, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands — might also face local transmission, Fauci and a colleague wrote in a perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“In an era of frequent international travel, any marked increase in domestic cases in Brazil raises the possibility of travel-related cases and local transmission in regions where yellow fever is not endemic,” they noted.
In an interview with STAT, Fauci stressed that he thinks it is unlikely this will happen, but doctors need to be aware of the risk so they will spot cases if they start to occur in Brazil’s major cities, or if travelers bring the virus back to the US.
“You have to have it on the radar screen,” he said. “If you don’t think of a diagnosis, you’ll never make the diagnosis.”
Central Africa Yellow Fever
Read More
Massive yellow fever vaccination campaign begins in Congo
The last epidemic of yellow fever occurred in the US in 1905. But in earlier times, epidemics regularly happened in the United States, with large outbreaks in major cities — New York, Philadelphia, and Boston — in the late 1700s, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths. Later, the virus restricted itself to the south; New Orleans had outbreaks through the 1800s.
In Brazil and other places where yellow fever is still endemic, there are two patterns of transmission. Sylvatic, or jungle yellow fever, is spread from infected forest-dwelling mosquitoes to primates. Occasionally people will be bitten and infected, but humans play an incidental role in this transmission cycle. At times, however, mosquitoes that live in cities will become infected, triggering urban yellow fever outbreaks. One such epidemic occurred last year in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In those outbreaks, the virus is spread by Aedes mosquitoes, which are ubiquitous in cities in the parts of the world where they are found.
Aedes mosquitoes also spread the Zika virus, which has raced through Latin America during the past couple of years. But yellow fever, which is related to the Zika virus, is a far more dangerous foe. Deaths from Zika are rare, but not so yellow fever. Most people do recover, but between 15 percent to 20 percent of patients have a more severe illness and between 20 percent and 60 percent of the people who develop this more severe illness may die.
So far the Brazilian outbreak has been a sylvatic one. But concern has arisen because the states involved are located close to São Paolo and Rio. Those cities have populations of more than 12 million and more than 6 million people respectively. People in these cities aren’t routinely vaccinated against yellow fever, Fauci noted — a fact that could allow for spread if the virus is introduced.
“That’s the thing that’s the big if,” Fauci said. “If it does make a transition from sylvatic to urban, let’s go. All hands on deck here.”
"Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character
Plagues
Nobody suspects that this plague like the ebola outbreak a few years ago and of course the AIDS epidemic could have been man made depopulation gene tweeked pathogens. If you open the page and look at the graphs you can see how fast and lethal this outbreak is. How widespread is it going to get ? Worldwide perhaps ? I hope this doesn't get to North America. Will it get to China or India I wonder ? Why is it Africa again ?
'It's not possible to eradicate plague': Scientists warn deadly disease will ravage the planet for ETERNITY as Madagascar's 'worst outbreak in 50 years' continues to escalate
World Health Organization data shows 2,119 people have now been infected
Scientists are worried the 'worst outbreak in 50 years' has reached 'crisis' point
Ten countries have been placed on high alert as experts fear it will reach Africa
Other scientists fear this year's outbreak will reach well beyond mainland Africa
Two thirds of all the cases have been caused by the airborne pneumonic plague
This can spread through coughing, sneezing or spitting and kill within 24 hours
Professor Harper, author of The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire, told Project Syndicate: 'There still is no vaccine; while antibiotics are effective if administered early, the threat of antimicrobial resistance is real.
'That may be the deepest lesson from the long history of this scourge. Biological evolution is cunning and dangerous.
'Small mutations can alter a pathogen’s virulence or its efficiency of transmission, and evolution is relentless.
'We may have the upper hand over plague today, despite the headlines in East Africa.
'But our long history with the disease demonstrates that our control over it is tenuous, and likely to be transient – and that threats to public health anywhere are threats to public health everywhere.'
Two thirds of cases in Madagascar have been caused by pneumonic plague, which can be spread through coughing, sneezing or spitting and kill within 24 hours.
It is strikingly different to the bubonic form, responsible for the 'Black Death' in the 14th century, which rocks the country each year and infects around 600 people.
Others worry it will eventually hit the US, Europe and Britain, leaving millions more vulnerable due to how quick it can spread through populations.
And with the plague season expected to run until April, scientists believe there will be another spike of cases in the coming months.
Scores of doctors and nurses have already been struck down with the disease, and there are growing fears hospitals will be unable to cope if it continues its rampage.
But local officials are adamant the outbreak is slowing down as the number of new cases is on the decline.
Two thirds of cases in Madagascar have been caused by pneumonic plague, which can be spread through coughing, sneezing or spitting and kill within 24 hours.
It is strikingly different to the bubonic form, responsible for the 'Black Death' in the 14th century, which rocks the country each year and infects around 600 people.
Others worry it will eventually hit the US, Europe and Britain, leaving millions more vulnerable due to how quick it can spread through populations.
And with the plague season expected to run until April, scientists believe there will be another spike of cases in the coming months.
Scores of doctors and nurses have already been struck down with the disease, and there are growing fears hospitals will be unable to cope if it continues its rampage.
But local officials are adamant the outbreak is slowing down as the number of new cases is on the decline.
However, he was adamant that it would be easy for an economically developed country to contain the treatable disease in its current form.
Professor Hunter's concerns echoed that of dozens of leading scientists, many of whom have predicted the 'truly unprecedented' outbreak will continue to spiral.
Professor Jimmy Whitworth, an international health scientist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, described it as the worst outbreak in 50 years.
And Professor Johnjoe McFadden, a molecular geneticist at Surrey University, said that the plague is 'scary' and is predominantly a 'disease of the poor'.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline two weeks ago, he also said: 'It's a crisis at the moment and we don't know how bad it's going to get.'
Professor McFadden added: 'It's a terrible disease. It's broadly caused more deaths of humans than anything else, it's a very deadly pathogen.
'It is a disease of poverty where humans are being forced to live very close to rats and usually means poor sewage and poor living conditions.
ealth officials are unsure how this year's outbreak began.
However, some believe it could be caused by the bubonic plague, which is endemic in the remote highlands of Madagascar.
If left untreated, it can lead to the pneumonic form, which is responsible for two thirds of the cases recorded so far in this year's outbreak.
Rats carry the Yersinia pestis bacteria that causes the plague, which is then passed onto their fleas.
Forest fires drive rats towards rural communities, which means residents are at risk of being bitten and infected. Local media reports suggest there has been an increase in the number of blazes in the woodlands.
Without antibiotics, the bubonic strain can spread to the lungs - where it becomes the more virulent pneumonic form.
Pneumonic, which can kill within 24 hours, can then be passed on through coughing, sneezing or spitting.
However, it can also be treated with antibiotics if caught in time.
Madagascar sees regular outbreaks of plague, which tend to start in September, with around 600 cases being reported each year on the island.
However, this year's outbreak has seen it reach the Indian Ocean island's two biggest cities, Antananarivo and Toamasina.
Experts warn the disease spreads quicker in heavily populated areas.
ealth officials are unsure how this year's outbreak began.
However, some believe it could be caused by the bubonic plague, which is endemic in the remote highlands of Madagascar.
If left untreated, it can lead to the pneumonic form, which is responsible for two thirds of the cases recorded so far in this year's outbreak.
Rats carry the Yersinia pestis bacteria that causes the plague, which is then passed onto their fleas.
Forest fires drive rats towards rural communities, which means residents are at risk of being bitten and infected. Local media reports suggest there has been an increase in the number of blazes in the woodlands.
Without antibiotics, the bubonic strain can spread to the lungs - where it becomes the more virulent pneumonic form.
Pneumonic, which can kill within 24 hours, can then be passed on through coughing, sneezing or spitting.
However, it can also be treated with antibiotics if caught in time.
Madagascar sees regular outbreaks of plague, which tend to start in September, with around 600 cases being reported each year on the island.
However, this year's outbreak has seen it reach the Indian Ocean island's two biggest cities, Antananarivo and Toamasina.
Experts warn the disease spreads quicker in heavily populated areas.
He said: ‘If it wasn’t for the international aid coming in things, would definitely be much worse for them [Madagascar].’
Amid concerns the plague had reached crisis point two weeks ago, the World Bank decided to release an extra $5 million (£3.8m) to control the rocketing amount of cases.
The money will allow for the deployment of personnel to battle the outbreak in the affected regions, the disinfection of buildings and fuel for ambulances.
WILL IT TRAVEL ON PLANES AND BOATS?
Fears have been raised that the plague epidemic which has quickly blighted Madagascar could spread through air travel and sea trade.
However, experts stress the risk of this is low because of the screening protocols that have been implemented to curb the outbreak.
But, some are concerned frequent flights and ferries between the island and the mainland of Africa could cause the disease to spread.
Dr Ashok Chopra, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas, said the crisis in Madagascar had yet to peak.
He told The Sun: If they are travelling shorter distances and they're still in the incubation period, and they have the pneumonic (form) then they could spread it to other places.
'We don't want to have a situation where the disease spreads so fast it sort of gets out of control.'
The latest World Health Organization figures come days after aid workers on the ground revealed that police are having to seize the corpses of plague victims.
Charlotte Ndiaye, of the WHO, described the situation as being 'terrible', with many traditional families unwilling to part with their loved ones.
Hundreds of families are confused about what they should do with the dead bodies, Ms Ndiaye told South African's Mail & Guardian newspaper.
If officials suspect someone to have died from pneumonic plague, an officer armed with chemicals will be disposed to kill any bacteria on the corpse.
They are then placed in a sealed body bag and placed in a common grave - but the practice goes against the traditions of the Malagasy culture.
In the culture, there is an annual celebration to honour the dead - and aid workers previously warned this would fuel an increase in cases.
All Saints Day, otherwise known as the 'Day of the Dead', is a public holiday which takes place on November 1 each year. Crowds often gather at local cemeteries.
Experts also believe last year's natural phenomenon El Niño - dubbed 'Godzilla', triggered an increase in rat populations in rural areas, sparking the beginning of the epidemic which has so far infected at least 1,300 people.
Forest fires have also driven the rats and their plague-carrying fleas towards areas inhabited by humans, local reports state as a reason behind the surge in cases recorded this year.
But Professor Matthew Bayliss, from Liverpool University's Institute of Infection and Global Health, suggested floods and heavy rains – triggered by Cyclone Enawo, may also be to blame.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, he warned the particularly aggressive El Niño of 2016 may be behind the aggressive start of this year's outbreak, which has seen it hit two heavily populated cities for the first time, including the capital Antananarivo.
'2016 was the strongest El Niño on record, and was nicknamed by some 'Godzilla',' he said. Some have suggested the growing burden of climate change was to blame.
'It is a change to the movements of water in the Pacific Ocean which then has an effect on climate in many parts of the world, including east and southern Africa.
'Our own research suggests that El Niño played a role of the Zika outbreak, but it is also possible that the conditions have facilitated this large scale plague outbreak.'
Professor Bayliss, alongside colleagues including climatologist Dr Cyril Caminade, were behind a 2014 study that found outbreaks of plague in Madagascar are linked to the naturally occurring climate event in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they found large outbreaks tend to coincide with the fluctuation of air pressure and sea surface temperature, partly driven by El Niño. It was based on 48 years worth of data.
They were also behind another study, released in the same journal in December last year, which found El Niño fuelled the Zika outbreak in South America. It went on to strike more than 70 countries and caused a surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads.
What is El Niño?
El Niño, along with its little sister La Niña, are part of a recurring shift in climate that occurs as warm water shifts from one side of the Pacific to the other.
It is caused by a shift in the distribution of warm water in the Pacific Ocean around the equator.
Usually the wind blows strongly from east to west, due to the rotation of the Earth, causing water to pile up in the western part of the Pacific.
This pulls up colder water from the deep ocean in the eastern Pacific.
However, in an El Niño, the winds pushing the water get weaker and cause the warmer water to shift back towards the east. This causes the eastern Pacific to get warmer.
But as the ocean temperature is linked to the wind currents, this causes the winds to grow weaker still and so the ocean grows warmer, meaning the El Niño grows.
This change in air and ocean currents around the equator can have a major impact on the weather patterns around the globe by creating pressure anomalies in the atmosphere.
'In that type of situation, it may be easy to forget about respiratory etiquettes,' Panu Saaristo, the International Federation of Red Cross' team leader for health in Madagascar, previously told MailOnline.
Concerned health officials have also warned an ancient ritual, called Famadihana, where relatives dig up the corpses of their loved ones, may be fueling the spread.
To limit the danger of Famadihana, rules enforced at the beginning of the outbreak dictate plague victims cannot be buried in a tomb that can be reopened.
Instead, their remains must be held in an anonymous mausoleum. But the local media has reported several cases of bodies being exhumed covertly.
Despite the serious risks publicised by the authorities, few in Madagascar question the turning ceremonies and dismiss the advice.
Willy Randriamarotia, the Madagascan health ministry's chief of staff, said: 'If a person dies of pneumonic plague and is then interred in a tomb that is subsequently opened for a Famadihana, the bacteria can still be transmitted and contaminate whoever handles the body.'
Experts have long observed that plague season coincides with the period when Famadihana ceremonies are held from July to October.
Last week MailOnline revealed the 'Godzilla' El Niño of 2016 has also been blamed for the severity of this year's outbreak by causing freak weather conditions.
Plague season hits Madagascar each year, and experts warn there is still six months to run – despite already seeing more than triple the amount of cases than expected.
Usually the country sees cases of bubonic plague, which is transmitted by rat flea bites and was responsible for the 100 million fatalities from the 'Black Death' in the 14th century.
If left untreated, the Yersinia pestis bacteria can reach the lungs. This is where it turns pneumonic – described as the 'deadliest and most rapid form of plague'.
Health officials are unsure how this year's outbreak began, but local media report that forest fires have driven rats towards rural communities.
This year's worrying outbreak has seen it reach the Indian Ocean island's two biggest cities, Antananarivo and Toamasina.
AID WORKER ON THE GROUND REVEALS SCALE OF THE PROBLEM
A senior aid worker on the ground in Madagascar has provided MailOnline with an exclusive snapshot of what is happening on the island.
Panu Saaristo, the International Federation of Red Cross' team leader, has revealed thousands of infected adults are unwilling to seek help because they are scared of hospitals.
Mr Saaristo said the cultural stigma associated with seeking medical help was masking the true scale of the problem as it means many of those who are infected are failing to be diagnosed. At the same time there is also a growing shortage of life-saving tests which can provide a rapid diagnosis.
Speaking about the decline in plague cases reported today by Madagascan health officials, Mr Saaristo said he feared this is not really the case and that the true scale of the problem growing. He told MailOnline: 'No-one is happier than us, if that is indeed the case'.
'Fear of the fact if they get diagnosed with the infection and the long time they would have to spend in hospital' could be a factor in many not seeking treatment because they connect 'hospitals to death', he added.
'People start avoiding healthcare that may lead to a situation where people start dying.' He warned this year's outbreak has been 'truly unprecedented', and is 'not the plague as usual'.
Figures show that at least 1,300 cases of the plague have been reported so far in this year's outbreak, with 93 official deaths recorded. However, UN estimates state the toll could be in excess of 120.
Mr Saaristo warned more deaths are expected unless the urgent shortage of rapid diagnostic tests is immediately addressed, as the majority of plague cases spreading through Madagascar can prove fatal in just 24 hours.
Experts warn the disease spreads quicker in heavily populated areas. It is estimated that around 1.6 million people live in either city.
The first death this year occurred on August 28 when a passenger died in a public taxi en route to a town on the east coast. Two others who came into contact with the passenger also died.
This year's outbreak is expected to dwarf previous ones as it has struck early, and British aid workers believe it will continue on its rampage.
Olivier Le Guillou, of Action Against Hunger, previously said: 'The epidemic is ahead of us, we have not yet reached the peak.'
The most recent WHO figures dispute claims by Dr Manitra Rakotoarivony, Madagascar's director of health promotion, that the epidemic is on a downward spiral.
He previously told local radio: 'There is an improvement in the fight against the spread of the plague, which means that there are fewer patients in hospitals.'
THE OPENING OF THE RED CROSS' FIRST MAKESHIFT PLAGUE CLINIC
Concerned humanitarians have opened a clinic attached to a major hospital in the country's capital in a desperate attempt to contain the plague outbreak.
The International Federation of Red Cross has set-up a makeshift treatment clinic at the Andouhatapenaka Hospital in Antananarivo.
Twenty beds are available to be used in the clinic, but it is unsure how many patients are currently being treated at the makeshift centre.
Aid workers stress it will be able to offer 24/7 treatment to those infected, as officials continue their attempts to clamp down on cases.
An international team of doctors are also providing supervision and training on plague treatment
The WHO, which issues a new report into the outbreak every few days, also remains adamant that cases are on the 'decline in all active areas' across the country.
The plague outbreak in Madagascar tends to begin in September and ends in April. Tarik Jašarević of the World Health Organization confirmed it would be no different this year.
He said two weeks ago: 'After concerted efforts of the Ministry of Health and partners, we are beginning to see a decline in reported cases but there are still people being admitted to hospital.
'At this time 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.'
A WHO official added: 'The risk of the disease spreading is high at national level… because it is present in several towns and this is just the start of the outbreak.'
International agencies have so far sent more than one million doses of antibiotics to Madagascar. Nearly 20,000 respiratory masks have also been donated.
However, the WHO advises against travel or trade restrictions. It previously asked for $5.5 million (£4.2m) to support the plague response, which has now been issued.
Despite its guidance, Air Seychelles, one of Madagascar's biggest airlines, stopped flying temporarily earlier in the month to try and curb the spread.
Schools and universities were shut in a desperate attempt to contain the respiratory disease, with children known to come into contact with each other more than adults. The buildings have been sprayed to eradicate any fleas that may carry the plague.
Dilys Morgan, head of emerging infections and zoonoses at Public Health England, said: 'The risk to people in UK is very low, but the risk for international travellers to and those working in Madagascar is higher.
'It is important that travellers to Madagascar seek advice before travelling and are aware of the measures they can take to reduce the risk of infection.
'The UK has robust systems in place for assessing illness in persons returning from travel or work overseas.
'Plague is no longer the threat to humans that it was centuries ago, as antibiotics work well if treatment is started early.'
Bubonic plague is one of the most devastating diseases in history, having killed around 100million people during the 'Black Death' in the 14th century.
Drawings and paintings from the outbreak, which wiped out about a third of the European population, depict town criers saying 'bring out your dead' while dragging trailers piled with infected corpses.
It is caused by a bacterium known as Yersinia pestis, which uses the flea as a host and is usually transmitted to humans via rats.
The disease causes grotesque symptoms such as gangrene and the appearance of large swellings on the groin, armpits or neck, known as 'buboes'.
It kills up to two thirds of sufferers within just four days if it is not treated, although if antibiotics are administered within 24 hours of infection patients are highly likely to survive.
After the Black Death arrived in 1347 plague became a common phenomenon in Europe, with outbreaks recurring regularly until the 18th century.
Bubonic plague has almost completely vanished from the rich world, with 90 per cent of all cases now found in Africa.
However, there have been a few non-fatal cases in the U.S. in recent years, while in August 2013 a 15-year-old boy died in Kyrgyzstan after eating a groundhog infected with the disease.
Three months later, an outbreak in a Madagascan killed at least 20 people in a week.
A year before 60 people died as a result of the infection, more than in any other country in the world.
Outbreaks in China have been rare in recent years, and most have happened in remote rural areas of the west.
China's state broadcaster said there were 12 diagnosed cases and three deaths in the province of Qinghai in 2009, and one in Sichuan in 2012.
In the United States between five and 15 people die every year as a result, mostly in western states.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... z4yojWbHHQ
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'It's not possible to eradicate plague': Scientists warn deadly disease will ravage the planet for ETERNITY as Madagascar's 'worst outbreak in 50 years' continues to escalate
World Health Organization data shows 2,119 people have now been infected
Scientists are worried the 'worst outbreak in 50 years' has reached 'crisis' point
Ten countries have been placed on high alert as experts fear it will reach Africa
Other scientists fear this year's outbreak will reach well beyond mainland Africa
Two thirds of all the cases have been caused by the airborne pneumonic plague
This can spread through coughing, sneezing or spitting and kill within 24 hours
Professor Harper, author of The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire, told Project Syndicate: 'There still is no vaccine; while antibiotics are effective if administered early, the threat of antimicrobial resistance is real.
'That may be the deepest lesson from the long history of this scourge. Biological evolution is cunning and dangerous.
'Small mutations can alter a pathogen’s virulence or its efficiency of transmission, and evolution is relentless.
'We may have the upper hand over plague today, despite the headlines in East Africa.
'But our long history with the disease demonstrates that our control over it is tenuous, and likely to be transient – and that threats to public health anywhere are threats to public health everywhere.'
Two thirds of cases in Madagascar have been caused by pneumonic plague, which can be spread through coughing, sneezing or spitting and kill within 24 hours.
It is strikingly different to the bubonic form, responsible for the 'Black Death' in the 14th century, which rocks the country each year and infects around 600 people.
Others worry it will eventually hit the US, Europe and Britain, leaving millions more vulnerable due to how quick it can spread through populations.
And with the plague season expected to run until April, scientists believe there will be another spike of cases in the coming months.
Scores of doctors and nurses have already been struck down with the disease, and there are growing fears hospitals will be unable to cope if it continues its rampage.
But local officials are adamant the outbreak is slowing down as the number of new cases is on the decline.
Two thirds of cases in Madagascar have been caused by pneumonic plague, which can be spread through coughing, sneezing or spitting and kill within 24 hours.
It is strikingly different to the bubonic form, responsible for the 'Black Death' in the 14th century, which rocks the country each year and infects around 600 people.
Others worry it will eventually hit the US, Europe and Britain, leaving millions more vulnerable due to how quick it can spread through populations.
And with the plague season expected to run until April, scientists believe there will be another spike of cases in the coming months.
Scores of doctors and nurses have already been struck down with the disease, and there are growing fears hospitals will be unable to cope if it continues its rampage.
But local officials are adamant the outbreak is slowing down as the number of new cases is on the decline.
However, he was adamant that it would be easy for an economically developed country to contain the treatable disease in its current form.
Professor Hunter's concerns echoed that of dozens of leading scientists, many of whom have predicted the 'truly unprecedented' outbreak will continue to spiral.
Professor Jimmy Whitworth, an international health scientist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, described it as the worst outbreak in 50 years.
And Professor Johnjoe McFadden, a molecular geneticist at Surrey University, said that the plague is 'scary' and is predominantly a 'disease of the poor'.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline two weeks ago, he also said: 'It's a crisis at the moment and we don't know how bad it's going to get.'
Professor McFadden added: 'It's a terrible disease. It's broadly caused more deaths of humans than anything else, it's a very deadly pathogen.
'It is a disease of poverty where humans are being forced to live very close to rats and usually means poor sewage and poor living conditions.
ealth officials are unsure how this year's outbreak began.
However, some believe it could be caused by the bubonic plague, which is endemic in the remote highlands of Madagascar.
If left untreated, it can lead to the pneumonic form, which is responsible for two thirds of the cases recorded so far in this year's outbreak.
Rats carry the Yersinia pestis bacteria that causes the plague, which is then passed onto their fleas.
Forest fires drive rats towards rural communities, which means residents are at risk of being bitten and infected. Local media reports suggest there has been an increase in the number of blazes in the woodlands.
Without antibiotics, the bubonic strain can spread to the lungs - where it becomes the more virulent pneumonic form.
Pneumonic, which can kill within 24 hours, can then be passed on through coughing, sneezing or spitting.
However, it can also be treated with antibiotics if caught in time.
Madagascar sees regular outbreaks of plague, which tend to start in September, with around 600 cases being reported each year on the island.
However, this year's outbreak has seen it reach the Indian Ocean island's two biggest cities, Antananarivo and Toamasina.
Experts warn the disease spreads quicker in heavily populated areas.
ealth officials are unsure how this year's outbreak began.
However, some believe it could be caused by the bubonic plague, which is endemic in the remote highlands of Madagascar.
If left untreated, it can lead to the pneumonic form, which is responsible for two thirds of the cases recorded so far in this year's outbreak.
Rats carry the Yersinia pestis bacteria that causes the plague, which is then passed onto their fleas.
Forest fires drive rats towards rural communities, which means residents are at risk of being bitten and infected. Local media reports suggest there has been an increase in the number of blazes in the woodlands.
Without antibiotics, the bubonic strain can spread to the lungs - where it becomes the more virulent pneumonic form.
Pneumonic, which can kill within 24 hours, can then be passed on through coughing, sneezing or spitting.
However, it can also be treated with antibiotics if caught in time.
Madagascar sees regular outbreaks of plague, which tend to start in September, with around 600 cases being reported each year on the island.
However, this year's outbreak has seen it reach the Indian Ocean island's two biggest cities, Antananarivo and Toamasina.
Experts warn the disease spreads quicker in heavily populated areas.
He said: ‘If it wasn’t for the international aid coming in things, would definitely be much worse for them [Madagascar].’
Amid concerns the plague had reached crisis point two weeks ago, the World Bank decided to release an extra $5 million (£3.8m) to control the rocketing amount of cases.
The money will allow for the deployment of personnel to battle the outbreak in the affected regions, the disinfection of buildings and fuel for ambulances.
WILL IT TRAVEL ON PLANES AND BOATS?
Fears have been raised that the plague epidemic which has quickly blighted Madagascar could spread through air travel and sea trade.
However, experts stress the risk of this is low because of the screening protocols that have been implemented to curb the outbreak.
But, some are concerned frequent flights and ferries between the island and the mainland of Africa could cause the disease to spread.
Dr Ashok Chopra, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas, said the crisis in Madagascar had yet to peak.
He told The Sun: If they are travelling shorter distances and they're still in the incubation period, and they have the pneumonic (form) then they could spread it to other places.
'We don't want to have a situation where the disease spreads so fast it sort of gets out of control.'
The latest World Health Organization figures come days after aid workers on the ground revealed that police are having to seize the corpses of plague victims.
Charlotte Ndiaye, of the WHO, described the situation as being 'terrible', with many traditional families unwilling to part with their loved ones.
Hundreds of families are confused about what they should do with the dead bodies, Ms Ndiaye told South African's Mail & Guardian newspaper.
If officials suspect someone to have died from pneumonic plague, an officer armed with chemicals will be disposed to kill any bacteria on the corpse.
They are then placed in a sealed body bag and placed in a common grave - but the practice goes against the traditions of the Malagasy culture.
In the culture, there is an annual celebration to honour the dead - and aid workers previously warned this would fuel an increase in cases.
All Saints Day, otherwise known as the 'Day of the Dead', is a public holiday which takes place on November 1 each year. Crowds often gather at local cemeteries.
Experts also believe last year's natural phenomenon El Niño - dubbed 'Godzilla', triggered an increase in rat populations in rural areas, sparking the beginning of the epidemic which has so far infected at least 1,300 people.
Forest fires have also driven the rats and their plague-carrying fleas towards areas inhabited by humans, local reports state as a reason behind the surge in cases recorded this year.
But Professor Matthew Bayliss, from Liverpool University's Institute of Infection and Global Health, suggested floods and heavy rains – triggered by Cyclone Enawo, may also be to blame.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, he warned the particularly aggressive El Niño of 2016 may be behind the aggressive start of this year's outbreak, which has seen it hit two heavily populated cities for the first time, including the capital Antananarivo.
'2016 was the strongest El Niño on record, and was nicknamed by some 'Godzilla',' he said. Some have suggested the growing burden of climate change was to blame.
'It is a change to the movements of water in the Pacific Ocean which then has an effect on climate in many parts of the world, including east and southern Africa.
'Our own research suggests that El Niño played a role of the Zika outbreak, but it is also possible that the conditions have facilitated this large scale plague outbreak.'
Professor Bayliss, alongside colleagues including climatologist Dr Cyril Caminade, were behind a 2014 study that found outbreaks of plague in Madagascar are linked to the naturally occurring climate event in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they found large outbreaks tend to coincide with the fluctuation of air pressure and sea surface temperature, partly driven by El Niño. It was based on 48 years worth of data.
They were also behind another study, released in the same journal in December last year, which found El Niño fuelled the Zika outbreak in South America. It went on to strike more than 70 countries and caused a surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads.
What is El Niño?
El Niño, along with its little sister La Niña, are part of a recurring shift in climate that occurs as warm water shifts from one side of the Pacific to the other.
It is caused by a shift in the distribution of warm water in the Pacific Ocean around the equator.
Usually the wind blows strongly from east to west, due to the rotation of the Earth, causing water to pile up in the western part of the Pacific.
This pulls up colder water from the deep ocean in the eastern Pacific.
However, in an El Niño, the winds pushing the water get weaker and cause the warmer water to shift back towards the east. This causes the eastern Pacific to get warmer.
But as the ocean temperature is linked to the wind currents, this causes the winds to grow weaker still and so the ocean grows warmer, meaning the El Niño grows.
This change in air and ocean currents around the equator can have a major impact on the weather patterns around the globe by creating pressure anomalies in the atmosphere.
'In that type of situation, it may be easy to forget about respiratory etiquettes,' Panu Saaristo, the International Federation of Red Cross' team leader for health in Madagascar, previously told MailOnline.
Concerned health officials have also warned an ancient ritual, called Famadihana, where relatives dig up the corpses of their loved ones, may be fueling the spread.
To limit the danger of Famadihana, rules enforced at the beginning of the outbreak dictate plague victims cannot be buried in a tomb that can be reopened.
Instead, their remains must be held in an anonymous mausoleum. But the local media has reported several cases of bodies being exhumed covertly.
Despite the serious risks publicised by the authorities, few in Madagascar question the turning ceremonies and dismiss the advice.
Willy Randriamarotia, the Madagascan health ministry's chief of staff, said: 'If a person dies of pneumonic plague and is then interred in a tomb that is subsequently opened for a Famadihana, the bacteria can still be transmitted and contaminate whoever handles the body.'
Experts have long observed that plague season coincides with the period when Famadihana ceremonies are held from July to October.
Last week MailOnline revealed the 'Godzilla' El Niño of 2016 has also been blamed for the severity of this year's outbreak by causing freak weather conditions.
Plague season hits Madagascar each year, and experts warn there is still six months to run – despite already seeing more than triple the amount of cases than expected.
Usually the country sees cases of bubonic plague, which is transmitted by rat flea bites and was responsible for the 100 million fatalities from the 'Black Death' in the 14th century.
If left untreated, the Yersinia pestis bacteria can reach the lungs. This is where it turns pneumonic – described as the 'deadliest and most rapid form of plague'.
Health officials are unsure how this year's outbreak began, but local media report that forest fires have driven rats towards rural communities.
This year's worrying outbreak has seen it reach the Indian Ocean island's two biggest cities, Antananarivo and Toamasina.
AID WORKER ON THE GROUND REVEALS SCALE OF THE PROBLEM
A senior aid worker on the ground in Madagascar has provided MailOnline with an exclusive snapshot of what is happening on the island.
Panu Saaristo, the International Federation of Red Cross' team leader, has revealed thousands of infected adults are unwilling to seek help because they are scared of hospitals.
Mr Saaristo said the cultural stigma associated with seeking medical help was masking the true scale of the problem as it means many of those who are infected are failing to be diagnosed. At the same time there is also a growing shortage of life-saving tests which can provide a rapid diagnosis.
Speaking about the decline in plague cases reported today by Madagascan health officials, Mr Saaristo said he feared this is not really the case and that the true scale of the problem growing. He told MailOnline: 'No-one is happier than us, if that is indeed the case'.
'Fear of the fact if they get diagnosed with the infection and the long time they would have to spend in hospital' could be a factor in many not seeking treatment because they connect 'hospitals to death', he added.
'People start avoiding healthcare that may lead to a situation where people start dying.' He warned this year's outbreak has been 'truly unprecedented', and is 'not the plague as usual'.
Figures show that at least 1,300 cases of the plague have been reported so far in this year's outbreak, with 93 official deaths recorded. However, UN estimates state the toll could be in excess of 120.
Mr Saaristo warned more deaths are expected unless the urgent shortage of rapid diagnostic tests is immediately addressed, as the majority of plague cases spreading through Madagascar can prove fatal in just 24 hours.
Experts warn the disease spreads quicker in heavily populated areas. It is estimated that around 1.6 million people live in either city.
The first death this year occurred on August 28 when a passenger died in a public taxi en route to a town on the east coast. Two others who came into contact with the passenger also died.
This year's outbreak is expected to dwarf previous ones as it has struck early, and British aid workers believe it will continue on its rampage.
Olivier Le Guillou, of Action Against Hunger, previously said: 'The epidemic is ahead of us, we have not yet reached the peak.'
The most recent WHO figures dispute claims by Dr Manitra Rakotoarivony, Madagascar's director of health promotion, that the epidemic is on a downward spiral.
He previously told local radio: 'There is an improvement in the fight against the spread of the plague, which means that there are fewer patients in hospitals.'
THE OPENING OF THE RED CROSS' FIRST MAKESHIFT PLAGUE CLINIC
Concerned humanitarians have opened a clinic attached to a major hospital in the country's capital in a desperate attempt to contain the plague outbreak.
The International Federation of Red Cross has set-up a makeshift treatment clinic at the Andouhatapenaka Hospital in Antananarivo.
Twenty beds are available to be used in the clinic, but it is unsure how many patients are currently being treated at the makeshift centre.
Aid workers stress it will be able to offer 24/7 treatment to those infected, as officials continue their attempts to clamp down on cases.
An international team of doctors are also providing supervision and training on plague treatment
The WHO, which issues a new report into the outbreak every few days, also remains adamant that cases are on the 'decline in all active areas' across the country.
The plague outbreak in Madagascar tends to begin in September and ends in April. Tarik Jašarević of the World Health Organization confirmed it would be no different this year.
He said two weeks ago: 'After concerted efforts of the Ministry of Health and partners, we are beginning to see a decline in reported cases but there are still people being admitted to hospital.
'At this time 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.'
A WHO official added: 'The risk of the disease spreading is high at national level… because it is present in several towns and this is just the start of the outbreak.'
International agencies have so far sent more than one million doses of antibiotics to Madagascar. Nearly 20,000 respiratory masks have also been donated.
However, the WHO advises against travel or trade restrictions. It previously asked for $5.5 million (£4.2m) to support the plague response, which has now been issued.
Despite its guidance, Air Seychelles, one of Madagascar's biggest airlines, stopped flying temporarily earlier in the month to try and curb the spread.
Schools and universities were shut in a desperate attempt to contain the respiratory disease, with children known to come into contact with each other more than adults. The buildings have been sprayed to eradicate any fleas that may carry the plague.
Dilys Morgan, head of emerging infections and zoonoses at Public Health England, said: 'The risk to people in UK is very low, but the risk for international travellers to and those working in Madagascar is higher.
'It is important that travellers to Madagascar seek advice before travelling and are aware of the measures they can take to reduce the risk of infection.
'The UK has robust systems in place for assessing illness in persons returning from travel or work overseas.
'Plague is no longer the threat to humans that it was centuries ago, as antibiotics work well if treatment is started early.'
Bubonic plague is one of the most devastating diseases in history, having killed around 100million people during the 'Black Death' in the 14th century.
Drawings and paintings from the outbreak, which wiped out about a third of the European population, depict town criers saying 'bring out your dead' while dragging trailers piled with infected corpses.
It is caused by a bacterium known as Yersinia pestis, which uses the flea as a host and is usually transmitted to humans via rats.
The disease causes grotesque symptoms such as gangrene and the appearance of large swellings on the groin, armpits or neck, known as 'buboes'.
It kills up to two thirds of sufferers within just four days if it is not treated, although if antibiotics are administered within 24 hours of infection patients are highly likely to survive.
After the Black Death arrived in 1347 plague became a common phenomenon in Europe, with outbreaks recurring regularly until the 18th century.
Bubonic plague has almost completely vanished from the rich world, with 90 per cent of all cases now found in Africa.
However, there have been a few non-fatal cases in the U.S. in recent years, while in August 2013 a 15-year-old boy died in Kyrgyzstan after eating a groundhog infected with the disease.
Three months later, an outbreak in a Madagascan killed at least 20 people in a week.
A year before 60 people died as a result of the infection, more than in any other country in the world.
Outbreaks in China have been rare in recent years, and most have happened in remote rural areas of the west.
China's state broadcaster said there were 12 diagnosed cases and three deaths in the province of Qinghai in 2009, and one in Sichuan in 2012.
In the United States between five and 15 people die every year as a result, mostly in western states.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... z4yojWbHHQ
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Blue Frost
- SUPER VIP
- Posts: 98079
- Joined: May 14th, 2012, 1:01 am
- Location: Yodenheim
Plagues
Those people dig their ancestors up, and dance with them, and other places they even sleep with them, humans are stupid monkeys.
plague is in vermin in the western US, and Canada, clean people, or not can always end up with a pest in the house, or area.
plague is in vermin in the western US, and Canada, clean people, or not can always end up with a pest in the house, or area.
"Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character
Plagues
What a horror getting a flesh eating bacteria must be. If this gets common place like the bubonic plague was in Europe the world will be a very scary place. I wonder if this bacteie is spreading in China in some places as well but is being kept secret.
Necrotizer: Deadly Flesh-Eating Bacteria Hit 525 in Japan
More than 500 people in Japan infected by a potentially fatal "flesh-eating bacterium" could die within hours if part of it develops into a particularly severe and even deadly strain, Japanese media reported.
A total of 525 patients with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), a deadly condition popularly known as the “flesh-eating disease,” were reported in December — a notable spike from just 203 cases registered in 2013, Asahi Shimbun wrote, quoting a statement by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
The infection, which is fatal in almost one in three cases, destroys tissue and can result in death in a matter of just a few days.
‘Chunks Were Just Dropping Off’: Florida Mom Loses Nipple to Flesh-Eating Bacteria After Mastectomy
When infected a person will normally develop only minor symptoms such as a sore throat or skin infection as the bacteria commonly exists in the body but does not usually spread to certain organs.
When it does, however, the muscle-necrotizing bacteria spread throughout the body causing sudden shock and multiple organ failure. It can also target one’s blood and lungs.
Patients are usually treated with antibiotics and, in severe cases, removal of the dying tissue or amputation.
READ MORE: Texas First Responder Contracted Deadly Flesh-Eating Bacteria During Flooding
Even though medics believe that people normally contract STSS from contact with the wounds of infected people, in many cases the path of the infection remains unknown.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Infectious Disease Surveillance Center urges people with swelling wounds and pain, as well as fever, to immediately seek medical attention.
https://sputniknews.com/asia/2017122510 ... -bacteria/
Necrotizer: Deadly Flesh-Eating Bacteria Hit 525 in Japan
More than 500 people in Japan infected by a potentially fatal "flesh-eating bacterium" could die within hours if part of it develops into a particularly severe and even deadly strain, Japanese media reported.
A total of 525 patients with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), a deadly condition popularly known as the “flesh-eating disease,” were reported in December — a notable spike from just 203 cases registered in 2013, Asahi Shimbun wrote, quoting a statement by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
The infection, which is fatal in almost one in three cases, destroys tissue and can result in death in a matter of just a few days.
‘Chunks Were Just Dropping Off’: Florida Mom Loses Nipple to Flesh-Eating Bacteria After Mastectomy
When infected a person will normally develop only minor symptoms such as a sore throat or skin infection as the bacteria commonly exists in the body but does not usually spread to certain organs.
When it does, however, the muscle-necrotizing bacteria spread throughout the body causing sudden shock and multiple organ failure. It can also target one’s blood and lungs.
Patients are usually treated with antibiotics and, in severe cases, removal of the dying tissue or amputation.
READ MORE: Texas First Responder Contracted Deadly Flesh-Eating Bacteria During Flooding
Even though medics believe that people normally contract STSS from contact with the wounds of infected people, in many cases the path of the infection remains unknown.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Infectious Disease Surveillance Center urges people with swelling wounds and pain, as well as fever, to immediately seek medical attention.
https://sputniknews.com/asia/2017122510 ... -bacteria/
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Blue Frost
- SUPER VIP
- Posts: 98079
- Joined: May 14th, 2012, 1:01 am
- Location: Yodenheim
Plagues
Gotta wonder if all these antibacterial products helped product these majorly dangerous strains of bacteria.
"Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character
Plagues
I want this on this thread as I will need to send this to some friends who have diabetes.
Diabetes is really five different diseases, not just Types 1 & 2 – study
https://www.rt.com/news/420361-diabetes ... -research/
Diabetes is really five different diseases, not just Types 1 & 2 – study
https://www.rt.com/news/420361-diabetes ... -research/
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Blue Frost
- SUPER VIP
- Posts: 98079
- Joined: May 14th, 2012, 1:01 am
- Location: Yodenheim
Plagues
I would bet not they try to treat all five to fix the one big issue of diabetes.
"Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character
Plagues
Oz seems to have some problems.This supergonorreah could be a real problem in China and Africa. If that flesh eating superbug gets everywhere this world could be a scary place.
Super Gonorrhea Is Spreading, With Two New Cases Found in Australia
https://gizmodo.com/super-gonorrhea-is- ... 1825352538
A mysterious and ‘nasty’ flesh-eating bug is spreading at unprecedented levels in Victoria, Australia and experts don’t know how to stop it
http://strangesounds.org/2018/04/myster ... op-it.html
[video][/video]
Super Gonorrhea Is Spreading, With Two New Cases Found in Australia
https://gizmodo.com/super-gonorrhea-is- ... 1825352538
A mysterious and ‘nasty’ flesh-eating bug is spreading at unprecedented levels in Victoria, Australia and experts don’t know how to stop it
http://strangesounds.org/2018/04/myster ... op-it.html
[video][/video]
-
Blue Frost
- SUPER VIP
- Posts: 98079
- Joined: May 14th, 2012, 1:01 am
- Location: Yodenheim
Plagues
Nasty, and scary stuff, the first one they should quarantine everyone that has it, maybe the second."Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character
Plagues
I wonder if this outbreak isn't a man made GMO eboloa as it is sure spreading a lot more than previous outbreaks with the exception of that last major outbreak. It seems to be a tropical disease so I can see it getting out of control in south Asia , southeast Asia and Sout America too. In Asia with the huge dense population it could become a nightmare.
Ebola - The Congo Already Had 120 Deaths In March
By Patricia Doyle PhD
The Congo hid the news...
EBOLA UPDATE (06): DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, SUSPECTED, RFI, VULNERABILITY, RESPONSE, CONTROL
*************************************************************************************************
[1] Suspected, RFI
11 May 2018. More than 120 unexplained deaths in northeast DRC.
https://www.challenges.fr/monde/cor-plu ... ngo_586640; in French.
[Congolese authorities have reported more than 120 unexplained deaths in March and April [2018] among refugees in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), near Uganda, according to a UN report released [Fri 11 May 2018] in Geneva. 93 children under the age of 15 are among the deceased who had symptoms of fever and anemia. The deceased were refugees who came since mid-February [2018] into Djugu territory and were accommodated in Kandoyi, 350 km [about 217 mi] north of Bunia, in Ituri province, the report said.] [Reuters]
[There is no clear evidence that these deaths are related to the current outbreak in the DRC. More information is requested, as a number of infectious agents cause similar symptoms.- Mod.LK]
******
[2] Vulnerability of Congo DR
11 May 2018: Why does Ebola keep showing up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... the-congo/
[Ebola experts have various suspicions about why the DRC remains so vulnerable. Most theories involve the country's large forested areas, and the possibility that infected fruit bats -- widely believed to be the primary reservoir animal for the disease -- are common in the affected areas... In certain areas of the DRC -- including where Ebola has been reported recently -- the disease can now be considered endemic in reservoir animals, Daniel Bausch (a veteran Ebola responder and director of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team) says.
The extent to which individual countries can detect, confirm, and report the disease may also affect scientists' understanding of why it occurs where it does. Whether or not the DRC is truly seeing the disease much more than some of its neighbors is debatable, Pierre Rollin [Ebola expert with CDC] says. "I think there could be surveillance bias -- it's difficult to say," he says, noting the neighboring Republic of the Congo had multiple Ebola outbreaks in the early 2000s, although none have been reported since 2003. "The reservoir [animal] is in DRC, Gabon, and the Republic of [the] Congo," he says. So what's different? The DRC has more robust Ebola surveillance and lab testing capacity in place, he says, and that may be a factor.] [Byline: Dina Fine Maron]
[Since 2007, the DRC has had more Ebola virus outbreaks than other countries in Africa. Since 1976, 30 Ebola virus outbreaks have been recorded, with this being the 9th known Ebola outbreak to strike DRC, including one with 5 confirmed cases in 2017.
In this report, forestation is considered one important factor contributing to this frequency of outbreaks in the DRC, but deforestation also has been incriminated as a cause for Ebola virus outbreaks. See ProMED archives 20180511.5792856 and 20150924.3667797 for discussion of impact of deforestation. It may be that fragmentation of forests is most important in bringing humans and reservoir hosts in contact with each other. - Mod.LK]
******
[3] Response, funding
11 May 2018: WHO and partners working with national health authorities to contain new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
http://www.who.int/news-room/detail/11- ... -the-congo
[As of 11 May, 34 Ebola cases have been reported in the area in the past 5 weeks, including 2 confirmed, 18 probable [deceased; case fatality rate 52.9 percent], and 14 suspected cases. 5 samples were collected from 5 patients and 2 have been confirmed by the laboratory. Bikoro health zone is 250 km [about 155 mi] from Mbandaka, capital of Equateur province in an area of the country that is that is very hard to reach. 2 mobile labs are planned to be deployed on 12 May 2018.
"WHO and its partners including MSF [Medecins Sans Frontieres], World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF [UN Children's Fund], International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Congolese Red Cross, UNOCHA [UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] and MONUSCO [UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo], US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), are all stepping up their support," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Current bed capacity includes 15 beds in Bikoro. MSF is currently establishing isolation on site and has also deployed 4 mobile isolation units (5 beds each).
WHO is coordinating a major flight plan with UNHAS/WFP [UN Humanitarian Air Service managed by the World Food Programme] to deploy experts, equipment and materials to the field and is working closely with other health partners to prevent further geographical spread, improve surveillance data, and reduce deaths by improving treatment of Ebola patients in Bikoro and the epicentre of Ikoko-Impenge. The cost of the air bridge for 3 months is estimated at USD 2.4 million.
A logistician is expected to arrive in Bikoro this afternoon/evening [11 May 2018] to arrange accommodation/staff logistics. Additional information on access, transportation, and logistics requirements will be communicated tomorrow.
WHO is in the process of sending [Sat 12 May 2018] medical supplies to Bikoro to support the Ebola response, including: personal protective equipment kits (PPE), Interagency Emergency Health Kit (IEHK), boxes for transportation, body bags.
WHO is helping with surveillance of cases by setting up community-based data collection to complement information provided by health facilities.]
******
[4] Control
11 May 2018: WHO eyes tough Ebola response, reports 2 new cases
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspect ... -new-cases
[At a media briefing in Geneva, Peter Salama (WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response), said the outbreak area near Bikoro -- located about 174 miles [280 km] from the provincial capital city of Mbandaka -- has few paved roads and little electricity, and currently the only way to get supplies in is by motorbike.
He said the WHO is in talks with the World Food Programme (WFP) about setting up a helicopter air bridge, but he added that helicopters have limited payloads. To allow small planes to land in the area, officials are exploring the possibility of clearing an airstrip in Bikoro. The WHO estimates that the 3-month air bridge cost to be USD 2.4 million. Despite the remote location, one worrying sign is that the outbreak involves 3 separate locations that cover about 37 miles [about 60 km].
Though the DRC has its own unique cultural practices, he said funeral rituals in the country that include washing and having contact with the dead body and the use of traditional healers, both of which played a superspreading role in in West Africa's 2014-16 outbreak, are similar to those in West Africa. Pierre Formenty, a WHO Ebola expert, told reporters that investigators already know funeral transmission has been an issue in the current outbreak.
Health officials think the DRC Ebola outbreak may have begun sometime in April [2018] because of epidemiologic links with the most recently sick patients, but Salama downplayed suspicions that an illness cluster in January and February in an overlapping area near Bikoro might be related to the outbreak. He said the earlier event consisted of 15 cases and 8 deaths, and 2 samples from patients tested negative for Ebola. The last death in the cluster was reported in February [2018], and so far investigators haven't turned up an epidemiologic links between the previous and current outbreaks. Salama said confusion surrounding possible links between the 2 outbreaks may be stem from nonspecific symptoms of the disease.
The WHO is still waiting on approval from the DRC to use the experimental Ebola vaccine, but plans for deployment are already under way as officials wait for a formal decision from the country's health ministry. Salama said that, fortunately, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance has already agreed to pay for the vaccine, and the WHO has part of the stockpile in Geneva ready to deploy.
Salama said, however, that there are many complications in using an experimental vaccine, and it's not a simple logistical effort. He said the vaccine must be maintained at -60 to -80 deg C [-76 to -112 F], but cold chain requirements have been mobilized and should be in place as early as the weekend [12-13 May 2018]. The WHO has reached out to experienced Ebola vaccinators from Guinea.
The DRC Ebola outbreak in 2017 ended before a vaccine could be deployed. This current outbreak is the perfect opportunity to test its efficacy in protecting the vulnerable population.]
[The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine produced by Merck has looked extremely effective in preclinical testing in non-human primates, and in limited testing in humans. But because it is still an experimental vaccine, to administer it, ethics approval and a research plan are required. The recommended protocol for vaccination has been considered to be ring vaccination, where people who already have the disease are identified, and all the individuals in contact with them are traced, and then the contacts of those contacts identified. The contacts in these clusters around the outbreak victims are vaccinated. This approach was effective in eliminating smallpox. See Henao-Restrepo AM, Longini IM, Egger M, al. Efficacy and effectiveness of an rVSV-vectored vaccine expressing Ebola surface glycoprotein: interim results from the Guinea ring vaccination cluster-randomised trial. Lancet. 2015; 386(9996): 857-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)61117-5. - Mod.LK]
11 May 2018: The new Ebola outbreak could take 'three, maybe four' months to control
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/arch ... hs/560237/
[Bikoro's geographic location is also troubling. It sits on Lake Tumba, which connects to the mighty Congo River. The river then connects to Kinshasa, the DRC's megacity capital with a population of about 11 million, and Brazzaville, the capital of the adjacent Republic of the Congo. There is a risk that travelers could carry the virus along the river to either major city. "If it's a traffic line, there is a risk," Jasarevic (a World Health Organization spokesperson) told me. "The average incubation period is 4-6 days. You can get the virus and travel for a couple of days before you get symptomatic and become infectious."
But Muyembe (Director-General of the Democratic Republic of the Congo National Institute for Biomedical Research and Professor of Microbiology at Kinshasa University Medical School) thinks the risk is low, "because the circulation on the river is not so high." And in the worst-case scenario, the town of Mbandaka would likely act as the canary in the coal mine. It's a large port town that lies on the Congo River, in the opposite direction to the 2 capitals, but far closer to Bikoro. If sick people were traveling on the river, they'd show up in Mbandaka first. And Muyembe says that Congolese health workers are already setting up there to monitor travelers and check temperatures.] [Byline: Ed Yong]
[Focusing on the river traffic seems like an effective measure to control the spread of Ebola virus. In addition, health care facilities will be needed in Mbandaka to treat infected individuals. - Mod.LK]
--
Ebola update (41): biomarkers, diagnostics, news 20171118.5451371 Ebola outbreak back as early as December and did nothing. As a result there were 120 Ebola deaths in March. The termed the deaths as unidentified illness deaths so they did not have to admit to Ebola.
I think this outbreak is going to be serious and we will see it spread across Africa, Europe and North America. Time to open the off shore hospitals surrounding NYC and elsewhere across the US.
Patty
Ebola - The Congo Already Had 120 Deaths In March
By Patricia Doyle PhD
The Congo hid the news...
EBOLA UPDATE (06): DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, SUSPECTED, RFI, VULNERABILITY, RESPONSE, CONTROL
*************************************************************************************************
[1] Suspected, RFI
11 May 2018. More than 120 unexplained deaths in northeast DRC.
https://www.challenges.fr/monde/cor-plu ... ngo_586640; in French.
[Congolese authorities have reported more than 120 unexplained deaths in March and April [2018] among refugees in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), near Uganda, according to a UN report released [Fri 11 May 2018] in Geneva. 93 children under the age of 15 are among the deceased who had symptoms of fever and anemia. The deceased were refugees who came since mid-February [2018] into Djugu territory and were accommodated in Kandoyi, 350 km [about 217 mi] north of Bunia, in Ituri province, the report said.] [Reuters]
[There is no clear evidence that these deaths are related to the current outbreak in the DRC. More information is requested, as a number of infectious agents cause similar symptoms.- Mod.LK]
******
[2] Vulnerability of Congo DR
11 May 2018: Why does Ebola keep showing up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... the-congo/
[Ebola experts have various suspicions about why the DRC remains so vulnerable. Most theories involve the country's large forested areas, and the possibility that infected fruit bats -- widely believed to be the primary reservoir animal for the disease -- are common in the affected areas... In certain areas of the DRC -- including where Ebola has been reported recently -- the disease can now be considered endemic in reservoir animals, Daniel Bausch (a veteran Ebola responder and director of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team) says.
The extent to which individual countries can detect, confirm, and report the disease may also affect scientists' understanding of why it occurs where it does. Whether or not the DRC is truly seeing the disease much more than some of its neighbors is debatable, Pierre Rollin [Ebola expert with CDC] says. "I think there could be surveillance bias -- it's difficult to say," he says, noting the neighboring Republic of the Congo had multiple Ebola outbreaks in the early 2000s, although none have been reported since 2003. "The reservoir [animal] is in DRC, Gabon, and the Republic of [the] Congo," he says. So what's different? The DRC has more robust Ebola surveillance and lab testing capacity in place, he says, and that may be a factor.] [Byline: Dina Fine Maron]
[Since 2007, the DRC has had more Ebola virus outbreaks than other countries in Africa. Since 1976, 30 Ebola virus outbreaks have been recorded, with this being the 9th known Ebola outbreak to strike DRC, including one with 5 confirmed cases in 2017.
In this report, forestation is considered one important factor contributing to this frequency of outbreaks in the DRC, but deforestation also has been incriminated as a cause for Ebola virus outbreaks. See ProMED archives 20180511.5792856 and 20150924.3667797 for discussion of impact of deforestation. It may be that fragmentation of forests is most important in bringing humans and reservoir hosts in contact with each other. - Mod.LK]
******
[3] Response, funding
11 May 2018: WHO and partners working with national health authorities to contain new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
http://www.who.int/news-room/detail/11- ... -the-congo
[As of 11 May, 34 Ebola cases have been reported in the area in the past 5 weeks, including 2 confirmed, 18 probable [deceased; case fatality rate 52.9 percent], and 14 suspected cases. 5 samples were collected from 5 patients and 2 have been confirmed by the laboratory. Bikoro health zone is 250 km [about 155 mi] from Mbandaka, capital of Equateur province in an area of the country that is that is very hard to reach. 2 mobile labs are planned to be deployed on 12 May 2018.
"WHO and its partners including MSF [Medecins Sans Frontieres], World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF [UN Children's Fund], International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Congolese Red Cross, UNOCHA [UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] and MONUSCO [UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo], US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), are all stepping up their support," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Current bed capacity includes 15 beds in Bikoro. MSF is currently establishing isolation on site and has also deployed 4 mobile isolation units (5 beds each).
WHO is coordinating a major flight plan with UNHAS/WFP [UN Humanitarian Air Service managed by the World Food Programme] to deploy experts, equipment and materials to the field and is working closely with other health partners to prevent further geographical spread, improve surveillance data, and reduce deaths by improving treatment of Ebola patients in Bikoro and the epicentre of Ikoko-Impenge. The cost of the air bridge for 3 months is estimated at USD 2.4 million.
A logistician is expected to arrive in Bikoro this afternoon/evening [11 May 2018] to arrange accommodation/staff logistics. Additional information on access, transportation, and logistics requirements will be communicated tomorrow.
WHO is in the process of sending [Sat 12 May 2018] medical supplies to Bikoro to support the Ebola response, including: personal protective equipment kits (PPE), Interagency Emergency Health Kit (IEHK), boxes for transportation, body bags.
WHO is helping with surveillance of cases by setting up community-based data collection to complement information provided by health facilities.]
******
[4] Control
11 May 2018: WHO eyes tough Ebola response, reports 2 new cases
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspect ... -new-cases
[At a media briefing in Geneva, Peter Salama (WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response), said the outbreak area near Bikoro -- located about 174 miles [280 km] from the provincial capital city of Mbandaka -- has few paved roads and little electricity, and currently the only way to get supplies in is by motorbike.
He said the WHO is in talks with the World Food Programme (WFP) about setting up a helicopter air bridge, but he added that helicopters have limited payloads. To allow small planes to land in the area, officials are exploring the possibility of clearing an airstrip in Bikoro. The WHO estimates that the 3-month air bridge cost to be USD 2.4 million. Despite the remote location, one worrying sign is that the outbreak involves 3 separate locations that cover about 37 miles [about 60 km].
Though the DRC has its own unique cultural practices, he said funeral rituals in the country that include washing and having contact with the dead body and the use of traditional healers, both of which played a superspreading role in in West Africa's 2014-16 outbreak, are similar to those in West Africa. Pierre Formenty, a WHO Ebola expert, told reporters that investigators already know funeral transmission has been an issue in the current outbreak.
Health officials think the DRC Ebola outbreak may have begun sometime in April [2018] because of epidemiologic links with the most recently sick patients, but Salama downplayed suspicions that an illness cluster in January and February in an overlapping area near Bikoro might be related to the outbreak. He said the earlier event consisted of 15 cases and 8 deaths, and 2 samples from patients tested negative for Ebola. The last death in the cluster was reported in February [2018], and so far investigators haven't turned up an epidemiologic links between the previous and current outbreaks. Salama said confusion surrounding possible links between the 2 outbreaks may be stem from nonspecific symptoms of the disease.
The WHO is still waiting on approval from the DRC to use the experimental Ebola vaccine, but plans for deployment are already under way as officials wait for a formal decision from the country's health ministry. Salama said that, fortunately, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance has already agreed to pay for the vaccine, and the WHO has part of the stockpile in Geneva ready to deploy.
Salama said, however, that there are many complications in using an experimental vaccine, and it's not a simple logistical effort. He said the vaccine must be maintained at -60 to -80 deg C [-76 to -112 F], but cold chain requirements have been mobilized and should be in place as early as the weekend [12-13 May 2018]. The WHO has reached out to experienced Ebola vaccinators from Guinea.
The DRC Ebola outbreak in 2017 ended before a vaccine could be deployed. This current outbreak is the perfect opportunity to test its efficacy in protecting the vulnerable population.]
[The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine produced by Merck has looked extremely effective in preclinical testing in non-human primates, and in limited testing in humans. But because it is still an experimental vaccine, to administer it, ethics approval and a research plan are required. The recommended protocol for vaccination has been considered to be ring vaccination, where people who already have the disease are identified, and all the individuals in contact with them are traced, and then the contacts of those contacts identified. The contacts in these clusters around the outbreak victims are vaccinated. This approach was effective in eliminating smallpox. See Henao-Restrepo AM, Longini IM, Egger M, al. Efficacy and effectiveness of an rVSV-vectored vaccine expressing Ebola surface glycoprotein: interim results from the Guinea ring vaccination cluster-randomised trial. Lancet. 2015; 386(9996): 857-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)61117-5. - Mod.LK]
11 May 2018: The new Ebola outbreak could take 'three, maybe four' months to control
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/arch ... hs/560237/
[Bikoro's geographic location is also troubling. It sits on Lake Tumba, which connects to the mighty Congo River. The river then connects to Kinshasa, the DRC's megacity capital with a population of about 11 million, and Brazzaville, the capital of the adjacent Republic of the Congo. There is a risk that travelers could carry the virus along the river to either major city. "If it's a traffic line, there is a risk," Jasarevic (a World Health Organization spokesperson) told me. "The average incubation period is 4-6 days. You can get the virus and travel for a couple of days before you get symptomatic and become infectious."
But Muyembe (Director-General of the Democratic Republic of the Congo National Institute for Biomedical Research and Professor of Microbiology at Kinshasa University Medical School) thinks the risk is low, "because the circulation on the river is not so high." And in the worst-case scenario, the town of Mbandaka would likely act as the canary in the coal mine. It's a large port town that lies on the Congo River, in the opposite direction to the 2 capitals, but far closer to Bikoro. If sick people were traveling on the river, they'd show up in Mbandaka first. And Muyembe says that Congolese health workers are already setting up there to monitor travelers and check temperatures.] [Byline: Ed Yong]
[Focusing on the river traffic seems like an effective measure to control the spread of Ebola virus. In addition, health care facilities will be needed in Mbandaka to treat infected individuals. - Mod.LK]
--
Ebola update (41): biomarkers, diagnostics, news 20171118.5451371 Ebola outbreak back as early as December and did nothing. As a result there were 120 Ebola deaths in March. The termed the deaths as unidentified illness deaths so they did not have to admit to Ebola.
I think this outbreak is going to be serious and we will see it spread across Africa, Europe and North America. Time to open the off shore hospitals surrounding NYC and elsewhere across the US.
Patty
Plagues
I wonder if the statistics in India are accurate. In such a densely overpopulated large third world country like India a contagious disease could really get out of control. I wouldn't be surprised if there have been plagues sweeping through India from time to time that don't even get reported. I have never been to India and don't really understand this country. I just know little bits that I have picked up here and there.
Rare virus kills more than a dozen in India, health officials warn it could cause global epidemic
More than a dozen people have died after an outbreak of a rare disease in southern India that health officials warn could cause a global epidemic.
Health officials have imposed emergency measures in the southwestern state of Kerala after the more than 40 people were infected with the Nipah virus, which causes flu-like symptoms leading to an agonizing brain-swelling condition known as encephalitis, according to Sky News.
There is no vaccine for Nipah, which has a mortality rate of 70 percent, and no treatment beyond supportive care to make patients comfortable. The virus is listed alongside Ebola and Zika as one of eight priority diseases the World Health Organization believes could cause a global epidemic.
Health officials believe this outbreak began with someone infected by a fruit bat, a senior Health Ministry official told the Press Trust of India news agency. Subsequent infections are believed to have come from human-to-human contact, sometimes passing to relatives or medical workers caring for the sick.
About 100 families where someone has had contact with infected people are being carefully monitored by health officials.
RARE BAT VIRUS KILLS AT LEAST 10 IN INDIA AS OFFICIALS SCRAMBLE TO CONTROL OUTBREAK
Tests have also been ordered after several bats were found dead at a secondary school in the state of Himachal Pradesh, according to Sky News. The examinations later found the bats were not carrying Nipah, but fear continues to run high across the country.
Health officials advise that people should not eat fruits that have fallen to the ground or appear to feature tooth or claw marks, and travel to the affected states should be avoided.
On Thursday, medical workers in white plastic suits and breathing masks buried the latest victim in the town of Kozhikode, placing his plastic-wrapped corpse in the red earth.
People have also been told to avoid abandoned wells, as fruit bats eat dates from palm trees, and sometimes nest in wells. Health experts have been flown into the region to help contain the virus, according to Sky News.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2018/05/2 ... demic.html
Rare virus kills more than a dozen in India, health officials warn it could cause global epidemic
More than a dozen people have died after an outbreak of a rare disease in southern India that health officials warn could cause a global epidemic.
Health officials have imposed emergency measures in the southwestern state of Kerala after the more than 40 people were infected with the Nipah virus, which causes flu-like symptoms leading to an agonizing brain-swelling condition known as encephalitis, according to Sky News.
There is no vaccine for Nipah, which has a mortality rate of 70 percent, and no treatment beyond supportive care to make patients comfortable. The virus is listed alongside Ebola and Zika as one of eight priority diseases the World Health Organization believes could cause a global epidemic.
Health officials believe this outbreak began with someone infected by a fruit bat, a senior Health Ministry official told the Press Trust of India news agency. Subsequent infections are believed to have come from human-to-human contact, sometimes passing to relatives or medical workers caring for the sick.
About 100 families where someone has had contact with infected people are being carefully monitored by health officials.
RARE BAT VIRUS KILLS AT LEAST 10 IN INDIA AS OFFICIALS SCRAMBLE TO CONTROL OUTBREAK
Tests have also been ordered after several bats were found dead at a secondary school in the state of Himachal Pradesh, according to Sky News. The examinations later found the bats were not carrying Nipah, but fear continues to run high across the country.
Health officials advise that people should not eat fruits that have fallen to the ground or appear to feature tooth or claw marks, and travel to the affected states should be avoided.
On Thursday, medical workers in white plastic suits and breathing masks buried the latest victim in the town of Kozhikode, placing his plastic-wrapped corpse in the red earth.
People have also been told to avoid abandoned wells, as fruit bats eat dates from palm trees, and sometimes nest in wells. Health experts have been flown into the region to help contain the virus, according to Sky News.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2018/05/2 ... demic.html
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Blue Frost
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Plagues
One thing about India, with the mass population, and a lot of dirty areas people have became quite strong, but that means any virus can also.
It might not affect them as much as it would people here.
If I was an evil genius leader I could make my people strong, and immune from a deadly virus, and destroy the rest of the world
It might not affect them as much as it would people here.
If I was an evil genius leader I could make my people strong, and immune from a deadly virus, and destroy the rest of the world
"Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character
Plagues
I worked in Nipiwan Saskatchewan and it appears as though there is a culture of fetal alchohol abuse in the reserves nearby. This faster new AIDS will be a disaster for these reserves.
Mutated HIV strains in Canada may cause quicker illness, study finds
Strains circulating in Saskatchewan, where nearly 80% of infected are indigenous, may lead to faster development of related viruses
Mutated strains of HIV circulating in a Canadian province where HIV rates rank among the highest in North America could be leading to the more rapid development of Aids-related illnesses, according to new research.
The research, published in the scientific journal Aids, was sparked by anecdotal reports from Saskatchewan, where HIV rates in 2016 exceeded the national average tenfold in some areas. Nearly 80% of those infected with HIV in the province are indigenous.
“Some of our physician colleagues in Saskatchewan started to report that they were seeing cases of people being infected with HIV and getting very sick, very quickly,” said Zabrina Brumme, the lead author of the study and a professor at Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University. “It was almost as if there might have been something particularly nastier about the virus.”
Previous research carried out in Japan had explained a similar phenomenon by pointing to resistant strains that had adapted to evade host immune responses. Researchers wondered if the same factors might be at play in Saskatchewan.
Researchers at a laboratory at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/Aids – which since 1998 has performed HIV genotyping for virtually all Canadian provinces and territories – compared more than 2,300 HIV sequences from Saskatchewan with data sets from across Canada and the US.
They looked at 70 mutations and found that more than 98% of HIV sequences collected in the province recently had at least one major immune-resistant mutation.
While HIV strains have previously been shown to adapt to their host populations around the world, it often happens so slowly that it is of little concern. “[But] in other cases, it’s happening more rapidly and we do have to worry about it,” said Brumme.
Saskatchewan, where those infected with HIV are predominantly of indigenous ancestry, is one concerning example. “What has happened is that HIV has adapted quite quickly as it has been transmitted throughout the communities of people.”
The mutations don’t make the virus more transmissible, but instead influence how quickly the disease progresses if it is left untreated.
Brumme cautioned those who would limit the findings to indigenous populations. “We want to make it clear that HIV strains in Saskatchewan have the potential to cause more rapid disease, period. It doesn’t matter who you are,” she said. “This isn’t a health issue restricted to a specific group of people, this is news that there’s a pathogen; strains are nastier in this location.”
While concerning, the good news is that HIV treatment is fully active against these strains, said Jeffrey Joy, a researcher with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/Aids. “If people get on treatment, they’re going to have the same outcome as anyone else,” he said. “And have the secondary benefit of not passing those strains on to other people.”
Advocates have long sounded the alarm about HIV rates in Saskatchewan, which in recent years have mirrored those of some developing countries. “Most of those people are indigenous people and most of them are getting HIV through injection drug use,” Trevor Stratton of the Canadian Aboriginal Aids Network told the Guardian last year. “Which is tied to trauma, residential school system and that whole history we have in Canada.”
Researchers are now planning to travel to Saskatchewan to spread the news of their results and encourage testing and treatment.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... aids-study
Mutated HIV strains in Canada may cause quicker illness, study finds
Strains circulating in Saskatchewan, where nearly 80% of infected are indigenous, may lead to faster development of related viruses
Mutated strains of HIV circulating in a Canadian province where HIV rates rank among the highest in North America could be leading to the more rapid development of Aids-related illnesses, according to new research.
The research, published in the scientific journal Aids, was sparked by anecdotal reports from Saskatchewan, where HIV rates in 2016 exceeded the national average tenfold in some areas. Nearly 80% of those infected with HIV in the province are indigenous.
“Some of our physician colleagues in Saskatchewan started to report that they were seeing cases of people being infected with HIV and getting very sick, very quickly,” said Zabrina Brumme, the lead author of the study and a professor at Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University. “It was almost as if there might have been something particularly nastier about the virus.”
Previous research carried out in Japan had explained a similar phenomenon by pointing to resistant strains that had adapted to evade host immune responses. Researchers wondered if the same factors might be at play in Saskatchewan.
Researchers at a laboratory at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/Aids – which since 1998 has performed HIV genotyping for virtually all Canadian provinces and territories – compared more than 2,300 HIV sequences from Saskatchewan with data sets from across Canada and the US.
They looked at 70 mutations and found that more than 98% of HIV sequences collected in the province recently had at least one major immune-resistant mutation.
While HIV strains have previously been shown to adapt to their host populations around the world, it often happens so slowly that it is of little concern. “[But] in other cases, it’s happening more rapidly and we do have to worry about it,” said Brumme.
Saskatchewan, where those infected with HIV are predominantly of indigenous ancestry, is one concerning example. “What has happened is that HIV has adapted quite quickly as it has been transmitted throughout the communities of people.”
The mutations don’t make the virus more transmissible, but instead influence how quickly the disease progresses if it is left untreated.
Brumme cautioned those who would limit the findings to indigenous populations. “We want to make it clear that HIV strains in Saskatchewan have the potential to cause more rapid disease, period. It doesn’t matter who you are,” she said. “This isn’t a health issue restricted to a specific group of people, this is news that there’s a pathogen; strains are nastier in this location.”
While concerning, the good news is that HIV treatment is fully active against these strains, said Jeffrey Joy, a researcher with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/Aids. “If people get on treatment, they’re going to have the same outcome as anyone else,” he said. “And have the secondary benefit of not passing those strains on to other people.”
Advocates have long sounded the alarm about HIV rates in Saskatchewan, which in recent years have mirrored those of some developing countries. “Most of those people are indigenous people and most of them are getting HIV through injection drug use,” Trevor Stratton of the Canadian Aboriginal Aids Network told the Guardian last year. “Which is tied to trauma, residential school system and that whole history we have in Canada.”
Researchers are now planning to travel to Saskatchewan to spread the news of their results and encourage testing and treatment.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... aids-study
-
Blue Frost
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Plagues
I hate to see anyone with that virus, but I hope they can get help better than in the past when the stigma was on the sick.
I have a cousin with AIDS, he got in in the 80s, and had a really hard time getting help, and almost died several times.
He got it from a woman he was seeing who ended up being a drug user.
I have a cousin with AIDS, he got in in the 80s, and had a really hard time getting help, and almost died several times.
He got it from a woman he was seeing who ended up being a drug user.
"Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character
Plagues
my girlfriend just had a battle with cellulitis. I wonder how many deaths are unrecorded in the third world ?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteriaSuperbugs Killing Over 33,000 People Per Year in Europe Alone, Researchers Warn
https://sputniknews.com/europe/20181106 ... 00-deaths/
Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteriaSuperbugs Killing Over 33,000 People Per Year in Europe Alone, Researchers Warn
https://sputniknews.com/europe/20181106 ... 00-deaths/
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Blue Frost
- SUPER VIP
- Posts: 98079
- Joined: May 14th, 2012, 1:01 am
- Location: Yodenheim
Plagues
Syrians brought a lot of that into the EU, the camps was full of them.
It's not all their fault though, they should have been quarantined, or better yet not let in with the rest of them.
Also the use of anti bacterial soaps, and washes over the last few decades has killed off a good part of our good bacteria that fights the bad, and the bad that lived just got stronger.
Antibiotics have been used way to much killing off more good bacteria.
It's not all their fault though, they should have been quarantined, or better yet not let in with the rest of them.
Also the use of anti bacterial soaps, and washes over the last few decades has killed off a good part of our good bacteria that fights the bad, and the bad that lived just got stronger.
Antibiotics have been used way to much killing off more good bacteria.
"Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character
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Blue Frost
- SUPER VIP
- Posts: 98079
- Joined: May 14th, 2012, 1:01 am
- Location: Yodenheim
Plagues
Ancient, unknown strain of plague found in 5,000-year-old tomb in Sweden
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-un ... d=60679777
Researchers found the plague sample on the remains of a 20-year-old woman, shown above.
Karl-Göran Sjögren / University of Gothenburg
In a nearly 5,000-year-old tomb in Sweden, researchers have discovered the oldest-known strain of the notorious bacterium Yersinia pestis — the microbe responsible for humanity's perhaps most-feared contagion: the plague.
The finding suggests that the germ may have devastated settlements across Europe at the end of the Stone Age in what may have been the first major pandemic of human history. It could also rewrite some of what we know of ancient European history.
The finding came about as the researchers were analyzing publicly available databases of ancient DNA for cases in which infections might have claimed prehistoric victims. They focused on the previously excavated site of Frälsegården in Sweden. Previous analysis of a limestone tomb at the site found that an estimated 78 people were buried there, and they all had died within a 200-year period. The fact that many people died in a relatively short time in one place suggested they might have perished together in an epidemic, lead study author Nicolás Rascovan, a biologist at Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, told Live Science. The limestone tomb was dated to the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, the period when farming began.
The researchers discovered the previously unknown strain of plague in the remains of a woman at the Frälsegården site. Carbon dating suggested she died about 4,900 years ago during a period known as the Neolithic Decline, when Neolithic cultures throughout Europe mysteriously dwindled. [Photos: Stone Age Skulls Found on Wooden Stakes]
Based on her hip bones and other skeletal features, they estimated the woman was about 20 years old when she died. The plague strain found with her had a genetic mutation that can trigger pneumonic plague — the deadliest form of historic and modern plague — suggesting the woman likely died of the disease. (The most common form of plague is bubonic plague, which occurs when plague bacteria spread to the lymph nodes and cause inflammation, according to the World Health Organization. The inflamed lymph nodes are called "buboes." If the bacteria spread to the lungs, they can trigger the deadlier pneumonic plague.)
By comparing the newfound strain with known plague DNA, the scientists determined that the ancient sample was the closest known relative of the plague bacterium's most recent ancestor. The study researchers theorized that the ancient sample diverged from other plague strains about 5,700 years ago.
How plague spread
The new findings contradict an older theory about how plague spread, according to the researchers. About 5,000 years ago, humans migrated from the Eurasian steppe down into Europe in major waves, replacing the Neolithic farmers who lived in Europe at that time. Previous research had suggested the steppe folk brought the plague with them, wiping out pre-existing settlements upon their arrival. However, if the plague specimen from the Swedish grave diverged from other strains 5,700 years ago, it likely evolved before the steppe migrations began — suggesting it was already there.
Rather, the researchers suggested that the plague emerged in so-called mega settlements of 10,000 to 20,000 inhabitants that existed in Europe between 6,100 and 5,400 years ago. These mega settlements — up to 10 times larger than previous European settlements — "had people, animals, and stored food close together, and, likely, very poor sanitation. That's the textbook example of what you need to evolve new pathogens," senior study author Simon Rasmussen, a computational biologist at the University of Copenhagen, said in a statement.
If plague evolved in these mega settlements, "then when people started dying from it, the settlements would have been abandoned and destroyed. This is exactly what was observed in these settlements after 5,500 years ago," Rasmussen said. Plague then could have spread across trade networks made possible by wheeled transport, which had expanded rapidly throughout Europe by that time, Rascovan said. Eventually, it would have made its way even to relatively distant sites like Frälsegården in Sweden, where the woman the researchers analyzed died. That woman's DNA revealed she was not genetically related to steppe folk, supporting the idea that this ancient strain of plague arrived before the migrants came from the steppe.
The perils of innovation?
Study co-author Karl-Göran Sjögren, an archaeologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, told Live Science that the discovery of plague "in a relatively marginal area of the Neolithic world … suggests well-established and far-reaching contact networks" at that time that allowed the disease to spread. [5 Most Likely Real-Life Contagions]
Indeed, it's possible that "the revolutionary innovations of that time — bigger settlements with more complex organization, wheeled transport, metallurgy, trading networks over large distances, and so on" — may have set the stage for "the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and this eventually led to, what we think, was the first massive pandemic of human history," Rascovan said.
The researchers noted that the findings don't mean that plague single-handedly wiped out Neolithic settlements, but rather that it may have been one factor among others, Rascovan said.For instance, the Neolithic settlements may have overexploited their environment, potentially driving forests they depended on into extinction, the researchers said.
The researchers also cautioned they have not yet detected the smoking gun for their new theory — that is, plague in any remains from the mega settlements in which it may have evolved. "If we could find plague in those settlements, that would be strong support for this theory," Rasmussen said in the statement.
The findings were published online Dec. 6 in the journal Cell.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-un ... d=60679777
Researchers found the plague sample on the remains of a 20-year-old woman, shown above.
Karl-Göran Sjögren / University of Gothenburg
In a nearly 5,000-year-old tomb in Sweden, researchers have discovered the oldest-known strain of the notorious bacterium Yersinia pestis — the microbe responsible for humanity's perhaps most-feared contagion: the plague.
The finding suggests that the germ may have devastated settlements across Europe at the end of the Stone Age in what may have been the first major pandemic of human history. It could also rewrite some of what we know of ancient European history.
The finding came about as the researchers were analyzing publicly available databases of ancient DNA for cases in which infections might have claimed prehistoric victims. They focused on the previously excavated site of Frälsegården in Sweden. Previous analysis of a limestone tomb at the site found that an estimated 78 people were buried there, and they all had died within a 200-year period. The fact that many people died in a relatively short time in one place suggested they might have perished together in an epidemic, lead study author Nicolás Rascovan, a biologist at Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, told Live Science. The limestone tomb was dated to the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, the period when farming began.
The researchers discovered the previously unknown strain of plague in the remains of a woman at the Frälsegården site. Carbon dating suggested she died about 4,900 years ago during a period known as the Neolithic Decline, when Neolithic cultures throughout Europe mysteriously dwindled. [Photos: Stone Age Skulls Found on Wooden Stakes]
Based on her hip bones and other skeletal features, they estimated the woman was about 20 years old when she died. The plague strain found with her had a genetic mutation that can trigger pneumonic plague — the deadliest form of historic and modern plague — suggesting the woman likely died of the disease. (The most common form of plague is bubonic plague, which occurs when plague bacteria spread to the lymph nodes and cause inflammation, according to the World Health Organization. The inflamed lymph nodes are called "buboes." If the bacteria spread to the lungs, they can trigger the deadlier pneumonic plague.)
By comparing the newfound strain with known plague DNA, the scientists determined that the ancient sample was the closest known relative of the plague bacterium's most recent ancestor. The study researchers theorized that the ancient sample diverged from other plague strains about 5,700 years ago.
How plague spread
The new findings contradict an older theory about how plague spread, according to the researchers. About 5,000 years ago, humans migrated from the Eurasian steppe down into Europe in major waves, replacing the Neolithic farmers who lived in Europe at that time. Previous research had suggested the steppe folk brought the plague with them, wiping out pre-existing settlements upon their arrival. However, if the plague specimen from the Swedish grave diverged from other strains 5,700 years ago, it likely evolved before the steppe migrations began — suggesting it was already there.
Rather, the researchers suggested that the plague emerged in so-called mega settlements of 10,000 to 20,000 inhabitants that existed in Europe between 6,100 and 5,400 years ago. These mega settlements — up to 10 times larger than previous European settlements — "had people, animals, and stored food close together, and, likely, very poor sanitation. That's the textbook example of what you need to evolve new pathogens," senior study author Simon Rasmussen, a computational biologist at the University of Copenhagen, said in a statement.
If plague evolved in these mega settlements, "then when people started dying from it, the settlements would have been abandoned and destroyed. This is exactly what was observed in these settlements after 5,500 years ago," Rasmussen said. Plague then could have spread across trade networks made possible by wheeled transport, which had expanded rapidly throughout Europe by that time, Rascovan said. Eventually, it would have made its way even to relatively distant sites like Frälsegården in Sweden, where the woman the researchers analyzed died. That woman's DNA revealed she was not genetically related to steppe folk, supporting the idea that this ancient strain of plague arrived before the migrants came from the steppe.
The perils of innovation?
Study co-author Karl-Göran Sjögren, an archaeologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, told Live Science that the discovery of plague "in a relatively marginal area of the Neolithic world … suggests well-established and far-reaching contact networks" at that time that allowed the disease to spread. [5 Most Likely Real-Life Contagions]
Indeed, it's possible that "the revolutionary innovations of that time — bigger settlements with more complex organization, wheeled transport, metallurgy, trading networks over large distances, and so on" — may have set the stage for "the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and this eventually led to, what we think, was the first massive pandemic of human history," Rascovan said.
The researchers noted that the findings don't mean that plague single-handedly wiped out Neolithic settlements, but rather that it may have been one factor among others, Rascovan said.For instance, the Neolithic settlements may have overexploited their environment, potentially driving forests they depended on into extinction, the researchers said.
The researchers also cautioned they have not yet detected the smoking gun for their new theory — that is, plague in any remains from the mega settlements in which it may have evolved. "If we could find plague in those settlements, that would be strong support for this theory," Rasmussen said in the statement.
The findings were published online Dec. 6 in the journal Cell.
"Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character
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Gary Oaktree
Plagues
I have never heard of any plagues five thousand years ago. How wide spread were plagues in the BC millennia? This plague was related to the bubonic plague this article states. It’s no wonder white peoples immune systems are so effective as only the best immune systems survived for thousands of years a lot longer than Ihad known. I was just watching a documentary that stated that 95% of the natives of South America died due to illnesses just after the white man arrived. What a horror a plague must be.
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Blue Frost
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Plagues
I have read about ancient plagues, and people digging them up every year someplace.
I remember in studding Rome they had a few bad ones, one was when Pompey's father was held up in a citadel pre imperial, one when the empire fell.
I remember in studding Rome they had a few bad ones, one was when Pompey's father was held up in a citadel pre imperial, one when the empire fell.
"Being alone isn't what hurts. It's when the people around you make you feel alone" ~ Naruto Uzumaki, an Anime Character