Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
New Deadly Pestilence |
Post Reply |
Author | |
OriginalHappyCamper
Valued Member Joined: December 25 2013 Location: Silverton, Or Status: Offline Points: 2850 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Posted: March 18 2016 at 6:58am |
WHAT IS CAUSING DEADLY BACTERIAL INFECTIONS IN
WISCONSIN?
here’s a deadly bacterial infection going around
in 12 Wisconsin counties. The bacteria, called Elizabethkingia anophelis, has
sickened 54 people, killing 17 of them, since November 1 of last year. And no
one knows why it’s happening. The symptoms of Elizabethkingia infection,
like those of many other bacterial infections, can include fever, shortness of
breath, chills or an infection of the skin tissues called cellulitis, according
to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
To be sure it’s Elizabethkingia and not
other bacteria causing the infection, patients need their blood tested by a
healthcare professional. Officials have some clues as to why Elizabethkingia is
affecting people. Most of the infected patients are over 65 and have another
major health issue, indicating that the bacteria could infect them because
their immune systems are compromised—scientists know that Elizabethkingia is
opportunistic, based on previous outbreaks. But the bacteria are fairly common in the
environment—it's the predominant bacterial species in the gut of some kinds of mosquito,
and it’s often found in soil. That makes researchers question just what’s going
on here that makes it so deadly. And officials haven’t found any
similarities—some were in nursing homes and some were not, some were infected
while in the hospital and others weren’t, according to the Washington Post. The cases
are geographically spread out. Tests of water—the source of some outbreaks in
hospitals in the past—came back negative. And yet, almost all the bacteria have the same
genetic code, indicating that they very likely came from the same source, Stat News reports. That
means that officials are going to have to investigate a huge number of other
factors, including medications and food, in order to find a pattern. This Elizabethkingia outbreak,
the largest and most deadly to date, is particularly disturbing because the
bacteria are resistant to most antibiotics, making it difficult to treat even
if it’s caught early. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will
continue to update its web site as
officials learn more about the outbreak and identify more cases. Dead
Michigan resident had bacteria linked to Wisconsin outbreak Published March 17,
2016 Reuters A person who died in Michigan tested positive
for a bacteria linked to as many as 17 deaths in neighboring Wisconsin, health
officials said on Thursday. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/03/17/dead-michigan-resident-had-bacteria-linked-to-wisconsin-outbreak.html |
|
Jesus Christ died and was raised on the third day, the only "God" to overcome death.
|
|
Post Reply | |
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You can vote in polls in this forum |