Pestilences

[Soldier4Christ]

Thank you PR!  Your knowledge never ceases to amaze me.  I wanna be just like you when I grow up! 

 

All glory goes to God. I thank Him for all He has given to me. Being an educator is a part of that.

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

All I say say is that we need to keep the environmentalists away from farmers if we want to eat. Food prices are already outrageous and in short supply. As an example, environmentalist got the use of DDT banned around the world. The result has been HUGE numbers of people dying every year in poorer countries caused by diseases transmitted by insects. Malaria is just one of the diseases. DDT was the main weapon used to control the insects that transmit the diseases. This was a bad error that hasn't been reversed.

[Soldier4Christ]

Brothers and Sisters,

All I say say is that we need to keep the environmentalists away from farmers if we want to eat. Food prices are already outrageous and in short supply. As an example, environmentalist got the use of DDT banned around the world. The result has been HUGE numbers of people dying every year in poorer countries caused by diseases transmitted by insects. Malaria is just one of the diseases. DDT was the main weapon used to control the insects that transmit the diseases. This was a bad error that hasn't been reversed.

Amen! It has now come out that the CFL's, the lightbulb that is to replace the banned old incandescent bulbs in a few years, are quite hazardous. Not just because of the mercury that is in them but because of fire hazards. There is an inherent design built into them to burn and melt the plastic components of them if the bulb fails. Bulb failure seems to be quite common place even after just one use. This causes difficulty in removing the bulb from the socket without breaking it and causing a mercury spill. The melted plastic is also hazardous to the handler or in that matter anyone that is underneath a bulb not protected by an ample cover to catch the plastic.

So far there has not been any that have caused any significant fire damage. Supposedly this shouldn't happen. Having worked with larger fluorescent lighting in commercial and industrial applications for a number of years I can say it was very possible with them and the new CFL's are just miniature versions of them. In fact it is more possible than with incandescents.

Another problem is the poor quality lighting. First of all the lighting is a dim ‘sickly yellow light’ that has been described as "ghastly light" as that of a "Soviet morgue" seen in various movie scenes. In addition to the problems caused by that there is an increase in people reporting epileptic like symptoms caused by the flickering of these bulbs.

Environmentalists do cause more problems than they solve.

Every time they get involved it costs us, the taxpayers, more money and more health problems world wide.

[Shammu]

NHS hospitals report thousands of pest infestations
August 6, 2008

Nearly 20,000 cases of pest infestations in NHS hospitals have been recorded over the past two years, the Conservatives have said.

Mice, rats, squirrels, bedbugs, fleas, cockroaches, ants, flies, silverfish and even foxes have all been reported by hospitals responding to Conservative freedom of information requests.

Responses from 127 trusts show that 70 per cent had to call out pest controllers 50 or more times between January 2006 and March 2008.

Examples include maggots found in patients’ slippers; rats in a maternity unit; wards “overrun” with ants; mice “all over” wards; cockroaches in a urology unit; fleas in a neonatal unit; and a store for sterile materials infested with mice.

Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, said: “Labour have said over and over again that they will improve cleanliness in our hospitals but these figures clearly show that they are failing.

“It is difficult for health service estates to maintain a completely pest free environment but the level and variety of these infestations is concerning.

“We need greater transparency in NHS infection control, and publishing data like this is one way in which we can drive up overall hygiene standards."

The data does not show whether infestations are increasing or diminishing, nor does it show that, unpleasant as they may appear, the pests found in hospitals have any clear implications for the health of the patients.

Few households can claim to be free of ants, mice, or silverfish all the time, and rats are never far away. Given the scale of the NHS, the size of its buildings, and the constant flow of patients in and out, the levels of infestation do not appear remarkable.

Malcolm Padley, a spokesman for Rentokil, which provides pest control for hospitals nationwide, said: “Pests are attracted to most buildings whether they are in the private or public sector. You are likely to see pests at some point in some form or another.

“There is a problem with large buildings, like hospitals, in particular and many buildings with a lot of grounds are also attacked.

“We have definitely seen an increase in the number of call-outs about bed bugs and rodents nationally. A lot of people could be going into hospitals with bed bugs on their clothing.

“It is hard to tell whether there has been an increase in the number of pests or whether there is better awareness and greater reporting of pest control issues.

“We are putting into place a number of new technologies to help our customers in terms of protection and prevention.

“Hospitals require a more rapid response to the problem as it is of great importance to them to maintain a clean and healthy environment.”

Christine Braithwaite, head of the healthcare associated infection programme at the Healthcare Commission, said: “Cleanliness and hygiene are issues of critical importance to patients and the public.

“We receive a wide range of information on hygiene from different sources. However, concerns around pest control have, to date, been negligible.

“Clearly, it may be necessary to take action against pests in these large public buildings from time to time.

“However, it is important for hospital trusts to have robust procedures in place to deal with any pest problems and, if they persist, trusts should question whether they have the right systems in place.”

Nearly a quarter of hospitals had problems with bed bugs, which can be hard to eradicate. They can survive for up to a year without feeding on a human host. But there is little evidence they can carry disease.

Almost 60 per cent had trouble with cockroaches, which can carry disease-causing bacteria. By far the commonest pests were ants, reported by 80 per cent of hospitals.

Some hospitals said that the number of reports was an indication of how seriously they took any pest infestation.

A spokeswoman for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, for example, said: “Common calls in Portsmouth are to deal with ants or, being a coastal city, dead seagulls or pigeons in the grounds.

“The number of calls logged reflects the proactive approach adopted by the Trust as successful pest control relies on early identification of potential problems.

“The number of helpdesk calls is not a reflection on cleanliness in our hospitals, more a recognition that we do not procrastinate with our response.”

The Department of Health dismissed suggestions that the pests were linked to spread of hospital-acquired infections like MRSA and insisted the threat to patient safety was “negligible”.

NHS hospitals report thousands of pest infestations

[Shammu]

You know you're overrun when you have mice, rats, squirrels, bedbugs, fleas, cockroaches, ants, flies, silverfish and even foxes running around your hospital.

[nChrist]

You know you're overrun when you have mice, rats, squirrels, bedbugs, fleas, cockroaches, ants, flies, silverfish and even foxes running around your hospital.

        ROFL!

It sounds like they need some good predatory animals to even things out and keep things under control (i.e. spiders, bats, owls, wolves). The trick would be finding the right mix and still keeping the patients alive.  The ultimate goal would be getting the coveted THREE STOOGES SEAL OF APPROVAL!

[Shammu]

Mystery virus kills 160

Rural Kanpur is fighting its most frightening scourge — a mystery disease that has left a long line of bodies in its trail and doesn’t seem anywhere finished.

What started from one village two weeks ago has now spread to 350 and has so far claimed 160 lives. Thousands more are bed-ridden. On an average, 15 to 20 people have been dying every day; Saturday saw the highest toll in a day: 24.

The district’s health department is somewhat confused about the nature of the disease that has struck. At the beginning, the diagnosis was viral fever. Then doctors concluded that it was falciparum malaria. But after two weeks, they have ruled out both but still don’t have an exact answer.

“We really don’t know what exactly it is; we are depending on the finding of a team of specialists from New Delhi,” said Dr RC Agarwal, the district’s new chief medical officer.

Specialists from the Infectious Disease and Surveillance Programme, New Delhi, have collected the blood samples of a few patients. The team will make its findings known in a few days.

But the fear of the unknown has resulted in a mass exodus of villagers. Pulandar and Dhar villages under Malasa block are
the worst affected. About 1,000 people in these two villages alone are battling the disease. Dhar has taken the maximum number of casualties. The village has lost about 30 people but only one doctor has visited it so far. That was 15 days ago.

Kuldeep Singh and Ram Avtaar of Dhar break down screaming: “A lot of people can still be saved; we need doctors.” Rajesh (38) of Pulandar village says: “Everyone here is waiting for doctors to come and examine people; but they aren’t coming and we are counting our dead.” On Sunday morning, the mystery fever claimed Tilak Singh (35) and his nephew Vikas Singh (11).

Dhar still remains a perfect picture of neglect and apathy. Heaps of garbage continue to be littered all over. Houses are surrounded by stinking filth and roads are waterlogged — perfect breeding grounds for diseases like malaria. The village’s secondary school has been shut down for an indefinite period. Children would wade through knee-deep water to reach the school.

Santosh Prajapati is struggling to cope with looking after eight family members who have been afflicted by the disease. He has hired a tractor to shift them to a hospital in Kanpur city. “I have borrowed money from my relatives… if they remain here they will die,” he says.

Mystery virus kills 160

[Shammu]

WHO probing deaths from mystery disease in South Africa

Fri Oct 10, 6:24 AM ET

GENEVA - The U.N. health agency says it is investigating a mystery disease that killed three people in the South African city of Johannesburg.

The World Health Organization says the disease appears to be a form of hemorrhagic fever.

It says tests have proved negative for Ebola, Lassa fever, Rift Valley fever, Marburg fever and other main types of hemorrhagic fever.

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl says the first death on Sept. 13 was a tour guide who had fallen ill in Zambia before being evacuated to South Africa. Two further deaths on Sept. 30 and Oct. 4. involved a paramedic and a nurse who treated the woman.

Hartl said Friday that 121 people are being monitored and WHO hopes to receive further test results by Sunday.

WHO probing deaths from mystery disease in South Africa

[Shammu]

Cholera in Somalia
Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:45:25 GMT

At least 32 people have died due to hunger and cholera in Somalia, most of them children and old people, according to doctors.

The Press TV correspondent in South Mogadishu reported on Tuesday that about 15 people died of cholera in Cabudwaaq town of the Galgaduud region due to lack of clean drinking water and medicines to treat the disease.

Also, 17 people died of hunger in Gilib town in southern Somalia, our correspondent added.

In another incident, at least 10 people were killed and 20 others injured after a truck overturned in lower Shabelle region.

Witnesses told Press TV that the tragedy occured because the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel.

Cholera in Somalia 

[Shammu]

Staph germs harder than ever to treat, studies say
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione, Ap Medical Writer
Oct 27, 6:13 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Drug-resistant staph bacteria picked up in ordinary community settings are increasingly acquiring "superbug" powers and causing far more serious illnesses than they have in the past, doctors reported Monday. These widespread germs used to be easier to treat than the dangerous forms of staph found in hospitals and nursing homes.

"Until recently we rarely thought of it as a problem among healthy people in the community," said Dr. Rachel Gorwitz of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Now, the germs causing outbreaks in schools, on sports teams and in other social situations are posing a growing threat. A CDC study found that at least 10 percent of cases involving the most common community strain were able to evade the antibiotics typically used to treat them.

"They're becoming more resistant and they're coming into the hospitals," where they swap gene components with other bacteria and grow even more dangerous, said Dr. Keith Klugman, an infectious disease expert at Emory University. "It's really a major epidemic."

The germ is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. People can carry it on their skin or in their noses with no symptoms and still infect others — the reason many hospitals isolate and test new patients to see if they harbor the bug.

MRSA mostly causes skin infections. Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow was just hospitalized for a staph infection, his second in recent years, and the team reportedly has had at least six cases in the past three years.

But the germ can be life-threatening if it gets into the bloodstream, lungs or organs. Pneumonia, sinus infections and even "flesh-eating" wounds due to MRSA are on the rise, doctors reported Monday at an infectious diseases conference in Washington.

About 95,000 serious infections and 20,000 deaths due to drug-resistant staph bacteria occur in the United States each year.

To treat them, "we've had to dust off antibiotics so old that they've lost their patent," said Dr. Robert Daum, a pediatrician at the University of Chicago.

The CDC used a network of hospitals in nine cities and states to test samples of the most common community MRSA strain, USA300, over the last few years.

MRSA usually is resistant only to penicillin-type drugs. But 10 percent of the 824 samples checked also could evade clindamycin, tetracycline, Bactrim or other antibiotics.

"The drugs that doctors have typically used to treat staph infections are not effective against MRSA," and family doctors increasingly are seeing a problem only hospital infection specialists once did, Gorwitz said.

Even more worrisome: many of these community strains had features allowing them to easily swap genes and become even hardier.

Also at the conference:

_Doctors from Spain reported the first hospital outbreak of MRSA resistant to linezolid, a last-resort drug sold by Pfizer Inc. as Zyvox in the United States and Zyvoxid in Europe. A dozen intensive care patients got pneumonia and bloodstream infections last spring and the outbreak was controlled after use of the antibiotic was severely curbed, said Dr. Miguel Sanchez of Hospital Clinico San Carlos in Madrid.

_Georgetown University saw a spike in sinus infections due to MRSA. The germ accounted for 69 percent of the staph-caused cases in the hospital between 2004 and 2006 compared with 30 percent from 2001 to 2003.

_Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that more than half of staph-caused pneumonia cases from 2005 through 2007 were due to MRSA.

_Doctors from Case Western Reserve University and the VA Medical Center in Cleveland found that by the time hospitals isolated and tested new patients to see if they harbored MRSA, many had already contaminated their skin and surroundings. Within about a day of being admitted, roughly a third had already started to spread the germ.

Hospital screening is controversial, and has had mixed success, said Dr. M. Lindsay Grayson, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

The nation's Veterans Affairs hospitals began universal MRSA testing in 2007. Illinois and some other states have adopted or are considering laws requiring hospitals to test high-risk and intensive-care patients for MRSA.

The conference is a joint meeting of the American Society for Microbiology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Staph germs harder than ever to treat, studies say

[Shammu]

Swarms of locusts spread across Australia

Swarms of locusts are sweeping across Australia as many farmers prepare to harvest their crops.
18 Nov 2008

The insects, which are attracted to green vegetation, are spreading across rural areas in the state of New South Wales.

The low to medium density swarms, some measuring up to three km long, have been seen at Condobolin, Gundagai, Narrandera and Wagga Wagga.

The Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald, said that farmers had no need to panic.

He said: "We only have half a dozen or so swarms reported and they're low density.

"It's important to realise that most of the State's crops are in the final stages of maturity and close to harvest, so are brown in colour.

"Fortunately this means they are not as attractive to locusts, which prefer green plants, for example irrigated lucernce crops."

It has been reported that the NSW State Government has dispatched enough chemical direct to farmers to treat more than 90,000 hectares of locust bands on hundreds of properties and has nine aircraft on standby, ready to spray the insects.

Selwyn Geddes, a farmer in Dookie, told the Country News website that he was too busy to spray the insects now that the harvest had begun.

He said: "At one end of the paddock we have sheep and at the other we have hoppers.

"I'm on the header now and don't have the time to spray. We need to get some assistance from the Department of Primary Industries to do an aerial spray."

Swarms of locusts spread across Australia

[Shammu]

New Type of Ebola Virus Discovered
Fri Nov 21, 5:02 pm ET

FRIDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- A new species of the deadly Ebola virus has been identified by American and Ugandan scientists.

The new virus, called Bundibugyo ebolavirus, caused an outbreak in western Uganda in 2007. It is genetically distinct from all other known Ebola virus species, differing by more than 30 percent at the genetic level, said the scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Columbia University, the Uganda Virus Research Institute, and the Uganda Ministry of Health.

To determine the genetic signature of the new virus, the scientists had to employ a recently developed "random-primed pyro-sequencing" method. Using this, they were able to quickly determine more than 70 percent of the virus genome, which then enabled rapid development of a molecular detection assay that was used during the outbreak.

The draft genetic sequence also led to completion of the entire virus genome sequence using a traditional method and immediate confirmation that this was a new species of Ebola virus. Current efforts to develop effective Ebola diagnostics, antivirals and vaccines will need to factor in the distinct genetic makeup of this new species, the scientists said in an article published Nov. 21 in the journal PLoS Pathogens.

Currently, there is no treatment or vaccine for Ebola infection in humans, which has a death rate of between 53 percent and 90 percent.

New Type of Ebola Virus Discovered

[Shammu]

21st century plague discovered by scientists

A new disease that is passed from rats to humans via fleas, much like the Black Death, has been discovered by scientists.

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
24 Nov 2008

The bacteria can cause serious heart disease in humans are being spread by rat fleas, sparking concern that the infections could become a bigger problem in humans.

Research published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology suggests that brown rats, the biggest and most common rats in Europe, may now be carrying the bacteria.

Since the early 1990s, more than 20 species of Bartonella bacteria have been discovered. They are considered to be emerging pathogens, because they can cause serious illness in humans worldwide from heart disease to infection of the spleen and nervous system.

"A new species called Bartonella rochalimae was recently discovered in a patient with an enlarged spleen who had travelled to South America," said Professor Chao-Chin Chang from the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan.

"This event raised concern that it could be a newly emerged pathogens. Therefore, we decided to investigate further to understand if rodents living close to human environment could carry this bacteria."

Scientists have found that rodents carry several pathogenic species of Bartonella, such as B. elizabethae, which can cause endocarditis and B. grahamii, which was found to cause neuroretinitis in humans. Although scientists are unsure about the main route of transmission, these infections are most likely to be spread by fleas.

Ctenophthalmus nobilis, a flea that lives on bank voles, was shown to transmit different species of Bartonella bacteria. These pathogens have also been found in fleas that live on gerbils, cotton rats and brown rats.

The researchers took samples from 58 rodents, including 53 brown rats, two mice (Mus musculus) and three black rats (Rattus rattus).

Six of the rodents were found to be carrying Bartonella bacteria; 5 of these were brown rats. Four of the rodents were carrying B. elizabethae, which can cause heart disease in humans, and one of the black rats was found to be harbouring B. tribocorum.

The Black Death was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis, or Bubonic plague.

It was spread by rodents in the 14th century and centuries after that, killing an estimated 75 million people worldwide.

21st century plague discovered by scientists

[Shammu]

Zimbabwe Cholera Epidemic
By Scott Bobb, Sylvia Manika & Patience Rusere
Washington
27 November 2008

International and Southern African regional humanitarian officials were expressing growing concern over deteriorating health and sanitation conditions in Zimbabwe where the official death toll from a cholera epidemic on Thursday approached 400.

Deputy Health Minister Edwin Muguti told state television the death toll had risen to 386 from 9,363 cases. Though he earlier said the epidemic was under control, he said on Thursday that it was likely to worsen in coming weeks as the rainy season progressed.

"It is very regrettable that people are dying of cholera. With the onset of the rainy season, the situation could worsen," Muguti told state television, Reuters reported.

The Harare government reportedly sought international help in obtaining body bags.

VOA Correspondent Scott Bobb reported from Johannesburg.

As the cholera outbreak continued unabated, sources told VOA that at least 300 people have died at Harare's Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital alone, close to the death toll of 366 announced earlier this week by United Nations Health and Humanitarian officials.

Correspondent Sylvia Manika

The humanitarian arm of the United Nations has voiced its concern on the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the situation is acute and likely to get worse.

For perspective on the complex humanitarian emergency developing in Zimbabwe, reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe turned to Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Advocacy Officer Gladys Hlatshwayo and World Food Program Spokesman Richard Lee.

Hlatshwayo, who has been traveling around the country assessing conditions, said that the situation is becoming truly dire as the impacts of hunger and disease combine.

Zimbabwe Cholera Epidemic

[Shammu]

At Least 3000 Feared Dead From Cholera Epidemic
27 November 2008

Lance Guma

Over 3000 people are feared to have died so far from a severe cholera epidemic plaguing the country. With Mugabe's regime keeping a tight lid on the number of people who have succumbed to the illness, the actual number could be much higher. Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa told Newsreel the figure of 3000 dead could most likely be for Harare alone. He said most people did not bother to register the deaths of their relatives and this provided an added challenge to accurate record keeping.

Several Harare suburbs are recording as many as 10 deaths a day. Making the situation worse is that even people suffering from malaria are being dumped in cholera clinics, where they end up contracting the disease. This is because some of the symptoms between the two diseases are so similar. Differentiating them is proving difficult under the circumstances of a collapsed health system.

The World Health Organization says over 8000 people have been infected by the disease. Insiders however say local authorities, police and Home Affairs officials have been warned against divulging the real figures. With erratic water supplies in most cities, coupled with the lack of treatment chemicals, the water borne cholera has spread easily.

While the population battles the tragic realities of the disease the regime continues playing politics. The government on Wednesday announced it would not declare the outbreak a national emergency, claiming it had the disease 'under control'. Deputy Health Minister Edwin Mugutu blamed the west for the outbreak saying 'Western governments must like what they see with the cholera outbreak because it is their illegal sanctions that caused it.'

His remarks were immediately slammed by critics who blame the government's failed policies for an economic crisis that has led to the collapse of just about everything, including the health system. The west has also continued to fund humanitarian aid programmes to the country. Critics also point to the irony of Muguti's argument, in that it is actually government which has been banning or interfering with humanitarian work in the country.

Meanwhile the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition reports that 9 people have died of cholera since Monday in Gweru's high density suburb of Mkoba. The group says at least 7 prisoners died from the disease at Harare's Remand Prison according to sources there.

At Least 3000 Feared Dead From Cholera Epidemic