Category Archives: healthcare

WHO: Angola yellow fever deaths cross 300 | News | DW.COM | 27.05.2016

Yellow fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Symptoms include a mild infection with fever, back pain and fatigue. But in 15 percent of cases, a second, toxic phase is experienced. This can lead to bleeding in the mouth, eyes and gastrointestinal tract. Around 20 percent of those who experience the toxic phase die. Although there is no specific treatment for yellow fever infection, vaccinations are recommended for travelers to tropical regions of Africa and Latin America’s Amazon region. Aid groups say poor health facilities and vaccine shortages are limiting Angola’s ability to cope with the outbreak. The WHO said 2.4 million doses of the yellow fever vaccine have been received and a further 2.6 million people will be receiving a jab in the next few weeks.

Source: WHO: Angola yellow fever deaths cross 300 | News | DW.COM | 27.05.2016

US warns of nearly invincible superbug | News | DW.COM | {The final “oops!”?}

US health officials reported Thursday that they had discovered the first case in the country of a patient with an infection resistant to all known antibiotics. The discovery raises fears that the so-called superbug could pose serious danger for routine infections if it spreads. “We know now that the more we look, the more we are going to find. We risk being in a post-antibiotic world,” said Thomas Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, referring to the urinary tract infection of a 49-year-old Pennsylvania woman who had not travelled within the prior five months. “We need to do a very comprehensive job of protecting antibiotics, so we can have them and our children can have them,” Frieden added.

Source: US warns of nearly invincible superbug | News | DW.COM | 26.05.2016

Eurosurveillance – Europe at risk for Dengue, Zika, and CHIKV? You bet and at your nearest airport!

The outbreak of seven autochthonous dengue cases reported by Succo et al. in this issue of Eurosurveillance [6] was triggered by one infected traveller returning from French Polynesia in the summer of 2015, and occurred in an area where another vector, Ae. albopictus, the Asian Tiger mosquito, was established in 2005. This is not the first event of local transmission of DENV reported in Europe in recent years. Since 2010, at least 23 dengue cases were detected. In September 2010, two autochthonous cases of dengue fever were identified in Nice, southern France. The index case had friends from the West French Indies staying with him, while the second case was an individual living nearby [7]. In the summer of the same year, another transmission event occurred in Croatia [8,9]. The index case was a German man returning in mid-August from a two-week holiday spent at the Peljesac peninsula and the isle of Korĉula, ca 100 km north-west of Dubrovnik. A second autochthonous case, and other 15 individuals with serological evidence of recent infection, were identified in October 2010. How the virus was introduced in Croatia remains unclear. In 2013 and 2014, five autochthonous case of dengue were identified in southern France, one in Bouches-du-Rhône (2013) [10], and four in Aubage and Toulon-Hìres (2014) [11]. Ae. albopictus was the vector in all the transmission events listed here. Dengue is not the only Aedes-borne viral disease threatening the health of European citizens. Nearly 10 years ago, in the summer of 2007, more than 250 cases of chikungunya occurred in the north-east of Italy [12]. The primary case was a viraemic individual arriving from the Indian State of Kerala. The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) implicated in the sustained outbreak carried the A226V mutation, which increases virus fitness and is usually detected in areas where the Tiger mosquito is the predominant vector [13]. In September 2010, autochthonous transmission of the CHIKV was also identified in south-east France, where chikungunya was diagnosed in two children living in the same area as another child who developed a febrile illness after returning from Rajasthan, India [14].

Source: Eurosurveillance – View Article

IRIN | Vaccine rolled out in Philippines offers new hope against dengue

After two decades of work, the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur has licensed it to Mexico and the Philippines. Last month, Sanofi Pasteur rolled out its first ever dengue mass-vaccination programme. Fourth graders are being vaccinated in three areas in the Philippines where dengue cases were highest last year.Mario Baquilod is in charge of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau of the Philippine Department of Health. He said last year there were 200,415 reported cases of dengue in the Philippines, one of the largest numbers in recent years.Baquilod said the department wanted to add the vaccine to its arsenal of tools that combat the virus. The government aims to get one million children immunized against dengue by June – so far 263,000 kids have received the vaccine.Baquilod said they decided to pilot the programme in three public schools because they wanted to have a “captive” population for the vaccine, which takes three doses – one every six months – to be effective. The medical world is now watching what happens in the Philippines.

Source: IRIN | Vaccine rolled out in Philippines offers new hope against dengue

Virus outbreak Catalonia: Enterovirus outbreak sends 29 kids to hospital with encephalitis | In English | EL PAÍS

An outbreak of an enterovirus that can cause severe illness has already affected 60 children in Catalonia, according to the most recent figures released by the regional health department. Of these, 29 were hospitalized after suffering a form of encephalitis, which causes inflammation of the brain stem and cerebellum. Health authorities said most of the children are recovering well, although two remain in a serious condition. Similar outbreaks have been reported in Bulgaria, the United States and several Asian countries, but this is the first time Spain has experienced so many cases at the same time. It’s behaving differently from what we usually see, and it is hard to know what to expect CARLES RODRIGO, VALL D’HEBRON HOSPITAL CHIEF OF PEDIATRICS

Source: Virus outbreak: Enterovirus outbreak sends 29 kids to hospital with encephalitis | In English | EL PAÍS

Papa John’s Salads and Produce Recalls Ready-To-Eat Salad with Chicken Products Due To Possible Listeria Contamination “deja vu – all over again – products from everywhere being recalled”

Papa John’s Salads and Produce, a Tolleson, Ariz. establishment, is recalling approximately 373 pounds of ready-to-eat salad with chicken products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The Signature Café Citrus Kale Salad with Chicken items were produced from May 10 through May 17, 2016. The following products are subject to recall: [View Label (PDF Only)] 7.5-oz. plastic packages of “Signature Café Citrus Kale Salad with Chicken – Dress with Lemon, Salt and Pepper” with “Use By” dates of May 17 through May 24, 2016. The packages will have the following UPC code of 2113008148. The products subject to recall bear establishment number “P-40280” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming. The problem was discovered on May 19, 2016, when the establishment was notified by SunOpta that its sunflower kernel products used in Papa John’s Salads and Produce products were involved in a recall due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. SunOpta’s recall can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm502184.htm. Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.

Source: Papa John’s Salads and Produce Recalls Ready-To-Eat Salad with Chicken Products Due To Possible Listeria Contamination

Pesticides may increase nervous system diseases like ALS | Green Prophet

The list goes on. Just like proving asbestos causes lung cancer mesothelioma (20 years after exposure) it’s very difficult to prove that pesticide exposure causes long-term harm. Yet another study on pesticides, reported in JAMA Neurology, finds a direct link to pesticide exposure and the increase for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS. The researchers interviewed 156 patients about pesticide exposure, going back 30 years, and took blood samples. Those exposed to any kind of pesticide were 5 times more vulnerable to ALS than those with no exposure, the researchers concluded in the study. Time to start growing our fresh food hydroponically people. It’s pesticide free if you do it right.

Source: Pesticides may increase nervous system diseases like ALS | Green Prophet

Cape Grim carbon dioxide reading exceeds 400ppm landmark for first time – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Cape Grim, on the remote north-western tip of Tasmania, is the only station analysing baseline carbon levels in the southern hemisphere. Scientists warned last week that the world’s cleanest air was nearing the 400ppm milestone. Lead scientist Paul Krummel, from the CSIRO, said the landmark CO2 figure was concerning. “It’s probably one of the last places on Earth to actually reach this milestone, and it just highlights the ever-increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere,” he said. The key impacts of carbon monoxide is warming the atmosphere and acidifying the oceans. “Globally, this is going to contribute to rising temperatures, which we are already seeing in the atmosphere,” Mr Krummel said. “It’s another milestone that we’ve reached where it’s indicating that the health of the planet is probably in trouble.” Mr Krummel said initial analysis last year predicted Cape Grim would not record such high measurements until June or July. “It’s certainly come earlier than I expected … most likely due to El Nino effects on the CO2,” he said. The El Nino weather pattern causes hotter and drier conditions, preventing the growth of plants that would suck up carbon dioxide. The Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station is operated by the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology. It measures the presence of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide and ozone-depleting gases like aerosols. The station samples some of the cleanest air on the planet, derived from the Southern Ocean and unaffected by any nearby urban pollution. When measurements began in 1976, carbon dioxide levels were slightly more than 300 parts per million.

Source: Cape Grim carbon dioxide reading exceeds 400ppm landmark for first time – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts > HMSHost Recalls Multiple Brands of Cape Cod Cranberry Trail Mix Because of Possible Health Risk

The Cape Cod Cranberry Trail Mix, 7 oz., was sold under the brand names Fresh Attractions, 1897, Ciao, Farmers Market, Grounded In, La Tapenade, Marche, MKT, Pronto, PZA, The Local, and Urban Market in stores in the following markets: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia.

Source: Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts > HMSHost Recalls Multiple Brands of Cape Cod Cranberry Trail Mix Because of Possible Health Risk

Drug Safety and Availability > FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA advises restricting fluoroquinolone antibiotic use for certain uncomplicated infections; warns about disabling side effects that can occur together

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising that the serious side effects associated with fluoroquinolone antibacterial drugs generally outweigh the benefits for patients with sinusitis, bronchitis, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections who have other treatment options. For patients with these conditions, fluoroquinolone should be reserved for those who do not have alternative treatment options. An FDA safety review has shown that fluoroquinolones when used systemically (i.e. tablets, capsules, and injectable) are associated with disabling and potentially permanent serious side effects that can occur together. These side effects can involve the tendons, muscles, joints, nerves, and central nervous system. As a result, we are requiring the drug labels and Medication Guides for all fluoroquinolone antibacterial drugs to be updated to reflect this new safety information. We are continuing to investigate safety issues with fluoroquinolones and will update the public with additional information if it becomes available. Patients should contact your health care professional immediately if you experience any serious side effects while taking your fluoroquinolone medicine. Some signs and symptoms of serious side effects include tendon, joint and muscle pain, a “pins and needles” tingling or pricking sensation, confusion, and hallucinations. Patients should talk with your health care professional if you have any questions or concerns. Health care professionals should stop systemic fluoroquinolone treatment immediately if a patient reports serious side effects, and switch to a non-fluoroquinolone antibacterial drug to complete the patient’s treatment course.

Source: Drug Safety and Availability > FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA advises restricting fluoroquinolone antibiotic use for certain uncomplicated infections; warns about disabling side effects that can occur together