It’s not the common cold — but it does share similar symptoms with that virus. It’s called respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and is the most common cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airwaves, in children younger than one, according to the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). About 90,000 children are hospitalized with RSV every year, and they are most often newborns and infants younger than six months, as well as those with conditions such as heart and lung problems, or being born prematurely.

Physicians for children in the highest risk group for hospitalization, such as those born eight to 12 weeks early, may prescribe inoculation to reduce the risk of developing serious RSV infections, according to a news media report. But immunity, long-term, to the virus cannot be developed by the growing child.

See, http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/health/12/31/1231rsvsl.html

Experts tell us that, sometimes, RSV patients need to be hospitalized for treatment. A doctor can review the severity of the disease to determine if hospitalization is needed. Consult your child’s doctor if one of these symptoms presents:
 

* Fever of more than 101 degrees.
* Thick nasal discharge that is yellow, green or gray.
* Cough that lasts more than four days.
* Cough that produces yellow, green or gray mucus.
* Chest pain.
* Difficulty breathing.
* Rapid breathing.
* Bluish or gray lips, skin or fingernails.
* Reduced alertness.

For more information on this very serious childhood illness, for which there is no permanent immunization,  go to the RSV Info Center, at http://www.rsvinfo.com . Also, make sure you disinfect your home and your family members properly to stop the spread of the virus.  — by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Source: National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

Posted: December 31st, 2007 under Diseases, Feature Stories, Infection Protection.
Comments: none

Research by a scientist at the University of Chicago indicates that residents of Africa are five times more likely to contract HIV than denizens of America, primarily because of higher instances of bacterial and viral infections in the population there.  The study, by Emily Oster, a research fellow at the Becker Center, shows that nearly half of the Africans she studied were carriers of the herpes virus — making them more susceptible to HIV/AIDS. “Treating these other diseases could significantly reduce HIV transmission,” Oster said, in an article in the Chicago GSB Magazine from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (Volume 29, Issue 2), entitled, Why AIDS is Worse in Africa.

 Though Oster does not specifically state it, we would hasten to add that prevention of infection by bacteria and viruses, through use of disenfectants, gloves, etc., would eliminate the need for treatment for the infections, and, also enhance the public health. Additional measures would need to be taken to limit sexually transmitted diseases.

The need for infection protection is more vital now, than ever, in Africa.  Said Oster, “my study, which estimated changes in the infection rate, over time, also drew a second, chilling conclusion — in Africa, HIV is spreading as quickly as ever.” 

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Herpes virus destroying the epidermis — human skin surface.

Photo: Courtesy of University of Utah.

Posted: December 30th, 2007 under Diseases, Feature Stories, HIV.
Comments: 2

The World Health Organization (WHO), an agency of the United Nations, reports that the first case of human infection with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been confirmed in Pakistan. Lab tests conducted by the WHO in Egypt and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in London confirmed the “human infection” of a 25-year-old male from the Peshawar area. The man died on Nov. 28, 2007.

There have been 212 human deaths globally from the H5N1 strain and 343 confirmed cases of infection since 2003, according to WHO data.

There is a total of bird flu infections, around the world, of approximately 212,000.  The H5N1 virus remains primarily a virus of birds, but experts fear it could change into a form easily transmitted from person to person and sweep the world, killing millions. Thus far, most human cases can be traced to direct or indirect contact with infected fowl. – The Editors

 

Source:  Department of Veterinary Services, Government of Malaysia

Posted: December 28th, 2007 under Avian Flu, Developing Diseases, News.
Comments: 1

Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection is investigating a case caused by a flesh-eating disease involving a 55-year-old Wan Chai man who died December 27. The infection, known as necrotizing fasciitis, was caused by the Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. The patient reported neck pain and upper respiratory tract symptoms on December 23 and sought treatment from a private doctor. 

The patient then developed right buttock pain with chills and rigor the following day and was admitted to a private hospital December 25 for surgery. He was then transferred to Pamela Youde Eastern Hospital where he later died, according to Hong Kong health officials.

We understand that the case has been handed to the Coroner’s Court for investigation. Necrotizing fasciitis is an extremely serious bacterial infection of the fascia and soft tissue, and can destroy tissue and can cause death within 12 to 24 hours after infection.  Caution must be exercised by health care workers and family members — gloves, disinfectants — when dealing with those stricken by this fatal illness.

Streptococcus pyogenes is one of the most widespread pathogens afflicting humans. Scientists estimate that between 5% to 15% of healthy adults host the bacterium, usually in the respiratory tract, without any signs or symptoms of the disease.

As normal flora, S. pyogenes infects patients when their defenses are compromised or when the organisms are able to penetrate their constitutive defenses. When the bacteria is transmitted to vulnerable tissues, a variety of types of infections can occur. The disease often presents as strep throat, or scarlet fever, and, in the worst cases, presents as in the patient in Hong Kong who died this week, health experts say.

These diseases remain a global health concern, and authorities are seeking to clarify the risk and mechanisms of these sequelae and identify rheumatogenic and nephritogenic strains of streptococci.  

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Necrotizing fasciitis — image source, the Canadian Medical Association.

Posted: December 28th, 2007 under Developing Diseases, Feature Stories, MRSA.
Comments: 2

A mom and her newborn baby have both been diagnosed with MRSA, the deadly hospital super-bug for which there is no vaccine. MRSA is said to be caused by unclean hospital conditions — where disinfectants have not been properly used. The parents of Claire Still, 23, were praying for their daughter and grand-daughter Rachael after the pair were put into an isolation ward at the Pembury Hospital in Kent. Miss Still gave birth to the premature baby two weeks ago at the debt-ridden hospital, which earlier this year asked staff to work a day without pay, according to The Daily Telegraph of London.

See,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=2SWV0V2E14HNLQFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/12/27/nmrsa227.xml

The infected baby was born after 22 hours of labor, and delivered by a Caesarean section. Only after the birth did the doctors tell the mother that she was infected with the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Following tests on an eye infection caught by the baby, the mother was told the next day that her first-born child also had MRSA. The family of the new mother claims health officials at the U.K. hospital had tried to blame his daughter for bringing the “super-bug” into the hospital. – The Editors

Posted: December 27th, 2007 under Developing Diseases, MRSA, News.
Comments: none

The 19-year-old campaign to eradicate polio is celebrating recent progress and an unexpected infusion of cash, but experts are coming to realize they will not be able to end the laborious efforts to control the virus any time soon, The Washington Post is reporting. Ridding the world of polio will be a far messier business than the 1977 eradication of smallpox, which remains a unique achievement in medicine. That is because it is now clear the virus that causes polio could re-emerge in the coming years, and possibly even decades, after the last case is found. The reason involves peculiarities of poliovirus and the oral Sabin vaccine being used to eradicate the disease.

See,

http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-polio1226.artdec26,0,4361345,print.story

From what we understand, the current vaccine contains a weaker strain of the poliovirus which stimulates immunity against the wild, naturally occurring virus.  Sometimes, though, the vaccine virus can mutate to a more dangerous form, spread from human to human and cause a paralytic infection. Recognized during the past decade, the new form of polio has caused outbreaks in 10 countries since 2000. This year, 7% of all polio cases worldwide were caused by mutant, vaccine-derived virus.

The only way to prevent this from happening is to keep the world’s infants and toddlers fully immunized — in other words, to keep up the campaign to stop polio — one that that has already persisted seven years longer than was initially anticipated. – The Editors
 

 

                                                                                                                                                                       The polio virus. Photo courtesy of UNICEF.

Posted: December 26th, 2007 under Diseases, News, Polio.
Comments: none

Travelers to tropical countries are “highly prone” to filarial infections, with river blindness being the most commonly acquired infection between 1997 and 2004, according to a new study. A review of data collected through the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network, a network of tropical medicine clinics on six continents that was established in 1995 for gauging illnesses following travel to the tropics and subtropics has given rise to this finding, according to an international press report.

See,

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/travellers-to-tropics-highly-prone-to-filarial-infections_10010206.html

We hear that patients infected with filarial diseases present with episodic fever associated with lymphangitis, lymphadenitis, funiculoepididymitis — i.e., inflammation of the spermatic cord and epididymis — transient edema, and small hydroceles. Patients with secondary infections also may present with fever and a purulent reaction. The hallmark of clinical disease is lymphedema. Reviewers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have determined that filarial infections responsible for such diseases as river blindness, elephantiasis, and African eyeworm illness made up 271, or 0.62%, of the 43,722 medical conditions reported during that time period.

According to Dr. Thomas Nutman, a member of the reviewing team, the data demonstrates that immigrants from filarial-endemic regions were most likely to come to tropical diseases clinics, and that long-term travel of more than one month was more likely to be associated with filarial infection than were shorter trips. He has also revealed that the most commonly acquired filarial infection  — 37% — was Onchocerca volvulus, the worm that causes river blindness.  – by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

                                                       Route of river blindness parasite infection. Source: Centers for Disease Control

Posted: December 26th, 2007 under Developing Diseases, Feature Stories, Infection Protection, Parasites and Lice.
Comments: none

To prevent infections this festal Christmas season, safe food handling practices are essential, for hosts and guests alike. Epidemiologists and doctors recommend that holiday visitors wash their hands with soap and water before and after handling food items, and party hosts thoroughly cook poultry — including turkey, duck and chicken — to an internal temperature of at least 165° F. “Each year the public health department investigates cases of food poisoning during the holidays that are the result of undercooked food and poor food handling practices,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, director of public health and health officer for Los Angeles County, Calif. “Don’t allow food-borne illnesses to happen to your family this holiday season. Follow the instructions on package labeling to protect your family’s health.”

Raw turkey, chicken, or other meats may contain Campylobacter or Salmonella bacteria that cause diarrhea and other illnesses. These awful bacteria multiply rapidly when poultry is taken out of refrigeration and before it is thoroughly cooked. Freezing does not kill these bacteria, but they are destroyed when food is cooked to the proper temperature, experts said.

Most food-borne illness outbreaks are a result of contamination from food handlers. “When preparing holiday meals or any meal, the first rule of food safety is to wash your hands well with soap and water, before, in- between, and after handling food items,” said Dr. Fielding. “Also, if you are ill with diarrhea or vomiting, you should not prepare food for others. Bacteria or viruses may be transmitted to the food you are handling and may make others sick.”

Holiday food handling tips include the following:
 

* Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating or cutting into them.
* Separate raw meats and poultry from other foods such as fruits and vegetables. Avoid cross-contamination by using separate cutting boards, knives, and platters for these foods.
* Keep hot foods hot. Use chafing dishes or pans with sternos or other heating devices, or keep foods in the oven at a temperature to ensure they remain at 135° F or above.
* Keep cold foods cold. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Throw out foods that should have been kept cold, but have been left out for more than two hours.

Raw or lightly cooked egg or egg products can cause food-borne illnesses and may be used in some salad dressings, cookie or cake batter, sauces such as hollandaise sauce, and beverages such as eggnog. Experts advise that one should avoid eating uncooked items made with these and substitute pasteurized eggs when preparing them. That will help keep you free from food-bourne illnesses this holiday season. – by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

                                                                    An image of the Salmonella bacteria.  (Photo courtesy of PNL. )

Posted: December 24th, 2007 under Droplet Precautions, Feature Stories, Hand Hygiene, Infection Protection, Parasites and Lice.
Comments: 1

Missy Baker recalls the moment when she realized that her football-playing son, Boone, didn’t just have the flu.  “He told me he was paralyzed,” Baker said. “I said, `What do you mean? I just saw you walk to the bathroom two hours ago.’ And he said, `Mom, I can’t move my arms or legs.”’  Sixteen-year-old Boone, a wide receiver for Texas’s Austin High School, was suffering from a recurrence of methicillin- resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which his doctor said he got through an abrasion from playing on artificial turf, Baker said. Texas has artificial turf at 18 percent of its high school football stadiums, according to the Web site Texasbob.com. It also has an MRSA infection rate among players that is 16 times higher than the estimated national average, according to three studies by the Texas Department of State Health Services, Bloomberg News is reporting.
See,

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=alxhrJDn.cdc&refer=news

We understand that at least 276 football players were infected with MRSA from 2003 through 2005, a rate of 517 for each 100,000, according to the Texas studies. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reports a rate for the general population of 32 in 100,000. These turf burns themselves are just the kind of minor skin injury that MRSA can exploit — and must be disinfected and cleaned immediately upon injury. – The Editors

Posted: December 24th, 2007 under Developing Diseases, MRSA, News.
Comments: 2

The New York State Health Department — working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta — has completed an investigation of a 38-year-old male Nassau County resident who recently returned from Pakistan, where he was exposed to avian influenza, or H5N1, also known as bird flu. After collaborating with the CDC and taking infection control measures, officials have determined that there was no risk to the public or to individuals from this traveler.

According to the CDC, at this time, no human infections with avian influenza H5N1 have been detected in the United States. CDC is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international government agencies closely to monitor the avian influenza situation in humans. Returning from Pakistan, the subject landed at JFK International Airport in New York. This was on December 5. He visited his private physician the next day and was referred to a local hospital for “observation,” disease control experts said.

The hospital reported the patient to the Nassau County Health Department on December 7. While this individual showed no symptoms, as a precaution the Nassau County Health Department notified the State Health Department on December 7 and had “specimens” of blood and other fluids from the patient sent to the state Wadsworth Laboratories in Albany, N.Y., to search for H5N1. “The results of the tests were negative,” the health department said. 

This negative test result was confirmed by the CDC. Upon confirmation of the negative test results on December 9, the man’s quarantine period ended.

The Nassau County Health Department arranged for this individual to be voluntarily quarantined in his home and monitored his condition via videophone. Post-exposure prophylaxis — i.e. the drug Tamiflu –  was prescribed.

But, as this individual’s family and friends were not exposed to avian influenza, they were not prescribed post-exposure prophylaxis. However, one family member who was symptomatic both before and after the man’s return was also tested for H5N1 by the state laboratory and CDC and also found negative. – By Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Posted: December 21st, 2007 under Avian Flu, Developing Diseases, Feature Stories.
Comments: 2