Disease outbreaks will increase as per ZetaTalk

[Starr DiGiacomo]

 

Taking Sick

On Jan 15, 1998 ZetaTalk stated that Illness will increase as Planet X approaches.  Zetas right again !!!

ZetaTalk: Take Sick, written Feb 15, 1998.

Increasingly, as the pole shift nears, the populace will take sick. This will take the form of known illnesses occurring more frequently, seemingly depressed immune systems, but will also appear as new and puzzling illnesses not seen before in the memory of man. What is going on here?

The changes at the core of the Earth that have resulted in El Nino weather patterns and white buffalo and deformed frogs also affect man. The germs are on the move. Their carriers are on the move. And thus humans are exposed to diseases that are so rare as to be undocumented in medical journals.

You will see increasing illness, odd illnesses, microbes that travel because an insect is scattering about and spreading germs in places where it normally doesn't travel. 90% of all the illness and distress you're going to see is a natural situation, a natural occurrence. Because of the changing, swirling in the core of the Earth, and this will continue to up-tick until the pole shift.

And reiterated in 1999

ZetaTalk: Next 3 1/2 Years, written Sep 15, 1999.

Sickness will slightly increase from where it is today. There is a lot of illness now because people who are already unstable are unable to take the turmoil caused by the increased emanations from the Earth. Some of them have simply sensed what is coming and have decided to die. This is true of animals as well as humans. Sickness will increase, but not to the point where it is going to get exponentially worse.

On Feb 2, 2000 a Washington report confirmed this increase, and published concerns were subsequently reported.

Diseases From Around World Threatening U.S.
Reuters, Feb 2, 2000

30 New Diseases Make Global Debut
At least 30 previously unknown diseases have appeared globally since 1973, including HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis C, Ebola haemorrhagic fever and the encephalitis-related Nipah virus that emerged in Indonesia. Twenty well-known infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera have re-emerged or spread since 1973.

  

Is Global Warming Harmful to Health?
Scientific American, August 2000

Notably, computer models predict that global warming, and other climate alterations it induces, will expand the incidence and distribution of many serious medical disorders. Disturbingly, these forecasts seem to be coming true.

And since this time, SARS and increased incidence of flesh eating disease,
and entire cruise ships regularly returning to port with the passengers ill with stomach flu have been reported.
Depressed immune systems?
Zetas RIGHT Again!

After the pole shift, there will be many opportunistic diseases that will afflict mankind. This does not require an imagination, as today they afflict mankind after disasters. The primary affliction will be from sewage laden water, which will pollute the drinking water man is forced to use. We have been adamant about mankind distilling their drinking water after the pole shift for this reason. Distillation removes heavy metals as well as killing microbes by the boiling process. Any disease that flourishes in malnourished bodies and in areas of poor hygiene will take advantage of the pole shift disasters. Scurvy due to lack of Vitamin C will occur, with bleeding gums and even death if not corrected. Many weeds are high in Vitamin C and survivors should arm themselves with knowledge about the vitamin content of weeds. Unprotected sex by survivors either taking advantage of the weak, as in rape, or by simple distraction and grief and a lack of contraceptive devices will spread AIDS and hepatitis. Morgellons, which is caused by a synergy of parasites and microbes when the immune system is low will likely increase. There will be outbreaks of diseases which were endemic in the past, such as small pox or measles, but in those survivor communities where the members have been immunized in the past these will be limited and quarantines can help in this regard.

http://www.zetatalk5.com/ning/20no2010.htm

 

Chile battles youth unrest and typhoid fever outbreak

Posted on September 15, 2011 by The Extinction Protocol

September 15, 2011 – SANTIAGO – Chile’s problems dealing with youth unrest over slow education reforms are being compounded by concerns the capital may be in the grip of a typhoid fever outbreak. The government has battled to enforce restraint on law enforcement agencies amid angry student-led protests, which have disrupted urban centers across the country for more than a month. The reforms demanded by youth groups are nowhere near being implemented and protests continue to simmer with support from teachers and workers unions. Now authorities are faced with the more immediate risk of typhoid. Health authorities issued repeated alerts for tougher hygiene checks and controls after they found several people infected and seriously ill with typhoid in the western metropolitan area of Santiago. At least seven cases were confirmed by the Public Health Institute but there were no immediate reports of fatalities. “Typhoid fever is an acute infectious disease triggered by a salmonella bacteria strain,” Institute Director Maria Teresa Valenzuela said. In most cases the infection is caused by consumption of contaminated food and drink or fruit and vegetables grown in areas where contaminated water is used in irrigation. Typhoid fever produces symptoms of high fever, diarrhea or intense headaches. The Santiago region has been prone to typhoid outbreaks since the 1990s when incidence of the disease caused up to 190 cases a year.

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/chile-battles...

Epidemic Hazard in India on Saturday, 17 September, 2011 at 03:16 (03:16 AM) UTC.

Description
The Department of Health and Family Welfare has informed that it had received a message through telephone on 12th September 2011 of an outbreak of fever of unknown cause leading to three deaths at Poilwa village, Peren District. Immediately the State Rapid Response Team (RRT) of Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP), Nagaland, comprising of Dr. John Kemp (State Surveillance Officer), Dr. Sao Tunyi (Epidemiologist), Dr. Kevisevolie Sekhose (Epidemiologist), and Venezo Vasa (Entomologist) conducted an outbreak investigation at Poilwa village. The team collected three samples from suspected cases out of which all the three were tested positive for Scrub Typhus. Till date, there are 9 cases with 3 deaths. This was stated in a official press note issued by Dr. Imtimeren Jamir, the Principal Director, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Kohima. Scrub Typhus is Rickettsial disease caused Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by the bite of mite called Leptotrombidium deliense. In Nagaland, it was formerly detected by IDSP with Central Surveillance Team at Longsa village Mokokchung in 2006, and in Porba village of Phek District in 2007. The State RRT team carried out the outbreak investigation along with doing and entomological survey. The patients were treated with appropriate medicines and awareness and preventive measures were communicated with the villagers. The concerned local health authorities and programs are informed for further necessary action. The mop-up operation is being carried out by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program.
Biohazard name:	Typhus (Scrub)
Biohazard level:	3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.:	Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Symptoms:	- After bite by infected mite larvae called chiggers, papule develops at the biting site which ulcerates and eventually heals with the development of a black eschar. - Patients develop sudden fever with headache, weakness, myalgia, generalized enlargement of lymph nodes, photophobia, and dry cough. - A week later, rash appears on the trunk, then on the extremities, and turns pale within a few days. - Symptoms generally disappear after two weeks even without treatment. - However, in severe cases with Pneumonia and Myocarditis, mortality may reach 30% Diagnosis - The most commonly used test for diagnosis is Wel-Felix Test, which is available at State IDSP laboratory, Kohima. - More specific serological tests like detection of IgM can also be done for diagnosis.
Status:	confirmed

Turns out, the plague isn't just ancient history. New Mexico health officials recently confirmed the first human case of bubonic plague — previously known as the "Black Death" — to surface in the U.S. in 2011. 

An unidentified 58-year-old man was hospitalized for a week after suffering from a high fever, pain in his abdomen and groin, and swollen lymph nodes, reports the New York Daily News. (Officials declined to say when the man was released from the hospital.) A blood sample from the man tested positive for the disease.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/10/first-case-of-bubonic-plague-...

http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/10/first-case-of-bubonic-plague-...

Epidemic Hazard in USA on Saturday, 17 September, 2011 at 03:33 (03:33 AM) UTC.

Description
Umatilla County health officials today confirmed a case of plague in an adult male county resident. He may have been infected while hunting in Lake County, noted Sharon Waldern, clinic supervisor for the county’s public health department. “Lake County had two cases of human plague last year.” The man has been hospitalized and is receiving treatment, Waldern noted. “People need to realize he was never considered contagious and he started treatment fairly quickly.” Plague is spread to humans through a bite from an infected flea. The disease is serious but treatable with antibiotics if caught early, officials said. Plague can be passed from fleas feeding on infected rodents and then transmitted to humans. Direct contact with infected tissues or fluids from handling sick or dead animals can pass the disease, as well as through respiratory droplets from cats and humans with pneumonic plague, officials said in a press release. Some types are spread from person to person, but that is not the case here, Waldern said. Symptoms typically develop within one to four days and up to seven days after exposure and include fever, chills, headache, weakness and a bloody or watery cough due to pneumonia, enlarged, tender lymph nodes, abdominal pain and bleeding into the skin or other organs. Plague is rare in Oregon. Only three human cases have been diagnosed since 1995 and they all recovered. Last year two human cases of plague were diagnosed in Lake County. As far as she knows, this is the first ever incident in Umatilla County. “In this recent case it is important to stay away from flea-infested areas and to recognize the symptoms. People can protect themselves, their family members and their pets,” said Genni Lehnert-Beers, administrator for Umatilla County Health Department. “Using flea treatment on your pets is very important, because your pets can bring fleas into your home.” People should contact their health care provider or veterinarian if plague is suspected. Early treatment for people and pets with appropriate antibiotics is essential to curing plague infections. Untreated plague can be fatal for animals and people. Antibiotics to prevent or treat plague should be used only under the direction of a health care provider. Additional steps to prevent flea bites include wearing insect repellent, tucking pant cuffs into socks when in areas heavily occupied by rodents, and avoiding contact with wildlife including rodents.
Biohazard name:	Plague (Bubonic)
Biohazard level:	4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:	Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:
Statu The Black Death: Bubonic Plague	confirmed http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=EH...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/27/bubonic-plague-kyrgyzstan_...

Bubonic Plague Kills Teen In Kyrgyzstan - Over 100 Quarantined

Four people have been sickened with the bubonic plague in rural Kyrgyzstan, one of whom has died. The infection is often transmitted to humans from rodents by flea bites. Kyrgyz officials said more than 100 people have been quarantined since the outbreak.

Posted: 08/27/2013 3:28 pm EDT

A teenager's death in rural Kyrgyzstan was said Monday to have been from the bubonic plague, a conclusion that prompted mandatory testing, quarantines and tighter border control in the region, according to multiple sources.

Exactly how livestock herder Temirbek Isakunov, 15, who hails from a village in the east of the country, contracted the deadly disease is unclear. While some news agencies quoted a Kyrgyz health official saying the youth got the plague from a flea bite, a local newspaper reported that the boy was sickened after eating a barbecued marmot while visiting relatives in southern Kyrgyzstan.

Three more people from the same village as the teen have also caught bubonic plague since his death, officials said, according to the Agence France-Presse.

Though the outbreak was small, officials leapt into action, quarantining 105 people who had contact with the dead teenager, including doctors and medical staff who treated him, health official Tolo Isakov said, per Al Jazeera. Police guarded the hospitals where the youth was treated, according to Agence France-Presse, and around 2,000 people were subject to mandatory tests for the plague. In addition, teams of pest-control agents were dispatched to the region to kill and study rodentspotentially carrying the disease, British newspaper The Independent reported.

The country of Kazakhstan, which is Kyrgyzstan's neighbor, increased controls along the Kyrgyzstan border, according to The Guardian.

The bubonic plague, which killed around 25 million people in Europe in the 14th century, is a bacterial infection usually carried by fleas on rodents. It is characterized by swollen lymph nodes (buboes) in the groin and armpit areas. The plague can be treated with antibiotics if the drugs are administered quickly enough (usually within 24 hours).

Also known as the "black plague," the bubonic plague is rare these days. World Health Organization epidemic disease expert Eric Bertherat told the BBC there were only about 400 cases of bubonic plague reported in 2012, about 90 percent of which were in Africa. The last case of bubonic plague in Kyrgyzstan was 30 years ago, according to Al Jazeera.

Kyrgyzstan Health Minister Dinara Saginbayeva said a bubonic plague epidemic in the Kyrgyzstan region is not likely, per Al Jazeera. "The form of the disease in the teenager is not conducive to a plague epidemic," she said.

[Mario Valencia-Rojas]

Shrimp prices soar as disease hits major exporters-

That fried shrimp is going to hit you in the gut, and the wallet.

Prices for the tiny crustaceans are soaring because of a disease that’s crimping supplies in Thailand, Vietnam and China, the three largest producers of shrimp in the world.

“Production is down substantially,” said Paul Brown, president of Urner Barry, a food industry market research firm that tracks shrimp prices.

The popular shellfish is now approaching a record $6 per pound, up one-third from the beginning of the year. In 2010, a pound of shrimp set consumers back $3.

Producers are blaming a disorder called Early Mortality Syndrome, which thrives in the warm waters of Southeast Asia. The disease is not believed to be communicable to humans and has been gradually worsening in the last few years.

More than one-third of U.S. shrimp imports came from Thailand last year, worth about $1.1 billion. Imports from the country are down 31% this year, Brown said.

Exporters are hopeful the disease can be treated in the near term.

Until then, analysts say the crisis will open opportunities for other shrimp-producing nations to fill market share.

“After a decade of explosive growth, the global farmed shrimp industry has reached a turning point,” said Rabobank analyst Gorjan Nikolik. “However, regions unaffected by the disease are emerging to fill the supply void and are benefiting from this high price situation. Producers in Ecuador, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Myanmar are rapidly expanding production.”

That’s more bad news for U.S. shrimp producers in the Gulf Coast, who have been battered by cheaper imports and the affects of the 2010 BP oil spill.

The domestic fishermen appeared to win some measure of victory Tuesday when the U.S. Commerce Department set final duties on shrimp from China, Malaysia, Vietnam, India and Ecuador because of government subsidies in their home countries. Thailand and Indonesia were named in the original case but were spared duties.
Source-http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-shrimp-20130816,0,64...

[Tracie Crespo]

http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/lobster-shell-disease-threat/2013/08...

Lobster Shell Disease Threatens Prime Fishing Grounds Off  Maine

        

 

            

            Monday, 12 Aug 2013 07:16 AM

            By Newsmax Wires

A lobster shell disease that makes the crustaceans appear  unsightly is making its way northward and affecting the lobster-rich grounds off  the coast of Maine.
The shell disease, which for years been plaguing the  southern New England lobster industry, in some cases makes the delicacies  unmarketable, The Associated Press reported.
The number of lobsters  suffering from shell disease remains tiny in Maine — only three out of every  1,000 lobsters sampled last year had the disease. But scientists and lobstermen  are concerned because the prevalence grew fivefold from 2010 to  2012.
The  disease, which is not harmful to humans, first became noticeable in southern New  England waters in the 1990s. About one in every three or four lobsters caught in  waters off southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island in recent years has been  diseased.
Carl Wilson, the state lobster biologist with the Department  of Marine Resources, said people should be concerned — but not alarmed — by the  numbers. People who look only at the percentage increase could get spooked and  say, "Oh, my god, that's a huge increase," he said.
"But it's not,  considering all the sampling we have and all the caveats of our sampling  design," Wilson said. "But it's something we are watching."
Lobster is  one of the most important fisheries in Maine and New England, valued at more  than $400 million to fishermen and hundreds of millions more to coastal  communities.
The fishery in southern New England waters has already been  hurt by the so-called epizootic shell disease, which is caused by bacteria that  eat away at a lobster's shell, leaving behind ugly lesions. Diseased lobsters  can still be processed but are unmarketable in the more valuable live market.  The disease stresses lobsters and can sometimes kill them but doesn't taint  their meat.
When biologists first began sampling for the disease in  Rhode Island, the prevalence was small: less than 1 percent in 1996 and 4  percent in 1997. But in 1998, the percentage jumped to nearly 20 percent; since  then, it's ranged from 18 to 34 percent a year.
A similar story has  played out in Massachusetts south of Cape Cod, where an average of 22 percent of  sampled lobsters have been diseased from 2000 to 2011. The rate peaked at 38  percent in 2011.
Shell disease could be linked to a number of pressures  such as rising water temperatures, pollution and low oxygen levels in the water,  said Kathy Castro, a fisheries biologist at the University of Rhode Island  Fisheries Center. Young lobsters can molt out of the disease when they shed  their shells and grow new ones; egg-bearing females have the highest prevalence  because they don't molt while they're carrying eggs. Lobsters can die when the  infection gets particularly bad and prevents them from properly molting.
Shell disease is much less prevalent in the colder waters of the Gulf of Maine,  which stretches from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, than it is in southern New  England. But it's still around.
In Massachusetts waters north of Cape  Cod, about 3 percent of sampled lobsters have had the disease since 2000, with  no upward trend.
Tracy Pugh, a fisheries biologist with the  Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, isn't overly concerned about the  Gulf of Maine lobster stock because the waters are cold.
"It's certainly  something to keep an eye on. But in terms of our perspective of Gulf of Maine  shell disease, we don't see it as something to get particularly concerned  about," she said. "The rates are pretty low. We don't see a pattern."
From 2008 to 2010, observers found about one diseased lobster for every 2,000  sampled in Maine. In 2011, that rate rose to four diseased lobsters in 2,000,  and in 2012, it rose to six.
It's not a large number, but it's high  enough to get lobstermen's attention.
"From talking to fisherman from  Massachusetts on up, it seems like each year it's moving its way north a little  bit," said South Bristol lobsterman Arnold Gamage Jr., who's been fishing all  his life.
Still, he tries to keep it in perspective.
"If we go  all day long and I see a few that have shell disease, I think to myself, 'That's  a lot,'" Gamage said. "And I suppose it is a lot compared to none. But it's  still a very small number; it's way less than 1 percent."
Given the  sudden increase in shell disease over a short period in southern New England,  Maine's lobstermen, scientists and regulators have good reason to be worried,  said Jeffrey Shields, a marine science professor at the Virginia Institute of  Marine Science who's been hired to assess some of the diseased lobsters caught  off Maine.
His advice: "Keep an eye on it. Keep monitoring it. Lobby  federal and state agencies to fund research to understand more about  it."
 For now, it's too soon to  say if the uptick in Maine is the beginning of something more or simply an  anomaly, given the record-high ocean temperatures of 2012, said Wilson, the  state of Maine lobster biologist.
With lobster accounting for 65 percent  of the value of the Maine's commercial seafood harvest, it's understandable that  fishermen are keeping a close eye on the disease, the biologist notes.
"I think when you have such a high dependence on single fishery, how could you  not have a concern?" Wilson said. "There can be threats to the lobster  population that are completely out of the influence of the fishermen, so any  change is going to be a concern."
Shields, however, says he is confident  that southern New England incidence of shell disease will not replicate in  Maine.

[Derrick Johnson]

Hog Producers Battling to Contain Virus That Has Killed Piglets by the Thousands

A swine virus appeared in the United States last spring in Ohio and in weeks had spread to four more states. How it entered the country is unknown.

By STEVEN YACCINO

Published: August 4, 2013

ANNAWAN, Ill. — The outside world is not allowed in a sanitized and isolated pig farm here, not far from the Iowa border.

Jan Hueber, president of Great Plains Management, which stresses strict preventive protocols.

Visitors must shower before entering, scrubbing from head to toe, trading their street clothes for disinfected coveralls that have never left the premises. Everything inside the temperature-controlled barn housing 3,000 sows has been blasted with antiseptic.

“We do a better job than some hospitals,” said Dr. Matt Ackerman, a veterinarian who works with the farm.

Strict protocols have kept the operation, one of 10 swine facilities run by Great Plains Management, safe from a virus spreading across the country this summer, killing piglets by the thousands and distressing hog producers in 16 states.

But those same precautions have not worked everywhere. A Central Indiana farm that Dr. Ackerman also works with was among the first to lose piglets to the virus in May. “If it gets in, you can’t stop it,” Dr. Ackerman said. “We filled wheelbarrows with dead pigs.”

The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, which is deadly only to young pigs and poses no food safety risks or danger to humans, appeared in the United States for the first time last spring in Ohio and within weeks had spread to four other states.

The outbreak led to a flurry of lab testing and a survey of the industry to determine how the virus had entered the country, comparing supplies and feeds in an effort to find a smoking gun. Farmers are cross-referencing vaccine and semen distributors, even the brands of plastic pipettes they use to inseminate sows, desperate to contain a threat that has made the industry feel increasingly vulnerable.

“It’s anybody’s guess at this point,” said Lisa Becton, director of swine health information and research at the National Pork Board, which is spending $800,000 for research into the virus.

First surfacing in Britain more than 40 years ago, the virus has spread throughout Europe and Asia. It has caused problems most recently among pork producers in China, where a 2012 strand of the disease was 99.4 percent similar to cases now found in the United States, according to researchers.

Researchers in the United States are working on a vaccine for the virus, which is passed through fecal matter and resembles transmissible gastroenteritis, another pig-to-pig illness that American farms have at times encountered. Symptoms include severe diarrhea and vomiting, and mortality rates can reach 100 percent for pigs less than a week old. Older swine will be sick for days but most likely recover.

Retroactive testing by a national laboratory pegged the earliest confirmed case of the virus in the United States around April 15 at a farm in Ohio. Within a month, other cases had surfaced in Indiana, Iowa, Colorado and Minnesota.

By the end of July, 403 separate cases had been reported to the National Animal Health Laboratory Network of the Department of Agriculture, with most outbreaks occurring in Iowa (149) and Oklahoma (94). About 30 new cases are reported each week.

“There’s not many times that a new virus hits an industry that has no immunity,” said Robert Morrison, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Minnesota who has been studying the virus. “Every pig in the United States is susceptible. It’s like throwing a spark on a bunch of kindling.”

No one quite knows how many pigs have died so far, in part because the virus is not considered a foreign animal disease by the Agriculture Department and farms are not required to report it to the authorities.

Few experts are willing to speculate, saying only that industry losses amount to several hundred thousand piglets nationwide.

Though it is perhaps too soon to predict how the virus may affect the price of pork products, the epidemic has already caused economic hardships for individual farmers, particularly amid soaring feed prices caused by last year’s drought.

An average farm with 2,500 sows could lose nearly every newborn for four weeks if it is hit with the virus, killing roughly 5,000 piglets and causing financial losses close to $200,000. Adult pigs that recuperate typically build immunity to the virus, making recurring outbreaks rare.

“One month can do a lot of damage,” said Mark Greenwood, senior vice president for AgStar Financial Services, which provides financing to hog farms. “It’s really devastating if you’re finally turning the corner.”

The fear has inspired a renewed vigilance across the hog industry to ensure that workers are using basic practices like disinfecting their boots and trailers after visiting packing plants, which researchers have identified as high-risk locations for picking up the virus.

Yet questions remain about how the virus got to the United States in the first place, raising anxiety among producers and farmers.

“The world got a lot smaller that day,” Tom Burkgren, executive director of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, said of when the first domestic case was confirmed. “If P.E.D.V. can get into the United States, what about some of the even more nasty viruses?”

Preliminary results from a targeted survey led by the association, which some had hoped would identify a link among infected farms, suggested that more data was needed. Dr. Burkgren said investigators would take a closer look at feed-related risk factors.

Jan Hueber, co-owner of Great Plains Management, the swine consultants, said he would take nothing for granted.

After an Indiana farm he works with lost at least three weeks of piglets from the virus, Mr. Hueber’s truck drivers now wear plastic disposable boots every time they visit a hog facility.

“Do we sleep comfortable at night?” he asked. “Not when you have something looming out there that can be so financially devastating.”

“We assume everything is infected,” he added.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/05/us/hog-producers-battling-to-cont...

[Mario Valencia-Rojas]

Nine dead, 150 sick after ‘unusual’ norovirus outbreak at B.C. seniors’ home-

VICTORIA — The Vancouver Island Health Authority says nine people are dead and 100 patients and 50 staff members have become sick this month after a norvirus outbreak at a seniors’ home in Victoria, B.C.

Noroviruses are part of a group of viruses that cause the stomach flu and the health authority says they are common in long-term care homes and are spread by people who don’t wash their hands.

Yet, Dr. Richard Stanwick, the chief medical health officer, says the outbreak at Selkirk House that began July 11 is unusual.

But Stanwick says the virus affected 40 people at the start of the outbreak and that allowed it to impact the entire institution.

Residents affected by the outbreak have been isolated at Selkirk House and have had their meals delivered to their rooms.

Social activities have been cancelled and the cleaning regime is now more thorough.

Stanwick says officials have been unable to identify a common source of exposure. Noroviruses generally cause vomiting and diarrhea. Most people recover within a few days without any special treatment.
Source-http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07/31/nine-dead-after-unusual-nor...

[Mario Valencia-Rojas]

New tick borne illness in the area-

ALBANY, N.Y. - Ticks are now carrying a new, potentially deadly virus in our area.

According to researchers at the Wadsworth Center, the deer tick virus, also known as Powassan virus, has been found in Saratoga, Albany, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties.

Researchers who worked on a five-year study say that the amount of ticks with this deadly virus are increasing, and if someone have been bitten by a deer tick, there is a one in 20 chance that it has the fatal illness.

Dr. Laura Kramer at the Wadsworth Center says symptoms people face after contracting Powassan virus include drowsiness, lethargy, headache and fever.

In a recent case, Dr. Laura Kramer says the person with the virus died within 8 months of severe symptoms. Kramer says the virus ultimately leads to death in about 10 to 30 percent of the cases.

Another alarming result of Kramer's study is the virus is transmitted at a rapid rate, compared to the two days it takes for Lyme Disease.

"With Powassan virus, deer tick virus, it looks like it's about 15 minutes," she says.

With summer camps in full swing, hundreds of kids are at risk of catching tick borne illnesses.

"We've seen an increase in ticks in both wooded areas so it's been an initiative of ours to be more cautious," says Kristen Usher, YMCA camp director.

As campers head to walk trails, preventing tick bites is a major concern. The camp has asked for parents to help them, by taking a few simple steps.

"We ask them to send the kids in with insect repellant and light colored clothes," Usher says. "We also have them do spot checks. The counselors spot check the kids at least once a day."
The best way to prevent contracting this potentially fatal virus, is to prevent ticks from attaching to you - wear long pants in wooded areas and use insect repellant.
Source-http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/New-tick-borne-illness-in...

[Mario Valencia-Rojas]

Serous meningitis outbreak registered in Lviv region-

A complication of epidemic situation on the incidence of enterovirus infection, including serous meningitis, is observed in Lviv region.

According to the press service of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service department in Lviv region, 29 cases of serous meningitis were registered in the region as of July 25.

The press service noted that enterovirus infection is characterized by a variety of clinical forms. Enterovirus infection is manifested by clinically catarrhal symptoms (serous nasal discharge), cough, fever, congestion of the mucous membranes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, sometimes with mucus.

Serous meningitis is manifested with increased body temperature to 39 degrees, a sharp headache, facial flushing, possible small eruption, which rapidly disappears, dizziness, nausea, repeated vomiting, stiffness of the neck muscles. Sometimes there may be delirium, convulsions.

The source of infection may be sick people, as well as virus carriers. The mechanism of transmission is air-borne and fecal-oral through dirty hands, contaminated household items, water, food.
Source-http://en.for-ua.com/news/2013/07/30/101101.html

[Mario Valencia-Rojas]

Alaska state health officials respond to tuberculosis outbreak reported in Y-K village-

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska state health officials say they have responded to a village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region that experienced a spike in active tuberculosis cases.

Officials say eight active cases of TB have been confirmed since March. The village has not been identified.

Michael Cooper, the tuberculosis control program manager for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, says there is no cause for alarm.

Cooper says treatment and public health control measures are implemented for each case of active tuberculosis.

TB is an infectious disease primarily affecting the lungs.

Officials recommend screenings if people have a persistent cough, are spitting up blood, have night sweats, weight loss, fever or fatigue.
Source-http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/77c5089f20cc4384b8551f0bd624...

[Mario Valencia-Rojas]

Iowa sees high amount of Salmonella-related illness-

Iowa has seen an unusual amount of Salmonella-related illnesses.

In 19 Iowa counties, 26 reports of illness have been received by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and local public health agencies. In a statement by the IDPH, they said the strain linked to the illness is a fairly uncommon strain of Salmonella.

“Salmonella is commonly the result of improper handling or preparation of food,” said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk.

Dr. Quinlisk said this particular strain generally comes from improper cook of poultry or eggs.

According to the IDPH, symptoms of Salmonella infection are similar to those of Cyclospora – diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea, but the IDPH said the cases of Salmonella infection aren’t related to the recent Cyclospora outbreak.

A spokesperson from the IDPH said it is especially important to properly care for food in the summer months. Some recommendations from the department:

Grill chicken to an internal temperature of 165-degrees F, measured with a food thermometer. The color of cooked poultry is not always a sure sign of its safety.
Leftovers should be reheated to 165-degrees F.
When making salads containing eggs, make sure the eggs are thoroughly cooked and the yolks are firm.
Do not use raw eggs to make homemade ice cream. You can make homemade ice cream safely by using pasteurized egg products, or by tempering and cooking the eggs in a hot custard ice cream base.
Keep cold food cold and hot food hot. Illness-causing bacteria can grow in many foods within two hours; during the summer heat the time is cut down to within one hour.
Wash your hands frequently to cut down on illnesses, including food borne illness.
Source-http://wqad.com/2013/07/27/iowa-sees-high-amount-of-salmonella-rela...

[Mario Valencia-Rojas]

Taiwan battles rabies outbreak, urges pet vaccinations-

Taiwan on Sunday called on citizens to vaccinate their pet cats and dogs against rabies as health officials stepped up attempts to combat the deadly disease following a string of outbreaks among wild ferret-badgers.

Their call came after five more infections within ferret-badgers – a small mammal of the mustelidae family – were confirmed, bringing the total to 11.

Taiwan is now listed as a rabies-affected area by the Paris-headquartered World Organisation for Animal health (OIE) after the island confirmed on July 17 that three infections had been found, the first outbreaks since 1959.

Those cases were recorded in central Taiwan but the later outbreaks were documented in the south and southeast part of the island, prompting health authorities to take counter-measures including the vaccination of tens of thousands of canines and cats.

“In doing so hopefully the outbreaks can be contained in some areas,” said Edward Chao, the spokesman for the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine.

So far only ferret-badgers have been confirmed as infected but fears of rabies spreading to other species have mounted.

Officials are particularly concerned that domestic cats and dogs could become infected which would significantly increase the risk to humans.

“If the other species like dogs and cats became infected, it would be much harder to deal with because they get much closer to the general public in daily life,” Chao said.

He estimated around 40 per cent of locals vaccinate their pets against rabies and called on those who haven’t to ensure their dogs and cats receive shots as soon as possible.

Only 10 countries and regions in the world are listed as rabies-free and around 55,000 people die of the disease worldwide every year.

Symptoms in humans may include seizures, partial paralysis, fever and brain inflammation, or encephalitis. There is no known treatment to cure rabies, once the infection has taken hold.

Chao said he suspected the outbreaks were caused by the smuggling of infected ferret-badgers from the Chinese mainland as its ties with the island have been getting ever closer the past few years.

The badgers are often transported to tourist areas in the mountains where they are cooked as delicacies, he added.

On Monday, some 300 people involved in rabies prevention work will be given shots and another 1,000 will be vaccinated next month as part of the island’s attempt to step up their campaign against the virus.

The authorities have also urged the public not to abandon their pets or touch wild animals.

Source-http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1292634/taiwan-battles-rabie...