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Archive for the ‘Pestilence’ Category

Prairie Dog Die Off in Arizona – Fleas Test Positive for Plague near Flagstaff

05/18/2011 Leave a comment

“FLAGSTAFF — Fleas collected from a remote area of Coconino County have tested positive for plague.

The fleas were collected from burrows that were being monitored due to a die off of prairie dogs around Doney Park, northeast of Flagstaff, Coconino County health officials said Tuesday.Area residents have been notified and the burrows have been treated.

Plague is a disease carried by rodents and rabbits, and sometimes of the predators that feed on them. The disease can be transmitted to humans and other animals by the bite of an infected flea, or by direct contact with an infected animal.”  Read more.

Uganda Braces for Possible Deadly Ebola Outbreak

05/16/2011 1 comment

“REUTERS – The rare and deadly Ebola virus has killed a 12-year-old Ugandan girl, and health officials said on Saturday they expected more cases.

The girl from Luwero district, 75 km (45 miles) north of the capital Kampala, died on May 6, said Anthony Mbonye, the government’s commissioner for community health, in the first outbreak of the virus in Uganda in four years.

‘Laboratory investigations have confirmed Ebola to be the primary cause of the illness and death. So there is one case reported but we expect other cases,’ he said.

‘Just one case is considered an epidemic because it can spread quickly and it is highly fatal.’

The last time Uganda was hit by Ebola—a disease in which those infected often bleed to death—it killed 37 people.” Read more.

Categories: Pestilence

Scientists Discover Bedbugs Carrying a Staph ‘Superbug’ In Study

05/12/2011 1 comment

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Hate insects? Afraid of germs? Researchers are reporting an alarming combination: bedbugs carrying a staph ‘superbug.’

Canadian scientists detected drug-resistant staph bacteria in bedbugs from three hospital patients from a downtrodden Vancouver neighborhood…

Five bedbugs were crushed and analyzed. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, was found on three bugs. MRSA is resistant to several types of common antibiotics and can become deadly if it gets through the skin and into the bloodstream.” Read more.

Categories: Pestilence Tags: ,

Cattle Disease Wreaks Havoc for Bangladesh Farmers

05/06/2011 Leave a comment

“PATUAKHALI : More than 200 buffaloes and cows died over the last several days, as a cattle disease, locally called Tarka, broke out in different areas of Charmontaj union under Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali district.

Kalam Dakua, a resident of Char Bestin under Charmontaj union, said, ‘More than 200 buffaloes and cows died in the union and more than 500 others were infected with the disease.’

‘We brought it to the notice of the doctor posted at the Galachipa Livestock Department office, but they did not visit the areas till Saturday,’ alleged Kalam.

The worst-affected areas are Char Bestin, Majher Char, Char Mandol and Char Rustam of the union.

Every day the disease is spreading to different other areas in the union, sources said.

Describing the symptoms of the disease, Zakir Hawlader of Char Bestin said, ‘When one animal fell ill with the disease, at first it could not walk, the temperature ran high and in five to six hours it died.'”  Read more.

Thousands of Fish in Lake DuBay Found Dead from Virus

05/06/2011 Leave a comment

By Jeff Starck – “Thousands of black crappies on Lake DuBay and the Stevens Point Flowage are dead of a virus and wildlife officials are trying to figure out why the disease is affecting just one species.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources biologists and fisheries technicians learned of the fish kill April 25 and determined that the cause appears to be a virus primarily affecting 3-year-old black crappies.

‘(If it was a widespread problem) other fish would be dying,’ DNR fisheries biologist Tom Meronek said. ‘This is just limited to crappies. We’ve seen cases on other bodies of water (in Wisconsin). This might be a similar virus.’

The symptoms are not consistent with viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, a virus that has sickened or killed large numbers of fish in the Great Lakes, according to the DNR. Wisconsin has mandated in recent years that all water must be drained from boats to prevent the spread of VHS and other viruses and diseases.”  Read more.

Measles Outbreak in Europe Caused 6,500 Cases So Far This Year; US Now Under Measles Attack

05/06/2011 2 comments

“A measles outbreak in Europe has caused 6,500 cases so far this year, the World Health Organization reports.

According to a report released by WHO yesterday, since the beginning of this year there have been outbreaks in 30 nations, including Belgium, France, Serbia, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Spain. France has had the largest outbreak, with 4,937 measles cases reported between January and March, a number not far from the 5,090 cases that were reported there for all of 2010.

WHO believes that the outbreaks could become worse in the days ahead, as many people travel for the Easter holidays.”  Read more.

After Europe, US is Under Measles Attack – “Annual average of measles cases reported in the US have nearly been 50 but in last four months, nearly 89 cases have been reported, indicating the probability of biggest outbreak of measles in the country.

The measles outbreak in Europe is majorly responsible for the disease travelling to the U. S as travelers bring along the contagious infection after vacation. The measles symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, watery or red eyes, mild to severe temperature, tiredness, aches and dry cough that surfaces usually in 10 days after catching infection, and takes 14 days time to disappear.”  Read more.

Categories: Pestilence Tags: ,

Nearly 10,000 Bats Die in Cave in Pennsylvania

05/02/2011 Leave a comment

“Of the 10,000 bats that have hibernated in an abandoned mine in Upper Bucks County for generations, only about 200 are still alive, officials said Friday.

Durham’s bats became infected with White Nose Syndrome, a mysterious disease that’s killing off bat colonies at an alarming rate from Vermont to Virginia.

In late March, Game Commission biologist Greg Turner checked in on the bats hidden in the hillside of Upper Bucks and found near devastation.

‘We’re looking at a 99 percent decline,’ he said.”  Read more.

Dozens of Unexplained Deaths of Farm Animals in Honduras

04/28/2011 Leave a comment

“The director of the National Health Service (SENASA), Heriberto Amador announced that in about 48 hours, they should have answers to the recent unexplained deaths of dozens of farm animals in the areas of Agua Caliente, El Porvenir, and Francisco Morazan.

‘We believe that within 24 to 48 hours we will have the lab results to confirm whether the deaths are due to some disease or nutritional problems,’ he said.”  Read more.

The Devolution of Beach Safety – Bacteria Scare Closes Popular Darwin Beaches

04/25/2011 Leave a comment

By James Glenday – “Tests have found dangerous levels of harmful bacteria in the water at two popular Darwin beaches, causing their closure as tourists and locals flock to the recreation area of East Point.

Both Lake Alexander and nearby East Point beach are officially closed but many people are ignoring advice and taking the plunge.

Darwin City Council tests early last month found bacteria levels on the beach were seven times more than the amount considered dangerous.

The most recent test from the Lake Alexander spillway was nearly double the dangerous amount.

Council water testers say human or animal faeces are responsible for the bacteria but they do not know where it is coming from.” Read more.

Categories: Pestilence

Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance Causes WHO to Declare: “The World is on the Brink…”

04/21/2011 Leave a comment

By Peter Murray – “Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The widespread misuse of antibiotics is rapidly rendering them powerless against infection. Common infections that are easily cured today are going to become deadly, and it’s going to happen sooner than you think.

The World Health Organization reports:

* Each year there are about 440,000 new cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, resulting in at least 150,000 deaths.

* Resistance to antimalarial drugs chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is now widespread in most malaria-endemic countries, leading to the resurgence of malaria in areas where the disease had previously been eradicated.”  Read more.

Gulf of Mexico Anglers Pulling in Red Snappers That Don’t Look Like Anything They’ve Seen Before

04/17/2011 4 comments

By Craig Pittman – “A year after the Deepwater Horizon disaster spewed oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida beaches are relatively clean, the surf seems clear and the tourists are returning. But there are signs that the disaster is continuing to affect marine life in the gulf far from where humans can observe it.

Over the winter, anglers who had been working the gulf for decades began hauling in red snapper that didn’t look like anything they had seen before.

The fish had dark lesions on their skin, some the size of a 50-cent piece. On some of them, the lesions had eaten a hole straight through to the muscle tissue. Many had fins that were rotting away and discolored or even striped skin. Inside, they had enlarged livers, gallbladders, and bile ducts.

‘The fish have a bacterial infection and a parasite infection that’s consistent with a compromised immune system,’ said Jim Cowan, an oceanographer at Louisiana State University, who has been examining them. ‘There’s no doubt it’s associated with a chronic exposure to a toxin.'”  Read more.

Nearly Half of US Meat Tainted With Drug-Resistant Bacteria, Study Suggests

04/15/2011 Leave a comment

“PHOENIX — There may be scores of drug-resistant bacteria lurking in your grocery meat aisle.

A study Friday by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, found that Staphylococcus aureus — bacteria that causes most staph infections including skin infections, pneumonia and blood poisoning — was present in meat and poultry from US grocery stores at ‘unexpectedly high rates.’

Researchers found nearly half of the meat and poultry samples, 47 percent, were contaminated with S. aureus, and more than half of those bacteria, 52 percent, were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics.”  Read more.