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Zilch5 Vogon Poet
Great Old One Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Total posts: 1463 Location: Western Sydney, Australia Gender: Male |
 Posted: 07-03-2013 06:12 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | 'Nightmare bacteria' spreading
Hospitals need to take action against the spread of a deadly, antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria kill up to half of patients who are infected.
The bacteria, called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae or CRE, have increased over the past decade and grown resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics, according to the CDC. In the first half of 2012, 200 health care facilities treated patients infected with CRE.
"CRE are nightmare bacteria," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. "Our strongest antibiotics don't work and patients are left with potentially untreatable infections. Doctors, hospital leaders and public health must work together now to implement CDC's 'detect and protect' strategy and stop these infections from spreading."
That strategy includes making sure proper hand hygiene policies in health care facilities are actually followed.
Patients should also be screened for CREs, according to the CDC. Infected patients should be isolated, or grouped together to limit exposures.
The good news is that not only is CRE seen relatively infrequently in most U.S. facilities, but current surveillance systems haven't been able to find it commonly in otherwise healthy people in the community, says Dr. Alex Kallen, a CDC medical officer.
"Of course, if this were to (spread to the community), it would make it much more difficult to control," he said.
Each year, hospital-acquired infections sicken about 1.7 million and kill 99,000 people in the United States. While up to 50% of patients with CRE bloodstream infections die, similar antibiotic-susceptible bacteria kill about 20% of bloodstream-infected patients. |
http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/06/health/super-bug-bacteria-spreading/index.html |
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| CarlosTheDJ Dazed and confused for so long its not true
Great Old One Joined: 01 Feb 2007 Total posts: 1874 Location: Sussex Age: 36 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 07-03-2013 11:47 Post subject: |
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| Zilch5 Vogon Poet
Great Old One Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Total posts: 1463 Location: Western Sydney, Australia Gender: Male |
| Posted: 18-03-2013 04:16 Post subject: |
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Hooray - CRE is here now:
| Quote: | 'Nightmare' superbug alarm
A widely feared superbug has contaminated hand-washing sinks in Dandenong Hospital's intensive care unit, causing 10 patients to fall ill with the ''nightmare bacteria'' that have killed many people worldwide.
A report published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday says the 440-bed hospital in Melbourne's south-east has been struggling to contain the multi-drug-resistant bacteria since 2009. Ten patients have been infected since then, but none died from the infection.
An infectious disease physician at the hospital, Rhonda Stuart, said doctors had been concerned about a string of cases in the intensive care unit between 2009 and last year, but only acquired the technology last August to test surfaces for the bacteria known as CRE. Associate Professor Stuart said the tests revealed the bacteria were in the sinks where healthcare workers washed their hands. While it could not be proved, she said, this might have spread the infection to patients because the sinks' poor design caused water to splash back off the drain.
Despite this being discovered seven months ago, Associate Professor Stuart said the hospital was only now preparing to replace the sinks. When asked if cost had delayed this, she said ''there were always difficulties with trying to do things in budget-restrained times''. However, she said doctors were satisfied the intensive care unit was safe.
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The sinks were being cleaned regularly with 170-degree pressurised steam, which removes the bacteria for about three days before they grow back. Staff were also being careful with infection control procedures to prevent further patient infections, she said.
''No patients have tested positive for the bacteria since we've undertaken this process, so we're happy things have been controlled with the new steam technology … There is no risk to anybody,'' said Associate Professor Stuart, who is also medical director of infection control for Monash Health. CRE (Carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae) is a new class of multi-resistant bacteria alarming doctors worldwide because of their ability to spread drug resistance to other bacteria.
Two weeks ago the director of the US Centres for Disease Control, Tom Frieden, labelled CRE ''nightmare bacteria'' because of their resistance to nearly all antibiotics and their high mortality rate. Some types are estimated to kill up to half of the people they infect.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/nightmare-superbug-alarm-20130317-2g93l.html#ixzz2NrEahJTD
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| Zilch5 Vogon Poet
Great Old One Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Total posts: 1463 Location: Western Sydney, Australia Gender: Male |
| Posted: 05-08-2013 06:10 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Super bacteria infects 63 patients: health authority
South Korea's health authority said Sunday it has confirmed 63 patients have been infected with a super bacterial infection that cannot be easily treated by antibiotics, raising concerns over a possible contagion.
The number of patients infected with OXA-232-type carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae, also known as a super bacteria, came to 63 at 13 local hospitals as of Thursday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It marked the first time for this type of CPE to be detected in South Korea, the health agency said. Such super bacteria are known to be resistant to most antibiotics, which gives patients a limited chance for recovery.
The first infection detected in South Korea came from a patient who was injured in India and later relocated to local hospitals.
One of the local hospitals in which the initial victim was treated at was found to have three other patients with the bacteria.
The healthy control agency said it will make quarantine measures to prevent the further spread of the super bacteria, and tighten surveillance and related rules. It added it will also continue to keep an eye on the 13 hospitals until the number of patients stays flat for three months. (Yonhap News) |
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130804000357 |
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| MercuryCrest The Severed Head Of A
Great Old One Joined: 24 Mar 2003 Total posts: 715 Location: Floating down the Ganges Age: 33 Gender: Male |
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