Article from The Gazette :
" A deadly outbreak of a bacterial infection on Cape Breton Island has been linked to a fifth death, according to the local health authority.
Clostridium difficile — a so-called superbug also referred to as C. difficile —has been identified as a contributing factor in the death of a palliative patient, the Cape Breton District Health Authority said.
In addition to the deaths, at least 26 in-patients have been diagnosed with the antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria after six new cases were recently discovered, health officials said. The 26 cases are spread among five medical facilities in the region.
Health authority spokesman Greg Boone said the bacteria has been an issue in the region since February."
Showing posts with label The Gazette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Gazette. Show all posts
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Canada : Needs to step up to prevent human infections
Via The Gazette :
" OTTAWA : Up to three-quarters of all emerging infectious diseases in humans come from animals, but Canada doesn’t have an early-warning system to detect or prevent those illnesses.
Instead, public-health officials respond as outbreaks occur, which is neither smart nor economically sound with a resurgence in new viruses, experts say.
Last year’s H1N1 flu pandemic should serve as a wake-up call for the country to build a robust system to track diseases that could leap from animals to humans, says Donald Low, chief microbiologist at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.
The H1N1 virus — a hybrid of swine, bird and human flu — started in pigs, then jumped to humans, where it adapted to infect millions of people and kill an estimated 17,000 worldwide.
“Part of the problem that I think has been recognized with this pandemic is the major gaps and lack of surveillance that’s been done in animals,” says Low, who’s also medical director of Ontario’s public-health laboratories."
" OTTAWA : Up to three-quarters of all emerging infectious diseases in humans come from animals, but Canada doesn’t have an early-warning system to detect or prevent those illnesses.
Instead, public-health officials respond as outbreaks occur, which is neither smart nor economically sound with a resurgence in new viruses, experts say.
Last year’s H1N1 flu pandemic should serve as a wake-up call for the country to build a robust system to track diseases that could leap from animals to humans, says Donald Low, chief microbiologist at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.
The H1N1 virus — a hybrid of swine, bird and human flu — started in pigs, then jumped to humans, where it adapted to infect millions of people and kill an estimated 17,000 worldwide.
“Part of the problem that I think has been recognized with this pandemic is the major gaps and lack of surveillance that’s been done in animals,” says Low, who’s also medical director of Ontario’s public-health laboratories."
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