It had been a long established scientific fact that when a flu virus obtained an immunity to particular anti-viral flu medications, they would become less effective in transmission between humans.
Now scientists have found the deadly H7N9 bird flu in China does not lose any of its infectivity when it becomes resistant to commonly used drugs like Tamiflu.
The researchers were quick to add that the drug-resistant H7N9 was not more infectious than in the past. They reiterated that the virus is one of the less transmittable viruses between humans.
H7N9 emerged earlier this year in China and has killed 45 of the 139 people confirmed to have been infected with the virus. Scientists had initially believed H7N9 could not transmit between humans but found cases in August of human-to-human transmission.
A separate study in the United States this week said that it was not impossible for H7N9 to mutate into a form that could be easily passed among humans.
Health officials in Madagascar are scrambling after 20 people in a village near the town of Mandritsara were confirmed to have died last week from bubonic plague.
The total in one week was one-third of last year’s world leading total of 60 plague deaths.
The BBC is reporting that health officials from the country’s capital have rushed to the scene to investigate and launch control measures. The plague deaths were confirmed on Tuesday by the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar.
Yersinia pestis, or black plague, is spread through rats and fleas. Humans can be infected if bitten by an infected rat or a flea from one of those rats. It cannot be transmitted between humans and is treatable if caught early.
Health officials are concerned because the disease can rapidly grow in poor hygiene conditions such as in prisons. The Madagascar prison system is overrun with rats and it’s feared hundreds could die if an infected rat taints a prison-based population.
Health officials in Hong Kong have quarantined 19 people after a second man has been found infected with the deadly H7N9 bird flu.
The latest case is an 80-year-old man who normally lives in the mainland China city of Shenzhen.
The man developed a fever and was taken to a hospital Friday where later tests revealed the deadly virus. Government officials then rounded up 19 people who had close contact with the elderly victim for testing and safety reasons.
According to sources, one of the 19 people had an “indeterminate” test meaning it’s possible they have been infected. The other 18 have tested negative.
Officials said they are investigating if the latest victim had contact with poultry while he was on the Chinese mainland. Investigators found no link between the latest victim and the first case discovered last week. That patient remains in critical condition.
The World Health Organization says that 138 human cases of H7N9 have been confirmed in China this year with 45 deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control is warning the “eliminated” disease is becoming a threat again to the United States.
The CDC says because measles runs rampant overseas that travelers are bringing the disease back with them from foreign travel.
“A measles outbreak anywhere is a risk everywhere,” the CDC said in a press release. “The steady arrival of measles in the United States is a constant reminder that deadly diseases are testing our health security every day. Someday, it won’t be only measles at the international arrival gate; so, detecting diseases before they arrive is a wise investment in U.S. health security.”
The CDC reported that 18 children every hour around the world dies from measles.
Statistics for 2013 show 175 confirmed cases in the U.S. this year, almost three times the number of average cases each year since 2000.
Health experts are warning that the world could be facing a dementia epidemic by 2050.
Estimates from the group Alzheimer’s Disease International showed a 17 percent increase in the number of people with dementia in 2010 and warned that by 2050 as much as 70 percent of dementia patients could be in third world nations.
“If we look into the future the numbers of elderly people will rise dramatically. It’s vital that the World Health Organization makes dementia a priority, so the world is ready to face this condition,” ADI Executive Director Marc Wortmann told Reuters.
Leaders from the Group of Eight industrialized countries are due to meet in London next week for a special summit on dementia. The condition is so prominent in Britain that it costs the country 23 billion pounds a year, more than cancer, stroke or heart disease combined.
ADI officials said the number of cases by 2050 could triple from 44 million today to 135 million. They said more funds dedicated to research for a cure are necessary and the research needs to begin immediately.
Health officials in Hong Kong have announced confirmation of the country’s first case of H7N9 bird flu.
The announcement is a sign that the deadly virus is spreading beyond the borders of mainland China.
The announcement of the confirmed case comes on the 10th anniversary of the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that killed 300 people in Hong Kong and seriously damaged the country’s travel and retail industry.
The 36-year-old H7N9 victim reportedly traveled to Shenzhen in mainland China and had contact with poultry during his visit. Officials say the patient is in critical condition in a Hong Kong hospital.
A US Airways Express flight from Texas to Arizona ended up being more dramatic than passengers had expected when they boarded.
First responders boarded the plane upon landing in Phoenix and removed a man who was told to put on a medical mask. A spokesman for US Airways said the airline was notified after the plane left Austin the passenger’s status had been changed to “no-fly” because of medical conditions.
Passengers told Fox News they were told to get tuberculosis tests and vaccinations by a first responder who boarded the plane while it was on the tarmac. Federal and Maricopa County health officials said they had no immediate confirmation the passenger had an infectious disease.
However, a spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health told ABC15 passengers “faced little risk of contagion.”
Tuberculosis can be spread through the air.
Scientists say that drug-resistant “superbugs” are one of the gravest threats in the history of medicine.
The piece in the Lancet medical journal says that routine operations could become deadly in the very near future as bacteria continue to evolve to fight the drugs used to combat them. Doctors say a century of medical advances could be wiped out in a matter of years.
“I am concerned that in 20 years, if I go into hospital for a hip replacement, I could get an infection leading to major complications and possible death, simply because antibiotics no longer work as they do now,” said John Watson, England’s deputy chief medical officer.
No new antibiotic has been introduced since 1987 because drug manufacturers cannot gain a profit from researching and producing new antibiotics.
The researchers say a major part of the problem is that the general public has become dependent on antibiotics to the point that if one doctor does not prescribe them they will seek out a “second opinion” that will give them the drugs.
Scientists in Saudi Arabia believe they may have finally been able to confirm their theory that the MERS virus transmits to humans from camels.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus was discovered in a camel owned by a MERS victim according to the Saudi health ministry. DNA testing on the virus is being conducted to see if the virus is the same strain in both the camel and the human victim.
The virus causes pneumonia like symptoms but also produces very rapid and fatal kidney disease. The mortality rate for MERS is over 40 percent.
The virus is similar to the SARS virus that caused a worldwide outbreak in 2002-2003 that killed 775 people.
Three children visiting the petting zoo at a Minnesota pumpkin farm ended up with E. Coli infections according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
All three children are from the Twin Cities area and range in age from 15 months to 7 years. The Department of Health confirmed that all three have the same strain of E. Coli.
One child is still hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication that can result in kidney failure. The other two children did not require admission to a hospital.
Investigators say all the children had contact with goats or cattle. Two other cases of symptoms similar to E. Coli have been reported but not confirmed by the Department of Health.
The health department says the farm is cooperating with the investigation and has closed public access.
