A super bug no one seems to talk about is here.

[Value Buy]

Not sure if this should be in CE, or possibly healthy living. A mod can move if you think it belongs sleswhere.  Thought it would get more eyeballs in current events
Thanks
This is scary. At least to me.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/deadly-germs-lost-cures-a-mysterious-infection-spanning-the-globe-in-a-climate-of-secrecy/ar-BBVFPi7?li=BBnb7Kz

[djAdvocate]

scarier than Ebola?

[Tiny]

I do think the bacteria type illnesses/diseases are more scary than Ebola. Ebola doesn't exactly "live" in hospitals or very crowded living spaces (prisons, slums, long term care facilities). Viruses tend to need people to keep it 'alive'. Bacteria and fungi on the other hand can 'live' for longer periods without humans.

Some of the resistant diseases I can think of are: MSRA, C. difficile, and TB for example. These and possibly Legionnaires disease are probably lurking in places I might visit or go to in everyday life. I'm probably NOT going to bump into the ebola virus.

It's also a little scary that we have so many members of society dealing with compromised immune systems.  The marvels of modern medicine are a double edged blade.    

That said, I do think ebola IS scary and there should be concern about it. But, it seems the 2nd biggest outbreak of ebola late last year/early this year didn't make the news.

[mmhmm]

Ebola is a virus. Candida Auris is a fungus. Candida has been around for a long time but this particular type (and its 4 different strains) has only been identified recently. These strains are resistant to one or more drugs normally used to treat candida and require care similar to that given for some bacterial infections and for C. difficile.  Because it's so new it's prone to misdiagnosis. Right now, when it occurs it's in hospital patients or patients in nursing homes. You're not going to catch it at the grocery store or walking down the street. The CDC has mounted an information campaign to help hospitals deal with this fungus. I called a friend from the hospital I worked for to see what they'd received from the CDC and what they'd seen in that hospital. They've had no infections with Candida Auris but are receiving regular communications from the CDC regarding it.

In short:  If you're not in the hospital and have a healthy immune system, there's no reason to be frightened. If you do have to go to the hospital, if you have a healthy immune system you have little to fear. Hospitals are aware of this problem and are being instructed on how to deal with it. Additionally, there is an international effort ongoing to find what's needed to effectively stop the escalation of these infections. If you have concerns, talk to your doctor about those concerns; especially, if you're going to have to be hospitalized for any reason. If you're really concerned, advocate for yourselves and ask to be tested for Candida Auris colonization or infection if going to be hospitalized.

[Malarky]

My exMIL was an environmental scientist.  Back in the early 80's she was making the case that antibacterial everything and abuse of antibiotics was going to come back and bite us.  

This is a huge problem for people like DD and I who are allergic to most antibiotics.  We'd probably not survive any of the available superbugs.  

[djAdvocate]

Apr 7, 2019 14:34:21 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Ebola is a virus. Candida Auris is a fungus. Candida has been around for a long time but this particular type (and its 4 different strains) has only been identified recently. These strains are resistant to one or more drugs normally used to treat candida and require care similar to that given for some bacterial infections and for C. difficile.  Because it's so new it's prone to misdiagnosis. Right now, when it occurs it's in hospital patients or patients in nursing homes. You're not going to catch it at the grocery store or walking down the street. The CDC has mounted an information campaign to help hospitals deal with this fungus. I called a friend from the hospital I worked for to see what they'd received from the CDC and what they'd seen in that hospital. They've had no infections with Candida Auris but are receiving regular communications from the CDC regarding it.

In short:  If you're not in the hospital and have a healthy immune system, there's no reason to be frightened. If you do have to go to the hospital, if you have a healthy immune system you have little to fear. Hospitals are aware of this problem and are being instructed on how to deal with it. Additionally, there is an international effort ongoing to find what's needed to effectively stop the escalation of these infections. If you have concerns, talk to your doctor about those concerns; especially, if you're going to have to be hospitalized for any reason. If you're really concerned, advocate for yourselves and ask to be tested for Candida Auris colonization or infection if going to be hospitalized.

so, about as scary as Ebola?

[chiver78]

Apr 7, 2019 16:19:30 GMT -5 Malarky said:

My exMIL was an environmental scientist.  Back in the early 80's she was making the case that antibacterial everything and abuse of antibiotics was going to come back and bite us.  

This is a huge problem for people like DD and I who are allergic to most antibiotics.  We'd probably not survive any of the available superbugs.  

 

but the three of us will be having fun in hell somewhere.   

[Deleted]

I can't count the number of times I've fussed at friends and coworkers about using antibiotics properly and how they don't help with illnesses caused by viruses. Usually because they mention taking some antibiotics they didn't finish during a previous illness for some new ailment or they think they have a cold or the flu and say they need some antibiotics.

I have no medical training but I've read enough about bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics and superbugs to believe the hype about proper use of antibiotics and not taking them needlessly. It's pretty scary reading, so I try to share the info IRL when appropriate with people that don't seem to know, but maybe they just don't care.

[kadee79]

We are an over-medicated society...in general and in specific areas too.  Too many Dr.s just write scripts when a patient "thinks" something will help them.  
I've seen it happen...treating the symptoms rather than the cause.  

[weltschmerz]

Apr 9, 2019 7:26:30 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

I can't count the number of times I've fussed at friends and coworkers about using antibiotics properly and how they don't help with illnesses caused by viruses. Usually because they mention taking some antibiotics they didn't finish during a previous illness for some new ailment or they think they have a cold or the flu and say they need some antibiotics.

I have no medical training but I've read enough about bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics and superbugs to believe the hype about proper use of antibiotics and not taking them needlessly. It's pretty scary reading, so I try to share the info IRL when appropriate with people that don't seem to know, but maybe they just don't care.

That's really stupid. If a doc prescribes antibiotics, ALL of them have to be taken. Otherwise, it's like putting the bacteria into a coma, instead of killing them. They inevitably wake up.
And yes, antibiotics are way over-prescribed. I avoid them at all costs, unless it's a question of life and death.
That being said, in case of a Zombie Apocalypse, antibiotics would be great legal tender. Money will be useless.

[weltschmerz]

Apr 9, 2019 14:55:24 GMT -5 kadee79 said:

We are an over-medicated society...in general and in specific areas too.  Too many Dr.s just write scripts when a patient "thinks" something will help them.  
I've seen it happen...treating the symptoms rather than the cause.  

Too many doctors will prescribe them, without even checking if it's viral or bacterial. It's ridiculous.

[mmhmm]

Apr 10, 2019 8:11:58 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

Don't forget the other major use - and arguably over use- of antibiotics.  Agriculture, or specifically, meat production.

Also, anti-fungals sprayed on crops.

[Value Buy]

Apr 10, 2019 10:25:53 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Apr 10, 2019 8:11:58 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

Don't forget the other major use - and arguably over use- of antibiotics.  Agriculture, or specifically, meat production.

Also, anti-fungals sprayed on crops.

On my morning walk this morning I cam across some delicate looking mushrooms, and wondered, do I dare try these?

[mmhmm]

Apr 10, 2019 10:29:23 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Apr 10, 2019 10:25:53 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Also, anti-fungals sprayed on crops.

On my morning walk this morning I cam across some delicate looking mushrooms, and wondered, do I dare try these?

My advice would be:  Leave 'em be.  

[Value Buy]

From the middle of the article concerning a patient that dieD in NYC.

The man at Mount Sinai died after 90 days in the hospital, but C. auris did not. Tests showed it was everywhere in his room, so invasive that the hospital needed special cleaning equipment and had to rip out some of the ceiling and floor tiles to eradicate it.
“Everything was positive — the walls, the bed, the doors, the curtains, the phones, the sink, the whiteboard, the poles, the pump,” said Dr. Scott Lorin, the hospital’s president. “The mattress, the bed rails, the canister holes, the window shades, the ceiling, everything in the room was positive.”

C. auris is so tenacious, in part, because it is impervious to major antifungal medications, making it a new example of one of the world’s most intractable health threats: the rise of drug-resistant infections.

[kadee79]

Apr 10, 2019 10:29:23 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Apr 10, 2019 10:25:53 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Also, anti-fungals sprayed on crops.

On my morning walk this morning I cam across some delicate looking mushrooms, and wondered, do I dare try these?

If you are not an expert on wild mushrooms or toadstools....don't touch them...best advice I have on that subject.  Or at least use gloves if you HAVE to touch them.

[mmhmm]

Apr 10, 2019 10:31:23 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

From the middle of the article concerning a patient that dieD in NYC.

The man at Mount Sinai died after 90 days in the hospital, but C. auris did not. Tests showed it was everywhere in his room, so invasive that the hospital needed special cleaning equipment and had to rip out some of the ceiling and floor tiles to eradicate it.
“Everything was positive — the walls, the bed, the doors, the curtains, the phones, the sink, the whiteboard, the poles, the pump,” said Dr. Scott Lorin, the hospital’s president. “The mattress, the bed rails, the canister holes, the window shades, the ceiling, everything in the room was positive.”

C. auris is so tenacious, in part, because it is impervious to major antifungal medications, making it a new example of one of the world’s most intractable health threats: the rise of drug-resistant infections.

Rooms are cleaned with disinfectants active against C. difficile, as C. auris is also vulnerable to these products. Hospitals have been instructed accordingly.