New Diseases

[Volkonski]

2 Drug-Resistant Ringworm Cases Detected In NYC: CDC
It's the first time this highly contagious, drug-resistant strain of fungal infection has been detected in the U.S., according to a study.

https://patch.com/new-york/northfork/s/ ... aign=alert

The detections reported Thursday in a study are the first cases of Trichophyton indotineae — a fungal infection that has spread through South Asia — in the U.S.

"Health care providers who suspect T. indotineae infection should contact their state or local public health department for assistance with testing, which is available at certain public health laboratories and specialized academic and commercial laboratories," the study states.

A dermatologist in New York City first told public health officials in February about two patients with severe ringworm that didn't respond to antifungal treatment, the study states.

A 28-year-woman identified as "Patient A" had first noticed itchy skin in 2021, according to the study. But it wasn't until January 2022 that she was diagnosed with ringworm over her neck, abdomen, pubic region and buttocks, and began taking an oral treatment, the study states.

The drug didn't work as expected, and she began another treatment over the course of four weeks, according to the study. Her rash went away, "however, she is being monitored for potential recurrence of infection," the study states.

A 47-year-old woman — "Patient B" — developed a widespread ringworm infection during summer 2022 in Bangladesh, the study states.

"There, she received treatment with topical antifungal and steroid combination creams and noted that several family members were experiencing similar eruptions," the study states.

Once the woman returned to the U.S., she visited an emergency room three times in fall 2022, where she was prescribed several ointments and creams, according to the study. None of the treatments worked, however, while a subsequent managed to clear up about 80 percent of the infection, the study states.

"Her son and husband, who live in the same house and report similar eruptions, are currently undergoing evaluation," the study states.

[RTH10260]

Nearly half a million in US may have been affected by tick-bite meat allergy
CDC issues warning over alpha-gal syndrome, red-meat allergy primarily associated with lone-star tick saliva

Maya Yang
Thu 27 Jul 2023 20.46 BST

Up to 450,000 Americans may have been affected by a potentially life-threatening red meat allergy caused by ticks as many doctors remain unaware of what it is or how to treat it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In new reports released on Thursday, the CDC found that between 96,000 and 450,000 Americans since 2010 may have been affected by alpha-gal syndrome. The syndrome, also known as a red meat allergy or tick-bite meat allergy, stems from alpha-gal, a sugar molecule not naturally present in humans. Instead, it is found in meat including pork, beef, rabbit, lamb and venison, as well as products made from mammals including gelatin and milk products.

“Because the diagnosis of alpha-gal syndrome requires a positive diagnostic test and a clinical exam, and some individuals with alpha-gal syndrome may not get tested, it is estimated that as many as 450,000 people might have been affected by AGS in the United States,” the CDC said, adding. “Of those aware of AGS, knowledge about diagnosis and management is low.”

Growing evidence suggests that AGS is primarily associated with saliva from the lone-star tick, which the CDC has described as a “very aggressive” tick that bites humans and is widely distributed across south-eastern and south-central states. According to the CDC, localities in the southern, midwestern and mid-Atlantic regions of the US have identified more people who tested positive with AGS.

“Persons with suspected AGS were predominantly located in areas where the lone-star tick is known to be established or reported, particularly throughout Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Suffolk county, New York,” said the CDC.



https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... gy-ags-cdc

[AndyinPA]

It was nice to read this yesterday. One of our members has this. I've had some symptoms, but I don't think I get them closely related to eating meat. I can attest, though, that doctors don't know anything much about it. I asked my PCP about it two years ago, and she had no idea what I was talking about.

[Maybenaut]

It was nice to read this yesterday. One of our members has this. I've had some symptoms, but I don't think I get them closely related to eating meat. I can attest, though, that doctors don't know anything much about it. I asked my PCP about it two years ago, and she had no idea what I was talking about.

That’s me. Everybody’s different, but for me there is a six to eight hour delay between the time I ingest meat and the time symptoms start.

Also, the symptoms are different for everybody. Some people only have gastric problems but no other symptoms, and those usually show up shortly after ingestion. That’s only actually happened to me once. I got really bad stomach cramps while I was still at the dinner table that lasted about an hour. Then about four or five hours the hives and tongue swelling started (which is early for me).

I went to two different allergists who threw up their hands. I finally found one who know what to test for. but that was a long time ago. I’m sure these days any allergist would know what to look for.

[AndyinPA]

I knew it was you, but I left it to you to claim it. When talking with the cardiologist recently, she suggested I see an allergist. Yeah, right after I get my eye surgery, see a neurologist, find out what's wrong with my liver numbers, and who knows what else.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

https://www.fodors.com/news/news/first- ... -stay-safe

First Travel-Related Death From Tick-Borne Illness Reported in the U.S.

The Maryland Health Department reported the first known travel-related death by a rare tick-borne virus called Powassan on October 6. The traveler had been in Canada and were diagnosed in Maryland upon their return. It is the first-ever case recorded in Maryland, but Deputy Secretary for Maryland Public Health Services Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said there was no risk of local transmission. “As always, we urge everyone to practice good habits when in areas that could have ticks or avoid those areas altogether.”

Powassan is a rare but severe illness spread by infected ticks. The Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “Powassan virus belongs to a group of viruses that can cause infection of the brain (encephalitis) or the membranes around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).” It doesn’t spread from person to person through coughing, sneezing, or touching; rare instances of spread through blood transfusion are possible.

The United States witnesses only 25 cases of Powassan each year; it’s rare, but can be fatal. The CDC says that the number of cases in the U.S. have increased in recent years. Ticks that may transmit Powassan are most active in the northeast and Great Lakes regions from late-spring to mid-fall, so even if you’re not traveling outside of the country, you should be careful if you’re visiting these American regions.

In May, a Maine resident died from Powassan after developing neurological symptoms. The individual was likely infected in Maine and died in the hospital, the Maine CDC confirmed. Maine has detected 15 cases since 2015. The latest case was the third fatal incident in the state; two others died in 2022.

[Slim Cognito]

Well, crap!

[Volkonski]

Alaska confirms first fatal case of Alaskapox

https://nypost.com/2024/02/11/news/alas ... alaskapox/

An elderly immunocompromised man from the Kenai peninsula, south of Anchorage, died while undergoing treatment in late January, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

He is one of only seven reported Alaskapox infections, the Alaska Department of Public Health said in an announcement on Friday.

“People should not necessarily be concerned but more aware,” said Julia Rogers, a state epidemiologist. “So we’re hoping to make clinicians more aware of what Alaskapox virus is, so that they can identify signs and symptoms.”

The double-stranded-DNA virus, which comes from the same genus as smallpox, monkeypox and cowpox, was first identified in an adult in Fairbanks, Alaska in 2015. It is most common in small mammals, like voles shrews.

The fatal case, the first identified outside of Alaska’s interior, took months to diagnose, as Alaskapox cases had previously only shown mild symptoms in patients — typically a localized rash and swollen lymph nodes.

Other patients who had been diagnosed with the virus did not require treatment, but they all had healthy immune systems, health officials said.

Officials said the man’s immunocompromised condition likely contributed to his death. How he contracted the virus remains unclear.

The man lived alone in the woods and reported no recent travel. Officials said its possible that he could have gotten Alaskapox from a cat he lived with who frequently hunted small mammals and scratched him when his symptoms started.

[RTH10260]

As Putin is now claimin Alaska back, can we rename this critter to RussiaPox, please? From which lab in Moscow did it escape?

[Slim Cognito]

Change approved.

[Foggy]

Let's remember that Volkonski was the first to bring us the news about COVID-19.

[RTH10260]

The messenger survived - the news must not have been so bad

► Show Spoiler

and then again - the news came from Shinaaa - not from Greece

[RTH10260]

nearly new

Oregon officials confirm case of human bubonic plague, say it likely came from pet cat

Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
Mon, February 12, 2024 at 7:28 PM GMT+1·

Health officials in Central Oregon have confirmed a case of human bubonic plague and said they individual was was likely infected by a domestic house cat.

The unidentified infected person lives in Deschutes County and marks the state's first human case in just over eight years, Deschutes County Health Services officials announced in a news release.

Deschutes County is just under 200 miles southeast of Portland, the state's largest city.

“All close contacts of the resident and their pet have been contacted and provided medication to prevent illness,” Deschutes County Health Services Officer Dr. Richard Fawcett wrote the announcement released Wednesday.

The disease is spread through the air and contaminated food and the individual was likely infected by a pet cat that had developed symptoms, officials said.

This case was identified and the person was treated by doctors while "in the earlier stages of the disease, posing little risk to the community," officials said.



https://www.yahoo.com/news/oregon-offic ... 44024.html
(original: USA TODAY)

[Suranis]

Cats are extremely susceptible to Bubonic Plague. It's one reason why those that claim there was a huge cat massacre in the Middle ages and that caused Rats to Multiply and that lead to the black death are full of shit. Another reason is that the Huge Cat massacre never happened, and Terriers were actually used to hunt Rats in the Middle Ages, not Cats.

Sorry, I've had to argue with a few people about that recently.

Anyway, Cats probably helped spread the Black Death into some households after catching it from something they ate.

[Volkonski]

CDC Warns of Serious Global Health Threat for Louisiana, Texas

https://kpel965.com/cdc-warns-global-he ... m=referral

According to the CDC, Candida auris (C. auris) is "an emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat." The health agency's Mycotic Diseases Branch tracks the number of C. auris cases in the United States over time "to assess the impact of prevention strategies and inform public health practices."

More from their public health website, "In the United States, most cases of C. auris result from local spread within and among healthcare facilities in the same city or state. However, healthcare facilities should be on the lookout for new introductions of C. auris from patients who received healthcare elsewhere in the United States or abroad in areas with C. auris transmission."

Extremely Deadly ‘Drug-Resistant’ Superbug Spreading In New York

https://hudsonvalleypost.com/extremely- ... -new-york/

A deadly and drug-resistant superbug that kills around 60 percent of those infected is spreading again in New York State.

More confirmed cases are found in New York State than in most of America.

The CDC recently deemed Candida auris (C. auris) an "urgent threat" and remains worried about the spread of the deadly superbug.

"It is often resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, spreads easily in healthcare facilities, and can cause severe infections with high death rates," the CDC states.

[Slim Cognito]

Jeez, not this again.

[RTH10260]

Invermectin

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

Invermectin

Not an antifungal.

Not that that ever has stopped the quacks.

[RTH10260]

Reported from the UK, may be local to there

Edit: Note that is not new. The drug goes back to the 1970s. The resulting problems have been known for some time.
At issue is the UK handling of the events. They recently created a new parliamentary commission.

Foetal valproate spectrum disorder (FVSD)

article starts story-like, not good to quote, please read

The mothers fighting a scandal bigger than thalidomide: ‘We were told the medication was safe’
Since the 1970s, it has been known that sodium valproate can harm babies in the womb. So why was it prescribed to pregnant women?

Anna Moore
Thu 22 Feb 2024 06.00 CET

In 2009, Emma Murphy took a phone call from her sister that changed her life. “At first, I couldn’t make out what she was saying; she was crying so much,” Murphy says. “All I could hear was ‘Epilim’.” This was a brand name for sodium valproate, the medication Murphy had been taking since she was 12 to manage her epilepsy.

Her sister explained that a woman on the local news had claimed that taking the drug during her pregnancies had harmed her children. She was appealing for other women who might have experienced this to come forward.



https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... n-was-safe

[pipistrelle]

Reported from the UK, may be local to there

Foetal valproate spectrum disorder (FVSD)

article starts story-like, not good to quote, please read

The mothers fighting a scandal bigger than thalidomide: ‘We were told the medication was safe’
Since the 1970s, it has been known that sodium valproate can harm babies in the womb. So why was it prescribed to pregnant women?

Anna Moore
Thu 22 Feb 2024 06.00 CET

In 2009, Emma Murphy took a phone call from her sister that changed her life. “At first, I couldn’t make out what she was saying; she was crying so much,” Murphy says. “All I could hear was ‘Epilim’.” This was a brand name for sodium valproate, the medication Murphy had been taking since she was 12 to manage her epilepsy.

Her sister explained that a woman on the local news had claimed that taking the drug during her pregnancies had harmed her children. She was appealing for other women who might have experienced this to come forward.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... n-was-safe

The current labeling in the U.S. contraindicates for pregnant women or women who may become pregnant. Also from FDA: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-dr ... nformation

[RTH10260]

The current labeling in the U.S. contraindicates for pregnant women or women who may become pregnant. Also from FDA: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-dr ... nformation

The article mentions that back in the day (1970s) the producer Sanofi indicated that this medication should not be taken during pregnancy. The UK drug authorities suppressed that part. From the article: Next, they filed a lawsuit against Sanofi: “The drug company’s defence was that it had passed on all the relevant information. That case collapsed in 2010. More than 15 years of litigation for nothing.”

ps. added an Edit to above reporting.