Charting the extinction of the human race. This blog is dedicated to pathogens, public health and social progress.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
- … I read up on the latest infectious diseases outbreaks on ProMed,
- … I explain what public health is to friends, family, and the occasional stranger, and
- … I play rousing games of Pandemic with my equally nerdy public health friends.
Among other things of course :)
It’s like DisneyWorld!
pick-things-up-put-things-down:
The real john snow knows a lot (most people wont get this)
In mBio, researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) report they have identified a novel mechanism that a particular superbug uses to fend off a key front-line antibiotic called daptomycin. The superbug often affects critically ill patients.
This information is helping investigators identify compounds to knock out a mechanism of resistance in order to “disarm” the superbug.
Primary source: mBio
Dengue Fever Pops Up In Florida
Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness, is back in Florida.
A handful of cases have been confirmed in in the past week. The cases there prompted a public health alert. Another , where officials issued a mosquito-borne disease advisory.
Dengue was commonplace in Florida until the 1930s. Air conditioning, window screens and better mosquito control helped break the dengue cycle.
But in 2009, things changed. A dengue outbreak in sickened at least 28 people. Investigators found that about 5 percent of 240 people they tested around Key West showed signs of having been infected by the virus that causes dengue.
Dengue is marked by fever, headache and pain in muscles, joints and bones. The illness can be excruciating. But infections can also be mild. Those can go overlooked or be confused with the flu. A blood test can conclusively diagnose dengue.
Since the Key West outbreak, doctors and public officials in the state have been on guard.
“We have better surveillance,” says , interim state epidemiologist at the Florida Department of Health. “We believe we’re picking up dengue that was occurring.”
Earlier this year, a scientific paper suggested that dengue cases have been .
Florida officials said people should wear mosquito repellent, protective clothing and be on the lookout for standing water around their homes. Draining it can keep mosquitoes from breeding.
The location of cases is also helping guide mosquito control efforts, Blackmore tells Shots. It’s one reason that people who are suspected of dengue should be tested.
(From Shots: Health News from NPR)
An Aedes aegypti mosquito, a common carrier of the virus that causes dengue fever.
FUCK YES
There’s ‘black comedy’ and then there’s M*A*S*H.
Got to love M*A*S*H
When I read about the measles outbreak in TX
1969
the only thing that’s changed since then is the quality of photos
reblogging for comment
CLOTHING LIFE HACKS
