The Latest On The E. Coli Outbreak
Posted by Michelle Moquin on June 3rd, 2011
E. Coli Outbreak Caused By New Strain: WHO
An alarmingly large number of victims – about 500 – have developed kidney complications that can be deadly.
Chinese and German scientists analyzed the DNA of the E. coli bacteria and determined that the outbreak was caused by “an entirely new, super-toxic” strain that contains several antibiotic-resistant genes, according to a statement from the Shenzhen, China-based laboratory BGI. It said the strain appeared to be a combination of two types of E. coli.
“This is a unique strain that has never been isolated from patients before,” Hilde Kruse, a food safety expert at the World Health Organization, told The Associated Press. The new strain has “various characteristics that make it more virulent and toxin-producing” than the many E. coli strains people naturally carry in their intestines.
However, Dr. Robert Tauxe, a foodborne-disease expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, questioned whether the strain is truly new, saying it had previously caused a single case in Korea in the 1990s. He said genetic fingerprints may vary from specimen to specimen, but that is not necessarily enough to constitute a new strain.
“Though it appears to have been around awhile, it hasn’t called attention to itself as a major public health problem before,” Tauxe said.
Elsewhere in Europe, Russia extended a ban on vegetables from Spain and Germany to the entire European Union to try to stop the outbreak spreading east, a move the EU quickly called disproportionate and Italy’s farmers denounced as “absurd.” No deaths or infections have been reported in Russia.
In Hamburg, Philipp, a 29-year-old photojournalist, was hospitalized on Monday after falling ill. He would not provide his last name because he did not want people to know he had the E. coli strain.
After suffering from stomach aches and bloody stools, he developed neurological symptoms and couldn’t feel his left arm or leg. Despite three blood plasma transfusions to wash the toxins out of his blood, he hasn’t improved.
Philipp said he recalls eating some vegetables the night before he got sick.
Some scientists suspect the deadly E. coli might have been in manure used to fertilize vegetables.
Kruse said it is not uncommon for bacteria to evolve and swap genes. It is difficult to explain where the new strain came from, she said, but bacteria from humans and animals easily trade genes.
Previous E. coli outbreaks have mainly hit children and the elderly, but this one is disproportionately affecting adults, especially women. Kruse said there might be something particular about the bacteria strain that makes it more dangerous for adults. Other experts said women tend to eat more produce.
Nearly all the sick either live in Germany or recently traveled there. British officials announced four new cases, including three Britons who recently visited Germany and a German on vacation in England.
The WHO recommends that to avoid food-borne illnesses, people wash their hands, keep raw meat separate from other foods, thoroughly cook their food, and wash fruits and vegetables, especially if eaten raw. Experts also recommend peeling raw fruits and vegetables if possible.
The fact that the strain may be new may have complicated the response to the outbreak.
“Officials may not have had the correct tests to detect it, which may explain the initial delay in reporting,” said Paul Hunter, a professor of health protection at the University of East Anglia in England.
He said the number of new cases would probably slow to a trickle in the next few days. The incubation period for this type of E. coli is about three to eight days. “Salads have a relatively short shelf life and it’s likely the contaminated food would have been consumed in one to two weeks,” Hunter said.
But Hunter warned the outbreak could continue if there is secondary transmission of the disease, which often happens when children are infected. E. coli is present in feces and can be spread by sloppy bathroom habits, such as failure to wash one’s hands.
Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero slammed the European Commission and Germany for singling out the country’s produce early on as a possible source of the outbreak, and said the government would demand “conclusive explanations and sufficient reparations.”
Spanish farmers say the accusations have devastated their credibility and exports. In Valencia, protesting farmers dumped some 300 kilos (700 pounds) of fruit and vegetables – cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other produce – outside the German consulate.
The outbreak is already considered the third-largest involving E. coli in recent world history, and it may be the deadliest. Twelve people died in a 1996 Japanese outbreak that reportedly sickened more than 9,000, and seven died in a Canadian outbreak in 2000.
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Grieshaber reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers Gabriele Steinhauser in Brussels, Ciaran Giles in Madrid, Karel Janicek in Prague, Adam Schreck in Dubai, Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow and AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe contributed to this report.
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Readers: Let’s all please send our best to Evelyn.
Hey ZL: Yeah it has been awhile. Let’s try and talk this weekend.
iOke: My pleasure. Let me know how it goes.
Bari’ah: It is very shameful and sad. And it happens all of the time. I used to get angry and frustrated with Madaline when she talked of eliminating the men as a solution. Now I understand Maddie’s point, and my anger and frustration are only with the men, the perpetrators who perpetuate this evil that they do to women.
It’s Friday…start flapping your lips. Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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June 3rd, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Hi Mischa, quiet today : )
Hope Evelyn and babies are coming through this alright.
I’ll try you on da phone at some point and you can try me when it’s convenient, we’ll connect somewhere in there : )
Luv, Zen Lill
June 3rd, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Just so you know. the Europeans are notoriously known to be filthy.
June 3rd, 2011 at 7:34 pm
What Your Pulse Tells You About Your Health
Leon Hammer, MD
In modern medicine, the most important diagnostic tools are increasingly high-tech, such as computed tomography (CT) scans and sophisticated genetic testing.
An underutilized method for diagnosing illness: In Chinese Medicine (CM), the 5,000-year-old system of natural healing, the most important diagnostic tool is taking the patient’s pulse. Healers in other ancient cultures — India, Persia and Egypt, for example — also use pulse diagnosis.
THE NORMAL PULSE
According to CM, a normal pulse has several detectable features including a consistent rhythm (regularity)… a rate (fast or slow) that is consistent with the person’s age (a child’s pulse is usually faster than an adult’s, for example)… and qualities (such as strength or intensity) that are stable over time.
To a practitioner trained in pulse diagnosis, there are many possible deviations from a normal pulse.* The practitioner checks the pulse at 40 different positions on the radial (main) artery on the wrist.
Each site represents the functioning of specific organs, such as the brain, heart, lungs, liver, stomach, kidneys and intestinal tract.
Learning to take a pulse in CM involves far more than counting beats per minute. A comprehensive Chinese pulse examination typically takes 15 to 45 minutes longer than the pulse check done by a Western medicine practitioner.
But even for a layperson, being aware of subtleties in your own pulse may reveal significant facts about your health.
Important: The following pulse characteristics and associated health conditions are general guidelines and should not be used for self-diagnosis.
A CM pulse diagnosis practitioner does not consider one pulse characteristic alone, but instead evaluates the findings for multiple pulse sites when assessing the health of a patient.
LEARNING ABOUT YOUR PULSE
To become familiar with your pulse, put three fingers (index, middle and ring) of the opposite hand along the radial artery in the wrist (where the most accessible and distinct pulse is located). For one minute, count the beats using a watch. For another minute or two, feel the quality of the pulse (see descriptions that follow).
Important: Before taking your pulse, avoid factors that can affect it — for example, take it at least 90 minutes after a large meal (especially one high in fat)… a few hours after drinking coffee or tea… and an hour or two after exercise.
Also, avoid taking it when you are very tired, hungry or upset. Before beginning, sit quietly for five minutes. See a doctor if any of the following characteristics are present…
Irregular rhythm or rate. A pulse that misses beats or speeds up or slows down may signal a potentially serious illness, such as heart disease.
Fast. A pulse rate that is consistently 90 beats per minute or higher at rest — especially one that is consistently above 100 — could be a sign of imbalance, such as a heart problem or hidden infection.
Weak. You should be able to feel the pulse by pressing down gently. If you must press down hard to find it, your qi (or life force) is probably low — according to CM, this may make you vulnerable to a serious illness in the near future.
See your medical doctor or a holistic health practitioner for advice on lifestyle changes that may help restore your energy, such as getting more sleep.
Too strong. A pulse that is pounding particularly hard may indicate a variety of conditions, such as high blood pressure or anxiety.
IS A SLOW PULSE HEALTHIER?
Many health experts recommend regular, aerobic exercise such as running as a way to produce a resting pulse rate under 60 beats per minute — believing that a slow pulse is a sign of a well-conditioned, healthy heart.
Surprising: CM has a different perspective — a “slow” pulse means a lack of force and is a sign of deficient circulation of heart qi, making the body more susceptible to disease, particularly arthritis, cancer, circulatory disorders, anxiety and panic, sleep disorders and chronic fatigue syndrome.
The circulatory system is crucial to good health because it carries essential nutrients to every cell in the body and removes cellular waste products.
The CM perspective: A runner or other intense exerciser may become addicted to a heightened feeling of aliveness from increased circulation but over time must run farther and farther (or exercise harder and harder) to achieve the same experience. Every time the person runs too far or exercises too hard, he depletes heart qi — and becomes weaker and weaker.
Gradually, he/she becomes easily fatigued and tired and has muscle and joint pain, insomnia and mood swings.
Example: The tennis player Björn Borg reduced his pulse rate to 29 beats per minute — then collapsed and quit tennis at age 26.
Best: Walking generally is the safest aerobic activity.
THE CM WAY
The goal of Chinese Medicine (CM) is to balance “qi” (pronounced “chee,” the universal energy or life force that flows throughout the body). A person with consistently balanced qi — adequate amounts moving in predictable, rhythmic patterns — is generally healthy and happy. If qi is insufficient or blocked, disease and sadness will likely result.
An experienced practitioner of CM pays close attention to many features of the individual to determine his/her state of qi.
In addition to touching the wrist and feeling the patient’s pulse, the practitioner may look at the person’s tongue (shape, color and coating)…and inquire about his lifestyle, including diet and sleep.
Primarily a preventive discipline, especially through pulse diagnosis, CM detects disturbances in the qi at the earliest possible stage — ideally, before disease develops —
and restores balance through such methods as a whole-food diet, gentle exercise, acupuncture and herbal formulations.
*To find a practitioner of pulse diagnosis, consult the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, http://www.aaaomonline.org, 866-455-7999, or the Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine, http://www.dragonrises.org, 800-606-6685, and click on the link “Teachers Certified by DRS — Dragon Rises Seminars.”
Bottom Line/Health interviewed Leon Hammer, MD, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who has studied, practiced and taught Chinese Medicine for 38 years.
He is chairman of the governing board and teaches at the Gainesville, Florida–based Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine, http://www.dragonrises.edu, one of 49 accredited acupuncture colleges in the US. Dr. Hammer is the author of several books, including Chinese Pulse Diagnosis: A Contemporary Approach (Eastland).
June 3rd, 2011 at 7:56 pm
God, I hope Evelyn is doing better. Ruth you both are in my prayers.
June 4th, 2011 at 8:49 am
Irene #2:
How could you believe and then write such a comment? That is such a narrow minded, untrue and bigoted comment. Do you think you are cleaner than people living in Europe? NONSENSE!
HOWIE