Sunday FYI
Posted by Michelle Moquin on March 17th, 2013
Good morning!
Antibiotic Resistance Poses ‘Catastrophic Threat’ To Medicine, Says Britain’s Top Health Official
FROM REUTERS:
By Kate Kelland
LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) – Antibiotic resistance poses a catastrophic threat to medicine and could mean patients having minor surgery risk dying from infections that can no longer be treated, Britain’s top health official said on Monday.
Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England, said global action is needed to fight antibiotic, or antimicrobial, resistance and fill a drug “discovery void” by researching and developing new medicines to treat emerging, mutating infections.
Only a handful of new antibiotics have been developed and brought to market in the past few decades, and it is a race against time to find more, as bacterial infections increasingly evolve into “superbugs” resistant to existing drugs.
“Antimicrobial resistance poses a catastrophic threat. If we don’t act now, any one of us could go into hospital in 20 years for minor surgery and die because of an ordinary infection that can’t be treated by antibiotics,” Davies told reporters as she published a report on infectious disease.
“And routine operations like hip replacements or organ transplants could be deadly because of the risk of infection.”
One of the best known superbugs, MRSA, is alone estimated to kill around 19,000 people every year in the United States – far more than HIV and AIDS – and a similar number in Europe.
And others are spreading. Cases of totally drug resistant tuberculosis have appeared in recent years and a new wave of “super superbugs” with a mutation called NDM 1, which first emerged in India, has now turned up all over the world, from Britain to New Zealand.
Last year the WHO said untreatable superbug strains of gonorrhoea were spreading across the world.
Laura Piddock, a professor of microbiology at Birmingham University and director of the campaign group Antibiotic Action, welcomed Davies’ efforts to raise awareness of the problem.
“There are an increasing number of infections for which there are virtually no therapeutic options, and we desperately need new discovery, research and development,” she said.
Davies called on governments and organisations across the world, including the World Health Organisation and the G8, to take the threat seriously and work to encourage more innovation and investment into the development of antibiotics.
“Over the past two decades there has been a discovery void around antibiotics, meaning diseases have evolved faster than the drugs to treat them,” she said.
Davies called for more cooperation between the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries to preserve the existing arsenal of antibiotics, and more focus on developing new ones.
Increasing surveillance to keep track of drug-resistant superbugs, prescribing fewer antibiotics and making sure they are only prescribed when needed, and ensuring better hygiene to keep infections to a minimum were equally important, she said.
Nigel Brown, president of the Society for General Microbiology, agreed the issues demanded urgent action and said its members would work hard to better understand infectious diseases, reduce transmission of antibiotic resistance, and help develop new antibiotics.
“The techniques of microbiology and new developments such as synthetic biology will be crucial in achieving this,” he said. (Editing by Jason Webb)
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March 17th, 2013 at 11:33 am
New Grapefruit Alert
Most doctors have long known that patients shouldn’t consume grapefruit when taking certain drugs—including statins.
Now:
A report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has found that as new drugs hit the market, the number that interact with grapefruit is increasing.
Recent examples:
Rivaroxaban (Xarelto) for treating deep vein thrombosis…and fesoterodine (Toviaz) for overactive bladder.
The danger is real. Patients who eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while taking some medications can suffer from kidney damage, suppressed immunity, gastrointestinal bleeding and even sudden death.
Grapefruit contains the chemical compound furanocoumarin, which can inhibit the normal breakdown of some drugs, leading to possible overdoses.
Example:
Blood levels of felodipine (Plendil), a blood pressure drug, can triple when patients eat just one grapefruit. Other drugs that may interact include calcium channel blockers, such as nifedipine (Procardia)…and benzodiazepine sedatives, such as diazepam (Valium).
Not all drugs have grapefruit warnings on the package insert. To be safe…
Ask your doctor if it’s problematic to take your medications with grapefruit. If he/she isn’t sure, consult http://www.PDRHealth.com, advises Robert S. Gold, RPh, author of Are Your Meds Making You Sick? (Hunter House). The effects of grapefruit can last for 24 hours or longer.
Consider your age.
Adults age 70 or older tend to have stronger grapefruit–medication interactions.
Be wary of other citrus fruits, including Seville oranges (often used in marmalades), limes and pomelos, which pose the same risks. Navel and Valencia oranges are safe.
Source: Rebecca Shannonhouse, editor of Bottom Line/Health.
March 17th, 2013 at 11:37 am
Sit back, have a couple of cocktails and $TFU. Nobody wants to hear these horror stories. The medical community created the problem by over-prescribing antibiotics, let them fix it.
March 17th, 2013 at 11:38 am
I wonder if this had anything to do with the $200 that my local pharmacy was trying to charge me for a diaper rash cream for my kid…
March 17th, 2013 at 11:47 am
I live in Hawaii where “superbugs” are rampant. Hawaii has the highest MRSA infections in the nation, double the national average.
A small hospital on the NE side of Oahu sees 2-3 human MRSA cases in just 1 ER shift. The State’s excuse is there is no $$$. There is also no reporting protocol.
In November 2011 I took my healthy dog to the Vet. He was given a drug (even though an earlier blood test showed he could not tolerate) that caused a side effect – skin lesions.
The lesions got infected and spread but rather than applying the appropriate diagnostic techniques and exercising judicious antibiotic use, the Vet prescribed 4 different antibiotics.
Because of this, he developed 5 Multi Resistant infections (MRSS, STREP GROUP A, PSEUDOMONAS, ESCHERICHIA COLI, KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE). Five months later, he had to be put down.
Both the MRSS and STREP were found to be RESISTANT to ALL antibiotics. During the 5 months, of care, the Vet/Clinic told us that there was no need to take any extra precautions (NO gloves or gowns needed when treating the dog) and they even had us stay in the waiting room with other humans and animals AFTER he was diagnosed. The Vet actually took a culture while we were sitting in the waiting room!
Despite all 5 bacteria, they insisted he was NOT contagious. (I did try to find another vet but each one I contacted refused to see my dog and said they did not want to get involved…)
I contacted every organization (both State & private), even contacted the Dept. of Health, the Hawaii Vet Board, the State Vet and even the Federal Vet and OSHA. No one felt it was in the least bit important. There was no concern about the public’s health and the companion animal population.
Ironically, when I tried to inform the public concerning Multi Resistant infections and pets, I was threatened with a lawsuit by the Animal Clinic.
Indiscriminate antibiotic use in veterinary medicine poses significant human health implications. We need to focus on prudent use of antibiotics NOW not later.
March 17th, 2013 at 11:49 am
There is no profit in antibiotics or any other drug that actually cures people since they won’t have to keep taking the pills for the rest of their lives.
We can’t rely on Big Pharma to develop antibiotics or protect our health: that is up to our government. We had better redirect government funding in that direction while there is still time.
March 17th, 2013 at 11:53 am
You’d think that after all these years…..
…of the proof of antibiotic resistance and the Dept. of Ag still allows farmers to put into livestock feed. Not to mention the 90,400+ endocrine mimicking compounds, the pesticides the GMO’s, and other deadly ”cures” they call medicine that science has created and the FDA allowed onto the market without the slightest idea nor concern of its affects — that we’d finally figure out that it ain’t a ”threat” anymore.
– It’s a reality and apparently no one in government (anyone that matters anyway) gives a shit how many of us die…..
Wake up. – K&R.
March 17th, 2013 at 11:56 am
My child suffers from an ear infection that continues to come back. I found this link http://on.aol.com/video/antibiotic-resistant-ear-infections-252526875?icid=video_related_9
It was a big help. If you have a child check this out.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
There is a safe and viable alternative “Colloidal silver” Would be and should be the first line defense before they administer antibiotics.
Making more and new antibiotics and not regulating the use of them will only serve to keep us in the same situation. But big pharma would rather you believe that you need their products to cure or arrest the problem.
Colloidal silver threatens their money making business. Do your own research and you will see.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Let’s not forget that rampant use of antibiotics in livestock is a major source of resistant bacteria.
…..and, yes, the human race is way above sustainable levels, in spite of Perpetual War Inc. = USA
March 17th, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Maybe corporations should stop feeding their food animals (pigs, beef, chickens, etc) antibiotics in all their food. Maybe we should get off this “Patients are asking for antibiotics frivolously” excuse.
Tell Sift, Armour, Perdue and all the other big meat producers to clean up their act and get rid of the antibiotics and hormones they feed our beef, chicken and pork. Maybe then this antibiotic resistance can decrease. Do NOT blame it on the consumers!
March 17th, 2013 at 12:03 pm
This is all caused by Obamacare.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:04 pm
And yet, given that this has been common knowledge for a while now, the drug companies (profit over people) develope a vaccine for the chicken pox and ultimately REQUIRE school age entering children get it.
This vaccine leads to shingles and many are still unaware that the shingles outbreak is caused by this vaccine.
Don’t worry though, before many can catch on, the shingles vaccine was already lying in waiting because they knew what we couldn’t…how long ago? It sickens me.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:05 pm
I am quite surprised they didn’t mention the catastrophic effects of routinely administering antibiotics to livestock.
If we treated livestock better – fed them grass instead of corn, provided ample room and sanitary conditions – they would not require prophylactic antibiotics.
But a story about antibiotic resistance that doesn’t address this piece of the puzzle is really not well written.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Vickie, your post isn’t accurate. The shingles vaccine does NOT cause shingles. The chicken pox virus causes shingles. If someone had chicken pox at any time during their life, they have a 1 in 3 chance of getting shingles later in life.
There is a theory that if you once had chicken pox, your immunity to it is boosted every time you come into contact with someone who has chicken pox, and that will increase your immunity to shingles, too.
The theory continues: More older adults (who had chicken pox as kids) are getting shingles because they aren’t coming into contact with kids with chicken pox, because the kids don’t get it, because they’ve been vaccinated. But to say that the chicken pox vaccine is the cause of shingles is wrong.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:11 pm
Maddie, there isn’t enough grassland to feed the numbers of animals routinely raised for meat, nor is there enough land for the numbers of meat animals to continue to roam comfortably until they reach market weight. “Corn-fed” in feedlots is a necessity in a world with a huge hunger for beef. That is unlikely to change.
Having said that, antibiotic use isn’t just prophylactic against infection. It causes animals to bulk up faster, and build up muscle mass. It is used as a weight-gain agent as well as to head off infections.
And yes, you are right about one thing — it is the main source of antibiotic resistance in the world. Not from eating the meat, but the fact that the animals harbor antibiotic resistant bacteria, which are shed and swap resistance genes to soil bacteria, which trade them around everywhere.
Bacteria are very happy to swap genes freely between ecosystems and species, and a beneficial gene will be carried widely beyond where it first appears.
Having a huge breeding ground where antibiotic resistance is beneficial and under constant selective pressure is a disaster for us.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Ironically, a worldwide plague could save life on earth, because the sudden decrease in population would halt CO2 emissions which would stop the warming of the atmosphere.
This would avert the mass extinction event taking place within the next 1,000 years which would be more thorough.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
Yoki#14 – WRONG! But like I said, most don’t know. The VACCINE CAUSED shingles to kick off inside a child and I heard with my own ears the doctor explain why.
It wasn’t more then 6 months after that the shingles vaccine came out….shingles wasn’t that prevelant before the varicella vaccine.
I won’t try and convince you though, I learned long ago people prefer to believe main stream media.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:15 pm
It’s also interesting that prior to Obamacare, American hospitals were not required to track and report the number of incidents of hospital-acquired infections. There is a likelihood that it is even more widespread than we know.
March 17th, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Me, I just want to get laid without having to worry that I may contact something that could kill me. My grandparents only had to worry about getting a dose.
Today, we have one lethal or no cure disease after another as a punishment for not be careful enough during the pleasure phase.
I’m living with three relatives who have cancer, AIDS, or herpes. All were gotten from a sex partner. I’m wondering if the pleasure is worth the punishment.
March 17th, 2013 at 9:13 pm
How do you get cancer from a sex partner?
March 17th, 2013 at 10:28 pm
Ever heard of clamidia? It causes cervical cancer in women later in life.
—————————————
A bacterium which causes a common sexually transmitted disease has been linked to an increased risk of cervical cancer.
Chlamydia trachomatis is the cause of more sexually transmitted diseases in the UK than any other organism.
In 1999 there were 24,311 known new infections in men and 32,544 in women.
However, in many cases the bacterium does not cause any symptoms, and so the actual number of people infected is likely to be up to 90% higher.
If untreated, Chlamydia can lead to sterility in women.
Now Finnish scientists have produced evidence that it might also trigger cervical cancer.
G strain
They found that women infected with a strain of the bacterium, known as serotype G, are nearly seven times more likely to develop cervical cancer.
Two other strains increased the risk of the disease by nearly four-fold and three-fold.
Women infected with more than one strain of Chlamydia were at an even higher risk.
The researchers were led by Dr Tarja Anttila from the National Public Health Institute in Oulu, Finland, and Dr Jorma Paavonen, from the University of Helsinki.
They analysed the results of blood tests taken from 530,000 women in Finland, Norway and Sweden.
They then focused on 128 women who developed severe cervical cancer at least 12 months after donating a sample.
It has long been known that cervical cancer is linked to sexually transmitted infection.
The primary agent involved is thought to be the human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes genital warts.
But the new findings suggest that Chlamydia also plays a significant role.
Britain, in common with other western countries, is undergoing a Chlamydia epidemic.
Infection rate soars
According to the Public Health Laboratory Service, the number of diagnosed infections has soared by 76% since 1995.
There was a 14% increase in infections between 1998 and 1999.
Infection rates in 1999 were highest in London, where they reached 155 per 100,000 men and 184 per 100,000 women. But doctors believe the number of known infections represent only about 10% of all cases.
For women, the long-term effects of Chlamydia infection can be severe, including pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at the Cancer Research Campaign, said: “Most current studies tend to suggest that sexually transmitted infections other than HPV are not linked with cervical cancer
“This report may mean that we need to revisit this area, and look very carefully to see if on-going Chlamydia infection has any influence on an individual’s ability to fight off HPV infection.”
A spokesman for the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) said: “It is very important that people understand that Chlamydia is associated with all sorts of long term side effects.
“That is why using a condom, particularly with a new or casual sexual partner, is very important.”
Mike Catchpole, an expert in sexually transmitted diseases from the PHLS, said the findings strengthened the case for widespread screening for Chlamydia infection.
At present, only those patients who attend STD clinics are screened. However, the Department of Health is currently undertaking a pilot project offering screening to all patients who attend a GP surgery.
The research is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
———————————
Men don’t usually have any symptoms. Women just a little vagina irritation. If left untreated, the bacteria goes dormant but returns and causes cancer of the cervix for the woman.
March 17th, 2013 at 11:46 pm
I have been reading this blog for almost 4 years. And I am continually surprised by those on this blog that are surprised by something seemingly incomprehensible done by the Right or the republican party.
They discriminate against every group imaginable. Of course, doing it against the OTWs(really love that designation) is normal we have been discriminating against them since the landing and we discovered the land occupied by the American Indian.
Actually we whites don’t get upset until we start turning all that hate against our own. Sure, some of the LGBT, are OTWs, but it is the whites of the group being discriminated against that we are really upset about.
Why whites write in seemingly incredulously that the Right and republicans could be that insensitive and cruel to others is beyond logic.
After all our race, the American White Man, has been discriminating since before the beginning of our nation. We hold the distinction as the longest running enslavers, and bigots of the modern era.
Discriminating comes so natural to the American white male that even our women find it acceptable. We find a reason to discriminate against anything we see a profit possibility in.
As politicians we seek to secure an election by appealing to the baser belief that the color of our skins makes us superior to others. That same arrogance assures us the color of our skins makes us the more moral of the races and that what we think is the correct moral choice is God’s also.
Why then should we be surprised when we become the targets of our fellow whites when they find reason to hate and despise us for not holding the same beliefs the “elite” of them do?
If we believe a woman should be equal in all ways, or that anyone is entitled to marry whom they choose, we should expect our brethren to fall upon us with venom and hate. As a race who used the law to enforce our will against various marriages for hundreds of years why the surprise that we would use the law to deny gays the right to their choice of marriage partners?
When we as a race have used the law to enforce our sexual desires upon the OTWs and to sterilize them or force them to accept any cockamamie idea we could think up, why are we now surprised when we turn that same bias towards those of us who want to practice abortion or birth control?
Those of us who find it so disturbing to be the object of that anger, vitriol, and enacted laws to insure their way, had no such disturbing feelings when we were doing it to the OTWs.
Ah, that old canard – if you do not object when they come for your neighbor, who will be there to object when they come for you – rises to bite us in the ass.
So, while we benignly looked the other way when those of our race gerrymandered the electorate to prevent the OTWs from having just representation, we are surprised to discover those same criminals now do the same to us.
Yes, while we looked the other way while we used the law and every dirty trick to prevent the OTWs from voting, we are now surprised to find them now doing the same thing to us, fellow whites.
Yes, while we were content to allow them to keep the bulk of the wealth to our race, now we have awaken to discover they have kept even more from the majority of us whites, too. So now there is almost no middle class(white america).
Yes, as white americans we were content to allow a portion of our race to ensure that we as a race had 95% of the pot. Now that they have taken 98% of that pot for 1% of our race, we cry FOUL!
Not because of what we have been doing to the OTWs of the country, but because now we too are among the victims of greed.
Ironic, you think?
March 18th, 2013 at 2:18 am
Edan, well spoken. Thank you.
W/
March 18th, 2013 at 8:00 am
this is disgusting and typical, typical, typical!!
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/bible-satan-obama-lookalikes-photo-429343