Snip: A hospital patient died after receiving a unit of blood platelets tainted with E. coli bacteria, the Community Blood Center in Kansas City said. The Food and Drug Administration determined the transfusion, which took place Dec. 21, was a 'contributing factor' in the patient's death.
Shigella a danger in recreational water
Snip: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recreational water illnesses can spread quickly in swimming pools that aren’t properly maintained. Serious diseases caused by such bacteria as cryptospordidum, giardia, E. coli and shigella can be contracted by ingesting water contaminated with fecal matter. While symptoms can be as minor as diarrhea or skin, ear or eye infections, these illnesses can be fatal in people with weak immune systems.
Florida woman tests positive for rabies
Snip: Health officials said that the woman was bitten by a raccoon in the stairwell of an apartment complex at 425 SE 11th Terrace in Dania Beach. The raccoon was trapped and taken to the Health Department by an Animal Care officer, where the tests confirmed it had rabies.
Gloucester seeing spike in rabies cases
Snip: A fox that was killed by a shipyard worker last week after an attack has tested positive for rabies. In just over a week there have been seven incidents in Gloucester that are believed to have involved rabid wild animals.
Catawba County sees 6th confirmed rabies case
Snip: Catawba County recorded its sixth rabies case this week. On July 19, a skunk entered a fenced kennel that held two dogs at a residence on the Hickory-Lincolnton Highway in the Vale community. One of the dogs killed the skunk and both dogs were exposed. The skunk tested positive on Monday for rabies.
Bat with rabies found in Arlington pool
Snip: Arlington County public health officials announced Tuesday, July 25, 2006, that a bat found in north Arlington has tested positive for rabies. A patron found the bat in the Donaldson Run Recreation Association swimming pool, off Macy Road. It was removed and tested by the State Laboratory. Environmental Health Bureau Chief, Glen Ruthford assures, "Our investigation is finished, and fortunately, we determined that there were no known human exposures to this bat infected with rabies."
Listing of latest cases of Norovirus
Food handler tests positive for Hepatitis A at Nags Head restaurant
TB tests in for Olive Garden employees
Persistent Homeland Security problems at Agriculture
Snip: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has failed two straight audits over its unsafe handling of highly toxic agents at the same time the agency is distributing a detailed Homeland Security “checklist” to farmers, ranchers and dairy operators, according to agency documents released today by Sinapu and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
New UV gun takes aim at meth users
Snip: A new "meth gun," in development by Maryland-based CDEX, enables police to use ultraviolet light to detect trace amounts of chemicals left by methamphetamines and other illegal drugs.
There were 12,139 total meth incidents in 2005, according to the National Clandestine Laboratory Database. CDEX recently filed a patent application to prepare the device for use in the "Homeland Security market," according to Wade Poteet, a principal scientist working in CDEX's Tucson, Ariz.-based research lab.
Need a double shot of antibiotics with my coffee this morning after reading that post. :-)