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Posted on 02/21/2013 6:00:17 PM PST by NoLibZone
Public health officials have launched a new, coordinated effort to contain a persistent outbreak of tuberculosis in downtown L.A.’s skid row, including searching for more than 4,500 people who may have been exposed to the disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have dispatched scientists to Los Angeles to help local health officials figure out why the disease is spreading and how to stop it.
Nearly 80 tuberculosis cases have been identified and 11 people have died since 2007, most of them homeless people who live in and around skid row.
Scientists have recently linked the outbreak to one tuberculosis strain that is unique to Los Angeles, with a few isolated cases outside the area.
“This is the largest outbreak in a decade,” said Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “We are really putting all of our resources into this.”
Health workers have identified about 4,650 people who probably were exposed and are trying to track them down for testing and treatment. Local and federal officials are particularly concerned because the cases are all linked to one relatively small geographic area and one vulnerable population. Officials are worried the outbreak could spread beyond skid row if action isn’t taken.
Homeless people are especially at risk of getting tuberculosis and of being undiagnosed because they tend to have poor hygiene and nutrition, limited access to healthcare and ongoing contact with infected people. Transmission of the airborne disease is also common because they tend to live in overcrowded areas and to continually move among hospitals, shelters and the streets. Many homeless people also have substance abuse or mental health issues that can impede treatment.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
Dude, it’s a bacterium.
One can only hope that each and every Liberal politician directly experiences a non-treatable form of "Diversity!"
Ain’t multiculturalism grand?
Homeless people have been TB carriers since, well, forever. Why the knee-jerk reaction to this story now?
One word “Federal effort “
I am just now recovering from a bronchial and sinus infection. The first two antibiotics seemed to have no effect. Finally one called Doxycyline or something similar seems to have worked.
Soon there may not be one which does.
Yeah, let’s let illegal aliens come in and re-introduce diseases that were erradicated in the U.S. years ago. maybe all of the Congresspeople should send their children to school with the illegal aliens so they could catch some of the diversity.
With “Federal Effort,” we’ll all have it in six months.
Go look! You have eyes to see. Plus the non-treatable form of TB originates outside the U.S.A. in Third World countries. Lastly, I’m becoming hard having recovered from an excess of pity for those that are ruining our country such as Illegals and their SYMPATHIZERS, ENABLERS and EXCUSERS. The latter three can drop dead as there is no longer room for discussion, debate, a place at the table, different points of view and lastly we are all a nation of immigrants. It is true we are a nation of immigrants-European not THIRD WORLD!
TB spreads after spending several hours breathing the same air as folks with TB. Casual contact simply doesn’t have much to do with that fact.
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Possibly. And possibly not. You don't know.
“dispatched scientists to Los Angeles to help local health officials figure out why the disease is spreading and how to stop it.”
Illegal aliens. Close the damned borders.
off sarcasm.
Open Borders bites back
“Most of the patients are male and about 20% are also HIV positive...”
A lot of the resurgence of TB can be traced to AIDS patients, who make an ideal Petri dish for disease.
On the plus side, almost all the TB appearing in America is the “ordinary” kind, which you can tell from the response.
If it is drug resistant (DR-TB), it will still get a normal response. But multiple drug resistant (MDR-TB) means being institutionalized in quarantine with a high probability of death. Extremely drug resistant (XDR-TB) means that mortality approaches 100%, and quarantined until death.
Twice now there have been outbreaks of totally drug resistant (TDR-TB), but everyone infected died too quickly for it to spread beyond a limited number of people.
Used to be immigrants were screened before they could join the general population.. but we are so much more intelligent now..we just let them wander our streets with all their 3rd world diseases..
“Yeah, let’s let illegal aliens come in and re-introduce diseases that were erradicated in the U.S. years ago. maybe all of the Congresspeople should send their children to school with the illegal aliens so they could catch some of the diversity.”
And don’t forget the always accepted AIDS/HIV folks(because gay lifestyles are normal, dontcha know) with compromised immune systems that are likely suspects too.
Most drug resistant TB does come from overseas, especially Asia. The run-of-the-mill antibiotics are cheaply made and can be bought on the black market.
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