Eight cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in Washington state
From Global News: Eight of nine children hospitalized in Washington state for a polio-like illness have a rare syndrome that causes varying degrees of limb weakness, state health officials confirmed on Friday. The eight cases from five counties in the state were determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be acute flaccid myelitis, also known as AFM, which affects the nervous system and specifically the spinal cord. State officials said...
Lab testing confirms new Lyme-related bacteria discovered in three BC ticks
News Release BC Centre for Disease Control November 7, 2016 For Immediate Release Vancouver – The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) confirm three ticks collected in British Columbia since June have tested positive for a new species of bacteria closely related to Borrelia mayonii (B. mayonii). “This is a rare discovery which highlights that our tick surveillance program is working at both a local...
Ebola virus mutation made the epidemic more deadly
The Ebola epidemic that tore through West Africa in 2014 claimed 11,310 lives, far more than any previous outbreak. A combination of factors contributed to its savagery, among them a mobile population, crumbling public health systems, official neglect, and hazardous burial practices. But new research suggests another impetus: The virus may have evolved a new weapon against its human hosts. In studies published on Thursday in the journal Cell, two teams...
Enterovirus case results in paralysis
From The Province news online: Forty-one British Columbians, including an infant who has suffered arm paralysis, have contracted the Enterovirus-D68 bug this year. A spokeswoman for the B.C. Centre for Disease Control said Tuesday that although the virus — which, in extreme cases, can cause paralysis in arms and legs — has made a comeback this year from 2015, when there were no reported cases. The numbers are much lower than the 151...
Antibiotics: 5 Myths Debunked
An interesting article from Medscape, by Brad Spellberg, MD Myth 1: Humans invented antibiotics in the 20th century Myth 2: Inappropriate antibiotic use causes the development of resistance Myth 3: To prevent resistance, patients must complete every dose of antibiotics prescribed, even after they feel better Myth 4: When antibiotic resistance emerges, it is usually a consequence of new mutations at the site of infection Myth 5: Cidal antibiotics result in superior clinical outcomes and...
CIHI report on Measuring Patient Harm in Canadian Hospitals
1 in 18 Canadian hospital patients experience harm from preventable errors Governments, national and provincial organizations, individual health regions and hospitals are all working along with patients to improve safety in hospitals. Tracking and reporting harmful events is vital to improvement efforts. Historically, reporting has been mostly voluntary and focused on particular risks such as infections. There has not been a single measure that gives an overview of harm in Canadian...
This year’s flu strain stronger
From CBC.ca: The B.C. Centre for Disease Control says initial indications are this year's flu season is starting earlier than usual and the dominant strain will be stronger than last year's. Lead researcher Dr. Danuta Skowronski says, although it's impossible to forecast the flu season, an "unusually early number of outbreaks" of the influenza virus H3N2 has already been detected at long-term care facilities. Typically the flu season doesn't pick up until the end of November and peaks in late December, she says. This...