NDM-1 Super Bug

Since August of this year, the medical world has been buzzing with reports about a superbug NDM-1 believed to have originated in India.


This is pretty alarming on several fronts.
1. NDM-1 has shown resistance to every antibiotic known to man
2. India is a popular destination for medical tourism
3. Cases have already begun to crop up around the globe including Japan, Europe and Canada.

Scientists have long been apprehensive about common bacteria combining with other bacteria which have developed resistance to antibiotics. These so-called superbugs are the stuff apocalyptic scenarios are made of, and for good reason. They can actually happen.

The hope for mankind lies in the creation of new antibiotics which the present and coming superbugs have not encountered yet. Another avenue that could be explored is to synthesize a bacteria that will hunt down and kill the superbugs. While such a scenario seems promising, this is truly a case where the cure might become worse than the disease. After all, we would be breaking new ground and there is no way to tell if the synthesized bacteria will have adverse effects that extend way beyond just killing the NDM-1 organisms.

The bacteria involved at this time are in the intestinal tract.

If you wish to read more about the superbug, here are some links:

An Authoritative Article from The Lancet
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099%2810%2970143-2/abstract

Article on Medical News Today:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/197616.php

Article on NDTV (New Delhi)

http://doctor.ndtv.com/storypage/ndtv/id/004672/type/feature/Superbug-is_it_really_from_India.html

High Mortality of H5N1

Was going over the reports from PROMED and WHO when a statistic caught my eye.

The average global mortality rate of H5N1 is 59 % while in Indonesia, the rate is 83%.

The WHO has a regular status report about H5N1 and H1N1. You can access the H5N1 page here

Site Reorganization

Just to let my blog readers know that I have reorganized the site and transferred the H1N1 links to the section after the posts.

Nothing has been taken out, I just thought that General Medical News should be the focus for now. This is preparation for a better version of my blog which will rotate the news among different specialties.

Thanks for visiting!

IMPORTANT: Massive Recall of Slim Fast Products

If you take any of the Slim Fast diet shakes and drinks, please stop and read this article.

On December 4, 2009, millions of Slim Fast products were recalled by the mother company Unilever. This is due to the presence of a bacteria that can cause moderate food poisoning

For more details, please click here for the article on Food Fit

Click here for the article on ABC News

CDC Confirms That You Can Get Swine Flu Twice

The Charleston Daily Mail had reported that a Pediatrician stated that she contracted swine flu twice. Once in August and again in October. While the allegation was met with skepticism by the medical community, no less than the Center For Disease Control has confirmed her claims

You can read about the account here:

Swine Flu originated from Asia and not Mexico?

A New York Times article reports that a new theory suggests that H1N1 flu originated from Asia and not Mexico.

Read about it here