Posted on 04/14/2003 5:48:24 PM PDT by politicalpal
It supports exactly what you're suggesting.
A. Statistical variances owing to 'catching it in time'
B. It varies from year to year - and whether it was a 'group' diagnoses or sporadic cases (see A. above) ...
Note that "nosocomial" used below is an adjective meaning: "originating in hospital"
example: a nosocomial disease
[ETYMOLOGY: 19th Century: New Latin nosocomialis, via Late Latin from Greek, from nosokomos one that tends the sick, from nosos (see noso-) + komein to tend])
Sustained Transmission of Nosocomial Legionnaires Disease -- Arizona and OhioMore: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047639.htmIn 1996, two hospitals reported sustained transmission of nosocomial Legionnaires disease (LD). The hot water distribution systems in each hospital were implicated as the sources of infection. This report summarizes investigations in these two hospitals by hospital personnel, state and local health officials, and CDC and efforts to control transmission. Arizona, 1987-1996
In 1996, eight cases of nosocomial LD were diagnosed among cardiac and bone marrow transplant patients at hospital X. Possible nosocomial LD was first reported at hospital X in 1979, but no source had been identified. Intensified surveillance for nosocomial LD was initiated after the first three case-patients were identified in 1996.
A case of definite nosocomial LD in a hospital X patient was defined as respiratory illness with a new infiltrate on chest roentgenogram occurring after greater than or equal to 10 days of continuous hospitalization for a nonpneumonia illness and laboratory confirmation of legionellae infection by at least one of the following: 1) isolation of legionellae from tissue or respiratory secretions, 2) detection of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (Lp-1) antigens in urine by radioimmunoassay or enzyme immunoassay, or 3) a fourfold rise in Legionella serogroup-specific antibody titer to greater than or equal to 128 between acute- and convalescent-phase serum specimens. Possible nosocomial LD was defined as onset of respiratory symptoms of LD after 2-9 days of continuous hospitalization (the incubation period for LD is usually 2-10 days).
and:
Legionnaires Disease Associated with a Whirlpool Spa Display -- Virginia, September- October, 1996From: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047291.htmContaminated whirlpool spas have been reported as a source of legionellosis. This report describes the preliminary findings of an ongoing investigation by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and CDC of a recent outbreak of Legionnaires disease in Virginia, which implicated a whirlpool spa display at a retail store as the source of infection.
On October 15, 1996, a district health department in southwestern Virginia contacted the Office of Epidemiology, VDH, about a hospital (hospital A) report that 15 patients had been admitted during October 12-13 with unexplained pneumonia. On October 21, another hospital (hospital B), located approximately 15 miles from hospital A, reported its pneumonia census to be higher than expected for the first 2 weeks of October. On October 23, the district health department was informed about three area residents with legionellosis (with Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 {Lp1} antigen detected in urine); one was a patient at hospital A, and two were patients at hospitals outside the jurisdiction of the health department.
Unusual huh?
It's not 4%. You get 4% when you divide the number of deaths by the number of cases. The number of cases includes those who got better, those who died, AND THOSE WHO ARE STILL SICK and who may get better or die. If you go by final disposition ( deaths / (deaths + got_better) ), the worldwide avg death rate is closer to 9%
The deaths-vs-recoveries ratio is lowest in China ( 64 vs 1088 ). In Hong Kong it's 47 vs 229 (for a death rate of 17%), and in Canada it's 13 vs 27 ( 33%). I'm suspicious of the China figures.
Opportunistic fits right in there - weakening a patient with a 'primary' disease opens up the patient for other contagion currently 'repressed' and residing at lower-population levels ...
I have a bad feeling there much more to this virus than meets the eye.
Walt Disney And Airlines Admit SARS Virus Is Crippling Business
We used to think that we could eventually fully understand medicine and health issues, but it now appears that won't ever be true. New illnesses with new causes will continue to arise.
This SARS thing is fascinating, simply because it demonstrates what we don't know. Why are some people "super-infectors"? Is the virus unstable and mutating into less deadly forms in secondary and tertiary infections? What role do bacteria play into the mix?
How the heck did it get into humans in the first place? Will it burn out like Ebola? Or is it likely to become an even more deadly illness than the Spanish Flu?
None of those questions have reliable answers tonight, and while the total number of people infected worldwide are miniscule, it all comes down to the question of whether we can stop it, or at least contain it, before it has the chance to kill millions.
It's already had an economic impact far beyond its mortality numbers. Cathay Airlines is in severe trouble. The economic fallout on Hong Kong is growing, and it's not an insignificant part of the global economy.
Perhaps the hype is far worse than the actual impact of the illness will be. But maybe not. It's the uncertainty that's killing us more than the illness tonight.
Yup. You know they must be 'puckering' about now.
Cayenne Pepper - it works on soft tissues in the throat (at least for me!) ...
I made the discovery while experimenting with Beef Bouillon cubes while my throat was showing slight signs of a problem - I added several taps of Cayenne Pepper to a cup and MAN! Like 'Drano' for the throat!
My doctor had clued me into the possibility of various 'cultures' growing in the relatively 'cool' area of the throat - and I think (based on just under ten years experience now) I've found a way to keep that area 'cleared out' ...
Legionnaires' Disease Associated With Potting Soil --- California, Oregon, and Washington, May--June 2000From: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4934a1.htmSince Legionnaires' Disease (LD) was first reported in 1976, outbreaks have been associated with airborne transmission of Legionella bacteria through cooling towers, showers, and other aerosolizing devices (1). However, most LD cases are sporadic, and the source and mode of infection in many cases are unknown. Infections with one species, Legionella longbeachae, have been associated with gardening and use of potting soil in Australia and Japan (2,3).
This report summarizes the findings of LD investigations in California, Oregon, and Washington, that suggest that transmission from potting soil has occurred for the first time in the United States, and that active surveillance and case finding are warranted to explore this association.
On June 13, 2000, CDC was alerted by a county health official in Washington of L. longbeachae infection in a 46-year-old woman who had been hospitalized with pneumonia. The patient reported that she had been potting plants during the 10 days before her symptoms began in May. An isolate from the patient's sputum was sent to CDC for species confirmation, and two samples of potting soil and one of compost from the original packages obtained from the patient's residence were sent for analysis. L. longbeachae was isolated from one potting soil sample. The compost contained other Legionella species but not longbeachae.
In May, two L. longbeachae isolates had been received at CDC from bronchial wash samples taken from both a 77-year-old Oregon woman and a 45-year-old California man who were both diagnosed with legionellosis. The California patient died and his house was cleaned before an investigation could be undertaken. State and local health officials determined that the Oregon patient had been potting plants using commercial potting soil mixtures and had been working in a home garden during the 10 days before her symptoms began in April. Two potting soil samples taken from her residence were tested for Legionella at CDC; one was positive for L. longbeachae. Isolates of L. longbeachae from the patients and soils will be compared using amplified fragment length polymorphism typing.
Relatively recent too ...
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