Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Pogeu Mahone who wrote (124127)	8/21/2010 2:19:27 PM
From: Knighty Tin	Respond to of 132070

My pet lizard swears he got them all. <G>

To: Pogeu Mahone who wrote (124127)	5/12/2011 2:23:46 AM
From: average joe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

Bedbugs linked to flesh-eating disease found in Downtown Eastside By Suzanne Fournier, The Province May 11, 2011 8:11 PM Bedbugs linked to flesh-eating disease have been found in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Bedbugs laden with antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can lead to flesh-eating disease have been found in the Downtown Eastside. Dr. Marc Romney found three DTES patients had three bedbugs full of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which in its most virulent form can cause flesh-eating disease) superbug and two bedbugs that carried the VRE (Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, which can be dangerous to immunocompromised individuals). “These insects may act as a hidden environmental reservoir for MRSA and may promote the spread of MRSA in impoverished and overcrowded communities,” warned Romney, St. Paul’s medical director of infection prevention and control and a specialist in infectious diseases. The Downtown Eastside may contain the “perfect storm” of conditions that would allow diseases to be carried or transmitted by bedbugs. At least a third of DTES housing already is infested by bedbugs that are hard to eradicate and that thrive in overcrowded conditions with poor hygiene. The area has a high concentration of people who inject intravenous drugs, leading to openings in the skin that a superbug can readily infect. Bedbugs also break the skin while sucking blood, increasing infection risk. Already, 54.5 per cent of emergency room patients at St. Paul’s, which is used as a doctor’s office by DTES residents, test positive for MRSA. The bedbugs’ “ability to compromise the skin integrity of its host, and the propensity for [MRSA] to invade damaged skin . . . may serve to amplify MRSA infections in impoverished urban communities,” Romney said in his report. The unhygienic living conditions in parts of the DTES don’t help either. “We know bedbugs are getting worse, with so many people living in crowded conditions, moving around and using IV [intravenous] drugs — yes, we’re worried because we know MRSA is contagious,” said Laura Shaver of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. Medical health officer Dr. Reka Gustafson said the St. Paul’s study is so small that no public health warning is necessary. She noted the superbug MRSA can be found on “doctors’ ties” and chairs in public places and that it’s more important to counsel people “to wash their hands thoroughly and use antibiotics wisely.” “For us to issue a public-health warning, we’d need more proof that bedbugs consistently carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria.” theprovince.com