2013 Superbug

Blech. I confess to being scared to death of GI bugs. I work in outpatient endoscopy, so I don't really have to worry *too* much about dealing with it at work. But, I certainly do not want my kids to get some N/V/D superbug. YUCK. I've always thought a cruise would be fun..but really they are just giant petri dishes of this kind of nastiness.Thanks for ruining my day..... (didn't there used to be an up-chuckin' emoticon?)

This, too shall pass. As an ED nurse myself, I recommend going back to basics: Eat at home, wash your own salads, and wash your hands with soap and water in between patients, not with gels that turn your skin into an alligator's. Bleachy wipes are my friends when at work, and I wipe the bed rails and remote control down after an infectious patient leaves the room. Try to eat well and sleep enough so that your immune system can fence off most intruders. When in doubt, read "outdated" infection control policies from the 60's...they still work today!

How ironic that I start my day with this particular post. Flipping through channels last night I came across the last 5 or so minutes of the movie Contagion. According to the info it is about the CDC racing to find a vaccine for a lethal virus.( I do not believe this is a spoiler for those who haven't seen the movie but just in case, read at your own risk..lol)The ending scene was a scenario starting with a bulldozer knocking down a tree in what looks like a tropical landscape. The bulldozer knocks down the tree, disturbing the bats' habitat. The bat flies off, takes fruit from a banana plant, makes a new roost above a pig farm, drops a piece of contaminated fruit that the pig eats. The pig is bought for a restaurant. The chef starts to prepare the pig when he is informed that a customer wants a photo with him. The chef, who you remember was preparing the pig, just wipes his hands on his apron and then goes out to great the customer and shakes her hand. The subtitle then reads "Day 1".May I tell you how disturbing that was to watch. Not being a microbiologist /chemist etc. I can't argue whether or not this is a realistic scenario. However knowing enough about how viruses, bacteria etc are transferred, it didn't seem to far off the mark. May I also add how paranoid this scene made me. I actually woke up this morning and was thinking about all the fruit I had in the kitchen. I was particularly thinking about how last week out of the 10 containers of raspberries I had in the fridge 6 were consumed before I read the article about the cyclospora outbreak in the Midwest and how they think it is related to contaminated produce possibly raspberries!! Cyclospora is a rare microscopic protozoan parasite. I won't take up space describing the details but it is worth a read.In the last month alone I have already come into contact with two patients who tested positive for the superbug-CDE and I just recently heard/read about it. We were all caught by surprise when we got a call from lab and then a bit anxious when the infectious disease department was racing to figure out the next step. In this case the headlines became a reality. Being a nurse and being exposed to all these bugs is scary but knowing that something as simple as enjoying a bowl of fruit on your day off could expose you to some rare bug....that is even scarier to me. I may have to re-think my anti-Twinkie stance

haha Student Mom to Three! Thanks! I love cruises! I don't love any food bar, though! There are hand sanitizers everywhere on cruise ships, just knowing that it won't be effective for this type of virus is really scary!

also growing your own fruit/veggies would be an option. If there were time in our days! I suppose raising your own animals for meat too....

Quote from marick_RNHow ironic that I start my day with this particular post. Flipping through channels last night I came across the last 5 or so minutes of the movie Contagion. According to the info it is about the CDC racing to find a vaccine for a lethal virus.( I do not believe this is a spoiler for those who haven't seen the movie but just in case, read at your own risk..lol)[COLOR=#333333] The ending scene was a scenario starting with a bulldozer knocking down a tree in what looks like a tropical landcape. The bulldozer knocks down the tree, disturbing the bats' habitat. The bat flies off, takes fruit from a banana plant, makes a new roost above a pig farm, drops a piece of contaminated fruit that the pig eats. The pig is bought for a restaurant. The chef starts to prepare the pig when he is informed that a customer wants a photo with him. The chef, who you remember was preparing the pig, just wipes his hands on his apron and then goes out to great the customer and shakes her hand. The subtitle then reads "Day 1". May I tell you how disturbing that was to watch. Not being a microbiologist /chemist etc. I can't argue whether or not this is a realistic scenario. However knowing enough about how viruses, bacteria etc are transferred, it didn't seem to far off the mark. May I also add how paranoid this scene made me. I actually woke up this morning and was thinking about all the fruit I had in the kitchen. I was particularly thinking about how last week out of the 10 containers of raspberries I had in the fridge 6 were consumed before I read the article about the cyclospora outbreak in the Midwest and how they think it is related to contaminated produce possibly raspberries!! Cyclospora is a rare microscopic protozoan parasite. I won't take up space describing the details but it is worth a read.In the last month alone I have already come into contact with two patients who tested positive for the superbug-CDE and I just recently heard/read about it. We were all caught by surprise when we got a call from lab and then a bit anxious when the infectious disease department was racing to figure out the next step. In this case the headlines became a reality. Being a nurse and being exposed to all these bugs is scary but knowing that something as simple as enjoying a bowl of fruit on your day off could expose you to some rare bug....that is even scarier to me. I may have to re-think my anti-Twinkie stance

While there are superbug viruses which I am glad scientist are investigating I feel like it is a little out of my control to do much about in my day to day living. Yet several times a year I hear co-workers, BSN nurses with many years of experience whose knowledge I admire, say "My cold won't go away I will ask Dr. so and so to write me a prescription for an antibiotic....he will write me one." Or my favorite...."I aspirated something when eating breakfast and was coughing a lot...I will ask Dr. so and so to write me a prescription for an antibiotic." Both times these nurses got what they asked for!Maybe if we didn't over use antibiotics (I know they wouldn't work for viruses but perhaps they could help in some way??? stop opportunistic infections??) Stopping the overuse of antibiotics is something real and concrete we can do today to control so many antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Quote from MassEDWhile I should be studying for my upcoming CEN test date, with coffee in hand, I decide to wander the "science" headlines, as I am apt to do on a warm and sunny Sunday morning. I pay attention to these headlines, as being on the front line in an emergency room; these concerns can become a reality and we need to be prepared for when they make an appearance on our doorstep.

I agree articles, especially from news media, should be kept in persoective. I am definitely guarded and jaded as far as trust in the major media (there is always bias and prejudice). I am a firm believe in verifying and researching stories. The CDC had some good info, which was included. I didn't check the WHO, where there is usually some information as well. Overall awareness should be the goal. We can see trends in our own environment, for instance, we have had a cluster of allergic/gi reactions to Tuna. That has prompted many of us to suspend our ingestion for now, until more is learned about why this is occurring, but that is another thread...

Quote from brownbookWhile there are superbug viruses which I am glad scientist are investigating I feel like it is a little out of my control to do much about in my day to day living. Yet several times a year I hear co-workers, BSN nurses with many years of experience whose knowledge I admire, say "My cold won't go away I will ask Dr. so and so to write me a prescription for an antibiotic....he will write me one." Or my favorite...."I aspirated something when eating breakfast and was coughing a lot...I will ask Dr. so and so to write me a prescription for an antibiotic." Both times these nurses got what they asked for!Maybe if we didn't over use antibiotics (I know they wouldn't work for viruses but perhaps they could help in some way??? stop opportunistic infections??) Stopping the overuse of antibiotics is something real and concrete we can do today to control so many antibiotic resistant bacteria.

This is one that really scares me. More than any other one. Ok, well maybe Ebola."First Probable Person to Person Transmission of New Bird Flu Virus in China; But H7N9 Is Not Able to Spread Efficiently Between Humans"First probable person to person transmission of new bird flu virus in China; But H7N9 is not able to spread efficiently between humans

This website (below) has so much cool stuff, if you're into science news of a wide variety. Found more links to bird flu, as well as other stuff going on around the world with Avian Flu. Interesting. You have to dig to find information in the news, since it's not on the front page with "Kardashian's" and "twerking."Pandemic risk? Troubling traits of H7N9 avian flu virus