In United Kingdom, the Sandwell Hospital now on restriction after a norovirus outbreak.
The University of Southampton says copper, and alloys that contain copper, kills norovirus. This might have implications for those plastic water lines that have been replacing copper pipes in homes.
“As soon as you prescribe an antibiotic, you start creating resistance….The drug will kill off most of the bacteria it is targeting, but there will always be a few that survive….They flourish because their rivals, the others without the different gene, are dead.”-Ron Daniels, U.K. Sepsis Trust
Health officials in the U.K. are just now starting to make the connection between massive use of anti-biotic drugs in farm animals and the creation of anti-biotic resistant killer superbug bacterias! According to officials in the U.K., half of all anti-biotics in Britain end up in farm animals. They’re now undertaking a five year plan to address the problem.
“In the Netherlands, it’s assumed agricultural workers carry the resistant superbug MRSA and hospitals put them into isolation for testing.”-Mark Holmes, University of Cambridge
According to the American College of Physicians of the 133 million antibiotics prescribed to nonhospitalized patients every year, half are unnecessary! At least half of the cases involve viruses or other problems that anti-biotics don’t work on. The result is that good bacteria in people are being killed off.
While more and more doctors are finally realizing how bad anti-biotics can be, a new study says if you take probiotics while on anti-biotics, it could even kill the deadly C.diff bacteria.
Another bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, survives stomach acid by producing enzymes that cancel stomach acid. It also causes cancer. Researchers in Scotland, U.K., say they think they know how it causes cancer, by preventing the absorption of vitamin C.
Also in U.K., a college student from Australia died from a rare killer bacteria. The woman apparently got sick just after arriving in London, but thought it was a typical tummy bug. It was meningococcal strain W-135. The fast acting deadly bacteria killed the woman just a few hours after tummy bug symptoms first appeared.
In U.S.A., in what’s being called the worst viral outbreak along the Appalachian Trail, health officials say it (assumed to be norovirus) has now spread from Georgia into Pennsylvania. Warning posters have been posted along the 3516 km (2185 miles) trail.
In upstate New York, U.S.A., health officials reporting a spike in rotavirus cases.
Several western states in the U.S., are being warned after frozen berries sold through the Costco chain, tested positive for hepatitis A. At least 32 people are sick, the symptoms are the same as tummy bug infections, like nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, abdominal pain. But also include dark urine, clay-colored feces, joint pain, and jaundice.
In California, U.S.A., mosquitoes have been found to be spreading West Nile virus. West Nile causes nausea and vomiting, but also fever, headache, and body aches as it attacks your central nervous system.
In Alberta, Canada, a woman returned from a trip to Thailand with a rare virus. The zika virus originated in Africa, it causes your standard tummy bug symptoms but also includes blisters in your mouth. The woman also developed sore muscles and rashes.
In Geelong, Australia, the Leisurelink swimming pool was closed for super chlorination, to kill parasites after two cases of cryptosporidiosis were reported. The parasite can survive in the normal levels of chlorine in public swimming pools.
Professor Peter White of University of NSW, Australia, warned health officials to prepare for a bad year of tummy bug infections Down Under.