new bug

[paul123456]

Hello there ,

watch the German media for the EHEC bug , this is going to be big .
Allready had it in the familly , not good .

regards ,

Paul

[The Riff-Raff Element]

What is it? A gastro?

[Jandra]

Done some googling: It seems to be a nasty E. coli bug. Mainly food borne transmission: Raw meat, raw milk, but increasingly also vegetables which have been in contact with faeces or contaminated water sources. Human to human transmission also common. Causes diarrhea and severe cramps, sometimes bloody stools and acute renal failure (HUS). A scary percentage of sick people get complications. Children under 15 seem to be especially vulnerable. Mostly pretty isolated cases, but occasionally a outbreak occurs. Here in Germany several people have died now, one confirmed EHEC two others suspected. (I just got this off the net, don't hold me to the accuracy of the info).

Paul, I hope you/your family recovererd well.

[growingthings]

Gosh Paul hope your family are all well again,

I worry about these sorts of things, as myself and eldest daughter have some (serious) health problems, but they are well managed and we are generally never struck down as bad as we think, in fact in the most part less so than the rest of the family. I wonder how long it will be before it is in Britain? Or is it already and we just don't know about it?

Hope you are all well now x

Lorna x

[Lilyfae]

. I wonder how long it will be before it is in Britain? Or is it already and we just don't know about it? : x

It's half term next week, no doubt holidaymakers will being it back from wherever fellow Germans are visiting, factor in business trips, apparently if unchecked you can expect a disease to spread worldwide (not every member of population but still some infected) within 5-10 days.

But still we were all supposed to die from swine flu, bird flu, SARS etc and the latter didn't make it here and the former wasn't as bad as we thought after going through a few people's immune system and coming out a bit weaker.

If your worried give your daughter some sterilising gel and make her use it as if she's got OCD, it's poor hygiene of others and us putting hands on surfaces then wiping eyes, nose or mouth that spreads the viruses. If you take precautions in case of human to human transfer she should be fine

[RuthG]

Swine flu is horrendous. Caught it at Christmas and was ill for three weeks, then it took another 2 months to get back to normal. And I'm fit and healthy! Dread to think how older people or those with underlying health issues cope. I thought I was dying - couldnt move at all for nearly a week.

Could do without other 'superbugs' turning up.

[paul123456]

Hello there ,

it seems to originate from manure . In this case the outbreak is in Germany .
Also this week the German ministry of agriculture was worried about the amount of Dutch manure being imported to Germany .
In other words the Dutch are selling their shit and making people sick .Will soon go around Europe .

All this for a cheap piece of pork .

regards ,

Paul

[chickenchargrill]

Just a word of warning, hand gels are nowhere near as effective as soap and running water so it should only be used when there's no place to wash. Hand gel was one of the risk factors in those who have caught E Coli on trips to petting zoos. Just use common sense where possible and be aware of things that do not get routinely cleaned - like supermarket trolleys and bowling balls.

[clare.donovan]

Hi Paul,

I hope you and your family are feeling better now.

I have also done some reading into the EHEC bug and thought I would post a reply to help try and put it into context. It is due to a bacterial strian of E.coli 0157, which has been identified for some time now. There are many stains of E.coli, and some are found naturally in our bowels and rarely cause us harm. 0157 is not found naturally in humans and is a particularly nasty strain of E.coli, as it is associated with more significant complications per number of bacteria ingested. It is already present in the UK, and is routinely screened for when any stool sample is sent for analysis for possible infection. E.coli 0157 has previously been in the press in the UK, where there was an outbreak in 2005 in South Wales that involved the death of a 5 year old boy. Although 0157 is a nasty cause of diarrhoea, the vast majority of dirrhoeal illnesses are not due to E.coli, but are instead caused by a viral infection. It is uncommon to find a bacterial cause of diarrhoea, and even more uncommon for it to be due to 0157. As with all D+V conditions, the best way to stop spread is good hand hygeine - wash hands with soap and water rather than alcohol gel. Also, ensure that food is prepared in a safe and hygenic way.

I found this as a reasonable overview if anyone wants further information: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/e_coli_e ... cle_em.htm

Hope this helps,
Clare

[chickenchargrill]

Just to expand on Clare's post. The reason bacterial causes of diarrhoea are low is because of the good bacteria we all have. They're only a problem if there is a reason, like having been on antibiotics, that your own bacteria is low. Live yoghurt, sauerkraut, kefir... any food that's naturally fermented are a good idea.

[paul123456]

Hello there ,

and now the ehec is spreading the next one coming is ESBL .Seems to be resistant to all anti biotics .
What's next ?

regards ,

Paul

[growingthings]

Is this related to the contaminated salad that I heard about on the news? Makes you glad you grow your own doesn't it??!

Lorna x

[paul123456]

Hello there ,

the source seems to come from some kind of contaminated manure , which has been used on cucumbers , lettuce and so on .
There is also a mention of it originating from the bio sector , or is this propaganda ?
If it is really true as described why are the poeple working at the veg auctions not dropping down dead ?
Get an idea of we's getting not the full info .

regards ,

Paul

[MKG]

Hyped up, as usual, by the media. Over the last 40 years, I've watched a long succession of health scares come to nothing. I even had swine flu - and, although some people had adverse reactions, I'd take it over "ordinary" flu any time. I never got a sniff of BSE, Ebola, Deng Fever, etc. etc. etc. Oh, and bird flu - well, what a media joke that was (but watch out - it'll get you next time. Which puts me in mind of the US religious nut who just forecast the final rapture but had to admit his calculations were wrong).

Simply being sensible will, as it always has, protect most people from most "new and deadly" illnesses.

But take heed - that final rapture has been re-forecast for October!!! The End is nigh-ish

Mike

[growingthings]

Felt like I had talked this one up a bit - me poor old Dad was in hospItal today as he has severe gastroenteritis, we only saw him on Weds so fingers crossed he's not contagious! ( wimp!)

MKG as one of those folks who are likely to have an adverse reaction to any of these 'superbugs' I've never really been struck down either, I have a bad heart and a suppressed immune system, but in all honesty I am probably healthier than half the folk in my village because I KNOW I have to take care of myself. Doesn't stop the docs from putting the frighteners on you every winter though!