A New Strain of Swine Flu

My article is called “Who holds 2 billion people could catch H1N1; Alarm on Tamiflu-resistant strain” and is from Arab times.

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/145861/reftab/96/Default.aspx

I thought that this was an extremely informative article on how there is a new strain of the H1N1 virus which is resistant to the Tamiflu vaccine. The mutation of the virus was found near where it originated, by the Mexico/ American Border line. It was written that though Americans need a prescription to take Tamiflu, in Mexico and Canada it is more readily available and is being taken more often. This over exposure has weakened the effect of Tamiflu and has helped lead to the creation of this Tamiflu-resistant strain. This article had a global feel to it by explaining all of the new countries that have been hurt by this infection. Analysts believe that this mutation has sprung from overdoses on vaccines. Just recently, Vietnam, India and South Africa all had their first deaths from the "Swine Flu".

This is a really relevant article to our class because not only does it talk about an infectious disease we studied this year, but it also has several instances of impoverished women who were hurt by diseases they can not battle, even with modern medicine. In Vietnam, a woman has been the first causality in this new strain of an already well-known illness. This article holds a lot of information and there is a break down on how other countries are being effected. In Spain, a 35 year old woman recently passed due to “complications with swine flu” doesn’t this remind you of similar complications AIDS patients died of? In Egypt alone there have been nine new cases of swine flu. The only death in Egypt was an Egyptian woman last month. Even in European countries, there have been H1N1 outbreaks. In Poland they have had 100 cases since April. In typical form though, they say there is nothing to greatly worry about. Back at the origin of the disease, Mexico recently reported around 1,000 new cases in a week. This is still a huge issue there

I really liked this article because it was told from a foreign point of view. Infectious Diseases don't only happen in America, so it is important to get a global perspective on it. This was from an Arab news source and is definitely not all about the United States of America.

Revenge of the Super Bug

The article I chose is called New Threat: Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria Causes Deadly Pneumonia. It was written by S.L. Baker on Saturday July 18, 2009. I found it on NaturalNews.com and can be found on http://www.naturalnews.com/026650_MRSA_bacteria_disease.html.

While H1N1 has been consuming the minds and worries of people everywhere, another infectious disease is arising that is a deadly threat to anyone susceptible. This fatal disease is called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. As you may have already put together, this infectious disease has become a large threat due to its resistance to antibiotics. New strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have risen, AKA “super bugs,” and are threatening the skin, heart, blood and bones of healthy people. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is a “flesh eating” pneumonia , community acquired and is fatal in 75 percent of cases. This impeding disease can strike anyone regardless of age, health or residence. It is most common among young athletes who play contact sport, nursing homes, military facilities, and childcare centers. The article states, “And those becoming sick with the disease aren’t necessarily the old and/or physically weak.” Upon these unfortunate victims, it causes a high fever and sometimes low blood pressure that progresses to septic shock. Also, it appears most commonly in people who have just experience a flu-like illness. CA-MRSA is well known for causing skin and soft tissue infections that are usually transmitted from person-person contact or contact with anything that may be contaminated.

What I found most intriguing about this disease was its victim. As written in a report from the Emory team, “CA-MRSA pneumonia appears to most commonly affect young and previously healthy patients.” I find this a scary thought because that means most anyone can contract this disease. It is almost an everyday occurrence that people share clothes or forget to put a band-aid on a small cut. However, these are the small things that lead to such a dismal disease. In History of Epidemic Diseases we have learned all about superbugs and the anti-biotic resistant TB. We all know how deadly and devastating TB is, and it causes me to believe that CA-MRSA has potential to become a renounced world issue. It is on its rise and just like any drug resistant bacteria, it has the natural power to reproduce and become superior to any antibiotic we may have now.

The Major Focus of the HIV Prevention Cause to be Focused on the Gay Community Once Again?

From the Boston Globe, by Rebecca Haag and Douglas Brooks on May 17, 2010, the article is Back to the beginning in the HIV fight; this article can be found at: http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/05/17/back_to_the_beginning_in_the_hiv_fight/. Rebecca Haag and Douglas Brooks are both major players in the fight against AIDS and research into the disease, leading or helping direct multiple organizations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data that is quite shocking regarding the disparities between infection rates of HIV and syphilis among gay and bisexual men and other groups of people. Gay and bisexual men are 44 times more likely to contract HIV than other men, and 40 times more likely than women. The author wonders how after so many breakthroughs in treatment and increased understanding of sexually transmitted disease that gay and bisexual men are the most vulnerable to infection once again. “We’re here because we’ve watered down prevention messages. Explicit public campaigns about how to stay safe have been replaced with simplistic messages about condoms. If we have learned anything about preventing HIV transmission among gay and bisexual men in the last 25 year we’ve learned this: it’s not about condoms; it’s about dignity. As long as men who have sex with men are at a higher risk for mental illness, trauma, and substance abuse — which they are thanks in large part to the stigma attached to being gay or engaging in gay sex — they are going to be more likely to engage in risky behaviors.” The author goes on to say we are here because of the past decade of abstinence-only sex education. It’s not uncommon for young men who have been sexually active for less than a year to come to a clinic and test HIV positive. “It is at once heartbreaking and maddening.” The author believes we should be funding research into human sexual behavior and influencing habits and change; specifically, prevention efforts for gay and bisexual men. Most of our AIDS prevention funding is diverted to Africa, and the author believes that until we focus more on the effort of overhauling the prevention campaigns for AIDS in America, we will not be able to stem the spread of AIDS in this country.

This article connects to our study of AIDS, and certainly connects to my individual study of Zackie Achmat for the quilt square project; Zackie contracted AIDS as a male prostitute during the ‘80s. This article comes as a real surprise to me, I did not expect, nor would I think anyone, that the gay and bisexual male community is significantly more susceptible to AIDS than others, and I personally question the ratios thrown out there in the article. I agree with what the author says, we need to put ourselves first in the fight against AIDS, rather than focusing most of our effort in Africa; and that we really need an overhaul in the prevention education methods. I found the fact that the author states that “[Gay/bisexual men are at higher risk for mental illness],” fairly offensive. As someone who suffers from mental illness, I can certainly state that it is completely genetic and related to brain chemistry, and is not just brought on by stigma against oneself. Though, I agree with the fact that they are more likely to engage in risky behaviors due to the stigma that is put against them.

At Front Lines, AIDS War Is Falling Apart

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/world/africa/10aids.html?pagewanted=1&sq=epidemics and disease&st=cse&scp=1

This article is written by Donald G McNeil Jr. Mr. McNeil, he has worked for the New York Times since 1976, and has won many awards for his work writing a series on patent monopolies on AIDS in Africa and about six diseases on the brink of eradication. He has also won awards for writing a series about patients suffering from cancer in third world countries are dying without morphine. He has worked for many magazines and has taught journalism at Columbia University.

I found this article very interesting because it relates to our class directly focusing on the war against AIDS. The global fight against AIDS has reached its tipping point, and may be falling in the wrong direction. Mr. McNeil reports that we are losing the war against AIDS. Each year 110,000 new cases turn up in Uganda alone. Comparing this with the 500,000 people needed to be treated, and with the facts that only 220,000 can be treated right now looks like a disaster in the making. These numbers are scary enough, but one becomes terrified when these numbers only represent the fight in Uganda. U.S donors have been making a "superhuman effort" to try and fight back against this disease, but unfortunately we are losing. Donations number around $10 billion a year to the global fight, but it is estimated that it would take at least $27 billion to just get a grip on the issue. We will still be dealing with this epidemic for many years to come, and the possibility of never beating it is coming ever so closer. Of the 33 billion people infected with AIDS, and at the rate of infection a million a year, many are being turned away from treatment because of the tight budget. News that is even more unsettling is the fact that because of the economic struggles donations have dropped. Meaning many patients once being treated no longer can get the treatment they need to stay alive. Causing the disease to take over their bodies and drive them to their deaths. Also with the stoppage of treatment many will die. Many have resulted with sharing pills with others which will lead to the death of both parties. Also with not continuing treatment many could develop drug resistant AIDS, and pass that on, thus making it even harder to fight off.

Many Americans have reached such a high point of frustration that many have turned to donating their money to help fight other diseases. Now many have shifted their focus to fight off child-killers and still birth. Many doctors feel on the other hand that the AIDS epidemic is much more important to fight because it infects 2 million people each year. Those other diseases can be fought off using antibiotics, and other treatments. Many donors think they are saving more people by focusing on these diseases instead of AIDS because they believe that they cannot beat AIDS. This frustrates doctors who have given hope to so many over the past ten years only to have the money be cut, and have to turn away patients. Mr. Sidibé said, “The whole hope I’ve had for the last 10 years will disappear.” The cavalry is not coming people, and for those millions of people in the future who will be infected with this disease, most of you will not be able to get treated. There has been no magic bullet that will stop AIDS and no miracle is in sight. The director-general of Uganda AIDS Commission Dr. David Kihumuro Apuuli says, "You cannot mop the floor when the tap is still running on it.” this quote really explains how everyone is feeling about this epidemic.

It is very easy to relate this article to what we have been studying in class. After spending a unit on AIDS one gets a better picture about how troubling it is to get rid of. I found that this article reinforces that fears that we all share about AIDS. It terrifying to think that in 2031 we will still be tangling with this monster of an epidemic with no end in sight. Only having the sight of billions dead from this non forgiving disease with the wish that we did more to fight it. We have to do something about this growing problem, or else it could turn even harder to get rid of. We cannot simply look the other way and allow this beast to consume the entire world, and live under the threat of its fist bringing our down fall. This is simply one beast we most tangle with in the world of epidemics, and the future is not looking promising. We can only hope that a medical miracle can come soon to save our lives before it is too late.

Take your medicine!

I read an article titled Take as Directed which was written by Stephen Smith on www.Boston.com May 10, 2010. (http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/05/10/millions_of_patients_skip_drug_doses_or_never_get_prescriptions/?page=2) The article talks about how patients which have been prescirbed medicine for heart disease, cholestoral issues, blood pressure problems, etc. all over the US have been known for putting off taking medicine all the time. Recently in some places, the usual rate of missed doses was 22% ! Some hospitals have started doing experiments by rewarding the patients for taking their medicine. One hospital made it so that when patients opened their pill compartments on the right schedule, they had a chance to win $3 to $100. This lowered the usual rate of missed doses from 22% to 2%! An incredible drop of 20%. The article also talks about how in some cases doctors would go to patients houses to help them take their medication, and to make sure that it was taken at all. A case of this was with a woman named Carole Connolley,71, which was diagnosed with 2 forms of diabetes. She was prescribed to a certain insulin, as well as other medications. At first, a nurse went to her house to help her with the medications 3-4 times a week, now however Connolley takes the medications on her own. Before she was allowed to leave the hospital she was spoken to about how important it is for her to take all of the medications she was told to.“The health consequences are so enormous and the expenses are so enormous that we’re trying some of these innovative methods on clinical conditions with the greatest return of investment,’’ said Dr. Peter Berger

After reading this article, i knew right away that this was the perfect article to connect with our class. We have learned so much about Haiti in the past couple of weeks, and how Paul Farmer and the Partners in Health work extremely hard day and night on making sure that their patients take their medications. I know myself that it's extremely hard to take the whole dose of medicine when you are prescribed to it, especially when you start feeling better, and feeling that the symptoms are going away. When i was taking antibiotics for lime disease last summer, i began feeling better within 3 days of starting to take the medicine, but my doctor kept telling me that i needed to take all the pills before i was 100% safe. I never understood this until I learned that this is how bacteria/viruses become immune to certain antibiotics.

I loved this article because it shows how much ignorance their is when it comes to medicine. Everyone stops doing the thing that makes them feel ill, but medicine is one of the rare things that should be taken even when it makes you feel worse at the time. In the article someone talks about how they wanted to stop taking the medicine because it made them feel sick, this is ironic because in the long run it is helping them, but it is natural for someone to stop taking something when it starts making them feel sick. The article shows controversey because most dont want to believe that their is ignorance in such an important field. Articles like this however will help to clear things up.

AIDS Golden Window Is Slowly Closing !

This article is called At Front Lines, AIDS War Is Falling Apart by Donald G. McNeil Jr. who is a science and health reporter who specializes in plagues and pestilences, it was published on May 9th 2010, and this is from the New York Times magazine http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/world/africa/10aids.html?scp=1&sq=epidemic%20disease&st=cse

This article is about how the war on global AIDS is falling apart as more and more each day people are not being able to afford the drugs they need for treatment, and how there are no drugs to even treat the people in Uganda. The article starts with Dinavance Kamukama she is infected with AIDS and its so bad that her kidneys are failing and she cant even barely walk. She states that so many people are depending on the help of Americans and wonder if they cannot help her? McNeil states that the past decade has been considered a "golden window" where as drugs that costed 12,000 were being lowered to as little as 100 which were being payed by Americans, but that the window is now closing. Which cause people to be put on a waiting list for drugs that most cant even get on until a patient dies. An American run program in Mozambique has been told to stop opening up clinics because of drug shortages. They state that the collapse was set off by the global recession's effects on the donors and that more lives would be saved if they fought other cheaper diseases.

In Uganda there are over 500,000 that need treatment, 200,000 that are getting it, but each year, an additional 110,000 are infected. Dr. Kihumuro who is the director-general of the Uganda AIDS commission states that “You cannot mop the floor when the tap is still running on it,” which is very true because you try so hard to treat these people and keep them from getting worse but then each day a new case is found and is even stronger than the last on.

I thought this article was very sad to think about because it is so easy for us to just go to the doctors and get seen and treated for almost anything that is wrong with us but these people get put on ridiculous waiting lists that are almost impossible to get on. This article makes me think about the importance of staying safe aand how much a little education can go because im pretty sure most of these cases could have been prevented.

China Lifts Bans on Traveling for H.I.V Infected

China Lifts Ban on Visitors Who Are H.I.V. Positive

By Michael Wines

Published: April 28, 2010

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/world/asia/28aids.html?ref=policy

“China has lifted a two-decade ban on travel to the country by people who carry the virus that causes AIDS or who have other sexually transmitted diseases.”

The Chinese government has amended a 1986 law governing quarantines as well as a 1989 law regulating entry by foreigners. Before their amendment, these laws prohibited people infected with H.I.V. from entering the country of China. The government has lifted a ban on travel to the country by people with leprosy as well. These changes where reported by the Chinese State Council on its website on Tuesday, April 27, 2010. Premier Wen Jiabao signed decrees putting the new laws into effect on April 24 after the council’s standing committee approved the changes on April 19.

These changes make the official ban on travel applicable only to those who have infectious tuberculosis, serious mental disorders or “infectious diseases which could possibly greatly harm the public health.” In the past, China has made exceptions and temporarily lifted the ban for major events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This time around, the law itself has been amended, indicating that the change will be permanent. According to UNICEF, somewhere between 450,000 and one million Chinese citizens are infected with H.I.V. virus, around 75,000 of which have developed AIDS. Sex workers, migrant workers and residents of some border areas, like the Yunnan province in southwest China, where most drugs are smuggled into the country are among those most commonly infected with the virus.

China is not the only country that has recently revised their laws pertaining to travel bans. In January 2010, the United States dropped its own ban that prevented those with the H.I.V. virus from entering the country. This ban had been in effect for 22 years.

This article caught my interest due to the mention of tuberculosis and the start of the AIDS unit today in class. I was most surprised at the fact that the Chinese government lifted the travel bans temporarily for big events but had not considered permanently changing the law until recently. I think it is a good change but I also think it could lead to huge problems for China in the future. At this point, China has a considerably lower rate of infected citizens than most of its neighboring countries and I feel that this amendment could quickly change that. The bans may not seem fair to the people affected by them but they are put into effect by countries to protect their citizens from becoming infected with harmful diseases.

Former President Jimmy Carter Helps Sudan Rid Their Current Epidemic

Former United States president, Jimmy Carter, wrote the article "Sudan Can Rid World of a Horrible Disease," published by cnn.com. This article is about a disease taking a toll on the already poverished African country Sudan. This disease is the Guinea Worm Disease; a parasitic infection caused by infected drinking water. Jimmy Carter and his non-profit peace and health organization, The Carter Center, are teaming up to put an end to the Guinea Worm Disease in Sudan and the rest of the world.

Carter emphasizes his desires to combat the disease. He continues to urge people to filter their water, as it could be contaminated. He also suggests that the Guniea worm victimes stay out of natual water sources when the worm in emerging in order to prevent more larve from settling in the water and infecting more people. Due to the already drastic decrease in Guniea Worm disease cases (3.5 million cases in 20 nations in 1986, to 3,200 cases in 2009) The Carter Center beleives eradicating the disease is quite likely as long as it can be demloished in Sudan, Ghana, Mali, and Ethiopia, where cases still remain.

Another effort that the Carter Center has been making in order to boost eradication time is providing safe drinking water to highly infected areas. A small percentage, only 16%, of Sudanese villages have one source of uncontaminated water. The effort is coming along, but it is happening very slowly, as providing enough clean water is tricky and a lot of work. The Carter Center is trying to set up underground water sources containing safe water which is very time consuming. Many of the workers are volunteers, which makes the process less costly and more personal. The Sudanese are also doing their best to help and volunteer to rid the disease. They would like the world to see that even during difficult times of war, they can focus on the benefit of their country and help eradicate the Guinea worm disease, which could help the world.

I choose this article because it is about an ifectious disease. It also realtes to class because we have talked about diseases contracted by infected water before, and it is about a poverty-stricken country, like Haiti is. The article also struck me initially because Jimmy Carter wrote it and discussed his organization and the impact Guinea worm disease had on him and his plans to abolish it. For me, the article realeased a satisfied emotion, as it was assuring to see that powerful Americans are willing to help Sudan even during a very dangerous time there.
This article can be found at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/06/jimmy.carter.disease/index.html

Doctors Still not Heeding Ignaz Semelweis

This opinion article, published on April 19, 2010 by the New York Times, discusses the high rates of hospital-acquired infections. The article can be found here: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/is-this-the-answer-to-hospital-acquired-infections/?scp=2&sq=mrsa&st=cse. The author is Stephen Dubner, who also co-wrote the popular book Freakonomics.

Stephen says, “Well, after taking at look at the latest National Healthcare Quality Report, I think I won’t be shutting up any time soon [about hospital sanitation failures]. Despite a lot of effort and innovation, despite a wise checklist approach, the [rate of infection] doesn’t seem to be getting better.” He then goes on to tell us about the irresponsibility of many doctors when it comes to keeping their patients safe from infection.

Stephen Dubner says that although medical techniques are constantly being innovated and improved, infections acquired in a medical setting, particularly for surgery patients, are still shockingly prevalent. It is horrifying to see the figures of how many people die in the hospital, not due to the condition they entered with, but due to an unrelated infection. We like to think that our hospitals are sanitary and safe; a place where people go to heal. Instead people are dying of similar infections to those they could have gotten in a hospital of centuries ago.

Many of these infections could be avoided by simply using proper hand-washing technique. Thousands of people a year die unnecessarily due to infectious diseases, including pneumonia and staph infections, which are present in hospitals. When doctors perform surgery or examinations without correctly sanitizing their hands, or when hospital facilities are not as clean as they could be, people become infected with potentially fatal diseases. In class we learned about the doctor Ignaz Semelweis, who campaigned for sanitation in medical settings, but doctors are still not quite following his advice.

It seems as if Dubner does not really know what he’s talking about when he says that bacteria should be tagged so that a patient’s infection can be traced back to the doctor. Although this does not seem possible, I agree that doctor’s need to be held more responsible for their roles in giving infections to their patients. Hospitals need to be more rigorous about enforcing sanitation standards, and perhaps a medical group such as WHO or the Red Cross should raise international awareness about how easy it would be to lower hospital infection rates, just as Ignaz Semelweis proved with his patients.

"Bound for Home, Healed, Heartsick" http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/05/01/four_haitian_children_flown_here_for_treatment_return_with_b

The article I read, "Bound for Home, Healed, Heartsick" from Boston.com was about four Haitian children who were flown to Massachusetts in order to be cared for in Springfield at the Shriners Hospital. The two boys and two girls who were brought from Port Au-Prince, Haiti were cared for for eleven weeks at the Shriner's Hospital for their injuries which were caused by the earthquake that occured over the winter that devistated Haiti. The article describes all four childrens' experiences with the earthquake and being transported to the United States because of their injuries. All four children and all four families of the children are very grateful that they were given the chance to recieve the care that they need for their injuries. Also, the parents of the children explain that although they miss their children and want to be with them, they think that their children would all be better off if they were given the chance to stay in the United States instead of returning to Haiti because they would have the chance at a better life.
Although this article does not really relate to any epidemics or diseases it does relate to Mountains Beyond Mountains and the work of Paul Farmer. This article relates to the work of Farmer, because it is all about how these four children have been cared for individually and because of this care have shown immense improvment, which probably would not have been the case if they had recieved care in a large group back in Haiti. The article also relates to what we are learning about in class about the conditions of Haiti and the current state that this thrid world country is in. The descriptions of what Haiti is like now causes the reader to stop and think about helping instead of just looking away from the disaster that has striken Haiti. This is also a message that Farmer wanted to get out to people around the world.

Prosperity and...Syphilis?

The brief article “Rising economy spurs syphilis spike in China” appeared in Thursday’s Boston Globe, and addresses the rise of syphilis in both China and the US over the last decade. (http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/05/06/rising_economy_spurs_syphilis_spike_in_china/) AP writer Margie Mason notes that economic growth in China has freed up money for businessmen and laborers to buy sex, and that these men and the prostitutes they pay for are the cause of the disease’s rising morbidity rate. China’s newborns are especially afflicted; the rate of neonatal syphilis has grown by a factor of 8 to 57 out of every 100,000 live births. Put more simply, “Every hour a baby is born in China with syphilis.” Syphilis in adults can possibly cause eventual brain damage and death, but in infants it kills a quarter of newborns and debilitates another quarter.
Though syphilis is easily curable with penicillin, the disease does not always manifest symptoms. Screening in the US is unreliable, and no screening exists in China, so the disease can often pass undetected. Both countries had almost eradicated the disease at some point in their histories, but China’s mid-20th century ban on brothels broke down after it climbed into economic prosperity; the US has also experienced a recent climb.
I found the article to show a stark contrast with the model of disease that I had come to expect while reading Mountains Beyond Mountains. Instead of the poor contracting a disease because they didn’t have enough money for proper medical care, the well-to-do are contracting syphilis because they have enough money to pay for unsafe sex on the side before returning home to give it to their spouses and unborn children. It is disappointing that these two countries, one an established powerhouse and the other the heir apparent, should so fail to control such an easily treated disease that could, perhaps, go the way of polio.

Study: Health rules on flying with TB too strict

http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/02/22/study_health_rules_on_flying_with_tb_too_strict/
This article was written by Mike Stobbe an AP Medical Writer, and it was published on February 22, 2010 on boston.com. The article has to do with the dangers of flying on the same plane with someone that has TB. Though this article showed the side of the argument that people rarely agree with. This side that says it isn't that dangerous to fly on the same plane as someone infected with TB, and that it is unlikely it would even be spread to others on the flight. In this article Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar explains how he believes that restrictions on flying for people infected with TB are to harsh. He did alot of research and found that there were many instances when people with TB flew on planes and infected no one else on the flight. He believes that if a person has been on their drugs for over two weeks and isn't showing any contagious symptoms that they should be allowed to fly on a plane, because the risk to the other passengers is so minimal. The article references a popular case of a person with TB boarding a plane that got global attention. In the article it said that "Hundreds of passengers who traveled with him were tested, and none was found to have tuberculosis." Abubakar uses this along with many other tests of people that have traveled with TB infected people to prove his point that TB is very unlikely to be spread during a flight if it is well managed, and that people are making to big of a deal over it. Though the article was ended with the other side of the arguement with the quote by Dr. Thomas Frieden the CDC Director "It's always better to be safe than sorry,".
When I read this article title I thought I was going to completely disagree with the statement. After hearing about how deadly and contagious TB is in class I thought I would be afraid to be near anyone who had it. Though after reading the article I found myself oddly agreeing with Abubakar. I still believe that it is better to be safe than sorry. Though I also believe that if the proper steps are taking that people with well controlled TB should be allowed to fly. If someone has had the misfortune to be infected with TB and doesn't have enough money to hire their own private plane I don't think they should be forced not to fly. If it can be controlled and the threat can be minimized I believe TB infected people should be allowed to board flights.

America's Often Forgotten Disease

Tim O’Sullivan

The world’s often forgotten disease:

Alzheimer’s disease is never one of the big diseases people talk about when they set off to cure the world of diseases. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the US’s most deadly diseases, being the 7th leading cause of death in 2006. The disease is very very personal, affecting families and loved ones especially because of just the sheer sorrow of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disease affecting the brain, it is not contagious, but it is suggested to be a genetic disease; often times affecting multiple people in the family. The true tragedy of the disease is that it is so personal, the individual with the disease just forgetting their entire family or who they are at times. It is gut-wrenching for families, grandchildren, childhood friends, sons and daughters because the individual literally forgets who these people are…
I really liked the article; I thought it was very modern and very well-written. One thing that stood as specific interest to me during the article was the writer’s interest in the monetary values of Alzheimer’s disease, a fact that is often neglected when thinking about the disease. In most cases, an individual with Alzheimer’s is regulated to a nursing home for their own safety; this is a very costly endeavor. One thing that was specifically noted was that with the health care reform bill being put into law, the health care costs for the Alzheimer’s patients increase dramatically. This is because most insurers have higher premiums for older patients and mostly all affected are older patients, but with the health care reform bill the insurance has to be given to all people so the cost will be larger. I think this is a valid point and something that is never really considered when thinking about the whole topic of Alzheimer’s but for some reason I feel as thought it is a conservative agenda. While the point seems valid I do not think it has a lot of significance in the whole point of Alzheimer’s. However one point that needs specific attention in the article is the fact that the largest group of people in the American populous (the baby boomers) is growing older, and with this will need adequate living conditions. The baby boomer generation has had the highest standard of living of any American generation, and as a result of that they will want an equally high standard for elderly services. The nature of Alzheimer’s disease is forgetting, but what America cannot do is forget about Alzheimer’s comparatively to other diseases that share a prominent role in media coverage. As time progresses, as the baby boomer generation gets older it is inevitable that the percent of people affected by Alzheimer’s will increase. One main thing that may need to change about Alzheimer’s disease is that maybe it needs to be on the forefront of media of diseases. Due to Alzheimer’s being so personal it is often a “closet” disease with families not being very open about the subject; however valid it does not help the disease. It may be sorrowful to speak of, but once that stigma is gone America will be in a better position to fight Alzheimer’s. Forgetting is just as scary as remembering, we have to remember not to forget about Alzheimer’s’

Swine Flu: One Year Later

Some may find it hard to believe that it's been a whole year since the beginning North and South America's most recent epidemic. On April 23, 2009, Mexico became infamous world wide because of a young mexican man, Edgar Hernandez, who came down with a new and terrifying flu. A year later, over 1,2000 deaths occurred from this epidemic in Mexico alone, with more than 16,900 deaths worldwide. Mexico was already suffering from financial crisis when the epidemic hit, making economic matters even worse. According to Financial Minister, Agustin Carstens, in the past year Mexico's economy shrunk a devastating 6.5% over all. He also estimated that the epidemic cost the country over a whopping 2.3 million dollars. But aside from death tolls and the economic problems, the Swine Flu epidemic has actually led to some positive changes in the Mexican society.

Federal authorities helped out Mexico by donating millions of dollars in order to get the Swine vaccine available throughout all of the country. This is a good thing because before all their testing was being done in North America. Now Mexico has their own personal resources which will benefit the health of Mexican people and will help Mexico be less reliable on other countries for necessary resources. Now more than ever are Mexican people aware and cautious of germs and bacteria. Spreading awareness of the flu is in itself a huge step for Mexico. Although devastating, this epidemic has led to some pretty good advances for Mexico, hoping to make the country stronger than ever.

No Need to Worry-- Slim Chance of Getting Sick

The article I chose is called, "Chance of Getting Ill May be Minuscule", written by Liz Kowalczyk on May 3, 2010 and it appeared in the Boston Globe. It can be found at http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/05/03/chance_of_getting_ill_may_be_minuscule/

This article has to do with the recent water issue and the boil-water order that was put in place. The article says how health officials stated that there was little risk of people contracting intestinal illness. It explains that the boil-water order remains because there is essentially some pond water that is flowing through the pipes. They were unsure if the bacteria levels were safe and therefore wanted to take precautionary measures.

It was explained in the article that no outbreaks of intestinal illness from contaminated water have been detected. Water-borne diseases have a long incubation period and it may take five to seven days to get sick from the contaminated water, so they did not expect to see any illnesses caused from this problem at this point anyway. Giardia or cryptosporidium are the most common pathogens found in pond water that would possibly cause people to get sick if they drank the water. The water contaminated with these pathogens would cause diarrhea, stomach pain and fever.

The article also mentioned that people with a weak immune system are the ones who should take the most caution and that is who the people from the department of health are most worried about. Without a strong immune system, if they were to drink contaminated water, they would have a harder time fighting off the disease.

I thought this article was very interesting because it was relatable to our class while also being a current issue which we (Reading) were actually affected by. I feel like I could really relate to the article because it was something that I was affected by and I was nervous about using the water. This article provided some relief because it talked about how there was very little chance of getting sick from the water. It related to the class because it talked about certain diseases that someone could possibly contract if they drank contaminated water. It reminded me of the cholera unit because that dealt with contaminated water. After learning about that, I knew that these diseases affected the intestinal tract and would result in diarrhea and a few other symptoms.

After coming to the U.S., four Haitian children must go back to their home country.

My article is titled "Bound for home, healed, heartsick". It was written by Stephen Smith and was published in the Boston Globe on May 1, 2010. The article can be found at:
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/05/01/four_haitian_children_flown_here_for_treatment_return_with_bittersweet_feelings/?page=1

This article is about four Haitian children who came to the United States for medical treatment, after being severely injured in the Haiti earthquake. After getting treatment in the U.S. and seeing how wonderful of a place it is compared to their home country, these four children must now go back. These four children were flown from Haiti to Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, Massachusetts. These children consist of two boys and two girls, ranging from age 3 to 13. They were found by a nurse and a doctor from Western Massachusetts who working at a Haiti hospital. The children have been in care for months now and finally have to go back home. Unfortunately, although they have missed their families, they wish they could stay.

It was very hard trying to get these children out of Haiti. The nurse and the doctor had to contact a man from Wisconsin who gets people out of tights spots and they had to talk to the prime minister. Why so much trouble? The Haiti government did not want these children leaving Haiti. The government thought that the nurse and doctor were just going to take the kids. The Haitian government decided to let the kids come to Massachusetts to receive care. But on these two conditions. Smith writes, "Government authorities in Haiti and the United States agreed to let the children come to Springfield for treatment with the explicit understanding that the children would return to their homeland. And family members were not allowed to accompany the young patients, another measure taken to discourage attempts to stay." The children were all healed but are still recovering a little. They are happy now and wish they could stay in the U.S. They know that they would live a better life in America but they know they have to go back to Haiti one way or another. The families of the children received tents and money and the children are assured medical care until they are fully recovered.

Although, this article can be seen as a happy article, it can also be viewed as very sad. Yes, these kids got to come to the U.S. and get medical treatment that many people in Haiti will never get. And they also got to travel to America, and experience something great. But these children have to go back to one of the poorest countries in the world. And to make matters worse, they must go back to a country that must rebuild everything, due to a massive earthquake. I understand that the government wants these kids to stay in Haiti, but I think its unfair that your country is making you stay somewhere. These kids had the chance to stay in America and they want to stay, but their country is making them come back. This article would not have the same effect on me if I had not read Mountains Beyond Mountains. Since reading that book, I notice Haiti a lot more and whenever I read about Haiti, it is never something good. These kids have to go back to a poor country and live in a tent. I am sure many people wish the kids could stay in America and get a great education, but it is not possible and it makes this story very sad.

A DIfferent Type of Cancer Vaccine

This article titled “F.D.A. Approves ‘Vaccine’ to Fight Prostate Cancer” was written by Andrew Pollack and appeared in the New York Times on April 29, 2010 and is available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/health/30drug.html?ref=health

The article discusses a new vaccine to treat prostate cancer in men. However, the treatment is not a vaccine in the typical sense of the word. It is not administered as a preventative measure. Pollack writes, “Provenge is not a preventive vaccine like those for measles, hepatitis, or even the new ones for cervical cancer which prevent a viral infection that causes the cancer. Rather, it is a so-called therapeutic vaccine, used after prostate cancer has already been diagnosed.” Instead, the vaccine is given to a patient already affected by prostate cancer, and trains the immune system to locate and destroy the cells causing the cancerous tumors. There has been a good deal of controversy surrounding the treatment, as the FDA rejected it for approval a few years ago. However, the drug is widely anticipated in the oncology world, as it increases the life expectancy of prostate cancer patients while also subjecting them to fewer side effects than the only drug previously available.

The drug is effective in destroying cancerous cells, as it is made especially for each patient. White blood cells from the patients are combined with a protein found on the cancerous tumors. When this vaccine is injected into the patients, the white blood cells can hunt down the cancerous cells and attack the tumors. In more simple terms, the vaccine is training the body’s immune system to search for and destroy cancerous cells throughout the patient’s body.

I think that the Provenge vaccine is an important medical breakthrough, as it provides a longer life expectancy for prostate cancer patients. In addition, it is basically the first cancer vaccine of its kind, which will hopefully start a trend for creating more cancer treatments like it. In fact, Dendreon, the company that created Provenge, says that they hope to create more vaccines like Provenge, starting with a treatment for bladder cancer. This article certainly connects to our immunology unit in EpiD, because the author discusses training the body’s immune system (namely white blood cells) to fight off an existing cancer condition in patients.