First Quarantine since 1963: U.S. isolates traveler infected with super-TB

[Herman Munster]

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2934397420070529?feedType=RSS&rpc=22

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has isolated a man who may have exposed fellow passengers on two transatlantic flights to a strain of tuberculosis that is extremely hard to treat, officials said on Tuesday.

It was the first time the federal government has issued such an isolation order since 1963, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding said authorities were trying to notify passengers who traveled aboard Air France flight 385 from Atlanta which arrived in Paris on May 13 and on Czech Air flight 0104 from Prague to Montreal on May 24.

The man, from the U.S. state of Georgia, returned to the United States by car and has been in the hospital "in respiratory isolation" since then, the CDC said. He is suffering from extensive drug-resistant TB, known as XDR TB, that resists virtually all antibiotics

[quinnox]

1. scary

But even if you get this strain only 1 in 10 would actually develop the disease (or virus or whatever) so even if it got out it would not be quite as bad as it could be.

[MissB]

2. And he is cooperating, which is wonderful.

Poor guy. I feel for anyone who has been in close contact with him.

[Warpy]

3. The worst possible place for him to have been

is in the sealed cabin of a plane.

He could very likely have spread it to people over many months just by talking, coughing, or just breathing.

Scary, indeed.

We need to get Stupid out of office and grant money restored to the NIH. They need to find something that will kill this bug now that the genie is out of the bottle.

I'm afraid we're going to see a resurgence of TB.

[Sadie4629]

5. I've read that the era of effective antibiotics is almost over

And that is a very scary thought indeed.

I can't see that Bush is at fault for this one. Docs have been over-prescribing antibiotics and breeding super-bugs for years. My doctor told me once that there were times that he would give antibiotics to patients with viral illnesses (colds, flu, etc.) just to get them off his back.

I've needed antibiotics for dental work for close to 20 years. The dose used to be outrageous, and has been cut back significantly. Last time I was in, in fact, the hygienist told me I may not have to use them at all any more. Guidelines have been changed because of over-prescription, but to try to reverse the trend now is too little, too late.

[Warpy]

7. Right, the American Heart Association guidelines have changed

I have to admit that when I was given antibiotics for dental work, I just squirreled them away, not smart but I've been without health insurance for 20 years. Now I can afford to go to urgent care, a good thing since the docs won't be handing out those scrips any more.

The real problem was with toddlers who got antibiotics for every viral ear infection. The kids would have been much better served with Tylenol + codeine for pain control Doctors are noticing weakened immune systems now that those kids have grown up and everybody's noticed that the bugs are fighting back.

Pediatricians started to change their antibiotics protocol about five years ago, but they still give Amoxacillin scrips to freaked out parents of howling toddlers.

I would love to see the drug war drop their stupid focus on pain control and tighten up antibiotic prescription, instead. Those are the truly dangerous drugs if they're overused.

[Journeyman]

4. "The passengers most likely to be at risk were those . . .

seated within two rows of the patient," Gerberding said.

Yes. Those, and anyone else who came in contact with this individual as he ambled across Europe from Paris to Prague, most likely in public transport a good portion of the time.

[madrchsod]

6. ? this has been an on going problem

in los angles and other california cities due to the "illegals" unable to get access to health care. whether or not it`s the exact strain or not, the one/s in california has many health care professional extremely worried that they won`t be able to stop it