Two weeks ago Tor.School of Public Health Emeritus Professor Harding Le Riche died following a stroke.
He`was intellectually brilliant to the end of his life.
See` WIKIPEDIA.
20 January 2011
17 January 2011
ABALONE VIRAL GANGLIONEURITIS
show details 15 Jan (1 day ago) |
ABALONE VIRAL GANGLIONEURITIS - AUSTRALIA: (TASMANIA)
******************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.isid.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: 15 Jan 2011
Source: ABC.net.au [edited]
<http://www.abc.net.au/news/
Abalone farm closed after virus outbreak
------------------------------
An abalone farm on Tasmania's east coast has tested positive for a highly
contagious abalone virus [abalones are edible sea snails. - Mod.SH].
Abalone viral ganglioneuritis affects the nervous systems of abalone,
causing weakness and death.
The Department of Primary Industries has closed the farm and a processing
facility. A biosecurity plan has been put in place to contain the outbreak,
which the department says has not spread into the wild.
There are no health risks for people handling or eating abalone affected by
the virus.
--
communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[While there are no health associated risks to eating or handling infected
abalone, there is an economic impact to the producer and possibly to the area.
Ganglioneuritis is an interesting condition causing inflammation in the
nervous tissue, which swells. The result is curling of the abalone foot and
swelling of the mouth. Thus, the organism cannot eat and loses its grip on
the rocks it so depends on.
Abalone viral ganglioneuritis (AVG) is a highly virulent herpes-like virus,
undescribed in Australia before 2005, and still not well characterized. The
virus affects the nervous tissue of abalone and rapidly causes death. The
virus can be spread through direct contact, through the water column
without contact, and in mucus that infected abalone produce before dying.
The virus is thought to survive only a short time when out of a moist
environment.
AVG affects both blacklip and greenlip abalone and hybrids of these 2.
In June 2006, coastal waters off Port Fairy were declared a Control Area
under the Victorian Livestock Disease Control Act (1994), as the disease is
listed as notifiable. Fishing and diving activities in the Control Area
were restricted to minimize the risk of human activity transferring the
disease to unaffected abalone populations elsewhere in the State.
16 January 2011
2011 The HAGUE: 13th. INT.CONF.of INT.PSYCHOGERIATRIC ASSN.
Int.Committee: 2 Canadians.
Assoc. Prof Univ.Toronto (BAYCREST CENTRE ) David CONN MB BCh BAO(Dublin) FRCPC
Prof.Neurobiology McGill Univ,Montreal Serge GAUTHIER MD FRCPC
Assoc. Prof Univ.Toronto (BAYCREST CENTRE ) David CONN MB BCh BAO(Dublin) FRCPC
Prof.Neurobiology McGill Univ,Montreal Serge GAUTHIER MD FRCPC
2011: AMSTERDAM 14th WORLD CONFERENCE on LUNG CANCER
International COMMITTEE: 5 Canadians. 2 from Ontario.
McMaster Univ, Hamilton: William .E. EVANS MD(Tor.70) FRCPC Int.Med. + Med.Oncology
Univ.Toronto:. Princess Margaret Cancer Hosp:. F.Alice SHEPHERD MD(Tor 70) .FRCPC Int.Med + Haem.
McMaster Univ, Hamilton: William .E. EVANS MD(Tor.70) FRCPC Int.Med. + Med.Oncology
Univ.Toronto:. Princess Margaret Cancer Hosp:. F.Alice SHEPHERD MD(Tor 70) .FRCPC Int.Med + Haem.
12 January 2011
FORGED YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION CERTIFICATES
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Mon 10 Jan 2011
Source: AllAfrica, The Monitor (Uganda) report [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/
Close to 50 people have died [from yellow fever virus infections; YF] with
another 190 infected in the past couple of weeks since the disease was
first detected.
Even as Uganda struggles to cope with an outbreak of yellow fever, some
conmen are selling vaccination cards to people who have not been
vaccinated, a Daily Monitor investigation has shown. At the South African
embassy for example, 6 out of 10 yellow cards presented as part of
requirements for visa applications, are found to be fake --creating the
risk of the disease being spread to countries not infected. At Kampala City
Council Hospital, just next to the imposing White Hall that houses the
council's offices, the illegal trade in yellow fever cards is lucrative and
bustling. The "hawkers", casually dressed unlike their tattered-trouser
donning counterparts downtown, are busy; hovering in the hospital compound
on the look out for clients to buy the vaccination cards at a give-away
price. Under normal circumstances, vaccination and a card for proof costs
Shs 46 000 [USD 19.64] at this facility - -but if you bargain with these
"hawkers", you could get one for as low as Shs 15 000 [USD 6.40], without
even being vaccinated. Our reporter was charged Shs 25 000 [USD 10.57] for
the card.
The South African high commissioner to Uganda, Mr Jon Qwelane, says the
black market in vaccination cards is a serious problem. He does not just
fear the spread of the disease to his country but the blatant abuse of
ethical standards of disease control.
Of the 53 countries in Africa, 39 are at a high risk of transmitting yellow
fever [virus], including Uganda.
[byline: Flavia Lanyero]
--
communicated by:
Thomas James Allen
<tjallen@pipeline.com>
[The 31 Dec 2010 edition of The Monitor
(<http://allafrica.com/
were 12 new YF cases (dates not given), with no deaths, bringing the total
number of YF cases to 190 with deaths remaining at 48. This is not good
news. When the 2-week delay in the delivery of vaccine was first announced
recently, no new cases were reported. Apparently, and not surprisingly,
transmission of YF virus continues, making the initiation of the
vaccination campaign more urgent than ever. The only immediate good news
coming out of the outbreak is that it continues to be confined to 10
districts in northern Uganda. With ongoing YF virus transmission and the
large proportion of African countries at risk should the virus be
introduced, the selling of fake YF vaccination cards raises the specter of
spread through movement of viremic individuals, putting large populations
of susceptible people at risk in an environment where YF vaccine is already
in short supply. One hopes that Uganda officials will crack down
immediately on the sale of fraudulent cards and that health and immigration
officials in other countries are vigilant for holders of these fake cards
by passengers arriving from Uganda.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Uganda can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/r/0089>. The districts can be seen on the map at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Mon 10 Jan 2011
Source: AllAfrica, The Monitor (Uganda) report [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/
Close to 50 people have died [from yellow fever virus infections; YF] with
another 190 infected in the past couple of weeks since the disease was
first detected.
Even as Uganda struggles to cope with an outbreak of yellow fever, some
conmen are selling vaccination cards to people who have not been
vaccinated, a Daily Monitor investigation has shown. At the South African
embassy for example, 6 out of 10 yellow cards presented as part of
requirements for visa applications, are found to be fake --creating the
risk of the disease being spread to countries not infected. At Kampala City
Council Hospital, just next to the imposing White Hall that houses the
council's offices, the illegal trade in yellow fever cards is lucrative and
bustling. The "hawkers", casually dressed unlike their tattered-trouser
donning counterparts downtown, are busy; hovering in the hospital compound
on the look out for clients to buy the vaccination cards at a give-away
price. Under normal circumstances, vaccination and a card for proof costs
Shs 46 000 [USD 19.64] at this facility - -but if you bargain with these
"hawkers", you could get one for as low as Shs 15 000 [USD 6.40], without
even being vaccinated. Our reporter was charged Shs 25 000 [USD 10.57] for
the card.
The South African high commissioner to Uganda, Mr Jon Qwelane, says the
black market in vaccination cards is a serious problem. He does not just
fear the spread of the disease to his country but the blatant abuse of
ethical standards of disease control.
Of the 53 countries in Africa, 39 are at a high risk of transmitting yellow
fever [virus], including Uganda.
[byline: Flavia Lanyero]
--
communicated by:
Thomas James Allen
<tjallen@pipeline.com>
[The 31 Dec 2010 edition of The Monitor
(<http://allafrica.com/
were 12 new YF cases (dates not given), with no deaths, bringing the total
number of YF cases to 190 with deaths remaining at 48. This is not good
news. When the 2-week delay in the delivery of vaccine was first announced
recently, no new cases were reported. Apparently, and not surprisingly,
transmission of YF virus continues, making the initiation of the
vaccination campaign more urgent than ever. The only immediate good news
coming out of the outbreak is that it continues to be confined to 10
districts in northern Uganda. With ongoing YF virus transmission and the
large proportion of African countries at risk should the virus be
introduced, the selling of fake YF vaccination cards raises the specter of
spread through movement of viremic individuals, putting large populations
of susceptible people at risk in an environment where YF vaccine is already
in short supply. One hopes that Uganda officials will crack down
immediately on the sale of fraudulent cards and that health and immigration
officials in other countries are vigilant for holders of these fake cards
by passengers arriving from Uganda.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Uganda can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/r/0089>. The districts can be seen on the map at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
11 January 2011
FREE CANCER STAGING BOOKLET
Breast, Colorectal, Prostate, Ovary, Lung
pocket Cancer Staging Booklet.
Published by SANOFI-AVENTIS CANADA Inc ,Laval, Quebec H7L 4A8
pocket Cancer Staging Booklet.
Published by SANOFI-AVENTIS CANADA Inc ,Laval, Quebec H7L 4A8
SODIUM NITRATE confused with SODIUM CHLORIDE: DEATH
FOODBORNE ILLNESS, FATAL - JAMAICA: SODIUM NITRATE
******************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Sun 9 Jan 2011
Source: The Gleaner [edited]
<http://jamaica-gleaner.com/
An autopsy into the death of Argentinean tourist, who died after eating a
meal of fish and potatoes 2 weeks ago, points to an ingestion of saltpetre,
according to reports reaching The Sunday Gleaner.
Sodium nitrate (saltpetre) is often used for curing meats. It is believed
that the tourist, whose command of the English language was limited,
purchased the product, mistaking it for table salt. He reportedly used it
excessively in the meal that he prepared, and this was evidenced by the
half-empty bottle of saltpetre that was found at the villa he occupied in
St Mary.
The tourist was vacationing here with [a couple] who came to Jamaica to
renew their wedding vows, having married in Japan a year ago. [She] is a
Jamaican university teacher residing in Japan.
"Saltpetre (nitrate) prevents the haemoglobin in the blood from carrying
oxygen at high levels. So you get headache, blue colour to skin and
dizziness, trouble breathing, heart failure, and ultimately, death," a
biochemist, who is not part of the medical team investigating the case,
told this newspaper. He said if too much was inhaled, it could scorch the
nasal passages and the lungs. Unconfirmed reports are that the tourist's
throat was badly burnt from the effects of whatever he ate.
"The only type of fish that would trigger that type of result would likely
be barracuda or fugu (puffer fish) because of the level of toxicity that
could come from those types of fish," said the expert, dismissing
assumptions that the fish could have caused the death. Countries such as
the United States and the United Kingdom have regulated the use of
saltpetre, he said.
US Federal regulations permit a maximum addition of 2.75 oz of sodium, or
potassium nitrate, per 100 pounds of chopped meat, and 0.25 oz sodium, or
potassium nitrite, per 100 pounds of chopped meat. Since these small
quantities are difficult to weigh out on most available scales, it is
strongly recommended that a commercial pre-mixed cure be used when nitrate
or nitrite is called for in any recipe.
Dr Marion Ducasse, director of emergency, disaster management and special
services in the Ministry of Health said she could not say how soon the
autopsy would be released as investigations were still going on.
[byline: Janet Silvera]
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Sodium nitrate has on a number of occasions been mistaken for table salt.
Clinical signs of ingestion may include gastroenteritis, abdominal pains,
dizziness, bloody diarrhea, convulsions, and collapse. Purging and diuresis
are expected. If the victim receives small, repeated doses there may be
headache and mental impairment. Generally in the case of mistaking sodium
nitrate for sodium chloride, the dose may be larger for large meals typical
of celebrations. Rare cases of nitrates being converted to the more toxic
nitrites have been reported.
Sodium nitrate has been used in curing meat for centuries. Bacterial action
converts the nitrate to nitrite, which kills the organism responsible for
botulism poisoning. Generally sodium nitrite has replaced sodium nitrate,
except in slow-cured hams.
Nitrite is added to certain foods to prevent the growth of the
spore-forming bacterium _Clostridium botulinum_, whose toxin causes
botulism, leading to paralysis and, potentially, death. The word botulinum
comes from the Latin word botulus, meaning sausage, which was responsible
for many deaths centuries ago before curing with nitrite was used. In
addition to serving as an antimicrobial, nitrite is used to produce the
characteristic flavor, texture, and pink color of cured meats.
At significant blood levels, the nitrite's oxidation of the iron in
hemoglobin from the ferrous to the ferric state yields methemoglobin, which
does not carry oxygen and imparts a brown hue to the blood. Symptoms of
methemoglobinemia include headaches, fatigue, tachycardia (fast heart
rate), weakness, and dizziness. As oxygenation of tissues decreases to the
point of becoming truly inadequate, dyspnea (shortness of breath),
acidosis, arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms), coma, convulsions, and
even death may occur.
This article mentions a limitation imposed by some countries on
nitrites/nitrates in meat preservation. The combination of nitrites or
nitrates with meat can form nitrosamines, which has been shown to cause
cancers, especially gastric cancers and esophageal cancers. Because of the
nitrate concentration in processed meats, there has also been a link to
colon cancer.
So while these nitrous compounds can be beneficial for preserving meat, it
must be done correctly, using small amounts of the preservative. - Mod.TG
******************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Sun 9 Jan 2011
Source: The Gleaner [edited]
<http://jamaica-gleaner.com/
An autopsy into the death of Argentinean tourist, who died after eating a
meal of fish and potatoes 2 weeks ago, points to an ingestion of saltpetre,
according to reports reaching The Sunday Gleaner.
Sodium nitrate (saltpetre) is often used for curing meats. It is believed
that the tourist, whose command of the English language was limited,
purchased the product, mistaking it for table salt. He reportedly used it
excessively in the meal that he prepared, and this was evidenced by the
half-empty bottle of saltpetre that was found at the villa he occupied in
St Mary.
The tourist was vacationing here with [a couple] who came to Jamaica to
renew their wedding vows, having married in Japan a year ago. [She] is a
Jamaican university teacher residing in Japan.
"Saltpetre (nitrate) prevents the haemoglobin in the blood from carrying
oxygen at high levels. So you get headache, blue colour to skin and
dizziness, trouble breathing, heart failure, and ultimately, death," a
biochemist, who is not part of the medical team investigating the case,
told this newspaper. He said if too much was inhaled, it could scorch the
nasal passages and the lungs. Unconfirmed reports are that the tourist's
throat was badly burnt from the effects of whatever he ate.
"The only type of fish that would trigger that type of result would likely
be barracuda or fugu (puffer fish) because of the level of toxicity that
could come from those types of fish," said the expert, dismissing
assumptions that the fish could have caused the death. Countries such as
the United States and the United Kingdom have regulated the use of
saltpetre, he said.
US Federal regulations permit a maximum addition of 2.75 oz of sodium, or
potassium nitrate, per 100 pounds of chopped meat, and 0.25 oz sodium, or
potassium nitrite, per 100 pounds of chopped meat. Since these small
quantities are difficult to weigh out on most available scales, it is
strongly recommended that a commercial pre-mixed cure be used when nitrate
or nitrite is called for in any recipe.
Dr Marion Ducasse, director of emergency, disaster management and special
services in the Ministry of Health said she could not say how soon the
autopsy would be released as investigations were still going on.
[byline: Janet Silvera]
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Sodium nitrate has on a number of occasions been mistaken for table salt.
Clinical signs of ingestion may include gastroenteritis, abdominal pains,
dizziness, bloody diarrhea, convulsions, and collapse. Purging and diuresis
are expected. If the victim receives small, repeated doses there may be
headache and mental impairment. Generally in the case of mistaking sodium
nitrate for sodium chloride, the dose may be larger for large meals typical
of celebrations. Rare cases of nitrates being converted to the more toxic
nitrites have been reported.
Sodium nitrate has been used in curing meat for centuries. Bacterial action
converts the nitrate to nitrite, which kills the organism responsible for
botulism poisoning. Generally sodium nitrite has replaced sodium nitrate,
except in slow-cured hams.
Nitrite is added to certain foods to prevent the growth of the
spore-forming bacterium _Clostridium botulinum_, whose toxin causes
botulism, leading to paralysis and, potentially, death. The word botulinum
comes from the Latin word botulus, meaning sausage, which was responsible
for many deaths centuries ago before curing with nitrite was used. In
addition to serving as an antimicrobial, nitrite is used to produce the
characteristic flavor, texture, and pink color of cured meats.
At significant blood levels, the nitrite's oxidation of the iron in
hemoglobin from the ferrous to the ferric state yields methemoglobin, which
does not carry oxygen and imparts a brown hue to the blood. Symptoms of
methemoglobinemia include headaches, fatigue, tachycardia (fast heart
rate), weakness, and dizziness. As oxygenation of tissues decreases to the
point of becoming truly inadequate, dyspnea (shortness of breath),
acidosis, arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms), coma, convulsions, and
even death may occur.
This article mentions a limitation imposed by some countries on
nitrites/nitrates in meat preservation. The combination of nitrites or
nitrates with meat can form nitrosamines, which has been shown to cause
cancers, especially gastric cancers and esophageal cancers. Because of the
nitrate concentration in processed meats, there has also been a link to
colon cancer.
So while these nitrous compounds can be beneficial for preserving meat, it
must be done correctly, using small amounts of the preservative. - Mod.TG
09 January 2011
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