This is yet another example of the slow, grueling decline of living standards over the past quarter-century - a phenomenon that gets worse almost every year.
Cryptococcus gattii is a once-rare fungus that can kill humans and animals by causing a lung infection that can spread and cause meningitis. A few years ago, this fungus, which was previously limited to tropical areas, suddenly appeared in British Columbia, and now it's found in the state of Washington. The infection has killed 2 people in Whatcom County, Washington, in recent months. Now the fungus has spread to Oregon.
How did a tropical fungus get to Canada and the Northwestern U.S.? Scientists link the fungus's spread to climate change. You know, the same climate change that Freepers insist is a hoax.
In Canada, the cryptococcosis infection can be treated with antifungal drugs, so relatively few deaths from it have occurred there. In the U.S., however, these drugs are not as readily available. The death rate in the U.S. among infected patients is over 10 times as high as it is in Canada.
This news comes at the same time a staph outbreak plagues the U.S. and forces the closure of many schools. The outbreak itself is a few years old - going back 5 years or so - but the government is just now admitting that it even exists. Who knows what could be going on now that the government won't admit until another 5 years from now?
(Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21312664;
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070209.wfungus0210/BNStory/ClimateChange;
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070210.wfungusQA0210/BNStory/Front)
Monday, October 29, 2007
Tropical fungus causes deaths in Washington state
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The so-called staph outbreak is a media invention. The newspapers around here have been running front-page stories (such as "How to wash your hands") every day for the last week or two, but one of the county health officials and a hospital pediatrician actually said cases are DOWN slightly this year compared to last. Every year the media and/or government declares a different disease (SARS, West Nile, bird flu) to be the next Plague, just to work people up in into a panic. It's just another big overreaction from the hysterics and the media keeps fueling it.
ReplyDeleteSo you're saying the whole staph thing is nothing but a big hoax???? Tell that to the people who DIED from it.
ReplyDeleteIf cases are DOWN, that's proof the government tried covering it up earlier!