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A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

nytimes.com

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Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#11

Post by skue »

rwmj wrote: post #4

Also, a new coronovirus in France and the middle east, which although it's killed 50% of the people who've caught it so far is probably not going to kill us all[1]. Also H7N9 (a new bird flu), although it's a bit of a lightweight having killed a mere 20% of sufferers. It may not spread human to human, although we don't know that, and this one hasn't yet reached "the West". [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-2317957…

In med school I learned about a mailing list primarily for infectious disease specialists tracking potential outbreaks worldwide. After a few months I stopped reading it -- it was too terrifying.

Update: It was probably ProMED-mail[1]. The WHO also posts disease a outbreak news[2].

[1] http://www.promedmail.org/

[2] http://www.who.int/csr/don/en/index.html

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#12

Post by jacques_chester »

Roboprog wrote: post #2

Swell. I write this from the Sacramento area (yeah, "the other valley" - Central, not Silicon) as somebody who was born by Bakersfield. OTOH - doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites???

Where I grew up (Darwin, Australia), gardening can kill you with a flesh-eating bacteria.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melioidosis

Luckily, it's treatable with very high doses of antibiotics. It mostly kills the already infirm or elderly.

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#13

Post by jacques_chester »

notatoad wrote: post #6
Roboprog wrote: post #2

Swell. I write this from the Sacramento area (yeah, "the other valley" - Central, not Silicon) as somebody who was born by Bakersfield. OTOH - doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites???

>doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites? Exactly. This whole article feels like the sort of ego piece you only get out of places like LA or NYC. Every place on earth has diseases and other medical problems caused by local environmental factors. To give it that a name like "valley fever" is to trivialize the fact that the exact same phenomenon occurs everywhere else in the world too.

In fairness, it's causing genuine suffering and is so far incurable for many people.

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#14

Post by healthenclave »

The article is actually a little sensationalist. Because Coccidioidomycosis is actually ENDEMIC to the western region of USA and Mexico.

The rates do usually go up after earthquakes and storms that can lift up large amounts of dust up in the air.

In most people the infection resolves itself (much like TB in healthy people). Some people might get pneumonia and rarely do healthy people get meningitis. The disease is severe in immune-comprised but any disease can be severe in that case (eg: simple thrush - candida albicans infection)

simple anti-fungals eg: fluconazole is effective is most cases

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#15

Post by kafkaesque »

notatoad wrote: post #6
Roboprog wrote: post #2

Swell. I write this from the Sacramento area (yeah, "the other valley" - Central, not Silicon) as somebody who was born by Bakersfield. OTOH - doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites???

>doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites? Exactly. This whole article feels like the sort of ego piece you only get out of places like LA or NYC. Every place on earth has diseases and other medical problems caused by local environmental factors. To give it that a name like "valley fever" is to trivialize the fact that the exact same phenomenon occurs everywhere else in the world too.

I agree that the article is too California-centric, but if you follow the link to the Valley Fever Center, the first thing it says is "Two-thirds of all U.S. Valley Fever infections are contracted in Arizona"[0]. I'm not saying this is the next epidemic in the 'West', but I do feel a watchful eye is needed. I live in LA, I'm a runner and don't live in a coastal city. My lungs are very susceptible to bad air (particulates). I moved to LA from a city with much cleaner air, and I've read LA residents tend to have more lung problems. Sorry, I don't have a link/source handy.

[0] https://www.vfce.arizona.edu/

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#16

Post by chime »

jacques_chester wrote: post #12
Roboprog wrote: post #2

Swell. I write this from the Sacramento area (yeah, "the other valley" - Central, not Silicon) as somebody who was born by Bakersfield. OTOH - doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites???

Where I grew up (Darwin, Australia), gardening can kill you with a flesh-eating bacteria. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melioidosis Luckily, it's treatable with very high doses of antibiotics. It mostly kills the already infirm or elderly.

Swimming in a lake here in Florida can kill you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri

Personally, I prefer springs and oceans. So not too worried about that. Lakes around here are murky and full of gators any way.

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#17

Post by healthenclave »

300bps wrote: post #7
Roboprog wrote: post #2

Swell. I write this from the Sacramento area (yeah, "the other valley" - Central, not Silicon) as somebody who was born by Bakersfield. OTOH - doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites???

>doesn't every place have its own local diseases and parasites??? You're right. I live in the mid-Atlantic region of the country. Two months ago, we went hiking in the woods and my wife and I forgot to check our three kids for ticks until the next day. My 4 year old son had two ticks on him. A week later, bulls-eye rash about 5 inches in diameter appeared on his back around one of the tick bites. Three weeks of antib…

Quite right .. Untreated Borrellia (Lyme's Disease) can actually be very severe (cardiac, large joint and cns involvement). You should always has some kind of pest-repellent on yourself in case you plan to camp.

Good thing you son had very TYPICAL presentation and history - H/o Hike in the woods , followed by rash with central clearing (bull's eye).

Lyme's disease is Endemic in the NE USA and some part of central US as well.

The article is a little sensationalist like I mentioned in another comment. Many parts of US (and the world) have their own set of Endemic Diseases to the Geo-location.

ps: It's untreated Borrellia infection that leas to lyme's disease.

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#18

Post by jacques_chester »

chime wrote: post #16
jacques_chester wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where I grew up (Darwin, Australia), gardening can kill you with a flesh-eating bacteria. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melioidosis Luckily, it's treatable with very high doses of antibiotics. It mostly kills the already infirm or elderly.

Swimming in a lake here in Florida can kill you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri Personally, I prefer springs and oceans. So not too worried about that. Lakes around here are murky and full of gators any way.

Darwin wins again -- Saltwater crocodiles are bigger than alligators :D

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#19

Post by healthenclave »

chime wrote: post #16
jacques_chester wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where I grew up (Darwin, Australia), gardening can kill you with a flesh-eating bacteria. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melioidosis Luckily, it's treatable with very high doses of antibiotics. It mostly kills the already infirm or elderly.

Swimming in a lake here in Florida can kill you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri Personally, I prefer springs and oceans. So not too worried about that. Lakes around here are murky and full of gators any way.

Oh that disease due to a kind of Amoeba (Naegleria) is very bad because it actually almost always leads to death (post to meningo-encephalitis). 97-99% mortality unlike coccidioidomycosis (which is a little hyped in the article).

They tried Amphotericin B in some case with limited success but the disease is always fatal :(

Re: A Disease Without a Cure Spreads Quietly in the West

#20

Post by healthenclave »

Alex3917 wrote: post #3

The problem also is that you have people who are constantly getting exposed to anti-fungal medications without their knowledge. E.g. almost all supermarket lemons/limes/oranges are coated in anti-fungal cream before being coated with another thin layer of wax, so when you make zest from them (or order a drink with zest at a bar) then you are probably reducing your body's ability to fight off things like this. So much…

Almost all fungal (few exceptions) infections are 100 % curable and treatable in most healthy individuals !!

Lethal fungal infections (such as Aspergillous and Mucormycosis - flesh eating fungus) are common in immune-comprimised individuals (Diabetics, HIV+ , Organ Transplant Recipients, etc) and very un-common in healthy individuals.

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