SHIGELLOSIS - USA: (PENNSYLVANIA)

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A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Thu 24 Jun 2010
Source: ThePittsburghChannel.com [edited]



The Allegheny County Health Department is warning everyone to
remember to wash their hands to guard against a bacterial infection
known as shigellosis that has seen a spike in cases in recent weeks.

"_Shigella_ bacteria are highly contagious. It can spread very easily
from person to person or through contaminated food, water or
beverages when people are not careful about thoroughly washing after
going to the toilet, changing diapers or caring for someone who's ill
with diarrhea," said Guillermo Cole, of the Allegheny County Health Department.

_Shigella_ causes bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Symptoms can
last for several days.

There are currently 97 cases reported in Allegheny County,
Pennsylvania, compared to a dozen cases for all of 2008. The Health
Department has been targeting day cares in an attempt to keep
shigellosis from spreading. "What we're doing specifically with day
care centers is requiring any worker or child with diarrhea to be
excluded until they have a negative shigella test and no diarrhea for
at least 24 hours," said Cole.

The outbreak began in October [2009], but cases have spiked in recent weeks.

"You could pass it to somebody else if you don't wash your hands, and
then they get it on their hands or they handle food that they then
ingest," said Cole. The health department is offering free stickers
based on satires of famous literature such as The Wizard of Oz and
Moby Dick reminding everyone to wash their hands.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


[The following is extracted from moderator LL's comments in a prior
ProMED post Shigellosis, imported sugar peas - Norway, Denmark: (ex
Kenya) susp. 20090626.2328:

"... from the US FDA (Food & Drug Administration) Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition, Bad Bug Book
():

"The illness caused by shigellosis accounts for less than 10 percent
of the reported outbreaks of foodborne illness in this country.
_Shigella_ rarely occurs in animals; principally it is a disease of
humans except for other primates such as monkeys and chimpanzees. The
organism is frequently found in water polluted with human feces. The
infective dose is as few as 10 cells depending on age and condition
of host. The _Shigella_ spp. are highly infectious agents that are
transmitted by the fecal-oral route.

"Associated foods include salads (potato, tuna, shrimp, macaroni, and
chicken), raw vegetables, milk and dairy products, and poultry.
Contamination of these foods is usually through the fecal-oral route.
Fecally contaminated water and unsanitary handling by food handlers
are the most common causes of contamination.

"Clearly unlike foodborne infections in humans due to _Salmonella_
(except for typhoid fever), _E. coli_ O157, and _Campylobacter_,
shigellosis is associated with food contamination with human, not
animal feces."

Allegheny County is in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
(). As
of the 2000 census, the population was 1 281 666. The county seat is
Pittsburgh. The state of Pennsylvania can be located in the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at:
.
- Mod.ML]

[see also:
Shigellosis, changing epidemiology - Canada: (ON) RFI 20100216.0548
2005
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Shigellosis, retreat center - USA (OR) 20050812.2364
2003
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Shigellosis - USA (FL) 20030929.2452
Shigellosis - USA (North Carolina) 20030713.1727
Shigellosis - USA (Texas) (02) 20030509.1156
2002
----
Shigellosis - USA (New Jersey) 20020826.5153
Shigellosis - USA (Georgia): alert 20020624.4587
2001
----
Shigellosis - USA (Iowa) 20010924.2316
Shigellosis - USA (Ohio, Kentucky) 20010815.1930
Shigellosis, toddlers - USA (Ohio) (02) 20010721.1419
1997
----
Shigellosis - Canada 19970610.1214
1996
----
Shigella, deliberate contamination? - USA (Texas) 19961119.1946]
...................ml/ejp/dk


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Boy Dies in Microwave Playing Hide-and-Seek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTYQaLYjRwA&NR=1

NRA Exempts Itself from Oppressive Law and Caves in to Support It

June 16, 2010

Dear Campaign for Liberty Member,

Once again, free speech and political liberty are under attack in Congress. And this time they have a surprising (to some) assailant -- the National Rifle Association.

In a minute, I'll give you links to the sorry story and ask you to tell the NRA and your congressman you OPPOSE the freedom-killing DISCLOSE ACT, with or without the NRA's deal.



You see, if there is one thing the establishment hates, it is watching its hand-picked candidates be held accountable for their records on liberty issues.

They want their Big Government power grabs to go unnoticed.

After watching some of their favorites go down in flames in race after race these past few months and seeing their statist schemes like Cap and Tax grind to a halt as a result of a massive uprising by liberty-loving Americans, they plan to strike back.

In a move that has dire consequences for our First Amendment right to freedom of speech and for Campaign for Liberty's ability to fight for our freedoms, incumbent politicians have colluded with a super-sized establishment lobbying group, the National Rifle Association, to push H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE ACT, or as I like to call it, the "Establishment Protection Act," through the House of Representatives as soon as this week.

According to Politico, the NRA bargained for an exemption for itself and other large, established groups while trampling the rights of private citizens, new groups (like Campaign for Liberty), and small organizations.


As John Bresnahan reports, "The proposal would exempt organizations that have more than 1 million members, have been in existence for more than 10 years, have members in all 50 states and raise 15 percent or less of their funds from corporations... The NRA, with 4 million members, will not actively oppose the DISCLOSE Act, according to Democratic sources."

RedState's Erick Erickson mentions one of our Regional Conference sponsors when saying, "I support Gun Owners of America, which is a consistent and uncompromising defender of the second amendment, not a weak little girl of an organization protecting itself while throwing everyone else under the bus."

Another pro-gun organization friendly to Campaign for Liberty, the National Association for Gun Rights, said in a national email, "And frankly, this craven deal by the NRA will damage our gun rights and our free speech rights."

As we hold politicians accountable and put them on record with our issue discussion program, the Establishment Protection Act will force organizations like C4L to turn over the names of their "top" donors for exercising our First Amendment rights.

You see, they are targeting groups like Campaign for Liberty because they think their "right" to hold office is more important than your rights to privacy and free speech.


Campaign for Liberty has experienced tremendous growth this past year, and the establishment knows we are out there every day fighting back against its statist power grabs.

They watch as we inform you which candidates support the Constitution and which candidates refuse to take a stand on liberty issues.

And they know we won't play their Washington game of trading principle for power. They want to silence us once and for all by going after our donors.

Campaign for Liberty will not be silenced, and we will lead the fight against the Establishment Protection Act so you have the right to speak freely without your name and personal information being turned over to Big Brother.

Call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121 right away to contact your representative and INSIST they uphold your First Amendment right to free speech and vote against H.R. 5175, the Establishment Protection Act.

After you contact your representative, call the NRA headquarters at 1-800-672-3888 and their Legislative Action group at 1-800-392-8683 and let them know how you feel about their move to stab freedom organizations in the back.

Sincerely,



John Tate

President