Showing posts with label CDC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CDC. Show all posts

Monday, June 3, 2013

Ο ΔΟΛΟΦΟΝΙΚΟΣ ΙΟΣ MERS_CoV ΠΕΡΑΣΕ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΥΡΩΠΗ





Ο δολοφονικός ιός MERS_CoV πέρασε στην Ευρώπη μέσω Ιταλίας. 

Μισά απο τα δηλωθέντα κρούσματα κατέληξαν σε θάνατο των φορέων.



Ο άγνωστος ιός πέρασε στον άνθρωπο μέσω ζώων τα οποία προσέβαλαν νυχτερίδες-φορείς με την επιδημία να έχει εξαπλωθεί κυρίως  στην Σαουδική Αραβία όπου προσέβαλε τουλάχιστον 38 άτομα απο τα οποία 24 κατέληξαν. 
Ο αριθμός των θυμάτων πριν τα τελευταία 3 θύματά του στην Σαουδική Αραβία είχε  ήδη φτάσει τα 30 απο τα 50 που είχαν δηλωθεί στον Παγκόσμιο Οργανισμό Υγείας . 
Η γενική διευθύντρια του ΠΟΥ Μαργαρίτα Τσάν μιλώντας στην Γενεύη στις 27 Μαίου περιέγραψε τον ιό ως "μία παγκόσμια απειλή" και απηύθυνε έκκληση για παγκόσμια συνεργασία καθώς καμμία χώρα δεν μπορεί να διαχειριστεί το πρόβλημα μόνη της.
Ελάχιστα πράγματα είναι γνωστά για τον νέο δολοφονικό ιό...


“Looking at the overall global situation, my greatest concern right now is the 

novel coronavirus. We understand too little about this virus when viewed 

against the magnitude of its potential threat. Any new disease that is 

emerging faster than our understanding is never under control,” Dr Chan said. 

“These are alarm bells and we must respond. The novel coronavirus is not a 

problem that any single affected country can keep to itself or manage all by 

itself. The novel coronavirus is a threat to the entire world.”



Περισσότερα/ More....



MERS spreads to Italy, 

kills 3 more in Saudi Arabia

Little is known about the SARS-like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, but more than half of the reported cases have been fatal.



There have been at least 38 cases of the MERS virus in Saudi Arabia and 24 of them have been deadly.

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) continues to spread.
Health officials in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that three more people had died from the virus, ABC News reported. At least 38 cases have been reported in the country, and 24 of them have been fatal.
On Saturday, three new infections were confirmed in Italy.
MERS had already been reported in Europe, but a 45-year-old man who recently traveled to Jordan was Italy's first resident sickened by the virus. A two-year-old girl and a 42-year-old woman, both of whom were in close contact with the man, also fell ill. All three were in stable condition as of Sunday, according to the World Health Organization.
Little is known about the rapidly-spreading viral respiratory illness, which first appeared in 2012. Before the recent Saudi cases, WHO was notified of at least 50 people instances of MERS, 30 of which were fatal.
In addition to the recent one in Italy, clusters have been confirmed in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, France, Tunisia and the United Kingdom.
The cases in Europe and Africa were still connected to the Middle East, as those people affected had recently traveled to the area or had close contact with someone who had, WHO said.
The head of WHO recently called the virus a "threat to the entire world."
"Looking at the overall global situation, my greatest concern right now is the novel coronavirus," Dr. Margaret Chan said at a conference in Geneva on May 27. "We understand too little about this virus when viewed against the magnitude of its potential threat. Any new disease that is emerging faster than our understanding is never under control."
MERS isn't believed to be as early transmitted as SARS, which killed 774 people and sickened thousands about 10 years ago. However, both are coronaviruses.
φfurther reading  on topic  and sources/περισσότερα στοιχεία και πηγές :






Saturday, May 21, 2011

CDC : "ZOMBIE" APOCALYPSE AHEAD?


Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

The following was originally posted on CDC Public Health Matters Blog on May 16th, 2011 by Ali S. Khan.
Image of zombie
There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That’s right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you’ll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a realemergency.
A Brief History of Zombies
We’ve all seen at least one movie about flesh-eating zombies taking over (my personal favorite is Resident EvilExternal Web Site Icon.), but where do zombies come from and why do they love eating brains so much? The word zombie comes from Haitian and New Orleans voodoo origins. Although its meaning has changed slightly over the years, it refers to a human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead. Through ancient voodoo and folk-lore traditions, shows like the Walking Dead were born.
Photo: A couple dressed as zombies - Danny Zucco and Sandy Olsson from the movie Grease walking in the annual Toronto Zombie Walk.
A couple dressed as zombies - Danny Zucco and Sandy Olsson from the movie Grease walking in the annual Toronto Zombie Walk.
In movies, shows, and literature, zombies are often depicted as being created by an infectious virus, which is passed on via bites and contact with bodily fluids. Harvard psychiatrist Steven Schoolman wrote a (fictional) medical paper on the zombies presented in Night of the Living Deadand refers to the condition as Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome caused by an infectious agent. The Zombie Survival Guideidentifies the cause of zombies as a virus called solanum. Other zombie origins shown in films include radiation from a destroyed NASA Venus probe (as in Night of the Living Dead), as well as mutations of existing conditions such as prions, mad-cow disease, measlesand rabies.
The rise of zombies in pop culture has given credence to the idea that a zombie apocalypse could happen. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. The proliferation of this idea has led many people to wonder “How do I prepare for a zombie apocalypse?”
Well, we’re here to answer that question for you, and hopefully share a few tips about preparing for real emergencies too!
Better Safe than Sorry
Photo: Some of the supplies for your emergency kit.
Some of the supplies for your emergency kit.
So what do you need to do before zombies…or hurricanes or pandemics for example, actually happen? First of all, you should have an emergency kit in your house. This includes things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp (or in the event of anatural disaster, it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation shelter or utility lines are restored). Below are a few items you should include in your kit, for a full list visit the CDC Emergency page.
  • Water (1 gallon per person per day)
  • Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
  • Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
  • Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
  • Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
  • Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
  • Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
  • First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane)
Once you’ve made your emergency kit, you should sit down with your family and come up with an emergency plan. This includes where you would go and who you would call if zombies started appearing outside your door step. You can also implement this plan if there is a flood, earthquake, or other emergency.
    Photo: Family members meeting by their mailbox. You should pick two meeting places, one close to your home and one farther away.
    Family members meeting by their mailbox. You should pick two meeting places, one close to your home and one farther away.
  1. Identify the types of emergencies that are possible in your area. Besides a zombie apocalypse, this may include floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes. If you are unsure contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information.
  2. Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home…or your town evacuates because of a hurricane. Pick one place right outside your home for sudden emergencies and one place outside of your neighborhood in case you are unable to return home right away.
  3. Identify your emergency contacts. Make a list of local contacts like the police, fire department, and your local zombie response team. Also identify an out-of-state contact that you can call during an emergency to let the rest of your family know you are ok.
  4. Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of town fast! Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don’t have a chance! This is also helpful when natural disasters strike and you have to take shelter fast.
Never Fear – CDC is Ready
Photo: Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Prepared
Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Prepared
If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation. This assistance might include consultation, lab testing and analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection control (including isolation and quarantine). It’s likely that an investigation of this scenario would seek to accomplish several goals: determine the cause of the illness, the source of the infection/virus/toxin, learn how it is transmitted and how readily it is spread, how to break the cycle of transmission and thus prevent further cases, and how patients can best be treated. Not only would scientists be working to identify the cause and cure of the zombie outbreak, but CDC and other federal agencies would send medical teams and first responders to help those in affected areas (I will be volunteering the young nameless disease detectives for the field work).
To learn more about what CDC does to prepare for and respond to emergencies of all kinds, visit:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/cdc/orgs_progs.asp
To learn more about how you can prepare for and stay safe during an emergency visit:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/
To download a badge like the one above that you can add to your social networking profile, blog, website, or email signature visit:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies.asp