People in Massachusetts, California and Illinois have all shown up with NDM-1 which is a superbug that a British medical journal discussed last month. Many assume the bug originated from India when all 3 cases were of patients who had recently visited India. British citizens had been trying to get cheap plastic surgery in India when coming home with the superbug which is why initially, the NDM-1 was blamed on medical tourism. But the belief that the American superbug victims were not health related tourists is leading scientists to believe that the potential of NDM-1 as a worldwide threat is more significant than first thought.
Superbug infections in U.S. traced to India
Recently found cases of superbug infection within the United States of America, along with two others in Canada, involve individuals who received health related care in India. As outlined by Red Orbit, there was a woman in California that got NDM-1. While in India, she got in a car incident and had to receive health related care. The man in Illinois with the bug traveled in India when already having pre-existing medical conditions requiring him to have a urinary catheter. In Massachusetts, a woman from India had surgery and chemotherapy there before traveling to the United States. In all three U.S. cases the superbugs were not killed by antibiotics typically used to treat drug-resistant attacks, however all of the victims survived. The first person to actually die from the NDM-1 superbug was a Belgian man who was in an automobile accident and hospitalized in Pakistan.
Could the superbug be a global threat?
All Britons traveling to India for cheap plastic surgery who contracted the NDM-1 disease were recorded in the Lancet last month. The Lancet is really a health related journal in Briton. In the Lancet article, scientists describe NDM-1 as a gene that mutates bacteria to become resistant to the strongest antibiotics accessible. In India, there is a lot of bacteria, says CBS News, carrying the NDM-1 gene. Bangladesh and Pakistan are also showing increase numbers of the NDM-1 gene. Any person going to the undeveloped nations is apparently picking up the superbug and bringing it along with them.
Unsanitary, overpopulated India
As a result of how common the NDM-1 gene is in India right now, in Boston at the international meeting of microbiologists and doctors there is quite the talk of the bug. The Boston Herald talks about antibiotics in India. Evidently you can get them over the counter for low-cost prices. If one were to use it inappropriately, it would then become more resistant. The deadly bacteria would become something we could not stop. NDM-1 goes faster where poor sanitation is more prevalent. This is really bad when germs grow within the gut. India is so unsanitary that the superbug can spread more quickly. This comes from the Boston Herald who spoke to Timothy Walsh of the Lancet article. The superbug needs six to eight antibiotics to fight it off. Sadly, right now, only a couple of them work.
Find more details on this subject
Red Orbit
redorbit.com/news/health/1916458/superbug_found_in_3_us_states_global_response_needed/
CBS News
cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20016335-10391704.html
Boston Herald
boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/09/14/superbug_patient_treated_at_mgh/
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