Monday, February 18, 2008
Completely Drug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
A forty nine year old woman has died from Acinetobacter baumannii that was resistant to every antibiotic available.
The New Orleans hospital tested the strain for susceptibility to every antibiotic that has previously been effective and it was resistant to them all. They also admitted that the bacteria was contracted there in the hospital.
The family was told there was nothing more they could do and the woman died.
Another patient on the same floor died from this strain also.
The New Orleans hospital tested the strain for susceptibility to every antibiotic that has previously been effective and it was resistant to them all. They also admitted that the bacteria was contracted there in the hospital.
The family was told there was nothing more they could do and the woman died.
Another patient on the same floor died from this strain also.
Labels: Completely drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
Monday, February 11, 2008
Dutch Military Battling Acinetobacter baumannii
RNW Press Review – 25 January 2008 - by David Doherty
The Dutch army found itself battling a new enemy yesterday in the east of the Netherlands. "Soldiers in action against resistant bacteria" is the headline in AD, which features a front-page photo of servicemen and women in full camouflage gear setting up an emergency intensive care facility in a hospital car park in the province of Twente.
Two intensive care patients at the hospital were found to be infected with the rare Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria, which - like the more common hospital bug MSRA - is resistant to most antibiotics. The two are now in isolation and a sign reading "do not enter unless absolutely necessary" has been slapped on the rest of the ward.
The 14 patients currently on the ward will stay put. "We can only start disinfecting when the last patient has been discharged ... which could take up to three months depending on their condition," explained a hospital spokesman.
New intensive care patients will go to the military containers in the car park. AD reports that "there is a similar intensive care unit at the Dutch military camp in Afghanistan". "So we've got the experience to get everything set up quickly," adds one of the soldiers with a wink.
RNW Press Review – 25 January 2008 - by David Doherty
The Dutch army found itself battling a new enemy yesterday in the east of the Netherlands. "Soldiers in action against resistant bacteria" is the headline in AD, which features a front-page photo of servicemen and women in full camouflage gear setting up an emergency intensive care facility in a hospital car park in the province of Twente.
Two intensive care patients at the hospital were found to be infected with the rare Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria, which - like the more common hospital bug MSRA - is resistant to most antibiotics. The two are now in isolation and a sign reading "do not enter unless absolutely necessary" has been slapped on the rest of the ward.
The 14 patients currently on the ward will stay put. "We can only start disinfecting when the last patient has been discharged ... which could take up to three months depending on their condition," explained a hospital spokesman.
New intensive care patients will go to the military containers in the car park. AD reports that "there is a similar intensive care unit at the Dutch military camp in Afghanistan". "So we've got the experience to get everything set up quickly," adds one of the soldiers with a wink.
Labels: Acinetobacter baumannii, Afghanistan, Dutch military
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Deadly Infection in Baltimore Hospital
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ee16947b-ec2f-447d-abac-e909032e73b4&rss=702
Three patients from a Baltimore hospital are dead – after becoming infected with deadly, drug-resistant bacteria.
On January 4th, officials at the University of Maryland Medical Center discovered that the three patients had been infected with “Acinetobacter baumannii.” It is not clear whether the patients actually died from that infection; hospital officials say all three patients were already very ill, and had been hospitalized for several weeks.
Still, the hospital is taking serious precautions. “Unfortunately, this organism -- and other organisms -- appear in many hospitals in Baltimore and beyond on an ongoing basis. That is why we have a proactive and comprehensive infection control and surveillance system in place,” said Ellen Beth Levitt, a spokeswoman for the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Four other patients identified as having the organism are still being cared for in the unit and are in stable condition, Levitt said. They have been separated from other patients and they are being treated by a team with strict contact precautions in force, including the use of gloves and gowns, frequent hand washing and frequent disinfection of medical equipment and facilities. No new patients are being admitted to that unit for the time being, she said.
Acinetobacter baumannii is best-known for affecting military personnel who have been serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. The bacteria can live on surfaces like countertops, medical equipment and even cell phones for up to 12 days. Most strains are difficult to treat, because they are not affected by common antibiotics. However, the infection poses little risk to healthy people. It can cause a variety of illnesses, ranging from pneumonia to serious blood or wound infections. Acinetobacter may also colonize or grow in a patient without causing infection or symptoms.
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ee16947b-ec2f-447d-abac-e909032e73b4&rss=702
Three patients from a Baltimore hospital are dead – after becoming infected with deadly, drug-resistant bacteria.
On January 4th, officials at the University of Maryland Medical Center discovered that the three patients had been infected with “Acinetobacter baumannii.” It is not clear whether the patients actually died from that infection; hospital officials say all three patients were already very ill, and had been hospitalized for several weeks.
Still, the hospital is taking serious precautions. “Unfortunately, this organism -- and other organisms -- appear in many hospitals in Baltimore and beyond on an ongoing basis. That is why we have a proactive and comprehensive infection control and surveillance system in place,” said Ellen Beth Levitt, a spokeswoman for the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Four other patients identified as having the organism are still being cared for in the unit and are in stable condition, Levitt said. They have been separated from other patients and they are being treated by a team with strict contact precautions in force, including the use of gloves and gowns, frequent hand washing and frequent disinfection of medical equipment and facilities. No new patients are being admitted to that unit for the time being, she said.
Acinetobacter baumannii is best-known for affecting military personnel who have been serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. The bacteria can live on surfaces like countertops, medical equipment and even cell phones for up to 12 days. Most strains are difficult to treat, because they are not affected by common antibiotics. However, the infection poses little risk to healthy people. It can cause a variety of illnesses, ranging from pneumonia to serious blood or wound infections. Acinetobacter may also colonize or grow in a patient without causing infection or symptoms.
Ongoing Problems at Walter Reed
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011508J.shtml
Ongoing Problems at Walter Reed
By Matt Renner
t r u t h o u t | Interview
Tuesday 15 January 2008
"Nothing has changed [at Walter Reed]. Same facility. None of the recommendations that I made have been implemented and to my knowledge they really aren't working on it."
Former Army Lt. and military nurse Doug Connor sat down for an interview with Truthout reporter Geoffrey Millard to share his experience before and after the Walter Reed Medical Center scandal broke.
Encouraged by the firings of top military officials as a result of the problems at Walter Reed, Connor spoke out about the dilapidated conditions at Walter Reed. He sent a letter to Gen. Gregory A. Schumacher with recommendations for improving conditions in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where there were equipment shortages and outbreaks of infectious bacteria, including extremely dangerous drug-resistant forms of Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacterium that has been ravaging injured soldiers in Iraq and in domestic military hospitals.
The infection problems caused other units within the hospital to lose faith in the ICU's ability to care for surgical patients. Because of the infections, "the kidney transplant team will not recover their patients in the surgical ICU anymore," Connor said in the interview.
According to Connor, his recommendations were not acted upon. Instead, he claims that he was retaliated against. "I thought he would thank me for letting him know where there were areas that needed to be fixed ... I have been retaliated against because of the letters that I have sent out. It is pretty transparent ... Everyone that has seen what happened around me is just like 'yeah, they're going after you.'"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011508J.shtml
Ongoing Problems at Walter Reed
By Matt Renner
t r u t h o u t | Interview
Tuesday 15 January 2008
"Nothing has changed [at Walter Reed]. Same facility. None of the recommendations that I made have been implemented and to my knowledge they really aren't working on it."
Former Army Lt. and military nurse Doug Connor sat down for an interview with Truthout reporter Geoffrey Millard to share his experience before and after the Walter Reed Medical Center scandal broke.
Encouraged by the firings of top military officials as a result of the problems at Walter Reed, Connor spoke out about the dilapidated conditions at Walter Reed. He sent a letter to Gen. Gregory A. Schumacher with recommendations for improving conditions in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where there were equipment shortages and outbreaks of infectious bacteria, including extremely dangerous drug-resistant forms of Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacterium that has been ravaging injured soldiers in Iraq and in domestic military hospitals.
The infection problems caused other units within the hospital to lose faith in the ICU's ability to care for surgical patients. Because of the infections, "the kidney transplant team will not recover their patients in the surgical ICU anymore," Connor said in the interview.
According to Connor, his recommendations were not acted upon. Instead, he claims that he was retaliated against. "I thought he would thank me for letting him know where there were areas that needed to be fixed ... I have been retaliated against because of the letters that I have sent out. It is pretty transparent ... Everyone that has seen what happened around me is just like 'yeah, they're going after you.'"
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Saturday, February 25, 2006
A Few Words from Your Host
After reading this news I decided it was time for me to speak out personally.
Qoute:
"When I had talked with CHPPM yesterday on the phone they told me a new directive had been passed down through MEDCOM in which medical information about the military was not to be released. That under this new directive they were protecting National Security by not divulging our vulnerabilities abroad."
In July of 2003 my husband came home from Iraq via Dogwood, Landstuhl, and Walter Reed before being medivacd to a civilian hospital. Sometime during this 'incredible journey', which is another story in itself, he acquired Acinetobacter Baumanii and Leishmaniasis.
If either of these organisms had been handled properly in 2003 they wouldn't be spreading to our civilian facilities and population now. Like so many of the cover ups regarding the war in Iraq this one is also unraveling despite any new directives by the people who allowed this to happen. This has nothing to do with" protecting our National Security by not divulging our vulnerabilities abroad". This has everything to do with covering up "the enemies who easily slipped through our National Security to attack us here at home". These vulnerabilities are now domestic.
Acinetobacter Baumannii has shown up in civilian facilities in France, England, Florida and there is currently an outbreak in the Phoenix Arizona Valley area. I can attest to the physical suffering and loss caused by these organisms. Keep in mind, since this is not a Disease - its not being reported as one. Its a infection, and so there is NO public reporting of such in the medical community. Beware.
Marcie Hascall Clark
After reading this news I decided it was time for me to speak out personally.
Qoute:
"When I had talked with CHPPM yesterday on the phone they told me a new directive had been passed down through MEDCOM in which medical information about the military was not to be released. That under this new directive they were protecting National Security by not divulging our vulnerabilities abroad."
In July of 2003 my husband came home from Iraq via Dogwood, Landstuhl, and Walter Reed before being medivacd to a civilian hospital. Sometime during this 'incredible journey', which is another story in itself, he acquired Acinetobacter Baumanii and Leishmaniasis.
If either of these organisms had been handled properly in 2003 they wouldn't be spreading to our civilian facilities and population now. Like so many of the cover ups regarding the war in Iraq this one is also unraveling despite any new directives by the people who allowed this to happen. This has nothing to do with" protecting our National Security by not divulging our vulnerabilities abroad". This has everything to do with covering up "the enemies who easily slipped through our National Security to attack us here at home". These vulnerabilities are now domestic.
Acinetobacter Baumannii has shown up in civilian facilities in France, England, Florida and there is currently an outbreak in the Phoenix Arizona Valley area. I can attest to the physical suffering and loss caused by these organisms. Keep in mind, since this is not a Disease - its not being reported as one. Its a infection, and so there is NO public reporting of such in the medical community. Beware.
Marcie Hascall Clark
My name is Marcie Hascall
I would like to welcome you to the Acinetobacter Baumannii
blog site.
I would like to welcome you to the Acinetobacter Baumannii
blog site.
