A pupil at a primary school in Manchester has been diagnosed with a form of typhoid.

The youngster, who attends Abbott Community Primary in Collyhurst, is said to be recovering well after being struck down by the rare illness.

It is understood that the child goes to the school’s nursery, on Livesey Street, and doctors are investigating whether the pupil became unwell after an overseas visit.

Health officials said all parents of pupils at the school had been told of the outbreak by letter – and warned to look out for symptoms.

The child is suffering from paratyphoid, a milder form of typhoid, which is usually picked up abroad.

It is caused by salmonella bacteria and it is often contracted by drinking water, which has been contaminated by sewage.

Paratyphoid can be spread by eating food or drinking beverages which have been handled by an infected person.

Headteacher Heather Riley said: “We’ve followed health advice throughout on this. Our thoughts now are with the pupil who we understand is continuing to make a good, speedy recovery.”

A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency North West said the illness was rare in Britain, with just six cases in Greater Manchester this year and 18 last year. all were travel-related.

He added: “We can confirm that a child who attends Abbott Community Primary School in the Collyhurst district of Manchester has been diagnosed with paratyphoid. the child is not in school and will stay off until fully recovered.

“It is extremely unlikely that anyone else in the school will be affected, but as a precautionary measure all pupils and staff have been given information on the infection and symptoms to look out for. most cases of paratyphoid in the UK are associated with overseas travel.”

THE DANGER SIGNS AND HOW TO STAY SAFE:

Each year there are about 300 cases of typhoid in Britain, mainly among people who have visited friends and family in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The illness usually lasts for three weeks, but may be longer in a small number of cases.

Most patients with paratyphoid recover completely after being treated with antibiotics but intestinal complications can result in death.

Symptoms include fever, headache, rash, stomach pains, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, severe constipation, nausea and cough.

The Health Protection Agency advice for avoiding paratyphoid is:

• Wash your hands carefully using soap, hot water and clean towels. This is most important after going to the toilet and before preparing a meal or eating.
• If you have an infection, you should avoid cooking for others while you are on treatment. if it is unavoidable that you have to cook, it is important that you wash your hands before preparing the meal or a drink and before eating.
• Hand-washing is especially important when travelling abroad.

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(CBS/AP) Hepatitis C deaths are on the rise, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. the report found baby boomers are especially at risk because they account for two-thirds of all hepatitis C cases.

The worrisome news has prompted health officials to wonder whether anyone born between 1945 and 1965 should get a blood test for hepatitis C, because many of these boomers may have had the disease for decades without even realizing it.

“One of every 33 baby boomers are living with hepatitis C infection,” says Dr. John Ward, the CDC’s hepatitis chief. “Most people will be surprised, because it’s a silent epidemic.”

Some baby boomers may not think they’re at risk because sharing a needle while injecting illegal drugs is the biggest risk factor for becoming infected with this blood-borne virus. But before 1992, when widespread testing of the blood supply began, hepatitis C commonly was spread through blood transfusions. Plus, a one-time experiment with drugs way back when could have been enough.

“Asking someone about a risk that happened 20 to 30 years ago is a lot to ask,” says Ward. That’s why officials are seeking a new strategy.

About 3.2 million Americans are estimated to have chronic hepatitis C, but at least half of them may not know it. the virus, which affects 170 million people worldwide, can gradually scar the liver and lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. it is a leading cause of liver transplants.

For the CDC’s study, published in the Feb. 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers analyzed a decade of death records and found an increase in death rates from hepatitis C. in fact, in 2007 there were 15,000 deaths related to hepatitis C, higher than previous estimates – and surpassing the nearly 13,000 deaths caused by the better-known AIDS virus. perhaps more surprising, three-fourths of the hepatitis deaths occurred in the middle-aged, people 45 to 64-years old.

“Mortality will continue to grow for the next 10 to 15 years at least unless we do something different” to find and treat the silent sufferers, Ward says.

Current CDC guidelines recommend testing people known to be at high risk, and until last summer there wasn’t much enthusiasm even for that step: the reasons are the year-long, two-drug treatment promised to cure only 40 percent of people; treatment was so grueling that many patients refused to try it and treatment could cost up to $30,000.

Two new drugs – Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ telaprevir and Merck & Co.’s boceprevir – are starting to change that pessimism. Research suggests adding one of them to standard therapy can boost cure rates as high as 75 percent. While still full of side effects, they can allow some people to finish treatment in just six months. they add to the price, however, another $1,000 to $4,000 a week. Drugs that promise to work even better are also being tested.

Those advances are fueling CDC deliberations of whether to change testing guidelines to recommend that anyone born between 1945 and 1965 get a one-time screening. A second CDC-funded study, also published in the Feb. 21 Annals, analyzed models of that option, and concluded it had the potential to save 82,000 lives.

A third study published Monday from Stanford University looked more closely at the price tag, and concluded the new triple-therapy would be cost-effective for people with advanced disease. It’s still cheaper than a transplant costing well over $100,000. But not everyone with hepatitis C will go on to suffer serious liver damage. for those with mild disease, that analysis concluded some gene testing to predict who might really need the costlier triple therapy rather than the older drugs would be a good next step.

It’s not clear how quickly the CDC will settle the boomer-screening question. But doctors at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City have started raising the issue. Montefiore internist Dr. Gary Rogg also says a number of patients have sought testing after seeing hepatitis-awareness ads from the drugs’ manufacturers.

“Now it’s considered a curable disease, that makes all the difference,” says Rogg, who was surprised at some longtime patients’ test results. Even a nurse he knows learned she had it, and the only risk she could recall was a blood transfusion during surgery when she was 10 years old.

According to WebMD, symptoms of hepatitis C include feeling very tired, joint and belly pain, itchy skin, sore muscles, yellowish eyes and skin, and dark urine. since many people with the disease don’t show symptoms, it is common for people to have hepatitis C for 15 years or longer, before it’s diagnosed as chronic hepatitis C.

The CDC has more on hepatitis C.

School and health officials announced Thursday the investigation of a possible case of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, at Western Middle School.

The case could also affect Western Alamance High School, as the student under examination rides a school bus shared between the middle school and high school. the number of the bus the student rides, as well as the number of students who share that bus, wasn’t available Thursday.

The student’s case hadn’t yet been confirmed by lab testing. Results of those tests are expected by early next week.

Health department officials had identified 84 families with children at risk of contracting pertussis and as of Thursday night had made contact with about 75 percent of those families, said health department spokesman Eric Nickens Jr. the remaining families would be contacted Friday, he said.

Students found to be at risk for pertussis will be encouraged to begin taking a course of azithromycin, an antibiotic. the cost of the drug runs between $14 and $45 at most pharmacies, said Communicable Disease Program Coordinator Ayo White.

This case isn’t believed to be connected to eight cases confirmed at and around B. Everette Jordan Elementary last month.

Alamance-Burlington Schools notified the Alamance County Health Department of the possible case Thursday morning. the student was in “close contact” with someone who had a lab-confirmed case of pertussis, said Dr. Kathleen Shapley-Quinn, the health department’s medical director.

The student’s age, grade and sex weren’t being released Thursday, health department officials said, though Shapley-Quinn referred to the student as “she” and “her” several times during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

The student, who has been vaccinated against pertussis, has been sick for about a week. Pertussis symptoms — including a runny nose and low fever that progress to fits of five to 15 coughs with no breaths between — can take as long as 21 days to appear.

An investigation into the possible spreading of pertussis will initially involve students who were within 3 feet of the individual for 15 minutes or more, White said. the investigation could expand if other cases are identified.

Pertussis is considered a major health threat to infants, who don’t have the lung capacity to handle the coughing fits. For older children and adults, the illness causes more discomfort than health risks, Shapley-Quinn said.

Students at Western Middle and Western Alamance have been vaccinated against pertussis but the vaccine’s efficacy can weaken as children and adults age and infection by the bacteria that causes the illness is still possible in some cases, Shapley-Quinn said. Children and adults are encouraged to receive a Tdap booster vaccination to help prevent the illness’ contraction and spreading.

The health department isn’t recommending that parents keep healthy children home from school. If parents are concerned that their children might be ill, they should contact their primary physician, Shapley-Quinn said.

Parents and families of students believed to be at risk for contracting pertussis will be contacted by the health department, said department spokesman Eric Nickens Jr.

Other parents and residents concerned about pertussis can call 336-516-7715 and speak to a nurse. Nickens encouraged residents to leave a message at that number if they didn’t get an answer and said that all messages would be returned by the department.

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HPV or human papiloma virus has long been thought of as a disease that can cause cervical cancer in women.

Health leaders have recommended teenage girls get a vaccine to protect themselves but now they say boys should too.

Public health nurses say HPV is the number one sexually transmitted disease in the country with about 20 million Americans carrying the virus.

And a big problem: many people have it and don’t know, because they don’t have any symptoms.

Although it may seem early, health officials recommend teenagers get the HPV vaccine when they’re 11 or 12 years old. That’s to ensure they receive all three doses well before their first sexual encounter.

The vaccine can be given as early as 9 or as late as age 26. but nurses say it’s important for everyone both males and females.

“Obviously we’re protecting the males from getting certain types of the HPV virus but also in turn we’re protecting more females because they won’t be getting the HPV virus from the males,” says Carrie Sickler, RN for Marathon County Health Department.

Sickler says the vaccine has been recommended for girls for many years, but was approved for boys in 2009 and is still not widely known.

As with other vaccines, The Marathon County Health Department will administer the HPV shot for just 7 dollars a dose.

Nurses recommend your child get the shot when they come in for their back to school vaccines this August.

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With flooding concerns rising all across Kentucky, health officials are reminding people how to stay safe in case high water creeps into homes.

Officials with the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department say floodwater can damage materials in homes, introduce unknown contaminants including sewage, and create dampness.

Health officials want people to keep in mind the following tips:

Keep children and pets out of the affected area until cleanup is completed.

Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles during cleanup of affected area. thoroughly clean all hard surfaces with hot water and laundry or dish detergent. After completing cleanup, wash your hands with soap and water. Wash clothes worn during cleanup in hot water and detergent, separately from uncontaminated clothes and linens.

Remove and discard any item that cannot be washed and disinfected. Also, remove items that have been wet for more than 48 hours and cannot be thoroughly cleaned and dried (these items can remain a source of mold growth and should be removed from the home).

Prevent water outdoors from reentering your home. Water from gutters or the roof should drain away from the house; the ground around the house should slope away from the house to keep basements and crawl spaces dry. Ensure that crawl spaces in basements have proper draining to limit water seepage; ventilate to allow area to dry out.

Floodwater often contains infectious organisms, including intestinal bacteria. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, muscle aches and fever. most cases of sickness from flood conditions are caused by ingesting contaminated food or water. Tetanus, however, can be acquired from contaminated soil or water entering broken areas of the skin, such as cuts, abrasions or puncture wounds. Tetanus is an infectious disease that affects the nervous system and causes severe muscle spasms, known as lockjaw. the symptoms may appear weeks after exposure and may begin as a headache but later develop into difficulty swallowing or opening the jaw.

Seek immediate medical attention if you become injured or ill during cleanup.

A deer tick bite (also known as blacklegged tick) can cause Lyme disease. (Victoria Arocho/Associated Press)

Health officials in Nova Scotia are trying to track down five people who were wrongly told they don’t have Lyme disease.

A lab in Winnipeg made a mistake in test results.

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium which can be spread through the bite of certain types of ticks.

Early symptoms include a rash at the site of the bite, fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and swollen lymph nodes.

Across Canada, 24 people were told they didn’t have the disease when in fact they did—13 of those people are in Nova Scotia.

The province’s chief medical officer of health, Robert Strang, said of those 13, seven were treated anyway—one has begun getting treatment—and officials are now trying to track down the remaining five.

If it goes untreated, Lyme disease, can cause serious neurological damage.

But Strang said even with this delay, those who received the false results shouldn’t worry.

“The testing issue just happened in the last few months, the latter part of 2010, so these would be newer cases that still wouldn’t be into that chronic phase yet, but even in the chronic phase, if it’s identified, and treated with antibiotics, the antibiotics are effective.”

Strang said the health department is working with family doctors to track down those with the false test results.

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Published 12:03am Saturday, February 19, 2011

Those flashes of red seen around Andalusia during daylight hours aren’t figments of the imagination.

It appears the local fox population is rebo-unding, bringing with it a chance of distemper, a fatal animal disease that is not transmittable to humans, health officials said Friday.

Within the last three months, the Andalusia Animal Control and Police Department have killed six strange acting foxes inside the city limits.

“Foxes have been sighted during daylight hours wandering slowly through residential neighborhoods, which is highly unusual behavior for them,” said Dr. Bob Bush, a local veterinarian. “They are nocturnal creatures that usually avoid human contact.”

Bush said a dead fox was recently submitted to the state health lab in Mobile for rabies testing, and the results were negative.

“About three years ago, similar fox sightings occurred in the northern part of the city, and the foxes were found to be suffering from distemper,” he said.

Bush said the state health department and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services have been contacted concerning the increase in daytime fox sightings.

“Their hypothesis is that the fox population has rebounded and again distemper is occurring as a natural means of population control,” he said. “(They said) raccoons are also very susceptible to infection during distemper outbreaks, and laboratory testing is planned to verify the cause of these events.”

While distemper is thought to be the cause of these sightings, the symptoms of distemper and rabies are very similar, he said.

“Rabies is active locally in wild animal populations, and the state lab confirms an average of three rabid animals per year in Covington County,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to get your pets vaccinated and avoid contact with animals that are acting strange.”

Rush University Medical Center is screening visitors for flu symptoms; if you’re clear, you get a sticker like this. (CBS)

CHICAGO (CBS) – The flu is widespread in Illinois, prompting one Chicago hospital to take extra precautions to keep patients and employees free of the virus.

At rush University Medical Center, visitors are asked if they have flulike symptoms.

A negative answer gets you a sticker indicating you are flu-free and can enter the hospital to visit. 

But anyone who admits to having flu-like symptoms or looks like they’re sick is asked to leave.

Rush is screening everyone who walks through its doors because in the last month the hospital has seen a significant increase in the number of patients with the flu. during the month of January, the hospital had anywhere from 11 to 22 patients during any given week.

“Once we start to see patients come into the hospital, that’s usually an indication that they’re more activity in the community,” Rush’s Mary Alice Lavin said. “We don’t want people coming in to visit if they’re sick. They’re potentially then going to infect our staff, our patients.”

Health officials say the activity at rush is mirrored across the state, which is why they’re still advising people to get a flu vaccine.

Renee Melton stopped by the “minute clinic” at CVS Monday afternoon.

“My colleague is at home with a 103 temperature right now, suffering, as well as her partner. it just sounds awful. I don’t want to get the flu,” Melton said.

She is one of 900 people the clinic has vaccinated this year. That’s down from the 1,200 who rushed to get the flu shot last year after the fatalities associated with the H1N1 flu.

Health officials stress that flu shots take a couple of weeks to protect a recipient against any virus.

Health officials in the Stateline are saying they’ve seen a major increase in the number of people coming down with the flu.

Winnebago County alone is reporting over 130 new cases for the first week in February, that’s almost 100 more than the same time last month.

“In the last few weeks, especially here in Illinois, and across the country, we’ve seen more cases of actual influenza,” said Dr. Sarah Kent with the Swedish American Medical Group.

Symptoms of the flu include, fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffed nose, and muscle aches, symptoms that can be commonly mistaken for a cold.

“If your symptoms are more severe, in terms of fever for more than a couple days, chest pain, severe shortness of breath, dehydration, then defiantly going to see your physician is the next step,” said Dr. Kent.

Protecting against the spread of germs is nothing new for operators at the Discovery Center Museum.

“We do a variety of things, some of them include some simple things like making sure each say that the door knobs, the elevator buttons, the hand railing, are all sanitized,” said Discovery Center spokesperson Ann Marie Walker.

Good news for Joanna Dowling, who says the extra attention to cleanliness goes a long way.

“It makes me feel more confident and more comfortable, I’m still not going to let my daughter put this in her mouth if I can avoid it, but I would feel better knowing that their conscious of it as well,” said Dowling.

To reduce the spread of the flu, medical officials say it’s important to practice the three C’s.  be clean and frequently wash your hands, cover your cough or sneeze, and contain. if you think you’re sick, stay home so you don’t spread the germs to someone else.

MOSCOW, ID – the University of Idaho learned late Tuesday afternoon that a student is suspected to have bacterial meningitis.

The university is working collaboratively with Public Health – Idaho North Central District, and is notifying students, faculty, staff and parents of the situation.

For public health issues, the university responds on a case-by-case basis and is guided by the district health department in making recommendations and/ or taking precautionary measures.

Symptoms of bacterial meningitis usually involve high fever, headache, rash and stiff neck, which can develop over 1-2 days. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion and sleepiness. anyone suffering from these symptoms should seek immediate care.

Transmission occurs by droplets or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions. Early treatment with antibiotics may effectively get rid of the bacteria. the risk to the general public of contracting this infection is very low.

University health officials encourage students, specifically students living in close quarters such as Greek housing and residence halls, to get the meningitis vaccine at Student Health or Quick Care.

Bacterial meningococcal infections are rare and can cause infection of the lining of the brain, spinal cord and blood. In the State of Idaho, there are between 10-20 cases reported each year.