You’re Invited To
An Outbreak Party!
By: Cole
What is an outbreak party you ask? And why are
you invited? Well honestly it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re invited,
either way you’re going to attend. To help you get ready for an outbreak party
you will have to know what it is.
- An outbreak is a sudden occurrence, something unpleasant or dangerous, like an illness or fighting.
Sounds Like Fun
Right?
What exactly is this party your invited to?
When talking
about a party you can break it down to many things.
A party could be a gathering of people that is
usually celebrating something; another is a political organization like your
democratic or republican who share similar political views and goals. In a
non-political aspect, it is a group of people who are doing something together.
Either way my
fellow people, all of these definitions lead to the same meaning, its one or
more participating or being involved in an activity/event.
When saying an outbreak party; invited or
uninvited, your age, race or even your lifestyle doesn’t matter. An outbreak
party comes to you at no expense, whether it may seem good or bad to you. It’s an
open house for all.
Since the past and present there have been
multiple outbreaks of not only viruses or bacteria, but your weather as well.
Looking into the year of 2012, it holds some past events and the near future
events to be spectacular and even a bit distasteful (literally!). We have had
over 13 outbreak parties in the year 2012.
The most recent
outbreak party is the Meningitis outbreak.
First let’s
observe what Meningitis is: A serious and sometimes fatal illness in which a
viral or bacterial infection aggravates the meninges, your protective spine and
brain membrane. Meningitis could develop in a number of
causes, usually bacteria or viruses, and can develop from a physical injury,
cancer and certain drugs.
There are 5 types: Bacterial (this is life-threatening), Viral (this is serious,
but rarely fatal), Parasitic (this is caused by parasites less common in
developed countries), Fungal (this is rare and not contagious), and
Non-infectious.
This illness
causes symptoms like severe headaches, vomiting, stiff neck, and high fever.
This outbreak is still under investigation of
a multiple state fungal meningitis outbreak, among the patients who received
contaminated steroid injections. Other infections linked
to the use of injectable steroids from three recalled lots of preservative-free Methylprednisolone
(meth·yl·pred·nis·o·lone) Acetate (MPA) this was distributed by the New England
Compounding Center (NECC). Patients got fungal meningitis after taking
medications that weaken the immune system, for example steroids (prednisone),
usually given to you after an organ transplantation. Several patients suffered
strokes that are assumed to have resulted from their infections. The investigations
also consist of fungal infections related with shots in a peripheral joint, the
knees, shoulders or ankles. As of October 22, 2012, a total of 54 patients have
CDC laboratory-confirmed fungal meningitis. November 7, 2012; 414 are infected people, of which 31 have died and 10 have developed joint
infections, this
form of fungal meningitis is not contagious.
The medication
was packaged and marketed by the New England Compounding Center (NECC); the
NECC is a compounding pharmacy. A compounding pharmacy is authorized to
combine, mix or alter ingredients to generate specific drugs to meet the
definite needs of patients. Some doctors and clinics use compounding pharmacies
because they charge lower prices than the major manufacturers. Ameridose is a
sister company of the U.S. pharmacy, state licensed, FDA (Food and Drug Administration) &
DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) registered nationwide supplier of sterile
admixing and oral syringe repackaging services to hospital pharmacies.
The members
of the staff pharmacy were interconnected to the deadly outbreak, and
documented dozens of cases of mold and bacteria growing in rooms that were
thought to be sterile, according to federal health inspectors. In a primary
report on conditions at the pharmacy, FDA stated that even when the
contamination at New England Compounding Center surpassed the company's own
safety levels. No evidence found whether the members of staff inspected or
corrected the problem, the FDA uncovered four dozen reports of possible
contamination in company records, going back all the way to January of 2012! In early October 2012 after steroid injections
were made by the company, were found to be tied to an outbreak of fungal
meningitis. FDA officials recognized that the black fungus found in the
company's vials was the same fungus that has sickened 338 people in the U.S,
and lead to 25 deaths. The company recalled three loads of steroids made since
May 2012; these are 17,676 single-dose vials of medicine, which is 20 gallons of
medicine for patients. Trusting a company whose main job is supposed to
sterilize, and yet a simple clean-up did not take. The shipping of the vials to
customers started on Aug. 17, just two weeks before the pharmacy received test
results from an outside laboratory confirming the sterility of the drug. But
when FDA scientists went back and tested the same load, low and behold they found
contamination in 50 vials. Patients recovering from
the meningitis then fall ill again. Sufferers of the new infection were coping
with epidural sores, these infections are near the site where the drug was
initially injected. CDC and FDA have identified bacterial and/or fungal
contamination in unopened vials of:
- Betamethasone (be·ta·me·tha·sone) (steroids, used to prevent the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation),
- Cardioplegia (car·dio·ple·gia) (drug for cardiac surgery)
- Triamcinolone (tri·am·cin·o·lone) (a synthetic corticosteroid(cor·ti·co·ste·roid) or synthetic version of your body’s hormone cortisol (cor·ti·sol) or stress hormone it is used for allergies, itching, redness, scaling, inflammation, and discomfort of various skin conditions, etc.) these were solutions distributed and recalled from NECC.
Some of the fungal organisms identified,
are also known to cause disease in humans.
On October 23, 2012, the CDC issued an “Official Health Advisory
Issuance of Guidance on Management of Asymptomatic Patients Who Received
Epidural or Paraspinal Injections with Contaminated Steroid Products”. They
indicate that the greatest risk of developing an infection is within the first
six weeks after being injected. People with meningitis will have to take
antifungal drugs for least three months and for some as long as a year. Treatment
time is determined by the status of your immune system and the type of fungus
that caused the infection. For people with immune systems that are weak due to
AIDS, diabetes, or cancer, treatment takes longer.
Outbreak Party?
Are there different Games aka Types?
Yes! There are 2 Types aka Games of outbreak
parties, whether separate, or just a ball of fun of being together they are:
Epidemic and Pandemic
-
Is an outbreak
affecting a large number people, occurring naturally with no human introduction
of disease causing agents.
Looking at it separately:
Epidemic
–
A widespread
outbreak of an infectious disease where many people are infected at the same time.
They usually spread very easily and quickly, and cause severe and often
life-threatening symptoms. 
Pandemic –
An
epidemic that affects multiple geographic areas at the same time.
These are very important to over stand, especially in this day and time. When dealing with a virus, whether contagious or non-contagious it’s important to track and over stand its origins. To dig deeper than just this current situation of an outbreak think back to what happened early 2012, and ask yourself this: Why is there comic published by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in 2011 about a “zombie pandemic” that took place specifically in the South-East of the United States?
It’s not only a
comic strip, but also information that provides elaborate details on how to
evade a zombie pandemic.
CDC: Zombie Comic Strip
CDC: Zombie Comic Strip
The CDC, giving thorough details on how to evade a “zombie pandemic” goes to say and I quote in part:
“As it turns out
what first began as a tongue in cheek campaign to engage new audiences with
preparedness messages has proven to be a very effective platform.”
What is Tongue in
cheek? Basically it means that it should not be taken seriously. If it was not
to be taken seriously, then why make elaborate plans on how to prevent it?
Know this, the CDC
website have PDFs worksheets for our youth to prepare for a zombie pandemic, but
to not focus so much on the zombie pandemic; it says this information can be
used not just in a zombie pandemic but can be used for other outbreaks as well.
*History Lesson, Past, Present, Future*
*Prepardeness 101: Zombie Pandemic*
*History Lesson, Past, Present, Future*
*Prepardeness 101: Zombie Pandemic*
Looking at the word zombie it is originally the name of a snake god in West
Africa,
By the time Voodoo is being recognized in New Orleans, this great spirit, the snake, is called either, “Li Grand Zombi” or “Ouncongo.” The origin of Li Grande Zombi can be traced to the serpent deity Nzambi from Whydah in Africa. Later as the African languages began to merge with Louisiana French, the spirit is remembered as Papa Labas or St. Peter. In New Orleans.
Zombi is the name of a snake-deity in some cults of West African Vodun and Haitian Vodou. Zombi is a Creole word, thought to be derived from Nzambi,supreme god of the Bacongo people of Angola. The deity is connected with water and appears in different impersonations, one being Zombi-Damballah, the rainbow serpent.
By the time Voodoo is being recognized in New Orleans, this great spirit, the snake, is called either, “Li Grand Zombi” or “Ouncongo.” The origin of Li Grande Zombi can be traced to the serpent deity Nzambi from Whydah in Africa. Later as the African languages began to merge with Louisiana French, the spirit is remembered as Papa Labas or St. Peter. In New Orleans.
Zombi is the name of a snake-deity in some cults of West African Vodun and Haitian Vodou. Zombi is a Creole word, thought to be derived from Nzambi,supreme god of the Bacongo people of Angola. The deity is connected with water and appears in different impersonations, one being Zombi-Damballah, the rainbow serpent.
A "reanimated corpse" in
voodoo culture, and is said to be a dead body that has been brought back to life
by a supernatural force.
A zombie doesn’t necessarily mean, to brought back to life from the dead.
In a literal meaning: a person who is or appears to be lifeless,
indifferent, or entirely missing in independent judgment; robot-like. If you
associate it with the movies of zombies, it is usually an infectious viral/bacterial
outbreak or pandemic that gets out of hand leading to apocalyptic events and
the government tries to cover it up. The zombies are cannibals on a free for
all, out of their natural mind, infecting others with bites, scratches, open
wounds being exposed to their blood and saliva.
But in terms of what if it happens,
could you level with the presumption that it could be a parasite altering your
mind?
We have to look at all the facts, is it contagious or non-contagious? That
is the question.
Open your mind
and eyes fellow people look at diseases such as:
Measles -from
1275-present [a contagious severe viral disease with the symptoms of small bright red
rash that spread and cover body; Koplik's spots, are small white spots that
appear in the mouth on the inside of the cheeks a few days before measles appear.]
Rabies - from
1655-present [Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that
affects the nervous system, it results in death if not treated. Rabies symptoms
and signs occur after exposure and may consist of some or many of the
following: odd behaviors, hallucination, combativeness, loss of muscle
function, muscle spasms, drooling, fits, pain, etc.]
Prion (from
1980-present) [An infectious particle of protein
that, unlike a virus, contains no nucleic acid the support of
all living organisms on Earth, does not
trigger an immune response, and is not destroyed by extreme heat or cold. All known prion
diseases affect the structure of the brain or other nerves or nervous system and
all are currently untreatable and universally fatal. Prion causes a loss of
structure or function in nerve cells, their connection and supportive tissue.
The symptoms include seizures or fits, dementia, and ataxia (a·tax·i·a) loss balance
and coordination or lack of muscle control, behavioral and personality changes.
Prion is responsible for causing other disease
likes:
1. Scrapie - a fatal disease for sheep and goats affecting their nervous
system by intense itching and loss of muscular control
2. Kuru- a fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system it affects some people in New Guinea. It is believed to
derive from the practice of eating the brains of an ancestor.
3. vCJD
And So Many More....
There are ladies
and gentlemen parasites known to present zombie-like symptoms. Another example
is a parasite that can live in the brain cells in a number of other
warm-blooded animals, and yes, this does include human beings causing major
changes in the behavior: increasing in aggression, schizophrenia, depression,
anxiety, and imagined illness.
And that my
fellow people there you have it, the ever-going life of a parasite: finding a
host, manipulating it, breeding, and do it all over again, and again and
again…..forever
Their story sure
does repeat itself, don’t it?
Insanity Or
Genius?
Humans are unfortunate
hosts to Toxoplasma, this parasite could end up anywhere in the brain,
Human symptoms depends
on where parasite ends up.
The parasite
produces and releases a normal amount of dopamine in infected brain cells.
Dopamine or DA is
a natural chemical which sends messages to your brain controlling movement,
your process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, or
perception and behavior. It helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure
center and controls emotional responses like happy, sad fear etc.
Dopamine is known
to be both irregular in schizophrenia and in depression. It's not that Toxoplasma
itself causes schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder, but it being there
affects behavior through a disruption of the dopamine.
Toxoplasma is a
leading cause of death due to foodborne illness in the United States. Americans
can be infected with the parasite when you eat undercooked meats (like lamb and pork); it’s in water, garden soil, children's sandboxes, etc.,
infected by cat feces; or through pregnant mothers who become infected (e.g.,
by changing the cat litter) and passing to the baby. Pigs are also carriers
of the parasite, and oh F.Y.I, pigs are known to eat anything and are in fact
cannibalistic.
Reflecting on the
CDC and a zombie outbreak;
I quote in part
from the official CDC website:
“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….”
These scientists are called epidemiologists (ep·i·de·mi·ol·o·gist), they trace an outbreak
to its source and identify the microscopic organism that causes it, and then
they interview the people afflicted with the disease. Acting as outbreak
detectives they try to find common links between these people and the ways the
disease has spread. Taking samples from anything that might contain that or
more microscopic organisms relating to the outbreak, this would be from blood
by local insects, and animals, from people to food and water, and even drugs.
The steps to investigate
and control an outbreak may effect new public health measures or focus
attention on a previously unknown microscopic organism.
Basically in a
nutshell, Epidemiologists count cases of disease or injury, outline the
affected population, and then analyze amounts of disease or injury in that
population. Then they compare these amounts with those found in other
populations and make suggestions about the patterns of disease to determine
whether an issue exists.
In the movie “The
Bay”, you see videos and images of fish washed up dead (which
has in fact has happened on many occasions) on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay,
due to severely cold water and algae bloom. A good amount of the story is based
on facts and presumptions; the parasite portrayed in the movie does in fact
exist, but not like you see on the movie.
This a parasite they are mimicking in the movie is called a tongue-eating
louse, it is known to enter through the fish’s gills, the female attaches to
the tongue and the male to the gills, this parasite basically replaces the fish’s
tongue, the fish is not whatsoever affected by it. The parasite is now the take
the place of its hosts tongue, feeding off of its blood and mucus, and it will
remain as the fish’s tongue permanently.
Don’t fear, your tongues will not be
replaced, it is not harmful to humans, but it will bite if you decide to take a
closer look; note to you DON’T PICK IT UP. It is a regular diet to some
fearless humans who dare to eat it. This film leaves you to question whether it
did happen or not, although it is a considered a fake documentary with a couple
of facts, WHO KNOWS. A mutant parasite could happen, due to adaptation and
evolution. advancing in its species and even others.
It also helps to
know that when a situation does occur to make sure you get your “Hush, Hush”
check, they sure do help out a lot.
