Scientists Worried About This Little-Known Disease That Could Be The Next Ebola
“It mimics other diseases…”
Randy DeSoto
WesternJournalism.com
January 11, 2016
A little known bacterial disease could be the next Ebola, scientists warned in a study released Monday.
Researchers in the journal Nature Microbiology asked that a bacterial infection called meliodosis, which is resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, be given a higher priority by international health organizations and policy makers, Reuters reported.
The disease is currently most prevalent in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. There are confirmed reports in 34 countries but it is believed to be present in as many as 79.
The study, led by researchers at Oxford University, the Thailand-based Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), the University of Washington in Seattle, and Mahidol University estimates that melioidosis killed 89,000 of the 165,000 people infected in 2015 – nearly as many as the annual global mortality from measles (95,000 deaths per year) and greater than deaths from leptospirosis (50,000 per year) or dengue (12,500 per year), two current health priorities for many international health organizations.
The disease can be contracted through the skin, by breathing it in or through drinking contaminated water and is often difficult to diagnose, mimicking other diseases. Symptoms include fever, shortness of breath, confusion and sometimes skin abscesses.
Dr. David Dance, one of the authors of the study, told Deutsche Welle the risk for contracting the disease is highest among people who are regularly exposed to soil and water, such as those who work in rice fields. It is believed to have originated among the aboriginal people of Northern Australia.
High-risk groups include people with weakened immune systems, especially diabetics, but also those with chronic kidney, liver and lung diseases, blood and bone marrow problems, and people who use steroids or have an excessive alcohol intake.
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