Soldiers bringing superbug back from Kandahar
The Public Health Agency of Canada is warning hospitals across the country to be on the lookout for a highly drug-resistant "superbug" that could be brought back by wounded soldiers from Afghanistan and could contaminate hospitals here.
The bug is called Acinetobacter baumannii and is a strain of a fairly common bacterium, acinetobacter.
James Willis posted at 12/20/2007 06:58:00 AM
1 Comments:
Hello James
Acinetobacter baumannii has been running rampant in the US military evacuation system out of Iraq since 2003.
The Acinetobacter baumannii strains showing up in Kandahar are likely the same ones that have been fast tracked to drug resistance and spread throughout the field hospitals in Iraq, Landstuhl, Walter Reed, NNMC, the entire military health system, and the VA health system.
These strains are so easily carried on clothing, equipment,and personnel that it would have been an easy hitchhike on a returning medivac from Landstuhl to Kandahar.
No one is admitting this yet but it took them 4 years to admit that the Acinetobacter baumannii strains infecting US soldiers were not from the soil in Iraq. They were indeed spreading a hospital acquired infection that they imported from Europe.
These strains have spread to civilian hospitals all across the US, the UK, Australia and many countries of the "coalition".
Wounded Canadian soldiers have been taking Ab back with them for years now.
This is nothing new or mysterious but it is very serious and dangerous.
Steve Silberman of Wired Magazine did an excellent investigative story about this which is linked at my site.
Marcie Clark www.iraqinfections.org
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