Deadly Plague Could MUTATE And Become Untreatable As It Spreads Globally

Face masks are placed on children in Antananarivo, Madagascar (AP Photo/Alexander JOE)

The pneumonic plague has already infected 2,000 in Madagascar and killed 143 in the country’s worst outbreak in 50 years. But health officials are now warning the deadly bacteria could mutate and become untreatable as it spreads across the globe.

Coupled with the high likelihood that this disease could spread globally by an infected traveler getting on a plane to Europe or America, health officials are now warning that the strain of plague which has already killed more than 140 Madagascar could mutate and become untreatable.

Professor Paul Hunter has warned that, while it would be rather easy for an advanced country to contain the disease in its current form, he fears that it could evolve into something far more dangerous. Hunter, who is a disease expert at the University of East Anglia, told the Daily Star: “If it reaches the UK, Europe or the US it would be similar to the Ebola outbreak. We would have a few isolated cases but it shouldn’t spread like it has in Madagascar.” But he had more to add. “As with any disease, it’s a real worry that it mutates and become untreatable,” Hunter said.

So far, the majority of the recent cases of the black death have the been pneumonic plague, a more deadly form of the bubonic plague which devastated Europe’s population in the 1300s. While the bubonic plague is spread through the bites of infected fleas, pneumonic plague is spread through the air, usually by coughing. Airborne infections are difficult at best to control.

Symptoms of the plague include a very high fever, coughing (potentially coughing up blood), and headaches. Ten African nations have already been put on alert that the plague could easily spread to their region of the globe. The plague can be fatal 24-48 hours after infection, but antibiotics will take care of the infection.

Schools and universities have been closed with a ban issued on public gatherings, such as the tradition of “dancing with the dead” which has been partially blamed for the disease’s spread. The current outbreak is also highly unusual as it has affected urban areas increasing the risk of transmission, according to the World Health Organization. WHO has delivered 1.2 million doses of antibiotics to fight the disease while the Red Cross has been training hundreds of volunteers on the island to publicize preventative measures.

Toxic Food Is Killing Humanity And Now A Leading Cause Of Death

The saying “you are what you eat” may have much more meaning now than it ever has in the past.  Toxic food is killing humanity, and one-fifth of all deaths are now linked to processed foods.

It may not be cheap to eat good food, but it’s certainly better for your body.  A new study compiling data from every country finds people are living longer but millions are eating wrong foods for their health. Poor diet is now a factor in one in five deaths around the world, according to the most comprehensive study ever carried out on the subject. Diet is the second highest risk factor for death, after smoking.

And millions of people globally are eating the wrong sorts of food and too much of it for good health. Eating a diet that is low in whole grains, fruit, nuts, seeds, and fish oils while being high in salt raises the risk of an early death, according to the huge and ongoing study Global Burden of Disease.

The study, based at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, compiled data from every country in the world and made informed estimates where there were any gaps. Five papers on life expectancy and the causes and risk factors of death and ill health have been published by the Lancet medical journal.

“This is really large,” Dr. Christopher Murray, IHME’s director, told the Guardian. “It is amongst the really big problems in the world. It is a cluster that is getting worse.” While obesity gets attention, he was not sure policymakers were as focused on the area of diet and health in general as they needed to be. “That constellation is a really, really big challenge for health and health systems,” he said.

The problem is often seen as the spread of western diets, taking over from traditional foods in the developing world. But it is not that simple, says Murray. “Take fruit. It has lots of health benefits but only very wealthy people eat a lot of fruit, with some exceptions.”   Sugary drinks are known to be harmful to health but eating a lot of red meat, the study finds, is not as big of a risk to health as failing to eat whole grains. “We need to look really carefully at what are the healthy compounds in diets that provide protection,” he said.

People are living longer but spending more of those years in poor health, and obesity is one of the major reasons. More than a billion people worldwide are living with mental health and substance misuse disorders and depression is in the top 10 causes of ill health in all but four countries. “Our findings indicate people are living longer and, over the past decade, we identified substantial progress in driving down death rates from some of the world’s most pernicious diseases and conditions, such as under-age-five mortality and malaria,” said Murray. “Yet, despite this progress, we are facing a triad of trouble holding back many nations and communities – obesity, conflict, and mental illness, including substance use disorders.”

In essence, the study reveals that the processed food/sugary drink industry is now about as dangerous as Big Tobacco.