Infections that claimed hundreds of lives in the United States in 2012
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The beginning of the year in the United States was noted by the flu and colds, but ended with outbreaks of fungal meningitis, Nile fever and hantaviruses that killed hundreds of people.
Of the infection with fungal meningitis, 39 people died in nineteen states. As it turned out, the cause of this was the negligence of pharmacists. Over 600 Americans could survive, but the disease caused them physical and moral suffering.
In early September, a 78-year-old judge named Eddie Lovelace was taken to a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. On September 11, he complained to his wife about the numbness of his arm and a severe headache. Soon his legs refused and he fell. Seven days after hospitalization, Lovelace died. At first, doctors suspected a stroke, but later it became clear that the cause of death was infection with fungal meningitis.
As it turned out later, the cause of infection were injections of steroids, prescribed to a man after a back injury received in an accident.
This type of meningitis is not contagious, unlike normal meningitis, caused by bacteria. In this case the mold spores were to blame. The first victim, also a resident of Tennessee, he also received injections of methylprednisolone acetate.
Specialists of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an investigation, and it turned out that the drugs were from one batch of methylprednisolone acetate, which was infected with Exserohilum rostratum fungus. Steroid preparations from the infected lot were sent to 23 states, which resulted in a large-scale infection with fungal meningitis, the victims of which were more than 600 people. The manufacturing company ceased its activities until the end of the investigation.
As of December 11, there were 5,387 cases of Nile fever infection, resulting in 243 deaths.
The virus of the West Nile fever causes an acute viral disease, the carriers of which are mosquitoes of the genera Kulex, and birds and rodents are the reservoir of infection. This disease is characterized by fever, lymphadenopathy, inflammation of the meninges and systemic damage to the mucous membranes.
A large number of cases of infection with the West Nile virus (West Nile encephalitis) occurred in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, where there are large populations of mosquitoes.
In 20% of cases, the disease does not show any signs and can proceed easily, in some cases - it lasts several weeks and can leave severe neurological consequences, and in 10% of cases the disease leads to death.
This summer, the United States recorded the largest outbreak of hantavirus infection.
Hantaviruses cause an incurable disease, in some cases leading to death. First of all, the virus affects the respiratory system, and can also provoke the disease with encephalitis or meningitis, infection of the brain and spinal cord.
The risk of contracting the infection was inflicted on more than 20,000 people who visited the famous Yosemite National Park this year. It is reported that of 10 infected visitors, three died. 22 000 people were warned about the danger of contracting a dangerous disease. The source of infection were mice, whose population in the park increased too.
What will humanity expect in 2013? Most likely, the threat will be unpredictable.
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