Pat's Note: The Hamilton Spectator continues to track events in the UK
and picks up, quite rightly, on  C.Diff impacting on the young as well
as the old. see "C.Diff - Wales - 20 percent under 65."yesterday

They have still not made any open connection between superbugs and
sick pigs, although obviously they must be aware of the coincidence
perhaps from watching uk.business.agriculture

Why?

It is probably even more difficult for Canada's media than it is for
the British mainstream media. Why that should be so will become
apparent in due course.

My money is still on the US media and Murdoch breaking the taboo.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/408305

Concern grows over C. difficile in the young

 July 24, 2008 

Carmela Fragomeni
The Hamilton Spectator

Concerns about rising incidence of C. difficile in younger patients in
other countries are prompting warnings from the United States Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention and mandatory reporting changes in
the United Kingdom.

C. difficile is a potentially life-threatening infection primarily
affecting elderly and severely ill patients, but experts say it is
becoming more frequent in patients younger than 65.

Dr. Cliff McDonald, a C. diff expert at the Centers for Disease
Control in Atlanta, Ga., says hospitalization data in the U.S. points
to increased cases in those aged 15 to 65 although the biggest
increase remains in the highest-risk patients -- those over 65.

There were 301,200 hospital C. difficile cases in 2005 in the United
States, more than double the number in 2000.

Two-thirds of the patients were 65 years or older.

Although the increases in younger patients are not as dramatic,
authorities should still be concerned C. difficile is showing up in
the young and even pregnant women, patients previously considered low
risk, he said.

McDonald said the CDC sounded the alarm in December 2005 on the rising
incidents in younger patients.

In Wales, the government has just announced it is extending its
mandatory C. difficile reporting to include cases of patients from
ages two to 65.

Currently, the reporting involves those over 65.

The move was prompted by concerns about increased C. difficile rates
in younger patients in England.

The superbug hit 738 patients between ages two and 65 last year. There
were 2,799 cases in those over 65.

Ontario is introducing mandatory reporting Sept. 30 on the number of
patients infected with C. diff, but hospital personnel have to be
trained on how the system will work.

A Spectator tally of 22 Ontario hospitals shows 463 patients infected
with C. difficile died from January 2006 to May 2008.

This includes Burlington's Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, where 91
infected patients died. C. diff was found to have caused or
contributed to 62 of those deaths.

Dr. Michael Libman, director of the infectious disease division at
McGill University Health Centre, sees value in recording younger cases
because "generally the more information, the better."

Mandatory reporting is in effect in Quebec, where C. difficile was
blamed for about 2,000 deaths following an outbreak there in 2003, but
it does not break it down into age groups, Libman said.

-- 
Regards
Pat Gardiner
Release the results of testing British pigs for MRSA and C.Diff now!
www.go-self-sufficient.com