. . . June
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Japan Detects a New Type of Superbug
Arirang | Korea for the World, The World for Korea - Arirang.co.kr:
Japan's health authorities confirmed that a new type of superbug has been identified which is resistant to all antibiotics.
New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 or NDM-1 enzyme, which was first discovered in New Delhi, India has been found to turn bacteria into so called 'superbugs'.
Dokkyo Medical University Hospital in Tochigi prefecture in Japan detected this superbug case in a 50-year-old patient last year who suffered a severe fever after he returned home from his trip to India in May 2009.
Following the identified case of Japan's first superbug as well as the seperate case of 46 patients infected with Acinetobacter killing 9 people Japan's health ministry launched a nationwide survey on the superbugs.
[Interview : Yonetoshi Nakagawara, Head
Department of Medical Safety ] "Our priority is to find out where the infection came from and prevent the infection from spreading further from the currently infected patients."
According to the hospital the patient fully recovered and there was no contagion.
The WHO released research in the Lancet medical journal in mid-August which identified the cases in which 37 patients from Britain were infected with the superbug carrying NDM-1 gene.
The world health agency gave a warning on the potential risk of NDM-1 spreading worldwide as all of the British patients were medical tourists to South Asia.
The first death directly attributed to NDM-1 was reported in Belgium in August.
Read on . . .
