What's next? Global pandemic of deadly strain ofTB

by nukegingrich | January 22, 2007 at 08:03 pm | 571 views | add comment | 0 recommendations

WMD? Nope. HN51 Bird Flu? Nah. HIV? Not even close. Global Warming? Wrong again. The latest entry into "what's going to kill us all now" is a deadly strain of TB that has already killed hundreds in South Africa. Just great. This bitch of a disease has a 98% mortality rate that is the stuff of a Stephen King novel. Oh yeah, one more thing, it's extremely drug resistant.

South Africa is considering forcibly detaining people who carry a deadly strain of tuberculosis that has already claimed hundreds of lives. The strain threatens to cause a global pandemic, but the planned move pits public protection against human rights.

The country's health department says it has discussed with the World Health Organisation and South Africa's leading medical organisations the possibility of placing carriers of extreme drug resistant TB or XDR-TB under guard in isolation wards until they die, but has yet to reach a decision.

READ IT ALL at Guardian UK