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ATLANTA – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says person in Georgia has died of rare disease typically found in South Asia: melioidosis
The new death brings the total number of confirmed cases in different states to four. Cases have included adults and children. Two of the four patients had no known risk factors for melioidosis; two died.
None of the Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota or Texas cases traveled overseas, confusing experts.
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The CDC said it believed the most likely cause was an imported product (such as a food or drink, personal care or cleaning products, or a drug) or an ingredient in any of these types of products. .
The bacteria normally live in moist soil and water. However, in rare cases it has also been found to contaminate wet or damp products in areas where bacteria are common.
The CDC said diagnosis is difficult because, unlike the germs that cause most foodborne outbreaks, the bacteria that cause melioidosis can take two to three weeks to make someone sick. This widens the window of time for investigators to explore and means people may be less likely to remember everything they’ve been exposed to before they get sick. Each patient could have been exposed to potentially hundreds of products before becoming ill.
The CDC is asking clinicians to watch for any acute bacterial infection that does not respond to normal antibiotics and to consider melioidosis – whether or not the patient has traveled outside of the United States. The CDC is also urging clinicians not to rule out melioidosis as a possible diagnosis in children and those who were previously healthy and without known risk factors for melioidosis.
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Although healthy people can get melioidosis, underlying medical conditions can increase the risk of disease. The main risk factors are diabetes, liver or kidney disease, chronic lung disease, cancer or another condition that weakens the immune system.
Most children with melioidosis have no risk factors.
People with cough, chest pain, high fever, headache, or unexplained weight loss should see their doctor.
There are several types of melioidosis infections, each with their own set of symptoms.
However, it is important to note that melioidosis has a wide range of signs and symptoms that can be mistaken for other illnesses such as tuberculosis or more common forms of pneumonia.
Localized infection:
- Localized pain or swelling
- Fever
- Ulceration
- Abscess
Pulmonary infection :
- Cough
- Chest pain
- High fever
- Headache
- Anorexia
Blood infection:
- Fever
- Headache
- Respiratory distress
- Abdominal pain
- Articular pain
- Disorientation
Disseminated infection:
- Fever
- Weightloss
- Pain in the stomach or chest
- Muscle or joint pain
- Headache
- Central nervous system / brain infection
- Seizures
The time between exposure to the bacteria responsible for the disease and the onset of symptoms is not clearly defined but can range from one day to several years; usually symptoms appear two to four weeks after exposure.
Although healthy people can get melioidosis, underlying medical conditions can increase the risk of disease. The main risk factors are:
- Diabetes
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- Thalassemia
- Cancer or other immunosuppressive condition unrelated to HIV
- Chronic lung disease (such as cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchiectasis)
MORE INFORMATION FROM CDC
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© 2021 Cox Media Group
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