Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2016/11/news-scan-nov-04-2016
News Scan for Nov 04, 2016
Antibiotics in waste water; Kyrgyzstan free of malaria
Filed Under:
Kyrgyzstan; Antimicrobial Stewardship; Malaria [h=3]Study finds antibiotic-rich wastewater affects bacterial diversity[/h] A study of a plant that treats wastewater from bulk drug production facilities in India suggests that the high levels of antibiotics present in the water affect microbial diversity and may play a role in spreading antimicrobial resistance.
The study, published yesterday in PLOS One, analyzed wastewater treated at a plant in Hyderabad, India, that receives high levels of fluoroquinolones and uses active sludge technology to break down incoming chemicals. The analysis found a high level of drug-resistant bacteria in the water and low overall bacterial diversity, despite the regular addition of human sewage to uphold microbial activity. The overall bacterial diversity in samples taken from the plant's aeration tanks was considerably lower than corresponding samples from seven other wastewater treatment plants.
The authors of the study conclude that the high levels of antibiotics present in the waste modulates the microbial communities, which not only affects the efficiency of the waste treatment process but can also promote resistance.
Nov 3 PLOS One study
[h=3][/h] [h=3]WHO declares Kyrgyzstan free of malaria; PAHO commends 3 nations[/h] Today the World Health Organization (WHO) certified that Kyrgyzstan has achieved malaria elimination to become one of only 32 countries and territories to achieve that feat. The news comes after the agency in April declared that all 53 countries in the WHO European Region (which includes some Asian nations) had interrupted the chain of indigenous malaria transmission for at least 1 year.
Malaria was eliminated in Kyrgyzstan in 1961 through large-scale vaccination campaigns. But after maintaining a malaria-free status for more than 25 years, the country reported several imported cases of the disease, mainly from Afghanistan. By 1986, local transmission of the disease had again taken root, and in 2002 the country had a major epidemic.
The country's health ministry took aggressive actions to stem the outbreak and saw a sharp drop in cases in 2003. In 2010, Kyrgyzstan reported only three locally acquired cases.
Nov 4 WHO statement
In the Americas, meanwhile the WHO's regional office, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), yesterday commended Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Suriname for malaria-prevention efforts, the agency said in a news release.
Costa Rica drove malaria cases down from 2,000 cases in 2000 to no cases since 2013, a 100% reduction. El Salvador has achieved a 99% reduction in cases since 2000, and has reported no malaria deaths since 1998. It reported only eight confirmed cases in 2014, two of which were imported.
In Suriname, malaria has been virtually eliminated in the inland villages that previously had the highest rates of transmission of the Americas, and has been reduced to fewer than 90 locally acquired cases a year. And in 2014 and 2015, the country recorded no deaths from the disease.
Nov 3 PAHO news release
News Scan for Nov 04, 2016
Antibiotics in waste water; Kyrgyzstan free of malaria
Filed Under:
Kyrgyzstan; Antimicrobial Stewardship; Malaria [h=3]Study finds antibiotic-rich wastewater affects bacterial diversity[/h] A study of a plant that treats wastewater from bulk drug production facilities in India suggests that the high levels of antibiotics present in the water affect microbial diversity and may play a role in spreading antimicrobial resistance.
The study, published yesterday in PLOS One, analyzed wastewater treated at a plant in Hyderabad, India, that receives high levels of fluoroquinolones and uses active sludge technology to break down incoming chemicals. The analysis found a high level of drug-resistant bacteria in the water and low overall bacterial diversity, despite the regular addition of human sewage to uphold microbial activity. The overall bacterial diversity in samples taken from the plant's aeration tanks was considerably lower than corresponding samples from seven other wastewater treatment plants.
The authors of the study conclude that the high levels of antibiotics present in the waste modulates the microbial communities, which not only affects the efficiency of the waste treatment process but can also promote resistance.
Nov 3 PLOS One study
[h=3][/h] [h=3]WHO declares Kyrgyzstan free of malaria; PAHO commends 3 nations[/h] Today the World Health Organization (WHO) certified that Kyrgyzstan has achieved malaria elimination to become one of only 32 countries and territories to achieve that feat. The news comes after the agency in April declared that all 53 countries in the WHO European Region (which includes some Asian nations) had interrupted the chain of indigenous malaria transmission for at least 1 year.
Malaria was eliminated in Kyrgyzstan in 1961 through large-scale vaccination campaigns. But after maintaining a malaria-free status for more than 25 years, the country reported several imported cases of the disease, mainly from Afghanistan. By 1986, local transmission of the disease had again taken root, and in 2002 the country had a major epidemic.
The country's health ministry took aggressive actions to stem the outbreak and saw a sharp drop in cases in 2003. In 2010, Kyrgyzstan reported only three locally acquired cases.
Nov 4 WHO statement
In the Americas, meanwhile the WHO's regional office, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), yesterday commended Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Suriname for malaria-prevention efforts, the agency said in a news release.
Costa Rica drove malaria cases down from 2,000 cases in 2000 to no cases since 2013, a 100% reduction. El Salvador has achieved a 99% reduction in cases since 2000, and has reported no malaria deaths since 1998. It reported only eight confirmed cases in 2014, two of which were imported.
In Suriname, malaria has been virtually eliminated in the inland villages that previously had the highest rates of transmission of the Americas, and has been reduced to fewer than 90 locally acquired cases a year. And in 2014 and 2015, the country recorded no deaths from the disease.
Nov 3 PAHO news release