25% teen girls has sexually transmitted disease
Virus that causes cervical cancer most common, government study finds
AP News
CHICAGO - At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind in this age group.
A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls — nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
About half of the girls acknowledged ever having sex; among them, the rate was 40 percent. While some teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some infections.
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Stomach Flu Spread By Contaminated Computer Keyboards
Stomach Flu Spread By Contaminated Computer Keyboards
 
THURSDAY, Jan. 3 (HealthDay News) — The highly contagious norovirus, often called the stomach flu, can be passed from one person to another through contact with commonly shared items such as computer keyboards and computer mice, U.S. health officials report.
The virus, which is common in winter and is the most frequent cause of outbreaks of vomiting and diarrhea in the United States, is often contracted in schools, at work and on cruise ships.
On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on a norovirus outbreak at a Washington, D.C., elementary school last February in which some of the victims picked up the virus from contaminated computer equipment.
“There is evidence that shared objects and surfaces help transmit disease,” said Dr. Shua Chai, a CDC epidemiologist and co-author of the report, published in the Jan. 4 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“This is the first time that we have demonstrated that keyboards and computer mice can be a source of transmission of norovirus,” he added.
Of the 314 students and 66 staffers at the D.C. school, 103 came down with the illness — 79 students and 24 staff members. To find the sources of contamination, samples were taken from various surfaces around the school. In one first-grade classroom, a computer mouse and keyboard tested positive for norovirus, according to the report.
The virus can live on surfaces for several days, Chai said. To prevent infection with the virus, people should wash their hands after using shared objects, and computer keyboards and mice should be disinfected regularly with diluted bleach, he said.
“In addition, people who are ill should stay home for one to three days after they have had their last symptom, because they continue to shed the virus and can still contaminate objects,” Chai added.
One infectious disease expert said norovirus is a common infection, second only to the common cold.
“These outbreaks are extremely common, and they occur in a variety of settings,” said Dr. Pascal James Imperato, distinguished service professor, chairman of the department of preventive medicine and community health, and director of the master of public health program at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, in New York City.
Most outbreaks are food-borne, Imperato said. “A smaller percentage are due to person-to-person contact, and an even smaller proportion are water-borne,” he said. “Outbreaks in schools account for about 12 percent of all the outbreaks.”
Contamination of surfaces such as computer keyboards is fairly common, Imperato added.
Norovirus causes severe vomiting and diarrhea that can last for several days. The virus is usually not serious, and most people get better without treatment. However, it can be life-threatening to infants, older people and those with weakened immune systems.
In New York City, an outbreak of norovirus has been ongoing since November. Some 500 infected people have been showing up each day at emergency rooms around the city, health department officials said.
“The best way to stop the spread of norovirus is to wash your hands regularly with soap and stay home from work or school if you are sick,” Dr. Sharon Balter, director of enteric disease for the New York City Health Department’s Bureau of Communicable Disease, said in a prepared statement. “Norovirus is common at this time of year and is not serious for most people, but it is important to take these steps to keep others from getting sick.”
Imperato agreed. “Hand-washing remains the foundation of preventing the spread of norovirus,” he said.
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
Thu Jan 3, 5:03 PM ET
(CNN) — Eight cases of bird flu among people have been confirmed in Pakistan, the first such cases in the country, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
(CNN) — Eight cases of bird flu among people have been confirmed in Pakistan, the first such cases in the country, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
 
Customers look at chickens at a street stall in Rawalpindi , Pakistan , on Tuesday.
The cases of H5N1 avian influenza were confirmed in Pakistan ’s remote North-West Frontier province , WHO spokesman Greg Hartl told CNN in a telephone interview.
One patient died, six recovered and one remained under medical supervision in the cities of Abbotabad and Mansehra, he said.
Patients were taken to medical facilities after presenting with the flu-like symptoms typical of avian flu. Health officials believe that another person’s death was likely caused by bird flu, but has not been confirmed.
Some of the deaths occurred within a single family, raising concern — but no proof — that the disease may have spread through human-to-human contact, said officials, who called for further analysis.
“We would be remiss if we didn’t investigate further, ” said Hartl from the WHO headquarters in Geneva . “Our concern is that once this virus remains in the animal population, it mutates into a more transmissible form. And the more they (the viruses) stay in the animal population, then we have a panic situation.”
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Public health officials worry that, should the virus gain the ability to transmit easily among humans, a pandemic could occur. Given that the disease is often fatal, the impact could be catastrophic, they contend.
Hartl praised Pakistan ’s Ministry of Health for investigating the outbreak in hospitals in remote areas.
Though this marks Pakistan’s first outbreak of bird flu among people, several outbreaks of H5N1 influenza have occurred among poultry in Pakistan, and it spread to the country’s wild birds earlier this year, the WHO said.
Some cases among birds have been reported in the capital city of Islamabad , but most have been reported in Pakistan ’s “poultry belt” in the North-West Frontier province .
In another part of Asia, Indonesia ’s Ministry of Health announced Tuesday the death of a 47-year-old man from Banten Province , who died December 13.
Of the 115 confirmed cases in Indonesia , 93 have been fatal, according to WHO.
