‘Superbug’ found in Rio bay not likely to cause infection
EP4PRO, July 6th, 2016, in ep4records
(CNN)One month before Rio de Janeiro hosts the 2016 Olympic Games, Brazilian scientists have detected Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), a group of drug-resistant bacteria, at some of the city’s beaches.
Conducting tests overseen by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
scientists flagged two beaches, Flamengo and Botafogo. Both border Guanabara Bay, where Olympic sailors will compete next month. The researchers believe that sewage from local hospitals was funneled into the bay and deposited the “super bacteria” in these areas.
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To avoid picking up these infections, the CDC recommends that you clean your hands often, especially before preparing or eating food; after using the bathroom; before and after changing bandages; and after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.
“CRE is most likely to come from hospital waste, but not exclusively,” Schaffner said, adding that in much of the developing world, there’s nearly unrestricted use of antibiotics in hospitals and in communities. The more we use antibiotics, the more resistant these superbugs become.
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The CDC is tracking drug-resistant bacteria throughout the United States, and finding overall that CRE is not distributed uniformly.
“No one knows why this is,” Schaffner said. However, public health officials are working with doctors to lower the numbers nationwide.
