Doctors alerted as airborne fungus spreads to B.C. mainland

[Guest guest]

Doctors alerted as airborne fungus spreads to B.C. mainland

Last Updated Thu, 02 Jun 2005 21:01:40 EDT

CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/06/02/fungus-

bc050602.html

A potentially deadly fungus has spread from Vancouver Island to the

province's mainland, officials from the B.C. Centre for Disease

Control warn.

The microscopic fungus, which lives on trees and in soil, causes

persistent headaches, coughing and night sweats. People and animals

can become infected by breathing in the spores.

In rare cases, the fungus Cryptococcus gattii causes cryptococcal

disease, severe pneumonia, meningitis or death.

The disease has been identified in three people in the Lower

Mainland. None of them visited Vancouver Island. Six cases have also

been found in pets.

Previously, the fungal infection was found on the east coast of

Vancouver Island. Its range has now extended to the Lower Mainland,

Sunshine Coast and Fraser Valley.

The centre has issued an advisory to doctors and veterinarians, but

Dr. Eleni Galanis, a physician epidemiologist with the BCCDC, noted

the risk of developing cryptococcal disease from the fungus still

remains very low.

Galanis tells people not to panic and to enjoy their outdoor

activities this season. There is nothing anyone can do to protect

themselves.

" When you have the infection you'll know, " said Galanis. " You'll

feel sick, you should see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment. "

FROM NOV. 25, 2004: Warn people of deadly fungus symptoms, says B.C.

victim's sister

Early diagnosis and treatment with antifungal medication are key to

fighting the infection, doctors say. There is no preventive

medication.

Since 1999, there have been 129 cases of the disease resulting in

four deaths on Vancouver Island.

[Guest guest]

> " When you have the infection you'll know, " said Galanis. " You'll

> feel sick, you should see your doctor for diagnosis and

treatment. "

Which will consist of being told " It's All In Your Head " and then

you can expect to spend the next twenty years fighting with them.

McNeel of the CA Dept of Public Health sent a Stachy warning

to all doctors in a public mailing in 1998 and as of 2005 less than

a handful of doctors know anything about it.

I realize there is a LOT for a doctor to know and they CANNOT be

expected to be all things to all people,

but when you bring in the information relevant to your illness and

hand it to them AND THEY STILL FIGHT WITH YOU!!!! there is something

seriously wrong with the doctors brain.

In my experience, this doctor nonresponse is occurring at a

staggering rate that is so prevalent as to make it almost universal.

And there is NOTHING that patients can do to overcome it except form

support groups and fight like Hell.

The medical educational system that produces such vast numbers of

doctors who lack rudimentary diagnostic skills and even possess

counterresponsive behaviors in the face of their own peer reviewed

medical evidence needs to be analyzed to determine why doctors are

so lacking in common sense.

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[Guest guest]

, I agree with you that not only is the statement " When you have the

infection, you'll know " ridiculous, but also hypocrytical. I understand that

they don't want to put symptoms into the head of people, but at least mention

the main symptoms so people WILL know if they have it.

And in regards to mold illness, how come when we say " WE KNOW MOLD MAKES US

ILL " , why do so many people still oppose this?

erikmoldwarrior <erikmoldwarrior@...> wrote:

> " When you have the infection you'll know, " said Galanis. " You'll

> feel sick, you should see your doctor for diagnosis and

treatment. "

Which will consist of being told " It's All In Your Head " and then

you can expect to spend the next twenty years fighting with them.

McNeel of the CA Dept of Public Health sent a Stachy warning

to all doctors in a public mailing in 1998 and as of 2005 less than

a handful of doctors know anything about it.

I realize there is a LOT for a doctor to know and they CANNOT be

expected to be all things to all people,

but when you bring in the information relevant to your illness and

hand it to them AND THEY STILL FIGHT WITH YOU!!!! there is something

seriously wrong with the doctors brain.

In my experience, this doctor nonresponse is occurring at a

staggering rate that is so prevalent as to make it almost universal.

And there is NOTHING that patients can do to overcome it except form

support groups and fight like Hell.

The medical educational system that produces such vast numbers of

doctors who lack rudimentary diagnostic skills and even possess

counterresponsive behaviors in the face of their own peer reviewed

medical evidence needs to be analyzed to determine why doctors are

so lacking in common sense.

-

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