Microbic Invaders (http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/newsuse/yourhealth0515_i

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Fighting an Alien Invasion

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Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Invincible Infections?

Progress vs. Parasites

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They’re closer than you think. Bacteria, viruses, and

parasites—nasty little aliens that invade the body and make it sick.

They've been around forever and show no signs of going away

anytime soon. But scientists are making progress in understanding how they work

and what are the best methods for reducing the threat they pose.

Parasites

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Microscopic organisms invade the body, latch onto vital

organs, making themselves at home and making you sick.

Parasitic microbes infested Milwaukee's water supply

in 1993, sickening thousands and killing at least 100.

They're hard to detect and increasingly a threat to

our health, but medical researchers are mounting a high-tech defense.

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Hospital Infections

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Bacteria infect more than 2 million patients in North

American hospitals every year. These infections contribute to tens of thousands

of deaths.

Bacteria are growing more deadly,and more resistant

to the most powerful drugs available.

ABC discovered a Toronto hospital that fights

infection with an aggressive program of prevention.

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CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease)

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The good news and the bad.

The good news is that people may not be contracting

Alzheimer's disease as often as we thought.

The bad news is that they may be getting something

far worse-- Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. It is fatal and infectious.

An outbreak in Britain last year killed 16 people

who had eaten tainted beef from so-called " mad cows. "

But there are other ways of transmitting CJD that may

go unnoticed in the United States.

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