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  • FRIDAY JANUARY 18 2008 6:00 AM

Yet Another Deadly Superbug Surfaces

Submitted by Fatality

Edited by thefreak

Tags: MRSA, AIDS, gays, superbug, disease, medicine



I can imagine the homophobic mob now…

“First the gays bring us AIDS, and now a deadly new supervirus.”


Though I sure as hell hope I don’t actually hear it. But that’s what the undereducated, the ignorant, and the foolish tend to do. They take facts out of context and misappropriate them for their own purposes. And the following is a sampling of the reported facts.

A deadly strain of the MRSA superbug has been found. MRSA, if you don’t know, stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureaus. Basically, it is an antibiotic-resistant staph infection. Now, "resistant" does not mean that antibiotics are completely ineffective against the bacteria. Rather, it means that higher, more frequent doses and often multiple antibiotics are required to combat the bug.

In the past, outbreaks have been found largely in hospitals, but this strain, like AIDS in its infancy, seems to be affecting the gay community most.

Research suggests it may be more prevalent among the gay community - the gay San Francisco district of Castro appears to have been hardest hit.

...

Researchers say the bug has so far been 13 times more prevalent in gay men in San Francisco than in other people.

In the Castro district - where more gay people live than anywhere else in the US - about one in 588 people are carrying the bug.

In the general San Francisco community the figure was around one in 3,800.


News of MRSA is nothing new. We’ve seen several new forms of the bacteria since then, and now there is a new strain...Strain #17, USA300. Like other strains, symptoms include large boils on the skin and – how’s this for terrorizing? – can cause fatal blood poisoning or even a flesh-eating form of pneumonia.

Skin-to-skin contact allows transmission of the bacteria, and drug users and those involved in contact sports are also at a higher risk. In addition, Dr Binh Diep, from San Francisco General Hospital Medical Centre, states:

These multi-drug resistant infections often affect gay men at body sites in which skin-to-skin contact occurs during sexual activities.

But because the bacteria can be spread by more casual contact, we are also very concerned about a potential spread of this strain into the general population.


Maybe I’m being finicky, but I don’t particularly like when comments like that seem to indicate that drug users or gays or whoever are not parts of “the general population.” Probably being finicky…

But what I’m really worried about – with regards to the sexuality link – is this strain of MRSA being treated as justification for more homophobia and discrimination against the gay community. Though some doctors are saying that it’s “not the new HIV,” the fact that such comparisons are being brought up is just scary. I’m hoping we won’t have to fight both the world health and the intolerance issues.

Fatality says to hug someone gay today. Maybe twice since, unfortunately, she doesn’t think she will get the opportunity to…

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Chainlink

Chainlink

Key West, FL
August 2005

JAN 18, 2008 08:02 AM

It's transmitted by skin to skin contact ? Symptoms include large boils on the skin and can cause fatal blood poisoning or even a flesh-eating form of pneumonia ?

I don't think I'll be hugging anyone. Ever.
Regardless of their sexuality.
Or shaking hands or thumb wrestling or touching things other people touched, like everything.
Yup, thats it. I'm never touching anything again. Rubber suit.

My therapists thank you Fatality .

Munke

Munke

Roseville, CA
May 2004

JAN 18, 2008 08:06 AM

Those damned gays in San Francisco!!!

I bet the Zeitgeist was ground zero for this outbreak.
Or the End Up.

But definitely not Club Universe.





LostLucy

LostLucy

USA
December 2006

JAN 18, 2008 08:06 AM

These deadly, antibiotic resistant strains of STAPH have been on the rise for a decade now -- my infant son got a spot on his foot from an NYC hospital in 1999 that was frightening and would not go away for about a year*

While I appreciate that the LBGTQ community needs to be aware for purposes of health management and prevention and treatment, I also find the press release offensive and prone to yes, spurring on more homophobic retribution!!!

Can they use to say it better?

[*yes, it is true, my newborn infant was engaging in risky homosexual activity from birth]

Fatality

Fatality

SUICIDEGIRL

USA

JAN 18, 2008 08:28 AM

LostLucy said:
These deadly, antibiotic resistant strains of STAPH have been on the rise for a decade now -- my infant son got a spot on his foot from an NYC hospital in 1999 that was frightening and would not go away for about a year*



I am aware of this, which is why I included this portion of the article


News of MRSA is nothing new. We've seen several new forms of the bacteria since then, and now there is a new strain...Strain #17, USA300.



Also, my younger brother got MRSA after being shot, and it's in his blood stream, so, yes, I'm actually painfully aware.


I also find the press release offensive and prone to yes, spurring on more homophobic retribution!!!


I'm not sure if you mean mine or the one that I link to.....
frown

_margot_

_margot_

Los Angeles, CA
December 2007

JAN 18, 2008 08:34 AM


Fatality said:
Maybe I'm being finicky, but I don't particularly like when comments like that seem to indicate that drug users or gays or whoever are not parts of "the general population." Probably being finicky...



I guess I am finicky as well. It is something that jumps out at me a lot.

Great piece, as I have an odd fascination with super bugs.

meatpieboy

meatpieboy

Korea, D.P.R.
June 2004

JAN 18, 2008 08:59 AM

An editor at The Stranger, Seattle's weekly, got a letter saying just that, Fatality, that gays should go to hell for this.

thefreak

thefreak

NEWSWIRE

Gardner, MA

JAN 18, 2008 09:15 AM

magpieboy said:
An editor at The Stranger, Seattle's weekly, got a letter saying just that, Fatality, that gays should go to hell for this.


Oh, fun. It begins...

That's another reason why I hate the general idiotic populace.

-TM

Colinism

Colinism

Atlanta, GA
July 2005

JAN 18, 2008 09:33 AM

_Margot_ said:

Fatality said:
Maybe I'm being finicky, but I don't particularly like when comments like that seem to indicate that drug users or gays or whoever are not parts of "the general population." Probably being finicky...



I guess I am finicky as well. It is something that jumps out at me a lot.

Great piece, as I have an odd fascination with super bugs.



You mean like Them?

SPOILERS! (Click to view)
zoom image

_margot_

_margot_

Los Angeles, CA
December 2007

JAN 18, 2008 09:39 AM

Colinism said:

_Margot_ said:

Fatality said:
Maybe I'm being finicky, but I don't particularly like when comments like that seem to indicate that drug users or gays or whoever are not parts of "the general population." Probably being finicky...



I guess I am finicky as well. It is something that jumps out at me a lot.

Great piece, as I have an odd fascination with super bugs.



You mean like Them?

SPOILERS! (Click to view)
zoom image



I knew someone would do that.

LostLucy

LostLucy

USA
December 2006

JAN 18, 2008 10:23 AM

Fatality said:

LostLucy said:
These deadly, antibiotic resistant strains of STAPH have been on the rise for a decade now -- my infant son got a spot on his foot from an NYC hospital in 1999 that was frightening and would not go away for about a year*



I am aware of this, which is why I included this portion of the article


News of MRSA is nothing new. We've seen several new forms of the bacteria since then, and now there is a new strain...Strain #17, USA300.



Also, my younger brother got MRSA after being shot, and it's in his blood stream, so, yes, I'm actually painfully aware.


I also find the press release offensive and prone to yes, spurring on more homophobic retribution!!!


I'm not sure if you mean mine or the one that I link to.....
frown



shocked NO No!! I think you did a great job covering it and what I meant is that I hear these horrendous news bites about a "Gay superbug"

and I appreciate that you were careful to cover this accurately smile

whoops. some of the conversation was in my head again confused

LostLucy

LostLucy

USA
December 2006

JAN 18, 2008 10:23 AM

Fatality said:

LostLucy said:
These deadly, antibiotic resistant strains of STAPH have been on the rise for a decade now -- my infant son got a spot on his foot from an NYC hospital in 1999 that was frightening and would not go away for about a year*



I am aware of this, which is why I included this portion of the article


News of MRSA is nothing new. We've seen several new forms of the bacteria since then, and now there is a new strain...Strain #17, USA300.



Also, my younger brother got MRSA after being shot, and it's in his blood stream, so, yes, I'm actually painfully aware.


I also find the press release offensive and prone to yes, spurring on more homophobic retribution!!!


I'm not sure if you mean mine or the one that I link to.....
frown



shocked NO No!! I think you did a great job covering it and what I meant is that I hear these horrendous news bites about a "Gay superbug"

and I appreciate that you were careful to cover this accurately smile

whoops. some of the conversation was in my head again confused

Fatality

Fatality

SUICIDEGIRL

USA

JAN 18, 2008 10:49 AM

Aw, well, thank you very much for the clarification and the compliments.

_DictionaryGirl_

_DictionaryGirl_

NEWSWIRE

San Diego, CA

JAN 18, 2008 12:13 PM

Great article, Fatality.

Personally, if I were trying to assign blame here I'd start by looking at every consumer buying into the casual antibiotics fad lately, slathering their families and homes in antibiotic soap and lotion every day, with packets of scented antibiotic hand wipes for every time they touch a restaurant fork or a telephone. It's only "being safe" up to a point before it's more "weakening our immune system and forcing bacteria to evolve in new and exciting ways."

But why question your own actions, when you can blame teh geighs, right? frown

Ff

Ff

I'm lost
August 2006

JAN 18, 2008 12:26 PM

I think the use of the term "general population" was meant to include everyone, but I could be wrong?

ohash

ohash

Columbus, OH
May 2007

JAN 18, 2008 12:29 PM

_DictionaryGirl_ said:
Great article, Fatality.

Personally, if I were trying to assign blame here I'd start by looking at every consumer buying into the casual antibiotics fad lately, slathering their families and homes in antibiotic soap and lotion every day, with packets of scented antibiotic hand wipes for every time they touch a restaurant fork or a telephone. It's only "being safe" up to a point before it's more "weakening our immune system and forcing bacteria to evolve in new and exciting ways."

But why question your own actions, when you can blame teh geighs, right? frown



I totally agree. I was actually discussing this with my brother over Christmas. He has hardly been sick a day in his life...he blames all the super-colds and super-flus on the fact that we've trained our immune systems to be "wussies". There have actually been studies done (google it, I'm lazy) on how all the antibacterial products are probably WORSE for us then the occassional germ.

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