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Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Olmec Civilization ft. 82nd & Fifth: "Face" by Joanne Pillsbury



credit/source: youtube.com and The Met


Principal Olmec Settlements
A.Image credit: Principal Olmec Settlements


B. Image credit: 1994 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
RELATED ARTICLES Suggestion Links:
1.  Olmec Civilization

A. https://www.ancient.eu/Olmec_Civilization/

B. http://www.crystalinks.com/olmec.html


2. The Mystery Behind Mexico's Colossal Olmec Heads

A. https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/the-mystery-behind-mexicos-colossal-olmec-heads/

My Note: All information are credited to the original writer's source and references.



Hallazgo de Cabeza Olmeca, sur de Veracruz 1944 and Where to Find

image source:witter.com/gcerveravalee
Photo credit:



Where to find the Olmec heads?
Despite replicas existing in diverse locations around the globe, all seventeen of the original Olmec heads are still found in Mexico. San Lorenzo Heads 2 and 6 are at Mexico City’s National Anthropology Museum, and Head 10 is at the San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Community Museum. The rest of the San Lorenzo heads are at Xalapa’s Anthropology Museum. All four La Venta Olmec heads remain in Villahermosa – three are at Parque-Museo La Venta, and the other is at Tabasco’s History Museum. One of the Tres Zapotes heads, as well as the La Cobata head, are displayed in Tuxtla’s central plaza. The other Tres Zapotes Head is at the Tres Zapotes.
credit/source: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/the-mystery-behind-mexicos-colossal-olmec-heads/

My Note: All information are credited to the original writer's source and references.

Mexico’s “Olmec Colossal Heads” : a mystery on age and method of construction

Featured image
We are continuously fascinated with ancient civilizations and their ability to move giant stones.
One of these mysteries concerns the Olmec civilization and their carvings of stone heads that have been discovered in Mexico. These gigantic sculpted stone heads portray ancient men with flat noses, slightly crossed eyes, and chubby cheeks. So far, seventeen of these colossal stone heads have been unearthed, and nobody knows why they are located, where they are or how they got to that location.
The first archaeological exploration of the Olmec civilization occurred in 1938. These expeditions took place quite a long time after the discovery of the first gigantic head in 1862 at Tres Zapotes. These seventeen Olmec Colossal Heads were found at four sites along the Gulf Coast of Mexico, within the heartland of the Olmec civilization.
La Venta Monument 2  Photo Credit

The unfinished La Venta Colossal Head 3 Photo Credit
Most of the Olmec stone heads were sculpted from round, circular boulders, but two of the colossal heads from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán were sculpted from gigantic stone thrones, previously carved from stone boulders. Curiously, another monument, a massive stone throne located at Takalik Abaj in Guatemala, may have been carved from a colossal head! This monumental throne is the only known example of a colossal carving from outside the Olmec heartland.
Precise dating of the colossal heads is not yet entirely established. Scientists have examined the four locations of the Olmec heads – San Lorenzo, La Venta, Tres Zapotes, and Rancho la Cobata – to get an idea of how they are related.  The San Lorenzo monumental heads had been buried around 900 BC, which clearly indicates that their construction and use was earlier than that. These show the most precise skill and are thought to be the oldest of all the carved heads. The dating of the other sites is more difficult – the sculptures at Tres Zapotes had been moved from their original setting before they were explored by archaeologists, and the monuments at La Venta were partially uncovered on the ground when they were discovered.
Monument A from Tres Zapotes   Photo Credit

The La Cobata head, in the main plaza of Santiago Tuxtla  Photo Credit
So the actual period of the construction and completion of the Olmec Colossal Heads could span a hundred years or a thousand years. All of the Olmec stone heads are a distinct aspect of ancient Mesoamerican times and have been categorized in the Early Preclassic period of 1500 BC to 1000 BC, although the two heads at Tres Zapotes and the Rancho la Cobata head are recognized as being from the Middle Preclassic period of 1000 BC to 400 BC.
The heartland of the Olmec civilization was situated on the Gulf Coast of Mexico; it comprised a land mass area of nearly 62 miles inland from the Gulf shores and extending 171 miles, encompassing the two present-day states of Tabasco and Veracruz. The Olmec civilization is considered the first culture to advance in Mesoamerica, developed in this area of Mexico between 1500 BC and 400 BC. As one of the “Six Cradles of Civilization” in the world, the heartland of the Olmec civilization is the only one that was developed in a low-lying, tropical forest location.
Monument Q from Tres Zapotes  Photo Credit

San Lorenzo Colossal Head 10 in the Museo Comunitario de San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán    Photo Credit
The carving and placement of each colossal stone head has been approved and coordinated by powerful Olmec rulers. Construction had to be carefully planned, considering the effort involved in obtaining the necessary resources. So it seems that only the most influential could mobilize such resources. The vast labor force included sculptors, boatmen, laborers, woodworkers, overseers, and other artisans, creating the utensils to make and move the sculpture. In addition to these was the personnel required to feed and attend to these scores of workers. Additionally, the seasonal cycles, agricultural phases, and river levels had to be taken into consideration to plan the production of the enormous sculptures. The whole project, from beginning to end, could have taken years.
Archaeological examination of the Olmec basalt work spaces suggests that the stone heads were systematically shaped and finished. First, they were roughly formed by striking the stone directly, chipping away both large and small fragments of rock.
The sculpture was then enhanced by refining the surface using hammer stones, which were rounded flagstones that could be fashioned from the same basalt stone as the monument itself. Abrasives, which research has indicated were utilized in the finishing stages of the fine detail of the sculptures, were found in correlation with work spaces in San Lorenzo.
Olmec colossal head from La Venta. Now in Villahermosa, this head is 2½ m high (9 ft) and is officially known as Monument   Photo Credit

San Lorenzo Colossal Head 8 in the Museo de Antropología in Xalapa  Photo Credit
The Olmec Colossal Heads were fashioned as free-standing sculptures with differing levels of sculptural relief on the same stone. They had a tendency to feature higher relief on the face and lower sculpting relief on the headdresses and jeweled ear-spools. In San Lorenzo, an extensively damaged monument is a stone throne with a figure emerging from a hollow in the throne. Its sides were shattered, and it was abandoned after being dragged to another location. This damage could have been caused by the initial stages of the relief carving of the throne into a colossal head, but it is impossible to determine because the work has never been completed.
All seventeen of the Olmec Colossal Heads, situated in the civilization’s heartland, were sculpted from basalt stone from the Sierra de los Tuxtlas Mountains in the state of Veracruz. An ancient volcano in the mountain range formed the coarse-grained, dark gray basalt boulders used in the construction of the statues– this is known as Cerro Cintepec basalt. These large basalt boulders originated on the southeastern slopes of the mountains and are the source of the stone used for all the monuments.
San Lorenzo Colossal Head 1  Photo Credit

San Lorenzo Colossal Head 7 in the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa Photo Credit
These boulders were found in an area affected by large volcanic mudslides that carried huge boulders down the mountain slopes. The Olmecs carefully selected spherical boulders that simulated the shape of a human head. The boulders were transported over 93 miles from the mountain slopes. It’s practically unknown how the Olmecs transported such huge masses of basalt, especially since they had no animals that could pull burdensome loads and no functional wheels. Most likely they had to use water transportation whenever possible.
The Olmec Colossal Heads vary in weight from between six to fifty tons and are approximately five to twelve feet high. The overall physical characteristics of the heads resemble the people living in the Olmec region in modern times. The rear of the stone monuments is often flat, indicating that they were initially placed against a wall, which would have provided support while the carvers were working.
San Lorenzo Colossal Head 6 in the Museo Nacional de Antropología Photo Credit
San Lorenzo Colossal Head 2 in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City  Photo Credit
All examples of the Olmec Colossal Heads have unique headdresses that most likely signify animal hides or cloth. Some of the stone heads even show a tied knot at the back of the head, and some are embellished with feathers. There are few similarities among the headdresses on the stone heads, leading to the theory that specific headdresses may symbolize a specific dynasty or possibly identify individual rulers. Most of the Olmec Colossal Heads have large ear-spools inserted into the ear lobes.
All of the heads are realistic replicas of the sculpted men. It is probable that they were portrayals of current rulers or recently departed, and the subjects were quite well known to the sculptors. Each head is distinct and realistic, exhibiting individualized characteristics.
San Lorenzo Colossal Head 4 photographed in 2005 while on loan to the de Young Museum in San Francisco  Photo Credit

San Lorenzo Colossal Head 3 Photo Credit
All the 17 confirmed colossal heads are still in Mexico. Two heads from San Lorenzo are permanently displayed in Mexico City at the National Museum of Anthropology. Seven of the San Lorenzo heads are exhibited in the Anthropology Museum of Xalapa. The last remaining San Lorenzo head is in the Community Museum of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, near Texistepec. The four Olmec heads from La Venta are currently in Villahermosa, the state capital of Tabasco. Three of them are in the La Venta Museum Park, and one is in the Museum of History of Tabasco. Two more of the stone heads are on display in the Hotel Gran Santiago Plaza Tuxtla along with another from Tres Zapotes and Rancho la Cobata. The other Tres Zapotes head is in the Community Museum of Tres Zapotes.
Several of the Olmec Colossal Heads have been outside of Mexico, temporarily loaned to exhibitions abroad. The San Lorenzo Colossal Head #6 was loaned to New York City in 1970 for an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1996 Washington, D.C. accepted a loan of the San Lorenzo Colossal Heads #4 and #8 for the “Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico” exhibition in the National Gallery of Art. In 2005, San Lorenzo Head #4 was once again loaned out, this time to the Young Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco. In 2011, San Lorenzo Colossal Heads #5 and #9 were on exhibit at the Young Fine Arts Museum for its Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico exhibition.
credit/source: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/02/20/mexicos-olmec-colossal-heads-are-a-mystery-as-to-their-age-and-their-method-of-construction/
Note: All information and images are credited to original writer's source and references.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Differences between Male and Female Parrots

Sexual dimorphism is not a rule that can be applied to all species of parrots, as in most cases the differences between males and females cannot be seen at first glance. The only possible way to distinguish them is through analysis or by consulting an expert.
However, in certain species of parrots and parakeets the differences between males and females are obvious. If you keep reading this AnimalWised article, we'll show you some species with clear differences between male and female parrots.

Sexual dimorphism in cockatiels

Sexual dimorphism does exist in some cockatoo species like the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus). The difference between male and female cockatiels is that underneath the tail of the female there are dark markings like stripes, while in males this area has one solid color.
In normal grey cockatiels, facial differences between females and males are also present. The patches on the females' cheeks are softer and lighter-colored, while male cockatiels have more intense colours in these areas of the face.
In pearled cockatiels, if after the first molting they retain the pearls on their wings, they are female. Males lose these characteristic patterns after molting.
In white-faced cockatiels, males have white faces. Females, however, usually have gray faces; even when they're white, you can still tell them apart because their head tends to be smaller than that of males.
Sexual dimorphism in cockatiels

Sexual dimorphism in eclectus parrots

In the ecletus parrot (Eclectus roratus) the difference between male and female is extreme.
Males are deep green in color, and their beaks are a yellowish orange. Females, on the other hand, are a beautiful combination of red and blue and they have a black beak.
Sexual dimorphism in eclectus parrots

Sexual dimorphism in budgerigars

Sexual dimorphism among budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) can be seen in the cere. Thecere is the nose, that is, the fleshy area where the bird's beak begins.
The cere in most males is dark blue. If the male is albino or lutino, their cere is pink or violet. Females have a light blue cere, which turns brown when they come into mating season. Young budgies, both male and female, have white ceres.
Another Australian parrot, the scarlet-chested or splendid parrot (Neophema splendida), also presents clear sexual dimorphism. Females do not have the scarlet fringe that males have on their chests.
Here you can learn more about the differences between male and female budgerigars.
Sexual dimorphism in budgerigars

Sexual dimorphism in rose-ringed parakeets

There are different subspecies of rose-ringed or ring-necket parakeet (Psittacula krameri). Sexual dimorphism is clear in all, because males have a kind of distinctive red or black necklace and the females do not.
This species needs daily handling and constant enrichment in terns of their environment and activities; otherwise they can suffer from severe stress. They can understand up to 250 different words, and perhaps this is why a lack of stimulation is so damaging to the species.
Sexual dimorphism in rose-ringed parakeets

White-fronted anazib

White-fronted amazons or parrots (Amazona albifrons) have an area on their wings which helps to distinguish between males and females. This area is called the alula and it appears on the front wing joint - where our shoulders would be.
White-fronted anazib
Male white-fronted parrots can be distinguished from females because their alula has bright red feathers. This is something that female either do not have, or they do but it's barely visible.

Other Australian parrots

In Australia there is a wide variety of parrots, each one even more beautiful than the one before. The differences between males and females in some species are clear. Here are some other species with noticeable sexual dimorphism.
  • Superb parrots (Polytelis swainsonii): In this species, males have red and yellow colors on their face and throat, whereas females do not.
  • Australian king parrots (Alisterus scapularis): Females have a green face, head and throat, whereas in males these areas are red. Young Australian king parrots do not acquire their definitive colors until the age of three.
Other Australian parrots

Other ways of distinguishing between male and female parrots

Most parrot species are not sexually dimorphic, except for those shown above. Distinguishing between the sexes can be tricky if you are not accustomed to the particular species, so many people turn to parrot experts and vets to find out the sex of their bird.
Males can be identified through probing, as they have a lump in the pelvic area, while in females this area is flat. Another method frequently used is DNA testing, although this can be expensive. If your parrot lays an egg, this will clearly reveal that the bird is female.
Finally, we recommend that you don't try and guess the sex of your parrot through its personality because this can vary a lot - and it has nothing to do with human stereotypes about gender. If you want to choose a name for your parrot, take a look at our compilation of 50 unique names for parrots.
Other ways of distinguishing between male and female parrots
credit images :animalwised.com

credit/source: https://www.animalwised.com/differences-between-male-and-female-parrots-313.html

Monday, April 9, 2018

The Bataan Death March and Camps


credit/source: youtube.com and TheFancifulFish
Note: All information are credited to the original vlogger's sources and references.

Bataan Death March (compressed).mov


credit/source; youtube.com and FrankMcDonald22

Note: All information are credited to the original vlogger's sources and references.

The Bataan Death March, 1924

The war came to the Philippines the same day it came to Hawaii and in the same manner – 
a surprise air attack. In the case of the Philippines, however, this initial strike was followed by
 a full-scale invasion of the main island of Luzon three days later. By early January, the American and Filipino defenders were forced to retreat to a slim defensive position on the island's western Bataan Peninsula

American prisoners, some with their hands
behind their backs, get a brief respite
during the march.
The American and Filipino forces fought from an untenable position until formally surrendering to the Japanese on April 9. The Japanese immediately began to march some 76,000 prisoners (12,000 Americans, the remainder Filipinos) northward into captivity along a route of death. When three American officers escaped a year later, the world learned of the unspeakable atrocities suffered along the 60-mile journey that became known as the Bataan Death March.
Japanese butchery, disease, exposure to the blazing sun, lack of food, and lack of water took the lives of approximately 5,200 Americans along the way. Many prisoners were bayoneted, shot, beheaded or just left to die on the side of the road. "A Japanese soldier took my canteen, gave the water to a horse, and threw the canteen away," reported one escapee. "The stronger were not permitted to help the weaker. We then would hear shots behind us." The Japanese forced the prisoners to sit for hours in the hot sun without water. "Many of us went crazy and several died."
The ordeal lasted five days for some and up to twelve days for others. Although the Japanese
were unprepared for the large number of prisoners in their care, the root of the brutality lay in
the Japanese attitude that a soldier should die before surrender. A warrior's surrender meant the
forfeiture of all rights to treatment as a human being.
After the war, the finger of blame pointed to General Masaharu Homma, commander of the
Japanese troops in the Philippines. Tried for war crimes, he was convicted and executed by a
firing squad on April 3, 1946.

"This was the First Murder"
Captain William Dyess was a fighter pilot stationed on Luzon when the Japanese invaded. Captured when the American forces on Bataan surrendered, he joined the Death March and was interned by the Japanese. In April 1943, Captain Dyess was one of three prisoners able to escape from their captors. Captain Dyess eventually made his way back to America where his story was published.
We join his story as he encounters his first atrocity of the March:

'The private a little squirt, was going through the captain's pockets. All at once he stopped and sucked in his breath with .a hissing sound. He had found some Jap yen.'"The victim, an air force captain, was being searched by a three-star private. Standing by was a Jap commissioned officer, hand on sword hilt. These men were nothing like the toothy, bespectacled runts whose photographs are familiar to most newspaper readers. They were cruel of face, stalwart, and tall.
Lt. Colonel William Dyess, 1943
'He held these out, ducking his head and sucking in his breath to attract notice. The big Jap looked at the money. Without a word he grabbed the captain by the shoulder and shoved him down to his knees. He pulled the sword out of the scabbard and raised it high over his head, holding it with both hands. The private skipped to one side.'
'Before we could grasp what was happening, the black-faced giant had swung his sword. I remember how the sun flashed on it. There was a swish and a kind of chopping thud, like a cleaver going through beef'.
'The captain's head seemed to jump off his 'shoulders. It hit the ground in front of him and went rolling crazily from side to side between the lines of prisoners.'
'The body fell forward. I have seen wounds, but never such a gush of. blood as this. The heart continued to pump for a few seconds and at each beat there was another great spurt of blood. The white dust around our feet was turned into crimson mud. I saw the hands were opening and closing spasmodically. Then I looked away.'
'When I looked again the big Jap had put up his sword and was strolling off. The runt who had found the yen was putting them into his pocket. He helped himself to the captain's possessions.'
This was the first murder. . ."

Oriental Sun Treatment
As the prisoners were herded north they collided with advancing Japanese troops moving to the south, forcing a brief halt to the march:
"Eventually the road became so crowded we were marched into a clearing. Here, for two hours, we had our first taste of the oriental sun treatment, which drains the stamina and weakens the spirit.
The Japs seated us on the scorching ground, exposed to the full glare of the sun. Many of the Americans and Filipinos had no covering to protect their heads. I was beside a small bush but it cast no shade because the sun was almost directly above us. Many of the men around me were ill.
When I thought I could stand the penetrating heat no longer. I was determined to have a sip of the tepid water in my canteen. I had no more than unscrewed the top when the aluminum flask was snatched from my hands. The Jap who had crept up behind me poured the water into a horse's nose-bag, then threw down the canteen. He walked on among the prisoners, taking away their water and pouring it into the bag. When he had enough he gave it to his horse."
Drop-outs
The parade of death continues its journey as its members inevitably succumb to the heat, the lack of food and the lack of water:
"The hours dragged by and, as we knew they must. The drop-outs began. It seemed that a great many
of the prisoners reached the end of their endurance at about the same time. They went down by twos
and threes. Usually, they made an effort to rise. I never can forget their groans and strangled breathing
as they tried to get up. Some succeeded. Others lay lifelessly where they had fallen.
American prisoners carry their comrades
who are unable to walk
I observed that the Jap guards paid no attention to these. I wondered why. The explanation wasn't long in coming. There was a sharp crackle of pistol and rifle fire behind us.
Skulking along, a hundred yards behind our contingent, came a 'clean-up squad' of murdering Jap buzzards. Their helpless victims, sprawled darkly against the white, of the road, were easy targets.
As members of the murder squad stooped over each huddled form, there would be an orange 'flash in the darkness and a sharp report. The bodies were left where they lay, that other prisoners coming behind us might see them.
Our Japanese guards enjoyed the spectacle in silence for a time. Eventually, one of them who
spoke English felt he should add a little spice to the entertainment.
'Sleepee?' he asked. 'You want sleep? Just lie down on road. You get good long sleep!'
On through the night we were followed by orange flashes and thudding sounds."
Arrival at San Fernando
Finally, after five days without food and limited water, the dwindling column arrives at its destination:
"The sun still was high in the sky when we straggled into San Fernando, a city of 36,000 population,
and were put in a barbed wire compound similar to the one at Orani. We were seated in rows for
 a continuation of the sun treatment. Conditions here were the worst yet.
The prison pen was jammed with sick, dying, and dead American and Filipino soldiers. They were
sprawled amid the filth and maggots that covered the ground. Practically all had dysentery. Malaria
and dengue fever appeared to be running unchecked. There were symptoms of other tropical diseases
I didn't even recognize.
Jap guards had shoved the worst cases beneath the rotted flooring of some dilapidated building.
Many of these prisoners already had died. The others looked as though they couldn't survive until morning.
There obviously had been no burials for many hours.
After sunset Jap soldiers entered and inspected our rows.
Then the gate was opened again and kitchen corpsmen entered with cans of rice. We held our mess
kits and again passed lids to those who had none. Our spirits rose. We watched as the Japs ladled
out generous helpings to the men nearest the gate.
Then, without explanation, the cans were dragged away and the gate was closed. It was a repetition of
the ghastly farce at Balanga. The fraud was much more cruel this time because our need. was
vastly greater. In our bewildered state it took some time for the truth to sink in. When it did we were
 too discouraged even to swear."

credit/source: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/bataandeathmarch.htm
Note: All information are credited to the original writer's sources and references.

Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor

I have been wanting to post for so many years but I postpone about Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor on the Day on the Fall of Bataan in which I have gathered through the years in which I eliminated some and retained videos and articles so that the present generation and generations to come in the future born as Filipino for reference and information. This were already written in Philippine history on how many lives were loss to regain our country's freedom. History repeat itself when we continue to be ignorant about our own history and not learn from it.


I will also be sharing untold story about my father and his family experiences during that time, on how they coped and helped for those who sought their help.


Friday, April 6, 2018

New 'Nightmare' Bacteria Are Popping Up All Over the US

This image depicts two mustard-colored, rod-shaped carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) bacteria interacting with a green-colored, human white blood cells.
Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
What's worse than "nightmare" bacteria that are resistant to nearly all antibiotics? New nightmare bacteria that have the potential to spread their resistance genes to germs in hospitals around the country.
Researchers say that last year, they identified more than 200 cases of these "nightmare" bacteria with new or rare antibiotic-resistance genes, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These rare types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria popped up all over the country, in 27 states.
The good news is that researchers have come up with an aggressive strategy to identify, track and contain these germs, which appears to help stop their spread, according to the report.
"We are working to get in front of them before they do become common," Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said at a news conference today (April 3). "We have data showing an aggressive approach works" to halt the spread of these new threats, Schuchat said. [6 Superbugs to Watch Out For]
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are, unfortunately, a common problem in medicine today — more than 2 million Americans get an antibiotic-resistant infection each year, and 23,000 die from these infections, according to the CDC. Antibiotic-resistant infections are a major concern for health care workers because they are difficult to treat.
One particularly concerning type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, which has been dubbed "nightmare" bacteria. These bacteria are not only resistant to many antibiotics but are also highly lethal, killing up to 50 percent of infected patients, according to the CDC.
Doctors liken the spread of CRE and other antibiotic-resistant germs to a wildfire, which is difficult to contain once it spreads widely. Therefore, doctors are trying to stamp out new or unusual types of antibiotic resistance when they first appear — to extinguish the "spark" before it has a chance to grow and spread, Schuchat said.
To aid in these efforts, the CDC recently established the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (ARLN), a network of labs across the country that test patients' samples for highly resistant bacteria and track emerging antibiotic resistance.
In the first nine months of 2017, ARLN tested more than 5,700 samples of highly resistant bacteria, including CRE, from hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities around the country. Of the 1,400 CRE-positive samples tested, 221 samples (15 percent) had new or unusual types of antibiotic resistance, the report said.
"I was surprised by the numbers" of bacteria with unusual antibiotic resistance, Schuchat said. "This was more than I was expecting."
When researchers detected a case of unusual antibiotic resistance, they screened other patients in the facility to see if some had "silent" infections, meaning they were infected but weren't showing symptoms. They found that about 1 in 10 people screened had a silent infection, meaning that "unusual resistance may have spread and could have continued spreading if left undetected," Schuchat said.
Fortunately, researchers were often able to stop the spread of these unusual antibiotic-resistant bacteria with an aggressive "containment" strategy. This strategy involves rapidly identifying antibiotic-resistant germs at a given facility, assessing the facility for gaps in infection control, screening other patients to see if any are "silent" carriers of the infection, coordinating a response with other facilities in the area that may transfer patients to and from the affected facility, and continuing these steps until transmission of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria is controlled.
This containment strategy can "help stop the spread of unusual types of antibiotic resistance that haven't yet spread widely," Schuchat said.
Using a mathematical model, the researchers estimated that implementing this strategy could prevent as many as 1,600 new CRE infections in three years, or a 76-percent reduction in cases.
Schuchat stressed that efforts to fight antibiotic resistance are ongoing.
"We need to do more, and we need to do it faster and earlier with each new antibiotic-resistance threat,"
Schuchat said.

Lassa Fever History,Causes, Risk factor, Treatment

Lassa fever facts

  • Lassa fever is one of the hemorrhagic fever viruses like Ebola virusMarburg virus, and others.
  • Unlike Ebola virus, Lassa fever is not as contagious person to person, nor as deadly.
  • Lassa virus is typically transmitted by the urine or feces of Mastomys rats to humans. Health workers may be infected by direct contact with blood, body fluids, urine, or stool of a patient with Lassa fever.
  • Lassa fever occurs primarily in West Africa in areas where these rodents live.
  • Lassa fever outbreaks occur every year. The number of people infected peaks between December and June.
  • A large outbreak was reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control that began early in 2018.

What is the history of Lassa fever?

Lassa fever was first described in the 1950s, and the viral particle was identified in 1969 from three missionary nurses who died in Lassa, Nigeria, after caring for an infected obstetrical patient. Lassa fever is one of the hemorrhagic fever viruses, occurring in West Africa sub-regions in similar areas as Ebola virus. Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria are most often affected. Surrounding regions are also at risk, because the rodents that transmit the virus are very common throughout West through East Africa. There are 100,000 to 300,000 cases of Lassa fever each year in the world. Lassa fever heavily impacts Sierra Leone and Liberia in particular, where it causes an estimated 5,000 deaths and about 10%-16% of admissions to hospitals each year. Deaths are especially common in children. Case fatality is 1% in general (compared to 70% in Ebola virus). Severe cases have a case fatality of 15%.
An unusually intense outbreak developed in early 2018 in Nigeria with over 300 confirmed positive cases reported in the month of March. Cases were reported in Bauchi, Plateau, Edo, Ondo, and Ebonyi States. Sixteen health workers, at least four of whom died, were diagnosed as of Mar. 4, 2018. Along with high numbers, case fatality rates for this outbreak exceeded 20%. A Weekly Epidemiological Reporthas been maintained by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
Nigerian Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewale, announced that vaccine against Lassa virus would be arriving by the end of 2018. Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, CEO of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, has stressed the important advances of improved awareness and expanded ability to test for Lassa fever virus in recent years. Dr. Ihekweazu has encouraged improved adherence to infection prevention measures and community sanitation efforts to control current and future outbreaks of Lassa fever. Lassa fever has rarely been diagnosed in the U.S. There have been only six diagnosed cases since 1969. The last case was diagnosed in May 2015, in New Jersey in a patient traveling from Liberia. U.S. cases have involved international travelers or immigrants who arrived with the infection after exposure to rodents in West Africa.
Among the scientists who have studied hemorrhagic fever viruses, Dr. Susan P. Fisher-Hoch, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Texas School of Public Health, worked extensively with Lassa virus, conducting primate studies and investigating several outbreaks in Nigeria while working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While Deputy Branch Chief of the CDC Special Pathogens Laboratory, Division of Viral Diseases, she supervised the Sierra Leone Lassa Fever Research Unit and published major research articles on Lassa fever vaccines and other hemorrhagic fevers. Many students of epidemiology (the study of how diseases spread) are familiar with the story of her work with her husband, Dr. Joe McCormick, whom she married while he was Chief, Special Pathogens Laboratory, Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC. Dr. Fisher-Hoch was elected to the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in 2008 for her extraordinary contributions to science and medicine.

Lassa Fever Treatment & Medication

Ribavirin (Rebetol, Copegus, Ribasphere, RibaPak, Moderiba)

Ribavirin is an antiviral drug. It is used in combination with interferon for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Although the exact mechanism of its action is unknown, it is thought to interfere with the production and/or action of viral DNA and RNA which are critical to the survival and multiplication of the virus.


What are causes and risk factors for Lassa fever?

Lassa fever virus is mainly a zoonosis (a disease that is animal-borne or spread to humans from animals). It is spread to people through contact with household items, food, water, or air contaminated with the droppings or urine of infected multimammate rats (Mastomyces natalensis). These rodents live throughout West Africa in homes, and they can shed this virus without being ill. People most often become infected by inhaling air contaminated with aerosols of rodent excretions, swallowing the virus in food or contaminated utensils, preparing and eating multimammate rats (meat of wild or non-domesticated animals, called bush meat or wild meat, is often prized as a delicacy), and contact with open wounds. Lassa fever virus is believed to be endemic (always present) in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria. It has also been detected in Ivory Coast, Benin, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Gambia, and Central African Republic. Reporting of cases is not consistent, and the rats are present throughout West, Central, and East Africa, so cases are possible throughout these areas.
Travelers to West Africa staying in homes or areas of poor sanitation or crowding, as well as health care and laboratory professionals serving in health care facilities in West Africa, are most at risk. Infection prevention methods are critical to reducing infection of health care workers and spread within health facilities.
Those at highest risk for serious complications and death are pregnant women in their third trimester. Stillbirth or fetal loss occurs in 95% of pregnancies.

Is Lassa fever contagious? If so, what is the contagious period for Lassa fever?

Person-to-person spread is possible but is not as frequent as with Ebola virus. It can rarely occur upon direct contact with saliva, blood, and bodily fluids and mucous membrane or sexual contact. Casual contact of intact skin with intact skin does not transmit the virus. Laboratory workers and health care professionals can become infected through improper infection-control precautions, and patients in rural hospitals have acquired it through reuse of disposable needles.
No person-to-person spread has been documented in the U.S. from returning travelers..
It is not clear when infected humans are contagious or for how long they are contagious. The presence of virus in the blood is known to peak four to nine days after symptoms begin. The virus can be transmitted in semen for up to three months.
Lassa fever is one of the hemorrhagic fevers and may appear with signs and symptoms like Ebola or Marburg hemorrhagic fever viruses, and until these viruses are ruled out, suspected cases must be managed with infection control precautions to prevent contact with blood, body fluids, and contaminated surfaces. These include basic hand washing or alcohol-based sanitizing between patients. When working within 3 feet of an affected patient, use of additional barrier personal protective equipment should include an impermeable long-sleeved gown, gloves, and face mask with eye protection. Safe injection practices, safe laboratory handling, and safe mortuary procedures are also important.
credit/source: https://www.medicinenet.com/lassa_fever/article.htm#when_is_lassa_fever_no_longer_contagious
Note: All information are credited to the original writer's source and references.