Bad bugs, bad bugs – whatcha gonna do?
3D computer-generated image of a group of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter spp. Courtesy: CDC/ James Archer
The World Health Organization (WHO) today published a list of bacteria for which new antibiotics are urgently needed.
The bacteria are ranked using priority ratings of “critical,” “high” and “medium.”
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii tops the critical list, followed by carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and carbapenem-resistant ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Continue reading →
Neat trick on Ebola ‘announcement,’ Chris Alexander! What are you afraid of?
Canadian Immigration Minister Chris Alexander • Screen grab from CTV National News
Yesterday — Friday 31 October, Halloween — Canadian Immigration Minister Chris Alexander “announced” that Canada was temporarily halting issuing visas to people coming here from Ebola-stricken West African nations.
Except the nature of his “announcement” was puzzling. It was contained in a blandly-headed news release (“Protecting the Health and Safety of Canadians”), issued late in the day (it arrived in my inbox at 5.50pm), by which time Alexander was not available for comment, even if his handlers in the PMO had allowed him to speak.
This is a typical tactic of the Conservative government, but what makes it particularly noteworthy is that the release was issued after Alexander had held a 15-minute news conference on immigration policy, during which he didn’t mention the policy change, according to a report by CTV National News.
Why is the Government of Canada afraid to take ownership of this policy decision? Continue reading →
Murray's Review of Medical Journalism 