Unusual Illness Found in Tsunami Aftermath

According to this report, medical professionals are being alerted to look for unusual illness in tsunami survivors. Announcing in the current issue of The Lancet, a team of infectious disease specialists at St. George Hospital in Sydney, Australia, express particular concern about multifocal cutaneous mucormycosis complicating polymicrobial wound infections in tsunami survivors. In simple terms this means a deadly fungus has been found to complicate bacterial infections which, disturbingly, normally results in an 80% death rate. As such, it is a medical emergency requiring swift identification and aggressive treatment through removal of infected tissue and administration of anti-fungal medication.

Doctors treating patients from tsunami-stricken areas need to be keenly aware of the possibility that unusual or rare illnesses may have been acquired.