Bleeding Edge

PHI — People’s Health International is offering Emergency Medical Services to Refugees and Displaced People all around the world fleeing war, oppression, & Life threats.

PHI is focused on saving lives and helping impacted communities from religious & political conflicts, war, disease, and famine. PHI is the only organisation that offers new antibiotics, immunotherapy, and therapeutics, against the new antibiotic resistant strains of Tuberculosis and Pneumonic TB.

This is a disease that once thought almost extinct in the Western world but it now has made it’s resurgence in Europe and the UK.
Resurgent TB is a fast killing disease that ravages the refugee populations coming to Europe from Africa, Bangladesh, India, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. It stems from the incomplete treatments and the weak antibiotics offered to face this new epidemic.

PHI focuses it’s anti-TB efforts at the points of entry into Europe and in the refugee camps — mainly in Greece, Turkey, Southern Italy, and Spain, and in the refugee camps of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, where the disease is rife and unacknowledged, by local authorities fearful of it’s impact on their Tourism.

PHI is the only organisation that has alerted, informed, and involved the WHO & the UN, of the extent and the vectors of this new and highly aggressive form of TB that has made it’s presence in Europe all over again in a new form that we have no known tools to combat effectively. That is why PHI has partnered with the United Nations to offer our data, our vector systems, and our services to WHO and the UN data monitors so that we can develop a campaign for new Vaccines, new Therapeutic, and new Resources to combat this deadly disease before it becomes the Plague and the scourge of Humanity as Black Death once was throughout the World. This drug resistant TB is really a serious threat…

PHI works with Volunteers and a small staff, and is populated by Doctors and nurses of the highest caliber, who choose to use their medical leave, or vacation time, away from their workplace and the hospitals in UK and the United States — in order to help their fellow Human Beings halfway across the globe. They do this as volunteers, fully knowing the lives they save, could be their own, by preventing this nasty killer from reaching their Home Countries.

PHI, relies on Volunteers. Doctors, Nurses, Couriers, Health Care workers, and all other Volunteers, who find meaning when they help others. Working with PHI offers lifetime learning, life affirming purpose, a well as spiritual & personal growth. PHI also offers vaccinations and the TB Medical Diploma, to all of our Volunteers who work with refugees in Syria, Turkey, and Greece, and especially at the illegal entry points.

Yours,

Pano

PS:
The PHI volunteers experience tremendous growth by offering help to others who have very little else to rely upon, and certainly nothing to give in return.

So go ahead and join us if you want to do something bigger than yourself…

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PeopleHealthInternational/

PPS:
These are the new phases of Tuberculosis, the MDR-TB and XDR-TB:
1) Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) is a multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) is caused by an organism that is resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin, the two most potent TB drugs. These drugs are used to treat all persons with TB disease.
2) Extensively drug resistant TB (XDR TB) is a rare type of MDR TB that is resistant to isoniazid and rifampin, plus any fluoroquinolone and at least one of three injectable second-line drugs (i.e., amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin).

PPPS:
What is tuberculosis (TB)?
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria that are spread from person to person through the air. TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine. In most cases, TB is treatable and curable; however, persons with TB can die if they do not get proper treatment.

What is multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB)?

Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) is caused by an organism that is resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin, the two most potent TB drugs. These drugs are used to treat all persons with TB disease.

What is extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB)?

Extensively drug resistant TB (XDR TB) is a rare type of MDR TB that is resistant to isoniazid and rifampin, plus any fluoroquinolone and at least one of three injectable second-line drugs (i.e., amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin).

Because XDR TB is resistant to the most potent TB drugs, patients are left with treatment options that are much less effective.

XDR TB is of special concern for persons with HIV infection or other conditions that can weaken the immune system. These persons are more likely to develop TB disease once they are infected, and also have a higher risk of death once they develop TB.

How is TB spread?

Drug-susceptible TB and drug-resistant TB are spread the same way. TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. These bacteria can float in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. Persons who breathe in the air containing these TB bacteria can become infected.

TB is not spread by

Shaking someone’s hand
Sharing food or drink
Touching bed linens or toilet seats
Sharing toothbrushes
Kissing
How does drug resistance happen?

Resistance to anti-TB drugs can occur when these drugs are misused or mismanaged. Examples include when patients do not complete their full course of treatment; when health-care providers prescribe the wrong treatment, the wrong dose, or length of time for taking the drugs; when the supply of drugs is not always available; or when the drugs are of poor quality.

Who is at risk for getting MDR TB?

Drug resistant TB is more common in people who:
A) Do not take their TB medicine regularly.
B) Do not take all of their TB medicine as told by their doctor or nurse.
C) Develop TB disease again, after having taken TB medicine in the past.
D) Come from areas of the world where drug-resistant TB is common.
E) Have spent time with someone known to have drug-resistant TB disease.
F) How can MDR TB be prevented?

The most important thing a person can do to prevent the spread of MDR TB is to take all of their medications exactly as prescribed by their health care provider. No doses should be missed and treatment should not be stopped early. Patients should tell their health care provider if they are having trouble taking the medications. If patients plan to travel, they should talk to their health care providers and make sure they have enough medicine to last while away.

Health care providers can help prevent MDR TB by quickly diagnosing cases, following recommended treatment guidelines, monitoring patients’ response to treatment, and making sure therapy is completed.

Another way to prevent getting MDR TB is to avoid exposure to known MDR TB patients in closed or crowded places such as hospitals, prisons, or homeless shelters. If you work in hospitals or health-care settings where TB patients are likely to be seen, you should consult infection control or occupational health experts. Ask about administrative and environmental procedures for preventing exposure to TB. Once those procedures are implemented, additional measures could include using personal respiratory protective devices.

Is there a vaccine to prevent TB?
Yes, there is a vaccine for TB disease called Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG). It is used in some countries to prevent severe forms of TB in children. However, BCG is not generally recommended in the United States because it has limited effectiveness for preventing TB overall.

What should I do if I think I have been exposed to someone with TB disease?
If you think you have been exposed to someone with TB disease, you should contact your doctor or local health department about getting a TB skin test or TB blood test. And tell the doctor or nurse when you spent time with this person.

What are the symptoms of TB disease?
The general symptoms of TB disease include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. The symptoms of TB disease of the lungs may also include coughing, chest pain, and coughing up blood. Symptoms of TB disease in other parts of the body depend on the area affected. If you have these symptoms, you should contact your doctor or local health department.

Additional Information.
Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR TB) MMWRs: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/drtb/mdrtb.htm
Questions and Answers About TB:
http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/faqs/default.htm
Tuberculosis: General Information: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/tb.htm
Tuberculin Skin Testing: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/testing/skintesting.htm
Tuberculosis Information for International Travelers: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/tbtravelinfo.htm