Superbug Kills 2 At UCLA Hospital

Revelation 6:7,8 NCV When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!"8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse. Its rider was named death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill people by war, by starvation, by disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.

A deadly superbug has killed two people at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center and at least 180 patients have been exposed to the deadly bacteria.

The two dead are among seven patients who have the drug-resistant superbug known as CRE.  The outbreak is the latest in a string of incidents across the U.S.

The bacteria, if it spreads to a patient’s bloodstream, can kill up to 50% of patients.

The bacteria reportedly spread through two improperly cleaned endoscopes.  The scopes are used on 500,000 patients annually to treat diseases from cancers to gallstones.   Medical experts say because of their design they are difficult to clean.

UCLA says it notified public health authorities immediately wen they discovered the bacteria in a patient.

One hospital safety consultant said that current outbreak is unprecedented.

“These outbreaks at UCLA and other hospitals could collectively be the most significant instance of disease transmission ever linked to a contaminated reusable medical instrument,” Lawrence Muscarella said.

Last month, 32 patients were sickened by a bacteria similar to CRE at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle.  Eleven of those patients died from the illness.

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