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Economic Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Economic Times
Patients visit Tamil Nadu dental clinic for checkup, get infected with deadly disease: 8 of 10 die
A shocking new study published in The Lancet has revealed that eight people died after getting infected with a rare and deadly brain infection called neuromelioidosis. The source of the infection? A dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town in Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur district. The outbreak happened in 2023 but was not reported by any government agency. The infection was linked to unclean dental practices, according to a joint investigation by doctors from CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE, and Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Public Health. The study found that a surgical tool called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was later loosely closed. The same bottle was reused for other patients. At least 10 people got infected, and eight of them died, making the fatality rate 80%.Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar from CMC Vellore, the lead author of the study, said the bacteria entered through nerve pathways when the infected saline was used to clean patients' mouths. This allowed the bacteria to reach the brain testing showed that the bacteria had a gene that attacks the brain more aggressively. Neuromelioidosis is a severe infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by a bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei. This bacteria is usually found in contaminated soil and water in tropical include: Fever Headache Slurred speech Blurred vision In some cases, facial paralysis Between July 2022 and April 2023, researchers found 21 cases in total. Of these, 10 patients had visited the dental clinic, and 9 people died overall. Most cases were from Tirupattur district. Those who visited the clinic died faster, from symptoms to death in just 16 days, and from hospital admission to death in 9 days. In contrast, the only person who died without visiting the clinic took 56 days after symptoms started and 38 days after 9 May 2023, CMC reported the rise in cases. Four days later, Tamil Nadu health officials held a meeting with hospitals and clinics in the region. A team of doctors began investigating the before they could collect samples, the dental clinic was disinfected and shut down after public complaints. Still, scientists managed to find the bacteria in a sample from the saline bottle. Other unopened saline bottles were who did not visit the dental clinic mostly showed swelling in the salivary gland, cheeks, or lymph nodes. But those who did visit had more serious symptoms like face swelling and soft tissue infections, likely due to swallowing the contaminated saline. Dr T S Selvavinayagam, Tamil Nadu's director of public health, said the outbreak has now been contained. 'This is a reminder for all healthcare workers to follow proper infection control practices,' he added. Inputs from TOI
News18
3 days ago
- Health
- News18
1 Sline Bottle Claims 8 Lives In Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur District: Study
Last Updated: The symptoms of Neuromelioidosis include fever and headache followed by slurred speech, visual distortion and in some cases facial palsy. In a tragic incident, eight people died of neuromelioidosis — a bacterial infection of the brain — that they got from a dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town of Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur district in 2023, a study published in The Lancet has revealed. According to an investigation by a team of doctors from multiple organisations, including CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE and Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health, the outbreak, which hasn't been reported by any government agency, has been linked to unsterile dental practices. The first author of the study, Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar of the neurological sciences department at CMC, said that an unsterile surgical instrument called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was then loosely resealed. The reuse of its contents by the clinic led to at least 10 people contracting the infection and eight of them dying, pegging the fatality rate at 80%. 'The rapid and high fatality may be because the bacteria in the saline travelled directly along nerve pathways when used to clean the patients' mouth during procedures, rather than through the bloodstream, a common route for such infections," the researcher concluded. Whole genome sequencing showed that the bacteria have a gene that aggressively attacks the brain. Neuromelioidosis is a severe central nervous system infection, affecting the brain and spinal cord, caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, commonly found in contaminated soil and water in tropical and subtropical areas. The symptoms of Neuromelioidosis include fever and headache followed by slurred speech, visual distortion and in some cases facial palsy. Researchers found 21 neuromelioidosis cases between July 2022 and April 2023, including 10 linked to a dental clinic, resulting in 9 deaths. The fatality rate was 9% among the 11 patients not linked to the clinic. State public health officials praised the study for aiding case identification and informing containment measures. 'We've halted the spread with corrective actions, and this serves as a reminder for healthcare providers to prioritise infection control," said Dr. TS Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health. On May 9, 2023, CMC reported a surge in neuromelioidosis cases linked to a dental clinic. Four days later, health officials convened a meeting with local healthcare facilities. Co-author Prabu Rajkumar from the ICMR-NIE said that a team of doctors investigated the cluster to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics and identify the source of infection. 'But before doctors could visit the dental clinic to pick samples, the clinic was disinfected, the water supply was cut off, and the clinic was closed following public outcry," the authors wrote. However, scientists detected B. pseudomallei in a saline bottle sample, while unopened bottles tested negative. Further verification involved testing additional samples and conducting whole-genome sequencing. Analysis showed head and neck involvement, such as inflammation of a salivary gland (parotid gland), inner lining of cheeks (buccal mucosa), along with enlargement or swelling of one or more lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), was common in cases not linked to the dental clinic. But patients exposed to the dental clinic's contaminated saline progressed rapidly, developing facial cellulitis and soft tissue abscesses, likely due to ingestion of the contaminated solution. First Published:
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Patients visit Tamil Nadu dental clinic for checkup, get infected with deadly disease: 8 of 10 die
How did it happen? Live Events What is neuromelioidosis? Fever Headache Slurred speech Blurred vision In some cases, facial paralysis What did officials do? What else did they find? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A shocking new study published in The Lancet has revealed that eight people died after getting infected with a rare and deadly brain infection called neuromelioidosis . The source of the infection? A dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town in Tamil Nadu 's Tirupattur district The outbreak happened in 2023 but was not reported by any government agency. The infection was linked to unclean dental practices, according to a joint investigation by doctors from CMC Vellore , ICMR-NIE, and Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Public study found that a surgical tool called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was later loosely closed. The same bottle was reused for other patients. At least 10 people got infected, and eight of them died, making the fatality rate 80%.Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar from CMC Vellore, the lead author of the study, said the bacteria entered through nerve pathways when the infected saline was used to clean patients' mouths. This allowed the bacteria to reach the brain testing showed that the bacteria had a gene that attacks the brain more is a severe infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by a bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei . This bacteria is usually found in contaminated soil and water in tropical include:Between July 2022 and April 2023, researchers found 21 cases in total. Of these, 10 patients had visited the dental clinic, and 9 people died overall. Most cases were from Tirupattur who visited the clinic died faster, from symptoms to death in just 16 days, and from hospital admission to death in 9 days. In contrast, the only person who died without visiting the clinic took 56 days after symptoms started and 38 days after 9 May 2023, CMC reported the rise in cases. Four days later, Tamil Nadu health officials held a meeting with hospitals and clinics in the region. A team of doctors began investigating the before they could collect samples, the dental clinic was disinfected and shut down after public complaints. Still, scientists managed to find the bacteria in a sample from the saline bottle. Other unopened saline bottles were who did not visit the dental clinic mostly showed swelling in the salivary gland, cheeks, or lymph nodes. But those who did visit had more serious symptoms like face swelling and soft tissue infections, likely due to swallowing the contaminated T S Selvavinayagam, Tamil Nadu's director of public health, said the outbreak has now been contained. 'This is a reminder for all healthcare workers to follow proper infection control practices ,' he from TOI
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Brain infection spread from infected saline in a dental clinic in TN killed eight people: Lancet
CHENNAI: Eight people died of neuromelioidosis — a bacterial infection of the brain — that they got from a dental clinic in Vaniyambadi town of Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur district in 2023, a study published in The Lancet has revealed. The outbreak, which hasn't been reported by any govt agency, has been linked to unsterile dental practices, according to an investigation by a team of doctors from multiple organisations including CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE and Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health. The study said an unsterile surgical instrument called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was then loosely resealed. Reuse of its contents by the clinic led to at least 10 people contracting the infection and eight of them dying, pegging the fatality rate at 80%, said the first author of the study, Dr Angel Miraclin Thirugnanakumar of the neurological sciences department at CMC. 'The rapid and high fatality may be because the bacteria in the saline travelled directly along nerve pathways when used to clean the patients' mouth during procedures, rather than through the bloodstream, a common route for such infections,' the researcher concluded. Whole genome sequencing showed that the bacteria has a gene that aggressively attacks the brain. Neuromelioidosis is a severe infection of the central nervous system, that includes the brain and the spinal cord, caused by bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei which is found in contaminated soil and water in tropical and subtropical regions. Symptoms include fever and headache followed by slurred speech, visual distortion and in some cases facial palsy. Between July 2022 and April 2023, the researchers identified 21 cases of neuromelioidosis (including 10 patients who went to the dental clinic) and total nine deaths. The fatality rate among the remaining 11 patients who didn't go to the dental clinic was 9%. Of the total 21 patients, 17 were in Tirupattur district, two in Ranipet, and one each in Tiruvannamalai and Krishnagiri. The patients who succumbed after their visit to the dental clinic had a quicker death since the infection date. It took 16 days from symptom onset to death and nine days from hospitalisation among patients who went to the clinic compared to 56 and 38 days respectively in case of the lone fatality not linked to the dental clinic. State public health officials said the study would help identify such cases to understand the epidemiology and initiate micro-containment measures. 'We have stopped the spread with corrective measures. It's also a reminder for healthcare providers to be aware of infection control measures,' said director of public health Dr T S Selvavinayagam. On May 9, 2023, CMC notified an increase in neuromelioidosis cases and said some of them were linked to the dental clinic. On May 13, 2023, health officials held a meeting with healthcare facilities and other stakeholders in Tirupattur and neighbouring districts. Soon, a team of doctors investigated the cluster to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics and identify the source of infection, said co-author Prabu Rajkumar from the ICMR-NIE. 'But before doctors could visit the dental clinic to pick samples, the clinic was disinfected, the water supply was cut off, and the clinic was closed following public outcry,' the authors wrote. However, scientists identified B. pseudomallei from the saline bottle sample. There was no contamination in unopened saline bottles. More samples were tested, and whole genome sequencing was done for further verification. Analysis showed head and neck involvement, such as inflammation of a salivary gland (parotid gland), inner lining of cheeks (buccal mucosa), along with enlargement or swelling of one or more lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), was common in cases not linked to the dental clinic. But those with dental exposure showed rapid progression, presenting with facial cellulitis and soft tissue abscess, probably because the contaminated saline was ingested.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
Man with comorbidities dies after testing positive for Covid; TN reports 10 to 15 cases daily with no new variant
CHENNAI: A 60-year-old man from Chengalpattu district, who was admitted on 15 May at the ESI Hospital in KK Nagar here with acute gastroenteritis, complaints of diarrhoea, and severe dehydration, later tested positive for Covid-19 and died on Tuesday. He passed away while being shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) after testing positive for COVID-19. In a statement, the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Dr T S Selvavinayagam, said scrutiny of the medical reports showed the cause of death was complications due to chronic kidney failure along with other existing comorbidities, and stressed that Covid-19 was only an 'accidental finding'. The statement said the patient had diabetes, hypertension, and stage four chronic kidney failure. 'He was treated for diarrhoea, which got settled, and he continued on dialysis on alternate days for renal failure,' it added. The patient tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. His condition turned critical on Tuesday, and he was referred to RGGGH, where he was declared dead on arrival. His body was handed over to the Greater Chennai Corporation and was buried at Moolakothalam cemetery following Covid-19 protocols.
