The Boston Health Care for Homeless has already vaccinated 800 homeless residents.
According to a recent report coming straight from the health authorities, the town of Boston has started to vaccine its homeless residents. The vaccination campaign shortly started after a man was found dead last week on the streets of the city.
In order to prevent a full-blown epidemic, the health authorities from the city of Boston has decided to round up all homeless residents in order to inoculate them against a dangerous disease. According to their statement, once the patient becomes infected, the disease can kill him or her in a matter of hours.
After performing the autopsy on the man found dead on the street, the doctors has determined that the individual died as a result of an infection by a bacteria called meningococcemia. Although the medical literature states that the bacteria lives all the time in our throats and noses, if it manages to get into the blood, it is capable of causing quite a bit of damage.
As a result of this tragic event, the Boston Health Care for Homeless, in collaboration with several hospitals from the same city, has started an inoculation campaign against the potentially deadly infection.
According to their reports, since the inoculation campaign started, approximately 600 people were vaccinated and many more await their turn. In the meantime, the health authorities assured the general population that the situation is contained and that there is no risk of an epidemic.
The Boston Health Care for Homeless reported that two other homeless residents fell ill and were diagnosed with the same disease. Fortunately, the health authorities managed to treat them in time in order to prevent another tragedy.
Moreover, it would seem that this is not the first time Boston has to deal with this mysterious infection. According to a report, the same infection resurfaces back in 2011, when five cases were detected in the same city. However, the authorities strongly believe that the cases are unrelated.
Boston has started to vaccinate its homeless residents in order to prevent an epidemic. The bacteria that claimed the life of a homeless resident this week is usually harmless. However, if gets into the bloodstream it can cause a condition called meningococcemia and if it infects the lining between the brain and the spinal cord it can cause meningitis.
According to the medical center, the disease is usually transmitted through kissing, sneezing or coughing. And as Doctor Anita Barry pointed out, during the cold months, the people living in shanty towns have the tendency of getting closer.
Photo credits:www.wikipedia.org
Share this:
