Scarlet fever is one of those illness that I thought modern medicine had virtually eradicated.
However, the truth is that scarlet fever, once a major cause of death, is still around, but is usually quite effectively treated with antibiotics. Generally a childhood disease, scarlet fever is caused by toxins released by a bacteria called group A Streptococcus or “group A strep”, the same bacteria that causes strep throat.
Outbreak in Asia.
Over 400 cases of scarlet fever have been identified in Hong Kong in the last few weeks, with new cases being reported at about 25 a day. Two deaths of young children have been attributed to the disease, a seven year old girl in May and a five year old boy in June. Nearly all of the infections have been in children under the age of ten with most occurring in clusters in schools and child care centers.
Scarlet fever occurs every year in Hong Kong, but at much lower numbers.
A genetic mutation may be the cause of the outbreak. If so, it may be more difficult to control. Dr. Samson Wong Sai-yin, a University of Hong Kong assistant professor and medical microbiologist, told Hong Kong’s English daily, The Standard, “”It is the first time we have seen this kind of mutation in that particular type of Streptococcus.”
Besides Hong Kong, the disease is spreading through nearby regions of China and Macau.
Additional information:
- U. S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Wikipedia
- CBS News
- BBC
- Washington Post BlogPost
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Of course modern wind turbines look much different than the 1.25 megawatt Grandpa’s Knob wind turbine that operated near Rutland, Vermont in 1941. In February, 1943, a main bearing failed and, due to the war, a replacement part took more than two years to manufacture and install. The wind turbine was restarted on March 3, 1945, but, later that month, a connector failure resulted in one of the 8 ton blades being tossed over 700 feet, where it landed on it’s tip. Tip replacement was not feasible because of the war effort. With the cost of coal generated electricity substantially the cost of electricity produced by the wind turbine, the project was dismantled.
The big Six O…….. Oh noes!
February 3, 2012
This is one of those (secretive s-h-h-h-h ) benchmarks that lots of folks seem to want to keep hush-hush, no more than whispered about, when they get there.
Not me. I’d rather just face it (and get it over with) and embrace it (what more can you do?) fully. Today, I turned sixty.
Every day, about 330 or so boomers reach this point. Born in the 50s, radical in the 60s
(not me!) and early 70s, settled down in the 
80s, splurged in the 
90s, and lost our financial butts 
in the 2000s (not me 
).
Supposedly sixty is the new 30 – or is that the new 40?
I don’t know about that. I think it’s just rationalization for some people, to make them feel better when they get there here.
I took another tack on dealing with this benchmark and it really helps to lessen the impact. Over the last year, as the time
grew closer and closer, I just more and more started thinking of my age as 60 instead of 59. After all, since last summer sometime, I’ve actually been closer to 60 than 59. 
I don’t feel 60 – mentally or physically.
Retirement? Still doin’ it – part time.
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