Superbugs! The sequel…

It’s not antibiotic-resistant staph (MRSA).  It’s a new, potent variant on the critter that causes the common cold.

Adenoviruses usually cause respiratory infections that aren’t considered lethal. But a new variant has caused at least 140 illnesses in New York, Oregon, Washington and Texas, according to a report issued Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The illness made headlines in Texas earlier this year, when a so-called boot camp flu sickened hundreds at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The most serious cases were blamed on the emerging virus and one 19-year-old trainee died.

“What really got people’s attention is these are healthy young adults landing in the hospital and, in some cases, the ICU,” said Dr. John Su, an infectious diseases investigator with the CDC.

Even a small increase in critical care demand can absolutely stretch us to the breaking point.  Meaning your ER’s will be crippled while they hold the lid on the mess the hospital itself no longer has any room or staff for.  It’s a wonderful thing to have  a national health care system with no surge capacity in the event of catastrophe or sudden need… unless you count calling employees at home and asking if they can come in on their day off as ’surge capacity’.  And there we uncover our villain - let’s blame the health care mess on caller i.d.!

It’s going to be a wild winter, I can tell.

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