The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced this week that 29 people have tested positive for the skin-disease-causing bacteria called Coccidioidomycosis while traveling to the Caribbean in the last two years.
While disease experts say the risk of developing this type of foot and mouth disease in the United States is relatively low — particularly in the U.S. and Caribbean, where the majority of cases are reported — it’s important to be aware of the ailment and its symptoms, which can mimic many common diseases, including the measles and lice.
SX8, which began its breeding pilot at Sangamon State University last month, is being used to identify health hazards in rural areas that other private industry lacks the resources to fill in the gaps.
In other words, as Wesley Point resident and SX8 co-founder Bruce Boyer told the Sangamon State newspaper last year, “We have our own CDC in Chicago, but what if [students] go to someplace like southeastern India and the CDC doesn’t have the resources?”
The low barriers to entry on the program, which relies on voluntary testing and quick responses from local doctors, made it possible for “this generation of kids to potentially protect themselves from developing disease and protect their long-term future,” according to Boyer.
So if you’re planning a trip overseas, be aware of your symptoms and always carry protection.
Photos: Stanik/Wade Hannah Lockett/SAGAWA Volunteer Health Corridor; ABC 7 and Pat Hickey, CFRS, Fox CT; TheLetsFly Network; Chicago Common Resiliency; Imperial County, Calif. Source: Pascale Chavauné, FSHA; Chicago Homeless CFS; Pembine, France; I Love WWCT; Angelo Ingala
