In Oregon U.S.A., health investigators are blaming a 2012 outbreak on a baby diaper changing station in a car dealership.  It happened during an employee meeting, where catered sandwiches were served.  State health officials immediately suspected the restaurant that provided the sandwiches, because of their poor health inspection record. However, inspectors got a surprise.  It turns out that one woman/customer at the dealership brought her child, who was sick.  Employees said she took the toddler to the restroom and then left immediately after.  One employee inspected the restroom and found diaper changing station a “mess” and tried to clean it up with a paper towels.  She did not wear gloves and did not use bleach.  She then opened the door for employees bringing in the sandwiches, and she was the first employee to take a sandwich from the tray.  Bingo, bamo, 16 employees sick and wishing they’d never attended the meeting.

But wait, there’s more.  The owner of the car dealership had the restroom professionally cleaned, twice, after the incident, yet Oregon health inspectors found that the diaper changing station still had baby crap on it!!!  Officials said think twice about using that diaper changing station: “I’d really think twice about using them unprotected.”-Kimberly Repp, Washington County epidemiologist

In Washington U.S.A., Grant County Health District quarantining the Longview Elementary school, after at least 100 students were out sick.  The school in the Moses Lake School District is being scrubbed top to bottom.

In sparsely populated Montana U.S.A., record number of cases continue.  Flat Head County reporting spikes in cases in schools and assisted living facilities.

Another cruise ship hit. According to the U.S. CDC, a Crystal Cruises’ ship out of Los Angeles, California U.S.A., got hit causing 125 passengers and 22 crew to get sick.

It was revealed that the Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colorado U.S.A., is cleaning up after an outbreak.  The outbreak shut down one entire building, after patients and employees got sick.

In Worchester, Massachusetts U.S.A., many people reported getting sick after eating at Ziti’s Restaurant.  However, health inspectors said they could not find any evidence of infection in the restaurant.   It turns out that many food items in the restaurant are actually provided by outside sources.

In Victor, New York U.S.A., several Victor Senior High School students became sick.  The Ontario County Health Department is investigating, but is trying to correct the public’s conception that norovirus and ‘food poisoning’ are the same thing.  Many people have been reporting food poisoning, when in fact what health officials are finding is infections of norovirus.

In Canada, it turns out that norovirus is common in the York area.  A report says many restaurants are sites of outbreaks, due to improper handling and cooking of food, however the outbreaks are not made public.  Before you eat out, call the York Region Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653 or TTY 1-866-252-9933 or visit the YorkSafe site.

In Barnstaple,  England U.K., the North Devon District hospital on visitor restrictions due to an outbreak.

The Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, Scotland U.K., closes ward 3C to visitors due to an outbreak.  Also, the Gilbert Bain Hospital’s ward 1 in Shetland, on visitor restriction.

A report says United Kingdom‘s health care Accident & Emergency services “…performance has deteriorated significantly over the last six months.”  By the end of 2012 one third of hospitals failed to meet standards for A&E services. National Health Services England wants to form special boards to figure out how to fix the problem.  One media source said “…many patients were left lying in their own urine and excrement for days, forced to drink water from vases or given the wrong medication.”  The U.K. Health Minister, Anna Soubry, blamed it on the tax paying public: “If you look at the number of people presenting at A&E it’s grown by one million in just the last year.”

Reports saying a deadly superbug (created by overuse of antibiotics), C.Diff, is now the fastest growing hospital borne disease.  Another report says being depressed makes you more susceptible to infection.  A study published in BMC Medicine says depression directly affects your tummy, making it easier for bugs like Clostridium difficile to take over: “Our finding of a link between depression and C.diff should help us better identify those at risk of infection and perhaps encourage exploration of the underlying brain-gut mechanisms involved.”-Mary Rogers, University of Michigan

But wait, there’s more.  It turns out that treatment for depression, specifically taking anti-depressants, actually makes you even more susceptible to being taken out by the deadly C.Diff!