Tod Davis

12/13/07 I just confirmed what the comments on this page are saying. Tod isn't making good on his promise of repayment.
I'm not making excuses for him. I don't know him! I hadn't heard anything about the man until I heard he was dying, which obviously hasn't happened yet.
Many people have lost money to him, which is sad. It truly jades their views and makes them far less likely to help others in need.
All I can say is, there are some truly nasty and manipulative people out there. I don't know if it was his intent to swindle, or if he just figured he was entitled since he had his own disaster occur prior to Katrina. (from what I've heard, he's from a midwestern state and lost everything - flood? don't know)
There is no real recourse in a case like this. Small claims court decisions can't be enforced, although they may go on your credit history. I don't know what to do about putting leins on property, but might be possible for larger amounts.
And Diane is right - as I get the news about different pages on my blog, I need to do the updates. Unfortunately, I think all of the volunteers who have dealt with him are embarassed to say they were taken for a ride too, so are either not saying anything, or are defending him still. This is why I never heard anymore about him.
I do hope he has a moment of conscience and repays people - even if it's only a % on the dollar. To make a good faith effort to right a wrong goes a lot further than righting it with ill intent.
L


I've heard of Tod through a newsgroup I joined in the last 6 weeks.
He has spent countless hours in the gulf - may be FROM the gulf for all I know.
But he's been infected by a lung infection of unknown etiology - big word for what a mounts to glazed eyes and a shrug from the doctors. They don't know what's going on.

This was posted by Jenni Dodds to the group today:

After hurricane Katrina he went out and helped many other people. He was exposed to many different toxins. Because it was in his system so long and he has many allergies to medications the doctors have let him know that they feel nothing they can give him is going to work.
It has caused great strain on him financially but he's never begged and was always there for others.
A couple of days ago he spoke out in anger because to get through this you have to work as a team.
There are no Heroes there are no Angels. There are just human beings trying to survive.

He gave me these words directly. "Be kind to one another. And give the best gift of all "Love".

He has been instructed to make final plans.
From Jenni:
God Bless you Tod we love you ! And we will be there for your family.

Another Infection To Think About

12/22 A Video on the Crisis with animals in NOLA, but accurate for all of coast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G5ssfTOIu4

With all of the rain the area has been getting, AND the well documented rat infestations, I thought it might be wise to post this. Cases seem to be rare in the US, but again, that was before such massive infestations occured.

All of the following is taken from the link associated with the title of this page...

What is leptospirosis?Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In humans it causes a wide range of symptoms, and some infected persons may have no symptoms at all. Symptoms of leptospirosis include high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting, and may include jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or a rash. If the disease is not treated, the patient could develop kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, and respiratory distress. In rare cases death occurs. Many of these symptoms can be mistaken for other diseases. Leptospirosis is confirmed by laboratory testing of a blood or urine sample.

How do people get leptospirosis? Outbreaks of leptospirosis are usually caused by exposure to water contaminated with the urine of infected animals. Many different kinds of animals carry the bacterium; they may become sick but sometimes have no symptoms. Leptospira organisms have been found in cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, rodents, and wild animals. Humans become infected through contact with water, food, or soil containing urine from these infected animals. This may happen by swallowing contaminated food or water or through skin contact, especially with mucosal surfaces, such as the eyes or nose, or with broken skin. The disease is not known to be spread from person to person.

How long is it between the time of exposure and when people become sick? The time between a person's exposure to a contaminated source and becoming sick is 2 days to 4 weeks. Illness usually begins abruptly with fever and other symptoms. Leptospirosis may occur in two phases; after the first phase, with fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, or diarrhea, the patient may recover for a time but become ill again. If a second phase occurs, it is more severe; the person may have kidney or liver failure or meningitis. This phase is also called Weil's disease. The illness lasts from a few days to 3 weeks or longer. Without treatment, recovery may take several months.

Where is leptospirosis found? Leptospirosis occurs worldwide but is most common in temperate or tropical climates. It is an occupational hazard for many people who work outdoors or with animals, for example, farmers, sewer workers, veterinarians, fish workers, dairy farmers, or military personnel. It is a recreational hazard for campers or those who participate in outdoor sports in contaminated areas and has been associated with swimming, wading, and whitewater rafting in contaminated lakes and rivers. The incidence is also increasing among urban children.

How is leptospirosis treated? Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or penicillin, which should be given early in the course of the disease. Intravenous antibiotics may be required for persons with more severe symptoms. Persons with symptoms suggestive of leptospirosis should contact a health care provider.

Can leptospirosis be prevented? The risk of acquiring leptospirosis can be greatly reduced by not swimming or wading in water that might be contaminated with animal urine.Protective clothing or footwear should be worn by those exposed to contaminated water or soil because of their job or recreational activities.

And what led me to this was an article in the Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal from the CDC:
"Leptospirosis is an epidemic-prone zoonotic bacterial disease that can be transmitted by direct contact with contaminated water. Rodents shed large amounts of leptospires in their urine, and transmission occurs through contact of the skin and mucous membranes with water, damp soil or vegetation (such as sugar cane), or mud contaminated with rodent urine. Flooding facilitates spread of the organism because of the proliferation of rodents and the proximity of rodents to humans on shared high ground. Outbreaks of leptospirosis occurred in Taiwan, Republic of China, associated with Typhoon Nali in 2001 (27); in Mumbai, India, after flooding in 2000 (28); in Argentina after flooding in 1998 (29); and in the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation in 1997 (30). After a flooding-related outbreak of leptospirosis in Brazil in 1996, spatial analysis indicated that incidence rates of leptospirosis doubled inside the flood-prone areas of Rio de Janeiro (31)."

Skin Infections On The Rise

1/19
Staph infection may cause lesions - Common bacteria becoming resistant
By RYAN LaFONTAINE
rlafontaine@sunherald.com
HANCOCK COUNTY - It's far too soon to know for sure, but some doctors and researchers believe a superbug - possibly mixed with something else - is causing skin lesions and sores to pop up on Katrina-relief volunteers and some locals.
Harris Evans, who practices internal medicine in Long Beach, said the lesions could be signs of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a type of staph infection that has become increasingly common in South Mississippi.
The common bacterium that causes staph infections usually lives on the skin or in the nose and it gets into the body through a cut or medical incision.
Evans said the reason more volunteers could be complaining about the infections is because of the type of relief work they are doing - building and repairing houses and removing debris - puts them at risk for cuts or scrapes.
"You're not going to prevent it," Evans said. "But, cleanliness is next to godliness and the thing that's saved more lives than anything else is a bath."
There are two main strains of MRSA, both of which have become resistant to conventional antibiotics. They usually require hospitalization and can be treated only with extremely powerful medications. Experts say eventually those medications are going to lose their punch, too.
Mohamed Elasri, assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi, leads a research team that recently identified a previously unknown gene that can be manipulated in a way to trick staph cells into thinking the time is not right to release toxins.
Evans and Elasri agreed that treating all staph infections as MRSA - by giving patients the powerful drugs - from the beginning can be an effective way to combat the affliction.
"It's a 50 percent chance, nowadays, that the type of staph a patient has is MRSA and most physicians treat all staph infections as MRSA right from the beginning," Elasri said. "Unfortunately, now that everyone is treated as having MRSA, eventually the staph will develop a resistance to that treatment, too, and it's a vicious cycle."
Staph infections can be as minor as skin lesions or as severe as life-threatening bloodstream disorders; Elasri said each case is different.
"If it's a young man in good health, they're more likely to do OK," he said. "As opposed to someone in his mid-60s; those are the people who bear the brunt of the worst-case scenarios."
Ken Flint, a 63-year-old St. Martin resident, said he's battled the itchy lesions three times since May, and the most recent time, about four weeks ago, was the worst.
The state Department of Health has collected evidence from volunteers working in and around Hancock County and Lovetta Brown, the state's epidemiologist, is working with the Centers for Disease Control to determine the culprit.

If you want to know more about keeping the camps clean and yourself clean while volunteering, please read the following:
http://katrinanetworking.blogspot.com/2006/10/avoiding-infectious-diseases.html

Video of skin infection
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LFI7QwqNQw

I've been hearing increasing reports of skin infections. It doesn't appear to be the true flesh eating bacteria, but rather, a very resistant form of staph.

These staph infections are known in the biz as MRSA - Methcillin Resistant Staphaloccocus Aureus. Not that I spelled any of that right, but you get the idea.

MRSA loves to live in dirt and appears to prefer men - mainly because men don't wash as well as women.

Canada has done an incredible job of dealing with MRSA, while the US is lagging behind in a woeful manner - particularly when you consider the cost of treating it and the lingering affects.
I would like to think the CDC is investigating this, but I have yet to see anything come out on the MMWR or the emerging infectious diseases reports.

Here's a quote from the CDC: "MRSA infections that are acquired by persons who have not been recently (within the past year) hospitalized or had a medical procedure (such as dialysis, surgery, catheters) are know as CA-MRSA infections. Staph or MRSA infections in the community are usually manifested as skin infections, such as pimples and boils, and occur in otherwise healthy people."

Also from the CDC:
How can I prevent staph or MRSA skin infections?
Practice good hygiene:
Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.
Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.

I have most of this covered in a post about avoiding infectious diseases:
http://katrinanetworking.blogspot.com/2006/10/avoiding-infectious-diseases.html
Another article - excerpts from the CDC - very dry, but very informative, on personal protective equipment that will help you avoid infection as well:
http://katrinanetworking.blogspot.com/2006/06/personal-protective-equipment.html

So, basically, you have to be VERY careful. With an already strained health care system, and with an environment completely out of balance, you need to protect yourself every way possible.