A so-called "supergerm" is starting to appear in prison hospitals. The pathogen is resistant to conventional antibiotics and disinfectants. It's a bacteria called Acinetobacter. It's coming from Iraq. Military personnel, especially those with grave wounds (and there have been almost 15,000 of them) are bringing the often fatal germs back to America and to our hospitals. It's unclear if the pathogen is a unique strain of Acinetobacter living in Iraqi soil or if it may originate from the old hospitals where the wounded are first treated. What is clear is that the germ is "developing very, very quickly," according to the US Centers for Disease Control. Of course, the Christian crazies and conservatives behind the war don't believe in evolution. Nonetheless, their sons and daughters are dying from the evolved bacteria. Unlike earlier wars, most of wounded Americans, about 90% of them, survive their wounds. Iraqi victims of America's invasion aren't so fortunate. About half a million innocent Iraqis civilians have died. One result of the high American survival rate is that thousands of military persons are returning home with horrible, grievous wounds. Most of the wounded will be crippled for the rest of their lives. Most if not all of these wounded persons (soldiers and mercenaries alike) are infected with very dangerous strains of Acinetobacter. They spread the bacteria as they travel from hospital to hospital and eventually home to unsuspecting wives and children. As a result, deadly varieties of the germ have been spread and are being spread through American military and civilian healthcare facilities and even to the civilian population. Military nurses call it "Iraqibacter." Greatly adding to the crisis is the fact that not just the wounded are infected. Almost all the veterans returning from the war are carrying the germs. Many persons have already died. The Bush administration has been hiding the problem since soon after they started the war. Many, many of the veterans will end up in prisons and mental institutions. Thousands will be driven mad and/or addicted to drugs and alcohol. Almost as many will bring the war home with them. They will be killing and committing crimes on American streets. They will (and they already are) carrying the germs into the institutions with them. The germ is very hard to kill. In hospitals it's said to "survive for weeks on a stethoscope, a blood-pressure cuff, a mattress, or a computer keyboard." It can even survive in the containers of disinfectant used in the effort to kill it! America needs to get out of Iraq as soon as possible, but it may already be too late to prevent a new and potentially deadly disease-causing agent from infecting American civilians. Most varieties of Acinetobacter are not very dangerous. They are opportunistic and mild. Those blown into wounds by explosions in Iraq are much more worrisome. Soldiers, the thousands of American mercenaries (nowadays called "contractors") and their families should be aware of the very real risk. Prison hospitals and mental wards must take prompt precautions. Veterans of the Iraq war are contagious and dangerous in more ways than one. Rebecca's Bargain Antiques Collectihle Vintage Photos Fine Prints - Old Maps Sheet Music - Old Books Elegant Antiques and Collectibles "Either this man is dead, or my watch has stopped," Groucho Marx, circa 1933 You are welcome to use or republish any of our material. Please give www.prisoners.com credit as the source. Return to the Prison Medical Care Menu. Return to the Politicians and Politics Menu. Return to the Main Henu. Go to our site's Search Engine. Send us Your Comments, Questions or Input.