Gastroenteritis/Food Poisoning (Notifiable Disease)

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Gastro-intestinal System
Gastroenteritis/Food Poisoning (Notifiable Disease)

Announcements and latest updates

Polyfill.io vulnerability

28 june 2024

Our eHealth team advised us yesterday of an international vulnerability relating to polyfill.io . This domain has become compromised and is spreading malware through a widespread supply chain attack, estimated to affect over 110,000 websites including major websites such as the BBC. The Polyfill site offered widely used bits of code for older browsers that allowed the use of modern Javascript features. Such code makes the work for web developers easier and allows compatibility with a broader range of browsers.

Websites that have used the Javascript code from Polyfill have been urged to remove such code immediately. The change occurred after a suspected Chinese firm purchased the domain in early 2024.

Tactuum have identified and are now testing a fix to remove all Polyfill code from the RDS site.. They will be deploying the fix on Monday 1 July along with other planned fixes and amendments. I will notify you of the timing of the deployment as soon as possible.

In the meantime, please ensure that you have up-to-date anti-virus software installed on your machines and personal devices.

Important: Notes

In general, antimicrobial therapy should be avoided, as most bacterial infections are self-limiting. Generally, antibiotics only reduce diarrhoea by 1-2 days, can cause resistance and are contraindicated in E. coli 0157 infection where they may enhance toxin release and increase the risk of haemolytic uraemic syndrome.

If patient is immunocompromised, or has signs/symptoms suggestive of deep seated or invasive infection, please discuss treatment options with the Consultant Microbiologist.

Suspected E.coli 0157 must be reported to NHS Borders Public Health. See Health Protection Microsite for details http://intranet/microsites/index.asp?siteid=85&uid=1

Stool and, where appropriate, blood cultures should be taken and clearly labelled with relevant history, including travel history.