Urgent WHO warning as ‘hypervirulent’ superbug that can rapidly kill healthy victims is found in 16 countries

DANGEROUS new strains of a superbug have been found in 16 countries, a World Health Organization (WHO) report warns. Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) was detected across Africa, Europe, the East Mediterranean, Western Pacific, American and South-East Asia. 1 It is a type of drug-resistant bacteria that can cause serious and life-threatening infections.

"Classic" Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) causes major problems in hospitals, where it can contaminate medical equipment, spread quickly and is resistant to many antibiotics. It is known to cause pneumonia , urinary tract infections (UTIs), bloodstream infections and meningitis - inflammation of the lining around your brain and spinal cord - particularly among vulnerable patients. But experts say the newer "hypervirulent" version is even more dangerous as it can make even healthy people seriously ill.

"It can cause severe invasive infections in healthy individuals that develop quickly and spread to various body sites," the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy ( CIDRAP ) said. "Infections caused by hvKp strains have been associated with high morbidity and mortality." The WHO report looked at data from 43 countries and territories globally, of which 16 reported hvKp.

This included: Algeria * Argentina* Australia* Canada* Cambodia Hong Kong India* Iran* Japan* Oman* Papua New Guinea Philippines* Switzerland* Thailand* United Kingdom* United States Most read in Health ATTACK HORROR Girl raped in early hours attack.