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TECHNOLOGY
Dermatitis Outbreaks Linked To Zune Usage
ATLANTA Ga. (CAP) - Scientists at the Centers For Disease Control report that a number of seemingly unrelated dermatitis outbreaks throughout the country can actually be tied back to one common denominator. In a study to be issued later today, the CDC links those infections to Microsoft's Zune music player.
"This situation marks what we believe is the first time a human subject has contracted a viral infection from a piece of technology," said CDC Human Subjects Manager Marnie Richmond. "The results are preliminary, but indisputable."
In the past two months alone, the CDC has investigated 57 separate cases of dermatitis-related infections, including many as severe as Dyshidrosis and Duhring's Disease. With today's findings, the CDC will re-categorize each of those 57 cases as Toxicrosoft-induced Contact Dermatitis, or TCD.
TCD will fall under the World Health Organization's L23.8 grouping for "allergic contact dermatitis due to other agents." However, it is expected to receive its own classification with the advent of ICD-11 in 2011.
"The prognosis may be slightly different from case to case, but it all comes back to anyone who has had physical contact with a Zune," said Arthur Canterbury of the CDC. "If you develop blisters, itching, a rash - we strongly recommend you switch to another music player like an iPod.
"Unless, of course, you have a pacemaker, in which case you may just want to use a Sony Walkman," added Canterbury.
For their part, Microsoft has acknowledged a virus that could affect Zune players that attempt to load infected song files downloaded illegally from certain websites. However, Microsoft officials dispute the idea that the BAC!55437.32 virus could somehow jump from their player to the human body.
"We understand Microsoft's reluctance to tie the two together, but who knows just what advances are being made in biological warfare," said Canterbury. "It was just a matter of time before we fell victim to our own technology."
As of press time, no patch had been released for BAC!55437.32 and Microsoft has not reported any timetable for one.
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