Archive for the 'Infectious Disease' Category
April 27th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
A public health emergency was declared on Sunday to manage new cases of swine flu. At this time, 42 U.S. cases of swine flu have been reported in five states–California, Texas, Kansas, New York and Ohio.
Officials suspect that this particular strain of swine flu might be the same strain that has also been identified in Mexico and Canada. However, in Mexico this same strain appears to be killing dozens of people, whereas cases in the United State have been mild. Health authorities don’t yet understand this difference.
As of April 27, 2009, the United States Government has reported 40 laboratory confirmed human cases of swine influenza A(H1N1), with no deaths. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed human cases of infection with the same virus, including seven deaths. Canada has reported six cases, with no deaths, while Spain has reported one case, with no deaths. Many of the people under observation around the world have reported recent travel to Mexico.
According to the CDC, there are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Major airlines, including American, United and Continental, have begun revising their policies so that travelers flying to Mexican cities can change their plans without fees or penalties.
This is a rapidly evolving situation and the CDC will provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available.
Read more about Influenza from Bay Area Medical Information
If you are traveling to Mexico, read the following important travel information from the CDC
Source: Center for Disease Control, April 27, 2009; World Health Organization, April 27, 2009
March 31st, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Federal food safety officials have issued a consumer warning to stop eating all foods containing pistachios until they determine the source of another possible salmonella outbreak. The FDA learned about the potential salmonella problem last Tuesday, when Kraft Foods Inc. notified the agency that it had detected salmonella in roasted pistachios through routine product testing.
The source of the infection has been traced to the Central California-based Setton Farms which is the nation’s second-largest pistachio processor. Setton Farms has voluntarily recalled all of its 2008 crop — more than 1 million pounds of nuts. Late last week it also made the decision to shut down the plant.
Kraft and the Georgia Nut Co. have recalled their Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix. Kroger Co., a grocery chain, has recalled one of its lines of bagged pistachios because of possible salmonella contamination due to the fact that Setton Farms also supplied its nuts. Those nuts were sold in 31 states.
It will take weeks to determine how many products could be affected, officials say. Contaminated products might even include such things as ice cream and cake mixes. Setton Farms has shipped 2,000-pound bags of nuts to 36 wholesalers across the country. The plant is based in Terra Bella, a rural hamlet in Tulare County, California.
This possible contamination is not connected with the recent outbreak associated with peanuts or peanut butter.
Read about the Symptoms and Treatment of Salmonella Food Poisoning
Source: “The Georgia Nut Company Issues Voluntary Recall of Certain Snack Products Containing Shelled Pistachio Nuts Because of Possible Health Risk“, FDA, March 25, 2009
Source: “Back to Nature Foods Company Conducts Nationwide Recall of Nantucket Blend Trail Mix Containing Pistachio Nuts Because of Possible Health Risk“, FDA, March 25, 2009
March 17th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Vitamin D deficiency appears to weaken the body’s defenses against upper respiratory infections such as colds, according to researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital.
A simple blood test can measure the circulating Vitamin D levels in your blood. Many doctors are now drawing blood levels of Vitamin D to make sure patients are getting enough vitamin D to optimize good bone health and prevent chronic disease. This recent study underlines yet another reason to be sure a Vitamin D deficiency is not present.
Learn about ways to make sure you and your family are getting enough Vitamin D.
Source: Ginde A, et al “Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and upper respiratory tract infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey” Arch Intern Med 2009; 169: 384-90.
March 10th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
The mother of the man charged in the recent shooting death of a church pastor blames Lyme disease for his mental derangement. Leading Infectious Diseases specialists, however, say there’s no convincing evidence linking the tickborne ailment to such violent behavior.
Although not documented in academic literature, local general practitioners, in areas where Lyme Disease is common, have indeed found many instances of psychiatric problems such as violent aggression, anxiety and panic, associated with Lyme Disease. (AP, March 9, 2009)
Lyme Disease has also been implicated in a highly publicized chimp attack that severely injured a Connecticut woman last month. The chimp was thought to have Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is an infection that’s spread by ticks which are found in high grassy areas and in woods. A full-grown tick is no larger than a small seed, yet it can transmit deadly diseases to humans and animals. Ticks do not jump or fly–they wait on vegetation for an animal or human to brush against them. It then attaches to its host and inserts its mouth parts, without burrowing beneath the skin. Following a blood meal, the tick swells to twice its normal size, and then eventually drops to the ground.
The tick that carries the disease is most prevalent in the northern United States, and also frequently found in Canada, Europe, and Asia. Ticks that transmit Lyme Disease are most active during the months of May, June and July.
Typical early symptoms of Lyme Disease include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash. The photograph illustrates the characteristic rash in the pattern of a “bull’s-eye”, which manifests at the site of a tick bite. This person had previously contracted Lyme disease. The photo is courtesy of the CDC, James Gathany.
If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.
Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics, but the diagnosis can easily be missed for a number of reasons. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings on exam, and the history of possible exposure to infected ticks, but the vague symptoms can mimic many other diseases, the characteristic “Bulls Eye” only develops 70 to 80% of the time, and it’s easy to be unaware of a tick bite. In fact, many people who get Lyme disease don’t remember being bitten. The final problem is that laboratory testing is only helpful in the later stages of disease.
Read about Prevention of Lyme Disease from Bay Area Medical Information
Photo of rash courtesy of James Gathany, Center for Disease Control
March 8th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Cell phones used by hospital staff have been found to be contaminated with significant bacteria in a a recent study from Ondokuz Mayis University in Turkey. Researchers tested the phones and dominant hands of 200 doctors and nurses working in hospital operating rooms and intensive care units.
Ninety-five percent of the mobile phones were contaminated with at least one type of bacteria, nearly 35 percent carried two types of bacteria, and more than 11 percent carried three or more different species of bugs, the study found. Most concerning, one in eight of the handsets showed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
MRSA is the cause of more than 60 percent of all hospital infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA in 2005 infected 94,000 people and killed 19,000 in the United States.
Some bacteria are generally harmless to healthy people but can become lethal to hospital patients in weakened conditions. The researchers have recommended common sense measures to help reduce the risk of contamination, especially frequent cleaning of phones with alcohol-based disinfectants or the use of anti-microbial materials.
Many U.S. hospitals are moving toward using flat screen technology that is more cleanable than the traditional buttons. Remote controls on the beds, for example, are also a significant source of contamination if not cleaned; touch-button remotes are being replaced with flat-screen controls.
On a personal level, we need to be aware of the bacteria that most certainly is accumulating on our cell phones. When was the last time you wiped down your cell phone with alcohol?
Source: BioMed Central’s Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials.
In the United States, where national statistics are available,
February 5th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
This year’s flu season is fairly mild so far, but the CDC says activity is likely to increase in the next few weeks.
A word to the wise — Be especially careful with handwashing and other preventive measures.
January 11th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Most of the flu in the United States this season is resistant to the leading oral antiviral drug Tamiflu. The prescription antiviral medication Tamiflu can be used to prevent influenza as well as to treat it if started within the first 2 days after the first symptoms of the flu.
For this reason, it may be more important than ever, that people receive their flu shot this year. It is not too late to get vaccinated and the CDC reports that this year′s influenza vaccine is expected to be effective against currently circulating influenza A (H1N1) viruses.
Fortunately this has been a below-average flu season so far and the chief strain circulating is still susceptible to other drugs such as Relenza, or combination therapy of Tamiflu and rimantadine. Some people have trouble with Relenza, however, as it is a powder that must be inhaled. It can cause lung spasms in some people, and it is not recommended for children under 7.
About the Flu
Prevention of the Flu
About Flu shots
Locate Flu Shots
Symptoms of the Flu-What’s the difference between a cold and the flu?
Diagnosis and Treatment of the Flu
via CDC, January 9, 2009
October 29th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Remnants of the virus that causes the common cold and the flu were found on 40% of the toys in pediatricians’ waiting rooms, according to a recent study from the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital. And even after cleaning with a disinfectant cloth, 22% of the toys still contained the viruses. What’s more, cleaning the toys yielded only a modest germ-killing effect in this study, and two toys that were not contaminated before cleaning became contaminated afterwards.
In another study, the researchers tested the surfaces in homes where a person with the rhinovirus (common cold) lived, and 41% of the surfaces tested were found to be contaminated with the virus. The most commonly infected home surfaces included door knobs, bathroom faucets, refrigerator door handles, and remote controls.
An hour after volunteers touched the contaminated surfaces, 22% of the samples taken from their fingertips still contained rhinovirus. A day afterwards, the number dropped to 3%, and after two days, no viral remnants were detected at all.
The hands are clearly a major source of the spread of the cold and the flu. Touching a contaminated surface, and then touching your food while eating, or touching one’s eyes, mouth, or nose is a common pathway for viral spread. Wiping down toys and household surfaces appears to do little to stop the spread of the cold and flu. Hand washing or using alcohol gels before eating or touching one’s face remains the best way to prevent exposure to viruses.
“Why the common cold is so common is because it’s on a lot of surfaces,” and the viruses stay alive for up to 24 hours, Dr. Hendley, the main researcher, told MedPage Today.
Read more about What you can do to prevent the flu from Bay Area Medical Information
via MedPage Today, October 28, 2008
October 10th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
About 2.5 million girls ages 13 through 17 started the vaccination series against human papillomavirus in 2007, according to a recent survey by the CDC. Specifically 25% of surveyed teen girls had been given at least one of the three HPV vaccine shots and many were in the process of completing the series at the time of the survey.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common virus that is spread through sexual contact. Most of the time, HPV has no symptoms so people don’t even know that they have it. The HPV vaccine is given in 3 separate doses over a 6-month period, and it works by preventing the most common types of HPV that cause cervical cancer and genital warts.
Underlining the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in America’s teens today, 25 percent of teen girls were found to have a sexually transmitted disease, in an earlier study by the CDC. The most common of these diseases included human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus and trichomoniasis.
Read more about HPV from Bay Area Medical Information
via CDC, October 2008
October 6th, 2008 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
A new report from the CDC says that 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV/AIDS, and about 20% of that group are not aware that they have the disease. The incidence is on the rise since more people are becoming infected and the patients are surviving longer, the report also estimated .
The majority of those living with HIV are nonwhite (65.4%), and nearly half (48.1%) are men who have sex with men (MSM).
via CDC, October 2008
