...Infectious Disease What is the stake of the American People and the Government by International Agencies to control Infectious Disease in Developing Countries? More people are at risk of infectious diseases than at any other time on history. Infectious diseases are worldwide problem requiring worldwide attention. Infectious diseases can weaken the strength of a nation's resources. In developing nations this poses even a greater threat. Diseases are threatening the economic stability of many developing nations. 50,000 people die everyday from infectious disease. Rift Valley Fever infects both livestock and humans. Rift Valley Fever is most commonly found in regions of eastern and southern Africa. It also exists in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa. The Bunyaviridae family includes the Rift Valley Fever disease. It is primarily spread from infected mosquitoes, who then infect animals. Generally they infect domestic animals, such as buffalo, cattle, sheep, camels and goats. Once the livestock are infected, other mosquitoes can spread the disease. It is also possible that the infection can be spread from other biting insects. The Rift Valley Fever outberak of 1997-1998 in eastern Africa killed both humans and livestock. It economically hurt trase in animals and the dairy indusrty.. the economy was crushed by trade imbargoes. Humans can get Rift Valley Fever in numerous ways. Humans can be infected from the mosquitoes or the bodily fluids of the infected animal...
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...New York’s Cholera Outbreaks of the 19th Century The nineteenth century in the United States is known for the massive amounts of immigrants coming over to start their new life. In their attempt to pursue the American dream they headed to the cities to seek work. With dense populations in the cities and poor sanitization it was common for bacterial diseases to spread throughout the city. One of the most popular and most deadly was cholera. According to WebMD.com cholera is common in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine. Cholera is spread mostly through food and water that has been contaminated with feces from a person that has been infected. Once infected a person can experience watery diarrhea accompanied with vomiting. With New York being one of the most populated areas at the time and the constant stream of immigrants coming over from Europe cholera was constantly devastating the city. The largest cholera outbreak in New York started in 1832. By July the city was in a panic; people were evacuation the city by any means necessary. Asher B. Durand said “our once bustling city now wears a most gloomy and desolate aspect one may take a walk up and down broadway and scarce meet a soul.” It was also said that if you were a doctor, undertaker of coffin maker...
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...Cholera Outbreak in Haiti On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck one of the most underdeveloped countries in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti. By January 24th, 52 aftershock quakes measuring 4.5 in magnitude, or greater, shook the area (Pan American). As the area literally calmed down, the Haitian government had estimated 315,000 people died, 300,000 were injured and 1 million were homeless (Pan American). As this country tries to recover from the devastation, people find themselves in poor living conditions. Most of them, even a year later, are living in tents provided by the Pan American Health Organization (the western hemisphere version of the World Health Organization) or in make shift shelters that they have been able to assemble themselves. Living conditions are harsh. Seventy one percent of families, living in these conditions, have at least one family member go without food for one day in the previous week (IJDH). Twenty one percent have no access to drinking water (IJDH). While living under these conditions, sanitation, including adequate bathroom facilities, have not been considered or given proper priority or proper thought this is more than understandable, when one is unsure where the next meal, or drink of water is coming from, an adequate bathroom facility is not of concern. Unfortunately, the area has now come to realize the need for proper sanitation and proper facilities. Cholera is caused by a gram negative bacterium called Vibrio...
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...Myers Cholera Cholera is a deadly infection that occurs in the small intestine; which is caused by the bacterium vibrio cholera. The disease is most commonly found in places that are very crowded, war affiliated, extremely low scarcity of food, and especially if a place is poorly sanitized. Africa, South Asia, and Latin America are just some parts of the world that come across this deadly disease. Cholera first originated and made its appearance in India in 1817 at the Ganges River; which then later spread too many other regions due to neglected transported bilge of water. It was not until 1883, that this disease was discovered by German bacteriologist Robert Koch. Koch noticed the epidemic of this unusual rare disease and decided to take a closer look into the situation. He then realized that some sort of bacterium was in the intestines of the dead; but he was shocked to know that he was unable to neither isolate the organisms nor infect other animals with it. Later Koch went to India and made a surprising discovery-the cholera disease was started from damp dirty linen that the bacteria grew in, earth’s misty air, and bunch of bacteria that was in patient’s stools. The most common sources that cause cholera is standing water, type o blood, poor sanitation, eating raw seafood especially shellfish-because it originates from the same locations that have been exposed to cholera, consuming raw vegetables or fruit, and grain such as millet and rice. So nonetheless, Cholera is also...
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...of medical science by discovering how cholera was transmitted. It was a tough journey for him. Being a farmer’s son proved it difficult for him to convince a disbelieving medical establishment that his findings were valid. He trekked all the way to the metropolis. Little did he know that he will be the savior of this great city. His story is legendary. To date, he remains a towering figure in many fields. Psychologists have a few lessons that they can learn from him. He was born in York. A son of Yorkshire labourer who became a relative good farmer. At the age of fourteen, the youth was connected to an enlightened surgeon who was his mentor. His first encounter with cholera was when it swept through the nearby town during the 1831-1832 epidemic. It broke again in 1846, but this time round, Snow was in London. By this time, he had completed medical training. He was a well know investigator and researcher by the late 1840s since he had already published several groundbreaking studies that included research into anesthesia. From the onset, snow was a high-minded young man. As he advanced in age, he maintained his integrity. As a bachelor, he was glued to his work and in a great manner dedicated his life to scientific and humanitarian pursuits. The basis of investigations into cholera began when he started researching on Anesthesia. He had a good understanding of the operation of gases and from there, he found himself treating cases of cholera in his neighbourhood. He prepared himself...
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...Also I will cover the development from the 19th, 20th century to the end of the 21st century. 19th Century: Work of John Snow: Snow was a British physician who was considered as one of the founder of epidemiology for the work he did and identifying the source of cholera outbreak in the 1854. John Snow was born in a labourer family on 15th March 1813 in York and at the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a surgeon. In 1936 John Snow moved to London to start his formal medical education. He became a member...
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...8 Cholera Caused by Vibrio cholerae Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium vibrio cholera. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe. Approximately 1-10 infected persons will have severe disease characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these people, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours. Cholera is yellow in color. The bacteria causes’ disease when a person drinks water or eats food contaminated with the cholera bacterium. In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person that contaminates water and/or food. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water. The disease is not likely to spread directly from one person to another; therefore, casual contact with an infected person is not a risk for becoming ill. Five Facts about Cholera There are an estimated 3-5 million cholera case and 100 000-120 000 deaths due to cholera every year. Up to 80% of cases can be successfully treated with oral rehydration salts. Effective control measures rely on prevention, preparedness and response. Provision of safe water and sanitation is critical in reducing the impact of cholera and other waterborne diseases. Oral cholera vaccines are considered an additional means to control cholera, but should...
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...Cholera has been around for many ages. During the 19th century, cholera spread across the world from its original location in the Ganges delta in India. Six pandemics killed millions of people across all continents. The current pandemic started in South Asia in 1961, and reached Africa in 1971 and North and South America in 1991. The first cholera pandemic occurred in the Bengal region of India starting in 1817 and lasting until 1824. Cholera is now epidemic in many countries. Cholera is a bacterial disease that infects the small intestine and causes diarrhea and dehydration. The bacteria was isolated in 1854 by Italian anatomist Filippo Pacini, but its exact nature and his results were not widely known. Spanish physician Jaume Ferran i Clua developed a cholera vaccine in 1885, the first vaccine to immunize humans against a bacterial disease. You lose almost all of your water which causes you to become dehydrated. Treatments are to get fluids into your body by drinking a mixture of water, sugar, and salt and it helps keep it in your system. You can buy this solution and its called Gatorade. About 100 million bacteria must typically be ingested to cause cholera in a normal healthy adult. Children are also more susceptible, with two- to four-year-olds having the highest rates of infection. Cholera is typically transmitted by either contaminated food or water. In developed countries seafood is the usual cause, while in third world countries it is more often water. Most cholera cases...
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...Cholera Outbreak in Haiti Vibrio cholerae is a bacterium that infects the intestines of humans (CDC, 2016). While there are several strains of vibrio cholerae, only two types have been known to cause cholera outbreaks and only one (type O1) is responsible for outbreaks globally (WHO, 2015). Cholera infection is an acute diarrheal disease (CDC, 2016). It is extremely virulent and can affect children and adults with equal severity if left untreated (WHO, 2015). Vibrio cholerae has a short incubation period of 2 to 5 days, an aspect of the disease that leads to severe patterns of outbreaks (WHO, 2015). 80% of individuals infected with the cholera bacterium are asymptomatic (WHO, 2015). However, the bacteria are present in infected individuals’ feces for 1-10 days and are shed back into the environment. Others are at risk for infection when they come in contact with the fecal matter of infected persons (WHO, 2015). Contaminated water is the primary transmission route for cholera (CDC, 2016). Those who do experience symptoms of cholera infection usually experience watery diarrhea, vomiting, and severe leg cramps (CDC, 2016). These symptoms, especially when they’re severe, can lead to extreme dehydration, shock, and death within hours if left untreated (CDC, 2016). Mild cholera is also easily mistaken for other diarrheal illnesses (Harris, et al., 2012). Cholera transmission is associated with a lack of social development, primarily through the disruption or total lack of water...
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...Cholera * A Passage from India: Cholera * Cholera * Infection of the small intestine that causes a large amount of watery diarrhea * Vomiting * Related to bile * Learned Questions * Nature of the microbe causing cholera * Identifying the name of the causative agent * Origin of the disease * History of discovery of the agent * Pandemics of the disease * Impact f the disease on society * Origin and Spread * Endemic to the Indian subcontinent, with the Ganges River likely serving as a containment reservoir * Disease spread by trade routes (land and sea) to Russia, then to Western Europe, and from Europe to North America * Causes of Cholera * Mortality rate of 50% * The Miasma Theory * Strongly advocated by Max von Petterkofer * Mapped the 1850 epidemic and concluded cases were clustered in low-lying marshlands * Was the impetus behind Florence Nightingale effort to clean, improve, and establish higher standards in nursing * The Poison Theory * Advocated by John Snow * While attending to Cholera patients he didn’t get the disease, therefore it is not airborne miasma * Affect the gut first * Mapped the 1850 outbreak and found clusters of victims around the Broad Street Pump * Proposed cholera is due to toxin in patient feces and transmitted by water * The Contagion/Germ...
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...Cholera Outbreak In the case study presented, the outpatient Victoria was experiencing a fever and uncontrollable diarrhea after collecting water for her family out of a river. It is seen that a couple months before she moved, the island of Haiti was hit with an earthquake. After dire circumstances refugees moved not too far to the city of St.Marc where many others were forced to live. Due to the volume of people that moved to the city, many public services were reduced which made the family look to the river for water supply. After a clinic ran a test on Victoria’s stool they found motile, comma shaped, gram negative bacteria. After much research I have concluded that Victoria is suffering from an outbreak due to the microorganism Vibrio cholerae. “The genus Vibrio consists of Gram-negative straight or curved rods, motile by means of a single polar flagellum” (source 1) which was indicated in Victoria’s stool. In most cases this genus is found in most surface water and grows best in sea water. The disease identified is Cholera which is caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. This disease is mostly found in “places with very poor sanitation” (source 2) and in Victoria’s case she was prone to contaminated river water. As a result, the toxin “increased the release of water” (source 4) in her intestines which made her have diarrhea. Victoria was experiencing symptoms of dehydration and fever because her body was loosing a large amount water and salt. The treatment...
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...Cholera in Nineteenth Century England: A Social Evolution I. Introduction When asked about Victorian London in 1899, the Chinese ambassador accurately said ‘too dirty.’ London was incredibly dirty, as evidenced by its smell. Foul streets, dirty homes, and disgusting river water plagued all of 19th century England, not only creating an unpleasant environment, but also promoting the spread of disease. Between a lack of knowledge regarding cholera, corrupt water companies, and a sewage infested river, it is no wonder that cholera spread easily throughout England’s population, particularly when it first arrived in 1831. In England, conditions before and during the arrival of cholera in 1831, such as foul drinking water, roads, and homes, allowed for cholera to spread. Although poor sanitary conditions initially allowed for cholera to spread, as the nineteenth century progressed and knowledge increased, reactions to cholera dramatically changed, bringing increased vigilance and new perspective....
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...John Snow is considered the father of modern epidemiology, because of his determination to find the source of the cholera outbreak in the SOHO District. What made Snow’s work different from others was that he established the methods to epidemiologic reasoning. This reasoning included suspicion (factors that may influence occurrence of disease), formulation of specific hypothesis, conducting studies, assess validity of association and make judgements as to whether a cause- effect relation between factor and condition exists. One of the main reasons why Snow will continue to receive recognition is because these steps of reasoning he took and “the so-called no- miracle argument in philosophy of science, according to which the success of science would be a miracle,...
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...Cholera What is Cholera? • Cholera is a serious bacterial disease that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae. • When the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae is in the mucosal epithelium, it produces cholera toxin, which causes massive diarrhea. How is Cholera caused? • Cholera is primarily caused by contaminated water supplies, but it can also be caused by consuming raw shellfish, uncooked fruits and vegetables, and other foods that can harbor the Vibrio Cholerae Bacterium. • Vibrio Cholerae is found naturally in costal waters, and they attach to crustaceans called copepods, and spread to other places. • The bacteria can get into a human, who may not get sick from it, but they can pass it off to another person through their stool, through a method called the fecal-oral route, which occurs when the stool contaminates food and water supplies. The Symptoms • Severe, watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, dehydration, and hypovolemic shock are all symptoms of Cholera. Risk-Factors • People with malnutrition and a compromised immune system are most vulnerable to this disease. Treatment • Treatment should be gotten immediately, because extreme dehydration can become serious and lead to death very fast. • Oral Dehydration Salts, or ORS, is a re-hydration solution issued by the World Health Organization to re-hydrate patients of Cholera. • Also an antibiotic, called azithromycin can cut the symptoms of Cholera in half. Prevention • Cholera can be prevented by: ...
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...time, I was faced with acutely ill cholera patients requiring immediate life-saving treatment. The deadly outbreak erupted in October, and by the evening of my arrival at J/P Haitian Relief Organization housing in Port-au-Prince, more than 21,000 people were infected, with 1,250 deaths. Early the next morning, J/P HRO co-founder Sean Penn received a call from Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, of Partners in Health, who said, “If you don’t send us any of your doctors and nurses you have available, people will die.” So our team of seven (four nurses, two translators and our driver/security guard) set off on the three-hour drive along broken roads through the beautiful, rugged mountains and countryside to Hopital Ste. Therese in Hinche. I believe we were all shocked by the world we entered. Triage and short-term oral rehydration tents were staffed by Cuban and Mexican physicians and nurses, and three additional tents (men’s, women’s, children’s) and an old church served critical patients requiring IV rehydration. Each facility held up to 24 patients. The cholera treatment center was fenced off, and an attendant sprayed our shoes with a bleach solution upon entering or exiting. The church was downwind from the pit where medical waste, patients’ clothing and trash were burned. The heavy canvas tents had tarp floors that were wet from the nonstop mopping of human waste. Tree roots and old foundations underneath presented trip hazards. Cots and cholera beds were crowded inside. Our...
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