...before the process devastates a community. When respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is in its most rapidly developing phase, the community health nurse is in an ideal position to educate the community on keeping children safe and free from this, at times, devastating virus. Epidemiology and Care of RSV It is important to understand the epidemiology of a disease process to effectively manage and treat the disease. Rowe (2013) notes that epidemiology “is the discipline that provides the structure for systematically studying the distribution and determinants of health, disease, and conditions related to health status” (p. 162). When the nurse is evaluating the epidemiology of a disease process such as RSV, he/she needs to keep in mind three critical concepts related to the understanding of epidemiology “the natural history of the disease, the levels of prevention, and the multiple causation of disease” (Rowe, 2013, p. 166). Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) The causes, symptoms, mode of transmission, complications and treatment options are important to understand when caring for a child with RSV. The pathogenesis and causes of RSV are fairly well understood, once RSV attaches itself to the epithelial cells, it is attracted to a protein called the intracellular adhesion molecule which is located on the respiratory epithelial cells. Once RSV becomes attracted to the intracellular adhesion molecule on the epithelial cell, the virus penetrates into the cell and starts to replicate...
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...Best Option By Peggy Peck WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Dr. Tonja Wynn Hampton Sept. 29, 2000 -- For Kim Giarrizzo of Avon Lake, Ohio, her 6-year-old son Garrett, and nephew Kyle, 5, the last weekend of summer was no picnic. Over the long Labor Day weekend, both boys started showing symptoms of a cold, but at the midnight hour on Sept. 4, Kim was holding her feverish, wheezing son while listening to the irregular breathing of Kyle who was visiting. She suspected this was no ordinary cold. The next day, Kim and her sister Tammy Arthurs were at a local hospital emergency room with both boys, and although rare in the late summer months, both were admitted for treatment of suspected RSV -- respiratory syncytial virus. RSV is highly contagious and the No. 1 cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection, especially in early childhood. RSV season usually starts in November, peaks in January, and ends early in April. In most of us, RSV is just a bad cold, but among the very frail, such as babies born too soon, children with lung disease or the frail elderly, RSV can be a killer. For Garrett and his cousin Kyle, RSV put them in the hospital, taking oxygen for two days. For their mothers it was a frightening experience. Tammy's other son, Andrew, 3, was hospitalized for three days with RSV when he was just 5 months old. "It was very scary that time. I had never heard of this infection, and then the doctor was telling me that he could die," says Tammy. That earlier experience helped...
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...Respiratory Syncytial Virus is a single stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family of viruses. This virus is also known as RSV, Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus or Palivizumab. This is one of the contributors of the common cold and is very prominent in the fall, winter and spring seasons. Although symptoms are somewhat mild in older kids and adults, the virus can cause respiratory infections and other complications in the elderly, younger kids and babies and also those with weakened immune system. The RSV virus can be spread very easily where there is a large population of people and in contact with someone that already has the virus. It can be spread when someone sneezes into the air, cough into one’s hands and then by touching other surface areas or by kissing someone that was or is infected. The virus can live up to thirty minutes on someone’s skin if not washed and up to five hours on any surface area such as countertops, toys, doorknobs, phones, faucets and keyboards for instance if not cleaned or sanitized. RSV is easily spread in places like daycares, schools and any other areas of crowding. Although exposed to the RSV virus symptoms normally begins to show between four and six days. In mild cases sneezing, coughing, runny nose and slight fever might occur however in severe cases RSV can cause labored breathing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, wheezing, grouping cough, high fevers etc. Any one vulnerable to RSV may need special care to make...
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...ABOUT TMED SA WHO IS TMed TMed is a privately owned South African-based Medical Technology consulting firm. PURPOSE TMed was established to provide medical supplies and equipment to public and private sector, doctors, clinics, hospitals and healthcare groups with the focus point of care diagnostics, timely treatment and compliance. TMed’s purpose is focusing on diagnosis at the point of care with a vision to change the way patients experience medical treatments in the community. OUR PRODUCTS TMed provides rapid diagnostic test, drug of abuse, medical devices and Rapid Point of Care Screening Test. Our VALUE TMed is committed to supply premium products and dedicated after sales service to our clients, thereby adding value to all our customers and their respective businesses. Our VALUE TMed is committed to Supply Premium Products and dedicated after sales service to our clients, thereby adding value to all our customers and their respective businesses. Corporate and Medical Supply Objectives • Diagnostic testing at primary care level for early detection of potential threats and allowing reduction of hospital / bed days • Promote use of testing with network providers to extend patient medical savings benefits, include more testing and reduce pathology costs • Increase wellness screening to include Glucose, cholesterol, haemoglobin, Troponin, D-Dimer, and Uric Acid • Increase infant paediatric screening to include RSV, Rotavirus, Adenovirus, CRP, Strep...
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...located in West Jordan, Utah. This modern medical center is equipped with the latest technology to provide comprehensive health care. In addition to the in-patient units, Jordan Valley provides many outpatient services including: Physical Therapy, Breast Care, Outpatient Lab and Radiology services, as well as Wound Care and Sleep Disorder Clinics. These successful outpatient services allow patients the opportunity to receive medical care that, in the past, would have required hospitalization. Jordan Valley also provides an Outpatient Respiratory Clinic specifically for patients with Respiratory Syncytial Virus, an illness generally referred to as RSV. RSV is a very common virus that most people have been exposed to within the first two years of life. It is spread by mouth or nasal secretions and is extremely contagious. When the virus strikes adults or older children, the symptoms are similar to a common cold. However, when the virus occurs in young children or infants it becomes much more serious, usually requiring medical intervention including breathing treatments. Previously, this need would require the child be admitted to the hospital to receive these treatments. With the implementation of the outpatient RSV Clinic, patients are able to stay at home with their parents and return to the clinic – up to several times a day if needed – for breathing treatments and further assessment. Patients are initially seen by an Emergency physician or pediatrician and if they...
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...Epidemiology Paper Anavictoria Fortaleza March 5, 2012 NUR408 Epidemiology Paper Vulnerable populations are "those with a greater than average risk of developing health problems by virtue of their marginalized socio-cultural status, their limited access to economic resources, or personal characteristics such as age and gender" (De Chesnay & Anderson, 2008). Infants and young children are vulnerable to a host of healthcare problems, they are susceptible to viral infection especially respiratory infection such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus. In this paper, the author will define and describe epidemiological triangle as it relates to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), types of epidemiology, and levels of prevention of RSV. Epidemiology Definition Epidemiology is defined as "the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to control of health problems" (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). The study of epidemiology is important because it search for causes or factors that are related with increased risk or likelihood of disease, it deals with group of people rather than with individual person, and it helps public health with decision making and aids in developing and evaluating interventions to control and prevent health problems (CDC, 2012). Epidemiology is used to "monitor the health of various populations, understand the determinants of health and disease in communities, and...
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...As a farmer or rancher you must know the common and some rare viruses. You must be capable to identify the symptoms and causes of any virus. If you have any infected animal you would want to remove it from the herd or the rest of the animals. A virus can spread by touch, coughing, or sneezing. So we as the caretakers must vaccinate our livestock to prevent any disease or virus. Animals receive vaccines for the same reason that humans do: to prevent diseases. Vaccinating animals reduces animal suffering, reduces the transmission of microorganisms in the animal population, and is often more affordable than paying for the treatment of sick animals. Pets receive vaccines for infectious diseases such as rabies, parvovirus, distemper, and hepatitis. Livestock animals like turkeys, chickens, cattle and pigs are vaccinated to protect against diseases like rotavirus, E. coli, pink eye, and brucellosis. Vaccinations keep individual animals, flocks and herds, and people healthy....
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...RSV Prophylaxis in Preterm Infants Betty Danford COMM/215 January 12, 2015 Yvonna Starr Carnieri RSV Prophylaxis in Preterm Infants Respiratory syncytial virus or RSV is a common infection in young children usually causing only mild cold and upper respiratory symptoms. Infants with chronic lung disease and premature infants are likely to have more serious effects, including re-hospitalization and respiratory assistance (Haelle, 2014). In July of 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued updated guidelines to decrease RSV prophylaxis for preterm infants. I work in a neonatal intensive care unit and support the new guidelines that reduce the number of infants that qualify for RSV prophylaxis. RSV prophylaxis or Synagis is administered to qualifying infants prior to discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit and given monthly throughout RSV season. Previous guidelines included dosing any preterm infant 31.6 weeks gestation and below throughout the RSV fall and winter season. Infants born between 32 and 35 weeks gestation qualified for RSV prophylaxis based on risk factors of: living in a home with children or siblings five years of age or less and day care attendance. The updated guidelines in 2014 recommend RSV prophylaxis for all infants born before 29 and 0 days gestation. Infants born before 32 weeks qualify for RSV prophylaxis if they require > 21% oxygen for 28 consecutive days following birth. RSV prophylaxis remains relatively...
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...was caused by pleural inflammation rather than hydrostatic and oncotic imbalance in the chest The X-rays also show that this exudate is localized anteriorly and inferiorly within the right pleural cavity between the visceral and mediastinal pleurae. The pain associated with pleurisy and the pressure put on lungs because of the exudative effusion may make it extremely hard to breath which is why the infant has been coughing, wheezing and breathing noisily, especially at night (Rubins). Pleurisy is usually caused be a viral infection like the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). This viral infection explains the low-grade fever and the evidence of an upper respiratory tract infection. The infant is also slightly underweight which may be related the unexplained weight loss sometimes associated with pleurisy....
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...Phys 261 2c Pathophysiology Case Reviews 1. The name of this respiratory disease is Cor Pulmonale, also called right sided heart failure. This is a disease in which hypertrophy and dilation of the right ventricle occur secondary to diseases affecting structure or function of the lungs or their vasculature. It can occur at the end stage of various chronic respiratory and respiratory control center diseases. Cor pulmonale doesn’t occur in disorders stemming from congenital heart defects or those that affect the left side of the heart. Causes include but are not limited to; bronchial asthma, vascular obstruction, high altitude, kyphoscoliosis, obesity, pectus excavatum, poliomyelitis, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism, and vasculitis. Symptoms of the disease include dyspnea at rest, weakened pulses due to decreased cardiac output, and neck vein distention. Treatment of Cor pulmonale has three main focuses, reducing hypoxemia and vasoconstriction, increasing exercise tolerance, and correcting underlying conditions when possible. 2. Croup is severe inflammation and obstruction of the upper airway, occurring as acute laryngo-tracheobronchitis, laryngitis, and acute spasmodic laryngitis. Croup usually results from viral infection. Viruses include; adenovirus, influenza, measles, parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus. Signs and symptoms include: inspiratory stridor, muffled vocal sounds, and a characteristic sharp barking or seal-like cough related to...
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...Peer-Reviewed Journal Tracking and Analyzing Disease Trends pages 557–740 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF D. Peter Drotman Associate Editors Paul Arguin, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Charles Ben Beard, Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA Ermias Belay, Atlanta, Georgia, USA David Bell, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Sharon Bloom, Atlanta, GA, USA Mary Brandt, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Corrie Brown, Athens, Georgia, USA Charles H. Calisher, Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA Michel Drancourt, Marseille, France Paul V. Effler, Perth, Australia David Freedman, Birmingham, Alabama, USA Peter Gerner-Smidt, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Stephen Hadler, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Nina Marano, Nairobi, Kenya Martin I. Meltzer, Atlanta, Georgia, USA David Morens, Bethesda, Maryland, USA J. Glenn Morris, Gainesville, Florida, USA Patrice Nordmann, Fribourg, Switzerland Didier Raoult, Marseille, France Pierre Rollin, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Ronald M. Rosenberg, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA Frank Sorvillo, Los Angeles, California, USA David Walker, Galveston, Texas, USA Senior Associate Editor, Emeritus Brian W.J. Mahy, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK Managing Editor Byron Breedlove, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Copy Editors Claudia Chesley, Laurie Dietrich, Karen Foster, Thomas Gryczan, Jean Michaels Jones, Shannon O’Connor, P. Lynne Stockton Production William Hale, Barbara Segal, Reginald Tucker Editorial Assistant Jared Friedberg Communications/Social Media Sarah Logan Gregory Founding Editor Joseph E. McDade, Rome, Georgia, USA Emerging Infectious Diseases...
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...Asthma By Luis M. Cotto Asthma is considered a chronic (long-term) lung disease that causes inflammation and narrows the airways. Asthma is also known to cause recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), tightness of the chest, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing usually occurs at night or early in the morning. Asthma has been known to affect people of all ages, but it mostly starts during childhood. More than 25 million people are known to have asthma. About 7 million of these people are children. In order to have a complete understanding on how asthma affects the human body, you must first have a complete understanding of how the airways work. The airways are tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs. People who have asthma have inflammation of the airways which causes them to swell and become very sensitive. The airways have a tendency to react very strongly to certain substances that are inhaled. When the airways react to these foreign bodies, the muscles will tighten up. This causes the airways to narrow, causing less air to get to the lungs. The swelling can even get worse, making the airways even narrower. When that happens, the cells in the airway might make more mucus than usual, which can further narrow the airways. Sometimes your symptoms are mild and will go away on their own or after treatment with asthma...
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...Influenza Disease Linnette Corona Grand Canyon University (NRS-427V) 06/14/2014 Influenza Disease Influenza is an infectious viral disease also commonly known as ‘flu’ that is caused by diverse strains of influenza viruses. The virus belongs to ‘Orthomyxoviridae’ which is a distinct group of virus family. This virus comprises of a single stranded, segmented RNA (Jeffery et. al, 2008). Influenza (flu) virus primarily attacks the respiratory system and is highly transmissible. As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC (2014) “the virus may infect the nose, throat and lungs.” The disease can cause mild to severe illness often resulting in hospitalization or death. The viral strains of influenza viruses are constantly changing and appear regularly that are responsible for many pandemics around the world (Taubenberger & Morens 2008). Clinical Course Influenza is a contagious disease; the virus is easily transmitted from person to person via respiratory droplets when infected people cough, talk or sneeze. Another way to get infected with influenza is if the person touches its own mouth or nose after having direct contact with a surface that has the influenza virus (CDC, 2014). The influenza virus may be transmitted one day before the first symptoms start and even up to seven days after getting ill with the flu. In seasonal epidemics, influenza tends to spread rapidly. As reported by the CDC (2014), the infection may seem like common...
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...Pertussis (whooping cough) 1. Characteristics of the disease Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection caused by Bordetella pertussis, a gram-negative bacillus. The disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. The disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. In babies, the cough can be minimal or even not present. The most dangerous symptom in babies is the potential development of apnea. About half of babies younger than 1 year who get the disease require hospital care. Early symptoms include a runny nose, low-grade fever, and a mild cough. Pertussis in its early stages appears to be nothing more than the common cold. However, as the disease progresses, symptoms appear including fits of many and rapid coughs, vomiting and exhaustion after coughing fits. These violent coughing fits cause the air to go from the lungs, resulting in a forced inhale with a loud "whooping" sound. Coughing fits generally become more common and bad as the illness continues, and can occur more often at night. Pertussis is an airborne disease that spreads easily from coughs and sneezes of carriers. The first known description...
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...Bronchitis is an inflammation of the membrane that lines the air passages, or, bronchial tubes, of the lungs and results in the narrowing of these air passages. This disorder may be of either an acute or chronic type. Irritation of mucus-producing glands within the membrane results in the production of excess bronchial secretions. The main symptoms of bronchitis are cough and increased expectoration of sputum, with or without associated wheezing and shortness of breath. Men are more of a target to bronchitis then most women, men out numbering them 10 to 1 for reasons that are unclear. Acute bronchitis is a self-limited infection of the lower respiratory tract causing inflammation of the bronchi. Acute bronchitis is an acute illness lasting less than three weeks with coughing as the main symptom, and at least one other lower respiratory tract symptom such as wheezing, sputum production, or chest pain. Most coughing, which is a common symptom of acute bronchitis develops in any attempt to expel the excess mucus from the lungs. Other common symptoms of acute bronchitis can include a:...
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