Transcript Infections in the Media

Viruses and Bacterial Infections in the Media
Avian Influenza is a virus that is easily
Bird Flu
transmitted from bird to bird, but can also
be transmitted from bird to human in a
small amount of cases.
Currently the bird flu is not in the United States.
Human cases of influenza A (H5N1) infection have been reported in
Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Lao
People's Democratic Republic, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam.
What can we do to prevent ourselves from getting the bird flu?
•NEVER tough bird droppings
•IF you do come into contact with droppings, wash your hands immediately
•Avoid contact with grassy areas that have a lot of bird droppings
•Do not wear shoes inside the house
•NEVER touch a dead bird without gloves
•Do not walk barefoot outside
Mrs. Degl
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What are the implications of avian influenza to human health?
Two main risks for human health from avian influenza are:
1) the risk of direct infection when the virus passes from the infected
bird to humans, sometimes resulting in severe disease
2) the risk that the virus – if given enough opportunities – will change
into a form that is highly infectious for humans and spreads easily from
person to person.
Influenza A (H5N1) virus – also called “H5N1 virus” – is an influenza
A virus subtype that occurs mainly in birds, is highly contagious
among birds, and can be deadly to them.
Outbreaks of avian influenza H5N1 occurred among poultry in eight
countries in Asia (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, South
Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam) during late 2003 and early 2004.
Mrs. Degl
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West Nile Virus
West Nile virus (WNV) is a potentially serious illness. Experts believe
WNV is established as a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares
up in the summer and continues into the fall.
Mrs. Degl
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What Can I Do to Prevent WNV?
The easiest and best way to avoid WNV is to prevent mosquito
bites.
When you are outdoors, use insect repellent containing an EPAregistered active ingredient. Follow the directions on the package.
Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. Be sure to
use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these
times or consider staying indoors during these hours.
Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to
keep mosquitoes out.
Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from
flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes
and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings
so water drains out. Keep children's wading pools empty and on
their sides when they aren't being used
Mrs. Degl
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What Are the Symptoms of WNV?
Serious Symptoms in a Few People. About one in 150 people infected
with WNV will develop severe illness. The severe symptoms can include
high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma,
tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and
paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological
effects may be permanent.
Milder Symptoms in Some People. Up to 20 percent of the people who
become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body
aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin
rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as
a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several
weeks.
No Symptoms in Most People. Approximately 80 percent of people
(about 4 out of 5) who are infected with WNV will not show any
symptoms at all.
Mrs. Degl
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How Does West Nile Virus Spread?
Infected Mosquitoes. Most often, WNV is spread by the
bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected
when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can
then spread WNV to humans and other animals when they
bite.
Transfusions, Transplants, and Mother-to-Child. In a
very small number of cases, WNV also has been spread
through blood transfusions, organ transplants,
breastfeeding and even during pregnancy from mother to
baby.
Not through touching. WNV is not spread through casual
contact such as touching or kissing a person with the virus.
Mrs. Degl
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How Soon Do Infected People Get Sick?
People typically develop symptoms between 3 and 14 days
after they are bitten by the infected mosquito.
How Is WNV Infection Treated?
There is no specific treatment for WNV infection. In cases
with milder symptoms, people experience symptoms such as
fever and aches that pass on their own, although even
healthy people have become sick for several weeks. In more
severe cases, people usually need to go to the hospital
where they can receive supportive treatment including
intravenous fluids, help with breathing and nursing care.
Mrs. Degl
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Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia
burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite
of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms
include fever, headache, fatigue, and a
characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. 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.
Mrs. Degl
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Ebola Virus
No case of the disease in humans has ever been reported
in the United States. Ebola-Reston virus caused severe
illness and death in monkeys imported to research facilities
in the United States and Italy from the Philippines; during
these outbreaks, several research workers became infected
with the virus, but did not become ill.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is a severe, often-fatal disease in
humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees)
that has appeared sporadically since its initial recognition in 1976.
The disease is caused by infection with Ebola virus, named after a river in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) in Africa, where it
was first recognized. The virus is one of two members of a family of RNA
viruses called the Filoviridae. There are four identified subtypes of Ebola
virus. Three of the four have caused disease in humans: Ebola-Zaire,
Ebola-Sudan, and Ebola-Ivory Coast. The fourth, Ebola-Reston, has
caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans.
Mrs. Degl
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Symptoms of Ebola
The incubation period for Ebola HF ranges
from 2 to 21 days. The onset of illness is
abrupt and is characterized by fever,
headache, joint and muscle aches, sore
throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea,
vomiting, and stomach pain. A rash, red
eyes, hiccups and internal and external
bleeding may be seen in some patients.
Mrs. Degl
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HIV and AIDS
AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) is
one of the worst pandemics the world has ever
known. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the
virus that causes AIDS, was first discovered in
1981 in a remote area of central Africa. It has since
swept across the globe, infecting millions in a
relatively short period of time. While many cases
go unreported, the prevalence of the disease is
increasing.
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•AIDS has killed more than 28 million people
that we know of, with up to 3.6 million people
dying in 2005 alone.
•The flu pandemic of 1918 killed approximately
20 million people worldwide.
•World War II killed approximately 40 million
people.
•Clearly the AIDS pandemic has had, and will
continue to have, a significant and global
impact.
Mrs. Degl
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How is HIV transmitted?
•Sexual contact
•Sharing
contaminated
intravenous needles
•Breastfeeding
(mother to baby)
•Infected mother to
fetus during
pregnancy or birth
•Blood transfusions
(Rare in countries
where blood is
screened for HIV
antibodies.)
Mrs. Degl
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What HIV Does
Once the HIV virus enters the body, it heads for
the lymphoid tissues, where it finds T-helper cells.
Click here to look at how the HIV virus infects
immune system cells and replicates.
Antiretroviral medication can prolong the time between
HIV infection and the onset of AIDS, but there is NOT a
cure for AIDS. Modern combination therapy is highly
effective and, theoretically, someone with HIV can live for
a long time before it becomes AIDS. These medicines,
however, are not widely available in many poor countries
around the world, and millions of people who cannot
access medication continue to die.
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