Infectious diseases
I just got back from seeing The Invasion with Nicole Kidman and began to think about other movies along the same theme and then my thoughts meandered to the infectious processes I deal with on a daily or frequent basis. So I thought I would just run through the most common ones I see, their routes of transmission and general risks to me, the nurse, and you, the public.
The most common ones I see are Hepatitis(s)A, B, C, D, E, herpes, Meningitis (both viral and bacterial), Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and one I don't see but am interested in, anthrax.
HIV/AIDS is a serious threat to us all. The routes of transmission include IV (most prevalent in IV drug users), sexual, and exposure to infected blood. Safe sex, abstention, and proper contact precautions are the most effective barriers. But exposure and seroconversion can result in decreased immune function, pneumonias, and cancers.
Hepatitis A is transmitted through a fecal oral route usually, and we most frequently see it as connected with food servers and consequently the signs in bathrooms of food establishments about washing your hands. Acute and usually reversible inflammation of the liver occurs.
Hepatitis B can be transmitted via the IV/sexual/blood exposure and birth routes. Resulting complications can be acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and possibly liver cancer. There is a vaccination required for all health care workers, and I believe public servants such as policemen and firemen are also recommended to take the series.
Hepatitis C is blood borne. This too can cause chronic cirrhosis, chronis hepatitis, and liver cancer.
Hepatitis D routes of transmissions are IV or sexual and birth. Chronic liver disease is usually the principal condition developed from this.
Hepatitis E is transmitted through a fecal-oral route. The differentiting factor here is that infection in a pregnant woman can have high mortality to both the mom and baby.
Herpes is a very common infection. A large part of the population had experince with cold sores or shingles, they both being the same virus. Route of transmission is skin contact and can result in lesions called cold sores and also shingles. the dormancy of the virus earlier causing cold sores can then reappear later with a vengenance as shingles, a painful reminder of infection.
Tuberculosis is reappearing in the population at an increasing rate. I remember the stroies of the TB hospitals, moivng to a warmer drier climate,and iron lungs. The re-emergence of the disease has been growing at a rapid rate of late, attributed to a global transportation system and the ability to be in Mumbai in the morning and New York in the afternoon. We all have some recollection of the TB patient arrested after going to Greece for his wedding and potentially infecting thousands. the route of transmission is coughing, sputum contact, IV transmission, and other body fluids. Of course, active Tb and pulmonary infections are the principal conditions of manifestations.
Meningitis is one seen on an infrequent basis, and usually follows vague symptoms for a few days that accentuate in a high fever and headache. This is principally contacted through nasal secretions and depending on viral vs bacterial, the severity of symptoms is individual.
And the last is anthrax. this threat loomed large after 9-11 and the various mailings of infected envelopes of white powder to some government offices. Transmission can be through contact with skin lesions, eating contaminated meat, and inhaled pulmonary spores. Infections via skin contamination have a 25% mortality but lessened if treated, ingestion of meat has a high mortality unless treated with antibiotics, and last, but most certainly not least, pulmonary infection or spore infection has as high as a 95% mortality rate, but lower if identified and treated. Frankly, this scares me greatly.
Nurses live and work with The Invasion every day. We use standard precautions on everyone to protect ourselves. We wash our hands tons of times every day. Oh yeah, and don't go to sleep.
The most common ones I see are Hepatitis(s)A, B, C, D, E, herpes, Meningitis (both viral and bacterial), Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and one I don't see but am interested in, anthrax.
HIV/AIDS is a serious threat to us all. The routes of transmission include IV (most prevalent in IV drug users), sexual, and exposure to infected blood. Safe sex, abstention, and proper contact precautions are the most effective barriers. But exposure and seroconversion can result in decreased immune function, pneumonias, and cancers.
Hepatitis A is transmitted through a fecal oral route usually, and we most frequently see it as connected with food servers and consequently the signs in bathrooms of food establishments about washing your hands. Acute and usually reversible inflammation of the liver occurs.
Hepatitis B can be transmitted via the IV/sexual/blood exposure and birth routes. Resulting complications can be acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and possibly liver cancer. There is a vaccination required for all health care workers, and I believe public servants such as policemen and firemen are also recommended to take the series.
Hepatitis C is blood borne. This too can cause chronic cirrhosis, chronis hepatitis, and liver cancer.
Hepatitis D routes of transmissions are IV or sexual and birth. Chronic liver disease is usually the principal condition developed from this.
Hepatitis E is transmitted through a fecal-oral route. The differentiting factor here is that infection in a pregnant woman can have high mortality to both the mom and baby.
Herpes is a very common infection. A large part of the population had experince with cold sores or shingles, they both being the same virus. Route of transmission is skin contact and can result in lesions called cold sores and also shingles. the dormancy of the virus earlier causing cold sores can then reappear later with a vengenance as shingles, a painful reminder of infection.
Tuberculosis is reappearing in the population at an increasing rate. I remember the stroies of the TB hospitals, moivng to a warmer drier climate,and iron lungs. The re-emergence of the disease has been growing at a rapid rate of late, attributed to a global transportation system and the ability to be in Mumbai in the morning and New York in the afternoon. We all have some recollection of the TB patient arrested after going to Greece for his wedding and potentially infecting thousands. the route of transmission is coughing, sputum contact, IV transmission, and other body fluids. Of course, active Tb and pulmonary infections are the principal conditions of manifestations.
Meningitis is one seen on an infrequent basis, and usually follows vague symptoms for a few days that accentuate in a high fever and headache. This is principally contacted through nasal secretions and depending on viral vs bacterial, the severity of symptoms is individual.
And the last is anthrax. this threat loomed large after 9-11 and the various mailings of infected envelopes of white powder to some government offices. Transmission can be through contact with skin lesions, eating contaminated meat, and inhaled pulmonary spores. Infections via skin contamination have a 25% mortality but lessened if treated, ingestion of meat has a high mortality unless treated with antibiotics, and last, but most certainly not least, pulmonary infection or spore infection has as high as a 95% mortality rate, but lower if identified and treated. Frankly, this scares me greatly.
Nurses live and work with The Invasion every day. We use standard precautions on everyone to protect ourselves. We wash our hands tons of times every day. Oh yeah, and don't go to sleep.
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