Infectious Diseases and Global Health Issues

Here is the summary:

• An infectious disease is a medical condition caused by the growth and spread of harmful organisms within the body, and a communicable disease is a disease that can be spread from one person or species to another.

• When approaching a patient with an infectious disease, follow standard precautions, wear PPE, and perform a primary survey and history taking, paying attention to chief complaints such as fever, nausea, rash, chest pain, and difficulty breathing.

• An epidemic is a new case of a disease in a human population that substantially exceeds the number of expected cases based on recent experience, and a pandemic is an outbreak that occurs on a global scale.

• HIV infection and AIDS were first identified in the US in the 1980s, and according to the CDC, more than 1.2 million people in the US are infected with the virus, which is primarily transmitted through sexual contact and blood transfusions.

• The incubation period for HIV spans the time between documented infection and development of the end-stage disease, and the communicable period for HIV infection begins before clinically apparent AIDS develops.

• Prehospital management of HIV is supportive, and there is no vaccine to protect against it, despite great progress in drug treatments for symptoms.

• The risk of infection is limited to exposure to an infected person's blood and body fluids, and precautions such as wearing gloves, handling and disposing of needles, and covering open wounds can prevent infection.

• The flu is transmitted through direct contact with nasal secretions, coughing, and sneezing, and treatments are primarily supportive, with vaccinations available to prevent infection.

• Hepatitis is inflammation and infection of the liver, caused by various viruses and toxins, with complications including scarring of the liver, liver cancer, and liver failure.

• Hepatitis A is transmitted orally through oral or fecal contamination, while Hepatitis B and C are transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids, and Hepatitis B is far more contagious than HIV.

• Herpes simplex is a common virus strain carried by humans, causing eruptions of vesicles on the lips or genitals, and can cause serious illness in people with compromised immune systems.

• Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that can also be transmitted through blood transfusions and contaminated needle stick injuries, with symptoms including fever, headache, stiff neck, and altered mental status.

• Meningitis is inflammation of the menial coverings of the brain and spinal cord, caused by viruses or bacteria, with symptoms including fever, headache, stiff neck, and altered mental status.

• Tuberculosis is a chronic bacterial disease that usually strikes the lungs, with many infected people being asymptomatic, and the disease can be transmitted through airborne transmission of droplet nuclei.

• Prusis, or whooping cough, is an airborne disease caused by bacteria, with symptoms including fever and a whooping sound when trying to inhale after a coughing attack.

• MRSA is a bacterium that causes infections and is resistant to most antibiotics, transmitted from patient to patient by unwashed hands of healthcare providers.

• Emerging diseases include hantavirus, West Nile Virus, SARS, bird flu, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), with symptoms ranging from flu-like symptoms to respiratory failure and death.

• Other global health issues include COVID-19, which causes severe respiratory symptoms leading to respiratory failure and death, and Ebola, which has a high fatality rate if effective supportive treatment is not initiated promptly.

• Zika virus is transmitted by the bite of a certain mosquito and can cause serious birth defects in pregnant women, with symptoms including fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis.

• When encountering an ill patient with a recent travel history, place a mask on them, gather information about their travel, vaccinations, and exposure to infectious diseases, and follow appropriate PPE precautions and notify the receiving facility.