Viral Infections Overview and Skin Conditions

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS)

• Transmission: Inhaling aerosolized rodent excreta (urine, droppings, saliva)
• Symptoms: NOT a symptom – Fever: A common symptom is high fever, not its absence.
• Diagnosis: Laboratory Procedure: Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect antibodies.
• Standard Precautions: Contact Precautions are needed for patients with HPS to prevent spread through direct contact with bodily fluids.

Influenza

• Causative Agents: Influenza A, B, and C viruses.
• Reservoirs: Rodents and other small mammals.
• Symptom: Cough is a common symptom.
• Contact Precautions Duration: Infants and young children require Contact Precautions until 48 hours after the onset of fever.

Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE)

• Characteristic: Progressive neurological deterioration leading to death typically years after measles infection.

Monkeypox

• Hospitalized Patient Precautions: Contact Precautions, including gowns, gloves, masks, and eye protection, are necessary for patients with monkeypox.
• Transmission: Primary route is through contact with infected animals, but human-to-human spread is possible through close contact with infected lesions.
• Diagnostic Methods: **NOT mentioned – Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): A common method
• Clinical Feature: Monkeypox lesions are typically more superficial compared to smallpox lesions.
• Airborne Precautions: Implement ONLY if patient is undergoing procedures that may generate aerosols.
• Virus Family: Poxviridae family.
• Type of Contact: Direct contact with infected persons, materials, and animals.

Mumps

• Transmission: Droplet spread.
• Disease with High Case Fatality Rate: Ebola virus disease (a hemorrhagic fever), has a case fatality rate of 50%-90%.
• Precautions for Hospitalized Patients: Droplet Precautions are required to minimize spread from respiratory secretions.
• Laboratory Procedure: Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are helpful in diagnosing mumps.
• Common Symptom: Swelling of the salivary glands (parotid glands) is characteristic.

Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers

• Common Symptom: Bleeding from various sites is prevalent in these conditions.
• Infection Control: Strict adherence to Standard Precautions and Contact Precautions, including personal protective equipment (PPE), is vital.
• Filoviridae Family: Ebola virus and Marburg virus are in this family and cause severe hemorrhagic fevers.
• Diameter of Ebola Virus: Approximately 80-100 nanometers.