STEM : Stop the Spread
Common communicable diseases
Malan, F. (2010, February 26). File:Chickenpox Adult back.jpg. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chickenpox_Adult_back.jpg
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Search term - chicken pox (disease)
Introduction
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One of the most common diseases of childhood is chicken pox. This disease is caused by a virus. Although most patients contract it between the ages of 2 and 6, chicken pox can strike at any age. Chicken pox is a fairly mild illness in children. It can be very serious in adults, however. It is also extremely serious in people with certain diseases such as leukemia or AIDS because their immune systems are weak and therefore they cannot fight off the disease.
How Chicken Pox Is Spread
Chicken pox is highly contagious, meaning that it can spread very easily. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, tiny particles of the virus are released into the air. The disease can be spread when an uninfected person inhales these particles. The virus particles can also be on the clothing or bedding of an infected patient. If an uninfected person touches the clothing or bedding he or she can become infected with the disease.
Symptoms
The first symptoms, or signs of the disease, are very general and resemble those of the flu. These include a slight fever, runny nose and mild cough. The patient will not feel very hungry and may also have headaches and feel very tired.
Roughly two weeks after being exposed to the virus, red spots appear on the face and body. These spots are filled with fluid, and they itch terribly. Eventually the spots form scabs, which soon fall off.
Treatment
People with chicken pox should try not to scratch the spots. Scratching can cause the spots to leave deep scars. The itching can be relieved by using medications such as calamine lotion, which has a soothing effect. In addition to using calamine lotion, patients may wish to bathe the pox spots and sores with cool water. It is important to keep the spots clean so that they do not become further infected with other harmful germs. Bed rest is important.
It is extremely important to never use aspirin or aspirin-containing products to treat the headaches and body aches that accompany chicken pox. Using aspirin to treat chicken pox has been connected to the development of a severe disease called Reye syndrome. This syndrome can cause liver and brain damage, and even death.
A case of chicken pox generally lasts from a week to 10 days overall. Because the disease is so contagious, it is important for the patient to remain confined to bed until the scabs have fallen off. Complications are rare but can occur in some cases. In some instances, the virus becomes dormant. This means that it remains in the body but no longer causes the symptoms of chicken pox. In these cases, it is possible for the virus to become re-activated in adulthood, when it causes a related disease called shingles. Scientists developed a chicken pox vaccine, or substance that protects people from getting the disease, in the late 20th century.
Chicken pox. (2021). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://school.eb.com.au/levels/middle/article/dengue/29928
"Chickenpox (also called varicella disease and sometimes spelled chicken pox) is a common and extremely infectious childhood disease that can also affect adults. It produces an itchy, blistery rash that typically lasts about a week and is sometimes accompanied by a fever."
Chicken Pox. (2010). In World of Health. Gale. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2191500256/SUIC?u=61_alls&sid=SUIC&xid=0963cfad
common cold . [video]. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://school.eb.com.au/levels/middle/assembly/view/199874
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Search term - cold (viral infection)
The cold is one of the most common illnesses to affect humans. In fact, children may get 6 to 10 colds a year. People often catch colds during cold weather, but chilly temperatures are not the cause. Viruses, or tiny germs that enter the body, cause colds. More than 200 different viruses can cause a cold.
The symptoms, or signs, of a cold generally start two or three days after a cold virus enters the body. Symptoms may include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat and headache. The symptoms last from a few days to two weeks.
Cold viruses spread easily from person to person. Coughing and sneezing force a cold virus into the air. People may then breathe in the virus. They may also pick up a virus by touching surfaces where viruses have landed. Then when they touch their noses, the virus enters the body. Washing one’s hands may help to prevent the spread of cold viruses.
There is no cure for the common cold. Treatment includes resting and drinking lots of water, juice or soup broth. Steam from a hot shower or a vaporiser can make breathing easier. Saltwater nose drops can also help a stuffy nose. Cough drops can soothe a sore throat. Pain-relieving medicine can ease a headache.
Common cold. (2021). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://school.eb.com.au/levels/middle/article/dengue/29928
"The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system... More than two hundred different viruses can cause a cold. A group of viruses known as the rhinoviruses, however, causes about 30 to 50 percent of all colds."
Common Cold. (2007). In Sick! UXL. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2643900032/SUIC?u=61_alls&sid=SUIC&xid=6c823545
"Gastroenteritis viruses in humans can be seen in electron micrographs"
Shigella. [image]. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://school.eb.com.au/levels/middle/article/gastroenteritis/324341
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Search term - gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is a general term applied to a group of syndromes of the digestive system that are characterized by one or more of the following symptoms: loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The irritant responsible may be bacteria, a virus, a parasite, a toxin, or an unknown source. Treatment is usually bed rest and the intake of fluids to prevent dehydration.
Gastroenteritis, acute infectious syndrome of the stomach lining and the intestine. It is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. Other symptoms can include nausea, fever, and chills. The severity of gastroenteritis varies from a sudden but transient attack of diarrhea to severe dehydration.
Numerous viruses, bacteria, and parasites can cause gastroenteritis. Microorganisms cause gastroenteritis by secreting toxins that stimulate excessive water and electrolyte loss, thereby causing watery diarrhea, or by directly invading the walls of the gut, triggering inflammation that upsets the balance between the absorption of nutrients and the secretion of wastes.
Viral gastroenteritis, or viral diarrhea, is perhaps the most common type of diarrhea worldwide; rotaviruses, caliciviruses, Norwalk viruses, and adenoviruses are the most common causes. Other forms of gastroenteritis include food poisoning, cholera, and traveler’s diarrhea, which develops within a few days after traveling to a country or region that has unsanitary water or food. Traveler’s diarrhea is caused by exposure to enterotoxin-producing strains of the common intestinal bacterium Escherichia coli.
The treatment of gastroenteritis depends on the cause and the severity of symptoms and may include antibiotics or simply supportive care. Adults tend to have milder cases of the illness than do children and the very old, who run the risk of dehydration due to diarrhea and vomiting.
Gastroenteritis. (2021). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://school.eb.com.au/levels/middle/article/gastroenteritis/324341
"Gastroenteritis is a catch-all term for infection or irritation of the digestive tract, particularly the stomach and intestine...The most common cause of gastroenteritis is viral infection. Exposure often occurs by consuming materials contaminated by excrement (fecal-oral route). Viruses involved in gastroenteritis include rotavirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, and calicivirus and small round-structured viruses (SRSVs)..."
A nurse gives an influenza virus vaccine shot to a man
Flu Shots Rationed at Local Pharmacies [Image]. (2008). UPI Photo Collection. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CT4099900304/SUIC?u=61_alls&sid=SUIC&xid=19a8676f
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Search term - influenza (disease)
Introduction
The illness most people call the flu is common in winter. The word flu is short for the disease’s full name, influenza. The disease is caused by germs called viruses that invade the nose, throat, and lungs. Most people who get the flu will recover in a week or so. Sometimes, however, complications such as pneumonia can set in, leading to severe illness and even death.
How Influenza Spreads
The influenza virus lives in the tissue of the nose and lungs of an infected person. When the person coughs or sneezes, tiny particles of the virus are released into the air, where they can be breathed in by another person, spreading the infection. The virus quickly invades the tissues of the nose, migrating eventually to the throat and, finally, the lungs.
Influenza spreads quickly, especially in the winter, when many people are indoors. Because of this, an outbreak of influenza can quickly turn into an epidemic. Epidemics occur when large numbers of people are infected with the same disease within a short period of time. They can spread across cities, states, and continents, and they can even spread around the world.
Influenza viruses come in many types. The most dangerous types can kill even young and healthy people. Luckily, they do not cause outbreaks very often. But in 1918–19, an outbreak of influenza killed more than 20 million people throughout the world. An outbreak in 2009 also spread throughout the world, but it was not as deadly. The 2009 version of the flu virus was called H1N1. It was also called swine flu because the virus likely started in pigs.
Symptoms
The initial symptoms, or signs of the disease, include body aches, chills, and fever. There may also be a sore throat and some coughing and sneezing. Patients often become extremely tired, and some may also experience sharp headache pain.
In some people—especially elderly people or very young children—infection with the influenza virus can lead to serious complications. These can include pneumonia and bronchitis, which are infections of the lungs or parts of the lungs. In some instances, infection with the influenza virus can lead to death.
Treatment
Treatment for influenza consists mainly of getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids. Most people recover from a bout of influenza within one to two weeks. In the late 20th century, scientists developed medications that can treat influenza. However, in order for these medicines to work, they must be taken at the first sign of the disease. It is important to talk to a doctor about the illness and how it should be treated.
Children and teenagers who have influenza can develop a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome if they take aspirin. For this reason, children and teenagers should never use aspirin or aspirin-containing products to treat the headaches and body aches that come with influenza.
Prevention
One of the best ways to avoid getting influenza is to be vaccinated against the influenza virus every year. Because the virus infects millions of people each year, getting vaccinated is also a good way to prevent the infection from spreading. For many diseases a single vaccine is all that is ever needed to protect against the virus. For influenza, scientists must create new vaccines each year because different influenza viruses are around each year.
Influenza. (2021). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://school.eb.com.au/levels/middle/article/influenza/440712
"Influenza is a highly infectious disease that affects the respiratory (breathing) tract. It is also known as the flu or grippe. The disease is caused by a virus. When inhaled, the virus attacks cells in the upper part of the respiratory system and causes symptoms such as fatigue, fever and chills, a hacking cough, and body aches. Influenza can also lead to other, more serious infections."
Influenza. (2009). In Sick! UXL. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2643900071/SUIC?u=61_alls&sid=SUIC&xid=d33aad12