One of the primary concerns is that the virus could quickly spread across countries as various birds follow their migration routes. In response, countries have begun planning in anticipation of an outbreak. While short-term strategies to deal with an outbreak focus on limiting travel and culling and vaccinating poultry, long-term strategies require substantial changes in the lifestyles of the most at-risk populations.
WHO announced on November, 16, 2005 that an outbreak is most likely to hit the Hong Kong Special Administrative issue by mid-December of this year. “If it were to hit in a highly residential area like Tin Hau, it would be sure to spread like wildfire.” Dr. N Column, Head of Epidemic Prevention announced.
The WHO divides a pandemic into six phases, ranging from minimal risk of an outbreak to full scale pandemic. Most health authorities categorize the situation as of 2005 at Phase 3, by which is meant that human infections of a new sub-type has occurred but there is little evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
Avian influenza, or �bird flu�, is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. Avian influenza viruses are highly species-specific, but have, on rare occasions, crossed the species barrier to infect humans.
In domestic poultry, infection with avian influenza viruses causes two main forms of disease. The so-called �low pathogenic� form commonly causes only mild symptoms (ruffled feathers, a drop in egg production) and may easily go undetected. The highly pathogenic form is far more dramatic. It spreads very rapidly through poultry flocks, causes disease affecting multiple internal organs, and has a mortality that can approach 100%, often within 48 hours.
Influenza A viruses have 16 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes. Only viruses of the H5 and H7 subtypes are known to cause the highly pathogenic form of the disease. On present understanding, H5 and H7 viruses may circulate and infect poultry flocks in their low pathogenic form. The viruses can then mutate, usually within a few months, into the highly pathogenic form. This is why the presence of an H5 or H7 virus in poultry is always cause for concern, even when the initial signs of infection are mild. Read more »
Tags: ability, action, Adaptive, administrative issue, agent, air, Asia, attack, avian, bind, bird flu, Cambodia, capability, care, case, Causes, China, column head, commerce, concern, condition, Considerable, Control, culling, Current, date, death, Democratic Republic, destruction, disease, domestic poultry, duration, east Asia, egg production, environment, establishment, event, evidence, excrete, fact, form, half, health, health authorities, history, hospital, Human, human infections, human transmission, illness, immunity, Indonesia, influenza, influenza viruses, internal organs, isolation, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lao, loss, Malaysia, material, mechanism, mid, migration routes, migratory, mild symptoms, minimal risk, model, Mongolia, mutation, northern Vietnam, nosocomial, number, nurse, one, opportunity, outbreak, Pandemic, Pandemics, patient, pig, population, poultry, poultry flocks, probability, process, Projections, rare occasions, Reassortment, record, reservoir, risk, risk populations, role, Romania, Russia, severity, situation, South-east, species barrier, spread, start, strain, subtype, surge, term strategies, Thailand, time, timing, tin hau, transmissibility, transmission, treatment, Turkey, turn, Viet Nam, Vietnam, virulent, virus, waterfowl, Wild, world
Posted in medicalmatrix | February 13, 2010 | 
Comments (0)
Background
Malaria, which predominantly occurs in tropical areas, is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by infection with Plasmodium protozoa transmitted by an infective female Anopheles mosquito vector. Individuals with malaria may present with fever and a wide range of symptoms.
The 4 Plasmodium species known to cause malaria include Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium malariae. A fifth species, Plasmodium knowlesi, has recently been identified as a clinically significant pathogen in humans. Timely identification of the infecting species is extremely important, as P falciparum infection can be fatal and is often resistant to standard chloroquine treatment. In some cases, individuals with malaria are infected with multiple Plasmodium species. P falciparum and P vivax are responsible for most new infections. Each Plasmodium species has a defined area of endemicity, although geographic overlap is common. Species can usually be distinguished by morphology on a blood smear. P falciparum is distinguished from the rest of plasmodia by its high level of parasitemia and the banana shape of its gametocytes.
Malaria in travelers typically manifests weeks after the individual leaves the endemic area. Presentation more than 4 weeks after returning from the endemic area is unusual. In some individuals, disease manifests months or years later, usually due to the presence of P vivax or P ovale hypnozoites, which can remain dormant in the liver and reactivate years after infection. Relapse with P vivax or P ovale infection is rare more than 5 years after initial infection. Because symptomatic delay is common, history of even a remote exposure to an endemic area should be elicited. Symptoms of malaria are nonspecific, and, because timely diagnosis and treatment are necessary, malaria should be considered in all patients from tropical areas who present with fever. Read more »
Tags: addition, Adherence, Africa, age, agent, airport, anemia, antimalarial, area, Asking, basis, blood, blood smear, burden, cell, chloroquine, Clinical, clue, CNS, coma, compliance, cycle, damage, death, die, disease, disease manifests, dysfunction, End-organ, endemic area, exposure, factor, falciparum, female anopheles, fever, fifth species, form, Frequency, gene, headache, history, host, hour, hypnozoite, hypoglycemia, hypoxia, illness, immunity, Importantly, incubation, India, infection, initial infection, International, latent, life, likelihood, liver, malaria, malariae, meal, mind, month, Morbidity, Mortality, mosquito, mosquito vector, multiorgan, New, none, organism, ovale, parasite, parasitemia, pathogen, patient, pattern, period, Physical, plane, plasmodia, Plasmodium, plasmodium malariae, plasmodium ovale, plasmodium species, population, Populations, posttravel, primaquine, primigravida, property, protection, protozoa, quartan, reason, recurrence, relapse, resident, return, Reviews, risk, Saharan, sequestration, severity, sickle, southern United States, stage, stream, sub, susceptibility, symptomatology, symptoms of malaria, system, temperate, Tertian, timely diagnosis, timely identification, TNF, travel, traveler, Travelers, tropical areas, tumor, United States, US, virulent, vivax, world, year, Young
Posted in medicalmatrix | | Comments (0)
Background
Intracranial abscesses are uncommon, serious, life-threatening infections. They include brain abscess and subdural or extradural empyema and are classified according to the anatomical location or the etiologic agent. The term brain abscess is used in this article to represent all types of intracranial abscesses.
Intracranial abscesses can originate from infection of contiguous structures (eg, otitis media, dental infection, mastoiditis, sinusitis) secondary to hematogenous spread from a remote site (especially in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease), after skull trauma or surgery, and, rarely, following meningitis. In at least 15% of cases, no source can be identified.
In recent years, the complex array of etiologic agents that cause brain abscess has become better understood.
Pathophysiology
Brain abscess is caused by intracranial inflammation with subsequent abscess formation. In at least 15% of cases, the source of the infection is unknown (cryptogenic). Infection may enter the intracranial compartment directly or indirectly via 3 routes.
Contiguous suppurative focus (45-50% of cases)
Direct extension may occur through necrotic areas of osteomyelitis in the posterior wall of the frontal sinus, as well as through the sphenoid and ethmoid sinuses.This direct route of intracranial extension is more commonly associated with chronic otitic infection and mastoiditis than with sinusitis. Odontogenic infections can spread to the intracranial space via direct extension or a hematogenous route. Contiguous spread could extend to various sites in the central nervous system, causing cavernous sinus thrombosis; retrograde meningitis; and epidural, subdural, and brain abscess. Read more »
Tags: abdominal, abscess formation, abscesses, administration, age, agent, AIDS, array, artery, article, availability, Background, body, brain, brain abscess, cause, cavernous sinus thrombosis, central nervous system, cerebellum, Chronic, Clinical, compartment, complication, congenital, congenital heart disease, contamination, Contiguous, contiguous structures, course, decrease, dental infection, diagnosis, dilatation, disease, distribution, drug, dural, emergence, emissary veins, empyema, entry, epidural, esophageal, ethmoid, ethmoid sinuses, etiologic agent, etiologic agents, evidence, exacerbation, extension, extradural, focus, formation, fracture, Frequency, frontal sinus, fulmi, fulminant, fungal, Haemophilus, heart, Hematogenous, history, HIV, hospital, imaging, indolent, infection, inflammation, influenzae, injection, International, Intracranial, introduction, life, lobe, location, lung, mode, Morbidity, Mortality, MRI, mucosa, mucosal, necrotic areas, network, neutropenia, Odontogenic, odontogenic infections, osteomyelitis, paranasal, Pathophysiology, posterior, prevalence, problem, rate, resul, retrograde, route, Rupture, seed, sequelae, Sex, shrapnel, site, skin, skull, source, space, sphenoid, spread, structure, subdural, surgery, system, term, Thrombophlebitis, transplantation, trauma, United States, use, vaccine, vasculature, wall, world
Posted in medicalmatrix | | Comments (0)
There has been a rising demand for salvage vehicles (i.e. repossessed cars, cheap motorcycles, and repo boats for that matter) in the recent past, and the popularity of the auto auction has been steadily on the rise. This is due to their affordable prices compared to the new ones. The question that has therefore been on many consumers’ minds is; where do I get the salvage vehicle that will cater for my transport needs at affordable prices? This article will therefore seek to take you through the best places that you will find the best salvage vehicles.
One of the places that you will find salvage vehicles is in the auctions. This is where you are bound to get a wide variety of cars from different backgrounds. It is advisable that you go with a buying agent. The agent will be of help to you in determining the best model that will fit your needs. They will also be able to asses the extent of the damage to the car. This will help you in making a good bargain. You would not want to buy a car that will eventually cost you a fortune in terms of maintenance costs.
Another secret of getting a used car is from friends and family. There may be a friend who got an accident and his/her vehicle was not damaged to a bad extent. These people are more likely to sell off the vehicle. You would be lucky if you got one since you will get it at a fair price. There are many other places though including junk yards, repair shops. You can as well get them from the classified ads.
Tags: accident, agent, article, asses, auction, auctions, auto, auto auction, bargain, best places, boats, buying, car, classified ads, consumers, damage, demand, extent, family, fortune, friend, friends and family, good bargain, junk, junk yards, maintenance, maintenance costs, matter, model, motorcycles, past, popularity, price, question, repair, repo, repossessed cars, rise, salvage, salvage vehicles, secret, transport, variety, vehicle
Posted in Others | September 22, 2007 | Comments (0)