Category Archives: Diseases

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever

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Aedes aegypti or tiger mosquito – low-flying, day-biting, lurks in dark places of the house, lays eggs on clean and stagnant water

 

The D.E.N.G.U.E. Strategy

D – daily monitoring of patient’s status
E – encourage intake of oral fluids like oresol, water, juices, etc,
N – note any dengue warning signs like persistent vomiting and bleeding,
G – give paracetamol for fever and NOT aspirin, because aspirin induces bleeding,
U – use mosquito nets and
E – early consultation is advised for any warning signs

From DOH website:

DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER is an acute infectious disease manifested initially with fever.

Transmission

Aedes aegypti, the transmitter of the disease, is a day-biting mosquito which lays eggs in clear and stagnant water found in flower vases, cans, rain barrels, old rubber tires, etc. The adult mosquitoes rest in dark places of the house.

Signs and Symptoms

  1. Sudden onset of high fever which may last 2 to 7 days.
  2. Joint & muscle pain and pain behind the eyes.
  3. Weakness
  4. Skin rashes – maculopapular rash or red tiny spots on the skin called petechiae
  5. Nosebleeding when fever starts to subside
  6. Abdominal pain
  7. Vomiting of coffee-colored matter
  8. Dark-colored stools

Prevention and Control

  1. Cover water drums and water pails at all times to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
  2. Replace water in flower vases once a week.
  3. Clean all water containers once a week. Scrub the sides well to remove eggs of mosquitoes sticking to the sides.
  4. Clean gutters of leaves and debris so that rain water will not collect as breeding places of mosquitoes.
  5. Old tires used as roof support should be punctured or cut to avoid accumulation of water.
  6. Collect and dispose all unusable tin cans, jars, bottles and other items that can collect and hold water.

Vaccine

A vaccine said to prevent or cure the four strains of dengue is currently being tested in pilot areas in Laguna and Cebu. The vaccine will be available in 2014.

Trends of Infectious Diseases in the Philippines

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I’m sharing with you this brief list of infections that are existing, recurring or has the potential to cause an outbreak. There are non-infectious diseases on the list but, still may cause an epidemic. I wrote this for  People’s Tonight. My source was the ever friendly Dr. Eric Tayag, who was the head of the National Epidemiology Center (NEC) of the DOH. He is now serving as Assistant Secretary of the DOH. I hope you will find this information useful.

Influenza Ah1n1
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The Philippines remain under treat for this global pandemic. While we are waiting for the elusive vaccine to treat the virus, experts recommend proper personal hygiene and increase body resistance.

AIDS (HIV/AIDS)
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(increase of injecting drug users – IDUs; MSM (men who have sex with men); male clients of female sex workers; female sex workers

Bird flu
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The National Avian Influenza Task Force remains vigilant of the possible entry of the avian influenza in the Philippine shore.

Cholera
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Outbreak looms particularly in areas where “integrity of water system is compromised and human factor such as unhygienic practices and sanitation is below the acceptable standard.”

Dengue
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In previous years, the mosquito-borne disease usually peaks during the colder months, but now cases have been reported at any given time of the year.

Food poisoning
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To avert food poisoning, Dr. Tayag recommends consuming food from reputable sources and as much as possible cook the food properly.

Gastroenteritis
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Symptoms can vary depending on the cause of the illness, but the classic signs of stomach flu are combination of diarrhea, fever and vomitting.

Hepatitis B
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A serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. It can cause a lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.

Injuries
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Health experts are concerned about the hidden epidemic of injury cases.
Although it’s not infectious it can cause deaths.

Influenza pandemic
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Scientists say the deadly birdflu virus is mutating steadily and may eventually acquire the changes it needs to be easily transmitted from human to human.

Leptospirosis
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Infected rodents and other wild and domestic animals pass the bacteria in their urine. The bacteria can live for a long time in fresh water, damp soil, vegetation, and mud. Flooding after heavy rainfall helps spread the bacteria in the environment.

Measles
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Measles, also called rubeola, is a highly contagious – but rare – respiratory infection that is caused by a virus. It causes a total-body skin rash and flu-like symptoms, including a fever, cough, and runny nose.

Malaria
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The problems of controlling malaria are aggravated by inadequate health structures and poor socioeconomic conditions.
The situation has become even more complex over the last few years with the increase in resistance to the drugs normally used to combat the parasite that causes the disease.

Meningococcemia
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The DOH still expects sporadic cases of meningococcemia in different parts of the country, but health authorities assured that current distribution of cases do not pose any serious outbreak.
Meningococcemia is an acute (sudden onset) infection of the bloodstream and developing vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis.

Neo-natal tetanus
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Neonatal (newborn) tetanus is the most common form of tetanus in developing countries. The disease is caused by contamination of the umbilical stump with spores following childbirth through cutting the cord with an on-sterile instrument or by application of animal dung to the cut cord.

Other causes of poisoning not necessarily food-related
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The incident of mercury exposure of students and faculties of St. Andrew’s School in Paranaque a few years ago has heightened public awareness on environmental poisoning.

Rabies
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Rabies is acquired from virus in saliva entering a bite wound caused by an infected animal, usually a rabid dog. The severity of the bite determines the risk of infection. The disease does not usually spread from man to man.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)
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He said women should be careful because they are the last to know that they have STDs unlike the male population whose symptoms are florid or obvious.
Some women patients may have ectopic pregnancy only to find out they are infected with STD.

Typhoid fever
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This is related to cholera and gastroenteritis in terms of breakdown of hygiene, sanitation and availability of clean potable water.

Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
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In relation to influenza pandemic, cases of upper respiratory tract infection may increase during the rainy months. URTI is a nonspecific term used to describe acute infections involving the nose, paranasal sinuses, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi. An example is the illness known as the common cold.

Cancer awareness

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I haven’t finished reading about cigar humidors when a friend called up to inform me that she’s giving me another assignment on chemotherapy. All she needs is an interview of a person(s) diagnosed and under treatment for cancer. I thought of my aunt and cousin who are both undergoing treatment for the Big C. My aunt agreed for an interview so I’ll be seeing her tomorrow. She is willing to share her story and her undergoing battle with cancer. I hope my aunt’s story will help increase reader’s awareness on cancer.

Back to school

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I thought my son would be hospitalized (again). He had an on and off fever for four days, his skin was pale and showed some rashes – symptoms that are normally present in patients with dengue. But God is really good for not allowing anything bad to happen to my son. His pediatrician ruled out Dengue Fever Syndrome. What really ails my son was called systemic viral infection. He was given medicine to be taken for five days or so and advised to rest for three to four days.

He is recuperating well. Tomorrow, my son is ready to go back to school.