During the month of November 2010, the largest outbreak ever recorded in Europe of Cryptosporidium hominis happened within the city of Östersund, Sweden. The outbreak also extended to areas around this city. This outbreak falls second, within the category of largest ever-recorded outbreaks of Cryptosporidium hominis, to an outbreak that happened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA in the year of 1993. This outbreak occurred from drinking contaminated water from a water treatment plant and infected approximately 400,000 people.
Cryptosporidium hominis is known to cause cryptosporidiosis that leads to gastrointestinal symptoms, including watery and daily diarrhea. This outbreak in Sweden was the second outbreak from Cryptosporidium. The first outbreak happened in 2002 and affected approximately 1,000 people. The outbreak in Östersund affected about forty five percent of the population. The total population of Östersund, which is located in central Sweden, was approximately 27,000. The primary wastewater treatment plant for this city is Water Treatment Plant- Östersund, abbreviated WTP-Ö, and was the source providing the residents with the contaminated water. Before the outbreak, the purification process at WTP-Ö included pre-ozonation, flocculation, sedimentation, rapid sand filtering, and chloramination.
To obtain a statistical figure of the amount of infected people, four separate investigations were conducted. In the first investigation, the municipality administered an electronic survey for people in the Östersund area showing gastrointestinal symptoms. These individuals were asked to provide information about the day of the initial onset of symptoms, their home addresses, and their recent food intake.
The second investigation wa...
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...played a role in the symptom onset. A clear factor of age was found by the surveys. Young people had a much higher onset of symptoms versus people over the age of sixty. Amount of water-consumed daily was also a factor. The number of infected family members and previous gastrointestinal issues, including Irritable Bowel Disease, also aided in the onset of symptoms.
A likely culprit of contamination was a leaky sewer pipe of an apartment complex in Östersund. This pipe was fixed on December 6, 2010. However, there was no definitive or conclusive evidence to point to the primary source of contamination. This pathogen was virulent enough to bypass all sanitation measures brought forth by the WTP-Ö. This being said, since the outbreak, a UV water disinfection system was added to the current pathogen barriers at WTP-Ö to aid in the reduction of infective parasites.
Communicable diseases are one of the major concerns in public health, as it poses a significant threat to the population. The study of epidemiology allows nurses to understand the cause of the disease and helps determine the levels of prevention to be implemented in order to limit the spread of the disease (Lundy & Janes, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to: a) use an epidemiological model to identify the organism involved in the case study, as well as its pathology, etiology, diagnosis, and prognosis; b) describe the distribution of health events within Schenectady; c) identify the determinants affecting morbidity and mortality; d) determine the deterrents that exists within the affected population; e) calculate the outbreak’s incubation period; f) identify the individuals affected during endemic levels; g) provide a list of foods that were most susceptible to mass contamination; and h) determine the people involved in the food borne outbreak and analyze the possible cause of this occurrence.
"Plague." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 June 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
(What is....2016). The first documented case of Crohn’s disease suspected was King Alfred in 850 A.D. This disease is named after a Jewish man named Dr. Burrill Bernard Crohn (1884-1983) who became interested in the condition as his father, also a Dr, suffered from a disorder of the bowel. He devoted his career to “regional enteritis” the disease that now bares his name. It is necessary to understand the disease to be able to provide care for people who are afflicted by it (de Campos and Kotze 2013). Especially since Crohn’s is a chronic disease or a lifelong affliction it’s important to understand etiology, it’s symptoms, treatments, and to maintain the disease and the psychological well being of the patient managed (Crohn’s...2015).
In crowded conditions, the rate of infection is even more rapid. The diseases brought over to America were mainly spread by the respiratory method. The pathogenesis of infection is through the ingestion of contaminated food and water. Throughout Europe during the 15th century, food and water were contaminated with fecal matter and by unsanitary habits ( i.e. the lack of bathing). The traumatic route of infection is through insect and animal bites.
If symptoms are mild then they may not require specific treatment as the symptoms can clear up by itself. Certain foods may trigger diarrhoea and bloating. They should be given lifestyle and dietary advice. They should be advised to drink plenty of fluids and eat small amounts of food throughout the day. Patients should avoid high fibre foods such as bran, beans and nuts. They may also limit their intake of milk products if they are lactose intolerant. Finally they should avoi...
This disease may be on the brink of being eradicated entirely but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the grossest things that anyone has ever seen. The parasite enters the body via unsafe drinking water. When people drink water infected with water fleas that have have been hosting the larvae of the parasite. There are no symptoms, to begin with, but about one year later, blisters on the feet or legs begin to develop and then the adult fully developed worm crawls out of the host body over a period of a few weeks. It’s said that the pain is intense and can incapacitate a person for weeks at a time. The pain can also continue for months after the infection. The parasite needs to infect a person at least once a year in order to continue. There were an estimated 3.5 million cases in 1986 but the disease has been greatly reduced over time and only 22 cases were reported in 2015. This disease will probably be the first parasitic disease to be completely eradicated in humans.
Smallpox is a highly infectious and fatal disease caused by the Variola virus. It causes extremely painful pustules to sprout across the entire body. Spread from human to human, it has since been eradicated from the world through the efforts of the World Health Organization. However, there is a distinct possibility that it may be reintroduced through bioterrorism. Biological weapons may cause another pandemic to erupt across the world and kill millions of individuals. Through constant vigilance and careful planning, mankind can prevent this scenario.
"Ecology and Transmission." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 June 2012. Web. 01 May 2014. .
Susheela AK, K. A., Bhatnagar M, Bahadur. (1993). Prevalence of endemic fluorosis with gastro intestinal manifestations in people living in some North-Indian villages. Fluoride, 26(2), 97-104.
Gastroenteritis is an unpleasant disease. It can be caused by a number of different bacteria and viruses. The norovirus is usually the culprit for the majority of cases in the United States. The cruise line industry has been substantiality hindered by outbreaks of the norovirus. The most recent case was the infectious outbreak on the Royal Caribbean. Many people have questioned the sanitation practices of the cruise lines and possibly blaming them for the outbreak. But the norovirus is an easily spreadable and can be done without even having the slightest symptom. Places that are in close quarters, such as cruise lines, can be the most vulnerable places for an outbreak.
“Doctors told to prepare for global outbreak after Ebola victim was allowed on two planes” - - www.mirror.co.uk
One major outbreak was on March and April 1998. The major outbreak was Salmonella Enteritidis associated with the contamination of cheese in a commercial product. This happened in Newfoundland. Nearly 700 cases were reported, most of which were children that got the illness. It was found that the source of the outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis was the cheese in a prepackaged processed lunch packs. The cheese was contaminated when it was being packaged into the lunch packs. It was never found how the cheese got contaminated, but they discover that the cheese was contaminated before it arrived to the place where the products were processed and packaged. They suspect that something must have happen in Parmalat¡¦s plant, the company that provides the cheeses for the lunch pack, because it was only the cheese that got contaminated. However, they will not release any information, so the real explanation of how the cheese got contaminated will never be known.
Geoffrey Garnet and Edward C. Holmes. “The Ecology of Emerging Infectious Disease.” Bioscience. Vol. 46 Issue 2 (1996).
The third weakness is the fact that food tests, inspections, and the detection of contaminants are taken seriously only after an outbreak of some food-borne diseases, food poisoning, or deaths. The increase in the number of food establishments or outlets such as cold stores, hypermarkets, and supermarkets reported by the Public Health Director has also made inspection and control mo...
Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2014. Web. 20 May 2014.