SARS EPIDEMIC2
SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (SARS)
Introduction
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a pulmonary disease. It primarily affects the lungs and a virus that was initially discovered in 2003 causes it. Infection with the SARS virus results in symptoms of respiratory distress characterised by severe breathing difficulty that sometimes leads to death (Ramen, 2005). It is an infectious disease spread from human to human. There have not been any known cases of SARS anywhere in the world since 2004 (Acton, 2012). This paper will discuss the history, aetiology, mode of transmission and prognosis of SARS.
History
Dr. Carlo Cubani, a physician who was working for the world Health Organisation, first identified SARS as a new disease on the February of 2003. The discovery was made in Asia. He first diagnosed it in a 48- year old businessman who had travelled through Hong-Kong to Hanoi, Vietnam from Guangdong province of China. Both the businessman and the DR. Carlo Cubani who made the first diagnosis, died from the illness. By that time, the illness was spreading fast and was infecting thousands of people across the globe from Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa, South and North American countries. Most schools in Hong Kong and Singapore were closed. The economies were affected. The outbreak continued to grow with nearly 6000 cases reported in 30 different countries (Woodhead, 2004). About 90% of the cases occurred in mainland china or Hong Kong. During that time, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared SARS as a global threat and issued travel advisories to countries that were reported to have cases of the infection. WHO updates followed tracked closely the spread of the SARS virus. By that time, it was
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A few years before 1918, in the height of the First World War, a calamity occurred that stripped the globe of at least 50 million lives. (Taubenberger, 1918) This calamity was not the death toll of the war; albeit, some individuals may argue the globalization associated with the First World War perpetuated the persistence of this calamity. This calamity was referred to the Spanish Flu of 1918, but calling this devastating pestilence the “Spanish Flu” may be a historical inaccuracy, as research and historians suggest that the likelihood of this disease originating in Spain seams greatly improbable. Despite it’s misnomer, the Spanish Flu, or its virus name H1N1, still swept across the globe passing from human to human by exhaled drops of water that contained a deadly strand of RNA wrapped with a protein casing. Individuals who were unfortunate enough to come in contact with the contents of the protein casing generally developed severe respiratory inflammation, as the Immune system’s own response towards the infected lung cells would destroy much of the lungs, thus causing the lungs to flood with fluids. Due to this flooding, pneumonia was a common cause of death for those infected with Spanish Flu. Due its genetic similarity with Avian Flu, the Spanish Flu is thought to be descended from Avian Flu which is commonly known as “Bird Flu.” (Billings,1997) The Spanish Flu of 1918 has had a larger impact in terms of global significance than any other disease has had because it was the most deadly, easily transmitted across the entire globe, and occurred in an ideal time period for a disease to happen.
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Imagine a rare, life-threating complication of a simple bacteria, causing many awful symptoms. One may have bleeding, bruising, diarrhea, and much more – all of which could resemble another aliment. However, with a simple culture that reveals one certain type of bacteria, one may be look at something much more serious. Toxic shock syndrome fittingly earns the name “syndrome” in its title as syndrome refers to “a disease that cause a variety of ailments” (1). As mentioned previously, toxic shock syndrome does just that. It may present itself with common symptoms, but a culture will reveal much more. Specifically, a culture will reveal the unnerving bacteria of none other than either Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogens. Both of these bacterium cause what is known as toxic shock syndrome with the only difference in being their initial symptoms. Toxic shock syndrome has been documented to have been first recorded by the Greek physician Hippocrates who lived about 460-377 B.C. (1). However, toxic shock syndrome was questioned and remained a mystery for hundreds of years later. Toxic shock syndrome was thought to be “an obscure disease limited to a particular population of people in which the disease predictably appeared” (1). In the 1900s, toxic shock syndrome became a disease associated with trauma. This trauma may have been from car accidents, industrial mishaps, or even war injuries, but no one person could figure it out entirely. Annually, toxic shock syndrome affects _____.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) has been known as a major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in children. According to new estimate, the annual death of infection from RSV is 66000 to 199000 in children under five years of age. More than three million children in this age group also get hospitalized due to RSV. RSV can affect anyone, including the elderly, however the burden is more in the youngest who experience highest rates of emergency department and hospitalization related to RSV infection (Heikkinen et al., 2015).
pandemics: the Spanish flu of 1918, the Asian flu, the Hong Kong flu and the terror and
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In Risks to Emergency Medical Responders at Terrorist Incidents: a Narrative Review of the Medical Literature, Thompson, Rehn, Lossius, and Lockey describe two categories of threats to the responder: direct and secondary. Direct threats include secondary explosives, small arms fire, as well as chemical, biological, and radiological hazards (Thompson, Rehn, Lossius, & Lockey 2014). As dangerous as those threats are, the authors contend “that the dominant causes of mortality and morbidity in responders after such incidents are the indirect environmental hazards” such as airborne
Swine flu is a disease that has placed a burden on humanity for many years. The virus of swine flu has a very intriguing history as well. Swine flu had originated from the first influenza pandemic in 1918. The actual swine flu virus had come from a pig in Iowa in 1931. Two years later a human strand of swine flu was found in London for the very first time. This was later followed by the Hong Kong flu pandemic in 1968 which had killed up to one million people worldwide. Many years after these pandemics had occurred, the first cases of swine flu were found in California and Texas in March of 2009. This pandemic killed 25,174 people who were infected with swine flu. A couple of months later, the United States and the United Kingdom began testing people for the swine flu and started vaccination programs. Swine flu has had a long history and has taken a large number of lives in the past with worldwide pandemics. As a result, countries like the United States started to take measures toward vaccination. The virus has many different ways of being transmitted, signs and symptoms, areas of the world it infects, and treatment plans.
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“Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occurs when fluid builds up in the tiny, elastic air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs.” When fluid is in your lungs there is less room for oxygen, which then leads to an inadequate amount of oxygen reaching the your organs, therefore they cannot function properly. It is common/ and easier to develop respiratory distress when there is a disease or trauma present. Since your body is already weakened there is a higher chance for people to get more severe problems. “Many people who develop ARDS don 't survive. The risk of death increases with age and severity of illness. Of the people who do survive ARDS, some recover completely while others experience lasting damage to their lungs.” Majority of people who develop respiratory distress already find out they have a disease or were in some kind of trauma, therefore when they find out they have respiratory distress they are already hospitalized from previous issues
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an upper respiratory infection caused by a coronavirus. The etiological agent responsible for SARS is called SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). SARS-CoV is a relatively novel mutated form of coronavirus, resulting in a virus capable of becoming infectious in a human host. Typically, coronaviruses express themselves much like a common cold. However, SARS-CoV can cause complications uncommon in other coronavirus strains. A host infected with SARS-CoV may develop additional infections, like pneumonia or respiratory failure6,7. According to the World Health Organization (WHO),37 SARS-CoV presents itself as an atypical cold but with similar symptoms, resulting in a virulent pathogen
The “Aussie flu”, an Australian influenza virus, has made headlines on media worldwide. It is suggested that the Australian strain has spread to other countries, which has led to criticism of Australia’s Public Health policies. Although, is it possible to identify a strain’s source? If so, how did this “Aussie flu” become so harmful, could it have been prevented? The media is comparing this year’s flu outbreak to the 1968 Hong Kong flu, is it really the next flu pandemic? Influenza viruses are ever evolving and resisting to antibiotic treatment. This is a Global Health issue, particularly making an impact in Australia.
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a very serious syndrome that’s often fatal to the
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