The first symptom my uncle experienced was a rash that covered his whole body, followed by flu-like symptoms. I recall my aunt saying she thought it was West Nile, but it took her a month to convince the doctors to run the test. Coincidentally, the first symptom my dad had was the same rash and flu-like symptoms, so my mom immediately suspected West Nile. Over a period of two weeks my dad saw three different emergency room physicians who all said it was not West Nile, even though they had not tested him for it. Eventually our family doctor was convinced to run the test and seven days later we had the diagnosis of West Nile Virus. After getting the diagnosis, my mom returned to all three of the emergency room physicians with a copy of my dad’s …show more content…
While the majority reported being diagnosed with West Nile Encephalitis, the more common diagnosis is West Nile Fever. West Nile Fever is likely a lower number because often people have it and simply think they have the flu. As a result they never get tested for West Nile to get the correct …show more content…
After hearing my concerns she shared that the Baylor research team was aware of the problem and is trying to identify ways to better educate the physicians. We concluded that surveying the doctors would be the best way to identify the misunderstandings. The Baylor West Nile research team responded by passing out surveys at physician meetings, asking them questions about their knowledge of the disease. They invited me to be part of this process by attending meetings and evaluating the surveys, but my schedule did not allow for my participation. I am, however, confident that their efforts will help raise awareness and identify areas to further educate physicians so they can properly identify West Nile symptoms. However this training needs to be extended beyond the Houston Medical Center and needs to be done periodically to keep up with research
On December 15, the patient comes in for his check up. The physician tells the patient his blood test was positive for Lyme and prescribes the patient antibiotics. However the patient now tells the doctor that he is still experiencing the weakness and fatigue even after the doctor’s advice. He also says he is having slight trouble swallowing foods and speech has become slurred and nasally at times. Due to the patients broad range of symptoms, the physician suggests the patient either get an electromyography o...
This virus is similar to Ebola, because it started in the same place. Lab workers in Germany, in 1967, contracted the new virus while working with African Green Monkeys, which had the virus. The virus is described as a hemorrhagic fever. It has a fatality rate up to 90% and spreads through human to human contact. The first symptoms can be as simple as a fever and a headache, then can progress to organ failure, and fatal internal bleeding.
The medical field is a vast land of beauty, but with great beauty comes immense horror. There are many deadly viruses and diseases found in the medical field. In the novel, The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, the author discusses the many deadly viruses found in the field. The viruses are widespread due to the errors that occur when the viruses are in the presence of human beings. The effects of the errors performed by the human race include a decrease in population and wildlife.
The outburst spread of diseases in a population causes people to panic and become hopeless. The main reason diseases spread is due to unsanitary living styles. Also when a disease first begins, it is really hard to find a cure right away. A very deadly, infectious disease known as Typhus spread during the Holocaust. Typhus is caused by rickettsia and is spread by lice and flees.
Chester M. Southam, MD, was an American virologist who worked on curing cancer. “Studies had shown that a pathogen called the Russian spring-summer encephalitis virus could eradicate tumors in mice. Because that virus was considered too dangerous for people, Southam searched for something milder, settling on the newly discovered West Nile virus.” He had already spent some time in Africa injecting an assortment of viruses including mumps, dengue, West Nile, and Semliki Forest virus in severely ill cancer patients. The West Nile Virus usually
Poliomyelitis was the term used by doctors to describe the condition in which the gray (polios) anterior matter of the spinal chord (myelos) was inflamed (-itis). Until a cure was discovered, no one had the slightest idea where "polio" had come from or why it paralyzed so many children. People learned later that, oddly enough, it was the improved sanitary conditions which caused children to be attacked by the virus. Since people were no longer in contact with open sewers and other unsanitary conditions which had exposed them to small amounts of the polio virus as infants, when paralysis is rare, the dis...
153 deaths have been associated with Chikungunya in the western hemisphere, stated by (Harvey, 2015). Mosquito-borne illnesses including Chikungunya has been prevalent in the Caribbean areas and is continuously spreading worldwide. Mosquito-borne diseases are virus that can only be transmitted through mosquitoes, which the virus can only be transmitted through a bite. Jamaica has encountered several mosquito-borne illnesses including Chikungunya, Malaria, and dengue. The name “chikungunya” is derived from a word in the Kimakonde language meaning “to become contorted” and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain (Harvey, 2015). The virus has frequently been mistaken for dengue due to the similar signs and symptoms such as headache and joint pain. Joint pain, fever and vomiting are possible effects of Chikungunya in Jamaica.
More awareness about valley fever among the general community and among healthcare providers is needed. Increased awareness could help avoid missed diagnoses. For example, one study showed that valley fever patients who knew about the disease before visiting a doctor were more likely to ask to be tested and were diagnosed sooner than patients who didn’t know about the disease.
Several tests may be performed on patients to determine the cause of lymphatic damage and elephantiasis. A definitive diagnosis of lymphatic filariasis is done through the identification of the microfilariae in blood. Samples of blood are taken at night. Other test used for diagnosis is immunodiagnostic test; it can identify the cause of the symptoms based on the detection of antigens of Wuchereria bancrofti. This test is highly specific and sensitive, blood samples do not have to be taken at night (Seppa
Malaria is a common infectious disease found mainly in the tropics but in rare circumstances can be found in temperate areas. Depending on the circumstances malaria can be either life threatening cause serious illness.
While many forms of encephalitis exist, West Nile Virus was first isolated and identified in the West Nile District of Uganda in 1937. The virus, which was seemingly isolated to North Eastern Africa, became recognized as a cause of severe human meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the spinal cord and brain) in elderly patients during an outbreak in Israel in 1957. In addition to the human victims of this disease, the virus was found Egypt and France during 1960s to have fatal effects within horses. While this disease spread through Northern African and Southern Europe, 1999 marked the first appearance of West Nile Virus in North America, with encephalitis reported in both humans and horses.
West Nile Virus has been determined to be a flavivirus. Flavivirus has been defined as, "a type of arbovirus that causes a wide range of diseases in humans,including yellow fever, dengue, and West Nile fever. It is spread by ticks or mosquitoes". (flavi...
globally spread. The symptoms of this illness are quite defined and are very recognizable. Cause
One of the current major concerns in the world is the outbreak of Ebola. Ebola is a infectious disease that comes from the Ebola virus and it can cause death if the patient is left untreated. The disease can be managed with treatment of the patient, however. Ebola is a disease that is a major concern in the Subsaharan African Realm, and in the North American Realm,but it is beginning to be dealt with sufficiently in the Northern American Realm.
The patient has also been suffering from frequent fevers in the past two months. He has also suffered from frequent headaches but has always taken painkillers (Bloland & Williams, 2003, p. 58). On fevers, the patient has frequently visited a local health clinic that has never done any diagnosis but has given medication, which reduces the fever.