FOOD POISONING

People infected with food-borne organisms may be symptom-free or may have symptoms ranging from mild intestinal discomfort to severe dehydration and bloody diarrhea. Depending on the type of infection, people can even die as a result of food poisoning

CAUSES

Food poisoning can affect one person or a group of people who all ate the same food. It is more common after eating at picnics, school cafeterias, large social functions, or restaurants.

When germs get into the food, it is called contamination. This can happen in different ways:

• Meat or poultry can come into contact with bacteria from the intestines of an animal that is being processed.
• Water that is used during growing or shipping can contain animal or human waste.
• Food may be handled in an unsafe way during preparation in grocery stores, restaurants, or homes.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Symptoms from the most common types of food poisoning will often start within 2 - 6 hours of eating the food. That time may be longer or shorter, depending on the cause of the food poisoning.

TREATMENT

Most of the time, you will get better in a couple of days. The goal is to ease symptoms and make sure your body has the proper amount of fluids.

Getting enough fluids and learning what to eat will help keep you comfortable. You may need to:

• Manage the diarrhea
• Control nausea and vomiting
• Get plenty of rest

CHOLERA

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It has a short incubation period, from less than one day to five days, and produces an enterotoxin that causes a copious, painless, watery diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given. Vomiting also occurs in most patients.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

The primary symptoms of cholera are profuse diarrhea and vomiting of clear fluid.These symptoms usually start suddenly, half a day to five days after ingestion of the bacteria.The diarrhea is frequently described as rice water in nature and may have a fishy odor.An untreated person with cholera may produce 10 to 20 litres 3 to 5 US gal of diarrhea a day.Severe cholera, without treatment, kills about half of affected individuals.If the severe diarrhea is not treated, it can result in life-threatening dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.Estimates of the ratio of asymptomatic to symptomatic infections have ranged from 3 to 100.Cholera has been nicknamed the "blue death" because a person's skin may turn bluish-gray from extreme loss of fluids.

CAUSE

Cholera is typically transmitted to humans by either contaminated food or water. Most cholera cases in developed countries are a result of transmission by food, while in the developing world it is more often water.Food transmission occurs when people harvest seafood such as oysters in waters infected with sewage, as Vibrio cholerae accumulates in zooplankton and the oysters eat the zooplankton.

PREVENTION

Sterilization: Proper disposal and treatment of infected fecal waste water produced by cholera victims and all contaminated materials clothin, bedding are essential. All materials that come in contact with cholera patients should be sanitized by washing in hot water, using chlorine bleach if possible. Hands that touch cholera patients or their clothing, bedding, etc., should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with chlorinated water or other effective antimicrobial agents.

Sewage: antibacterial treatment of general sewage by chlorine, ozone, ultraviolet light or other effective treatment before it enters the waterways or underground water supplies helps prevent undiagnosed patients from inadvertently spreading the disease.

Sources: Warnings about possible cholera contamination should be posted around contaminated water sources with directions on how to decontaminate the water (boiling, chlorination etc.) for possible use.

Water purification: All water used for drinking, washing, or cooking should be sterilized by either boiling, chlorination, ozone water treatment, ultraviolet light sterilization e.g. by solar water disinfection,or antimicrobial filtration in any area where cholera may be present. Chlorination and boiling are often the least expensive and most effective means of halting transmission. Cloth filters or sari filtration, though very basic, have significantly reduced the occurrence of cholera when used in poor villages in Bangladesh that rely on untreated surface water. Better antimicrobial filters, like those present in advanced individual water treatment hiking kits, are most effective. Public health education and adherence to appropriate sanitation practices are of primary importance to help prevent and control transmission of cholera and other diseases.

HEPATITIS A

Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus HAV.Many cases have little or no symptoms especially in the young.The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop them, is between two and six weeks. When there are symptoms they typically last eight weeks and may include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, yellow skin, fever, and abdominal pain.Around 10–15% of people experience a recurrence of symptoms during the six months after the initial infection.Acute liver failure may rarely occur with this being more common in the elderly.

                                         A case of jaundice caused by hepatitis A

SIGN & SYMPTOMS

Fatigue
Fever
Nausea
Appetite loss
Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes due to hyperbilirubinemia
Bile is removed from blood stream and excreted in urine, giving it a dark amber colour
Diarrhea
Light, or clay-coloured faeces

PREVENTION

There are two types of vaccines: one containing inactivated hepatitis A virus, and another containing a live but attenuated virus.Both provide active immunity against a future infection. The vaccine protects against HAV in more than 95% of cases for longer than 25 years.^[31] In the US the vaccine was first phased in 1996 for children in high-risk areas, and in 1999 it was spread to areas with elevating levels of infection.

TREATMENT

There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A. Sufferers are advised to rest, avoid fatty foods and alcohol these may be poorly tolerated for some additional months during the recovery phase and cause minor relapses eat a well-balanced diet, and stay hydrated.

Meningitis

Meningitis is a relatively rare infection that affects the delicate membranes called meninges (men-in'-jeez that cover the brain and spinal cord. Bacterial meningitis can be contagious among people in close contact.

Viral meningitis tends to be less severe, and most people recover completely.

Causes

Meningitis is almost always caused by a bacterial or viral infection that began elsewhere in the body, such as in the ears, sinuses, or upper respiratory tract. Less common causes of meningitis include fungal infection, autoimmune disorders, and medications.

 Bacterial meningitis is caused by any one of several bacteria. Neisseria meningitidis or "meningococcus" is common in children and young adults, and Streptococcuspneumoniae or "pneumococcus" is another common cause in children and adults. Haemophilus influenzae type b Hib was a common cause of meningitis in infants and young children until the Hib vaccine was introduced for infants. Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae account for most of the bacterial meningitis cases in the U.S. Vaccines are available for both Neisseria meningitidis and 

Streptococcus pneumoniae. They're recommended for all children and adults at special risk.

Tests

Complete blood count, to check for signs of infection.

Blood culture, to check for infections.

Urine test, to check for infection in the urinary tract.

Chest X-ray, to check for lung infections.

Biopsy of a skin rash.CT scan or MRI, to look for swelling of brain tissue or for complications such as brain damage.

HIV/AIDS disease

The human immunodeficiency virus HIV is a lentivirus a subgroup of retrovirus that causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threateningopportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Without treatment, average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype.

 Many HIV-positive people are unaware that they are infected with the virus.For example, in 2001 less than 1% of the sexually active urban population in Africa had been tested, and this proportion is even lower in rural populations.Furthermore, in 2001 only 0.5% of pregnant women attending urban health facilities were counselled, tested or receive their test results.Again, this proportion is even lower in rural health facilities.Since donors may therefore be unaware of their infection, donor blood and blood products used in medicine and medical research are routinely screened for HIV.

BLACK DEATH

The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people and peaking in Europe in the years 1346–1353.Although there were several competing theories as to the etiology of the black death, analysis of DNA from victims in northern and southern Europe published in 2010 and 2011 indicates that the pathogen responsible was the Yersinia pestis bacterium, probably causing several forms of plague.

Origins of the disease

The Black Death is thought to have originated in the arid plains of Central Asia, where it then travelled along the Silk Road, reaching the Crimea by 1343.From there, it was most likely carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships. Spreading throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 30 to 60% of Europe's total population.In total, the plague reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million down to 350–375 million in the 14th century.

Symptoms

Contemporary accounts of the plague are often varied or imprecise. The most commonly noted symptom was the appearance of buboes or gavocciolos in the groin, the neck and armpits,which oozed pus and bled when opened.


A hand showing how acral gangrene of the fingers due to bubonic plague causes the skin and flesh to die and turn black.

Chikungunya (Malaysia)

Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Chikungunya virus is a member of the alphavirus genus, in the family Togaviridae. Chikungunya fever is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings, laboratory testing, and the possibility of exposure to infected mosquitoes.

Symptoms

Chikungunya virus infection can cause a debilitating illness, most often characterized by fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, rash, and joint pain. The term ‘chikungunya’ means ‘that which bends up’ in the Kimakonde language of Mozambique.

Can Chikungunya cause death?

In Malaysia, Chikungunya has never been reported as causing haemorrhage bleeding or death. However, some patients experience prolonged symptoms. Aged patients could suffer from recurrent joint aches ranging from several months to a year.

Vaccine

Currently, no approved vaccines are available. A phase-II vaccine trial used a live, attenuated virus, to develop viral resistance in 98% of those tested after 28 days and 85% still showed resistance after one year.However, 8% of people reported transient joint pain,and attenuation was found to be due to only two mutations in the E2 glycoprotein.Alternative vaccine strategies have been developed, and show efficacy in mouse models, but have so far not reached clinical trials.

BLIGHT DISEASE 

Blight refers to a specific symptom affecting the plant in response to infection by a pathogenic organism.It is simply a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs or floral organs.
Many diseases that primarily exhibit this symptom are called blights

Notable examples are:

Late blight of potato, caused by the water mold.Phytophthora infestans Mont de Bary, the disease which led to the Great Irish Famine

DIFFERENT TYPE PF PLAGUE

Bubonic Plague

When a flea bites a human and contaminates the wound with regurgitated blood, the plague carrying bacteria are passed into the tissue.Y. pestis can reproduce inside cells, so even if phagocytosed, they can still survive. Once in the body,the bacteria can enter the lymphatic system, which drains interstitial fluid. Plague bacteria secrete several toxins, one of which is known to cause dangerous beta-adrenergic blockade.

Septicemic Plague

Lymphatics ultimately drain into the bloodstream, so the plague bacteria may enter the blood and travel to almost any part of the body. In septicemic plague, bacterial endotoxins cause disseminated intravascular coagulation DIC, causing tiny clots throughout the body and possibly ischaemic necrosis tissue death due to lack of circulation/perfusion to that tissue from the clots.DIC results in depletion of the body's clotting resources,so that it can no longer control bleeding. 

Pneumonic Plague

The pneumonic form of plague arises from infection of the lungs. It causes coughing and sneezing and thereby produces airborne droplets that contain bacterial cells and are likely to infect anyone inhaling them. The incubation period for pneumonic plague is short, usually two to four days, but sometimes just a few hours. 

Pharyngeal plague

This is an uncommon form of plague that resembles tonsillitis found in cases of close contact of patients with other forms of plague.

Meningeal Plague

This form of plague occurs when bacteria cross the blood-brain barrier, leading to infectious meningitis.