EPIDEMIOLOGY OF THE OUTBREAK IN W. AFRICA
In December 2013, the first cases occurred in Guéckédou and Macenta districts, the focus of the epidemic in Guinea. During March 2014, a rise in the numbers of cases in these two districts, in addition to the first reports from Lofa and other districts in Liberia, was followed by the discovery of cases in the capital, Conakry. A second increase in case incidence in
Guinea — first in Guéckédou and Macenta and then in the capital — occurred in May and
June. During May, the focus of the epidemic in Guinea expanded to the neighboring districts of
Kenema and Kailahun in Sierra Leone and in June further cases were reported in Lofa district in Liberia. These five districts have remained the focus
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However, after natural infection, the virus can transmit from one human to another (epidemic).outbreaks of human cases of haemorrhagic fever occurs sporadically unpredictable and irregularly. There is generally no cure or established drug treatment for VHFs, but dramatic successes in research have predicted that the virus may be controlled using vaccines underway.
Also, other viral & bacterial infections can cause an HF (e.g.: scrub typhus) . VHFs are zoonotic, totally dependent on their hosts for replication & survival. Bats, rodents, arthropods are the main reservoirs/vectors of VHFs. Rodents in the field as Multimammate rat, deer mouse, house mouse, cotton rat are examples of host reservoir of the virus. Mosquitoes and ticks also serves as vectors of some VHF’s. People usually become infected in enzootic areas, & infected occasionally by a reservoir host exported from it native habitats. Example is the outbreak of Marburg haemorrhagic fever for the first time occurred in Germany when laboratory workers from Africa imported infected monkeys. A person might be infected in an area where the pathogen occurs naturally and then migrate somewhere else.
Also, a person becomes infected in an area where the virus occurs naturally and then travels elsewhere. After an incubation period of 7–10 days, Range 3–21 days, the patient abruptly develops a fever. The
The Kingdom Ghana in western Africa flourished. Ghana gained control of the salt-and-gold trade (Doc. 2). This was important because Gold was used as a currency,
The bacteria in the Fever could jump from one host to another through touch, fluids, and sometimes even air. However, this only happened when the host of the Fever and the person getting infected were of different blood types. For a reason never explicitly explained in the novel, the Fever’s bacteria ‘hungers’ for the proteins of other blood types once it has devoured those of the host. That might sound a little confusing, so I will try to explain it in further detail. Blood type is determined by the presence or absence of two proteins on the surface of red blood cells.
Due to the colonization and urbanization of Africa the disease began to spread quickly, inventions like the car and poor hygiene in hospitals allowed the space for the disease to become more widespread.
country because this area was the first to diagnose and recognize this disease. This lead to the
Like said above, the symptoms do not show up until after seven to 17 days. This period of time is called the incubation period. During these seven to 17 days, the disease has entered the body and is growing and multiplying without the carrier knowing. At this time, the infected person is not contagious. Smallpox is silent, but when it makes its appearance, it is deadly. Following the incubation period, the patient takes a turn for the worse. A few days later, red spots develop on your face, then on your hands, then on your neck. Soon they turn into blisters with pus in them. This worsens as the patient forms painful, blister-like sores in your mouth that break open.
WNV can result in intricate infection. WNV has spread as a cyclic plague into North America. WNV signifies a mosquito-borne virus which spread in birds. Mosquitoes are generally wandered in the space and usually bite humans and animals. Therefore, WNV can be spread straightforwardly and cause complex infections.
In 2014 the world watched in horror as West Africa experienced the largest Ebola epidemic in history. Affected countries in Africa included Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone and the epidemic, having begun in December 2013, went on for a full year, with additional cases occurring throughout 2015. Over 19,000 cases were reported by December 2014 and of those, 7,518 lost their lives. Today, we know that in total, over 11,000 people lost their lives ("Previous case counts", 2016). There were many factors at play in this outbreak, such as the emergence of a new strain Ebola virus; a lack of preparedness in West Africa, where Ebola had not been seen prior to 2014; a shortage of health care workers and subsequent death of many more them, leading
Ninety percent of all Yellow fever cases were reported in Africa. The period of time from contracting the infection to development of symptoms is generally three to six years. The virus is not contracted by direct contact with human to human. Not only do the mosquitoes spread the virus to humans they can spread it to monkeys. This means if a mosquito bites a monkey that has the fever they can pass it to humans, this can lead to major outbreaks. Through all the Yellow fever cases around thirty thousand of them led to death. Yellow fever was thought to have originated in Africa and was brought to America on the slave ships. The virus is a single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the flavivirus senes. After the transmission of the virus occurs, it replicates in religion lymph nodes and silently spreads through the bloodstream. The widespread dissemination can affect the kidneys, lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and bone marrow. In addition to these, it can affect the other organs in the human body. Yellow fever is not just a virus it is a hemorrhagic condition that can lead to death. The United States has worked hard to eliminate this insect, having officially eradicated it from the united states and Canada.
¬ In just the first 5 years that Kuru was first diagnosed there were 1,00 deaths. ¬ This averages out to around 200 a year that were dying of this particular infectious disease. ¬ The residents of the Fore Linguistic group of the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea and their neighbors with whom they intermarried is where Kuru was present. ¬ This disease is transmitted orally.
An epidemic rocked the Nigerian nation because of their inconsistent production of artisanal gold. Artisanal gold is just a term that is used to describe panning for gold whether it's using your own resources. The result of this horrific event sparked to lead poisoning which is poisoning due to absorption of lead into the body. This horrendous catastrophe left more than “four hundred infants dead and affected thousands more”. (Environmental Health Perspectives) More than ever a lot of children were getting infected because of the process of gold. Where did it take place and why did more children become exposed? This happened in Nigeria specifically focused in Dareta and Yargalama in the homes of many families.
Chills and fever result from the body attempting to fight off the virus by raising the body temperature and killing the virus (Stöppler). The virus also attacks the organism, in which body aches, headaches, and weakness are all signs of the immune system fighting the virus. Overtime the symptoms worsen with vomiting, chest pains, coughing, sore throat, and stomach pain for the same reasons as the weakened immune system. Due to organ failure and hemorrhaging that occur five days after the fever, there is often bleeding from eyes, ears and nose (Huizen). Symptoms can also become increasingly severe and may include pancreas inflammation, severe weight loss, shock, delirium, liver failure, and multi-organ dysfunction. People infected appear as though they are “ghost-like” as they have set, motionless faces and deep-set eyes (WHO). Marburg virus has been found in African monkeys, chimps and other nonhuman primates. The virus is transmitted to humans through an infected animal's bodily fluids, by blood and waste products. By blood, people can catch the virus by handling infected animals, and also by those who have operated on an infected animal and got the disease from them. Through waste products, people can be contaminated by visiting places that have been infected with organisms that carry the Marburg virus. In addition, just like what had happened in the first fever outbreak with the few
(2016, May 26). Making strides to improve maternal health in Sierra Leone. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://www.unicef.org/childsurvival/sierraleone_91206.html
Chronic infection is the rule in many endemic areas. Because of the high morbidity, manifestations of infection are regarded as normal in many societies in tropical Africa. The frequency of symptoms often related to the intensity of infection. During chronic infection the pathology is caused by eggs lodged in the tissue, which cause inflammation, fibrosis and
This disease has been around for ages, it can date back to the 400 BC, when it struck many villages in Athens and killed one third of the population. The leader of the Athens at that time, Pericles was also affected
Growing in the 80s in Lagos, Nigeria was what I equate to a game of public health Russian roulette; with waterborne illness such as cholera and dysentery lurking is every other cup of water, or typhoid and other communicable disease residing in overcrowded buses and the ever growing fear of inadequate access to care in the event of developing a chronic illness that could not be treated by over the counter antibiotics or medication from the local chemist or herbalist. Nevertheless, I have wonderful memories of growing up in Lagos, Nigeria and two particular memories were ingrained in my memory forever and have ultimately made my public health journey seem more like vocation than choice.