Essay On SARS

One of the most virulent strains of influenza in history ravaged the world and decimated the populations around the world. Present during World War I, the 1918 strain of pandemic influenza found many opportunities to spread through the war. At the time, science wasn’t advanced enough to study the virus, much less find a cure; medical personnel were helpless when it came to fighting the disease, and so the flu went on to infect millions and kill at a rate 25 times higher than the standard.

Pathogens are everywhere. They are in people, animals, and the environment. Pathogens come in a wide variety. The types are fungal, bacterial, viral, and other parasites. All pathogens can be dangerous, but two of them are more dangerous. These two types that more dangerous are fungal and bacterial. While both fungal and bacterial pathogens cause illness, they differ in the way they are transmitted, the way they are treated, and the diseases they cause.

SARS is a respiratory infection caused by the coronavirus that was thought to have originated in Guangdong China but was not reported until

Did you know that 25 million people died in the 1300s? It wasn’t from natural causes. It was from a horrible killer called the Black Death.

In the mid 14th century, a devastating plague swept across the known world. This pandemic plague is most commonly known as the Black Death but has other alias such as The Great Pestilence and The Great Plague. The background essay states, “In five shorts years, it would kill between 25 and 45% of the populations it encountered.” The background essay also mentions “it would be the worst natural disaster and the single most destructive natural phenomenon in the history of the world.” This cataclysmic event drastically dwindled population sizes of Europe and the Middle East, breaking down civilizations, and leaving behind terror in survivors mindset.

At the first possible outbreak of SARS, the nurse will need to follow protocol. The initiation of the protocol begins with an assessment of the patient. A doctor will determine if the patient is possibly infected with SARS by following the physical and epidemiologic criteria. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention mandates reporting to the all cases where the patient has pneumonia of an unknown origin, and could have recently been exposed of the SARS virus [ (Center of Disease Control, 2005) ]. Once the report has been made the community health nurse should have all hospitalized patients with respiratory symptoms questioned on their recent history and possibilities of contact with the virus. Next, the community health nurse needs to educate staff and the community about possible ways to contract SARS, and encourage behaviors such as, frequent hand washing, covering their nose and mouth while coughing or sneezing, and using and properly disposing of tissues for respiratory secretions. [ (Center of Disease Control, 2005) ] Once health care members and the public are educated on the route of transmission they can prevent being exposed. Confirmed infected patients would be transferred to Seattle, where they can be in isolation rooms, patients can be more critically monitored, and research centers can be of benefit to

The Ebola Virus is an extremely deadly virus found in Africa. There have been multiple outbreaks across Africa and one in the United States. The Ebola virus basically causes uncontrollable bleeding externally and internally. Then your organs become liquefied. This usually results in death(www.encyclopedia.com). The following report contains info on the characteristics and history of the Ebola Virus.

A severe pneumonia-like virus suddenly appeared in February 2003 in Hanoi of the Guangdong providence in Southern China, and rapidly spread to thirty countries, infecting 8,098 people and killing more than 774 in a matter of months [3]. Investigations identified a Chlmydia-like organism using electron microscopy in patients who had died from this atypical pneumonia, however this could not be confirmed as the disease, as it was not seen in other patients outside China [3]. After a global collaboration, researchers identified the etiologic agent of this atypical pneumonia to be a coronoavirus, known known as SARS-CoV [3]. The disease was eventually

The annual incidence of ARDS is 13-23 people per 100,000 in the general population and it is higher in the mechanically ventilated population in intensive care units which represents 16.1% percent in ventilated. Pneumonia and sepsis are considered as leading trigger of ARDS as pneumonia represent in up to 60% of patients and may be either causes or complications of ARDS and according to literature approximately 30% of patients with severe sepsis may develop ARDS or ALI. Other triggers include aspiration, circulatory shock, mechanical ventilation, smoke inhalation, trauma especially pulmonary contusion major surgery, massive blood transfusions, drug reaction or overdose, fat emboli and reperfusion pulmonary edema after lung transplantation or pulmonary embolectomy. Alcohol excess appears to increase the risk of ARDS. Until the 1990s, majority of studies reported a 40-70% mortality rate for ARDS. However, 2 reports in the 1990s, one from a large county hospital in Seattle and one from the United Kingdom, suggested much lower mortality rates, in the range of 30-40%. Possible explanations for the improved survival rates may be better understanding and treatment of sepsis, recent changes in the mechanical ventilation, and better overall supportive care of critically ill patients. (Koh et al, 2012)

The symptoms of Ebola are a fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, vomiting, stomach pain, sore throat, diarrhea, weakness and occasionally read eyes, rashes, hiccups, and internal and external bleeding and since these symptoms are not specific to Ebola, it is difficult to clinically diagnose and can often be confused with other viruses. The ELISA testing, short for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and virus isolation are a couple of examples of the types of laboratory testing that can be done to diagnose and Ebola patient. Because of how easily it can be transmitted, it is extremely difficult to treat and there is no approved, official treatment. As of now, there is not standard treatment but usually the patients are given fluids and oxygen, have their blood pressure monitored and other necessary treatment. To prevent transmission and spreading the virus, the doctors use extreme caution and wear head to toe protective gear and isolate the patient. Even though the Ebola virus is common in Africa, there has been no known outbreak in the United States. Another difficulty facing scientists and the treatment for Ebola is that the natural reservoir for the virus unknown. The natural reservoir of a virus is it’s long term host of the

Viral respiratory tract infections (VRTIs) are the most common illness in humans according to Fendrick (2004). Acute respiratory infections kill approximately 4 million people per year. Approximately half of these respiratory infections are due to viruses. Respiratory infections are one of the top causes of mortality throughout the world. In many developing nations they are the major cause of death in young children (WHO 2013).

SARS appears to spread by close person-to-person contact. It is thought that transmission is most readily occurred through respiratory droplets. These can be produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets are propelled through the air and are deposited on the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, or eyes of a person that is nearby. It is also possible that the virus can spread when a person touches a surface or object contaminated with infectious droplets and then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes. Furthermore, it is possible that SARS-CoV might be airborne spread or by other methods that are not yet known.

Infectious disease is considered an ever evolving issue world-wide. A number of health officials and idealists believed that the threat of infectious disease would have been eradicated by now.1 Infectious disease remains the leading cause of death across the globe and the third leading cause of death in the United States.2 Within the scope of infectious disease, the most common cause of illness is viral respiratory tract infections, also referred to as VRTI.3 Recently, a new strain of virus related to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome commonly referred to as SARS has been identified.4,5 The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is a viral infection that affects the respiratory tract in humans and has recently been discovered in a small

Although there is not a scientific or natural cure found yet, there are some methods that can increase a person’s chance of survival if contracted with the virus. First, supportive care could help physically and even more psychologically. Studies on blood samples have shown that there is an identification between genes and the prediction of survival. Also, there is a new association between survival and levels of a certain protein in platelets. This protein helps to repair damaged blood vessels. Certain levels of this protein could determine the chances of survival of an infected person. Scientists are also trying to develop a cure by utilizing the benefits of this protein. Currently, there are 2 possible vaccines that are being tested to see if they will prevent the virus.

The purpose of SARS-surveillance system includes, early detection and prompt identification of high risk subjects, super spreaders and disease cases and clusters, without intense laboratory testing and complete reporting of potential SARS-CoV transmission and outbreak with contact tracing to contain the disease and prevent the spread. Post epidemic, ongoing surveillance of SARS is useful in preparedness for future outbreaks, due to potential sources of re-emergence like animal reservoirs, humans with persistent infection and laboratory exposures or development of novel coronavirus. [4] The operation is mostly as a syndromic surveillance, which is phased based on the level of epidemic.