Guidelines For Environmental Health : Communicable Disease Scarlet Fever Essay

Very severe outbreaks may have symptoms that include swollen and tender lymph glands in the groin, throat, or under the arms, and even flu-like feelings such as fever, chills, headache, and a general run down feeling.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, as the country grew and trade flourished, periodic epidemics struck regions of the nation as population density increased. Outbreaks of influenza, cholera took over the nation, and in the south, one of the most prevalent was yellow fever. Due to these diseases, a lot of public health policies were either created or changed to better suit the new issues arising. In this essay, I will argue that the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878 brought upon many changes in the health realm in terms of public sanitation. In order to prove the epidemic s place in the history of health policies, I will be discussing the creation of the new sewer system, waste disposal techniques, and other projects created.

In this chapter it talks about how Catherine LeMaigre was dying, and dying horribly and painfully. The two physicians sent for their esteemed colleague Dr. Benjamin Rush. They were trying to find out if they could stop the plague from spreading.

The route of transmission of the disease is via infected droplets that spray into the air when people cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can then be inhaled by other people who are in close proximity to the person who is infected. Unfortunately, these droplets can remain active and contagious for several hours on a surface, such that when you touch it with your fingers and then touch your nose or mouth you can become infected. While most cases are easily diagnosed by simply looking at the patient, in the majority of cases it is preferable to have blood tests to confirm 100%. Typically the patient will have a rash that looks like small, bright Koplik’s spots on the inside

RSV is the most common cause of LRTI’s leading to morbidity and mortality in children across the world. Most children have acquired an RSV infection by the time they reach 2 years of age. It is typical to see these infections during the winter/early spring seasons in temperate regions, and during the rainy seasons in tropical areas. This is likely due to the increase of indoor crowding related to weather. The transmission of RSV requires close contact by either a large particle aerosol, or by contamination of hands followed by an inoculation into the eye or nose. Secondary infections are seen in in family contacts of an individual with a primary case due to their close contact.

As the disease progresses the pulse slows and weakens, bleeding of the gums, and bloody urine occur. In more severe, usually fatal cases, jaundice occurs, which is what the disease is named for. Jaundice is when the patient's skin turns yellow and is the final definitive test to detect yellow fever, although by that stage it is usually too late. In the rare cases where people recover from the disease, the person develops an immunity to the disease.

Scarlet fever and diphtheria among many others were two of the most common diseases to effect children in the early part of the 1900s. Scarlet fever occurred mainly in those between the ages of 2 and 8, and was spread by droplets from carriers and affected individuals. Despite sore throat, headache, and fever, with red spots in the mouth and on the body, children would often continue to play with friends in the street and to mix with neighbours, thus allowing the disease to spread. Diphtheria was likewise highly contagious, generally affecting the throat but occasionally other mucous membranes and the skin.

In the 1800s, scarlet fever was a common epidemic that spread around quickly. “In the nineteenth century, scarlet fever was one of the most feared of all childhood diseases, with a mortality of up to 35%” (Lerner). Scarlet fever was called the “plague of the youth” in the 1800s. The mortality rates were the highest in the United States, Western Europe, and Scandinavia. Around ninety percent of the cases were among two to eight year olds. It was focused in the more

Due to the description of the disease, Scarlet fever seems to have been dated back almost 2,500 years even back to the time of Hippocrates. Supposedly there has been 3 major epidemics of Scarlet Fever. The first uncontested account of scarlet fever came in 1553 similar to measles, diphtheria and other rashes however some say it was seen as early as 430 B.C. Scarlet fever brought about a death rate then as high as one hundred and fifty out of one hundred thousand, which is a very morbid death rate.

If a streptococcal infection such as pharyngitis or scarlet fever is left untreated, there is a small (~3%) chance that within approximately 20 days, the patient will present with rheumatic fever. After the first bout of rheumatic fever, if the host acquires a second untreated S. Pyogenes infection, the chance of coming down with rheumatic fever jumps substantially to ~50%. Most often this secondary disease will strike people aged 6-15 years old, roughly 20 days after the streptococcal infection, with a 2-5% mortality rate. One of the major diagnostic symptoms of this disease is Erythema Marginatum, snake- or ring-like eruptions covering the trunk, upper arms, and legs. Other symptoms include fever, arthritis (elbows, knees, wrists, and ankles), swollen joints, pain in the abdomen, nodules

One to five days of fever and malaise may precede the appearance of the exanthemas, which begin as macules, followed by papules, then vesicles, and finally pustules. These will form crusts which fall off after two weeks, leaving pink scars that will fade slowly. In affected areas, the lesions are generally found in the same stage of development. Lesions are most abundant on the face and less on the trunk. Variola major is stable in the extracellular environment. It is most commonly transmitted by respiratory spread. Also, the dried virus in crusts from skin lesions can survive on clothes or other materials and can be transmitted to the others. Patients are highly infectious during the first week of rash after the fever began. Respiratory droplets are infectious earlier than skin

The first symptoms of Yellow Fever can appear like the symptoms of a simple cold. For

Dermatitis herpetiformis symptoms include itching, stinging and a burning sensation. Papules and vesicles are commonly present. The small red bumps experienced in this type of dermatitis are usually about 1 cm in size, red in color and may be found symmetrically grouped or distributed on

Streptococcus pyogenes is a very common bacteria found in humans. It is very transmissible and can be caught through the air via coughing or sneezing. This form of Strep. illness is referred to as Streptococcal pharyngitis, also known as Strep. throat, which can complicate into Scarlet Fever. It is also possible to be infected through abrasions of the skin, which can result in cellulitis, impetigo, or even necrotizing fasciitis. Aside from human to human contact, these bacteria can also be found in unpasteurized milk. There is no vaccine for Streptococcal infections, though antibiotics such as penicillin still work very well against them.

There are two different conditions of Yellow Fever, mild and severe. Mild cases’ symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, back pain, body aches, vomiting, and weakness in the arms, legs, and muscles. More severe cases’ symptoms consist of vomiting blood, bleeding from nose, mouth, and ears, slow heart rate, liver failure, kidney failure, seizures, and comas. A person with Yellow Fever can easily be diagnosed by doctors by the color of their skin. A person with Yellow Fever shows skin that is starting to turn yellow from