Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) The Hantavirus is a worldwide epidemic that is caused by rodents. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated, the virus is transmitted through the air that has been contaminated with the blood, saliva, urine and feces of rats. In most cases the virus is spread when humans come in contact either by home infestation, occupation, or recreation. There is not a specific age, race, gender, or nationality that this virus show in, everyone and anyone can catch this virus. According to the CDC, the Hantavirus primarily causes two main disease Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (seen in most case in the United States of America) and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS). Both the Hantavirus Pulmonary Virus and HFRS are very fetal diseases. For the purpose of this paper and the sake of time, I will focus on the Unites Stated. The first known outbreak in the U.S. of the Hantavirus occurred in 1993 in the four corners for the country: Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado (Knust and Rollins 1934). Another outbreak of the Hantavirus occur at the Yosemite National Park through the months of June-August 2012. There was a total of ten confirmed cases and three resulted in deaths (CDC). According to McNeil, Ksiazek, and Rollins, there has been a total of thirty states with cases of Hantavirus, most of the cases occured in the west (1195, 1198).
Knust and Rollins explains the Old World Hantaviruses that are pathogens to humans
Hand, foot, and mouth are parts of human body have the highest change to get contagious infection. There are many viruses but Enterovirus groups, (most common is the coxsackie virus) is the main factor. These viruses can spread through direct contact from person to person especially with those have bad habits such as: unusually washed hands or surfaces contaminated with feces. An infected person’s saliva, stool, or respiratory secretions can transmit the infection.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) causes acute respiratory tract infection in patients of all ages and is one of the most popular diseases of childhood. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, which manifests primarily as bronchiolitis and/or viral pneumonia, is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract (LRT) infection in infants and young children. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia in children under one year of age in the United States. During the first year of life, most infants are infected with the virus. Most RSV infected children encounter
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has a seasonal and yearly incidence, usually between November and April. It is responsible for high infant morbidity and mortality worldwide.. By the first year of life, 60% of children are infected, and almost 100% are infected by 2 years of age. (Saso,&Kampmann,2016). The more common age for hospitalizations occur between 2-3 months of age, and is the leading cause of infants being hospitalized in the developed world, accounting for 2 % of admissions during the winter season. (geerdink,Pillay,Meyalard,2015). The natural RSV infection in those younger than 6 months does not adequately develop a long-lasting immunological response, making reoccurrence of infection likely to reoccur. RSV is an infection that causes cold-like illness that can also cause otitis media, rhinitis, bronchitis, croup, and, pneumonia. Although RSV can cause different reactions, Bronchiolitis is the most common form of occurrence in the pediatric population. This virus is very caustic to the respiratory lining for vulnerable infants, that it increases the risk for respiratory diseases in later years of childhood.
Many people take breathing for granted, some never give it a second thought until a problem presents itself. Respiratory diseases affect millions of Americans as well as people from all over the world. Anyone can suffer from these disorders to include men, women, and children, with conditions ranging from mild, moderate, to chronic in nature. This paper will focus on one of the many respiratory disease called mycobacterium tuberculosis; more commonly referred to as TB.
In December of 2014 a measles outbreak started in California at Disneyland. Though the source of the virus has not been identified, the strain of the virus (B3) is the same strain of virus that caused a measles outbreak in the Philippines. This is one possibility of the mode of transportation, coming internationally from the Philippines. One hundred seventy-three people were infected with the virus in 21 states. Of those, 39 were directly linked to the park while the rest were primary and secondary exposures. California, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, and Washington were some of the states with measles associated with the Disneyland outbreak. By January 2015, Mexico had an outbreak from a 22-month-old baby that had connection to Disneyland Park and 53 people there were infected. The measles virus continued to spread throughout the States until February
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is considered the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in infants and young children. Each year, 4-5 million children younger than 4 years acquire an RSV infection, and more than 125,000 are hospitalized annually in the United States because of this infection. (Medscape, 2016).
This outbreak was large and included several states. The outbreak was connected to a California amusement park. Although no source was identified, it is believed that the outbreak most likely started when an international traveler visited the amusement park during the time in which they were infectious. The CDC analyzed the strain of the virus (B3) and concluded the outbreak was the same as the strain that triggered a large outbreak in the Philippines in 2014. That one exposure in the theme park in California brought outbreaks in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The countries of Canada and Mexico also had cases linked to the California theme park outbreak. This is an example of just how contagious and how fast measles can spread. (Zipprich et al., 2015, p. 3)
There is no placental transfer of the hantavirus from the mother to the fetuses she carries but the young deer mice can become infected with the hantavirus at any time after birth (Hantavirus, n.d.). Many deer mice carry the virus in their body fluids and tissues. They infect other mice through fighting for mates because the skin can be scratched or bitten by another mouse (Frequently Asked Questions: Hantavirus and Zika Virus, n.d.). The deer mouse can live up to eight years but in the wild most live a
The emergence of the “Hong Kong Flu” in 1968-1969 marked the beginning of the A(H3N2) days. When this virus first emerged it had the lowest mortality rate in the 20th century. Although this virus first emerged with such a small death rate, it still continues to kill people to this day. Just as when the A(H2N2) virus appeared in 1957 causing the disappearance of the A(H1N1) virus, the appearance of the A(H2N3) virus caused the disappearance of the A(H2N2) virus. After being dormant for almost 30 years, the A(H1N1) virus reappeared and today
How the disease was transmitted was further looked on by Nelson (1995). According to the said author, the disease was transmitted primarily by fleas and rats. The stomachs of the fleas were infected with bacteria known Y. Pestis. Nelson held that “the bacteria would block the "throat" of infected fleas so that no blood could reach their stomachs, and they grew ravenous since they were starving to death” (1995, par. 14). The bacteria would then attempt to suck up blood from their victims, only to disgorge it back into their preys' bloodstreams (Nelson, 1995). Now, however, the victims' blood was mixed with Y. Pestis. Fleas infected rats in this fashion, and the rats spread the disease to other rats and fleas before dying (Nelson, 1995). Without rodent hosts, the fleas then migrated to the bodies of humans and infected them in the same fashion as they had the rats .
The virus is described to be ovoid in shape with surface proteins, and targets cells in respiratory and nervous system. There were several points made here that I found to be quite accurate. For example, the virus is from recombinant bat and pig DNA, and has turned zoonotic. This is not uncommon among viruses, especially those that have to do with bats. It was also mentioned that the scientists working on the cases were having difficulty growing the virus in cells without the cells dying.
The origin of the disease has been described at the end of the movie where we find out that a bat with a virus known as paramyxovirus that infects a pig. The pigs that are for human consumption were located near a forest that was being cut down. The pig in turn infects human beings of the earth through a chef. The agent which is very infectious is known as MEV-1 and its potential spread is estimated at 6-7 which suggests that the virus is highly transmissible from one person to the next. The virus has been compared to that of a smallpox virus with a mortality rate of up to 30%.
The clinical features of both HFRS and HCPS are directly related to the pathophysiology of the hantaviruses, which preferentially infect the endothelial cells. Endothelial cells in the renal and pulmonary microvasculature are the principle targets in HFRS and HCPS, respectively. Damage to the microvasculature causes capillary leak, fluid extravasation and eventually organ failure. It has been suggested that immune mechanisms rather than direct viral cytopathic effects are responsible for the capillary leakage seen in both HFRS and HCPS. However, more recent evidence suggests that a virus-cell interaction, and an inhibiting interferon type 1 response may also play a role.
A number of studies have supported the theory that the virus had originally occurred in animals previous to human infections.5 The MERs-CoV virus is a type of coronavirus that has been known for infecting both birds and many species of mammals. These types of infections are commonly referred to as zoonotic diseases because the pathogens are able to be transferred from animals to humans. Zoonosis can happen with or without a vector in order to spread the infection. Although the exact origin of the MERs-CoV infections is unknown, there has been convincing research performed that has found related types of coronaviruses in bats and camels. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus is found in multiple species and can cause respiratory illness and gastrointestinal upset.
Hanta virus is a dangerous and often deadly disease that must be guarded against. If proper precautions are not taken, hanta virus could lead to a nationwide outbreak causing many deaths. While there are a few cases of hanta virus reported each year, the consequences of coming down with the disease dictates that the U.S. set up certain safeguards to educate the population on how to protect themselves. Even though research is being done on hanta virus and its related illnesses, there persist many unanswered questions.