All was not right in the capital of the early united state or Philadelphia. Many people were dying of a fever that slipped under the radar.
Pneumonia is a disease that affects the respiratory system. Specifically, it is an inflammation of the lungs that can be caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses and parasites. Microscopic sacs in the lungs (Alveoli) become inflamed and fill up with fluid, which causes symptoms such as cough, fever, chills and trouble breathing. It is a lung disease that kills thousands every year and hospitalizes many more. Pneumonia is more serious and can be deadly for infants and elderly. This disease has personally affected me when my son was hospitalized with it for 5 days. He was only 10 months old at the time and was admitted with diagnosis of Pneumonia, low oxygen and dehydration.
Exploring Pneumonia: A Silent Killer Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Many different organisms can cause it, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Pneumonia can range from mild to severe, and can even be deadly. The severity depends on the type of organism causing pneumonia, as well as your age and underlying health.
Countries involved, dates discovered, and dates reached 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
To fully comprehend the effect the yellow fever had on Pennsylvania in 1793, it is necessary to understand disease itself. This instance of widespread yellow fever in Philadelphia is known as an epidemic. An epidemic occurs when there is a pathogen present in the same area area as vulnerable a large number of people vulnerable to the said pathogen. Another common term for an epidemic is outbreak, but an outbreak usually occurs within a more limited area than an epidemic. An epidemic or outbreak can be brought on by an increase of a microbe that causes illness, the introduction of a disease-causing microbe into a new environment, a change to the environment that allows the pathogen to spread more readily, hosts in an area becoming more
Legionnaires’ disease Legionnaires’ disease strikes California. Every year in the U.S., between 8,000 to 18,000 people are hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease. When people catch Legionnaires’ disease, they start to develop headaches, muscle aches, and a high fever that can lead to as high as 104° or 105°.The disease can naturally be found in hot tubs, decorative fountains, and in cooling towers.
Pneumonia is an inflammation or infection of the lungs most commonly caused by a bacteria or virus. Pneumonia can also be caused by inhaling vomit or other foreign substances. In all cases, the lungs' air sacs fill with pus , mucous, and other liquids and cannot function properly. This means oxygen cannot reach the blood and the cells of the body.
Legionnaires’ outbreak in the Bronx: Legionella – disease, symptoms & treatments Over the past month ten people have died and one-hundred have fallen ill due to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx section of New York State. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the Legionella bacterium has
A water vessel packed full of refugees unwell with yellow fever, sluggish as a snail, sail over to Philadelphia in 1793. A sly fox, one lone mosquito bites one refugee and flies off to infect someone else and spread the illness... We have an epidemic! Now, the older, respected Philadelphia doctors fought with the newcomer French doctors from Haiti over which was the genuine treatment to cure a patient infected with yellow fever. Their ideas were all very disparate, but both had a few little similar characteristics. Still, with all their efforts, by the time the fever died, 2,000 to 5,000 people had become deceased.
The Bellevue-Stratford hotel article discussed a case of sicknesses caused by Legionella bacteria. The doctors treating the people didn’t know what was the cause, but scientist collected samples from that patient’s lungs. Upon initial review, nothing conclusive was found from the lung samples, but months later a cluster of red
A new form of pneumonia, called Legionnaire’s Disease claimed the lives of 34 people who attended a convention in Philadelphia while 221 others became infected.
Mandatory Vaccinations for School Children: Discussing the Virus v. Vaccine Debate and the Case of Polio Introduction and Background The possibility of contracting a disease or illness is unfortunately a part of being human, and throughout history, portions of humanity have been wiped out due to these outbreaks. In the 14th century, the spread of the Bubonic Plague that passed from Asia and through Europe called the “Black Death” killed over 50 million people – 60% of Europe’s population (Benedictow, 2005, 1). In 1918 and 1919, an influenza pandemic known as the “Spanish Flu” killed between 20 and 40 million people and has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded history (Billings, 2005, 1). In the United States, polio haunted
Legionnaires' disease is a severe bacterial pneumonia first identified after an outbreak at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia in 1976, but earlier cases have been confirmed as far back as 1947. The article, A Belated Look at New York’s Cooling Towers, Prime Suspect in Legionnaires’ Outbreak written by Winnie Hu and Noah Remnnick, is about what New York City is doing to prevent further spread of the Legionnaires' disease. It was first named Legionella pneumophila and later changed to legionellosis. Since the city's first confirmed case in 1977, in the South Bronx alone, the disease has infected almost 100 people and killed eight as of this writing. Sadly, it took the largest and deadliest outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in New
Pneumonia is an illness of the lower respiratory tract in which the lungs become inflamed and congested and alveolar spaces are filled with fluid and cells-polymorphs and lymphocytes (Mandell L.A). It is an inflammatory condition of the lung and it is one of the most serious infections, causing two million deaths annually among the young and elderly. Pneumonia is the largest killer, accounting for 28% to 34% of all child deaths below five years of age in low-income countries and is an important cause of mortality in the elderly in high-income countries (Suárez).
M. pneumoniae is generally referred to as primary atypical or walking pneumonia because the symptoms are not as sever as pneumonia. The symptoms include a dry hacking cough, fever, and headache. The symptoms will last for about 2 to 3 weeks. M. pneumoniae affects people worldwide. Typically only 33 % of people who have M. pneumoniae will get atypical pneumonia. The majority, 77 %, will come down with an upper tract infection (tracheaobronchitis). (Pulmonary Disorders pg 609) M. pneumoniae is transmitted through aerosol droplets. The bacterium is capable of infecting anyone at any time but it has a pattern of coming in the fall and winter and causing an outbreak every 4 to 8 years, although more tight communities occur more frequently. The pathogen rarely occurs on children less than 4 years of age. Since the bacterium lacks a cell wall, B-lactums are futile against them. The body’s immune system is responsible for killing the pathogen. There were 2 million cases in the US with 100,000 requiring hospitalization. The mortality rate is very low with only occasional fatalities among the elderly and sickle cell anemia persons. ( ).