Pneumonia

Causative Agent:1.Infectious- bacteria (streptococcus pneumonia)• Virus• fungi2.Non-infectious- inhalation of toxic gases, chemicals- aspiration of foreign substances.

streptococcus pneumonia

Mode of Transmission: droplet, direct contact

Signs and Symptoms: • high fever• shaking or chills• cough with phlegm, which doesn't improve or worsens• Develop shortness of breath with normal daily activities• chest pain when you breathe or cough• Feel suddenly worse after a cold or the flu

Diagnostic Examinations: Sputum examination and Chest x-ray

Prevention:•Get a seasonal flu shot. The influenza virus can be a direct cause of viral pneumonia. Bacterial pneumonia is also a common complication of the flu. A yearly flu shot provides significant protection.•Get a pneumonia vaccination. Doctors recommend a one-time vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria (pneumococcus) for everyone older than age 65, as well as for people of any age residing in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and for smokers. The vaccine is especially recommended for anyone at high risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. Some doctors recommend a booster shot five years after the first dose.•Have your child vaccinated. Doctors recommend a different pneumonia vaccine for all children younger than age 2 and for children ages 2 to 5 years who are at particular risk of pneumococcal disease. Children who attend a group day care center should also get the vaccine. Doctors also recommend seasonal flu shots for children older than six months.

• Practice good hygiene. To protect yourself against ordinary respiratory infections that sometimes lead to pneumonia, wash your hands regularly or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Don't smoke. Smoking damages your lungs' natural defenses against respiratory infections.

• Stay rested and fit. Proper rest, a healthy diet and moderate exercise can help keep your immune system strong.

• Set an example. Stay home when you're sick. When you're in public they may catch your cold, catch your coughs and sneeze.

Drug Choice

• Antibiotics- Penicillin G Na for 7-10 days, Tetracycline (Cotrimoxazole) or Erythromycin, Suction secretion Expectorants/Mucolytics CBR Bronchodilators Nutrition

• Oral/IV fluids• Ampicillin, Amoxicillin

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

(SARS)

Causative agent

is a viral respiratory infection caused by a coronavirus (SARS-CoV).They are called "coronaviruses" because of their crown-like projections on their surfaces. "Corona" is Latin for "crown" or "halo". Coronaviruses cause respiratory infections in humans and animals.

coronavirus (SARS-CoV)

Mode of transmission

SARS is predominantly transmitted through close person-to-person contact, especially via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Droplet spread can take place when droplets from the cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled a short distance and deposited on the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, or eyes of persons who are nearby. The virus can also spread when a person touches a surface or object contaminated with infectious droplets and then touches his or her mouth, nose, or eyes

Signs and Symptoms:

• SARS symptoms usually start off like those of the common cold, and gradually become more flu-like.

• Extreme fatigue (tiredness), malaise (general feeling of being unwell)

• Headaches• Fever - above 38 °C (100.4 °F). • Lethargy• Confusion• Rash• Loss of appetite• Myalgia - pain in the muscles. • Chills

• Dry cough• Runny nose • Sore throat • Shortness of breath, breathing

problems• Gradual fall in blood-oxygen levels

Tests used to diagnose SARS might include:

• Arterial blood tests• Blood clotting tests• Blood chemistry tests• Chest x-ray or chest CT scan• Complete blood count (CBC)

Drug Choice:

•Ciprofloxacin 500 mg•Ascorbic Acid

Treatment:• Antibiotics to treat bacteria that cause pneumonia• Antiviral medications • High doses of steroids to reduce swelling in the

lungs• Oxygen, breathing support (mechanical

ventilation), or chest therapy• In some serious cases, the liquid part of blood

from people who have already recovered from SARS has been given as a treatment.

Prevention:• Reducing your contact with people who have SARS lowers your risk for

the disease. Avoid travel to places where there is an uncontrolled SARS outbreak. When possible, avoid direct contact with persons who have SARS until at least 10 days after their fever and other symptoms are gone.

• Hand hygiene is the most important part of SARS prevention. Wash your hands or clean them with an alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer.

• Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. Droplets that are released when a person sneezes or coughs are infectious.

• Do not share food, drink, or utensils.• Clean commonly touched surfaces with an EPA-approved disinfectant.• In some situations, masks and goggles may be useful for preventing the

spread of the disease. You may use gloves when handling any items that may have touched infected droplets.

Diptheria

Diptheria

Causative Agent:

• The portal of entry, sometimes, may be the skin where cuts, wounds and ulcers not properly attended to may get infected with the Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Mode of transmission:

• C. diphtheriae can be transmitted by close person-to-person contact via respiratory droplets because of coughing and sneezing and discharge from skin lesions.

Signs and Symptoms

• malaise, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, loss of appetite, and low-grade fever.

• formation of a visible membrane on the throat and tonsils occurs and can cause death from asphyxiation when the membrane blocks the patient’s breathing.

• Neck swelling can occur and if it does, it is a sign of a severe form of the disease.

• Other effects of the toxin include myocarditis (i.e., heart inflammation) and nerve paralysis.

• Bloody, watery serosanguineous drainage from the nose.

• Croup-like coughing. • Apnea may occur.

Treatment:• Diphtheria antitoxin is the mainstay of therapy. It

neutralizes circulating diphtheria toxin and reduces the progression of the disease.

• Antibiotics should also be administered as soon as possible to patients with suspected diphtheria

• Supportive measures, such as inserting a breathing tube (intubation), may be necessary if the patient cannot breathe on their own or if there is the potential for airway obstruction. Potential cardiac and neurologic complications also need to be closely followed and addressed in consultation with the proper specialist.

• Individuals who have been exposed should be isolated to avoid exposure to others. Patients are no longer infectious after two days of antibiotic treatment

Drug Choice:

• Injectables:• Benzylpenicillin sodium• Diphtheria toxoid/Human poliovirus type 1 inactivated/Human poliovirus type 2

inactivated/Human poliovirus type 3 inactivated/Pertussis antigens/Tetanus toxoid• (a generic version of Infanrix IPV)• Diphtheria toxoid/Human poliovirus type 1 inactivated/Human poliovirus type 2

inactivated/Human poliovirus type 3 inactivated/Pertussis antigens/Tetanus toxoid/Haemophilus influenzae type B polysaccharide protein conjugate

• (a generic version of Infanrix-IPV+Hib)• Diphtheria toxoid/Human poliovirus type 1 inactivated/Human poliovirus type 2

inactivated/Human poliovirus type 3 inactivated/Tetanus toxoid• Erythromycin- antibiotic• Infanrix IPV• Infanrix-IPV+Hib

• Pediacel• (a brand of Diphtheria Toxoid/Tetanus Toxoid/Pertussis Antigens/Human

Poliovirus Type 1 Inactivated/Human Poliovirus Type 2 Inactivated/Human Poliovirus Type 3 Inactivated/Haemophilus Influenzae Type B Polysaccharide Protein Conjugate)

• Penicillin- antibiotic• Repevax• (a brand of Tetanus Toxoid/Pertussis Antigens/Human Poliovirus Type 1

Inactivated/Human Poliovirus Type 2 Inactivated/Human Poliovirus Type 3 Inactivated/Diphtheria Toxoid)

• Revaxis• (a brand of Diphtheria Toxoid/Human Poliovirus Type 1 Inactivated/Human

Poliovirus Type 2 Inactivated/Human Poliovirus Type 3 Inactivated/Tetanus Toxoid)

• Tetanus toxoid/Pertussis antigens/Human poliovirus type 1 inactivated/Human poliovirus type 2 inactivated/Human poliovirus type 3 inactivated/Diphtheria toxoid

Prevention:Diphtheria is preventable with a vaccine. The vaccine includes a diphtheria toxoid, an inactivated toxin that causes the body to produce antibodies against the diphtheria toxin. The vaccine is usually combined with vaccines for tetanus and pertussis (a.k.a. whooping cough). The immunization is known as the DTaP vaccine or DT vaccine (for those who cannot tolerate the pertussis vaccine) and is one of the childhood immunizations that doctors in the United States recommend during infancy. The vaccine consists of a series of five shots and is given to children at ages 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years. After the initial series of immunizations in childhood, booster shots of the diphtheria vaccine are needed to help maintain immunity. The first booster shot is needed around age 12, and then every 10 years after that. The booster shot is available in either a Td (i.e., tetanus and diphtheria) or Tdap (i.e., tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) form.

References:

• http://www.globalrph.com/bugs2.cgi• http://www.chp.gov.hk/en/content/9/24/47.html• http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7543.php• http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=31793• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004460/• http://www.austincc.edu/microbio/2704u/cod.htm• http://

www.nhs.uk/conditions/diphtheria/pages/medicineguidepage.aspx

• http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/diphtheria_symptoms.htm#ixzz2YxnLmuTq

• http://www.onhealth.com/diphtheria/page3.htm