#Post-Chikungunya symptoms

[oh-my-gordonramsay]

thinking abt that “save mosquitoes” post and im boiling with anger

[joseamooney]

20 Health Tips for 2020

The start of a new decade brings with it new resolutions to improve one’s life, including a healthier lifestyle. Here are 20 practical health tips to help you start off towards healthy living in 2020.

1. Eat a healthy diet Photo: FAO/J. Grey Eat a combination of different foods, including fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Adults should eat at least five portions (400g) of fruit and vegetables per day. You can improve your intake of fruits and vegetables by always including veggies in your meal; eating fresh fruit and vegetables as snacks; eating a variety of fruits and vegetables; and eating them in season. By eating healthy, you will reduce your risk of malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.

2. Consume less salt and sugar Photo: WHO/C. Black Filipinos consume twice the recommended amount of sodium, putting them at risk of high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Most people get their sodium through salt. Reduce your salt intake to 5g per day, equivalent to about one teaspoon. It’s easier to do this by limiting the amount of salt, soy sauce, fish sauce and other high-sodium condiments when preparing meals; removing salt, seasonings and condiments from your meal table; avoiding salty snacks; and choosing low-sodium products. On the other hand, consuming excessive amounts of sugars increases the risk of tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain. In both adults and children, the intake of free sugars should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy intake. This is equivalent to 50g or about 12 teaspoons for an adult. WHO recommends consuming less than 5% of total energy intake for additional health benefits. You can reduce your sugar intake by limiting the consumption of sugary snacks, candies and sugar-sweetened beverages.

3. Reduce intake of harmful fats

📷 Photo: WHO/S. Volkov Fats consumed should be less than 30% of your total energy intake. This will help prevent unhealthy weight gain and NCDs. There are different types of fats, but unsaturated fats are preferable over saturated fats and trans-fats. WHO recommends reducing saturated fats to less than 10% of total energy intake; reducing trans-fats to less than 1% of total energy intake; and replacing both saturated fats and trans-fats to unsaturated fats. The preferable unsaturated fats are found in fish, avocado and nuts, and in sunflower, soybean, canola and olive oils; saturated fats are found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese, ghee and lard; and trans-fats are found in baked and fried foods, and pre-packaged snacks and foods, such as frozen pizza, cookies, biscuits, and cooking oils and spreads.

4. Avoid harmful use of alcohol

📷 Photo: WHO/S. Volkov There is no safe level for drinking alcohol. Consuming alcohol can lead to health problems such as mental and behavioural disorders, including alcohol dependence, major NCDs such as liver cirrhosis, some cancers and heart diseases, as well as injuries resulting from violence and road clashes and collisions.

5. Don’t smoke

📷 Photo: WHO/Y. Shimizu Smoking tobacco causes NCDs such as lung disease, heart disease and stroke. Tobacco kills not only the direct smokers but even non-smokers through second-hand exposure. Currently, there are around 15.9 million Filipino adults who smoke tobacco but 7 in 10 smokers are interested or plan to quit. If you are currently a smoker, it’s not too late to quit. Once you do, you will experience immediate and long-term health benefits. If you are not a smoker, that’s great! Do not start smoking and fight for your right to breathe tobacco-smoke-free air.

6. Be active

📷 Photo: WHO/Y. Shimizu Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. This includes exercise and activities undertaken while working, playing, carrying out household chores, travelling, and engaging in recreational pursuits. The amount of physical activity you need depends on your age group but adults aged 18-64 years should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week. Increase moderate-intensity physical activity to 300 minutes per week for additional health benefits.

7. Check your blood pressure regularly

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is called a “silent killer”. This is because many people who have hypertension may not be aware of the problem as it may not have any symptoms. If left uncontrolled, hypertension can lead to heart, brain, kidney and other diseases. Have your blood pressure checked regularly by a health worker so you know your numbers. If your blood pressure is high, get the advice of a health worker. This is vital in the prevention and control of hypertension.

8. Get tested

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Getting yourself tested is an important step in knowing your health status, especially when it comes to HIV, hepatitis B, sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and tuberculosis (TB). Left untreated, these diseases can lead to serious complications and even death. Knowing your status means you will know how to either continue preventing these diseases or, if you find out that you’re positive, get the care and treatment that you need. Go to a public or private health facility, wherever you are comfortable, to have yourself tested.

9. Get vaccinated

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent diseases. Vaccines work with your body’s natural defences to build protection against diseases like cervical cancer, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, pneumonia, polio, rabies, rubella, tetanus, typhoid, and yellow fever. In the Philippines, free vaccines are provided to children 1 year old and below as part of the Department of Health’s routine immunization programme. If you are an adolescent or adult, you may ask your physician if to check your immunization status or if you want to have yourself vaccinated.

10. Practice safe sex

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Looking after your sexual health is important for your overall health and well-being. Practice safe sex to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea and syphilis. There are available prevention measures such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that will protect you from HIV and condoms that will protect you from HIV and other STIs.

11. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing

📷 Photo: WHO/I. Brown Diseases such as influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis are transmitted through the air. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, infectious agents may be passed on to others through airborne droplets. When you feel a cough or sneeze coming on, make sure you have covered your mouth with a face mask or use a tissue then dispose it carefully. If you do not have a tissue close by when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth as much as possible with the crook (or the inside) of your elbow.

12. Prevent mosquito bites

📷 Photo: WHO/Y. Shimizu Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world. Diseases like dengue, chikungunya, malaria and lymphatic filariasis are transmitted by mosquitoes and continue to affect Filipinos. You can take simple measures to protect yourself and your loved ones against mosquito-borne diseases. If you’re traveling to an area with known mosquito-borne diseases, consult a physician for a vaccine to prevent diseases such as Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever or if you need to take antimalarial medicines. Wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants and use insect repellent. At home, use window and door screens, use bed nets and clean your surroundings weekly to destroy mosquito breeding sites.

13. Follow traffic laws

📷 Photo: WHO/D. Rodriguez Road crashes claim over one million lives around the world and millions more are injured. Road traffic injuries are preventable through a variety of measures implemented by the government such as strong legislation and enforcement, safer infrastructure and vehicle standards, and improved post-crash care. You yourself can also prevent road crashes by ensuring that you follow traffic laws such as using the seatbelt for adults and child restraint for your kids, wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle or bicycle, not drinking and driving, and not using your mobile phone while driving.

14. Drink only safe water

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Guerrero Drinking unsafe water can lead to water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces. Check with your water concessionaire and water refilling station to ensure that the water you’re drinking is safe. In a setting where you are unsure of your water source, boil your water for at least one minute. This will destroy harmful organisms in the water. Let it cool naturally before drinking.

15. Breastfeed babies from 0 to 2 years and beyond

📷 Photo: WHO/T. David Breastfeeding is the best way to provide the ideal food for newborns and infants. WHO recommends that mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth. Breastfeeding for the first six months is crucial for the baby to grow up healthy. It is recommended that breastfeeding is continued for up to two years and beyond. Aside from being beneficial to babies, breastfeeding is also good for the mother as it reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type II diabetes, and postpartum depression.

16. Talk to someone you trust if you're feeling down

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Guerrero Depression is a common illness worldwide with over 260 million people affected. Depression can manifest in different ways, but it might make you feel hopeless or worthless, or you might think about negative and disturbing thoughts a lot or have an overwhelming sense of pain. If you’re going through this, remember that you are not alone. Talk to someone you trust such as a family member, friend, colleague or mental health professional about how you feel. If you feel that you are in danger of harming yourself, contact the National Center for Mental Health hotline at 0917-899-USAP (8727).

17. Take antibiotics only as prescribed

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest public health threats in our generation. When antibiotics lose their power, bacterial infections become harder to treat, leading to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality. Antibiotics are losing their power because of misuse and overuse in humans and animals. Make sure you only take antibiotics if prescribed by a qualified health professional. And once prescribed, complete the treatment days as instructed. Never share antibiotics.

18. Clean your hands properly

📷 Photo: WHO/F. Tanggol Hand hygiene is critical not only for health workers but for everyone. Clean hands can prevent the spread of infectious illnesses. You should handwash using soap and water when your hands are visibly soiled or handrub using an alcohol-based product.

19. Prepare your food correctly

📷 Photo: WHO/A. Esquillon Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances, causes more than 200 diseases – ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. When buying food at the market or store, check the labels or the actual produce to ensure it is safe to eat. If you are preparing food, make sure you follow the Five Keys to Safer Food: (1) keep clean; (2) separate raw and cooked; (3) cook thoroughly; (4) keep food at safe temperatures; and (5) use safe water and raw materials.

20. Have regular check-ups

📷 Photo: WHO/Y. Shimizu Regular check-ups can help find health problems before they start. Health professionals can help find and diagnose health issues early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better. Go to your nearest health facility to check out the the health services, screenings and treatment that are accessible to you.

[backpaintreatmentinindia]

Pains Associated With COVID-19

WHO declared COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic on 11th March 2020. One year on and we are still haunted by the mysteries of this virus as more and more evidence accumulates supporting COVID-19 as a complex multisystem disease rather than just being restricted to the lungs.

The widespread perception is that COVID infection has the following probable outcomes – recovery in two to three weeks, hospital admission or mortality is severe cases. For some patients however, COVID 19 is not a discrete infection lasting a few weeks but marks the start of a long-term illness with ongoing and often debilitating symptoms. This is addressed as Long COVID. This diagnosis brings more uncertainty into picture and challenges the clinical, governmental assumptions about COVID.

Long COVID is perhaps the first illness name to be coined by patients themselves through social media. Persisting pain and fatigue is one of the prominent symptoms of Long COVID. This blog explores the relationship between COVID-19 infection and pain, including the pains related to acute infection and those persisting after the infection.

What type of pains does one experience at the time of acute COVID-19 infection?

Muscle pain and fatigue are commonly seen in acute COVID -19 infection with an incidence of approximately 44%. COVID-19 associated pain is described by most as a diffuse ache or soreness, similar to that one experiences after exercise. The difference being that these pains are not localised to one body part and take a longer time to resolve. Compared to the joint pains, muscle pains are more commonly seen in the acute phase.

Even the so called “mild COVID-19” cases can be troubled by miserable, debilitating symptoms such as headaches, body aches and extreme fatigue. Pains associated with acute COVID-19 infection and their incidence range are as follows

Muscle & Joint pain 1.5 – 61 %

Headaches1.7 – 33.9%

Sore throat 0.7 – 47.1%

Chest pain 1.6 – 17.7%

Abdominal pain 1.9 – 14.5%

What is the cause of COVID-19 infection associated pains?

The exact cause behind these pains remains unknown but generalise soreness, pain and fatigue are not uncommon with viral infections and most of us have experienced these with seasonal flu. Multiple mechanisms are postulated to be contributing to these pains such as

Virus triggered inflammation and body’s immune response

Direct muscle damage

Blockage of blood vessels by clots leading to the poor blood supply to the muscles etc.

The relative contribution of these factors remains unknown. Besides these, stress and low mood play a role in modulating the pain perceived by an individual.

How can we manage these pains?

For most people these pains respond to simple painkillers such as paracetamol. If this is not sufficient then other pain killers can be used after consulting a specialist, as these need to be chosen carefully depending on your current health status, organ function and severity of COVID infection. Simple measures such as ensuring adequate hydration, nutrition and adequate rest may be helpful in reducing the pain.

How long do these pains last for?

For most individuals these will get better as one recovers in 2-3 weeks. However, in some patients it may persist for longer periods.

What is Long-COVID and what are its symptoms?

A study conducted in Italy evaluated 143 patients for persisting symptoms, 60 days after the initial onset of COVID-19 symptoms. In this study joint pains and chest pain were present in 27.3% and 21.7% of patients respectively. Other commonly present symptoms included fatigue (53.1%) and dyspnoea (43.4%).

Another study from China, involving 1733 patients found that six months after discharge 76% of patients had at least one of the these symptoms- fatigue/weakness (63%), difficulty sleeping (26%), hair loss (22%), altered smell and taste (11 and 9%), and mobility issues (7%).

These persisting symptoms are addressed as Long COVID with as incidence of around 10% (varying between 10- 70 % in different studies). These studies highlight the impact of COVID even after the resolution of the acute phase. Other commonly observed symptoms include inability to concentrate, impaired memory, anxiety, and depression.

Why do some people get long lasting symptoms?

There is uncertainty regarding the underlying mechanisms responsible for Long COVID. Some of the possible causes include

A reduced response/ lack of immune response or long lasting changes in the immune system

Relapse or reinfection of the virus

New or relapsing inflammatory

Injury to multiple organs

Deconditioning

Treatment side effects

Post-traumatic stress.

What are the management options for Long-COVID?

Currently due to limited research and evidence, no specific treatments that can be offered as a cure. As the number of patients recovering from COVID-19 grows and research evidence accumulates, we may be able to answer this question better. Many patients, however, recover spontaneously with

Holistic support

Balancing rest with activity

Symptomatic treatment and gradual increase in activity

Individualized rehabilitation plans

Controlling other comorbidities such as diabetes, blood pressure, heart and breathing conditions etc.

One can make sensible lifestyle changes such

Following a healthy diet with weight management

Not smoking

Limiting alcohol and coffee

Getting quality sleep

Managing depression, anxiety and stress.

Protective role of supplements such as vitamins, if any remains unclear although maintaining normal levels is sensible.

Can Covid-19 infection cause flare-up of pre-existing arthritis?

Joint pains or arthritis after viral infections is not a new phenomenon with viral arthritis responsible for 1% of acute arthritis cases worldwide. In India joint pains after viral infections such as dengue and chikungunya are common. Concerns have been expressed regarding increase in severity of certain types of arthritis with COVID-19 infection, and how this unfolds in the future remains to be seen. Currently there are many published case reports with arthritic symptoms in lower limb and small joint of hand developing after COVID-!9 infection. Some of these patients have benefited from the use of anti-inflammatory medications and local joint injections.

Tags- Neuropathic Pain treatment in Delhi Pain Management in Delhi Best Back Pain Doctor in Delhi

[dr-amod-manocha]

PAINS ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19 - Removemypain

WHO declared COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic on 11th March 2020. One year on and we are still haunted by the mysteries of this virus as more and more evidence accumulates supporting COVID-19 as a complex multisystem disease rather than just being restricted to the lungs.

The widespread perception is that COVID infection has the following probable outcomes – recovery in two to three weeks, hospital admission or mortality is severe cases. For some patients however, COVID 19 is not a discrete infection lasting a few weeks but marks the start of a long-term illness with ongoing and often debilitating symptoms. This is addressed as Long COVID. This diagnosis brings more uncertainty into picture and challenges the clinical, governmental assumptions about COVID.

Long COVID is perhaps the first illness name to be coined by patients themselves through social media. Persisting pain and fatigue is one of the prominent symptoms of Long COVID. This blog explores the relationship between COVID-19 infection and pain, including the pains related to acute infection and those persisting after the infection.

What type of pains does one experience at the time of acute COVID-19 infection?

Muscle pain and fatigue are commonly seen in acute COVID -19 infection with an incidence of approximately 44%. COVID-19 associated pain is described by most as a diffuse ache or soreness, similar to that one experiences after exercise. The difference being that these pains are not localised to one body part and take a longer time to resolve. Compared to the joint pains, muscle pains are more commonly seen in the acute phase.

Even the so called “mild COVID-19” cases can be troubled by miserable, debilitating symptoms such as headaches, body aches and extreme fatigue. Pains associated with acute COVID-19 infection and their incidence range are as follows

Muscle & Joint pain 1.5 – 61 %

Headaches1.7 – 33.9%

Sore throat 0.7 – 47.1%

Chest pain 1.6 – 17.7%

Abdominal pain 1.9 – 14.5%

What is the cause of COVID-19 infection associated pains?

The exact cause behind these pains remains unknown but generalise soreness, pain and fatigue are not uncommon with viral infections and most of us have experienced these with seasonal flu. Multiple mechanisms are postulated to be contributing to these pains such as

Virus triggered inflammation and body’s immune response

Direct muscle damage

Blockage of blood vessels by clots leading to the poor blood supply to the muscles etc.

The relative contribution of these factors remains unknown. Besides these, stress and low mood play a role in modulating the pain perceived by an individual.

How can we manage these pains?

For most people these pains respond to simple painkillers such as paracetamol. If this is not sufficient then other pain killers can be used after consulting a specialist, as these need to be chosen carefully depending on your current health status, organ function and severity of COVID infection. Simple measures such as ensuring adequate hydration, nutrition and adequate rest may be helpful in reducing the pain.

How long do these pains last for?

For most individuals these will get better as one recovers in 2-3 weeks. However, in some patients it may persist for longer periods.

What is Long-COVID and what are its symptoms?

A study conducted in Italy evaluated 143 patients for persisting symptoms, 60 days after the initial onset of COVID-19 symptoms. In this study joint pains and chest pain were present in 27.3% and 21.7% of patients respectively. Other commonly present symptoms included fatigue (53.1%) and dyspnoea (43.4%).

Another study from China, involving 1733 patients found that six months after discharge 76% of patients had at least one of the these symptoms- fatigue/weakness (63%), difficulty sleeping (26%), hair loss (22%), altered smell and taste (11 and 9%), and mobility issues (7%).

These persisting symptoms are addressed as Long COVID with as incidence of around 10% (varying between 10- 70 % in different studies). These studies highlight the impact of COVID even after the resolution of the acute phase. Other commonly observed symptoms include inability to concentrate, impaired memory, anxiety, and depression.

Why do some people get long lasting symptoms?

There is uncertainty regarding the underlying mechanisms responsible for Long COVID. Some of the possible causes include

A reduced response/ lack of immune response or long lasting changes in the immune system

Relapse or reinfection of the virus

New or relapsing inflammatory

Injury to multiple organs

Deconditioning

Treatment side effects

Post-traumatic stress.

What are the management options for Long-COVID?

Currently due to limited research and evidence, no specific treatments that can be offered as a cure. As the number of patients recovering from COVID-19 grows and research evidence accumulates, we may be able to answer this question better. Many patients, however, recover spontaneously with

Holistic support

Balancing rest with activity

Symptomatic treatment and gradual increase in activity

Individualized rehabilitation plans

Controlling other comorbidities such as diabetes, blood pressure, heart and breathing conditions etc.

One can make sensible lifestyle changes such

Following a healthy diet with weight management

Not smoking

Limiting alcohol and coffee

Getting quality sleep

Managing depression, anxiety and stress.

Protective role of supplements such as vitamins, if any remains unclear although maintaining normal levels is sensible.

Can Covid-19 infection cause flare-up of pre-existing arthritis?

Joint pains or arthritis after viral infections is not a new phenomenon with viral arthritis responsible for 1% of acute arthritis cases worldwide. In India joint pains after viral infections such as dengue and chikungunya are common. Concerns have been expressed regarding increase in severity of certain types of arthritis with COVID-19 infection, and how this unfolds in the future remains to be seen. Currently there are many published case reports with arthritic symptoms in lower limb and small joint of hand developing after COVID-!9 infection. Some of these patients have benefited from the use of anti-inflammatory medications and local joint injections.

Tag = Back Pain Treatment in India, COVID-19

[expatimes]

Experts baffled by mystery illness in India as 500 people hospitalized

NEW DELHI, Dec 8, (AP): Health officials and experts are still baffled by a mysterious illness that has left over 500 people hospitalized and one person dead in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The illness was first Saturday detected in Eluru, an ancient city famous for its handwoven products.

A young patient is brought in a wheelchair to the district government hospital in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh state, India, Sunday, Dec.6, 2020. Over 200 people have been hospitalized due to an unidentified illness in this ancient city famous for its hand woven products. (AP Photo)

People started convulsing without any warning, said Geeta Prasadini, the director of public health. Since then, symptoms ranging from nausea and anxiety to loss of consciousness have been reported in 546 patients admitted to hospitals.

Many have recovered and returned home, while 148 are still being treated, said Dasari Nagarjuna, a government spokesperson. Teams of experts have arrived at the city from India's top scientific institutes. Different theories have been suggested and are being tested. The most recent hypothesis is contamination of food by pesticides. “But nobody knows,” Prasadini admitted.

What is confounding experts is that there doesn't seem to be any common link among the hundreds of people who have fallen sick. All of the patients have tested negative for COVID-19 and other viral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya or herpes. They aren't related to each other. They don't all live in the same area. They're from different age groups, including about 70 children, but very few are elderly. Initially, contaminated water was suspected. But the chief minister's office confirmed that people who don't use the municipal water supply have also fallen ill, and that initial tests of water samples didn't reveal any harmful chemicals.

A 45-year-old man with the single name Sridhar was hospitalized with symptoms resembling epilepsy and died Sunday evening, doctors said. Prasadini said his autopsy didn't shed any light on the cause of death. The hypothesis currently being tested is that people ate vegetables tainted with organic pesticides made of compounds containing phosphorus. But this is an “assumption” based on the fact that such pesticides are commonly used in the area and not on any evidence, Prasadini said. She said that experts were testing to see if pesticides had contaminated fish ponds or spilled over to vegetables.

The post Experts baffled by mystery illness in India as 500 people hospitalized appeared first on ARAB TIMES - KUWAIT NEWS.

#world Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=15331&feed_id=22219

[biotechtimes]

Lab-on-Paper Strip: Small, Inexpensive Platform for Diagnosing Tropical Fevers

New Post has been published on https://biotechtimes.org/2020/09/10/lab-on-paper-strip-small-inexpensive-platform-for-diagnosing-tropical-fevers/

Lab-on-Paper Strip: Small, Inexpensive Platform for Diagnosing Tropical Fevers

Scientists develop a pocket-sized Lab-on-Paper tool for rapidly identifying various mosquito-borne diseases in resource-constrained clinical environments 

 Dengue, zika, and chikungunya viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes and cause tropical fevers with similar symptoms, making accurate diagnosis complicated. Now, researchers from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in Korea have developed a simple and low-cost diagnostic platform—a lab-on-paper strip—that can readily detect the specific RNA of these viruses from a small blood sample.

 The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important it is to have tools that can rapidly diagnose viral infectious diseases. Aside from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has currently taken the spotlight, the zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses have also become major threats to human health in many parts of the world, particularly in tropical countries. All three viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes and cause diseases that have similar symptoms, making early diagnosis particularly difficult without complex molecular diagnostic equipment.

In a recent effort to make the diagnosis of these mosquito-borne diseases faster and easier, a team of scientists, led by Professor Min-Gon Kim from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in Korea, have developed a compact, fully automatic, and inexpensive tool that can identify the presence of these viruses from a blood serum sample. The device, named LAMDA (stands for lab-on-paper for all-in-one molecular diagnostics) by the scientists, is essentially a mini laboratory on a paper strip—vaguely reminiscent of over-the-counter pregnancy tests.

LAMDA performs all the steps of a standard nucleic acid test (a molecular diagnostic test), namely sampling, extraction, amplification, and detection of the target viral RNA, without external intervention at any intermediate step. To use LAMDA, one has to simply place a drop of blood serum and some drops of distilled water on two pads. The liquids naturally flow through the paper strip horizontally and reach the base of a small vertical stack of layers that extracts all the RNA from the sample and multiplies any existing viral RNA of the three diseases.

The top layer of the vertical stack comprises individual “reaction” patches, each designed to detect one of the three diseases. After the RNA is extracted, it flows up to the top layer, where “LAMP (Loop-mediated isothermal amplification)” reactions cause the fluorescent indicators on a patch to become dim if its target viral RNA is present in the sample.

In this way, LAMDA can correctly diagnose any of the three mosquito-borne diseases in less than an hour.

Excited about the results, which are published in Elsevier’s Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Prof Kim remarks: “We believe that with minor modifications, such as a portable system to maintain reaction temperature at 65°C and a means to detect the fluorescence change with a smartphone, the proposed all-in-one paper chip can become a portable, low-cost, user-friendly, sensitive, and specific nucleic acid test platform with great potential in point-of-care diagnostics.”

LAMDA could be an excellent option for resource-limited clinics and hospitals, which are unfortunately common among countries most affected by mosquito-borne diseases. It could also bolster future research in the field of diagnostics for other infectious diseases.

“We certainly hope that our approach and achievements with LAMDA will be helpful to advance research and development of on-site medical diagnostic tools,” Prof Kim concludes.

Perhaps, a generation of accurate and high-utility pocket diagnostic tools is on the horizon!

[pharmaphorumuk]

AI could drive health system development in lower-income countries

Health systems in lower-income countries could overtake those in richer countries with artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled technologies, according to a report from Novartis Foundation and Microsoft.

According to the report “Reimagining Global Health through Artificial Intelligence: The Roadmap to AI Maturity”, technologies such as mobile phone trading platforms, e-banking, e-commerce and blockchain applications have been adopted faster and more comprehensively in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.

The report was developed by the Broadband Commission Working Group on Digital and AI in Health, which the Novartis Foundation and Microsoft co-chair and is based on a landscape review of over 300 existing use cases of AI in health.

The reduced contact between patients and health providers because of social distancing during the pandemic has led to a growth in technologies such as AI-enabled diagnostics, and the report added there is also demand for digital health solutions that could allow AI to be integrated into health systems.

The report argued that Rwanda is now the most digitally connected health system in Africa, with a virtual consulting service used by more than two million users – a third of the adult population – in May this year.

This allows the country to compensate for a shortage of healthcare workers, which is a global problem, but is particularly serious in some areas of Africa.

In Rwanda AI technology allows one doctor to serve as many as 60,000 people.

A private sector partner, Babylon Health, is working with the Rwandan government to give every person over 12 access to digital health consultations.

More than 30% of the country’s adult population has signed up and there are hopes the partnership will see the introduction of an AI-powered triage and symptom checker platform.

But Sub-Saharan Africa faces particularly acute health challenges, the report added. The region currently represents 12% of the global population but faces 25% of the world’s disease burden, while housing only 3% of the world’s health workers.

But the report also noted AI success stories elsewhere in the world: in Malaysia, Brazil, and the Philippines, AI is being used to tackle multiple mosquito-borne diseases including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.

The programme continuously pulls multidimensional data from over 90 public databases and adjusts for 276 variables that influence the spread of disease to predict when outbreaks are likely.

UNICEF has developed an AI programme to reduce the social and economic burden of outbreaks through targeted population health measures. Its Magic Box programme both predicts when outbreaks are likely, and allows health systems to reorganise their resources, alert health workers and launch public health campaigns, so they can respond better and faster to emergencies.

  The post AI could drive health system development in lower-income countries appeared first on .

from https://pharmaphorum.com/news/ai-could-drive-health-system-development-in-lower-income-countries/

[dietadviser]

Everything we now know about the Zika virus and preventing it

The news comes as even more cases of the mosquito-borne infection have been confirmed in the United States, with every one of those instances being validated in people who have lately traveled to the influenced areas - or had sex with somebody contaminated with the virus.

An episode of the infection in Brazil has actually been condemned for birth defects in countless children birthed within the past year - 404 of those validated situations of microcephaly (the abnormality connected to Zika) in newborns have been because November 2015. Fifteen babies have actually died from microcephaly considering that then, with five linked to Zika as well as an additional 56 under examination. Brazilian authorities are investigating a minimum of 3,670 situations. There were only 147 situations of Zika reported in all of 2014.

Zika has actually additionally prompted officials in Brazil and also Central America to encourage women versus obtaining pregnant.

The first instance of Zika in the USA was verified in January on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

' The mommy likely had Zika infection when she was residing in Brazil in Could 2015 and also her newborn got the infection in the womb,' a rep for Hawaii's health and wellness department stated, according to CNN. 'Neither the child neither the mommy are infectious, as well as there was never a threat of transmission in Hawaii.'

However, there is some worry that there's the potential for infected individuals to spread the virus through mosquitoes in the USA. Since June 30, 2016, there have mored than 900 validated instances of Zika in the United States, 324 of those in New york city alone, according to the state's health and wellness division. Of those 324, 233 remained in New york city City, numerous of those in individuals who lately took a trip from the Dominican Republic.

The Centers for Illness Control and Avoidance additionally confirmed that since June 23, seven babies have actually been born with abnormality as an outcome of the mosquito-borne condition, alone with 5 shed maternities.

So exactly what is the Zika virus?

The Zika virus is spread out by mosquitoes and is understood to create birth flaws in newborns, consisting of microcephaly, a congenital brain condition that triggers underdevelopment of the mind or head, or both. It can likewise trigger infants to be birthed with smaller-than-normal heads or Down syndrome. Some have difficulty receiving adequate oxygen in the mind and, as shown in Brazil, it could be fatal.

Zika spread via the bites of the Aedes aegypti insect, an usual insect found in subtropical environments recognized for spreading out all type of spitefulness, including the dengue and yellow fevers and also the Chikungunya infection. Zika is a somewhat common infection that commonly brings on small symptoms.

' We understand that four out of five individuals with Zika will certainly have no signs,' Frieden told CNN. 'So our brand-new support says pregnant females without signs and symptoms could be provided screening in between two to 12 weeks after traveling.'

Will there be a huge Zika episode in the United States?

The CDC is still cautious to prevent claiming that Zika will certainly be a substantial trouble in the USA. The wellness body is suggesting that expecting females postpone all travel to the adhering to regions: Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Martin, Suriname, Samoa, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. If you have actually been to these areas as well as were expecting at the time, you need to seek screening for the virus.

If traveling is inevitable, the CDC advises taking lots of preventative measures to keep insects away.

The Brazilian federal government just recently verified they identified active Zika infection in saliva as well as pee, leading numerous to believe it could conveniently be transmitted through those mediums. Nonetheless, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the supervisor of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NPR in a meeting that traces of the infection in saliva and also urine does not necessarily mean it can be transferred that way. 'There's undoubtedly a theoretical possibility, yet there's no evidence that it's taken place or that it will happen,' he said.

So, your main worry ought to still be with mosquitos and sexual transmission.

As for the USA, the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are already discovered in lots of components of the mainland, yet as of now you're most likely to obtain various other health problems from the attacks. Still, there is no vaccination - and one isn't really coming up anytime soon - so the CDC is suggesting that men stay clear of sex with expectant ladies that have been anywhere around the affected areas.

The British Fertility Society likewise advises that individuals who have traveled to Zika-affected areas ought to not try to develop, give away eggs or sperm, or have fertility treatments for 28 days post-exposure.

And everyone ought to be using effective repellents - particularly those in states with validated situations. Consumer Reports discovered that the most reliable repellents are ones which contain high percentages of picardin or Deet. The most effective scoring repellent was Repel Lemon Eucalyptus, but others by Repel, Sawyer, Off! Deep Woods and also Natrapel racked up high as well.

[liveindiatimes]

Covid-19: ICMR advises antibody testing in hot spots for faster diagnosis - india news

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Covid-19: ICMR advises antibody testing in hot spots for faster diagnosis - india news

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) advised on Thursday antibody tests (or blood tests) in areas that are emerging as hot spots of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), a move that will ensure faster detection of all possible cases in these clusters and help authorities buy some precious time to contain the fast-spreading pandemic.

The test used now — PCR (polymerase chain reaction) — identifies the Sars-CoV-2 virus from throat of nasal swab samples of people with symptoms or high-risk individuals (health workers and family members) who might have come in contact with a Covid-19 patient.

The antibody detection blood test will identify people who already have been infected, but have mild or no symptoms, according to experts who say the move will help us know how many have been able to fight off the infection and have become what could be called a “corona-blocker”.

While the results of PCR tests take up to five hours, the antibody test results will be available in 15-30 minutes.

“Population in hotspot areas may be tested using rapid antibody test. And antibody positives to be confirmed by RT-PCR (reverse transcription-PCR) using throat/nasal swab, and antibody negatives to be quarantined at home,” said the interim ICMR advisory.

This means positive results will be reconfirmed using the PCR test.

The antibody test uses a few drops of blood to determine whether a person has antibodies against the coronavirus. Antibodies in the immune system means the person had the disease at some point in the past, even though the person was never tested for it, and has now recovered.

An ICMR official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, the move will mean getting quicker results even if there is a large number of people.

“However, to ensure there are no false positives or false negatives, we recommend confirmatory PCR-based test for all positive results,” this official said.

The ICMR also released a link (www.finddx.org/) having an information on all available CE-marked rapid SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests. CE-In Vitro Diagnostic approved kits can be used directly after due approval from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and intimation to ICMR.

ICMR earlier made public an expression of interest to procure a million anti-body testing kits from manufacturers across the globe. However, due to the shortage of supply, the number was revised to 500,000 testing kits. The first shipment is expected by this weekend (April 5).

Experts say that India’s decision to introduce anti-body testing kits could be a game.

“These tests are expected to be very economical, simple and give results within 15-20 minutes. They are being used for contact-tracing in some countries. The Indian health system has lot of experience in doing such tests, like the ones for dengue and chikungunya. So it will be easy to ramp up the screening. It is also a great tool for surveillance, and building up epidemiological data. Indian companies would be able to produce them easily and at massive scale,” Lalit Kant, a senior infectious disease expert, said.

Kant also had a word of caution. “While using these tests, one has to be careful about false positives as there may be cross-reaction with other virus antigens. Antibodies take time to develop, so if the test is performed early in the phase of the infection, may not give correct results. This decision is transformational,” he said.

But he pointed out that the move would ease workload off main laboratories, as sophisticated equipment or highly trained manpower would not be needed for the process.

“Mass screenings can be done using these tests to give us vital information on the number of people infected who never went to the hospital. It would give us an idea of the denominator to calculate fatality ratios,” he said.

On Thursday, the Union health ministry said it identified 20 existing and 22 potential hotspots in the country, and asserted that although there was no evidence of widespread community transmission, containment measures will require large human resources.

The advisory stressed capacity building, saying identified human resource needs to be trained online in areas such as field surveillance, contact tracing, packaging and shipment of specimen and hospital infection prevention and control, including use of appropriate personal protective equipment.

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New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/is-cozumel-safe/

Is Cozumel Safe?

Are you thinking about going to Cozumel for your ultimate family vacation? Have you been planning it for too long and want everything to be perfect? Are you are asking yourself whether Cozumel is safe enough for you and your family? Be prepared because there is a predator on the island that is attacking tourists and locals alike. The Federales and the Marines have turned out to be no match to this predator’s attack.

These predators are evasive and well-prepared. They watch you sleep, calculating the precise moment at which you began to enter the dream stage. Their attacks occur in a short, unexpected burst. This often leaves you dazed and confused. By the time you turned on the lights, they will vanish. Who uses these guerrilla warfare tactics? The MOSQUITOES!!!

Mosquitoes spread viruses like dengue and chikungunya. Dengue fever symptoms are a sudden onset of fever, headache, and severe joint and muscle pain. Later, joint swelling, backaches, and a rash may appear. Symptoms may improve after two to three days or persist for about 10 days. The World Health Organization estimates that there may be 50-100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, introducing vaccines against dengue could be soon. A different virus causes Chikungunya. This illness has many similarities to dengue fever but is rarely lethal or as severe. Symptoms appear between four and seven days after the infective bite and include high fever, joint pain, joint swelling, rash, headache, muscle pain, nausea, and fatigue. In some people, joint pain may cause persisting trouble. Recovery brings immunity to further infection. Chikungunya is also spreading fast–half a million cases have occurred since 2013, in the Caribbean and Latin America. No vaccine is available at present.

You will be hard-pressed to find any tropical destination free from the risk of infection with mosquito-borne viruses, however, bite protection measures reduce the risk! When you are outdoors (at dawn and dusk), use an insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin and on your clothing. Two of the best are Repel 100 insect repellent, which contains 98 percent DEET or Ben’s 30 DEET tick and insect repellent. Products like Avon’s Skin so soft just do not work. You can go to Cozumel and have a great time, but you must take careful precautions to avoid being bitten.

[rnomics]

Diseases, Vol. 6, Pages 53: Fatal Human Case of Zika and Chikungunya Virus Co-Infection with Prolonged Viremia and Viruria

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection usually presents as a mild and self-limited illness, but it may be associated with severe outcomes. We describe a case of a 30-year-old man with systemic erythematous lupus and common variable immunodeficiency who became infected with both Zika (ZIKV) and Chikungunya (CHIKV) virus during the 2016 outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The patient presented with intense wrist and right ankle arthritis, and ZIKV #RNA and virus particles were detected in synovial tissue, blood and urine, and CHIKV #RNA in serum sample, at the time of the diagnosis. During the follow up, ZIKV #RNA persisted for 275 days post symptoms onset. The patient evolved with severe arthralgia/arthritis and progressive deterioration of renal function. Fatal outcome occurred after 310 days post ZIKV and CHIKV co-infection onset. The results show the development of severe disease and fatal outcome of ZIKV infection in an immunosuppressed adult. The data suggests a correlation between immunodeficiency and prolonged ZIKV #RNA shedding in both blood and urine with progressive disease. The results also indicate a possible role for arbovirus co-infections as risk factors for severe and fatal outcomes from ZIKV infection. http://bit.ly/2MLngiP #MDPI

[dailynewsplatform]

Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya: Causes, symptoms and their biggest differences | The Times of India

Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya: Causes, symptoms and their biggest differences | The Times of India

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Dengue is transmitted to humans by female Aedes mosquitoes. These mosquitoes carry the dengue virus (DEN), which comprises four distinct serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and […]

The post Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya: Causes, symptoms and their biggest differences | The Times of India first appeared on Daily 2 Daily News.

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The best hope for coronavirus treatment is an experimental drug that fizzled against Ebola

Now the drug, created by pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences, is being tested in new clinical trials, and global health authorities deem it the most promising of possible treatments for people who are severely ill with the novel coronavirus, which causes the covid-19 disease. Because it is a “broad spectrum’’ drug that has been effective against multiple viral targets in the lab and in animals, the strategy could work, experts said.

The drug’s journey — from failing to prolong the lives of Ebola patients in sub-Saharan Africa just last year to being rushed into coronavirus clinical trials in China and the United States this year — symbolizes a dire lack of antiviral drugs that can fight emerging infectious threats.

As the outbreak spreads worldwide, a vaccine to prevent infection remains at least a year away. Meanwhile, there is no approved treatment to stop the virus once someone is infected, and the severe and sometimes fatal respiratory distress that afflicts a minority of patients.

The hope is that remdesivir will show better results with the coronavirus than it did with Ebola, which is from a different viral family, officials said. The first trial results could be available in April.

Gilead, the National Institutes of Health and Chinese health authorities are racing to test it on hundreds of people in controlled clinical trials, including a patient who was quarantined in Nebraska after being removed from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Axios reported this month that Gilead acted so quickly that it did not even wait for required approval by the Food and Drug Administration before it shipped doses to China. Asked to respond, Gilead said it thinks its “limited shipments’’ were made in compliance with U.S. law.

“I just hope remdesivir works, because we really need a therapeutic that can intervene in this crisis,’’ said Richard Whitley, director of an NIH-funded research effort involving the world’s most dangerous viruses.

Gilead did not respond directly about the drug’s failure in the Ebola trial. “Covid-19 is a coronavirus that is unrelated to Ebola virus,’’ the company said. “Covid-19 is associated with different symptoms, pa­thol­ogy, and a different course of disease.’’

Invented by Gilead about a decade ago, remdesivir has been proven to stop certain viruses from replicating in lab experiments and in animals. It has been researched in academic labs in North Carolina and Tennessee with backing from federal taxpayers since 2014, as part of a $37.5 million effort by NIH to find treatments for infectious diseases.

Until Monday, when it fell in a brutal market rout, Gilead’s stock price had defied the overall market decline of recent weeks, rising almost 20 percent from Feb. 21 to March 6, on hopes that the drug could provide the first treatment for covid-19.

The lack of treatment helps explain why. The stock price increased 5 percent on Feb. 24 alone when a top official of the World Health Organization pinned much of the world’s hopes for a treatment on the drug.

“There is only one drug right now that we think may have real efficacy, and that’s remdesivir,” said Bruce Aylward, WHO’s assistant director general. Ten days later, RBC Capital Markets gave it only a 50 percent chance of succeeding as a treatment.

The mixed signals have done little to dampen interest. There have been desperate pleas for supplies to treat patients on a “compassionate use’’ basis.

Although Gilead leads the pack on treatments, large drug companies such as Merck, Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi, as well as lesser-known companies Regeneron and Moderna, are pursuing coronavirus vaccines and medications, and executives estimate that at least 40 small biotech companies are developing drugs to fight it.

Every time there is a new virus, “we get started, but we don’t cross the finish line,’’ Julie Gerberding, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who is now the executive vice president and chief patient officer at Merck, said at a news briefing in Washington last week. This time, she said, industry is committed to pushing a vaccine to cross the line for regulatory approval.

“If we don’t cross it, it will be because it’s scientifically hard,’’ she said, “not because of the will or the investment.’’

But drug companies also have been accused of not pursuing vaccines and antiviral treatments aggressively because the commercial markets for such drugs are weak.

The potential patient pool for clinical trials dries up once a new infectious outbreak subsides, so investment can be frozen in partly completed projects. And the pool of medical customers for a drug can be short-lived, if a seasonal epidemic quickly disappears, offering little chance to recoup an investment of what could be hundreds of millions of dollars.

Vaccine and treatment development tailed off after outbreaks of the earlier coronavirus cousins, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The drug industry’s lobbying arm, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), said that at least half of its members have mobilized in various ways to fight the new coronavirus in recent weeks.

“We need to encourage as many shots on goal as possible,’’ Stephen J. Ubl, PhRMA’s chief executive officer, told reporters.

Government efforts to spur development have produced sporadic progress. In the nearly 20 years since the SARS outbreak, the National Institutes of Health has spent nearly $700 million on research and development efforts around coronavirus, according to a survey by the advocacy group Public Citizen, which criticized the pharmaceutical industry for a “lack of interest that has left us lagging behind.’’

Every epidemic presents uncertainty for drug companies, said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar for the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University.

“You never know how long it’s going to last. You never know what the market size is going to be,’’ he said. “Every conversation about price is when you’re in the middle of an emergency.’’

Given the large degree of public financial support, debates are already flaring about how much Gilead should charge for its treatment if it ever makes it to market.

Congress and President Trump authorized up to $3 billion last week for efforts by academic researchers and drug companies to develop vaccines and treatments for coronavirus, part of an $8.3 billion emergency spending bill. The industry successfully opposed efforts by some House Democrats to attach guarantees for affordable prices for vaccines or treatments that result.

Gilead said it is too soon to discuss potential markets, in written responses to The Washington Post.

“We are focused on the potential clinical value that remdesivir may bring to patients and doing our part to respond to the coronavirus outbreak,’’ the company said.

Earlier testing of remdesivir has been performed by a partnership of university academics and the National Institutes of Health called the Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center, coordinated by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It is focused on finding treatments for the family of coronaviruses, as well as Ebola, Zika, dengue and chikungunya.

Gilead said it donates free drug samples for the government-funded research of remdesivir and helps design scientific studies and clinical trials. Whitley, an infectious-disease expert who leads the drug development center in Alabama, credited Gilead for staying focused on fighting viral infections despite the poor market incentives.

“Drug companies don’t have an interest in emerging infectious diseases,’’ he said.

The public should not be excessively discouraged by the negative Ebola results last year, Whitley added. The trial in rural areas of Congo, a conflict zone with rudimentary conditions, was complicated by the fact that remdesivir’s correct dosage was unknown, he said. Also, it required a cumbersome daily IV administration, after being reconstituted from a freeze-dried form used for shipping in the uncontrolled climate conditions.

The drug has not been studied in human trials for SARS or MERS, because there are not enough patients, Gilead said.

“The number of clinical MERS infections was limited, with almost exclusive localization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and there were no SARS infections,’’ the company said.

In the new coronavirus outbreak, it said, it is reviewing individual requests from physicians to provide the drug on a “compassionate use’’ basis but only to patients who are hospitalized and showing “significant clinical manifestations.’’

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/the-best-hope-for-coronavirus-treatment-is-an-experimental-drug-that-fizzled-against-ebola/

[electricoutdoors]

Diseases in an SHTF or Post Collapse Environment – Remaining Healthy in a Long Term Survival Situation

Diseases in an SHTF

Many people prepare for all kinds of situations, but the one thing they don’t prepare for is how to deal with Diseases in an SHTF event. Diseases after SHTF will be deadlier than any band of marauders.

That’s why I always recommend focusing on things like food preservation, water filtration and stockpiling medicines over stockpiling weapons and ammo.

Today, if we’re sick we can simply go to the doctor and have them prescribe medication to us. After a collapse, that luxury will be gone. Something as simple as a small cut or an eye infection could eventually become fatal. [wc_toggle title=“Table of Contents” padding=“” border_width=“” class=“” layout=“box”]

Diseases in an SHTF

Common Ways to Contract a Disease After a Collapse

Poor Hygiene

Poor Sanitation

Contaminated Water

Diseases Caused by Insects

Lung Diseases and Infections

Food-Bourse Disease

Wounds

How to Tell if You Have an Infected Wound

Conclusion

[/wc_toggle] This makes dealing with diseases after an SHTF event one of the most important things that you can prepare for.

Common Ways to Contract a Disease After an SHTF

After an SHTF there are going to be a lot of changes in the way that we live our lives. With no modern conveniences like running water, indoor plumbing (at least to an extent), and curbside garbage pick-up there is certain to be a lot more people getting sick and we’ll probably even see a resurgence of diseases that haven’t been common for decades.

People just aren’t used to getting rid of their garbage and waste anymore so there will certainly be trash and human waste in the streets in certain areas. (Look to the homeless encampments in places like L.A. for an idea of what you’ll probably see.) I don’t even think it’s going to be because they’re lazy, it’s most likely going to be because they won’t know how to deal with the trash they produce.

Poor Hygiene

Hygiene will become even more important after a collapse than it is today. The bad part is keeping yourself clean is going to become much more difficult!

After a collapse, we most likely will not be cleaning ourselves daily. It will simply be too difficult for us to collect the amount of water needed to wash our entire bodies every day.

Instead of cleaning your whole body, keep your hands clean, and wash your armpits, groin, and feet daily. Taking a bath every few days is more than enough when water may be scarce.

Poor hygiene can lead to a whole host of bacterial viral and parasitic infections. These diseases transmitted either directly, which is most commonly the fecal to oral route, or indirectly which means that infected people or animals have come in contact with your food or water.

Poor Sanitation

Sanitation is another aspect of survival that everyone must take seriously. There are many ways to handle sanitation in an emergency. Possibilities include building an outhouse, using a composting toilet, or using premade options such as a Luggable Loo.

One of the easiest permanent solutions is to build an outhouse. The work upfront is strenuous, but the end result is well worth it. If you are staying in an area for any length of time, this is the option that I would suggest.

For a temporary solution, you can dig a simple hole and dispose of your waste in that. These are often referred to as cat holes. The downside with this method is that every time you wish to bury your waste you must find a new place to dig a hole and aren’t using an area that’s been used before. Another drawback is that you must make sure you are disposing of your waste far enough away from where you’re living so that bugs and animals aren’t attracted to your living area.

Contaminated Water

Gathering clean, drinkable, water will become a daily activity in an SHTF environment. Even if you have a working well, it’s going to be hard work.

Feces is often the cause of contaminated water around farms and areas where humans are living. Therefore, we have to take exceptional care to dispose of our feces and waste properly. If we don’t, we can easily contaminate an otherwise perfectly good water source.

Read our article about contaminated water supplies to find out more about all the diseases that can be contained in water.

[wc_box color=“primary” text_align=“left” margin_top=“” margin_bottom=“” class=“”]

Learn to make your own insect repellent.

[/wc_box]

Diseases Caused by Insects

In many parts of the world, diseases are commonly spread by insects. Some of the deadliest disease outbreaks in history have been spread via insects.

In the United States, many of these insects are kept at bay by insecticides sprayed by communities and local governments. If a major disaster occurs many of these programs would become unsustainable. This means that we should be ready to expect a massive increase in the insect population in a post-collapse environment.

One of the best ways to keep mosquitoes from growing is to ensure that pools of stagnant water are not allowed to sit around. This can be done by covering water collection devices with a screen or by simply not allowing water to gather in things like spare tires, buckets, or shallow pools.

A great way to prevent water from becoming a breeding ground for insects is to use it to water plants or as drinking water.

Another great way to prevent insects from spreading disease is mosquito netting. By making sure everyone in the family has a mosquito net you can prevent mosquito bites and many types of other biting insects from getting a chance to bite you while you sleep.

Ticks and fleas can also spread disease. Having the means to prevent fleas and ticks from infesting your animals is a necessity. This goes for both livestock and any household animals.

Malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, West Nile disease, Japanese encephalitis, sleeping sickness, Lyme disease, and tick-borne spotted fevers are all spread by insects.

Geographical Regions Diseases North America Leishmaniases, Lyme Disease, West Nile Disease Central and South America Malaria, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Leishmaniases, Chagas Disease, West Nile Disease North Africa Leishmaniases, Lyme Disease, West Nile Disease Sub-Saharan Africa Malaria, Chikungunya Virus, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Lymphatic Filariasis, Human African Trypanosomiasis, West Nile Disease Asia Malaria, Chikungunya Virus, Dengue Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Leishmaniases Europe Leishmaniases, Lyme Disease, Tick-borne Meningoencephalitis Virus Oceania Malaria, Chikungunya Virus, Dengue Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Leishmaniases

Lung Diseases and Infections

Lung diseases are one of the most common medical conditions found in the world. Because lung health is so important to living a full life, it makes these diseases one of the most important to be aware of.

Lung diseases that affect the windpipe are things like asthma, COPD, bronchitis, emphysema, and cystic fibrosis. Bronchitis is a sudden infection of the airway that is usually caused by a virus.

Lung diseases that affect the alveoli ( air sacs in the lungs) are pneumonia, tuberculosis, pulmonary edema, and pneumoconiosis.

Pneumonia is usually caused by bacteria. Tuberculosis is a form of slow, progressive, pneumonia that’s caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Pulmonary edema is caused when fluid leaks out of the blood vessels and into the air sacs within the lungs.

This can be caused by either heart failure or injury to the lung. Pneumoconiosis is caused by inhalation of a substance injures the lungs. Black lung disease from inhaled coal dust and inhaled asbestos dust are both examples of this.

Most common causes of respiratory infections are the common cold flu and sore throat. However, other diseases caused by bacteria and viruses are also possible. These will be one of the major causes of death in an SHTF environment.

Living closely with others in cramped, closed in conditions can make the transmission of lung diseases extremely common. This means that families with infants, the elderly, and the wounded will need to ensure that they keep an eye out symptoms of lung disease.

Covering your mouth when you cough, washing hands frequently, and not sharing utensils whenever you can help contain the spread of respiratory illness. If you, or a member of your group, contract a respiratory disease, it’s best that you maintain some distance from the remainder of your group and don’t sleep in the same room.

Food-borne Diseases

Food poisoning is something that is extremely uncomfortable but is rarely fatal in modern society. However, in the event of a societal collapse, severe diarrhea and vomiting could become a death sentence.

Foods that you gather from animal sources such as dairy products, eggs, and meat have the potential for being contaminated with salmonella. These items can also cause cross-contamination in other food items such as produce and vegetables.

A rare steak always tastes great but in a survival situation, you’re going to want to make sure that you thoroughly cook all meat before you consume it.

Canned foods can be another source of foodborne disease. Botulism can also grow in canned foods that are not properly processed.

One way to avoid contracting any disease from home-canned foods is to boil them for 10 minutes before you consume them. For factory canned items, you’ll want to ensure that the can is not dented, punctured, split or leaking. If it is, it’s better to skip a meal then risk food poisoning.

Wounds

Without easy access to a doctor, the likelihood of gaining access to a tetanus shot or large quantities of antibiotics is limited. Simple wounds that you get during a survival situation could become massive problems in the long run if not properly treated.

Be sure to clean any wounds, cuts, scrapes, etc. that you may get as soon as possible. Use soap and water or other means to sterilize the area and then cover it with a bandage. Band-Aids should be used to cover small cuts and scrapes.

How to Tell if You Have an Infected Wound

If you’re feeling exhausted and run down or begin sleeping more than usual this could be a sign that your body is fighting an infection.

A fever is one of the easiest ways to tell if someone is suffering from an infection. Temperatures over 101 degrees typically mean that the body is suffering from an infection of some kind.

Fluid draining from a wound should be expected, however, the color should remain clear or just slightly yellow. If the fluid is cloudy, green, or has a foul smell this means that the wound is most likely infected.

After contracting a wound, pain is normal, however, in the coming days, the pain should gradually subside. If the pain continues to increase over time this is sometimes a sign of infection or further damage.

Swelling, redness, and heat are all expected at the site of the wound. Similar to pain, if swelling and redness don’t begin to go away within a few days, or get worse, this could be another sign that the wound is infected.

Most of these symptoms will show up in conjunction with one another so it should be relatively easy to identify an infected wound.

Conclusion

Right now we have modern conveniences like running water, curbside trash pick-up, and doctors on call 24 hours a day. If we ever lose the things that keep us clean, healthy, and disease-free there are a whole host of problems that we’re going to have to learn to cope with on a daily basis.

Diseases in an SHTF are going to run rampant in certain areas, but hope certainly isn’t lost. Take the time to learn now, while we have access to the internet and endless amounts of knowledge.

Diseases in an SHTF are going to be a real thing, we’re all going to have to deal with them, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t figure out how to live with them. Learn basic ways to keep yourself clean, get rid of trash, waste and even the dead and you’re going to be fine if everything does eventually go belly up!

The previous post Diseases in an SHTF or Post Collapse Environment – Remaining Healthy in a Long Term Survival Situation was originally published on: readylifestyle-staging.gtgrgq9c-liquidwebsites.com

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