What carries viruses that cause viral hemorrhagic fevers?
Viruses associated with most VHFs are zoonotic. This means
that these viruses naturally reside in an animal reservoir host or arthropod
vector. They are totally dependent on their hosts for replication and overall survival. For the
most part, rodents and arthropods are the main reservoirs for viruses causing
VHFs. The multimammate rat, cotton rat, deer mouse, house mouse, and other field
rodents are examples of reservoir hosts.
Arthropodticks and mosquitoes serve as
vectors for some of the illnesses. However, the hosts of some viruses remain
unknown -- Ebola and
Marburg viruses are well-known examples.
Where are cases of viral hemorrhagic fever found?
Taken together, the viruses that cause VHFs are distributed over much of the
globe. However, because each virus is associated with one or more particular
host species, the virus and the disease it causes are usually seen only where
the host species live(s). Some hosts, such as the rodent species carrying
several of the New World arenaviruses, live in geographically restricted areas.
Therefore, the risk of getting VHFs caused by these viruses is restricted to
those areas. Other hosts range over continents, such as the rodents that carry
viruses which cause various forms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in
North and South America, or the different set of rodents that carry viruses
which cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe and Asia. A
few hosts are distributed nearly worldwide, such as the common rat. It can carry
Seoul virus, a cause of HFRS; therefore, humans can get HFRS anywhere where the
common rat is found.
While people usually become infected only in areas where
the host lives, occasionally people become infected by a host that has been
exported from its native habitat. For example, the first outbreaks of Marburg
hemorrhagic fever, in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and in Yugoslavia,
occurred when laboratory
workers handled imported monkeys infected with Marburg virus. Occasionally, a
person becomes infected in an area where the virus occurs naturally and then
travels elsewhere.
If the virus is a type that can be transmitted further by
person-to-person contact, the traveler could infect other people. For instance,
in 1996, a medical professional treating patients with Ebola hemorrhagic fever
(Ebola HF) in Gabon unknowingly became infected. When he later traveled to South
Africa and was treated for Ebola HF in a hospital, the virus was transmitted to
a nurse. She became ill and died. Because more and more people travel each year,
outbreaks of these diseases are becoming an increasing threat in places where
they rarely, if ever, have been seen before.
Kidney failure can occur from an acute event or a chronic condition or disease. Prerenal kidney failure is caused by blood loss, dehydration, medication. Some of the renal causes of kidney failure are from sepsis, medications, rhabdomyolysis, multiple myeloma, and acute glomerulonephritis. Post renal causes of kidney failure include bladder obstruction, prostate problems, tumors, or kidney stones. Treatment options included diet, medications, or dialysis.
Dengue fever is contracted from the bite of a striped Aedes aegypti mosquito. Symptoms of dengue include headache, fever, exhaustion, severe joint and muscle pain, rash, and swollen glands. Since dengue is caused by a virus, there is no specific medicine to treat it. Treatment instead focuses on relieving the symptoms.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
Coma is the inability to waken or react to the surrounding environment. The Glasgow Coma Scale is frequently used to measure the depth of coma. Causes of coma include trauma, bleeding, edema, lack of oxygen, poisoning, or hypoglycemia. Prognosis for a patient in a coma depends on the cause of the coma.
Travelers' diarrhea is generally contracted by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Food is the primary source of travelers' diarrhea. Enterotoxigenic E. coli is the cause of up to 70% of all cases of travelers' diarrhea. There are five unique classes of E. coli that causes gastroenteritis. Other bacteria responsible for travelers' diarrhea include
Campylobacter, jejuni, shigella, and salmonella. Viruses such as rotavirus and Norwalk virus (norovirus) and giardia lamblia a parasite may cause travelers' diarrhea. Prevention is careful eating and drinking of water.
Ticks are known transmitters of disease to humans and animals. Tick-borne diseases include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Q fever, tularemia, babesiosis, and Southern tick-associated rash illness. Infected ticks spread disease once they've bitten a host, allowing the pathogens in their saliva and mouth get into the host's skin and blood. Tick bites are typically painless, but the site of the bite may later itch, burn, turn red, and feel painful. Individuals allergic to tick bites may develop a rash, swelling, shortness of breath, numbness, or paralysis. Tick bite treatment involves cleaning and applying antibiotic cream.
Medical shock is a life-threatening medical condition. There are several types of medical shock, septic shock, anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock, and neurogenic shock. Causes of shock include heart attack, heart failure, heavy bleeding (internal and external), infection, anaphylaxis, spinal cord injury, severe burns, chronic vomiting or diarrhea. Low blood pressure is the key sign of sock. Treatment is dependant upon the type of shock.
Travelers should prepare for their trip by visiting their physician to get the proper vaccinations and obtain the necessary medication if they have a medical condition or chronic disease. Diseases that travelers may pick up from contaminated water or food, insect or animal bites, or from other people include malaria, meningococcal meningitis, yellow fever, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, polio, and cholera.
Bug bites and stings have been known to transmit insect-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Lyme disease. Though most reactions to insect bites and stings are mild, some reactions may be life-threatening. Preventing bug bites and stings with insect repellant, wearing the proper protective attire, and not wearing heavily scented perfumes when in grassy, wooded, and brushy areas is key.
Typhus is a disease caused by Rickettsia bacteria. Symptoms and signs include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and rash. Antibiotics are recommended as the treatment for endemic and epidemic typhus infections.
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