Task 1: Avian Influenza And SARS Disease
Issues with Communicable disease
Western Governors University
Abstract
Global Health issues affecting our world are a major concern as an outbreak can quickly cause rapid devastation. The community health caregivers are the first line for recognizing and protecting our public. The Avian Influenza and SARS disease are two specific communicable diseases that can lead to respiratory failure in severe cases. Special consideration must be given to the air we breathe and its potential effects on respiratory compromised patients.
According to the World Health Organization, an outbreak of a communicable disease is present when more than the expected occurrences of an illness spread by microorganisms are present in a certain community, population or geographical area. The illness …show more content…
could be spread in many different ways. One possibility is person-to-person contact or when a person touches a contaminated surface. Droplets could also spread the illness, or when a person comes into contact with another person 's body fluids through contact. Another possibility for spread is the fecal-oral route where a person may unknowingly ingest fecal matter containing microorganisms. An airborne illness is perhaps the most dangerous as simply breathing the air contaminated with a microorganism can spread disease. An infectious disease becomes a communicable disease due to the fact that the microorganisms are transmitted from person to person (Clark, 2008). The Avian influenza (Bird flu) was first seen in 1997 in Hong Kong and is found naturally in wild birds and can be spread to domestic birds, which then can transmit the virus to humans. Transmission usually occurs with consumption of undercooked poultry or close contact with infected birds. Infection has been linked to handling infected dead or live poultry while slaughtering and or preparing the poultry. Infection could also occur in areas contaminated by infected fowl (World Health Organization, 2011). Human infection is actually rare but closely monitored because the virus has the potential to evolve and become a communicable disease, spreading easily from person to person. The virus has recently evolved into different subtypes including a low pathogenic and a high pathogenic strain. Both have infected humans. Epidemiological indicators include cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea and body aches, sometimes leading to pneumonia similar to the standard influenza virus. The highly pathogenic strain can present in numerous forms including multi organ failure, respiratory failure and neurological symptoms including altered mental status or seizures. Since 2003, there have been over 600 cases throughout Asia, Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam and Europe (World Health Organization, 2011). Infection is diagnosed by a nasopharyngeal culture swab. The initial wave of Avian Influenza in Hong Kong was in 1997 and saw 18 cases with 6 of the cases causing fatalities. A mass killing of birds was initiated at this time due to the virulent nature of the disease. The virus recurred in 2003 and 2004 with two confirmed cases in Hong Kong, one case in China, five cases in Viet Nam, and five cases in Thailand. During this time there were several other suspected cases not confirmed with laboratory testing. In 2005, sporadic cases continued to be reported in Viet Nam, China and Thailand with new cases emerging in Cambodia, Indonesia, Egypt and Djibouti. In 2006, the first reported case of Avian Flu was reported In Iraq, Turkey and Azerbaijan. In 2007, new cases emerged in Nigeria, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Pakistan. In 2008, the virus spreads to Bangladesh. In 2013-2014, the Avian Influenza re-emerged as the high pathogenic strain with 133 reported cases between Feb 2013 and May 2013. Most cases were middle-aged to older men. In July and August of 2013, there were 2 reported cases and between October, 2013 and January, 2014 there were 74 reported cases (World Health Organization, 2014). Both men and women were affected with one child case reported. Ninety percent of cases involved people less than 40 years of age and 56% of reported cases were fatal (World Health Organization, 2011). An outbreak of the avian flu in this community could have disastrous effects. Due to the virulent nature of the flu virus it could turn into an epidemic and because of our increasing ease of travel, it could even reach pandemic levels. Monitoring of signs and symptoms of Avian flu cases is an important function of the community health care workers to prevent such a tragedy from occurring. Instructing the community on proper handling of poultry including cooking all poultry to 165 degrees and to avoid undercooked eggs. Citizens should avoid contact with those who are sick and use proper hand hygiene after handling raw eggs or poultry. Any new cases should be reported to the CDC who reports to the WHO. One scenario of concern that our population actually did face in 2003 was an outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that turned into an epidemic. SARS is thought to have originally transferred from civet cats to humans (Clark, 2008). This virus is different from the Avian Flu as it is caused by the coronavirus and is transmitted by droplets when all links in the chain of infection are present. These links include a susceptible host, the infectious agent, the reservoir, mode of transmission and a portal of entry and exit, which then find their way to a new host (Clark, 2008). Epidemiologic indicators include fever, headache and body aches. Late symptoms include hypoxia and often pneumonia (Center For Disease Control, 2012). In a scenario where a family just returning from overseas develops these symptoms, followed by others in the community, testing for SARS must take place immediately by drawing labs and detection of serum antibodies to SARS-Cov or laboratory isolation in a cell culture of SARS-CoV RNA confirmed with two different specimens (Center for Disease Control, 2005). Because the family has just returned from a trip overseas, the community health nurse should consider SARS as a possible cause of illness. Though there has not been a known case of SARS since 2004, early detection is key in preventing another outbreak that could result in an epidemic. In addition to recent international travel to Taiwan or China, the community health nurse should watch for clusters of pneumonia requiring hospitalization with healthcare worker being at higher risk of exposure (Center for Disease Control, 2005). Once the presence of SARS is suspected, surveillance guidelines must be immediately disseminated to all healthcare providers regarding the importance of recognizing, evaluating and reporting all SARS cases. Any clusters of pneumonia confirmed by x-ray within a ten-day period, with at least one case linked to recent travel or a healthcare worker, the local health department and CDC will be notified. In the case of this family, positive testing has confirmed that SARS is the cause of illness. The local health department and CDC will be immediately notified and the family should be placed in SARS isolation precaution until respiratory symptoms have resolved and 10 days have passed since any fevers were present (Center for DIsease Control, 2005). SARS isolation precaution includes droplet precautions if the patient is hospitalized with hand hygiene of great importance. When the patient will be at home, they should not leave the house. In the event that they must leave the house, they should wear masks and avoid public transportation. They should also avoid having visitors and if possible, create as much space between family members as possible. Again, hand hygiene is an important way to prevent spread of the pathogen. Because SARS is a respiratory viral illness that spreads easily, the effect on the community could be disastrous. Our population saw the physical effect of the virus in 2002-2003, which infected 8,098 people. Of these, 774 people died (Center For Disease Control, 2012). We also saw a tremendous psychological effect on our world 's population as commuters began wearing masks to go outside of their homes. The effect on our community would be similar with our very young and very old citizens being at greatest risk for death. There is no vaccine for SARS and so monitoring for indicators of another such epidemic is key to preventing another occurrence and spread of this virus (World Health Organization, 2003). For those with chronic respiratory illnesses, poor air quality can be a major issue in our community. We live in an arid high desert and wildfires are a common problem. When a fire breaks out, those with respiratory problems can suffer greatly. Air pollution is another issue facing out community. Washoe county 's Air Quality management monitors and reports air quality and regulate air pollution. They also prepare state plans and educate the public. When poor air quality is reported, the community health care nurse must take respiratory compromised asthma, COPD and other chronic lung disease patients into consideration (Washoe County Nevada, 2014). On a poor air quality day, we are all put at risk for the development of lung infection and lung cancers. These risks are increased for those with chronic lung disease. There are many things the community health nurse can do to take special precaution on days when the air is harder to breathe. The nurse should instruct her patients to stay indoors with windows closed on poor air quality days. The Environmental Protection Agency actual ranks poor air quality as the fourth greatest environmental risk throughout the country (American Lung Association, 2014). If the patient must go outside, they should limit their time outside and try to go in the early morning if possible and wear a protective mask. The patient should be instructed to drink plenty of fluid and when possible, breathe through their nose for the extra filtration benefits. The patient should be instructed to limit exertional activities and most importantly, take their medications as prescribed and keep a rescue inhaler close by.
With the increase in travel and ease of mobility steadily increasing, we are exposed to more people and therefore there is a potential for exposure to more diseases. There has also been speculation in our country that vaccinations are linked to Autism, which has deterred some people from vaccinating their children. Community healthcare workers must educate the public regarding this idea. The Institute of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control both report there is no relationship between Autism and vaccinations (Center for Disease Control, 2014). Because of the increase in potential exposure and the decrease in use of vaccinations, the community healthcare nurse must pay close attention to possible outbreaks of communicable diseases in order to protect our public.
New cases of Avian Influenza by date and country Bibliography
Washoe County Nevada.
(2014, Jan 20). Washoe County Nevada Air Quality management. Retrieved Feb1 18, 2014, from www.washoecounty.us: www.wahsoecounty.us/health/aqm/home.html
World Health Organization. (2011, April 1). Avian Influenza. Retrieved Feb 23, 2014, from www.who.int: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza/en/
World Health Organization. (2003, May 23). Consensus document on the epidemiology on the epidemiology of SARS. Retrieved Feb 18, 2014, from www.who.int: www.who.int/csr/sars/en/WHOconsensus.pdf
World Health Organization. (2014, Jan 24). Influenza at the human-animal interface. Retrieved Feb 20, 2014, from www.who.int: www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/influenza_summary_IRA_HA_interface_24January14.pdf?ua=1
World Health Organization. (2014, Jan 24). Influenza at the Human-Animal Interface. Retrieved Feb 20, 2014, from www.who.int: www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/en/
American Lung Association. (2014, Jan 1). Indoor Air Quality. Retrieved Feb 18, 2014, from www.lung.org:
www.lung.org/association/charters/mid-atlantic/air-quality/indoor-air-quality/html
Center for Disease Control. (2005, May 3). Appendix F7-fact sheet for clinicians interpreting SARS-SOV test results from CDC. Retrieved Feb 16, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/sars/guiadance/F-lab/app7.html
Center for DIsease Control. (2005, May 3). Clinical guidance on the idendification and evaluationof possible SARS disease. Retrieved Feb 14, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/sars/clinical
Center for Disease Control. (2014, Feb 3). Concers about autism. Retrieved Feb 26, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism/Index/html
Center for Disease Control. (2005, May 3). Plan for surveillance of cases of SARS disease. Retrieved feb 16, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/sars/guidance/B-surveillance/cases.html
Center For Disease Control. (2012, July 2). Severe Acute Respirtory Syndrome (SARS). Retrieved Feb 26, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/SARS/about/faq.html
Clark, M. J. (2008). Community Health Nursing; Advocacy for Population Health. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Western Governors University
Abstract
Global Health issues affecting our world are a major concern as an outbreak can quickly cause rapid devastation. The community health caregivers are the first line for recognizing and protecting our public. The Avian Influenza and SARS disease are two specific communicable diseases that can lead to respiratory failure in severe cases. Special consideration must be given to the air we breathe and its potential effects on respiratory compromised patients.
According to the World Health Organization, an outbreak of a communicable disease is present when more than the expected occurrences of an illness spread by microorganisms are present in a certain community, population or geographical area. The illness …show more content…
could be spread in many different ways. One possibility is person-to-person contact or when a person touches a contaminated surface. Droplets could also spread the illness, or when a person comes into contact with another person 's body fluids through contact. Another possibility for spread is the fecal-oral route where a person may unknowingly ingest fecal matter containing microorganisms. An airborne illness is perhaps the most dangerous as simply breathing the air contaminated with a microorganism can spread disease. An infectious disease becomes a communicable disease due to the fact that the microorganisms are transmitted from person to person (Clark, 2008). The Avian influenza (Bird flu) was first seen in 1997 in Hong Kong and is found naturally in wild birds and can be spread to domestic birds, which then can transmit the virus to humans. Transmission usually occurs with consumption of undercooked poultry or close contact with infected birds. Infection has been linked to handling infected dead or live poultry while slaughtering and or preparing the poultry. Infection could also occur in areas contaminated by infected fowl (World Health Organization, 2011). Human infection is actually rare but closely monitored because the virus has the potential to evolve and become a communicable disease, spreading easily from person to person. The virus has recently evolved into different subtypes including a low pathogenic and a high pathogenic strain. Both have infected humans. Epidemiological indicators include cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea and body aches, sometimes leading to pneumonia similar to the standard influenza virus. The highly pathogenic strain can present in numerous forms including multi organ failure, respiratory failure and neurological symptoms including altered mental status or seizures. Since 2003, there have been over 600 cases throughout Asia, Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam and Europe (World Health Organization, 2011). Infection is diagnosed by a nasopharyngeal culture swab. The initial wave of Avian Influenza in Hong Kong was in 1997 and saw 18 cases with 6 of the cases causing fatalities. A mass killing of birds was initiated at this time due to the virulent nature of the disease. The virus recurred in 2003 and 2004 with two confirmed cases in Hong Kong, one case in China, five cases in Viet Nam, and five cases in Thailand. During this time there were several other suspected cases not confirmed with laboratory testing. In 2005, sporadic cases continued to be reported in Viet Nam, China and Thailand with new cases emerging in Cambodia, Indonesia, Egypt and Djibouti. In 2006, the first reported case of Avian Flu was reported In Iraq, Turkey and Azerbaijan. In 2007, new cases emerged in Nigeria, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Pakistan. In 2008, the virus spreads to Bangladesh. In 2013-2014, the Avian Influenza re-emerged as the high pathogenic strain with 133 reported cases between Feb 2013 and May 2013. Most cases were middle-aged to older men. In July and August of 2013, there were 2 reported cases and between October, 2013 and January, 2014 there were 74 reported cases (World Health Organization, 2014). Both men and women were affected with one child case reported. Ninety percent of cases involved people less than 40 years of age and 56% of reported cases were fatal (World Health Organization, 2011). An outbreak of the avian flu in this community could have disastrous effects. Due to the virulent nature of the flu virus it could turn into an epidemic and because of our increasing ease of travel, it could even reach pandemic levels. Monitoring of signs and symptoms of Avian flu cases is an important function of the community health care workers to prevent such a tragedy from occurring. Instructing the community on proper handling of poultry including cooking all poultry to 165 degrees and to avoid undercooked eggs. Citizens should avoid contact with those who are sick and use proper hand hygiene after handling raw eggs or poultry. Any new cases should be reported to the CDC who reports to the WHO. One scenario of concern that our population actually did face in 2003 was an outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that turned into an epidemic. SARS is thought to have originally transferred from civet cats to humans (Clark, 2008). This virus is different from the Avian Flu as it is caused by the coronavirus and is transmitted by droplets when all links in the chain of infection are present. These links include a susceptible host, the infectious agent, the reservoir, mode of transmission and a portal of entry and exit, which then find their way to a new host (Clark, 2008). Epidemiologic indicators include fever, headache and body aches. Late symptoms include hypoxia and often pneumonia (Center For Disease Control, 2012). In a scenario where a family just returning from overseas develops these symptoms, followed by others in the community, testing for SARS must take place immediately by drawing labs and detection of serum antibodies to SARS-Cov or laboratory isolation in a cell culture of SARS-CoV RNA confirmed with two different specimens (Center for Disease Control, 2005). Because the family has just returned from a trip overseas, the community health nurse should consider SARS as a possible cause of illness. Though there has not been a known case of SARS since 2004, early detection is key in preventing another outbreak that could result in an epidemic. In addition to recent international travel to Taiwan or China, the community health nurse should watch for clusters of pneumonia requiring hospitalization with healthcare worker being at higher risk of exposure (Center for Disease Control, 2005). Once the presence of SARS is suspected, surveillance guidelines must be immediately disseminated to all healthcare providers regarding the importance of recognizing, evaluating and reporting all SARS cases. Any clusters of pneumonia confirmed by x-ray within a ten-day period, with at least one case linked to recent travel or a healthcare worker, the local health department and CDC will be notified. In the case of this family, positive testing has confirmed that SARS is the cause of illness. The local health department and CDC will be immediately notified and the family should be placed in SARS isolation precaution until respiratory symptoms have resolved and 10 days have passed since any fevers were present (Center for DIsease Control, 2005). SARS isolation precaution includes droplet precautions if the patient is hospitalized with hand hygiene of great importance. When the patient will be at home, they should not leave the house. In the event that they must leave the house, they should wear masks and avoid public transportation. They should also avoid having visitors and if possible, create as much space between family members as possible. Again, hand hygiene is an important way to prevent spread of the pathogen. Because SARS is a respiratory viral illness that spreads easily, the effect on the community could be disastrous. Our population saw the physical effect of the virus in 2002-2003, which infected 8,098 people. Of these, 774 people died (Center For Disease Control, 2012). We also saw a tremendous psychological effect on our world 's population as commuters began wearing masks to go outside of their homes. The effect on our community would be similar with our very young and very old citizens being at greatest risk for death. There is no vaccine for SARS and so monitoring for indicators of another such epidemic is key to preventing another occurrence and spread of this virus (World Health Organization, 2003). For those with chronic respiratory illnesses, poor air quality can be a major issue in our community. We live in an arid high desert and wildfires are a common problem. When a fire breaks out, those with respiratory problems can suffer greatly. Air pollution is another issue facing out community. Washoe county 's Air Quality management monitors and reports air quality and regulate air pollution. They also prepare state plans and educate the public. When poor air quality is reported, the community health care nurse must take respiratory compromised asthma, COPD and other chronic lung disease patients into consideration (Washoe County Nevada, 2014). On a poor air quality day, we are all put at risk for the development of lung infection and lung cancers. These risks are increased for those with chronic lung disease. There are many things the community health nurse can do to take special precaution on days when the air is harder to breathe. The nurse should instruct her patients to stay indoors with windows closed on poor air quality days. The Environmental Protection Agency actual ranks poor air quality as the fourth greatest environmental risk throughout the country (American Lung Association, 2014). If the patient must go outside, they should limit their time outside and try to go in the early morning if possible and wear a protective mask. The patient should be instructed to drink plenty of fluid and when possible, breathe through their nose for the extra filtration benefits. The patient should be instructed to limit exertional activities and most importantly, take their medications as prescribed and keep a rescue inhaler close by.
With the increase in travel and ease of mobility steadily increasing, we are exposed to more people and therefore there is a potential for exposure to more diseases. There has also been speculation in our country that vaccinations are linked to Autism, which has deterred some people from vaccinating their children. Community healthcare workers must educate the public regarding this idea. The Institute of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control both report there is no relationship between Autism and vaccinations (Center for Disease Control, 2014). Because of the increase in potential exposure and the decrease in use of vaccinations, the community healthcare nurse must pay close attention to possible outbreaks of communicable diseases in order to protect our public.
New cases of Avian Influenza by date and country Bibliography
Washoe County Nevada.
(2014, Jan 20). Washoe County Nevada Air Quality management. Retrieved Feb1 18, 2014, from www.washoecounty.us: www.wahsoecounty.us/health/aqm/home.html
World Health Organization. (2011, April 1). Avian Influenza. Retrieved Feb 23, 2014, from www.who.int: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza/en/
World Health Organization. (2003, May 23). Consensus document on the epidemiology on the epidemiology of SARS. Retrieved Feb 18, 2014, from www.who.int: www.who.int/csr/sars/en/WHOconsensus.pdf
World Health Organization. (2014, Jan 24). Influenza at the human-animal interface. Retrieved Feb 20, 2014, from www.who.int: www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/influenza_summary_IRA_HA_interface_24January14.pdf?ua=1
World Health Organization. (2014, Jan 24). Influenza at the Human-Animal Interface. Retrieved Feb 20, 2014, from www.who.int: www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/en/
American Lung Association. (2014, Jan 1). Indoor Air Quality. Retrieved Feb 18, 2014, from www.lung.org:
www.lung.org/association/charters/mid-atlantic/air-quality/indoor-air-quality/html
Center for Disease Control. (2005, May 3). Appendix F7-fact sheet for clinicians interpreting SARS-SOV test results from CDC. Retrieved Feb 16, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/sars/guiadance/F-lab/app7.html
Center for DIsease Control. (2005, May 3). Clinical guidance on the idendification and evaluationof possible SARS disease. Retrieved Feb 14, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/sars/clinical
Center for Disease Control. (2014, Feb 3). Concers about autism. Retrieved Feb 26, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism/Index/html
Center for Disease Control. (2005, May 3). Plan for surveillance of cases of SARS disease. Retrieved feb 16, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/sars/guidance/B-surveillance/cases.html
Center For Disease Control. (2012, July 2). Severe Acute Respirtory Syndrome (SARS). Retrieved Feb 26, 2014, from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/SARS/about/faq.html
Clark, M. J. (2008). Community Health Nursing; Advocacy for Population Health. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.