WMN Editors

WEST NILE VIRUS

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September/October 2002 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 15, Number 5

Tales of the Tapeworm

By Dr. E.C. Oli

WEST NILE VIRUS
Flaviviridea

In the world of infectious disease West Nile Virus (WNV) is not a statistically important disease. Its impact is actually minimal in that it does not cause harm to millions or even thousands of people. It is one of about 534 zoonotic viruses of which 120 are know to cause illness in humans. But it is important, because it is a new acute illness that is potentially lethal, highly preventable, and we do not yet know its full potential to spread and cause harm.

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WMN Editors

Problems with the Pump

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September/October 2002   ISSN-1059-6518    Volume 15, Number 5

Disclaimer: The content of the Wilderness Medicine Newsletter is not a substitute for formal training or the recommendation of an expert. The authors, editors, and artists are not responsible for inaccuracies.

Cardiac Risk, Assessment, and Management in the Backcountry

By Brad Boehringer, (W)EMT-B

Every 33 seconds, nearly a million times a year, someone will die as a result of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States among men and women of every race. In 1999 it accounted for 1/3 of deaths globally. If you spend time in the wilderness, it’s not far fetched to predict that you may encounter someone having a cardiac event.

As our understanding of CVD has increased, it has become clear that it is well within our capabilities to reduce our risk of suffering from this increasingly common problem. Unfortunately, as care providers it is all too common that we see and deal with CVD in a reactionary instead of prophylactic way. Our role in prevention diminishes. On this premise we must become attuned to recognizing the signs of a possible cardiac event and know what we can do as basic life support providers to help.

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WMN Editors

ASPIRIN – Acetylsalicylic Acid

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September/October 2002 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 15, Number 5

The Medicine Chest

ASPIRIN- Acetylsalicylic Acid

by R.X. Daley, PharmD

History: The earliest know uses of salicin, the naturally occurring form of aspirin found in willow bark, dates back to the 5th century B.C. Greek physician Hippocrates, who used it for pain relief.

Salicin was modified to sodium salicylate and was used in the early 1800’s as a pain reliever. However, this form of aspirin was very hard on the stomach. In 1897 a German chemist named Felix Hoffman, in order to help his arthritic father, altered sodium salicylate to acetylsalicylic acid in an effort to make a form of aspirin that was easier on the stomach.

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WMN Editors

SCHISTOSOMIASIS

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Tales of the Tapeworm

By Dr. E.C. Oli

July/August 2002 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 15, Number 4

Schistosomiasis

Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium

Schistosomiasis is an infectious disease that you can get from swimming in contaminated water. The parasite is unique in that it does not have to be ingested, instead is can burrow directly through your skin, breaching our primary line of defense.

The natural life cycle of this organism is from ducks, to snails, to ducks. The organism lives in the duck’s gut; it is spread with the duck feces into water. In the water it is in a free swimming form called a cercarium. This form penetrates the snail and takes up residency. It then gets back from the snail to the duck when the duck eats the snail. So, the duck poops in the water, the cercaria swims around until it finds a snail, it then burrows into the snail, and then the duck eats the snail.

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