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WMN Editors

Diphtheria – a vaccine preventable disease

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Volume 29 Number 2

ISSN 1059-6518

By Frank Hubbell, DO

The use of vaccines to prevent disease has been around for over 80 years and the number of vaccines has grown to over 25. For some individuals this is an area of confusion, debate, and disagreement. The reality is that vaccines are very well-studied and profoundly safe to use. As with any medication, there are risks, but the risks are far out-weighed by the benefits of not getting that particular disease.

I doubt there is anyone on this planet that would want to see the return of small pox or an increase in the cases of polio, or diphtheria. It is the vaccination process that builds up immunity to these diseases by stimulating the immune system to make antibodies to defeat the illness before it could cause symptoms and potentially death. However, there are those who, for whatever reason, refuse to be vaccinated, thereby putting themselves and others at risk.

To follow are a series of articles that will discuss and explain the various vaccine-preventable diseases and the consequences of acquiring that particular illness for which the vaccine was created. As stated above, currently, there are a total of 25 vaccines to prevent disease. For no particular reason, we will start with diphtheria.

Diphtheria:

A vaccine-preventable disease.

It is caused by a bacterium – Corynebacterium diphtheria.

It is an aerobic, gram-positive bacillus.

The reservoir in nature is us, human carriers.

The primary vector is droplet-spread through the air by coughing and sneezing.

There are toxigenic and non-toxigenic forms of diphtheria.

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WMN Editors

ZIKA VIRUS UPDATE AUGUST 28, 2016

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Volume 29 Number 2

ISSN 1059-6518

Center for Disease Control (cdc.gov)

World Health Organization (who.int)

Latest Zika Situation Report – 25, August 2016

Microcephaly, Guillain-Barré Sydrome, and congenital anomalies

Summary

  • An Emergency Committee was convened by the Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) on 1 February 2016. Following the advice of the Committee, the Director-General announced the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurologic disorders reported in Brazil to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
  • The Emergency Committee agreed that a causal relationship between Zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven. All experts agreed on the urgent need to coordinate international efforts to investigate and understand this relationship better.
  • As of 25 August 2016, a total of 70 countries have reported autochthonous circulation of Zika virus. It has been found in all of Central and South America, except for Chile.
  • 11 countries have reported evidence of person-to-person transmission.
  • The geographical distribution of Zika virus has been steadily increasing since it was first detected in the Americas in 2015. Further spread to countries within the geographical range of competent disease vectors — Aedes mosquitoes — is considered likely.
  • 18 countries have reported an increase in the incidence of cases of microcephaly and/or Guillain-Barré syndrome concomitantly with a Zika virus outbreak.

The global prevention and control strategy launched by WHO is based on surveillance, response activities, and research.

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WMN Editors

Japanese Encephalitis

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ISSN-1059-6518

Travel Immunizations

Japanese Encephalitis

By Frank Hubbell, DO

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is more correctly known as Japanese B Encephalitis.

It is a virus in the family Flaviviridae.

The reservoirs in nature that harbor the JE virus are pigs and herons.

The vector for JE is the mosquito – Culex tritaeniorhynchus & C. vishnui.

JE is not contagious, in that it cannot be transferred from human-to-human. It has to be spread by the Culex mosquito vector.

The incubation period from mosquito bite to symptoms is 5  – 15 days.

The vast majority of those infected are asymptomatic.

Only 1 in 250 cases develops into encephalitis.

Still JE is the leading cause of encephalitis in Asia with 30,000 – 50,000 cases per year.

One in four patients that develop JE encephalitis will die. There is a 25% fatality rate caused by brain damage.

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WMN Editors

CESTODA – HYMENOLEPIS

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July/August 2011 ISSN-1059-6518  Volume 24 Number 4

By Frank Hubbell, DO

Cestoda –

Hymenolepis:

This is the scientific taxomony for the Class Cestoda – tapeworms. In previous issues of the WMNL, we have discussed the Taenia and Echinococcus tapeworms. In this edition we will explore the Hymenolepidiae tapeworms.

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