Tuesday, September 23, 2008
 Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among children, resulting in the hospitalization of approximately 55,000 children each year in the United States and the death of over 600,000 children annually worldwide. The incubation period for rotavirus disease is approximately 2 days. The disease is characterized by vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 - 8 days, and fever and abdominal pain occur frequently. Immunity after infection is incomplete, but repeat infections tend to be less severe than the original infection. For persons with healthy immune systems, rotavirus gastroenteritis is a self-limited illness, lasting for only a few days. Treatment is nonspecific and consists of oral rehydration therapy to prevent dehydration. About one in 40 children with rotavirus gastroenteritis will require hospitalization for intravenous fluids.
posted by emedinfo
@2:23 AM
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Monday, September 22, 2008
Heat-induced occupational illnesses, injuries, and reduced productivity can occur with excessive exposure to a hot work environment. Heat-induced disorders include transient heat fatigue, heat rash, fainting, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Aside from these disorders, heat poses the threat of injuries because of accidents caused by slippery palms as a result of sweating, fogged up safety glasses, and dizziness. Severe burns can also occur as a direct result of accidental contact with hot surfaces and steam. The links below provide acess to more information on heat-induced occupational illnesses, injuries, and reduced productivity, as well as methods that can be taken to reduce risk.
posted by emedinfo
@3:07 AM
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Friday, September 19, 2008
 Impairments in hearing can happen in either frequency or intensity, or both. Hearing loss severity is based on how well a person can hear the frequencies or intensities most often associated with speech. Severity can be described as mild, moderate, severe, or profound. The term "deaf" is sometimes used to describe someone who has an approximately 90 dB or greater hearing loss or who cannot use hearing to process speech and language information, even with the use of hearing aids. The term "hard of hearing" is sometimes used to describe people who have a less severe hearing loss than deafness.
posted by emedinfo
@4:09 AM
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Scabies is an infestation of the skin with the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabei. Infestation is common, found worldwide, and affects people of all races and social classes. Scabies spreads rapidly under crowded conditions where there is frequent skin-to-skin contact between people, such as in hospitals, institutions, child-care facilities, and nursing homes.
signs and symptoms
* Pimple-like irritations, burrows or rash of the skin, especially the webbing between the fingers; the skin folds on the wrist, elbow, or knee; the penis, the breast, or shoulder blades.
* Intense itching, especially at night and over most of the body.
* Sores on the body caused by scratching. These sores can sometimes become infected with bacteria.
posted by emedinfo
@11:11 PM
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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. Persons with CFS most often function at a substantially lower level of activity than they were capable of before the onset of illness. In addition to these key defining characteristics, patients report various nonspecific symptoms, including weakness, muscle pain, impaired memory and/or mental concentration, insomnia, and post-exertional fatigue lasting more than 24 hours. In some cases, CFS can persist for years. The cause or causes of CFS have not been identified and no specific diagnostic tests are available. Moreover, since many illnesses have incapacitating fatigue as a symptom, care must be taken to exclude other known and often treatable conditions before a diagnosis of CFS is made.
posted by emedinfo
@6:41 AM
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Monday, September 15, 2008
Hematologic cancers include leukemias, lymphomas, and myeloma, all of which involve the uncontrolled growth of cells that have similar functions and origins.
Leukemia
Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood. The two primary types of leukemia are lymphocytic leukemia, which involves an increase of white blood cells called lymphocytes; and myelogenous leukemia (also known as myeloid or myelocytic leukemia), which involves an increase in white blood cells called granulocytes. Leukemia can be acute or chronic. Acute forms of leukemia progress rapidly, whereas chronic forms of leukemia progress slowly, leading to different approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
Lymphoma is a general term for a group of cancers that originate in the lymph system. The two primary types of lymphoma are Hodgkin's lymphoma, which spreads in an orderly manner from one group of lymph nodes to another; and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which spreads through the lymphatic system in a non-orderly manner.
Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells. In myeloma, the cells overgrow, forming a mass, or tumor, that is located in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the spongy tissue found in the center of the bone, where red and white blood cells and platelets are made.
posted by emedinfo
@5:44 AM
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Tuesday, September 9, 2008
HIV was first identified in the United States in 1981 after a number of gay men started getting sick with a rare type of cancer. It took several years for scientists to develop a test for the virus, to understand how HIV was transmitted between humans, and to determine what people could do to protect themselves. In 2008, CDC adjusted its estimate of new HIV infections because of new technology and developed by the agency. Before this time, CDC estimated there were roughly 40,000 new HIV infections each year in the United States. New results shows there were dramatic declines in the number of new HIV infections from a peak of about 130,000 in the mid 1980s to a low of roughly 50,000 in the early 1990s. Results also shows that new infections increased in the late 1990s, followed by a leveling off since 2000 at about 55,000 per year. In 2006, an estimated 56,300 individuals were infected with HIV. AIDS cases began to fall dramatically in 1996, when new drugs became available. Today, more people than ever before are living with HIV/AIDS. CDC estimates that about 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV or AIDS. About one quarter of these people do not know that they are infected: not knowing puts them and others at risk.
posted by emedinfo
@12:00 AM
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Monday, September 8, 2008
Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. Domestic animals account for less than 10% of the reported rabies cases, with cats, cattle, and dogs most often reported rabid.
Rabies virus infects the central nervous system, causing encephalopathy and ultimately death. Early symptoms of rabies in humans are nonspecific, consisting of fever, headache, and general malaise. As the disease progresses, neurological symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.
posted by emedinfo
@5:37 AM
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Friday, September 5, 2008
Newborn fingernails and toenails are usually soft and flexible, but can cause injuries to the infant. Newborn infants do not yet have control of their arm, hand, finger, leg, or foot movements, and may inadvertently claw at their face. Nails that are ragged or extend beyond the tip of the finger can cause scratches to the face and eyes.
Clean the baby's hands, feet, and nails during regular bathing. Trim nails carefully with baby nail scissors that have blunt rounded tips or baby nail clippers. (Do NOT use adult-sized nail clippers -- you may clip the tip of the baby's finger or toe instead of the nail.)
Use a soft emery board to keep the nails smooth and prevent injuries. Since baby's nails grow pretty quickly, you may have to cut the fingernails at least once a week. You may only need to cut the toenails a couple of times per month.
posted by emedinfo
@3:07 AM
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Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among children, resulting in the hospitalization of approximately 55,000 children each year in the United States and the death of over 600,000 children annually worldwide. The incubation period for rotavirus disease is approximately 2 days. The disease is characterized by vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 - 8 days, and fever and abdominal pain occur frequently. Immunity after infection is incomplete, but repeat infections tend to be less severe than the original infection.
