ZIKA OUTBREAK: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ; 31 August 2016

The World Health Organization has declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency. The infection has
been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains. Some areas have declared a state
of emergency, doctors have described it as "a pandemic in progress" and some are even advising women in
affected countries to delay getting pregnant. But there is much we do not know.
What are the symptoms of Zika?
Deaths are rare and only one-in-five people infected is thought to develop symptoms. These include: mild fever,
conjunctivitis (red, sore eyes), headache, joint pain, a rash A rare nervous system disorder, Guillain-Barré
syndrome, that can cause temporary paralysis has been linked to the infection. There is no vaccine or drug
treatment so patients are advised to rest and drink plenty of fluids. But the biggest concern is the impact it could
have on babies developing in the womb and the surge in microcephaly.
What is microcephaly?
It is when a baby is born with an abnormally small head, as their brain has not developed properly. The severity
varies, but it can be deadly if the brain is so underdeveloped that it cannot regulate the functions vital to life.
Children that do survive face intellectual disability and development delays.
Experts now believe Zika is linked to a broader set of complications in pregnancy, including miscarriage, stillbirth,
premature birth and eye problems. "The virus will not cause infections in a baby that is conceived after the virus
is cleared from the blood," it says.
Where did Zika come from?
It was first identified in monkeys in Uganda in 1947. The first human case was detected in Nigeria in 1954 and
there have been further outbreaks in Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands. Most were small and Zika
has not previously been considered a major threat to human health. But in May 2015 it was reported in Brazil
and has since spread rapidly.
How does it spread?
It is spread by Aedes mosquitoes. They are the same insects that spread dengue and chikungunya virus. They
are found throughout the Americas except for Canada and Chile where it is too cold for them to survive, and
across Asia. And, unlike the mosquitoes that spread malaria, they are mostly active during the day, so bed nets
offer limited protection. If they drink the blood of an infected person they can then infect subsequent people
they bite.
What can people do?
As there is no treatment, the only option is to reduce the risk of being bitten. Health officials advise people to:
use insect repellents, cover up with long-sleeved clothes, keep windows and doors closed
The mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, so people are also being told to empty buckets and flower pots.
The US Centers for Disease Control has advised pregnant women not to travel to affected areas.
WHAT IS CANCER? https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/cancer.html
Cancer is actually a group of many related diseases that all have to do with cells. Cells are the very small units
that make up all living things, including the human body. There are billions of cells in each person's body.
Cancer happens when cells that are not normal grow and spread very fast. Normal body cells grow and divide
and know to stop growing. Over time, they also die. Unlike these normal cells, cancer cells just continue to grow
and divide out of control and don't die when they're supposed to.
Cancer cells usually group or clump together to form tumors. A growing tumor becomes a lump of cancer cells
that can destroy the normal cells around the tumor and damage the body's healthy tissues. This can make
someone very sick.
Sometimes cancer cells break away from the original tumor and travel to other areas of the body, where they
keep growing and can go on to form new tumors. This is how cancer spreads.
Causes of Cancer
Doctors aren't sure why some people get cancer and others don't. They do know that cancer is not contagious.
You can't catch it from someone else who has it — cancer isn't caused by germs, like colds or the flu are. So
don't be afraid of other kids — or anyone else — with cancer. You can talk to, play with, and hug someone with
cancer.
Kids can't get cancer from anything they do either. Some kids think that a bump on the head causes brain cancer
or that bad people get cancer. This isn't true! Kids don't do anything wrong to get cancer. But some unhealthy
habits, especially cigarette smoking or drinking too much alcohol every day, can make you a lot more likely to
get cancer when you become an adult.
It can take a while for a doctor to figure out a kid has cancer. That's because the symptoms cancer can cause —
weight loss, fevers, swollen glands, or feeling overly tired or sick for a while — usually are not caused by cancer.
When a kid has these problems, it's often caused by something less serious, like an infection. With medical
testing, the doctor can figure out what's causing the trouble.
If the doctor suspects cancer, he or she can do tests to figure out if that's the problem. A doctor might order X-
rays and blood tests and recommend the person go to see an oncologist. An oncologist is a doctor who takes
care of and treats cancer patients. The oncologist will likely run other tests to find out if someone really has
cancer. If so, tests can determine what kind of cancer it is and if it has spread to other parts of the body. Based
on the results, the doctor will decide the best way to treat it.
Cancer is treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation — or sometimes a combination of these treatments.
The choice of treatment depends on: the type of cancer someone has (the kind of abnormal cells causing the
cancer), the stage of the tumor (meaning how much the cancer has spread within the body, if at all)
With both chemotherapy and radiation, kids may experience side effects. A side effect is an extra problem that's
caused by the treatment. Radiation and anti-cancer drugs are very good at destroying cancer cells but,
unfortunately, they also destroy healthy cells. This can cause problems such as loss of appetite, tiredness,
vomiting, or hair loss. With radiation, a person might have red or irritated skin in the area that's being treated.
But all these problems go away and hair grows back after the treatment is over. During the treatment, certain
medicines can help a kid feel better.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HYPERTENSION ; Mon 11 December 2017 By Markus MacGill

Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure. It can lead to severe complications and increases the risk
of heart disease, stroke, and death. Blood pressure is the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the
blood vessels. The pressure depends on the work being done by the heart and the resistance of the blood
vessels.
The heart is a muscle that pumps blood around the body. Blood that has low oxygen levels is pumped towards
the lungs, where oxygen supplies are replenished. The oxygen rich blood is then pumped by the heart around
the body to supply our muscles and cells. The pumping of blood creates pressure.
If a person has high blood pressure, it means that the walls of the arteries are receiving too much pressure on a
constant basis.
Hypertension and heart disease are global health concerns. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that
the growth of the processed food industry has impacted the amount of salt in diets worldwide, and that this
plays a role in hypertension.
Lifestyle adjustments are the standard first-line treatment for hypertension. Doctors recommend that patients
with hypertension engage in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity, dynamic, aerobic exercise. This can include
walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming on 5 to 7 days of the week. Avoiding stress, or developing strategies for
managing unavoidable stress, can help with blood pressure control. Using alcohol, drugs, smoking, and
unhealthy eating to cope with stress will add to hypertensive problems. These should be avoided.
Symptoms
A person with hypertension may not notice any symptoms, and it is often called the "silent killer." While
undetected, it can cause damage to the cardiovascular system and internal organs, such as the kidneys.
Regularly checking your blood pressure is vital, as there will usually be no symptoms to make you aware of the
condition. It is maintained that high blood pressure causes sweating, anxiety, sleeping problems, and blushing.
However, in most cases, there will be no symptoms at all. If blood pressure reaches the level of a hypertensive
crisis, a person may experience headaches and nosebleeds.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SWINE FLU (H1N1) ; 16 May 2017 By Christian Nordqvist

Swine flu is a disease of pigs that can, in rare cases, be passed to humans. It is a highly contagious respiratory
disease caused by one of many Influenza A viruses. The disease is spread among pigs by direct and indirect
contact, aerosols, and from pigs that are infected but do not have symptoms. In many parts of the world, pigs
are vaccinated against swine flu.
Most commonly, swine flu is of the H1N1 influenza subtype. However, swine flu viruses can sometimes come
from other subtypes, such as H1N2, H3N1, and H3N2. The 2009 outbreak of swine flu that infected humans was
of the H1N1 subtype. It is important to note that, although it developed in swine, the 2009 pandemic virus was
not completely derived from swine. The virus contains a combination of flu genes from bird, swine, and human
flu types.
The symptoms of swine flu in humans are quite similar to those of regular flu, and include: body aches, chills,
cough, headache, sore throat, fever and tiredness.
Vaccine
A vaccine has been produced to protect humans against the H1N1 strain of swine flu. This was introduced
following a pandemic of swine flu in 2009 and 2010.
Causes
There are only a few causes of swine flu in humans. They are: Contact with infected pigs: This is the most
common way of catching swine flu. Any contact with infected pigs makes transmission more likely.
Contact with infected humans: This is a much less common way of catching swine flu, but is a risk, especially for
those in close contact with an infected person.
In cases where humans have infected other humans, close contact was necessary with the infected person, and
it nearly always occurred in closed groups of people.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TYPHOID ; 4 December 2017 By Tim Newman

Typhoid is a bacterial infection that can lead to a high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. It can be fatal. It is caused
by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. The bacterium lives in the intestines and bloodstream of humans. It spreads
between individuals by direct contact with the feces of an infected person. No animals carry this disease, so
transmission is always human to human.
The infection is often passed on through contaminated food and drinking water, and it is more prevalent in
places where handwashing is less frequent. It can also be passed on by carriers who do not know they carry the
bacteria.
Annually, there are around 5,700 cases in the United States, and 75 percent of these start while traveling
internationally. Globally, around 21.5 million people a year contract typhoid. If typhoid is caught early, it can be
successfully treated with antibiotics; if it is not treated, typhoid can be fatal.
Salmonella typhimurium enters through the mouth and spends 1 to 3 weeks in the intestine. After this, it makes
its way through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. From the bloodstream, it spreads into other tissues
and organs. The immune system of the host can do little to fight back because S. typhi can live within the host's
cells, safe from the immune system.
Symptoms
Symptoms normally begin between 6 and 30 days after exposure to the bacteria.
The two major symptoms of typhoid are fever and rash. Typhoid fever is particularly high, gradually increasing
over several days up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, or 39 to 40 degrees Celsius. The rash, which does not affect
every patient, consists of rose-colored spots, particularly on the neck and abdomen. Other symptoms can
include: weakness, abdominal pain, constipation and headaches
AN OVERVIEW OF DIABETES http://www.joslin.org/info/an_overview_of_diabetes.html

Diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to properly use and store glucose (a form of sugar). Glucose
backs up in the bloodstream — causing one’s blood glucose (sometimes referred to as blood sugar) to rise too
high.
There are two major types of diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body completely stops producing any insulin, a
hormone that enables the body to use glucose found in foods for energy. People with type 1 diabetes must take
daily insulin injections to survive. This form of diabetes usually develops in children or young adults, but can
occur at any age.
Type 2 diabetes results when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin and/or is unable to use insulin properly.
This form of diabetes usually occurs in people who are over 40, overweight, and have a family history of
diabetes, although today it is increasingly occurring in younger people, particularly adolescents.
People with diabetes frequently experience certain symptoms. These include: being very thirsty, frequent
urination, weight loss, increased hunger, blurry vision, irritability, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet,
frequent skin, bladder or gum infections and wounds that don't heal.
How is diabetes treated?
There are certain things that everyone who has diabetes, whether type 1 or type 2, needs to do to be healthy.
They need to have a meal (eating) plan. They need to pay attention to how much physical activity they engage
in, because physical activity can help the body use insulin better so it can convert glucose into energy for cells.
Everyone with type 1 diabetes, and some people with type 2 diabetes, also need to take insulin injections. Some
people with type 2 diabetes take pills called "oral agents" which help their bodies produce more insulin and/or
use the insulin it is producing better. Some people with type 2 diabetes can manage their disease without
medication by appropriate meal planning and adequate physical activity.
Also, people with diabetes need to learn how to monitor their blood glucose. Daily testing will help determine
how well their meal plan, activity plan, and medication are working to keep blood glucose levels in a normal
range.
Can diabetes be prevented?
Maybe someday. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, yet we still do not understand it
completely. Recent research does suggest, however, that there are some things one can do to prevent this form
of diabetes. Studies show that lifestyle changes can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in those adults
who are at high risk of getting the disease. Modest weight loss (5-10% of body weight) and modest physical
activity (30 minutes a day) are recommended goals.
What Is Ringworm? ; Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, March 2018

Ringworm is a type of fungal skin infection. When fungi infect the skin, they cause mild but annoying rashes.
Fungal skin infections are also known as tinea infections.
When fungus grows anywhere else on the body, it's known as ringworm. Its medical name is tinea capitis when
it's on the scalp, and tinea corporis when it's on the rest of the body. On the nails it is known as onychomycosis.
Ringworm on the skin starts as a red, scaly patch or bump. Over time, it may look like one or more rings with
raised, bumpy, scaly borders (the center is often clear). This ring pattern gave ringworm its name, but not every
infected person has it. The skin may flake, peel, or crack, and it can itch, sting, burn, or feel uncomfortable.
Ringworm on the scalp may start as a small sore that looks like a pimple before becoming patchy, flaky, or scaly.
These flakes may look like dandruff. It can make some hair fall out or break into stubble, leaving a bald spot. It
also can make the scalp swollen, tender, and red.
Ringworm is caused by fungi that normally live on the skin, hair, and nails called dermatophytes. When the
environment they live in gets warm and moist, they grow out of control and start to cause symptoms.
Ringworm can spread from one person to another by skin-to-skin contact, especially in warm, damp
environments to other areas of the body if a person touches the affected area and then touches other body
parts, such as the hands from animals to people
Besides spreading from person to person, ringworm can come from pets or other animals (usually cats, dogs, or
rodents). It thrives in warm, moist environments such as public showers, locker rooms, or pool areas. It can
spread easily when people are in close physical contact. That's why it's common in people who play contact
sports such as wrestling. It can also be passed on objects like combs, brushes, hats, towels, or clothing.
Ringworm can often be prevented. To avoid it: Keep your skin clean and dry. Wash daily and dry completely,
particularly after showering, swimming, and sweaty activities, use clean towels and avoid sharing clothing,
towels, combs, brushes, and hats wash sports gear and uniforms as often as possible and don't share them.
Avoid tight-fitting clothing, change your clothes every day and wash your hands well with soap and water after
playing with pets.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TUBERCULOSIS ; Mon 27 November 2017 By James McIntosh

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs. Compared with other diseases caused by a
single infectious agent, tuberculosis is the second biggest killer, globally. In 2015, 1.8 million people died from
the disease, with 10.4 million falling ill.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, a tuberculosis epidemic rampaged throughout Europe and North America,
before the German microbiologist Robert Koch discovered the microbial causes of tuberculosis in 1882.
Following Koch's discovery, the development of vaccines and effective drug treatment led to the belief that the
disease was almost defeated. Indeed, at one point, the United Nations, predicted that tuberculosis (TB) would
be eliminated worldwide by 2025.
However, in the mid-1980s, TB cases began to rise worldwide, so much so, that in 1993, the World Health
Organization (WHO) declared that TB was a global emergency; the first time that a disease had been labeled as
such.
TB usually affects the lungs, although it can spread to other organs around the body. Doctors make a distinction
between two kinds of tuberculosis infection: latent and active. Latent TB - the bacteria remain in the body in an
inactive state. They cause no symptoms and are not contagious, but they can become active. Active TB - the
bacteria do cause symptoms and can be transmitted to others.
About one-third of the world's population is believed to have latent TB. There is a 10 percent chance of latent
TB becoming active, but this risk is much higher in people who have compromised immune systems, i.e., people
living with HIV or malnutrition, or people who smoke.
The majority of TB cases can be cured when the right medication is available and administered correctly. The
precise type and length of antibiotic treatment depend on a person's age, overall health, potential resistance to
drugs, whether the TB is latent or active, and the location of infection (i.e., the lungs, brain, kidneys).
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium causes TB. It is spread through the air when a person with TB (whose
lungs are affected) coughs, sneezes, spits, laughs, or talks.
TB is contagious, but it is not easy to catch. The chances of catching TB from someone you live or work with are
much higher than from a stranger. Most people with active TB who have received appropriate treatment for at
least 2 weeks are no longer contagious.
Symptoms of tuberculosis
While latent TB is symptomless, the symptoms of active TB include the following: Coughing, sometimes with
mucus or blood, chills, fatigue, fever, loss of weight, loss of appetite and night sweats