...Communicable Disease Paper While it has not claimed the number of lives that some more prominent communicable diseases have, the Ebola virus remains one of the most feared diseases the planet has ever known. Ebola is the subject of much attention from Hollywood; Ebola outbreaks quickly become public knowledge, and always have the potential to cause a panic. Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever, which causes victims to have a difficult time coagulating blood cells. (Bardi, 2002) The results are gruesome, with the afflicted suffering greatly and rarely surviving. Due to the devastating potential Ebola holds, efforts to control it are unprecedented. Nongovernmental organizations like the World Health Organization are often on the scene of a potential Ebola outbreak within days, working to ensure that the disease does not spread beyond the Ground Zero outbreak. The known outbreaks of Ebola have occurred in African countries like Zaire, predominately because of environmental factors. While it is a brutal killer, Ebola is not an especially hardy specimen; it is very easily killed by the cold, and thus is found in the warm and semi-tropical climates noted in Africa. (Waterman, 1999) In addition, researchers have determined that Ebola is probably carried by monkeys, which are in abundance in Africa; Europe and the United States lacks significant monkey populations, which limits the potential for an outbreak to occur there. Additional factors for why the Ebola virus tends to pop...
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...Communicable Disease Paper Maria G. Sanchez HCS/457 June 29, 2015 Charlotte A. Ferrell Communicable Disease Paper One of the many highly communicable diseases is chickenpox. This communicable disease is caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV) which has a resemblance with the herpes virus. It can be transmitted in two ways, one through direct contact with the fluids from the blisters, mucus, or saliva and second through air where the virus is disseminated by coughing or sneezing. A person who has chickenpox can spread the virus even before he or she has any symptoms. Chickenpox is regarded as highly communicable for individuals who are exposed to the disease for the first time nor have been vaccinated against it. They have an 80% risk of acquiring the disease through close contact of an infected individual. As claimed by the Pub Med Health, “most children with chickenpox exhibit symptoms like fever, headache, stomach ache, sore throat, loss of appetite, or presence of small, fluid-filled, itchy, red spots over the skin.” Chickenpox causes a red, itchy skin rash that usually appears first on the abdomen or back and face, and then spreads to almost everywhere else on the body, including the scalp, mouth, arms, legs, and genitals. At the time when the chickenpox blisters has dried and formed scabs is the point where the individual isn’t contagious. Chickenpox is normally a mild disease. Each and every individual is at risk of being infected by chickenpox – no exception. It is known...
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...Huntington’s disease is an inherited disease that causes a breakdown of certain neurons in the brain. Huntington’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder which causes involuntary movements, emotional disturbance, and cognitive impairment. “Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by an autosomal dominant pathogenic mutation, resulting in an expanded stretch of 36 or more glutamine residues in the N terminus of the huntingtin (HTT) protein (1)” (Weiss et al., 2012, p.1 ). People who have Huntington’s disease are born with the faulty gene; however, symptoms typically don’t appear until the person reaches middle age. Although in most cases people with HD don’t start to experience symptoms until middle age, some people may start to experience them...
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...Mitochondrial disease is a disease that is passed from mother to child. The altered functions of the proteins results in this debilitating disease. This disease is diagnosed in 152 babies in the UK per year and 778 babies in the US per year (Spark). Mitochondria are supposed to convert food and oxygen into life sustaining energy. When those mitochondria aren’t working properly, functions of the body which need a lot of energy are affected greatly. Symptoms of this disease may include loss of motor control, muscular dystrophy, seizures, liver disease, cardiac disease and many more (Foundation). These symptoms can take many years to show up in a child’s life. Some don’t know they have the disease until they are 10 years old whereas others may...
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...3/26/17 Eng 161 No Way Out but Death Alzheimer’s disease is the most common case of dementia; it is generalized degeneration of the brain that destroys many mental functions and can occur in middle to old age. Although it is most common in old age it is not a normal part of the aging process and can also effect younger people. This is known as early-onset Alzheimer’s. The lifespan of people with the disease varies but it usually about 8-10 years and in some cases, has been 20 years. There has not been enough reach to know if Alzheimer’s is inherited but certain genes do make someone more likely to develop it. There are three stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and although...
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...Huntington's Disease Essay: By Jasmine Mongeon Huntington's disease is an inherited disease characterized by the degeneration of the central nervous system, which ultimately results in abnormal movements and mental deterioration. The genetic abnormality consists of expansion in the trinucleotide repeat CAG in the HD gene on chromosome 4, which codes for the normal protein huntingtin. The HD gene is an autosomal dominant condition which means that only one parent must have the gene in order for a child to inherit HD. Huntington's disease results in abnormal movements and mental deterioration. Each child of an Huntington's disease parent has a 50% chance of getting the Huntington's disease. If the child does not inherit the Huntington's disease...
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...Where did the name, Alzheimer's come from Sometimes called Alzheimer disease or Alzheimer's the origin of the term dates back to 1906 when Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician presented a case history before a medical meeting about a 51-year-old female who suffered from a rare brain disorder. What is Alzheimer's Wikipedia says that Alzheimer's accounts for 60% to 70% of cases of dementia. It is a Neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and gets worse over time. The disease and its cause is poorly understood with professionals hypothesizing such factors as genetics, head injuries, depression, hypertension, plaques and tangles in the brain and several other possible causes that run the gambit. The diagnosis processes include such things as medical imaging and blood tests....
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...Huntington's Disease Huntington’s Disease is an inherited disease that breaks down the nerves of the brain. This disease can affect the individuals functional abilities. Most people with this disease start getting symptoms in their 30s or 40s. When this disease affects people before the age 30 it is called “ juvenile Huntington’s disease”. The causes of Huntington’s is due to a inherited defect in a single gene. Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes lung infections and makes it difficult for the individual to breathe. This disease causes sticky build up of mucus in lungs, pancreas, and other organs. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease, the individuals have 2 copies of defective CF gene Down's Syndrome...
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...TITLE: Perspective: The Therapeutic Potential of Deep Brain Stimulation in Huntington's Disease AUTHORS: Sean J. Nagel, Andre G. Machado, John Gale, Darlene A. Lobel, Mayur Pandya ABSTRACT Huntington’s Disease (HD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease characterized by the triad of chorea, cognitive dysfunction and psychiatric disturbances. Since the discovery of the HD gene in 1993, the pathogenesis has been outlined, but to date a cure has not been found. Disease modifying therapies are needed desperately to improve function, alleviate suffering, and provide hope for symptomatic patients. Deep brain stimulation (DBS), a proven therapy for managing the symptoms of some neurodegenerative movement disorders, including Parkinson’s...
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...Communicable Disease Paper - Hepatitis A Hepatitis A is a communicable viral liver disease. A recent outbreak of Hepatitis A has recently occurred across five states. For this reason this paper will describe the disease, its treatment and prevention; the factors that contribute to its spread; how personal lifestyles, including that of socioeconomic status influence the disease and the control of the disease. If there are gaps and resources available to fill these gaps will be discussed along with alternatives and recommendations for prevention and/or reduction in the spread of Hepatitis A. Within this document the goal will be to include data supporting the findings and plans to ensure continuation of quality of health and quality of life. Description Hepatitis A is an extremely contagious viral disease that attacks the liver and can cause mild to severe illness. The infection will cause the liver to decline in its functional use. Hepatitis A is “most likely to (be) contract(ed) from contaminated food or water or from close contact with someone who’s already infected” (Mayo Clinic, 2013). Contaminated food and/or water usually has had contact with human fecal matter via ingestion or contact with a contaminated object or person. Many who have contacted Hepatitis A may not even realize they have contracted the disease. The symptoms range from mild to severe and can include any of the following: jaundice, fatigue, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and fever. These symptoms...
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...The genetic disease that I got was Tay Sachs’ Disease. Tay Sachs’ Disease is a disease that destroys your nerve cells and effects your spinal cord. It can effect you in many different ways and eventually can kill you. Tay Sachs’ Disease got it’s name from a British ophthalmologist named Warren Tay. He was treating someone with a cherry-red spot on the retina of their eye when he noticed this disease. It was also named by a New York neurologist named Bernard Sachs. He noticed that that this disease was only found in Eastern European Jewish descent at the time.Today it is starting to be found in different races besides just Jewish origin. This disease is mostly common in infants but, can be seen in teenagers or even adults around the age...
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...Huntington's disease is an adult onset progressive brain disorder that causes uncontrolled movement, emotional problems, and the loss of thinking abilities.The disease usually appears in a person’s early thirties or forties.Early signs include depression, poor coordination, irritability, and trouble learning new information. As the disease matures affected people may have trouble swallowing, speaking and walking people also experience changes in personality and reasoning people who have the adult onset form of the disease usually live for fifteen to twenty years after showing signs. The gene that is related to the disease is a mutation that occurs in the HTT gene. The HTT gene provides instructions for making the protein huntingtin which plays...
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...to The Huntington's Disease Society of America Huntington's disease is an inherited disorder that results in the progressive loss of both mental facilities and physical control. The symptoms of Huntington's disease can range anywhere from behavioral issues such as mood swings or a total change of personality to loss of coordination or even trouble swallowing. “Huntington's disease is caused by inheriting a mutation in The HTT gene” (Genetics Home Reference). At this point in time there is no cure for Huntington's but there has been some progress in slowing down the disease. “People who are diagnosed with Huntington's disease don’t usually have any signs or symptoms until they are between the ages of thirty to fifty” (HDSA.org). In some very rare cases the symptoms can start in childhood. This type of the disease progresses much faster and the teenager or child who gets it usually only lives ten to fifteen years after being diagnosed. “In the early stages of Huntington's the most common symptoms are poor memory, depression, lack of coordination, and...
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...Introduction Parkinson's disease may be described as a progressive neurological disorder, it arises from degeneration of neurons in a region of the brain responsible for co-ordinating movement. The neuronal damage results in a shortage of the brain signalling chemical (neurotransmitter) known as dopamine, resulting in the movement impairments which characterize the disease. 71% of Parkinson’s disease cases are due to a sporadic cause, usually influenced by environmental factors. (1) However, Parkinson’s disease may also be caused by genetic mutations of 13 genetic loci, PARK1-13. These mutations may cause autosomal dominant or recessive Parkinson’s disease. Six of the thirteen loci feature genes which have been discovered and published by...
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...Alzheimer Disease (AD) is a progressive disease that affects the mind. There are many negative things that can happen with this disease and the end stages are difficult for all those who are involved in the degeneration of the mind. Though it is not normally the cause of death this is still a destructive disease. AD is a form of dementia, one of the worst kinds and is actually very common. Dementia is memory loss. Some believe that it only affects older people but there are cases on younger people having AD and other forms of dementia as well. There is no way of knowing if you are going to have AD before the symptoms arise besides assessing risks such as looking at you family history to see if someone from your immediate family had it and at...
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