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First Aid for Dog Bite Victim Victim of rabid dog, cat or bite of any other animal that can transmit rabies should be brought to the emergency room immediately. In the emergency room a doctor, nurse or health care attendant should follow the following steps. 1. Reassurance and Counseling The victims of an animal bite are often fearful and worried. Especially when they think or know that the animal which has bitten was infected with rabies. Rabies is a deadly disease indeed. So reassurance and counselling should be done. Handle them with care, soothe the child and show him care and gently ask him to allow you to handle his wound. Tell him that you are going to wash the wound and vaccinate him and the chance of getting rabies will be very low. 2. Assess the number, location and depth of the wound Adults are usually cooperative and will tell you the number and location of the wound with accuracy. In the case of children, you must be careful. They may not cooperate due to fear. U...

You must have heard in the news that the Ebola virus has killed nearly 4,500 people in West Africa. Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 during an outbreak in Sudan. It was named after a river which is present in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ebola virus Structure The virus has a different and unusual shape as compared to other viruses. It is very long and thin, measures 14 micrometres and despite of its huge devastating impact, its genetic makeup is very simple. It consists of a single stranding RNA, which contains only seven genes. How the Ebola virus spreads? Fruit bats are considered as the main reservoir of the Ebola virus. A human can get an infection from infected wild animals such as monkeys, apes and other animals which are commonly killed for bushmeat. The human can transmit the infection from person to person, thus initiate a devastating outbreak. How people get an infection of the Ebola virus? Ebola virus is present in the skin, organs, tissues and body fluids of...

Dr Maha Ahmed, working as a medical officer in Capital Hospital (CDA Hospital) of Islamabad, Pakistan says, “Rabies is a fatal disease, with a mortality rate of 100%. Once signs and symptoms of rabies appear, nothing much can be done but there are only six patients from all around the world, who have survived rabies after developing its signs and symptoms”. Who are these lucky people and how they survived? This is what we are going to discuss in this article. Unlike many other viruses and bacteria, Rabies virus doesn’t spread via blood. It spreads when an animal that can transmit rabies , bites a human. The rabies virus is present in the saliva of the rabid animal. The virus when introduced into the wound of the patient attaches itself to the nerves and starts travelling to the central nervous system. When it reaches the brain, it stimulates and causes generalized inflammation of the brain, damages it and this is the point of no return. The patient starts showing the signs and sympto...

When Rabid dog or any other animal that can transmit rabies bites the management depends on the category of the wound.  A rabid animal bite is categorized into three categories depending on the depth and tissues involved. The deeper the wound is, the more dangerous it will be. Wounds categorization for a rabid animal bite. Category I wound. Category I wounds are not wounds actually. Because in these, the skin remains intact. If a rabid animal, feed on your hand or licks your skin, but there shouldn’t be any abrasion, or breakage of the integrity of skin epithelium then there is no risk of transmission of rabies. In this case, no vaccination is needed, only reassurance of the doubter is enough. Category II Wounds. Category II (two) wounds carry the moderate risk of transmission of rabies. If a rabid animal licks an uncovered area of skin, like some previous wound or abrasion or you have got a minor scratch or abrasion from an animal that can transmit rabies in such a way that no ...

Health workers have a great risk of having a needle stick injury and Management of Needlestick Injuries in the Health Care Setting is a challenge. Needlestick injuries are a major cause of transmission of pathogens from patient to health care professional. HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are the most feared infections that are transmitted through needlestick injuries. In this article, we will discuss the possibility of transmission of hepatitis C after getting a needle stick injury from a hepatitis C positive patient and what should be done after getting a needle stick injury from a hepatitis C positive patient. 1. Possibility of transmission of hepatitis C after a needle stick injury Many research studies have been conducted to answer this question. These studies demonstrate that the risk of transmission of hepatitis C is greatly lesser than that of hepatitis B after having a needle stick injury. For hepatitis C, this risk varies from 0 – 4 % in different studies. In an older stu...

The appearance of Blisters around lips is the most common condition experienced by almost every person a few times in his/her lifetime. Most of the people get this disease when they reach the age of 20. This is a Highly contagious infection and transfers from one person to another through intimate contact, sharing towels and other articles. Once it infects somebody, a tendency of recurrent infection always remains there. It is very difficult to eliminate this virus completely. But in the normal healthy individual, this virus doesn’t cause serious complications. It causes serious complication in only immuno-deficient person ( eg., AIDS ). The Causative virus has two subtypes, Herpes simplex type I and Herpes simplex type II. Herpes simplex type 1 causes herpes labialis and it is more common. The Herpes Simplex type II virus causes genital herpes ( see an article about genital herpes, causes and treatment )but it may cause herpes labialis as well. After the first infection, the herp...

Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment of Hepatitis C: An Update These recommendations provide a data-supported approach to establishing guidelines. They are based on the following: (1) a formal review and analysis of the recently published world literature on the topic (Medline search up to September 2008); (2) the American College of Physicians’ Manual for Assessing Health Practices and Designing Practice Guidelines; (3) guideline policies, including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases’ (AASLD) Policy on the Development and Use of Practice Guidelines and the American Gastroenterological Association’s Policy Statement on the Use of Medical Practice Guidelines;2 and (4) the experience of the authors in regard to hepatitis C. Background The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health problem and a leading cause of chronic liver disease.5 An estimated 180 million people are infected worldwide. In the United States (U.S.), the prevalence of HCV infection bet...

Herpes Simplex (HSV) •            There are two forms of HSV, HSV1 or HSV2 •            Primarily transmitted through the infected maternal genital tract •            The rationale for C-section delivery prior to membrane rupture •            Primary infection with greater transmission risk than reactivation Clinical Manifestations: •            Most are asymptomatic at birth •            3 patterns of ~ equal frequency with symptoms between birth and 4wks: •            Skin, eyes, mouth (SEM) •            CNS disease •       ...

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) •            Most common congenital viral infection •            ~40,000 infants per year in the U.S. •            Mild, self-limiting illness •            Transmission can occur with primary infection or reactivation of the virus •            40% risk of transmission in primary infection •            Studies suggest increased risk of transmission later in pregnancy •            However, more severe sequelae associated with the earlier acquisition Clinical Manifestations: •            90% are asymptomatic at birth! •          ...

    Rubella: •            Single-stranded RNA virus •            Vaccine-preventable disease •            No longer considered endemic in the U.S. •            Mild, self-limiting illness •            Infection earlier in pregnancy has a  higher probability of affected infant Reported Rubella and CRS: US 1996 to 2002 Clinical Manifestation: •            Sensorineural hearing loss (50-75%) •            Cataracts and glaucoma (20-50%) •            Cardiac malformations (20-50%) •            Neurologic (10-20%) •   ...