Infection Diseases

 SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT OF  COMMON DISEASES

Infectious diseases are diseases caused by microorganisms. They are microscopic organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Sometimes they can be caught from other people, the environment, contact with animals or insect bites.

• Infectious diseases can be any of the following:
• 
  
• chickenpox
• Cold
• Diphtheria
• E-coli
• Giardiasis
• HIV/AIDS
• Infectious mononucleosis
• flu (flu)
• Lyme disease
• Malaria
• Measles
• Meningitis
• Mumps
• Poliomyelitis (polio)Pneumonia Rocky 
• mountain spotted
•  fever Rubella 
• (German measles Salmonella)
•  infection Severe
•  Acute Respiratory Syndrome herpes zoster)

Toxic shock syndrome

Tuberculosis

Viral hepatitis

West Nile virus

whooping cough (pertussis)

SYMPTOMS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Many infectious diseases have similar symptoms, such as:

fever,

diarrhea,

fatigue and

Muscle pain.

They can also have very specific symptoms. These diseases are also treated differently depending on how severe they are and how much they affect your immune system.

Although you don't need to see a doctor for a cold, if your symptoms last more than a few days, you should see a doctor. Some diseases can also be prevented by vaccination.

TREATMENT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Many infectious diseases can be treated with antibiotics (specifically diseases caused by bacteria). Those caused by viruses can sometimes be treated with antiviral drugs, and diseases caused by fungi can be treated with antifungals.

However, some diseases have become resistant to drugs. You should always consult a doctor about the best treatment options for your particular symptoms or condition.#1 Influenza / Flu

Commonly known as the flu, influenza is a virus typically spread through respiratory droplets exhaled by people carrying the infection. These are the most common seasonal flu viruses we’re likely to face:

Influenza A virus (IAV) can spread from animals to humans and is the most common form we encounter. It is also the variant responsible for influenza pandemics.

Influenza B virus (IAB) produces symptoms much like type A, but can only pass among humans, not other animals. It can cause seasonal outbreaks during “flu season” from September to April but remains a threat at any time of year.

Influenza C virus (IAC) is the mildest form, producing the least severe disease.

Because flu shares some symptoms with other respiratory infections, Dr. Doka recommends a medical examination for anyone with signs of flu. “An infectious disease doctor would be the best choice,” she said, “to get an accurate flu diagnosis and a flu treatment specifically designed for it.”

In addition to evaluating your symptoms, a doctor may administer a rapid antigen test, which involves taking a swab sample from the back of the

nose or throat.

Flu symptoms usually include some combination of the following:

Fever

Cough

Sore throat

Runny nose

Body aches

Headache

Chills

Fatigue

While more severe cases may require medication, flu treatment for patients with milder cases usually involves isolation at home to prevent spread, rest, and over-the-counter remedies to relieve flu symptoms.

Patients are most likely to transmit the disease to others during the first 3 to 4 days of flu symptoms, but Dr. Doka warns “you can still be contagious as much as 7 or 8 days later.”

Certain high-risk groups are particularly susceptible to catching influenza and suffering the most severe symptoms, including death. These include older people, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems regardless of cause.

Flu prevention entails the general infection control measures of washing hands, social distancing and avoiding close contact with people known to have the disease, but according to Dr. Doka, “the most effective way to prevent influenza is through vaccination, so be sure to get your seasonal flu vaccine.”

#2 Sexually Transmitted Infection / STI, STD, VD

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also known as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or venereal disease (VD), have been on the rise recently, and should be a concern for all sexually active people.

They are typically spread by genital area skin-to-skin contact, or by contact with bodily fluids such as semen and vaginal secretions. Sexually transmitted disease symptoms and infection may be prevented by abstaining from sex, using condoms, or ensuring that all sexual partners involved are medically tested and proven to be infection-free prior to sex. STIs come in many forms, but the most common ones in the United States are:

• Chlamydia
• Syphilis
• Hepatitis B
• Gonorrhea
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Genital Herpes
• HIV/AIDS
• Chlamydia

Currently, chlamydia is the most common bacterial STI moving through our communities. While it can infect people of any age, it is most often diagnosed in people between 20 and 25 years old.

According to Dr. Doka, chlamydia can present with symptoms including “discharge, pain, and a burning sensation upon urination, but generally not lesions or other indications on the skin. In some cases, patients have no symptoms at all, and this raises the transmission risk to their partners.” People in the most jeopardy of catching chlamydia include those with a new partner and those with multiple partners.

The disease does more damage the longer one has it, whether symptoms are noticeable or not. “For example,” warns Dr. Doka, “if untreated, women with chlamydia can develop pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID. It can cause reproductive problems and lead to complications with pregnancy.”

Fortunately, chlamydia is easy to diagnose and treat. Those who have symptoms or suspect an exposure should see an infectious disease doctor, who will evaluate the patient’s history and conduct a physical exam and lab test. “Don’t delay seeing the doctor, because early diagnosis and quick treatment produce the best outcomes,” Dr. Doka advises, adding, “treatment is usually with antibiotic pills with no need for hospitalization, and patients recover quickly.”

Syphilis

Syphilis is less prevalent than chlamydia now, but it can have very serious long-term effects. Patients are diagnosed with one of the four progressive stages of the disease, and if left untreated, it can cause brain damage and terrible problems with the eyes, heart, nerves, brain, liver, bones, and joints. Women with long-term syphilis can give birth to stillborn or developmentally delayed babies.

Who Should You See for an STI?

If you suspect any STI, Dr. Doka recommends seeing an infectious disease specialist. A family doctor may be able to help with a particular STI, but an infectious disease doctor will broadly analyze a patient’s risk factors and lifestyle as well as conduct tests to see if other likely infections are present.

“If someone comes to me with chlamydia, I don’t just treat the chlamydia,” she said, “I also screen them for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis, and herpes, because these infections all bear the same risk factors. If we find them, we treat them, and if not, we rule them out.”